A Duel in The Roost (Graded)

[Ulric]

17 Vhalar 719 | Ulric and Arthur | The Valkyrie's Roost

Not all decisions that an individual made were good ones. Ulric made a bad decision when his discipline failed him. But he didn't feel that way in the slightest. Playing dirty felt good because it got him closer- even it he didn't actually strike the Raggedy Man, it got him a little closer to it. That one dirty move provided Ulric with a sort of smug satisfaction that he hadn't felt in a long time- at least not since the war. It was not victory, but it was a victory. Small as it was it made Ulric feel good. To him, it was worth it.

Though Arthur had nothing but regret and fear for his friend running through his mind as he saw the ether begin seeping forth in it's refracted glory from the Aborgator. Magic would hurt Ulric and whether or not the specter realized that, his living companion did. Ulric held his sword in a mid guard- this time by choice as he watched the Aborgator's etheric show. He was so focused on what might come next that he did not realize he was still holding Kasoria's training sword in the air with his tendril. Honestly Ulric had forgotten the toy existed once he began swinging his own training longsword at Kasoria. Everything else had been lost to the heat of the moment. He would hear about the steps but he didn't remember seeing them. He just remembered the feeling of the impact ratting up his arms and the light that had appeared so suddenly.

The Raggedy Man's words nearly fell on deaf ears as Ulric had seen the man spring to action mid sentence before and was instead trying to focus on Kasoria's movements but hearing "Good job" was certainly a surprise. Ulric's suspicious mind quickly wrote it off as a distraction or an attempt to save face. Perhaps even it was merely the Hound's effort to calm himself so he didn't knock the ghost's head off with a stick. Then Kas reached out to his floating sword and Ulric felt the ether begin to squeeze his tendril so he let go. A more curious ghost might have tried to syphon the ether but Ulric was not interested in testing theories at the moment. He released the sword and the tendrils that had been holding it dissipated.

Ulric had no intention of further trickery until the Abrogator's ether hardened into a mirror like-armor around his body and then his blade. Ulric's manifested body tensed and his feet seemed to loose some of their opacity as Ulric prepared to manifest a tendril to defend himself. He'd come a far way in materializing his body and was more confident in his ability to defend with a tendril than with a longsword- and Kas would certainly put that theory to the test.

When Vorund's Hound began his charge Ulric could feel his body bounding left and right with the more experienced swordsman but the rhythm, while present, was unnoticed by the specter who only thought to swipe his training sword to the right to protect his face from Kasoria's before the Raggedy Man moved behind Ulric. Ulric turned as quickly as he could, bringing his blade around to block Kasoria's- at least that had been his intention when he began turning. Half way through his turn the sharp pain of the training sword smacking into his leg returned and Ulric endured it to bring his longsword the rest of the way around to cleave down at Kasoria- but the Raggedy Man was prepared for it again.

Ulric's longsword slammed into the shield and when it shattered and the energy fired back out at Ulric, his blade was ripped from his hands by force ad hurled across the room. Yet the disarming was the worst of the backlash which came from Ulric's desperate strike and would have been quickly remedied when Ulric reached his hand out to summon his longsword back if not for one thing. Arthur intervened.

As Ulric's longsword came flying back through the air towards him, Arthur caught it and held firmly while Ulric tugged on the tendril to try and pull it from Arthur."I think you've had enough." Arthur said with no judgement or anger, but merely concern for his spectral friend. Ulric walked over and pulled the training sword away from Arthur. Ulric didn't notice his limp, or how heavy the training blade felt in his hurt arms, or how brutally out of his depth he was, but Arthur did. Arthur was the reason which held Ulric together.

"I'm fine." Ulric said as he turned back to Kasoria. Arthur put a hand on Ulric's materialized shoulder and the specter shook him off so Arthur- devoid of options, looked to Kasoria.

[Kasoria]

[bbvideo]

Kasoria had a feeling that this one wouldn't know when to stop. Regardless of skill or cunning or magic, there was a grimness to him that went beyond the fact he was already dead. Every mistake he made, every time Kasoria struck him or knocked him back, he just righted himself and kept coming. He could respect that determination. It was the wellspring that everything else care from, large or small. For without it, all ambitions were but dreams, without the will to make them happen.

But that don't mean it won't get you killed, should you pick the wrong fight.

