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THE EDGE OF AEPHIX - YZZAYT'S ABYSS - EARLY AFTERNOOON
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Fiora marches out onto the rocky floor of the canyon. The sun overhead causes her meticulously polished armor to shine, as the giraffe walks forward in her full plate armor, with her sword Zorya in hand. It hadn't take much for her to volunteer for this. Both Gareth's description of Dyvrisse, and the Captain's plan to release the prisoners was enough. The hardest part had been convincing Brun to stay at the camp. Her eye movement might give away her nerves, if it could be seen through her helmet, as she keeps glances along the canyon's edge where the infiltrator squad is moving along secret paths that the turncoat chicken had offered to guide them along. They'd snuck out quickly, and left the distraction to Fiora. Shifting her attention to the large Saur standing there waiting for her, she nodded to her opponent, her heart pumping in excitement. She'd make this look good. "I'm Fiora. They call me 'Fury'."
Dyvrisse awaits Fiora, adorned in armour of bones, furs and jagged metal plating. In her hands, resting amongst the sand and rock of the canyon, she bears a mighty maul of thick wooden shaft and heavy iron head. While crude by Fiora's modern standards, in comparison to Usid and Nyzai's warriors, it's a notable step up.
Narrator: There is a few dozen amount of Saurs present around Dvyrisse, murmuring and talking another, idolizing their champion and restlessly awaiting the fight. When Fiora approaches, they don't back off at first, only doing so when Dyvrisse greets her opponent.
Dyvrisse: "Hm." Dyvrisse gruffly hums in response to Fiora's words, looking to her followers. She'd rather dispose of titles, but she has her own show to put on. "Fury." She turns back to Fiora, with a respectful nod, "I am The Keeper." She pauses, glancing Fiora up and down. "Your. . .Armour is impressive. Did you make it yourself?"
Fiora taps her free hand against the metal plating with pride. "I learned from the greatest smith who ever lived. This armor is a pale imitation of her works, but I forged every piece of it myself." She observes Dyvrisse's own armor and nods in response. "Yours is impressive as well, Keeper."
Dyvrisse: "Then you are indeed a worthy challenger." Dyvrisse replies with an undertone of newfound respect. She hadn't expected that response. She hefts up her maul, dropping lower into a battle stance, her hulking figure hunching lower and her maul-like tail behind her climbing into the air. "Come. Let us begin."
Fiora brandishes her sword, falling into a defensive stance. She takes a few experimental jabs towards Dyvrisse, shifting position as if searching for a weakpoint. They aren't wrong moves, and certainly seem impressive and don't lack for strength behind them. To an inexperienced figher, these might seem like standard opening moves, but to a more experienced fighter who might be able to get a gauge of Fiora's true skill, the opening moves feel strange.
Dyvrisse moves little to dodge and deflect the opening jabs, curious as to the function of Fiora's ornate weapon. When she feels Fiora's initial flurry begin to retreat, she takes a step forward and takes a swing at Fiora.
Fiora 's usual style is to wrecking ball through any situation, but she's still surprisingly nimble in her armor, taking only a glancing blow from Dyvrisse's wide strike with her maul. The contact doesn't seem to slow her down as she slashes against Dyvrisse in the wake of her strike, making a concious effort to strike and pull out of Dyvrisse's reach, hit and run, sometimes sparing a glance to the onlookers, making sure the others with Dyvrisse are watching.
Narrator: With faith in her armour and less in her mobility, she turns briefly to brace her armour against the sword. Allowing it to cut into her furs and bones, it grinds and slip down the jagged spike of the metal underneath before coming to a stop with a muffled clang. Dyvrisse grunts from the impact, though otherwise finds herself fine. "Hm." Dyvrisse lowly hums, taking a menacing step forward as she pulls her maul back.
Fiora has only used this blade once in combat before, against the grounded Pterosaurs, and it wasn't much of a battle. She's seen blades chip or break coming against her own armor, so it's a bit of a relief that the seemingly-magical blade returns unscathed. She shifts tactics a bit as Dyvrisse steps forward, meeting the intimidation tactic with a solid gut punch with an armored fist, raising her blade into position to try and prevent Dyvrisse from getting the room to swing her maul again without opening herself.
Narrator: The bones protecting Dvyrisse's abdomen audibly crack, her armour deforming under the strength of the blunt blow. The wind is successfully knocked out of Dyvrisse, though she isn't incapacitated by it. She takes a hand off of her maul to grab Fiora's hand in her gut. Fearing retribution from Fiora's sword, she attempts to yank Fiora to the side to throw her off balance before Fiora can swing. If she succeeds at yanking Fiora away, Dvyrisse spins herself around, raised mace-like tail whipping behind her aimed low at Fiora's legs in a follow-up.
