DrowsyPangolin

When the Flames Die

Jezin heard a familiar voice call out to him as he left the field. "Thomas!" He shouted, raising his shield arm to wave. He approached the knight, placing his shield on his back as he went. He stopped a few feet from the knight. His breathing was still shallow and his heartbeat rapid from the fight. "I'm going to guess you saw most of that then?" He hadn't noticed Thomas watching during the brawl, but he had been to busy following his opponent's movements to recognize much else. "I apologize, I only got to see the last bit of the joust. Nice work, though." Jezin leaned against his spear. He could feel the cut Jon had left on his leg. It wasn't serious, but it was a reminder he'd have to watch himself in future fights, especially if he was to fight Thomas.

Sophia nodded silently, listening to Gareth's words. He seemed to be unsure of just what the situation was. She couldn't really blame him. If she had learned one thing during her time in the court, it was that people were complicated. They had many layers to them. They second-guessed themselves, they had trouble understanding their own feelings. Gareth had only known Thomas for about a day now, and it was likely he was very unsure of a great many things. She turned to the young man with a smile. "Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't. But fate has a way of working itself out. Don't let such things worry you too much. For now, enjoy yourself, this is a celebration after all." She smiled brightly as she took her seat. Part of her wanted to rush to Jezin to congratulate him, but she imagined the soldier would need some time to rest before his next match.

When the Flames Die

Jezin showed no obvious emotion as Jon went down. He was quite impressed the man had managed to stand after all of his injuries. He silently sheathed his blade and made his way around the field, first picking up his helmet. He dusted the dirt from it's plume and placed it back on his head. He then picked up his spear and shield. Before leaving the field, he turned towards the stands and gave a deep bow, then promptly turned on a heel and began walking off, raising his shield above his head for a moment as a symbol of triumph. His first fight had been interesting to say the least, and he had no doubt things would only get more so as time went on. As he walked off the field, he saw a group of tournament assistants rushing to move Jon. He had no doubt the man would overcome his injuries quickly.

Sophia's eyebrows raised slightly when Gareth mentioned that he fancied Thomas. She realized she should've put two and two together much more quickly. Such feelings weren't looked down upon in Lyok as they were in some parts of the world, still she was a bit surprised. "Oh, don't worry about making a fool of yourself Gareth. I promise you, you're free to speak about whatever you please." She smiled. "So you fancy Thomas... You do mean you fancy him, right? As in... you have feelings for him?" Her voice was slightly quieter, as she could tell it was a sensitive subject and didn't want the surrounding people to hear. She still spoke sweetly though, and her voice had a calming quality to it that could put anyone at ease. She turned away from the conversation briefly to see that Jezin had indeed won his match. A bright smile crossed her face and she stood, clapping joyfully for her guardian's victory.

When the Flames Die

Dunked.

When the Flames Die

Jezin sighed. "Stubborn to the bitter end." His voice was completely drained of any emotion. He took a step forward. With the position the man was in, a decapitation would be easy. One quick stroke and the fight would be over. But the bodyguard would not get blood on his hands, not standing before the people of a foreign land, and he certainly wouldn't remove a man's head in front of Sophia if he didn't have to. He raised his sword and struck downward with the pommel again, this time much harder toward the back of Jon's head. He sincerely hoped the strike would be enough to render the relentless man unconscious.

Sophia looked at the young man inquisitively. "Are you certain? I promise you there's no need to be nervous." She was puzzled by Gareth's sudden defensiveness. She wondered if she had said something to offend the young man, or if perhaps it was her royal position. She didn't seem to recall introducing herself by her title though, so maybe someone else had told him. Her internal ponderings were cut short by Jezin's opponent falling to one knee. It seemed the fight would be over soon. As strong as his will was, it seemed the other man had run out of energy.

When the Flames Die

Also, Larfleeze, Epsir and/or Sightles aren't here at the moment, but one of them should be online relatively soon to accept your bio. In the mean time, I'm excited for another spear user!