What surprised him was how the duel was stymied. Not by exhaustion or injury, but concern from another. Arthur, the ghost's partner, dashed into the pit so fast that Kasoria went back into ready stance out of instinct. But the living man wasn't there for him; he snatched the sword out of the air with a deftness that belied his common appearance, and simply would not let go.

"I think you've had enough," he said, like a boy trying to convince his father to just put the damned bottle down. Kasoria cocked an eyebrow at the tone, the way he seemed to... not command the ghost, but assert himself fearlessly. The ghost turned those black eyes on him and the man did not quail, did not falter. Not even when he snatched the sword away from him, and growled out a laughable, "I'm fine."

Oh, the eternal lie. The one we tell ourselves every day.

Arthur looked to Kasoria, but the Raggedy Man had nothing for him... save for the simplest means of all. He sighed and weighed the cost of continuing the duel against being prudent. He'd flexed his muscles pretty well. A few tricks tried, a surprise overcome. A test of his abilities? To a degree. This was not a mortal arena, nor was the cost to be paid in blood. But he'd been challenged, and risen to it. That was enough for now. So he nodded minutely, then pointed to Ulric with his gladius.

"Last round. Make it count, lad."

The Raggedy Man closed the distance between them and closed his eyes briefly. As he exhaled, the ghost and his man and the rest of the audience would see the shimmering film that covered the assassin melt away. Like frost on a window, wiped away and revealing Kasoria standing there, unprotected now by his Abrogation armor. Instead he flexed his empty left hand, cocked his arm and closed into a half-fist. Ready to strike a blow or parry one, depending on what was needed. His gladius rose into a mid-guard, and his boots scraped across the stones beneath them.

"Nay magic frum me," he rumbled, words seeming to rumble up from his guts without passing his lips. "Youse can do as yeh want. Now... on yeh come."

[Ulric]

17 Vhalar 719 | Ulric and Arthur | The Valkyrie's Roost

"Last round. Make it count, lad."

Those words rang in Ulric's manifested ears more than any cautions Arthur provided. There was a recklessness in death that Arthur was having a harder and harder time of reigning in and Ulric was having a harder time of controlling. But Ulric felt like he was under control as he stared into the black eyes of the Raggedy Man. He held his sword in a mid-guard while Kasoria seemed to wipe the ether off of him. Within trills it was as if the etheric armor had never existed in the first place. The Raggedy Man had the mercy not to use magic while openly condoning Ulric's use and for some reason it made Ulric disgusted to think of using an tendril so cheaply in a spar again.

He needed the help, but now he was too proud to use it. Ulric's grip would tighten on his sword and he'd shift into an inside right guard as Kasoria adopted a mid-guard. Make it count. Ulric slowed his ectoplasm as greatly as he could. First fully manifesting his body to the form he'd been in when he was living, and then attempting to slow it further as he'd done during the war. He knew he couldn't achieve a state like steel but he also knew he did not need to. They were fighting with sticks. A state as hard as stone would be enough. So with Ulric's ectoplasm as slowed as he could muster it, stone or flesh, he moved in to attack.

It was a simple advance at first, he thrust his blade forward knowing full well Kasoria would have the speed to parry or block it, but he was hoping he had a different advantage now. Kasoria's mid-guard put his training sword well within range to strike Ulric's training longsword away but Ulric had grown used to the man's habit of deflecting and striking. If the same move came again Ulric would be prepared to block Kasoria's strike and he'd attempt to lock their training sword and hit the Raggedy Man with his shoulder. But who could predict the dangerous swordsman the specter faced?

[Kasoria]

There was a much a man could do, when he knew it was his last chance to do it. In truth, it was nothing he could not have done before. But knowing he was close to the end of his time, the limit of his opportunities... it forced him to delve deeper and strive harder, or just shrivel up and fall. Kasoria had seen men of no great skill or courage make hardened gangers flee, when their backs were forced against the wall. He'd seen sellswords circle up around their charges and die rather than flee, knowing and ignoble end was the alternative. And himself?

You know how it feels, to have Vri's hand on your shoulder, he reminded himself, in that final trill before Ulric lunged. The simple question it asks you: will you give in, or will you fight?

That was the question he posed to Ulric. He hoped the ghost had a suitable answer-

-and was not disappointed. Eventually.

Damn it, man!

