And Sometimes We Lose

[Dravite]

58 Summer, 515 AV
6th Bell, Morning

Continued from Here.

Helena Swiftrun had dark eyes, a long, narrow neck, tightly braided tendrils of black hair that stopped just above her waist, a silver ring pushed through the middle of her nose, and a stare that was hard to look away from. Dravite had observed all of this with just a glance; details he had missed in the dark of night passed. Her legs were long and lean and she bested him in height by a good three inches. “Raise that spear, Blackwater; I shouldn't have to tell you twice,” Helena scolded, pointing her weapon at the ready.

The two circled one another slowly, careful where they put their feet in the clearing just beyond the thick undergrowth that surrounded the makeshift camp. The ground was littered with leaves and dried debris that made for a perfect hiding spot for any grassland snake. Helena drew a line in the sand with the end of her spear, coaxing the man to rush into a move that would probably see him clipped before he knew what had hit him. She smiled a smile that played tricks on the horse lord’s innards; why did it invoke such a stirring in his loins?

Dravite growled and lunged forward, thrusting his spear low in an attempt to trick the woman into changing her stance or throw her off balance. Helena seemed to expect every move he made and whacked the man’s right shoulder where his defence was currently lacking. Dravite raised his spear and locked it over top of the woman’s before striking her with another kick; this time he had thought ahead and stopped her from taking his legs out from under him like she had the first time.

Instead Helena did something completely left field and leapt at the man, springing up onto his shoulders using her hands only to close his head between her thighs and force him to tumble backwards. Her hand caught the knots of his matted hair as her feet met the ground, stopping him from sustaining a mild head injury. Dravite had dropped his spear and sat on his backside with his hands on the back of Helena’s legs just above the folds and looked up at her blinking, as if to say with his eyes what his mouth could not; what in the world was that?

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[Dravite]

Helena stepped back with her left leg only to drive her knee into the man’s shoulder, forcing him onto his back. She set her foot against the right side of his chest and smirked down at him. With Helena standing over him in her skins, Dravite had a one of a kind view from where he lay; but he would not let this woman distract him. Quickly the man reached for his weapon, clutching at the dry leaves beside him until he found the end of the spear and brought it up to slap her backside with the pole before sitting up to escape between her legs.

The mixed blood caught the man’s foot with the toe of her boot, tripping him and forcing the horse lord to throw himself into a forward roll. He crouched down some metres away from her, gripping his right side with his freehand where his old rib injury spoke up again, warning him to be more careful less he aggravate the all but healed fracture. He heard the hum of the woman’s spear race through the air towards him and turned to force the glancing blow aside with his own. Slowly, Dravite rose as the two of them glared at one another; equally matched, though the sweat building on the horse lord’s brow said otherwise.
“You’re tired,” Helena smirked.
“I’m only just warming up!”

As he rose their weapons clashed again, though this time the point of his spearhead had managed to deal a blow to Helena’s right shoulder. She froze and turned her head to squint at the scratch as blood began to pool and slowly trace a thin, red line down the length of her slender arm to the elbow.
“A lucky shot,” she smiled again, this time with her too-white teeth on show.
“Watch it or I might get lucky again,” he warned, “Spear up.”
Helena sneered wickedly, “I think I like you more than I thought.”
“You’re going to like me a whole lot less in a chime,” Dravite assured the woman, “Spear up!”

Helena raised her spear and lunged at the man, thrusting her weapon forward in a jab he was only just quick enough to avoid. Thought this move might have distracted him enough to make his own two chimes prior, he was growing used to her tricks and lifted the point of his spear to the woman’s throat, pressing it just so against the elegant hollow between her collarbones.
“Check,” the man grinned.
“And draw,” Helena mouthed, sliding her spear across his right side so that the small, white teeth on the edge of the head cut into his flesh, just enough to draw blood.

Dravite grit his teeth and hissed, sucking air into his lungs in an attempt to ignore the sting that came with the scratch.