When the Flames Die

Jezin was shocked the man was still able to function after so much fighting, much less dodge his attack. As Jon dove for his waist, Jezin made a quick spin, sliding around Jon's grip and ending up behind him. He gave a swift kick towards the back of the man's knees, hopefully enough to knock him to the ground. With a flick of his wrist, he flipped his sword back into the correct position and pointed it towards his opponent's back. He didn't want to cause the man irreparable harm, but he was running out of other options. Gripping the blade tightly, he took a step towards his foe and spoke. "Yield now. You've proven yourself a worthy combatant, all you're doing now is destroying yourself. There's no need to die over this match. I tell you one last time. Yield... Or I will cut you down." Jezin no longer spoke with the charisma and flair he had before. His voice was now stony and cold, evoking a tone of icy seriousness.

When the Flames Die

That's how it always goes lol. You go to sleep and wake up and World War III has started.

When the Flames Die

Jezin stepped back quickly as Jon tried to headbutt him. The knight retained an astounding composure despite the bizarre turn the fight had taken. He had stepped just outside the range of Jon's attack. He was impressed the man had managed to stay standing after the blow to the head. He had been surprised by the fight with the man, but it was dragging on far too long. There were other matches to be fought, and wasting more energy would almost certainly spell his doom in later rounds. With lightning quickness, he flipped the single-edged weapon in his hand. With a quick sweeping motion, he swung the blunt edge of the blade towards the side of Jon's head. The knight swung with a tremendous amount of force, enough to knock his opponent unconscious, or at the very least cause him to lose his balance.

When the Flames Die

Jezin didn't even try to move the sword to block Jon. He wanted to see just what the man was capable of. The bodyguard stood his ground, making no effort to move, and took the punch straight to the chin. He stumbled backward, and for a brief moment the world blurred. His ears rang, but he thought he heard something clank beside him. He shook his head, clearing his blurred vision. The punch was incredibly strong, but the Lyoki soldier hadn't fallen. He looked towards Jon, and noticed his helmet lying on the ground by the man's feet. He had seen a fire in the man's eyes, a fire he himself possessed. His jaw ached. His sweaty, dark hair hung partially in his face, but his eyes burned bright beneath it. A wide grin crossed his face. "Very good. Very good indeed." In an instant, the Lyoki lept forward. There was a sudden flash as his sword moved. Rather than attempting to slash the man, however, Jezin had feinted an upwards slash and brought the brass pommel of the weapon down hard towards Jon's forehead.

Sophia was perplexed at the current state of the fight. Jon had been disarmed, but was still fighting. Jezin seemed to be refusing to go for the easy win of cutting the man down. 'Curse his pride...' Sophia thought as the bodyguard took a hard punch. Gareth's voice broke her concentration on the fight. "Oh yes, Sir Thomas seems like a fine man. Not to worry, I only met him yesterday as well." She gave a slight laugh. She looked over the young man sitting beside her. He couldn't have been much older than herself. He seemed quite nervous, and kept stumbling over his words. She gave a comforting smile. "Do beg my pardon Gareth, but why do you seem so nervous?"

When the Flames Die

Jezin's gaze stayed fixed on Jon as he charged forward. It was clear the man was dead set on continuing the fight, regardless of the cost. A faint smile crossed his face as Jon pulled back his fist and made to swing. Jezin lowered his head and the punch connected flatly against his helmet, just above his eyes. The loud clank of bone against metal rang out across the stands. The punch itself did no harm to the knight, but the full force of Jon's weight thrown behind it forced him back a few steps. His ears rang from the strike. It was clear the man had a great deal of strength to throw around. Jezin looked up at the young man, sword still hanging by his side. It was likely connecting with metal hurt the man's knuckles, but it seemed unlikely that such a possibility would even slow Jon down. Jezin stood straight again and pointed the sword at his opponent, taking a step forward. He motioned with his hand for the former farmer to try again.