Duel for a Future - A collab between Claw2k11 and Delta44 | 27,765 Characters [hr][center][b][color=aba000][b][h2] Illyarion Myriavin [/h2][/b][/color][/b] [h2]and[/h2] [b][color=00a651][b][h2] Syllia Myriavin [/h2][/b][/color][/b] [/center] [center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjcyLjg3MWJmOC5UV0Z5ZVhaaGJHVSwuMAAA/south-gardens-personal-use.regular.png[/img] AND [img]http://txt-dynamic.cdn.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjcyLjhjZGVkYy5VSEpwYm1ObGMzTWdRWHA1Ylc0LC4x/aurella.script.png[/img][/center] [color=darkviolet][u][b] T R A I N I N G H A L L [/b][/u][/color] [color=darkviolet][u][b] S O U T H E R N J E W E L [/b][/u][/color] [color=darkviolet][u][b] K R O N N E S I S [/b][/u][/color] The marble walls and polished floors did little to conceal the true purpose of the arena, an area so out-of-touch with the rest of the castle it was like stepping into a whole other world. Stands lined the sides of the rectangular room, a faint circle painted over the center to create an impromptu stage, as well as various chests and wall mounts with wooden weaponry, enchanted to feel like those they represented. It was currently empty, however soon it would be filled with the knights of Kron-Nesis who had the day off, so they could watch the coming fight. A much anticipated fight, between Maryvale Reyes and Syllia Myriavin. The Dark Knight was already in the room, her blade and armor for practice ready. Her regular armor would do well enough for the duel, though she wouldn't be using Dark Vibrance for the coming fight. Like all the knights of Kron-Nesis, she had her own enchanted wooden blade, aptly titled "Dark Stick", which was a suitable enough counterpart to use. That way there wouldn't be any fatal severing, simply painful beatings and bludgeonings. The enchantments were only made to replicate the original blade's properties, from weight to width, and all things in between. Magic was never really allowed during such duels, and just like today the king has arranged for no exception. A group of mages did their best to enforce magical barriers around the arena, which would help onlookers keep track of the battle, displaying numbers and testing audio signals. She stood off to the side, close to one of the rows of stands, furthest from the entrance. Her focus was on her sword, simply adjusting to the minute differences in how it felt, though for the most part it was exactly as the original. Proper credit should be given to whoever made these, for if there was ever need of a blade replicator, Maryvale would recommend whoever it was who made her own wooden replica. And her opponent, the elf Syllia had just moved inside the arena as well with a a similar wodden copy of her two shortswords, her "talons" as it were. Unlike her opponent, she wore no armor save a light gambeson to protect her from the worst parts of what damage a hit from Maryvale could mean for her. Unlike her opponent's calm demeanor, Syllia seemed to have a more confident air to her, perhaps sure that her agility would give her the victory that she desired. Meanwhile, in the front seat stood another elven figure, fully arrmored save for the helmet. This one, unlike the few knights that were already there and prepared to cheer for either of the two ladies, had a rather displeased look on his face, fully knowing the stakes of the duel for both of the two fighters on the stage. With the fight's beginning now minutes away, it left the Dark Knight to wonder just who would show up? Surely her liege, Princess Azymn, would do so, and perhaps some other members of the royal family, no doubt. She had promised, and already made arrangements with her father, so she was free from the Kron-Nesian courts for today. Her father, the Grand Marshal, could potentially make it, though it all depended on whether he was still suffering an extensive workload. She had wished to see him, but had been unable to for days, given a number of recent events that kept the two away from one-another. Though it did not distract her, part of her wished to display to her father the fruits of what she had learned; they hadn't sparred in a good while, and he had not witnessed her recent growth. There was one person, however, who had already made himself present, whose expression drew a glance from the corner of Maryvale's eye. She couldn't help it, his look was far too displeased for her liking - she had to speak up. [color=darkviolet]"Illyarion,"[/color] she began, not quite facing him, [color=darkviolet]"you look upset. I take it you're worried about the defeated party?"[/color] She had an awful habit of putting things bluntly, but one had to admit her senses were keen. Even if it was written all over the Elve's face. [color=aba000]"Quite so."[/color] Illayrion answered, as unlike most people, he had grown quite used to her blunt demeanor. [color=aba000]"I care about both you quite a bit and you both have quite a lot on the table for this match."[/color] He said, his expression relaxing a bit. [color=aba000]"To be honest, I didn't think the king was that smart. This way, he wins no matter who wins and who loses this match."[/color] A hint of rage appeared on the man's face the more he pondered about the situation. However, after a few moments of intensity in his expression, he sighed to calm himself down. [color=aba000]"However, even so, I expect both of you to fight as hard as you can!"[/color] This time, he turned towards Syllia as well. [color=aba000]"No underestimating your opponent, understand?"