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[Dravite]

Dravite closed his hand around the shaft of Helena’s spear and the woman, confused, mirrored his actions. Without warning the man gave a tug to test her strength before pulling the spears forward with all his might while he raised a leg to kick the woman who was forced to step forward; hands still clutching the spears. Helena was thrown backwards by the kick that had caught her off-guard, and Dravite, now wielding both spears, turned Helena’s on her to help her up.

The woman took the end of the spear and got to her feet. She walked in a half-circle, eyeing the horse lord as if she didn’t know what to make of him. “Spear up.”

Dravite smirked but did as she instructed, it seemed she wasn’t going to give up so easily; though hopefully she gave in before they were both bleeding from multiple scores, the man thought. As Helena readied an attack, Dravite noticed the muscles in her arms tighten and knew this was a sure sign that she was about to make a move. He gripped his spear tightly and decided to make his own before she could strike, jabbing his spear at her middle, only to see the woman spin away from the attack and bring her weapon around to whack the man across his lower back, sending him down onto his hands and knees.

The horse lord seldom swore, but Helena had managed to coax a few beauties from the tip of his tongue for that move. Without pause, her boot met his hip and the man rolled across the bed of dried leaved, raising his spear to quickly block another oncoming attack.
“Good!” Helena praised his defence, just before he swept his leg across the ground and put her on her rump.

Again Dravite rolled aside out of the reach of Helena’s weapon and got to his feet, bleeding and bruised, and covered in sweat; it seemed, however, that he was not the only one feeling the strain of their training session.
“Up,” he encouraged, lifting his hand as if to summon her from the ground by some force of nature.

Helena got to her feet and looked back behind herself, drawing her spear back over her shoulder before slinging it forward in the man’s direction. It shot between his legs and smacked him where it hurts. Helena bit her lower lip. Dravite stepped over her weapon and moved aside, turning his back on her to cup a hand over the lace-up of his leather pants. The two stood in complete silence, both unmoving until Dravite finally coughed away the pain and Helena doubled over laughing.
“A cheap shot!” He hissed.
“Yes but look how effective it was?” she laughed, “You even turned your back on me; let’s say I put a dagger in it and call it even.”
“Even?” Dravite looked back at her from over his left shoulder and looked bemused, “There’s nothing even about a low blow.”

Helena fell silent and stalked towards the man, slipping her arms through the hooks of his own. Dravite froze, completely disarmed and lifted his jaw like a defiant child, ready to caution her should her hands linger too long where they were unwelcome against the pit of his belly; until they slipped lower still.

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[Dravite]

As Helena's hands sunk beneath the band of leather that sat just below the man's hips, Dravite drew his weapon from his belt, as if to slowly make a start on undressing. With one hand closed firmly over the hilt of his dagger, the horse lord reached back with his free hand to cup the back of Helena's head and take her hair in his fist securely.
"I gathered you were the kind of man who liked it rough the moment I saw you throw yourself in the firing line of that Zith last night," the woman hissed against Dravite's ear before closing her teeth against the lobe to bite him sharply.

The action quickened him, stealing away the breath of air he had been holding in his lungs ever since her fingers had graced his skin; however, it did little to deter the man from the path of wrong and right. When he finally acted, Helena drew her next breath against the edge of his dagger and swallowed slowly behind the cold blade set at her throat. Shock claimed her eyes, or perhaps it was fear he saw staring back at him, followed by utter disgust.
"I'm twice bound," Dravite finally spoke up. "I have two sons and another to be born of winter. The only reason I'm on this mission is to safeguard the future for my kin."

Helena's fingers backed out of the man's leather trousers and curled against the waistband defiantly as she stepped closer to him, daring him to use the weapon as he had first intended. The dagger bit into the woman's flesh near the pointed end, marring her otherwise flawless skin.
"This is the second time you have marked me in one bell; what would your superiors say?"
Dravite hissed, low but sternly, "remove your hands lest you force me to do it for you."
"I could have you banished, stripped of your belongings, your Strider, your home," Helena spat at his feet, "how will you and your wives fair then; forced to leave on foot and face your fate in the Sea of Grass."
"Tell me, what fate lies in wait for you, faced with the wraith of the gods with the blood of the innocent on your hands?"

