Flashback A Brave New World (Skyard)

[Kaie]

69th of Spring, 511 AV
First Light


The barbarian world was truly something worthy to behold. As her ship sailed toward the city's docks the day before, the young Myrian girl, filled with anticipation, had been perched precariously on the gunwale near the bow. Even from afar, the foreigner could tell the massive, pounding waterfall giving itself up to the sea was the beating heart of the city that clustered about it. The odd seaworthy folk that had ferried them across the Suvan Sea had called the approaching land "Riverfall". Yet, though the Svefra were barbarians and the first she'd come across, they were a far cry from the strange inhabitants of the new city they had entered, and walking about them in their homeland was like a bizarre dreamscape. The giant natives had pigmented skin as diverse in color as wildflowers in the jungle. A single female of their kind had been yet to pass Kaie. She couldn't help but wonder if the women had departed to fight a war, leaving their inferior counterparts to defend their home. It was a shame those that would die in their fight would do so in the dark absence of Myri's light. The elders might've been right after all. Perhaps the tragic existence of the barbarian natives merited her pity after all, she had decided then.

That first day of arrival had come to pass and a new day was afoot. When Syna rose the next morning, both Kaie and her father Keritan had risen promptly with it. Within half a bell they had offered their prayers to the Goddess Queen and broken their fast. Then, with a promise of return later in the day, Keritan had left her alone in their place of stay to convene with his barbarian friends. It was through them, he had promised, that they would safely cross the Sea of Grass to reach the fabled City of Peace that was Syliras. Her father should've known better than to leave his stubborn daughter behind. For years Kaie had begged him to take her abroad with him on one of his travels. Now that she was finally there in the heathen world, she'd be damned if she wouldn't make the most of her short stay. Without so much as a hesitation, the Myrian girl strolled out into the unknown streets of the city for a walk.

It was taking some time for her to get used to her boots, which stepped a steady rhythm along the streets of Riverfall as she went. Curious eyes settled on the girl as she passed them, no doubt working through mixed emotions about the savage jungle-born, who proudly sported her loincloth and single-buttoned leather vest. Her curly brown hair trailed behind her in the dewy morning breeze. The salt in the air began to diminish the farther she climbed the city's tiers during her short-lived expedition, and though she knew not where she was headed, it certainly occurred to her that she was moving in the exact direction she was meant to.

Before long the Myrian girl was slowing her quick walk into one of leisure. Her bright, amber eyes had been drawn to a particularly bright purple Akalak as he made his way toward a building that was not quite like the others she had passed. It was a large and single-story establishment with paper rather than glass filtering sun through its windows. Upon its sliding door rested a prominent symbol that meant nothing to the foreigner. Yet the sounds that brought her to a complete pause did. A smile twitched at the corner of her lips. From within she could hear grunts, shouts, and slams any warrior would recognize as sounds of combat despite an evident language barrier. Her brow arched as the purple Akalak pulled the door aside, offering a temporary glimpse into the pristine facility where more of the vibrantly colored men apparently sparred. She bit her lip. He said he'd be gone almost half the day. What's the harm in disappearing for a couple bells if I'll be back before he knows it? she reasoned with herself before recklessly following after the purple man inside.

Those not currently engaged in the thrills of a good spar snapped their heads to stare at the newcomer the tick she arrived. Most eyed her with suspicion and some with blatant contempt. The foolhardy Myrian was slow to take the hint, and instead made sure to meet each of their gazes with the hard stare of her own. Though their ways were undoubtedly inferior to the practices of her own adept people, Kaie was not one to disrespect a training space. Following the norm she could clearly see about her, she removed her boots and placed them in line beside the others. Her liberated toes stretched and curled against the alien texture of the mat. Immediately, she longed for the soft soil that would churn beneath her feet and become marred with the rowdy horseplay she had engaged with her peers. At home there was never fear of being left untested if one desired a challenge. Yet as she looked around at the towering males, intuition warned she might very well need to shame one of the barbarians into pairing up with her.