Fiora grinds her fist in, her attempts to forestall the maul's strike successful, but Dyvrisse gets a grip on her hand and pulls her aside. Fiora is off-balance, and Dyvrisse's tail hits her hard in the legs, the strength and momentum of that blow ragdolling her aside with a sharp crack as something definitely breaks. She cringes as she rolls hard, her hand never losing grip on her sword. She takes a deep breath, gritting her teeth in her helmet and standing back up, her first priority is to draw attention away from the mountain side and the camp, and she quickly brandishes her sword again, taking a few painful steps aside to direct her foes attention.
Narrator: The saurs erupts into cheers at Dvyrisse's success.
Dyvrisse slowly turns to face Fiora, using the moment of respite to recover herself, taking deep breaths in and out. "Hm." Dvyrisse hums once more. She takes the moment to stare Fiora down, appraising the damage inflicted, both via visual inspection and assessing Fiora's steps. With one final deep breath outward, she firmly clasps her maul once more and lumbers forward for a wider, more reckless swing.
Fiora is no stranger to fighting wounded, and whatever is broken is crippling her, though she's definitely moving slower in her attempts to take attention away from canyon wall and camp. Seeing Dvyrisse rear up the maul for one big strike, Fiora just responds with instinct. She charges, hoping to ram head-first into Dyvrisse's gut before the swing completes.
Dyvrisse: The shaft of the maul connects with Fiora's side. While a lot of mass is still in the strike, the shaft ultimately doesn't do much more than glance off Fiora's armour, causing cosmetic damage, if any. She grunts as she's pushed backwards briefly before managing to dig her feet into the ground to slow herself. She lets go of her maul again, in order to meet Fiora's bull rush with a bear hug between her arms.
Fiora 's armor takes the brunt of Dyvrisse's strike, only causing some dents that will take time to hammer out. It still kills some of Fiora's momentum, enough that the Saur is able to 'catch' her charge and get her into a hold. Fiora flexes, straining against Dyvrisse's grip. She's got two options here, but needs moment to recover her senses.
Dyvrisse adjusts her grip as best she can in the struggle, hugging Fiora as tightly as she can into herself. Normally, the jagged metal of her armour would be suitable enough to rend any foe, though against Fiora's armour, the effort is useless. Changing tactics, she begins to take a loud, slow, deep breath inward, an eerie glow emitting from the cracks under Dyvrisse's armour, her armour's furs beginning to stand on end as the air around them begins to tingle. The sight that causes the cheers of the more perceptive Saurs to grow, the cheer rippling as more Saur notice.
Fiora struggles a bit more, still unwilling to drop her sword as Dyvrisse charges up. Still, a spectacle is a spectacle. Lianne described this as being something like lightning. Not going to be fun at point blank, but her armor's defense enchantments should be enough to keep her alive at least, and it might give her an opening once the blast is over. She braces herself, preparing to use all of her strength to headbutt Dyvrisse once she finishes her electric blast.
Dyvrisse: Point blank, Dyvrisse unleashes her lightning upon Fiora, wreathing her in Yzzayt's brilliant light and sending an echoing roar down the canyon. As onlookers recover their sight from the white void of blindness, the ringing deafness in the aftermath gives way to the loudest cheering from the Saur Squad yet.
Fiora weathers the heat of the blast, as the wards do their job. Her armor shunts the magic away from her, and the worst of it burns into Fiora's side where the maul had damaged some of the plating. Regardless, lightning arcing around her armor, like an aura surrounding her as the blast subsides. As Dyvrisse finishes, Fiora strikes, rearing back and then delivering the strongest headbutt she can manage, hoping to take advantage of Dyvrisse's loosening grip to twist her sword hand free and slash into Dyvrisse's side.
Dyvrisse: The surprise headbutt takes Dyvrisse off guard. Her grip loosens in both pain and shock, and the sword finds a suitable gap in Dyvrisse's armour, getting lodged in decently deeply into her thick side. She lets out a unsatisfied roar of pain, blood starting to drip and soak her furs. As the vision and hearing of Saurs slowly return, their cheers begin to subside into silence. They'd expected Dvyrisse to be standing with her foot on Fiora's body, but from their perspective, it's as if Yzzayt's gift had done nothing more than teleport Fiora's blade into their champion.
Fiora pulls her sword out of Dyvrisse in a surprisingly fluid motion considering how deep the wound is. She staggers backwards, pushing Dyvrisse away and clutches at her side where the lightning burnt her, though her leg hurts more. Her breathing is ragged, but she's not out of the game yet. She glances towards the enemy base of the Abyss before she pulls her gaze away, shifting position to keep all eyes on her and away from the Abyss. She can't tell how the others are doing from here, and worrying about that isn't her job here anyways. "Do... you yield?"
