The First Battle of The Three Blade Tournament

[Balthazar Black]

59 Ymiden 720

On the first day, Balthazar stood out behind Woe's stone home in Lair holding the sword he'd been gifted with no real idea of what to do with it. He was still trying to get a feel for the weight of the red hot blade and it was never quite as natural as using his hands or feet. He'd learned in the pit with Woe that he could teleport and slash at people but where was the skill in that? Where was the pride? He felt like a coward attacking a man or woman from behind. So he wanted to practice, but he also didn't want to damage anything in Woe's home, so he had gone outside. Balthazar unhooked the sword from his belt and slowly pulled the blade from the sheath, setting it beside Fuego who sat on the ground with his legs crossed, watching Balthazar. Nimue was in their room, still mad at Balthazar because he'd left her in Dragoon custody. Her anger seemed to come and go in waves but he didn't presume to understand the emotions of the dead.

Balthazar held the sword out to his side in one hand awkwardly. It wasn't much of a stance. He widened his legs a little and bent his knees, priming himself to move but it still wasn't much. Everyone he'd seen fight with a sword, and he had seen many people do so, had used a guard of some sort. Balthazar sighed and brought his left hand around, securing it at the bottom of the katana handle. He held the sword with the blade facing out slightly before bringing his right elbow back and raising it slightly. The sword had one sharp edge which wouldn't do much if you were holding it out towards the person you meant to hurt. So be brought it back, holding the blade somewhat like a player at bat before chopping downwards with it. The chop was poorly executed and followed by another only slightly better one before Balthazar stopped. This was easier when Nimue helped.

[Woe]

theme

Woe had received the invitation from Balthazar to test their mettle against each other, in a pure contest of arms. No magic, no enhancements, not even attunement perhaps. Although Woe somehow doubted Balthazar would have the restraint when it came to attuning. He'd often find him attuning to random objects in Woe's home at times, and merely shrugged his shoulders. Whatever got him going in the morning, he supposed. Woe preferred a good cup of tea himself.

As for their coming contest, Woe would be bringing his full breadth of martial prowess to bear against the great mage. They were about equal when it came to swordplay, but when it came to the ways of pain and the lash, Woe reigned supreme. Yet Balthazar had his martial arts and his athleticism. That wasn't to say Woe was weaker, they were about on equal footing when it came to strength and durability, from what Woe had seen. But Balthazar had the moves, between his flying with the aid of defiance and his burning rupture portals.

Woe unsheathed his tienite bastard sword. The blade, about as long as a typical arming sword with a slightly longer handle, was half as heavy as embersteel, and every bit as durable. It was a masterwork, much like Balthazar's own burning blade that had been the price for his contract. Woe sincerely hoped it was worth it to the mage, he wasn't sure if they'd all come out of it alright, but he had some hope, having seen what Balthazar can do.

Woe didn't bring his faldrunium whip, of course, as that would've caused too much damage potentially. He brought his leather blacksnake instead, which was short enough for close combat and wouldn't do much real damage to Balthazar, but would distract him into empty spaces that Woe could fill with the blade of his sword.

So, the two met in the middle of the courtyard. Woe watched as Balthazar chopped up refuse and various junk furniture in the yard. Quirking an eyebrow, he tilted his sword's blade into a middle guard, one handing it while the right hand grasped the handle of his blacksnake whip.

"Ready, Balthazar, remember, no magic, not even an enhancement. Check me if you like." Woe smirked. Of course Balthazar would find no evidence of hone magic on his comrade then, if he deigned to check. Woe waited for Balthazar to make the first move. If he took even one step toward Woe, the torturer would give him two lashes in quick succession to the side of his head, to see how it affected his approach. He would test him for a while, and then figure out a strategy.

[Balthazar Black]

59 Ymiden 720

Balthazar was glad to see Woe when he arrived because whether or not he came out on top of this little bout, it meant he would not have to continue practicing alone. It would be a difficult fight without any form of magic to aid him. Generally synchronizing to another person helped make up for some of the shortcomings with his sword but Woe would recognize the meaning behind the glow in Balthazar's eyes by now. Then again they glowed most of the time regardless because of the other active attunements he held. Still... he'd have to be honest about this and the trouble with being honest was that Balthazar was not sure he was good with the sword. Woe had brought another weapon that he held in his other hand. A whip. Balthazar didn't like whips. They made him think of the ship and the lashes- the scars across his back. Without an enhancement, he was going to be hurt by the whip- so he admit it.