[Skyard Underwood]

At the crack of dawn the consistently diligent Kelvic exited the imprisonment he called a home. The cartilage in between his bones cracked away; as he rose from the floor upon which he slept. Skyard took a casual stroll, and questioned quite a few things the moment his eyes snapped open. He still had a somewhat underdeveloped ability to make proper decisions. Day by day his level of self control seemed to increase as he adapted to constantly being surrounded by individuals that were not of his kind. If he were to reveal himself here, none of them would take a liking to the idea of a massive lion in the midst of the city. However, Skyard developed quite the complex personality over the short amount of time he had been alive. Following the disappearance of his former master; he changed as a whole and as a result gained what he thought was a form of “Higher intelligence”. Despite the fact that he was no more than an “ordinary” kelvic. He had always known his purpose was far beyond that of any of his brethren.

Today he would begin anew, and that began with honing his skill as a fighter. He would visit the training facility, and attempt to defeat any competition he came across. By nature Skyard knew that in the wild his life cycle practically ended when he was “defeated” and or slain by another male lion. Therefore he hoped that he would get to battle against a male and see how he fared against them. If he were to fail he would be fairly disappointed in himself. However if he were to succeed he will have not learned from a single mistake he made.

Skyard continued to battle himself mentally, and question after question continued to pour in. He continued the walk and finally reached the facility; only to discover that those massive blue, purple, red and even green men that he so despised all waited patiently in a formation. Which seemed to consist of a pair of partners for a “spar” each and every one of the strong men looked absolutely fearless. Which only made him anxious as he entered and watched multiple heads turn toward him.

Skyard did not bother to lock eyes with any of the men; he did not want them to believe he was here to challenge them. The Kelvic might have been confident in himself; however he was not foolish enough to believe that he could handle what was practically an armada of men simultaneously. He quickly thought to himself ,and attempted to rationalize in order to create a reason for them to have stared at him. Perhaps it was because of his rather pale skin complexion, or maybe it was his absolutely oyster-white platinum blonde hair. Skyard had a rather slender frame, and perhaps they wondered whether or not he should even be present. However, none of them were aware of the fact that her was far stronger than he was ever capable of appearing at the time. He took a moment to crouch down and loosen the shoes that “protected” his feet. He slid them off slowly and placed them along with the other shoes he saw; in a line that practically wrapped around the room.

He looked up, only to realize that he had been instructed to walk across the room and toward what appeared to be an empty mat. The large man spoke and briefly said “Hurry it up, and get to an empty mat. The person across from you will be your partner for this session.” Skyard scoffed, and waltzed over to the mat where he would stand firmly. He took up a rather relaxed stance; as combat had not begun quite yet. He hoped that he would be matched against one of the tall blue men in the room. They were gargantuan, and towered over him.

However, someone caught his eye and as she walked in multiple people stared at her. Yet, in return she gave menacing looks of her own. Skyards heart hammered away beneath his chest cavity, and felt as if it were about to leave him. The young woman was a staple among the few that he has ever encountered in the city. A deep inhalation was followed by a rather short exhalation, and he watched as she seemed to move her toes about. As if she felt like her feet were trapped within something that she did not quite like. Where was she from? Why was her appearance so exotic, and so unrealistic in the Kelvics eyes. Would she be his opponent? Skyards mind continued to race as he patiently awaited an answer from the instructor.

[Kaie]

The Myrian girl never got a chance to test the effects of her steely glare or bold methods to persuade one of the towering Akalak men to put her in her place. Instead, a distinguished-looking Akalak with hands folded behind his waist approached her. The fierceness in his eyes despite his outwardly calm demeanor led the foreigner to believe he was the resident master of those present. He immediately began to rattle something off in his native tongue. Kaie merely blinked at him, standing dumbly yet firmly before his looming seven-foot shadow. "Common?" she tried sheepishly in a tone that suggested a mild lack of confidence in her own ability to speak the widely known barbarian language. The Akalak nodded and gestured toward the pairs of his students already trading strikes. "If you've come to train among us, step onto that far mat down there. Make haste!" Kaie furrowed her brow as she worked to translate his words into her own language so she might understand. She peered around his muscled frame to follow where he had gestured, hoping to better understand his instruction. The sight made her lip want to curl.

