Testing Mettle (Razkar) [Arena of Ancients]

by **Tinnok** on March 15th, 2014, 3:09 am

She watched, she listened, she learned. All Myrians did, but with her piss yellow eyes and her glinting skin she had to be a step ahead, a bit quicker, a bit smarter, or it would all be for naught. She thanked Caiyha everyday for the intricate patterning on her arm that saved her day in and day out, and made sure the gift was not put to waste. But for now her life was bound to the army, and to survive that she had to learn a lot more.

So she took in his words, noting how carefully he said them. He never talked down to her, not like an elder or a better, as a male he knew better, he expected more of her and she of him, neither failed to deliver.

But she wasn't prepared for how fast he would move as soon as his advice was done, while her head was still throbbing with the impact of his forehead on hers.

She leapt backwards to avoid the attack he never would have landed anyway, watching him lunge off the pillar in a move similar to her own chimes before. His body was a seething mass of muscle, drawing the intensity of their last fight backwards. She was not as skilled as he, but Tinnok was too tired, too injured to want to fail him now. She was tired of defending then responding, a very bland way to answer his attacks. The first attack a mere feint to get her on her toes, and she knew his advice now. She had to watch him from all angles, the attacks he was throwing, but also the ones he was going to throw.

Don't watch where he is, know where he's going to be.

She sucked in breath with her nose, his leg surged out at her and she ducked beneath it, her legs bent, her arms up, his body spinning over her, but even as his elbow came she moved. She stood upright and twisted, the blow landing in her ribs as her own left leg surged outwards towards his crotch. A predictable move, and towards an area of the body he would need to protect as she brought her right fist backward, fingers curled, but trying not to keep them too tight as she launched a hook underhanded towards his stomach.

by **Razkar** on March 15th, 2014, 4:18 am

Sometimes it's the simple thing that does you in. Sometimes it's complexity you simply can't fathom. Others, bad luck or predestination, whichever you prefer to blame. But on that day, Razkar simple over-reached.

And underestimated. Let's not forget that.

The male grunted like a bull when he landed, damaged knee making him wobble even as he began his back spin, throwing off his balance and slowing him down. His foot hadn't connected and he felt a brief flush of pride, but crushed it down, concentrating on-

-the firm thwack of his elbow against her ribs, knocking the wind from him-

-and then the agony in his crotch as her foot connected. She was striking before he'd even finished facing her, and as he doubled over he saw something else, her fist, coming in low to his gut-

Nothing for it.

-and with roar Razkar half-leaped, half-staggered into her, tackling her across the torso, mashing his body against hers, both of them smacking down onto the stone barely covered in dust. Goddess alone knew what it did to her, but every bruise and welt on his body screamed out as his bones jarred and skin scraped-

-but he was on top, and that was the point.

Whatever other... dimension, he might have noticed to their pressing against each other, well, Razkar simply wasn't looking. He pressed his crotch against hers and snapped his hands to her wrists, pinning them next to her head and baring his teeth, so close he could make out his reflection in her Dhani eyes...

"Now?" He panted, chest heaving against hers. "I could headbutt you again. Or bite your throat out. Or just strangle you. Remember: an enemy down is half an enemy. When you can, bring him low, get on top and pound him into the ground until he stops twitching. Not very pretty, but it works..."

He got up. Well... he meant to. There wasn't much left to say, after all... but that dimension previously hinted at? The lascivious possibilities of the flesh beyond their capabilities to rend and batter flooded into Razkar's mind at once and he spun hard off her-

-mainly to hide the flush coloring his whole face, clearing his throat for quite a few ticks as he tried to stagger back to his feet-

-and failed, cursed blackly on one knee.

"Damnit... always overstepping..." He turned and winked over his shoulder, spitting blood to one side as an afterthought. "More dangerous than you know, Wolf..."

by **Tinnok** on March 15th, 2014, 1:29 pm

She thought she had been doing well. It wasn't fair, that he'd just suddenly decided to change the pace of their bout on a bikka. It wasn't fair that he was muscular...in every way she realized as his body pressed hard against her own.

And what precisely about any battle is going to be fair, to you? You should know better. She contemplated a couple ways to retaliate. She could bite his nose, angle her knee into his groin again, but those thoughts were largely dulled when he smacked her already injured spine into the ground with full force. She practically bit through her entire lip to keep the scream down.

She was going to have such a hellish bruise blossom there she just knew it, and her leg fared no better. So when he rolled off her, for once she wasn't thinking about his...against hers, nor caught the flush in his face or how hurriedly he slid off of her. Deep breaths filled up her chest. The abomination hadn't spoken for sometime, usually she was a bit more talkative. "Thank you." She said evenly. It could have been for any number of things, but he would get the general idea of the words.

She sat up with a pained groan, stood with an even longer one, and limped over to her weapons, sitting slowly on the old pillar, rearranging her arsenal. The Scimitar glinted jealously, nearly every weapon had been used but it. Her fingers ran lightly over the well polished steel. Another day, there would be so many more.

And then she began the painful process of stetching, long legs folding up, body leaning forward, wincing with every twist and turn of her muscles. "I swear I get more bruised than in the yards." Her head was tilted downward, but he could hear the wry smile regardless.

by **Razkar** on March 15th, 2014, 5:16 pm

Eagle's scorn-choked laugh came out like stones falling onto stones as he managed to haul himself upright using a pillar and the handle of his ax. He walked over to her with all the speed of an Honored Elder, wagging a finger with mock severity.

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't try to mollify me. Trying to ease my wounded male pride by telling me no-one kicks the shit out of the half-blood like me."

Anyone else, and he might have seen a flash of injured anger on her face... but Razkar knew her better, and she him. When first they'd met, he'd been just another pumped-up male eager to impress the females by knocking a Dhani-spawn down to size. That had been... Goddess, really two years?

Now he couldn't imagine spitting out that term for her and actually meaning it. Eagle gave her that smile he knew she liked, and that whisper he oft-ignored stirred in the back of his mind.

Second thoughts about your choice, male?

"Come, Wolf." He said firmly, clapping a hand on her shoulder and both of them winced then chuckled like a pair of kids. "We'll need some ointment for-"

"Well, how petching touching!"

If Razkar though he knew sarcasm, he was a blind novice compared to the rolling waves of disdainful derision that boomed off the walls, rattles the ancient, dusty skulls lining it and focused squarely on the two young ones in a tender moment.

Razkar's black eyes flicked over her shoulder, surprise giving way to recognition... and then a groan and wince of a very different pain.

"Goddess, anyone but those cunts..."

by **Catastrophe** on May 17th, 2014, 2:25 am

Tinnok :

Notes :

Flashback Testing Mettle (Razkar) [Arena of Ancients]