Dyvrisse staggers away from Fiora, unceremoniously taking the moment granted to her. One hand reaches to press against her wound, soaking her hand in blood, while her other holding the maul positions itself to rest atop it gently, her pained expression giving away to anger, the first emotion her face has fully and freely has shown. She takes a few breaths to temper this feeling. She follows Fiora's gaze to the Abyss, then back to Fiora. Despite giving her time to breathe, Fiora is moving. . .But not for the purpose of repositioning or menace. Why? "Hrmg." Dyvrisse grunts in response to the question, then looks to her Saur comrades, then back to Fiora. Her bloodied hand grasps her maul once more and she adjusts herself. "I do not."
Fiora chuckles behind her helmet. "Yeah, didn't really think so. I'm not much for 'yielding' either." She shifts position to raise her sword into another defensive stance. "You hit like a brick wall, I'll give you that."
Dyvrisse doesn't seem to care much for the compliment at first, though it does cause her to respond, "You are the first to withstand the gift Yzzayt has bestowed on me. You surprise me, Furious one."
Fiora: "I'm full of surprises. Your 'gift' is one of the best I've seen, I'll admit. I faced off with this Warthog in Orela who tossed Fireballs like they were children's toys. They didn't do much, and he wasn't ready for me to just stroll up and punch him in the head. So, if it makes you feel any better, your gift still hurt like hell."
Dyvrisse begins to approach Fiora slowly once more. Despite threatening to continue the fight, and even swinging if she's allowed to get close enough, she continues to talk. "I do not need his blessing to continue. I would not have if it I was nothing without it." Dyvrisse replies.
Fiora isn't going to give Dyvrisse any free shot, keeping her defensive position, she moves as if to circle, but her steps are very deliberate, and she stops before she full turns Dyvrisse around to face the Abyss. "You're better than most then. As a warrior, at least."
Dyvrisse: The Saurs begin to find their voice again, though their supportive rowdiness is now a mix of support for Dyvrisse, general confusion, and disillusioned anger against Fiora. "There will be more time to talk later. We fight again." Dyvrisse replies, approaching Fiora again.
Fiora smirks under her helmet. "Yeah, we do." She sticks to her defensive pose, bracing the sword in both hands.
Dyvrisse takes notes of Fiora's apparent and sudden defensiveness, taking a bit of a restrained swing, second-guessing her reading on Fiora. "You were so bold before, Furious One."
Fiora dodges the swing, cursing under her breath. She can't let Dyvrisse figure her out, so she takes another couple strikes, probing towards Dyvrisse's injured side, but trying to control the positioning of the battle more than anything. "Bold doesn't mean stupid."
Dyvrisse deflects and pushes the blows back as best she can, trying to counter Fiora's attempts and keep pressing on her. "Perhaps, Furious One. Or perhaps you are using your bravado to conceal your injuries."
Fiora frowns. She's not completely wrong. Better to seize that than to let her suspect the truth. "Hmph. Well, I gotta watch your maul and your tail now. Not going to let you hit me with that again. And I'm still not used to a sword, but I left the axe back in camp, cause I guess Nesseth said this wasn't 'to the death'. So maybe you've got one up on me, eh? Doesn't mean you've won."
Dyvrisse: "No. I can't imagine you would forget my tail after that hit." Dyvrisse replies, glancing to Fiora's wounded leg. "You would bring a weapon you are uncomfortable with? This insults me. And the life of your kin."
Fiora frowns. "Don't really give a shit if it insults you or not. You're the one holding innocent folks hostage, no matter the circumstances. Me and this sword both are focused on protecting those people and fighting for them, here. Now." She puffs up a bit as she speaks, clear passion entering her voice. "It's why I'm not going to stop 'til they're safe." She takes a step forward towards Dyvrisse.
Dyvrisse: "Hm." Dyvrisse hums in response. She rears her hammer up to threaten with it in response to Fiora's advance. She turns one way to swing back her maul for a far too dramatic hit, which gives away her tail as being the true intent for her turning, whipping the tail to swing it. However, she intentionally pulls it short to one-hand her maul back from the original direction with an outstretched hand. The double ruse.
Fiora strides forward with purpose, ready for the ruse, eyes on the tail when the hammer goes up, she doesn't see the double ruse until it's in motion, ducking her head to do an overhead slash into Dyvrisse's arm as the hammer connects with her, slamming into her already injured side and digging the broken metal into the burn. She stands her ground though, despite the pain and the strike. She speaks through her teeth. tone strained but her words are as a threat, "And the blade's name is Zorya, by the way."
Dyvrisse equally grunts, though the mangled mess of fur, bone and spikes on her armour manage to trap the sword this time. When her arm comes to a stop from the maul hitting Fiora, Dyvrisse capitalizes on the situation by wrenching her arm away from Fiora back towards herself, in an attempt to disarm Fiora or pull her closer such that her other hand can slam down on Fiora's wrists to further assist in the disarm attempt.