Across from the last empty spot on a mat in the room stood no Akalak warrior. It was a paler man with hair as white as bone. No peer to the massive, colored bodies in the room, he was slender and carried far less muscle mass in comparison. They don't see me fit to train among them, her bitter mind complained in silence. No more than they do this barbarian boy. They'll be sorry. She set her jaw and strode past the instructor to find her place on the mat across from her assigned partner, who she assumed must be a Svefra if not an Akalak. The mat squished oddly beneath each of her steps while she adjusted herself in the designated spot. Her feet stood shoulder width apart with her left slightly before the right. Her amber eyes blinked curiously at his lithe frame, no doubt sizing him up. After all, the Riverfall natives had already made the folly of underestimating her. She would not let the out-of-place teenage boy trick her into doing the same.

The leading instructor began to pace the length of the facility shouting in Tukant, though his tone lacked the brutality of a drill sergeant. Kaie found herself considering taking a tick to perhaps at least introduce herself to the pale-skinned boy. The thought quickly dissipated from her head. There was no guarantee he spoke Common. More importantly, it simply wasn't necessary. He was not of great significance. He was a tool, a stepping stone she would beat down to prove her merit to the instructor and his Akalak peers. The spar would merely be a distraction prior to the prestigious challenge the legendary Akalak fighter could provide. All she had to do was trust her instincts and focus. The Goddess Queen would see her through the rest.

"Mother Myri, lend your daughter your strength so that these barbarians might remember why they fear the savages in Falyndar," she murmured in her brutal, Myrian tongue. She stretched and shook out her muscles where she idly stood. "See to it that I may grant you this victory in your honor."

"You may began!" the instructor hollered when he reached the sole pair of non-Akalaks in the room. Kaie's warm gaze met her combatant's eyes and then lowered to settle on his chest. Her body curved forward and her knees bent, lowering the jungle-born into a loose and yet predatory stance. Bronze, open palms rose in a guard to defend her face, while her elbows lingered closer to her body to protect her ribs. Kaie shuffled forward to meet the boy upon the mat. The gnosis on the back of her neck burned hot upon her flesh, and with it came the invigorating rush through her body that reminded her she was truly not alone in her battle. Whether her partner was ready or not, her leading left shin snapped forward quick and low to strike the side of the teenage boy's lower leg. If she managed to connect to her target, she'd retreat with a backward shuffle

[Skyard Underwood]

The answer Skyard waited for was given, and he immediately turned toward the mat. His soon to be opponent was the one that he feared; the exotic woman. She was so beautiful that he did not want to lay a finger upon her. She was ferocious, and fearless enough to bravely return stares given to her by Akalak men. Skyard could only describe her with a single word, and that word came out of his mouth in an almost whispered tone. “Dauntless.” he spoke aloud whilst the instructor gave the order to begin the spars. The moment she took up her stance he immediately took a split-tick to analyze the threat level.

Her stance was that of someone used to fighting with a lower center of gravity. He had never seen anything quite like it before, and he thought that he would have time to react. Much to his surprise he did not, and she practically threw herself at him with quite a fierce attack. Skyard took up a rather distinct stance that he thought would be sufficient enough to defeat her. As the Kelvic observed the swift movement of the ladies leg toward his own he knew that she was off-balance. Therefore rather than retreat the Kelvic moved forward. He slid his right leg beneath that of her opposed leg which upheld her whilst she launched her attack. If he succeeded in tripping the woman he intended to step backward and allow her to stand again.

The entire time he moved instinctively his thoughts ran wild. The boy wondered why he had to meet a beautiful woman in this particular setting. He would much rather take her to his dwelling, and enjoy her company without having to worry about violence. However, violence always made for beautifully brutal relationships. Skyard was awe stricken at just how beautiful the young lady was, and the more feral she portrayed herself to be his awe became lust. The Kelvic was distracted momentarily and decided that he would show no mercy.

He could not be gentle with a woman that would not do the same for him. Despite the fact that they were strangers to one another, and knew nothing about one another. He did not care too much for personal connections with other entities. Yet, this beautiful woman was absolutely breathtaking in both appearance and what he thought to be her “personality”. She was more wild than he was and he was the animal in this situation. Skyard raised his right arm and tapped the gnosis which lied dormant upon the back of his neck, and felt revitalized with energy briefly. The kelvics evantia aura expanded around the majority of the vicinity temporarily. He could practically feel the young ladies movement within it, and attempted to read her next set of motions.