The ghost thrust out at him with the longsword, aiming to skewer his heart. Kasoria almost snarled the words as he batted it away, knocking the longsword to the side, opening up Ulric's chest and face to-

CRACK

Well, fuck me.

No easy riposte for Kasoria, this time, as Ulric reacted quickly and pulled the longsword back and across himself to block his retaliatory chop at his head. Gladius met longsword, muscle against muscle in the bind. But before Kasoria's living strength could bunch and explode outwards, pushing Ulric away and breaking the bind, the ghost redirected their blades to the side-

-away from the space between them, and-

Shite!

Kasoria grunted as the considerably larger ghost crashed into him, shoulder-first. Apparently ghostly muscle and fat and bone had much the effect of the living, as it knocked Kasoria back a few feet. It didn't help that he was a solid half-foot shorter than the ghost, and the shoulder blow that would have struck the chest of a tall man instead landed against the Raggedy Man's face. He heard the crowd wince as he reeled back, reacting like one gestalt beast, relishing in this final clash of blades.

When he stopped, and his vision cleared... he smiled. The ghost was still coming. No hesitation now, no consolidation or defensive considerations. This was the last round, and many a battle had been won in the final moments after breaks of stalemate.

"Better."

CRACK

The smack and crack of wood smashing into wood echoed around the pit. The Raggedy Man was being forced back. The crowd couldn't believe it. His guard was solid, gladius moving up and down, side to side, blocking every attempt from the ghost's longsword. But he wasn't fighting back, it seemed. Solely on the defensive. Letting the ghost force him against-

Ah. Now there's the rub.

Kasoria was not so easily sent packing. He watched his enemy... no, his opponent, in that half-bit or so where Ulric forced him across the training circle with his swings and thrusts. He noted the grip on his sword. The way he breathed before and after each strike. How the weapon moved back to his guard afterward. And most of all, how his feet moved. After the third or fourth arm-rattling crack, he noticed the ghost often swung with one foot still in the air. Instead of having both feet on solid ground first.

Good eye. Now what are you going to do about it?

This.

His back was nearly at the wall when he finally struck back. Ulric reared back and swung for his head, one foot still off the ground-

-Kasoria darted in to meet the blow instead of waiting for it, shorter stick smashing into the longer one-

-impact making Ulric stagger even as he pulled his weapon back into a low guard-

CRACK

But Kasoria was already striking again. Shorter, lighter sword moving swifter than the longsword could, and powered by muscles trained by decades of such combat. In a single blinding movement he swung the gladius down hard, knocking the longsword in Ulric's grip further down until it bounced off the stone floor-

THUNK

-but never got a chance to bounce back up. Kasoria's foot lashed out in a low kick, boot smashing into Ulric's grip just below his hands. The ghost barked out and staggered further away, but he was still game, striking out again with a horizontal chop that would have taken Kasoria's head off-

-only for the sword to sail through empty air-

-Kasoria dropping so low he was almost on his knees, lithe and flexible body moving swiftly, even if age did make some stubborn joints creak. As Ulric's blow powered over his head, his own sword lashed out and struck Ulric across the belly, making him double over-

CRACK

-gladius meeting the longsword again as it chopped for him, pushing against it, away, up and to the side-

Careful. You're not looking the cripple the... well, he's a ghost, hut still.

-measured, downward chop hitting Ulric on his already-bruised leg, dropping him to his knees.

Now the crowd made no noise. They'd been fooled, and like any good audience, only half-hated the idea. The illusion, the dance, the theater, the show... that's what mattered. The ghost went down to one knee and Kasoria's gladius whirled in his hand, grip shifting into reverse with a casual fluttering of his fingers, just as Ulric made one final attempt to strike from his knees-

CRACK

-only for it to crash ineffectually against Kasoria's sword. The gladius was hardly meant to be held in such a way, and Kasoria's muscles strained at the odd grasp... but he had them to spare. The Raggedy Man pushed the longsword away, giving his free hand a window to go darting out, fast as a snake's tongue to grab Ulric's collar, pulling him close-

-and shoving the edge of the gladius against his throat like some massive dagger before that longsword could come back at him again.

There was no movement. No sound. Just howling wind and fast breaths from in the pit. Kasoria smiled slowly. Aye. He was breathing faster. Quite an exertion, really. Just as slowly, he took a step back, removing the blade, and nodding his approval.