"I wasn't expecting a whip. We'll go without enhancements but give me just a trill" Balthazar reached his hand out to the side and moved his wrist in a circle, conjuring a portal that was notably not on fire with a loud screech. Balthazar reached through the portal, opening a chest in his room where he'd set the egress and pulling out his grave gold vambraces before closing the chest and stepping away from the portal. Rather than close it with magic, Balthazar put the blade of his katana in the portal, turned the sharp edge outward, and slashed through the edge of the portal- causing it to collapse much more quietly than it had opened.

Then Balthazar called on the wind to roil around his blade, holding it in the air while he fastened his vambraces onto his wrists. Once they were secured he took the sword out of the air and assumed his guard again. "Alright, now." Balthazar stepped forward to begin an attack and before his foot hit the ground, Woe's whip was moving. Balthazar could barely register the dark whip in motion, instinctively bringing his left armored arm up to block the lash like he would a punch. The first lash caught Balthazar across the cheek, a stinging pain overwhelming half the mage's face, and the second stuck the vambrace but Balthazar did not stop moving forward to attack. He swung the sword in an upwards diagonal arc towards Woe, his left eye clenched shut in pain but his senses still inevitably superior to a blind man.

[Woe]

Up until this moment Woe hadn’t much experience using a blade. Sure he’d had lessons in Etzos of a sort, delivered to him by a man named Arthur. He’d rarely had occasion to use one in a real fight, however, and when it came to that usually it was only used to end it, not to swing the rod of metal throughout the course of battle. There, in the thick of combat Woe had relied heavily on the intimidation and pain factor of the whip, using it to reduce multiple opponents to a quivering heap. For that purpose it was well suited, but to a duel? That was an entirely different scenario.

A whip could intimidate those of weak wills, and cause pain to those who were of a frail disposition. But when it came to an opponent the caliber of Balthazar, Woe found himself unable to box the other man in. So it was, the other swordsman moved easily within Woe’s measure, and drew his katana upward and diagonal, in a motion to get Woe moving the other direction, if not take off a chunk from his left cheek.

Woe swung his sword with the katana’s arc, making it move faster and further than perhaps Balthazar intended. With that motion, he moved out of the way of it’s arc, and backpedaled, using his blacksnake whip to snap at the mage’s feet and shins and disrupt his movements forward.

Another charge like that, and Woe would have to relinquish the idea of using a whip. He was swiftly running out of room behind him, and if this had been a formal sporting duel he’d probably be drummed out of the circle. But no, this was a practical training session. One to which neither one of them were exceptionally prepared.

Even so, Balthazar’s unarmed expertise and athleticism worked in his favor, and he was easily able to move around. Woe had to be cautious, as the man was deadly even without his magics.

He snapped a few more times at the mage’s knees and shins, and then held his bastard sword at arm’s length, to try and keep his opponent at a distance, lest he impale himself on the tienite blade.

”Apologies for the eye? I can pull my lashes well enough that they won’t cause permanent harm…” Woe sidestepped a few times, as he held the mage at bay with his blade, trying to gain more ground behind him so he could maintain a distance. ”They will hurt like the devil, though…”

So saying, Woe sent another bloodless lash upward of Balthazar’s face, trying to hit him around the neck. It wouldn’t do any real damage, but was designed to hurt all the more for that lack of damage.

[Balthazar Black]

59 Ymiden 720

When the whip snapped at Balthazar's legs, the pain did exactly what Woe was hoping that it would. Balthazar recoiled, moving away from the mortal born so that he could reassess how to proceed. Each lash stung and the more that added up, the harder it was for Balthazar to focus on his own attacks. More importantly, the harder it became to make sure he didn't accidentally impale Woe with his sword. Balthazar had almost driven Woe far enough back that Woe had run out of space to retreat but he pulled off before getting Woe's back to the wall. He knew he couldn't stay at the distance he was at. So long as Woe had that little distance, he could use his whip.

Balthazar began plotting a course inwards while Woe apologized for the lash at his eye. Balthazar didn't mind the small injuries because he knew to expect some of them. They were sparring with real swords after all. Balthazar didn't know how he was going to bring the sword in close though and that was what gave him the most pause. He could use his athleticism and unarmed training to slip into Woe's circle but then what? A swift horizontal slash? Balthazar knew he could heal himself but he didn't think the ability would extent to his friends so he didn't want to do anything dramatic.