The Akalak men in the room watched as the two began their spar. Skyard attempted to control his breathing whilst he moved. The kelvic took a moment to craft a theory; “What if I were capable of making her move the way that I want her to? If I attacked her in a specific way would it be possible for me to force her to react in a way that I could predict?” he questioned himself and attempted to observe the young ladies next motion. Knowledge was everything in his world, and he knew that if he could learn to predict the movements of his opponents flawlessly he would never lose a battle again.

[Kaie]

For a fraction of a tick, her amber eyes widened. Gods, how she should've seen it coming just by glancing into his cool, intelligence stare. Her detection of her failure was too late. Rather than finding himself intimidated or confused by her impractical strategy intended to throw him off, the platinum blond exposed her with an inward step that compromised her balance. The foolhardy girl's weight dropped back and she soon felt herself falling. Rather than fight it, she gave with the mat as she dropped and threw her legs over her right shoulder. The backward roll returned the Myrian to her feet in no time, and though her opponent's move did not serve to hurt her, her ego was certainly wounded by the failure. Her lip curled. You're going to let this pale barbarian shame you? her arrogant subconscious voice gawked. Her fingers curled to form fists. Myri had blessed her as one of her own on the day that marked her entry to young adulthood. She would not dishonor her by throwing herself at her opponent out of frustration like a child.

"Now you know he's not half as dumb as he looks. Your turn to prove the same," she could practically hear Yitmah's condescending guidance from Falyndar in her head. Had she been in the jungle right then instead, her mentor would surely be standing there with his scarred arms crossed and eyes rolling with unfathomable disgust with each mistake she made. The fleeting image gave her half a mind to worry about him crossing the Suvan to rip the blessing from her undeserving flesh. No, her own inner voice growled. I will not be disgraced today.

The Myrian briefly shook out her arms before abandoning the previous scare-tactic she'd attempted before. Instead she adopted a new stance. Her left foot led with feet shoulder-width apart and back slightly rounded. While both hands rose in a guard around chin level as they had before, her right fist lingered closer to her right cheek while her left remained ahead. Elbows remained close to her body to protect her ribs, knees gave a gentle bend, and her weight shifted closer to the balls of her feet. She slowly shuffled closer toward her opponent. Myri's mark of Prowess ignited a hot burn upon her skin and motivated her into action. Kaie let out a loud war whoop before making her move.

Her left fist jerked forward toward the middle of teenage boy's line of sight, but just before the jab seemed to extend, it was revealed to be a feign as she pulled that hand back toward her guard; and a a twist of her hips sent a right hook soaring toward his jaw.

[Skyard Underwood]

Thoughts raced through his mind faster than the feline ever thought were possible. The eternally emotionless and yet zealous smug expression remained on his face. Skyard could practically feel her every move; as if she was a large object distorting water. Her motions were only momentarily defensive, and just as Skyard predicted she backed away briefly. She was a combatant that he only continued to grow more interested in, and he wanted to further test his hypothesis about the prediction of movement in combat. However, he quickly came to the realization that he was very wrong. Rather than continue to defend herself and become more passive she only grew more aggressive, and an incredibly ferocious fist flew directly at his visage.

Skyard hardly had any time to react let alone think about his next move. He most certainly did know one thing and he was not about to underestimate her. With the way she fought she had to have been a powerful opponent, and if they were not in this facility he could imagine her slaying him with ease. She let out a “Battle cry” of sorts whilst she made the incredibly bold move. Skyard reacted with what was instinctive to him, and that was to get out of the way of any fast incoming object. He stepped off to the right of her arm and rotated his heels simultaneously so that he stood directly beside her.

He parted his lips, and spoke in a soft tone so that only she could hear what he said. “I love your fighting style, but I really love the way that you look more. I cannot wait to cross paths with you again outside of this facility, So that I can tear you limb from limb.” He concluded his brief speech whilst he threw his left arm upward and attempted to lock the limb in place. As he followed through with the grappling motion; he threw a ferocious kick using his left heel and attempted to strike the back of her right knee.

He continued to think about what he could do to impress her, and perhaps make her desire to fight him cease. Although he did doubt his ability to do so; he was never the best at persuading women. Therefore he thought that with a bit of “psychological warfare” that she would stop. He wanted to take her home, and spend the entirety of his day with her. Despite the fact that she was absolutely brutal, and struck with the intent to truly harm him. Skyard cut himself off, and the internal conflict continued. “What in the hell am I thinkin'? I am a predator, and she Is my prey. She is nothing but an obstacle that I must conquer; nothing more nothing less”. Skyard attempted yet again to figure out what her next movement would be.