"Knew yeh'd been liss'nin'. Kept on the attack, didnae stay onna' defense. Much better..."[/googlefont]

[Ulric]

17 Vhalar 719 | Ulric and Arthur | The Valkyrie's Roost

It all happened like a blur and adrenaline Ulric didn't know he could still feel surged through him the moment his shoulder collided with the Raggedy Man's face. It wasn't that he'd been aiming for the man's face, he'd actually forgotten his height and been aiming for the man's chest, but it didn't matter. That was the first and only honest strike he landed on the Raggedy Man and it gave Ulric the push to keep driving forward. When the Raggedy Man went on the defensive, Ulric gave him something to defend against.

The specter rained blow after blow at Kasoria's wooden gladius and with each blow the Raggedy Man returned an equally effective parry or block. Ulric didn't let this discourage him though, he knew that if he gave Kas a window, the man would destroy him with it. So Ulric kept the strikes coming as fluidly as he could given the dull aches in his muscles from Kasoria's earlier lessons. There was a sort of puffed up confidence that began to grow the longer Kasoria was deflecting his strikes rather than returning them but Arthur- who watched from the sidelines, saw the truth of what was going on. Arthur saw Kasoria analyzing Ulric because he had the advantage of distance.

Arthur saw Ulric's poor footing as well.

Arthur was just about to shout for Ulric to mind his footing when Kasoria struck and a little fear seized the aging swordsman. Among the few things that sent Ulric into blind fits of rage, having his footing used against him was one of the more common. While he was alive, Ulric had never quite mastered his footwork and that was what cost him his life when Corvus came to kill them. In his undeath, footwork continued to plague him... even when he didn't have feet which was quite odd.

When Kasoria's flurry began, Ulric did his best to keep up. First his sword was smacked downward and he instinctively tried to bring his guard back up only for Kasoria to kick just below his grip. Ulric would have yelped if he were alive but instead gave off a determined growl and brought his sword around in a wide swing that was meant to create space between them more than it was meant to strike Kasoria. But the Raggedy Man saw it coming and ducked below it to drive his own sword into Ulric's belly. Another uncomfortable but bearable pain. Then a blow caught the back of his knee and Ulric fell to a kneeling position.

Why did he even bother with manifesting legs? More like manifesting weak spots.

Yet even when driven to his knees the fight in the specter did not die. He swung again from his kneeling position, seeing no other course of readily-available action, and the Raggedy Man blocked the strike again. Before Ulric could bring his longsword back to defend himself, Kas gripped his collar and pulled him closer. For the briefest moment, Ulric thought about possessing the man as he so often possessed Arthur but then he recalled the battle of wills and decided not to test fate for a ghostly impulse. When Kasoria released him, Arthur returned to Ulric's side and gave the Raggedy Man a thankful nod before turning to his spectral companion.

"Satisfied?" Arthur asked Ulric who hadn't taken his black voids off Kasoria. Ulric gave Arthur a nod and shifted his longsword into his left hand so he could extend his right out to Kasoria.

"I understand now why you are regarded as you are." It was important that Ulric said he understood rather than he saw. He'd seen Kasoria's power in the war, but there was a level of control and precision that came with dueling which seemed to speak more of character than any grand display in war could.

[Kasoria]

Kasoria smiled thinly at the words. They were weighted in a way only words carefully chosen could be. As a man of letters underneath the menace and malice and handfuls of hair, Kasoria could appreciate them. Understanding was different to looking, or even seeing. Just as one could listen and not truly hear. Many had heard the stories of the Raggedy Man. Many likely thought them myths, underworld parables and tall tales. For no man could be so lethal, so destructive, could survive so long in a living that killed so easily and without warning. It was only when you actually saw it, that you understood not just that they were true, but how they came to be true.

By being better at killing than the other man. Not fighting. Not sparring. Killing. Learning not to kill? That came after.

"Y'need t'work on yer footing," he said bluntly, not wanting the lessons of the trial to fade from his mind without imparting them. This was, after all, a place of instruction. "Yer grip. Yer not practicin' enough... an' not with enough people." Those last words were delivered in Arthur's direction, and Kasoria shrugged as the living human bristled. "Ain't nothin' 'gainst youse, mate. But youse fight the same person fer too long, all y'know how to fight is him. That ain't good enough."