Helena's features softened all of the sudden as if something Dravite had said hit home. She stepped back from the blade at her throat, looking as if someone had taken her breath. The horse lord lowered his weapon and after a few long chimes, he sheathed it in its keep on his belt. Helena glared ahead of her; it was the look of a woman who had never been refused before, not angry, merely, confused.
"I knew I liked you, now I know why; I am sure. You are a good man, Dravite Blackwater, but good men don't go far in this world. You're more likely to get yourself killed working these types of missions for an organisation that will replace you before your body is cold."
"People keep telling me that," he sighed.
"It's not a bad thing to be a good man, it's just rare," Helena smiled. "I have a proposition for you, but now is not the time or place. We will talk soon, now lift your weapon," she smirked.

Dravite bent down to pick up his spear and before he had properly grasped it he felt the woman's foot kick him forward. It took him a few steps before he regained his balance and stared back at her.
"Stop turning your back on me or you'll get more than my foot," she attacked just as she finished speaking, but this time Dravite was ready and spun his weapon round so that the two spears clashed.

Quickly he brought up the blunt end of the weapon in an attempt to strike the woman but missed. Helena returned the favour and caught the man's left shoulder, forcing him to lash out with a stray kick that collided with her hip. As she moved to adjust her footing, he swung his spear round again and this time, landed a strike against her side.
"Good!" The woman encouraged, "you're learning!"

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[Dravite]

Her attacks were relentless and as the morning went on Dravite found each swing, jab, and lunge increasingly harder to dodge. His muscles were sore, his feet were tired, and there was an unusual amount of sweat rolling away from the edge of his face. Still, he endured knowing the only way to improve was to keep working at his craft. "Faster!" Helena commanded and the man pushed harder, stabbing with his spear to cut the air quickly and narrowly miss the woman's side.

Helena smirked and threw her body into a skilful side on flip the man couldn't picture himself ever being able to mimic. "What was that?" He asked.
"Acrobatics training, I've blended the two abilities together to make for fighting that is a lot more quick paced and agile."
"I wouldn't mind learning, but perhaps I am too heavy to throw myself around like you do."
"Nonsense," Helena insisted, "you are the master of your destiny, whatever you put your energy into I see you achieving. Lift your spear!" She scolded; Dravite kept dropping his guard.
"I'm exhausted," he admitted honestly.
"Five more chimes then you can rest."

The horse lord sighed and was whacked in the side. He smirked, that would teach him for letting his guard down again. Their spears clashed, they had mastered a good pattern now, an even mix of attack and defensive manoeuvres. Whenever Dravite saw an opening, he took it, lunging forward to attack with outstretched arm, his spear traveling further from his body than it did in the past now that he was growing more and more confident. With the last of his strength, he jabbed low and clipped the woman's calf, only for her to nick his shoulder in a counterattack that left them both bent over and panting like marathon runner after a long sprint.

He watched Helena from the corner of his eye and blocked a half-hearted strike she threw at him, "too slow," Dravite grinned, a bead of sweat rolling down over the bridge of his nose to fall away from the point.
"How do you feel?"
"I think I'd rather fight a Zith next time," he teased.
Helena chuckled, "I think after that you would struggle to find me willing to fight you."
"Perhaps if you sprout wings?"
Helena hissed playfully, "come on let's get back to camp, it's time for breakfast."

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[Pearl]

DRAVITE

Experience

• Tactics +3
• Unarmed Combat +3
• Weapon:Spear +5
• Acrobatics +2
• Endurance +3
• Intimidation +2
• Rhetoric +4
• Planning +2
• Leadership +1
• Intelligence +1
• Logic +1
• Body Building +2

Lore

• Snakes hide in the grass
• Helena: Acrobatics Expert
• Weapon: Lucky shots are inevitable
• Blood for blood
• Fighting: Expect the unexpected
• Fighting: A cheap shot is still effective
• The wraith of the Gods is fierce
• Tactics: Never turn your back on the enemy
• Helena: Not used to being refused
• Dravite: Master of your own destiny
• Acrobatics is valuable in fighting

Thank you for allowing me to grade your thread. If you have any questions, or believe I have missed something, please do let me know.

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