[/color] Syllia nodded wordlessly at her master and turned towards Maryvale, now with a large excited grin on her face. [color=00a651]"Ready, Maryvale?"[/color] She asked, forming up into her combat stance as the time for the start of the duel drew near. It seemed that she was not nervous at all about the results of the duel, or if she did, she hid it really well. People started to pour in given a couple more seconds, knights of varying repute, including Konrad, the second strongest knight in the realm. And one of these knights entered the arena, having woodden weaponry on him as well. This selected knight was to be as a sort of referee and to stop the fight should one of the two fighters become a bit too overzealous in their combat. Maryvale could recognize this knight as one of the king's bodyguards, she had never quite caught his name, though she did know that he was a quite skilled swordsman himself. As he reached the edge of the arena, this knight raised his hand and awaited for a few moments so that both Syllia and Maryvale would have time to enter their favored stance, or just do some last second preparations. [color=darkviolet]"We're getting this started sooner than expected."[/color] Quipped the Dark Knight as she entered a deceivingly defenseless stance, blade at her side rather than holding it in front of her, only wielding it with one hand. It tended to put others off-guard, how easily she could wield her blade, heavy as it was, with only one hand. Two was always better, but if need be, one would suffice. [color=darkviolet]"I am prepared."[/color] She caught the sight of the last entrant, blue cape standing out as much as her marble hair. It was a habit one had to develop as retainer: always know how to locate your liege in a crowd. It made Maryvale smile. [color=darkviolet]"My name is Maryvale Reyes, first daughter of Grand Marshal Lenius Reyes, of the Grand Kingdom of Kron-Nesis. As retainer to Princess Azymn and current occupant of the realm's greatest knight, it is by my honour that I must accept your challenge, Syllia Myriavin. May we battle fair; glory to the victor, and honour to the defeated."[/color] With her little speech out of the way, Maryvale awaited either Syllia or the referee to speak next, be it to prove one's honour, or the other to start the duel. As Maryvale proclaimed her readiness, Syllia's smile twitched slightly before she herself started to speak. [color=00a651]"My name is Syllia Myriavin, first daughter of Illayrion Myriavin. As a knight candidate, I am honored that you would accept my challenge and I hope that no matter who the victor will be, we will stay on good terms! "[/color] She said, and seeing Maryvale's relaxed stance, she herself relaxed her stance, lowering her swords and she herself seemingly dropping her stance. She had studied Maryvale's fighting, she had even had a few mock duels with her in the past, she knew not to be fooled by this seemingly defensless stance, so she had to be ready for any sort of movement. She turned towards the referee and simply nodded towards him, signifying her readiness. He himself gave a quick nod, and raised his arm out in front of him, letting it stay. He looked to his left, then his right, before dropping his arm with force. "Fight!" The referee shouted from the edge of the arena. The battle had finally begun. Where once Syllia might have charged, she just slowly walked towards Maryvale with a confident smile on her face and stopped just outside what she considered to be Maryvale's reach would be, staying there and daring Maryvale to make the first move and if possible, the first mistake. Her predictions were made easy, for as she approached, the Dark Knight raised her blade in Syllia's direction, so to not let her get too close. She showed no real emotion, no sign of happiness or excitement or sadness or anger; serious as always. Though most knights would consider Maryvale's stance too open and entirely foolish, there were a few who knew that her way of fighting was never so simple. She didn't fight using just her sword, after all. Not too keen on letting an opportunity pass, she lunged forward, pressing her body into her blade, which was suddenly across her body rather than extended outwards. In what seemed like a second, she had gone from completely relaxed to battle ready, and no lesser knight would have seen the subtle hints to her shift in weight to accomodate for her forward momentum. While her sword was between both their bodies, it looked as though she intended to bodyslam Syllia, her charge filled with force. Of course, her opponent was no lesser knight. She too remembered the few duels and sparring sessions they had done, though few were actually official. Though there were times where the Elven Knight had beaten her, it wasn't as though she could beat every other knight as Maryvale could, so it was hard to say who would be the victor of this duel. With the stakes as high as they were, it would keep everyone, especially the two in the ring, on their toes. Thankfully, the duels that the two had been a part of, had shown in part a few of the Dark Knight's moves and as such, Syllia fully expected a charge, though at the speed that Maryyvale had charged almost took the elven fighter by complete surprise, sidestepping from the charge by less than an inch. She dreaded to think what would have happened if she had taken that charge full force, it may have ended the duel moments