DrowsyPangolin

When the Flames Die

Jezin stared with complete disbelief at his opponent. The man was unarmed, but he was still confident, and apparently still willing to fight. The bodyguard stood still for a moment, looking the man over. He was incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid, but still, the blatant refusal to yield impressed Jezin. The knight sheathed his dagger. His sword still remained out, glinting in the sun at his side. He looked into the man's eyes, a new found respect clearly visible. Regardless, though, he could not yield. His pride wouldn't let him walk away from an opponent who hadn't bested him. Still, he didn't want to kill the man. He thought for a moment and looked up, a smile crossing his lips. "Brave words. But no, I will not yield." He made no effort to strike the man, simply standing tall with his sword at his side. A faint breeze blew his plume, the dyed horsehair dancing in the wind.

When the Flames Die

Jezin's eyes narrowed as the man pushed away. It seemed the fight wouldn't end so easily. He watched as his opponent backed away from him. Though Jon meant to wait for him to recover his equipment, the bodyguard mistook this honorable action as waiting for an opening. He wouldn't kneel down for his weapons, it'd leave him unguarded. The Lyoki soldier tossed his dagger into his left hand and reached for his belt with his right. His hand gripped the ivory hilt at his waist and drew his sword. The curved blade shimmered in the sunlight. Jezin twirled the blade around quickly in a flourish and took a step forward. While being without his spear was a bit of a hindrance, switching fighting styles mid fight would hopefully throw off his opponent. The bodyguard watched Jon carefully, slowly striding towards him. He continued twirling the weapon about in an almost dance-like fashion. The movements were almost mesmerizing. "Don't say I didn't warn you." As soon as the words left his mouth he struck quickly with a swift slash towards his opponent's sword hand. He kept the dagger back, ready to strike.

Sophia released her breath and frowned a bit when the man escaped. She had faith in Jezin, but the other man clearly had no intention of giving up any time soon. She glanced back to Gareth, trying to think of something to talk to him about. She remembered seeing him run off after Sir Thomas. "So, you know Sir Thomas?" Her voice still maintained it's musical quality, even though the fight was beginning to cause her some stress. "I met him when we arrived, he was quite helpful."

When the Flames Die

Jezin felt the man catch him by the knee. It was an interesting move, there was no way he would free his leg, but the man had just made a fatal mistake. He was now unarmed. In an instant the bodyguard released both his shield and spear. The armaments clanked as they dropped to to the ground. Jezin reached forward with his left hand, grabbing the man by the shoulder and desperately trying to hold himself up against the man's strength. In a flash, his right hand flew to his side. For a brief moment, light shimmered on a short blade. Before the man could blink, Jezin had produced his dagger. The tip of it's short, triangular blade was now pressed against Jon's exposed throat. The blade was sharp enough that the slightest move at this point would pierce the man's jugular. Jezin looked into his eyes. "You fought well, now yield."

Sophia looked towards the young man. "Her name is Lexine Tristan. She said she was looking for Karl." She figured Gareth knew Karl rather well, as they had been sitting together at the feast. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jezin drop his spear and pull his dagger. She held her breath.

When the Flames Die

The blade struck hard against the shield, but Jezin's grip held. The man was resilient, but he was beginning to slip up. As soon as the sound of metal on metal rang out over the fairgrounds, Jezin swung a swift kick towards his opponent's stomach. The kick was more than strong enough to put the man on his back, and the metal boot on Jezin's foot likely would leave a nasty bruise. If he could get his opponent on the ground he could get him to yield. Hopefully. He had no intention of killing anyone at the melee. Regardless of the rules, a foreigner likely would be chastised for taking a life in the king's tournament.

Sophia looked briefly to the woman beside her. "Pleased to meet you Lexine. I'm Sophia Octavia." She gave a brief smile. The woman likely already knew who she was, but it was polite to introduce oneself regardless. As she watched the fight, Gareth returned to his seat. "Oh, Gareth, welcome back!" She smiled slightly, but her eyes seemed locked on the fight. She knew Jezin had it in him to win the bout, but the other man seemed quite determined.

When the Flames Die

The shield bash had made contact, but it seemed the man's speed had saved him again, as he rolled out of the hit radius of the spear. Jezin watched closely as his opponent gripped the sword with both hands and came barreling towards him. Realizing conventional tactics were proving ineffective, Jezin resolved to go for a less obvious option than an outright attack. He stepped to the side quickly and turned, putting his shield arm towards Jon. At first glance, the move seemed like a defensive maneuver, an attempt to get out of the way and set up for a block, this was not the case, however. In an instant, Jezin slid his hand towards the back of his spear and swung the weapon towards Jon's shins. At his speed, stopping wasn't a likely option, and the attack was far too low to block without falling.