After all he was not yet fatigued the least bit; he hadn't exhausted much energy. The entirety of this fight has consisted of him waiting for an opening to strike at. Yet, Skyard was hesitant and cautious of his every move; he knew that if he made even the slightest mistake that she could capitalize on it. He refused to be stricken down by a woman in a public place. How could he ever show his face in the facility, or even the city after the Akalaks witnessed a situation like that?

[Kaie]

There was no denying it. The platinum blond guy was a sly bastard. Just when she was sure she might bait him with a feign so her right hook could clobber him, he slipped with slick ease to stand beside her as if they were merely conversation partners. Her fist reaped no rewards but the cutting whoosh through empty space. His taunting words teased at her ear, warm breath finding purchase upon the exposed flesh of her neck. Her brow furrowed, and a mild cluelessness became evident on her confused features. The Svefra that took her across the Suvan were the first barbarians she exchanged Common words with, and considering their native language was Fratava, their conversations were comprised of simple phrases. The flowery, fluent Common coming from her combatant just then rested on ears that might as well have been partially deaf. Was that a compliment or mockery? Or a mockery disguised as a compliment?

She grit her teeth. Had she not been paused for that tick as she tried to decipher the meaning of new words, the teenager was disadvantaging her by pinning her arm to her side. Kaie had no intentions of getting caught in what felt like the beginning of a set-up.

The Myrian took a swift step forward and outward, liberating her right arm and creating enough space for the counter that followed almost instantly. Her right foot opened outward and her hips rotated sharply to execute a round-house left kick aimed for her opponent's right leg, which maintained his balance. With luck, the quick snap of her shin bone against his thigh would give the Myrian the chance to both punish the guy and shuffle back to create space.

"Talk much. Lose focus," came her pitiful attempt at responding to both his previous banter and taunting in a language in which she was uncomfortable. Her mind wandered back to the sensation of his breath on her skin and his teasing whisper. It had felt like coquetry. She'd known no Myrian male, excluding perhaps Tsu'kai, that had ever dared to be nearly so presumptuous as to make any suggestion of a pass toward a Myrian female. Those that did were often quickly returned promptly to their place by the female they advanced. Kaie adjusted her jaw and tightened her eyes. Did he really think so low of her as to disrespect her so blatantly and openly? "Maybe this why Tokoh put you in corner, Deyhan."

[Skyard Underwood]

The moment he thought he would make the woman lose the will to fight; she only fought him harder. He attempted to crumble her willpower by making use of flirtatious language only to fail. The moment she spoke back with her brief phrase she launched a counterattack. Skyards eyes widened as he realized his mistake it was too late. The woman slammed her shin bone into the muscle of his thigh, and he felt the collision. The Kelvic felt as if he had been thrown out of his body temporarily, and a heavy exhalation followed the thud against his leg.

Skyard could not afford to lose this fight, and he absolutely refused to allow her to make a fool of him. He grasped hold of the young womans arm just as he saw her attempt to back away from him. He was not about to allow her to defeat him that easily. Although he was not the most muscular individual, and he had the strength of an average man. He attempted to pull her to the ground alongside him, and a cunning smirk crept across his visage. She lacked the ability to speak as fluently as he did, and he heard her as she spoke of how he lost focus.

Skyard felt as if she taunted him twice as much as he taunted her when he had first spoken. Skyard hoped that he would succeed, and if he did then he would capitalize on her loss of balance. His heavy breathing carried on; as did his rapid pace of thought. What in the world could he possibly do to make her lose concentration on the fight? The Kelvic began to lose hope in his ability to do so; until he came up with a miraculous idea. What if he were to change the way that he flirted with her, and rather than use words he could do it physically?

He began to calculate the risk and the reward for a brief moment as he grasped on to the womans forearm. He yanked away with all of his might, and threw both his legs upward in attempt to wrap them around that of his opponents thighs. “If I were to do something physical perhaps that would truly distract her, and give her a reason to stop attacking me. However, the direct result of me doing that could mean that she would truly injure me.” He concluded his thought as he descended toward the ground.