after it had began. She did not dwell on it, though, the charge made the Maryvale defenseless and unable to parry an attack. With amazing speed, Syllia quickly threw two quick lunges towards Maryvale, both aimed at the back of her legs, hoping to force her opponent to her knees and perhaps open a few more strikes for her. It wasn't entirely unexpected that Syllia would dodge and try to make a counterattack. She had faced off against Illyarion enough times to get the gist of how quick and cunning an opponent could be. Thankfully her forward momentum carried her just enough to avoid one blade, though unfortunately not the other, as it sunk into the back of her leg armor. In knocking out one knee and not the other, it caused her to almost stumble forwards, only just able to catch herself with her other leg. The weight of her armor or sword didn't help, but it was far from a death blow. She quickly pressed off of her forward leg, using it to get some backwards momentum, swinging her sword around in an arc with anticipation. Even if it failed to connect with Syllia, it would lead into whatever she could try to hit Syllia with next. After all, that was Maryvale's fighting style in a nutshell: Momentum. Yet, Syllia did not seem to back down from the attack that would be fairly easy to dodge, however, as she did not to lose her momentum she budged not one inch and instead instead, she used one of the two things that defined her fighting style, speed and flexibility. She lowered her torso in order to dodge to attack and at the same time, she fought to keep herself on her feet. Thankfully, she had been trained by Illayrion for most of her life, so this was not something very difficult to do for her and in the moment the sword passed her by, she steadied herself and charged straight for the now vulnerable Maryvale, striking with both her shortswords towards any human's most vulnerable point, their throat. As she attacked, a large confident grin could be seen on Syllia's face and if one were to look in to the crowd of knights gathered there, the few that supported her sported the same grin as they knew that a strike to the throat would be severely damaging to the Dark Knight, if not incapacitating, should they properly hit. Maryvale saw just how close Syllia truly was, and used the opportunity to spin arond full force, so she could land a devastating punch, preferably to the face. However, it would seem she was too aggressive for her own good, as Syllia avoided the attack entirely, and struck directly in the neck with both her blades, seemingly in an instant. It made the Dark Knight freeze in place, caught winded by the surprise move, completely throwing away her previously accumulated momentum. She caught herself on her sword, though it wasn't without a small stumble, forcing her to reaffirm her stance. [color=darkviolet][i]'That... hurt...'[/i][/color] She thought to herself as the ache of her throat, only barely finding room to breath, immediately put Maryvale in a disavantage. She wasn't out of the fight, but it surely had made its mark, which served only to fuel the fire of Maryvale's rage. [color=darkviolet][i]'Not yet... Don't get angry yet...'[/i][/color] Syllia was smarter than many of her opponents, but she fought like Illyarion, which meant she didn't have to worry about being surprised so much. It was a pain that she couldn't just use her magic to corner the little snitch, but, as were the rules of the duel, she was not allowed. She'd have to focus more-so than usual to win, and guide her blade true, rather than use overwhelming force. Not that she would forsake overwhelming force if she could. The Princess, who had found her own purchase besides Illyarion, was analyzing the fight to pick up any useful information about the two fighters. In spite of the stakes involved she couldn't help herself, wanting to know just what kind of skills each of them had in store for the other. In her mind, it was natural for Syllia to target points of weakness that Maryvale had, such as the legs or the throat, and would likely go for the head multiple times, as the Dark Knight wasn't wearing a helmet. Her retainer, on the other hand, seemed more likely to go for the dualist's body, being the easiest part to hit and also the best way to knock her opponent down in as few strikes as possible. While her gaze never shifted from the fight, her words were clearly meant for the Elven man who sat beside her. [color=lightskyblue]"The stakes for this battle are high, are they not...?"[/color] She had a somber tone in her voice as she spoke. Almost grim. [color=lightskyblue]"In the end, no matter who wins, the other will be forced out of the palace at best, and out of the city at worst. As much as I would like to be excited for this fight, I can't shake this sense of unease..."[/color] Her shuddered sigh was a typical sign of Azymn beginning to tear up, though she didn't look as though she would just this very second. Still, she was undoubtedly sad, for no matter how this fight turned out, the princess would lose a friend; a lose-lose scenario. [color=lightskyblue]"But... I'm glad you're here, to make sure she won't back down, for my sake. I would not forgive myself if I simply let Syllia go and leave, just so Maryvale could stay. This is how it should be... It's... the fair way of doing things. Even if I'd rather it not happen in the first place..."