[Spring Tournament, Round 1] Clash of the Titans

[Kassan]

Kassan vs. Alderache There was an audience, but Kassan blocked them out, repeating his mantras under his breath. All that mattered was his opponent, and by some trick of fate, Kassan had faced this man before. Back then, the Akalak had used his Gnosis against Kassan. It made him a formidable opponent indeed, enough to match his own skill with his glaive. He rested on his weapon momentarily, dark eyes watching Alderache carefully. The tournament meant a lot to Kassan, as all things under Uphis' name did. But it was not just the raw power of his Alvina that drove him to fight today. It was a sign of strength against the storm that had ravaged Nyka. He still remembered... walking through the lonely streets, cutting down horror after horror. The aperture had seethed like no other time, spewing forth monstrosities. Now, he thought. Now is the time to show my resilience, for the Mother City, and Uphis of the Sharp Blade.

[Alderache]

Alseroth was bouncing on the balls of his feet, taking in the cheers of the crowd. The preliminaries had been a great warm up. He felt loose, and he hadn't even needed to rely on Wysar's gift yet. He was hoping to save it, for it left him very run-down at the end of the fight. He found it humorous that the same people that had beaten him down when he arrived, were now cheering for him. Perhaps this town wasn't so bad, certainly better than those waterfall-huggers back where Alderache called home. He pulled Shivara from the waist of his loose slacks. He held her up to the light, examining her, to make sure she was just as ready for this as himself. He was sure this Uphis would approve. He knew Shivara wouldn't be much help in this fight, but she would play her role. This fight relied on his own body, his, and begrudgingly, his brother's trainings. The peace inside his mind was soothing, no longer disconcerting. Where his lighter brother was no longer mattered. A prayer to Uphis, coupled with the recent devastation, and his brother was gone. To where? Who knows? But their body was now his body. His eyes surveyed the immediate area, taking in the walls of the monks' precious maze. They were in a square courtyard type area, complete with four corners, and two exits. One was behind his opponent, the other behind himself, but off to the left. His eyes fell on his opponent, a man he was familiar with, for they'd performed the dance of blades previously. He would prove to those who had cast the first stone, that he was worthy of them, that he could conquer their best, and that he was no monster. He was an Akalak, and damned proud he wasn't a human.

[Kassan]

Behind those stone walls, unfurled their fates. The Akalak watched him like he was prey, and then, those dark eyes shifted to something more superior. As if he judged Kassan where he stood. This was not the first time they had crossed blades. He had practised blades with the Akalak, and he knew that the man bore a Gnosis mark that heightened his senses and anticipation. Kassan inhaled deeply, and held his glaive out in preperation. Stunted sunlight glimmered off the metal. If my Lord deems this fight worthy, then so be it. It was by His will that Kassan fought, and no one else's will. They would not turn him away from his salvation. "When will you stop measuring me up, and turn to your blade?" Kassan asked coldly. "It is high time we ended this charade, and began the fight." And so he waited for the Akalak's response, hands primed on his weapon, grasping for victory.

[Alderache]

Alseroth smiled at the man's feeble attempt to provoke him. As if he needed prodding. He held Shivara in his left hand, with her inside curve facing his opponent, the flat of the blade parallel to the ground. He assumed his stance. He bent his head forward slightly, ideal for protecting one's chin and throat. His left hand was leading the stance, holding his blade out in front of his face. His body aligned with his left hand, his left leg moving beneath the arm. His right hand was held slightly lower and back, poised for striking. His right leg was back behind his leading. He balanced his body onto the balls of his feet so that he could quickly switch back and forth between which leg was the anchor, and which was the kicking leg. Alseroth took in a deep breath, and let it out. He kept his eyes on his opponent's arms, which would show what he would be doing with his long weapon. With his body lined up as it was, he would be a much smaller target. He bounced on the balls of his feet, and began darting to his right and forward, trying to get in range of his opponent and avoid that long weapon of his. He kept his Lakan, Shivara, ready not to attack, but to catch his opponent's weapon. As he closed the gap, he stopped hard on his rear foot. He then pushed off hard with his right foot, while crouching low. He had suspect that his opponent would have stuck at him, and wanted to move faster than that. The push off put him into a roll, his back taking in the scrapes of the earth beneath him. After completing his roll, he readied his right arm as a shield from the weapon, while his left hand stabbed toward the man's thigh with Shivara. He had managed to get a foot beneath him that would allow him to push himself backwards and out of range immediately after.

[Kassan]

Alderache came quickly, his gait speaking of combat experience. The Akalak were a proud race, and strength came into that. It proved one's masculinity, and a measure of strength carried through to leadership potential too. But Kassan would not be beaten. His dark eyes flitted back and forth as his opponent zig-zagged towards him, and then suddenly the Akalak broke into a roll, positioning himself so that he could strike with the Lakan when he rose. Kassan breathed steadily, before plunging his glaive into the ground on his left, almost flinging himself aside with the momentum. He avoided the strike, and then grabbed the handle of the weapon and pulled it free from the ground once again. Muscles rippled up his arm. He reared back, positioning himself to strike with the Growling Bear. He let out a little sound himself, perhaps a little bestial in tone, before thrusting down towards the Akalak with the glinting blade.