Fiora loses her grip on Zorya to break herself free. She uses the momentum of Dyvrisse's action with her now free hand to punch the Saur in the face and hop out of her range. She glances towards where the blade fell, an awkward place that she wouldn't be able to grab without exposing Dyvrisse's attention towards the Abyss. Instead, she shifts away from the blade, pounding a fist on her chest and echoing the saur's words back to her. "But I don't need it to continue. It's not the blade, nor my axe, that makes me a threat."
Dyvrisse recoils backwards from the punch to the face, taking a moment to compose herself and shake it off. She huffs back at Fiora in her own anger. She backs up slowly to the blade to stand a foot atop it, though keeping her eyes on Fiora. "You would fight without your weapon?" Dyvrisse questions. "Why?"
Fiora swears again, "Doesn't matter what I beat you down with."
Dyvrisse: "Yield honourably, Furious One. Your life need not be lost as well." Dyvrisse replies.
Fiora glances back towards the Abyss again. No signal yet. She looks back at Dyvrisse and shakes her head. "I do not yield, Keeper. I can't."
Dyvrisse glances somewhat back at the Abyss, but can't turn her head too far in order to keep her attention on Fiora. She turns back proper to give Fiora a nod. "I understand. You worry for your people. And you. . ." Dyvrisse pauses. "You do not think I will keep my word?" She questions.
Fiora hesistates, unsure what Dyvrisse has just figured out, "Don't have much choice, do we? Your people haven't given us the best reason to trust you, though."
Dyvrisse: "And yet, you side with Usid." Dyvrisse flatly replies. "One directly responsible for killing and taking your people." Dyvrisse replies. "Further, if you do not trust me, why agree to duel at all?"
Fiora snorts, "There's a saying in Vamas, 'Keep your friends in mind, and keep your enemies in sight.' We just decided to keep that little chicken in close sight. He'll pay for what he's done when this is finished, one way or another." She digs in her feet, getting into a more brawler-esque boxing pose. "Our Negotiater said you seemed trustworthy enough. And our only other option was outright war. So you got your duel."
Dyvrisse: "You would kill Usid for his assistance? Then perhaps you are less honourable than I thought." Dyvrisse replies. "My duel?" She pauses briefly, then narrows her eyes at Fiora. "It was your people who suggested it."
Fiora shakes her head. "Kill nothing. He'll serve time, recompense, whatever. Not my call. He made his deal, and so long as he sticks to it, we're sticking to it. But as far as I know his deal didn't hinge on the lives of innocents being endangered."
Dyvrisse: "There would be none for you to save if not for my actions. Much like your other armoured friend, you also do not appreciate this. How many others of your men do not appreciate this?" Dyvrisse hums in response, pausing in thought. Suddenly, Dyvrisse's demeanour changes, giving completely into her frustration and anger despite her efforts earlier to keep them tempered, her tone darkening, "I think I understand now, Furious One, why you choose to fight."
Fiora shakes her head. "You don't know anything about me. Or about us. We didn't choose this fight. You chose it for us. I'm only here because there's people back in that town that I love. And just because you chose not to kill them that somehow makes it okay? Yeah, thanks for saving the lives you could. Now stand down and let us take them home. Or keep fighting. Cause if it's up to us, we're not taking any lives unless we have to. And the only one threatening to take lives are your folks out there, watching us fight, cheering for you to kill me. So come on then! Let's keep them entertained!"
Dyvrisse: "Enough." Dyvrisse snarls. "I see it in you, Furious one. You are not fighting to beat me." Dyvrisse pauses. "You merely need to tire me until I am no longer capable of fighting your army." Dyvrisse spits. "I am cancelling this farce." Dyvrisse begins to turn around to face her Saurs and the Abyss, to address them.
Fiora growls, stepping up behind Dyvrisse, lowering her fists and her voice, "You're an idiot, then! The army's not planning to attack! They've already sent a force into the mines to free the prisoners. You told our negotiator that your own people couldn't be trusted not to kill them if things went poorly. What the hell did you think we were going to do?"
Dyvrisse pauses just as she plans on raising her voice to the spectator Saurs, turning around to face Fiora. The information doesn't make Dyvrisse any less upset, though it does serve to correct her assessment. "Then your people are fools!" She growls, "Even in the best case, more lives are going to be lost!"
Dyvrisse takes a deep breath in, aggressively huffing it out. She lets off Fiora's sword, "Fine. I offered your people my help." Dyvrisse speaks through gritted teeth, kicking the sword over to Fiora. "Fight me."
Fiora stares at Dyvrisse a moment, then simply nods. She bends down to retrieve her sword, cautious of any foul-play, but hefts the blade back up, raising it towards Dyvrisse. "...alright then. Let's go."