[Kaie]

Sweet, sadistic bliss. The rush sailed through her veins like a euphoric buzz from Taloba Grey, fueling her ego as only a small victory could. The sensation of her shin striking against soft, vulnerable muscle merited effort to restrain the triumphant grin that threatened to break through the focused line of her lips. Experience reminded her it must've hurt. She could remember the feeling vividly from the time Keikyo had doled out the same sort of punishment. For a tick she had sworn the limb had gone dead on her, which didn't help when her older cousin coupled her pain with a swung fist.

Yet there was no sympathy to be held for her barbarian opponent, for he was just that; and as her leg rebounded from his flesh to settle back to the mat, her adversary proved with certainty that he would not resign himself easily. He managed to reach her guard and grasp a hold of her arm as he buckled toward the earth. She felt his legs wrapping about her thighs all too late. His timing couldn't have been worse for the young Myrian warrior in the midst of correcting her balance. Kaie was right within the jaws of his trap. Gravity was both their masters now.

The Myrian girl crashed beside him upon the forgiving mat, with nothing free but a forearm to keep her face from slamming into the ground. She exhaled preemptively to rescue herself from the threat of winded lungs. Then it was time to move. Myri's blessing whispered its motivating burn upon her sunkissed skin, and rather than desperately crawl to her feet, she acted the part of the savage and took him head-on. Already wrapped in his thighs and an arm keeping her close, Kaie used her free forearm to pry his left knee aside as she launched herself atop him. She dropped her hips low upon his waist and knees to either side of his torso, hoping to keep him in place.

With a curl of her lips and a dauntless aggression in her stare, the blessing-fueled jungle-born cocked back a right fist while she wrestled for her left arm back. Her assault of knuckles came straight down upon the platinum-blond boy with a deliberate force behind them. Aimed straight for the face of her opponent, one might've thought she intended to pound her way through to the very foundations of the training facility. All the while the starkness of his bright blue eyes were something to behold, especially to a girl who had never seen anyone's hold such a color ever before.

[Skyard Underwood]

He had finally slipped past the womans guard, and thwarted her equilibrium. Skyard was exactly where he wanted to be, and he couldn't help thinking about what this position would be like for him without clothing. Skyard gasped for a moment as he saw her furiously attempt to strike him down while he laid upon his back with her atop of his hips. Instinctively he did a crunch, and flexed the muscles in his core. The Kelvic attempted to tuck his head beneath the young womans breast whilst he increased the strength behind his grip upon her arm. He wanted to keep the womans arm restrained regardless of what happened; he would rather not be clobbered by her. With his right forearm he blocked the blow as he sat upright, and grasped hold of a large amount of the womans lengthy hair.

Skyard was genuinely impressed at the young ladies diligence to strike him down. However, he knew that now was his moment. She positioned herself on top of him exactly the way that he wanted her to, and he was not about to let the opportunity slip away. A deep exhalation exited the boys lips followed by a short live inhalation. He had already thought out the possible consequences of his actions, and he was prepared to face them. He felt as if they were no longer in the room, and heard nothing more than silence. All of his attention left the fight, and he decided to make his move; Skyards cerulean gaze met with that of her own.

The entirety of his expression changed from one of arrogant confidence, and became what appeared to have been soft and caring. He tilted his head to the right swiftly, and continued to lean forward in order to close the gap between his visage and her own. He had never encountered a woman quite like her before. She was savagery, brutality, strength, courage and wisdom all on her own. She was beautiful, and she had the strength of what seemed to be multiple men. Skyard admired her in many more ways than one, and he had not even known her name. She was a woman that he could think of as precious, and most importantly she was a warrior.

Skyard could not be more shocked at everything he observed about her. He felt as if he were connected to her in some fashion. However, that could have been the direct result of the fact that they were incredibly close. Within the final split tick Skyard pressed his soft and yet tender warm tempered lips up against that of her own. The arm that he once held a vice grip upon was freed from its imprisonment, and his opposed hand released the woman's hair . The boys left arm wrapped around the young ladies waist momentarily, and his right hand rose to meet with the flesh of her cheek.

He paid attention to each and every single detail; her flesh was so soft that it could be compared to silk. The moment he touched her waist an odd sensation coursed through his body, and he felt each and every hair on the back of his neck stand up. He could no longer resist and hold himself back; perhaps now she would know why it is he did not fight her.