[/color] Illayrion, who was not even looking at the princess, placed a hand on her shoulder as she spoke. He knew how close she and Maryvale were and he knew how heartbroken she would be were the Dark Knight lose her title as the strongest knight and forced to leave. [color=aba000]"I would be happy as well, my lady since I have been a teacher to both, but the stakes make me sick to my stomach when I think of the consequences and angry when I think of the one who caused this."[/color] Illayrion would have said more, he would have complained more about the king, he would have cursed the king even more, but the respect he had for the princess prevented him from doing this, instead he sighed and kept his hand on her shoulder to try his best to reassure her. [color=aba000]"Just know, that whoever loses will enter my Ravenguard and they won't be lost to you forever."[/color] He said and quickly realized that this was a poor way of consoling the princess, as the Ravenguard was allowed to enter the capital only once a year and not stay for more than a month. Instead of saying anything more, Illayrion just kept his hand on her shoulder and spoke no more, for a little fear of saying something even worse. [color=lightskyblue]"That... makes me happy."[/color] She turned to face him now, an honest look of gratitude on her face. [color=lightskyblue]"Thank you, Sir Myriavin. That would make me very happy, to even be able to see them at all. I can live knowing I'd be able to see one of them again, as they are in your capable hands."[/color] The princess turned her attention back to the fight, and fell silent as the battle continued. Meanwhile, Syllia, who was woefully unaware of the consequences the duel had, decided to press her advantage and launched another flurry of blows, directed at her legs and aimed to knock the Dark Knight off her legs and end this duel once and for all. But, if there was one mistake Syllia could make, it was thinking anything would be easy when fighting Maryvale. In her haste to end the duel as quickly as possible, it would become incredibly apparent that haste was not something to take when fighting the Dark Knight. As she rushed forwards to strike her, Maryvale spun around, her force overwhelming in spite of the heavy armour she wore, sword tearing through the air like some massive club. It came from below, where she was attacking from, and though Syllia was able to land one blade, the other was sent hurtling across the arena and into a wall right by one of the knight's heads in the top row stands. Maryvale's blade had made direct contact with the shortsword, and if Syllia hadn't let go when she did, her arm would at minimum be dislocated. Either way, with Syllia so close it wouldn't do to have her getting in a free slash, so kicking with her foot was the most effective way at trying to shoe off her attacker. If she didn't move then she'd get a kick to the face, most likely, though she could probably back away in time to avoid the hit. Though it was starting to annoy Maryvale that she still hadn't gotten a single hit in yet... In a swift attack, Syllia was reminded that Maryvale was not just some random brute and realized that not only had she had just lost her initiative, but any advantage she may have had over the Dark Knight. However, the fact that she had just lost one of her weapons did not make Syllia any confident in her chances of winning, it had just made her a bit more cautious with her attacks. She jumped back, avoiding Maryvale's kick and any potential damage that might have done to her. Now realizing that her regular stance would not work with just one sword, she entered a duelists stance, placing her free hand at her back at holding the shortsword forward. Though the stance itself was more effective with a rapier or a sword with a longer reach, it was the only thing she could do at the moment until she would be able to either disarm Maryvale as well, or perhaps even incapacitate her, though she struggled to think how she would be able to do that. Now, Syllia was focused on her defense, ready to dodge any attack that the Dark Knight might have against her and hopefully be able to exploit that opening enough for her to finally claim victory. But was Maryvale inclined to give her that opening? No. And she sure as all Hell wasn't about to let Syllia rest for even a moment, either. With a small amount of her esteem reinvigorated, the knight let her blade fall into both her hands, now targeting with precision as opposed to raw power. Her opponent was undoubtedly skilled at avoiding attacks from larger foes, so she had one of two options avaliable to her, and frankly, Maryvale disliked that second option, what with her recent luck. Her eyes narrowed on approach, looking to go for an arcing slash from above. However, within the last moment or two she let go of the blade with one hand, using it to counter her previous attack - a feint attack. Her real attack, another body-centered attack, had the full force of her best arm and a spin behind it, as well as Maryvale's ambition to get [i]just one goddamn hit in![/i] For a moment, Syllia's mind imagined what the hit would do as she often tended to do. It kept her on edge enough for her not to become too complacent with her skills again. Thankfully, Syllia's luck had come back as fast as it had disappeared and she was able to sidestep Maryvale's charge at the last moment and leaving the Dark Knight open to attack once more. And attack she did. With Maryvale behind her at the moment and unable to block the strike in time, using all of her strength and all of her knowledge of the human body, Syllia swung her shortsword with all of her force at the back of the head of the Dark Knight hoping to knock her out for good this time. So confident in her own feint attack she was, Maryvale didn't expect Syllia to dodge out of the way, let alone counter. In a rush faster than she could have anticipated, her opponent landed a devastating blow to the back of her head, causing her to tumble forwards. Nausea was creeping up on her, a roaring headache rippling through her head, not only from the attack itself, but from the sheer rage that she felt towards her opponent. [color=darkviolet]"I'll... kill you..."