He walked over to where the weapons were lined up and retrieved his gladius. The training weapon looked never so much like a toy, when the ghost and the human saw the real thing. Faded red steel, like dried blood. Black runes carved into the steel. In a language Kasoria did not know, nor likely did they. He gripped a hilt of ivory wrapped in leather, and inspected the sword before sheathing it again.

"Yeh want t'spar again, I'll be aroun'," he said simply. Offering nothing, nor demanding anything. "Yeh want t'find me, I'd imagine yeh could... jus' make sure yeh do it the right way. I'm not a man known fer likin' surprise visitors."

Oh, very fucking cryptic.

The Raggedy Man grinned, a gesture looking alien on those mutated, wolfish features. As much mocking himself as the men he spoke to. But there was a rough humor to it, genuine and almost warm, that danced in his black eyes rather than just stretching his lips out into his cheeks. He snapped his fingers and without delay, Cyrus came running over. He didn't want to keep the Raggedy Man waiting. Kasoria turned to him and held out his hand. Double the amount of coins he'd given the youth were handed back to him... minus a small percentage, he could tell.

That's fair. And expected. This is Etzos, after all.

The swordsman chuckled again and pocketed his winnings, sending the youth of with a quick pat on his shoulder. Fates, but he'd not been some companionable in seasons. Not even when he was a leader of men in Rhakros. But this was... a new Etzos, he'd been told. Something not just rebuilt and reborn, but made in a fresh image. Much of it he didn't agree with, and never would. Truth be told, he'd fight with every drop of blood against... certain, newer trends he'd observed. But on the plus side...

When was the last time you sparred in the Roost? When was the last time you'd placed a bet, tested yourself, put in a show?

You're not dead. He is. Yet here he is, still trying.

"Keep at it. Practice makes yeh better; ignore that, might as well not pick up the fuckin' thing," he said, blunt as ever, before he put his wide-brimmed hat back on. He touched the brim with two fingers, a wry salute before turning away. "Until that Trial, Dead Man."

Kasoria left them with that old Etzos farewell, and turned to leave The Roost. Every pair of eyes seemed to watch him leave. The little man who walked with the air of a legend about him, even if it was the grubby mythology of cutthroats and criminals. The Raggedy Man of Etzos... tossing a final hand over his shoulder, bidding Ulric and Arthur a last goodbye, before the street's clamor swallowed him up.

[Doran]

Ulric:

Knowledge:
Skill:
Blades (Longsword) x 6
Materialization x 4
Discipline x 2
Endurance x 1

Non-Skill:
NPC Cyrus: Small-time Ganger and Sellsword, Frequents The Roost
Location: The Roost, Etzos
PC Kasoria: Called the Raggedy Man. Fought in Rhakros. Experienced blade.

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: 10, people watched you and talked about the ghost and his friend that were brave enough to fight the Raggedy Man!
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

Kasoria:

Knowledge:
Skill:
Abrogation: The Feel of a Ghost's Ectoplasm
Blades (Gladius): Reverse Grip
Blades (Gladius): High Guard
Blades (Gladius): Middle Guard
Blades (Gladius): Low Guard
Deception: Pretending to be Driven Back to Observe an Opponent's Attacks
Strength: Pushing Out of a Bind
Tactics: Don't Underestimate Your Opponent
Tactics: Wielding Magic and Mundane Weaponry at Once
Tactics - Capstone: Fighting Two Opponents at Once
Tactics - Capstone: Fighting a Ghost
Teaching: Constructive Criticism
Teaching: Imparting Observations Immediately After "Class"

Non-Skill:
Location: The Roost, Etzos
NPC Arthur: Ulric's Partner
NPC Arthur: Seems to Have More Sense than Ulric
NPC Cyrus: Small-time Ganger and Sellsword, Frequents The Roost
PC Ulric: Former Human, Current Ghost, Advancing Swordsman
PC Ulric: Determined to Improve his Skills with a Blade
PC Ulric: Capable of Using Ecto-Tendrils During Battle
PC Ulric: Willing to Learn

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: 10, people watched you fight Ulric and Arthur!
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

- - -

Comments: This was quite an impressive and well-written combat thread.

It was quite brave of Ulric and Arthur to challenge the Raggedy Man to a fight. Kasoria is scary!

I quite liked that Kasoria didn’t just fight Ulric and Arthur, but actually told them what they did wrong.

Hopefully, they’ll remember!

Great job, both of you, and enjoy your rewards!