When the Flames Die

Again, the man's brashness surprised the bodyguard. The man had flipped his sword and went for a slash at his leg. The animal-like force with which the man attacked was impressive, to be sure. Having no reliable way to dodge the sudden attack Jezin did all he could. He felt the edge of the broad sword strike his leg. The blade scarcely made it through his thick leather trousers, but it's edge was more than sharp enough to open the flesh beneath. A fire flared behind Jezin's eyes. The man's attack was brave, but throwing all his momentum into one move left him defenseless. The spear wasn't of great use at this range, but a large metal shield was capable of more than defense. He swung his shield arm downward with great speed at the attacker's head. The man had drawn first blood, something about that fact incensed Jezin's pride. He backstepped quickly after swinging his shield, which if nothing else would force his opponent to fall back. In an instant, he spun around completely, swinging the blade of the spear towards his opponents torso. Using a spear in such a fashion was extremely uncommon outside of Lyok, but the edge of his spear was just as sharp as any long sword.

When the Flames Die

Jezin stumbled backward slightly as the man used his own weight and momentum to throw him back. He might've fallen, had he not braced himself against the ground behind him with the shaft of his spear. It was clear the man had little, if any, military training. He fought like a brawler, a decent street fighter, but undisciplined nonetheless. Still, It likely wouldn't be an easy victory. The man seemed persistent. His drive to succeed in the duel seemed to be a far more dangerous weapon than his blade. Jezin smiled, backing away slowly before slowly beginning to circle his opponent. The man was fast, he knew that much already, but the knight wondered just how long such a man would last. He tossed his spear up, catching it above his head and switching to an overhand stance. This was the preferred stance of soldiers in formation. It worked well in closer quarters and provided the option of throwing the weapon, though Jezin had no intention doing so. Jezin raised his shield slightly and braced the shaft of the spear against the barrier's top edge. He kept his distance, stabbing once towards Jon's left shoulder. This move was a feint. As soon as he started the attack he jerked the weapon back and made a harder, faster thrust towards Jon's collarbone. Holding the weapon in his current position added more momentum to each strike, and the blade was honed to a deadly point. If he got a solid hit, it would likely find it's way through the links of Jon's chainmail.

When the Flames Die

The man was faster than Jezin had anticipated. His quick move to Jezin's unguarded side was an interesting surprise. He turned quickly, raising his spear and extending his shield arm, placing the reinforced barrier between himself and the sharp blade. The broadsword made and audible clink as it's blade bounced off the metal shield. Jezin ducked under the punch, leaving the fist to slide harmlessly across his plume. The man was more skilled than Jezin had anticipated, but quick moves alone wouldn't win him the fight. The bodyguard gripped his shield tightly and swung it towards Jon's mouth, at the same time sliding his hand up the shaft of the spear with great haste. He gripped the weapon closer to it's tip and made another quick stab, this time at Jon's stomach. For a standard soldier, a spear was of little use at close range, but Jezin knew how to maneuver his weapon, even when it was at a disadvantage.

When the Flames Die

Jezin smiled as his opponent took the field. It was clear he had no intention of entertaining the crowd. He looked over the man. He was tall, blond, and wielded what appeared to be a broadsword. He made it clear upon his entrance that he was no knight. He gave a nod to Jon as he approached him, raising his shield in front of him as he walked. The sunlight glistened off of the shield, and outlined it's engraving beautifully. The bodyguard's gaze peered deep into the swordsman's green eyes as he tightened his grip around his spear, lowering it towards his opponent. "Well then, it begins." As soon as the words left the Lyoki man's mouth he made a quick move, bolting forward and making a quick jab towards Jon's shoulder. He kept his shield between himself and his opponent, ready to defend against the man's counterattack.

Sophia watched as Jezin made his first move, not breaking her gaze as she replied to the woman. "He's been training in Lyok for most of his life. He joined the ranks of the army when he was fourteen." She glanced quickly to the woman before looking back towards the fight. "Since then though, he's trained with the palace guard and the Brass Hand. He's won quite a few tournaments back in Veranthium." The woman seemed nice enough. "I didn't get your name, miss."

When the Flames Die

Jezin turned towards the announcer when the trumpets sounded. A grin spread across his face when his name was called. So now it would begin. He strode down the runway, spear in hand. Jon Easten. He hadn't yet met the man, but it didn't matter who his opponent was. He would win this fight, no matter what. The Lyoki bodyguard halted in front of the stands, turned towards the onlookers and gave a deep bow. He smiled as he rose from the bow and spun his spear quickly around him. It was impressive to see a man wield such a lengthy weapon with that level of finesse. This flourish was made even more impressive by the fact that the core of the spear was made entirely of iron. He turned away from the crowd and towards the opposite end of the fairground, awaiting his opponent's arrival.

Gareth seemed to have other obligations at the moment, and with a quick goodbye ran after Thomas. "Yes, goodbye, I do hope we get a chance to talk later." The princess still spoke cheerfully. A woman in a blue tie took a seat next to Sophia. She looked vaguely familiar, the princess thought she had seen her earlier that day. Sofia turned to look at the woman when she spoke. Technically she was right, a princess sitting by herself was a disaster waiting to happen, but there didn't seem to be any impending doom nearby, not as far as she could tell. She shook her head. "Thank you, miss, but I'll be fine." She still smiled. The woman then asked about Karl Lied. Sophia remembered the man. "Karl Leid? No, I haven't seen him since the feast." She had no idea where the man had disappeared to. She had thought he was heading to the tournament. The princess froze when she heard Jezin's name and immediately turned towards the front. Jezin made a flamboyant entrance. Just like him, she thought. She clapped.