[/color] She muttered with searing venom in her tone, now staggering to keep upright. She was breathing heavily, eyes half-lidded, like some kind of reanimated undead. Her sword kept her upright, though soon enough she got to her own two feet, eyes reengaging with her opponent. She was absolutely enraged, ready to jump into a frenzy at any moment. But she wasn't mad at Syllia. She wasn't enraged at her opponent. No. Maryvale was angry at herself. The arena seemingly caught its breath as the Dark Knight, the strongest knight in the realm, collapsed onto the dirty floor in a heap. She had been knocked unconscious. Syllia Myriavin was the victor. Though the princess rushed forward to her friend's aid, little could be done about her conscious state, as she felt herself fade into the darkness... Meanwhile, the rest of the arena held their breath, thinking that Maryvale would jump back up and fight once more, but that moment never came. Even the referee raised his hand, but waited for a few moments as well to see if the Dark Knight would get back up to her feet, but once more to no avail. "The victor is Syllia Myriavin and as per the conditions of this duel, not only has she become a knight, but she has taken the title of Strongest Knight in Kron-nesis at the same time!" Syllia felt a flush coming to her cheeks and her smile turning into a grin just from the sheer wave of emotions that the victory had caused. Soon, the crowd of knights began to cheer, though some did still keep quiet for their own reasons, either because they had supported Maryvale, or that they simply did not like elves. She looked through the crowd, searching for the smile of the only person she really cared about, her own father, Illayion. However, it seemed that her expectations were shattered as Illayrion entered the arena itself. He didn't have a smile, he was not happy for her, he was sad, frowning that Maryvale had lost instead of being happy that she had won. He did not even come to congratulate her first, he joined the princess over the Dark Knight's unconscious body. Rage boiled within her and she wanted to catch her fathers attention, had the referee not continued speaking, nearly having to shout to cover some of the still ongoing cheers of the knights in the stands. "Also, as per the conditions set, Maryvale Reyes having lost the title of Strongest Knight, is no longer fit to be the bodyguard of Princess Azmyn and as such, she shall relinquinsh the position to the current holder of the title, Syllia Myriavin!" The referee shouted, followed by another wave of cheers from the crowded knights. However, she could not be happy right now, she finally realized that she had just separated two lifelong friends. She fought only for the attention of her father, for she did not care for the knighthood itself or the city that much. She would be sad that she would not be able to see Azmyn anymore, but it wouldn't have been the end of the world, she could always go back to Illayrion's castle near the mountains. Meanwhile, Maryvale had fought with her entire livelyhood at stake... and lost. Syllia turned towards Maryvale and the princess and fell to her knees next to the two, placing a hand on the princess' shoulder. [color=00a651]"I'm sorry, I didn't know that..."[/color] Was all Syllia could muster to say. Her mouth was still open, yet, no words were coming out of it, all of them were stuck in the back of her throat at the realization of what she had done. And yet, the princess shook her head, wrapping her arms around Syllia and pulling her close. [color=lightskyblue]"According to the rules of someone omnipotent, this is how it must be. It's OK, Syllia. I'm glad to see you didn't back down, and throw away your own life for my sake."[/color] Undoubtedly the princess was upset, but she was doing her best to keep herself together. She couldn't help herself. If Maryvale was gone, then... [color=lightskyblue]"I-it's... OK. I might be losing a friend v-very soon, but it's a chance to become closer with another. We haven't known each other very long, Syllia, b-but I hope... we can be close friends."[/color] Syllia had handled demons torturing her and doing all sorts of things to her without shedding a tear, yet, she could not handle the princess' kindness at all. She wrapped her arms around Azmyn as well and simply started to cry her eyes out like she had not done in a long time. Though the display itself was fairly touching, the duel had concluded and many of the knights present there slowly started to exit the arena itself, speaking to each other about the parts of the fight they loved, or that they hated, should they have been Maryvale's supporters. In through the crowds snuck through someone, not a knight, but a messenger here for Maryvale and Azmyn, not knowing what had just happened in the arena.