"I'm familiar with whips. Just don't put my eye out and we will be-" Woe lashed out with his whip and Balthazar- in mid sentence, was unprepared to defend against it. Had he been given even Attunement, it would have been a different story but Woe caught him by surprise. Balthazar saw the shift of Woe's arm and felt the lash of the whip moving in towards his neck, then-

CRACK!

Balthazar moved in to attack, left hand holding his neck as a low growl pushed out between his clenched teeth. That hurt. A lot. Balthazar tried to close in on Woe as quickly as he could, bouncing from the left to the right on his feet as he swept his red hot sword in the air in front of him. He moved the blade in a wide arc downwards long before it would have hit Woe in some attempt to frighten Woe into backing further away. He wanted to keep him from lashing out with the whip again but he knew it was unlikely so instead he pressed his advance again. After the blade swept through the air and Balthazar moved in closer, he turned his wrist and swung the sword back upwards much closer to Woe. Not a very different strike than the first but Balthazar didn't have a lot of ideas.

[Woe]

”Your eye will be fine. I know just how to pull it before it does permanent damage.” And it was no boast. Woe was perhaps the foremost grandmaster with the whip in the southern continent. And that was saying something, when in the company of Naer dominatrices of Augiery. A whip was not a weapon of war, nor a weapon meant to actually cause permanent harm. But gods could it hurt, and give one pause before tangling with a real master.

Balthazar didn’t want to dance anymore, apparently and Woe couldn’t blame him, judging by the reddened welt on his neck. Woe smirked as he closed the distance, yet with that break in his offensive Woe took the opportunity to coil the whip around his arm. As the blade came forward, Woe brought his own up to meet it.

They clashed back and forth, Woe now handling his blade in both hands while the whip was wound about his right arm. Their bind went back and forth, the blades clashing and slicing against each others edges. Woe couldn’t let him slip his cutting edge too far over the bind that he was forming with his crossguard, however, and so maintained the bind high on Balthazar’s blade, near his own crossguard.

This gave Woe more leverage and control over the bind. Yet the damage it was doing to the tienite edge would be considerable, if the intense heat coming off the sword was any indication.

Woe took a gamble, and disengaged at the last moment, rolling backward. Yet Balthazar was quick enough in his advance, enough to slash at Woe’s mantle of magpie feathers. The contact of it’s edge seared through the Magpie feathers, causing them to flare to life for but a moment before Woe’s roll backward put them out, smothering the flames.

”Ach!” Woe complained audibly and cursed. It was a hit, and a good one. He rose from his rolling maneuver, yet he didn’t backpedal. He turned around completely, and began running in the other direction, unwinding his whip again and grasping it by the flexible handle.

What Balthazar may not realize, and perhaps not be quick enough to react to, was the fact that a whip was just as easily used on the retreat, as it was while maintaining a circle of distance. Woe sent the whip flying at his opponent, over his shoulder, intending to crack him in the abdomen.

Whatever the result, whether it connected or not, he’d turn around once he had the distance again, and begin maintaining a circle while holding his sword out at length.

”You had a good hit with the sword. Shall we call it there? Or best two of three?” Woe smirked, waiting for Balthazar’s answer, either in the form of his voice or in an advance.

[Balthazar Black]

59 Ymiden 720

Woe's blade clashed with Balthazar's and amidst the flurry of flashing metal, Balthazar didn't have the time to be glad woe had wrapped his whip around his arm. Balthazar recognized the weakness in the first bind- the position of Woe's sword gave him more leverage. If he'd pushed into a contest of strength, Balthazar might have just barely managed to overpower Woe despite his advantage... but Balthazar doubted it. Fortunately Woe seemed to decide the same thing and moved to create space between them. Woe rolled and Balthazar swiped instinctively with his sword, cutting some feathers and lightly igniting others that Woe quickly put out.

Woe rose from his roll and Balthazar was already moving toward the mortalborn again. He had to keep out of the whips range- yet as he moved inward, a loud snap broke the air and another sharp pain struck Balthazar in the chest. He made a strange squeak of pain and grabbed out with his hand, trying to catch the whip before Woe could pull it back and only grabbing the air. All and all the whip to the chest was not nearly as bad as the whip to the legs, neck, and face had been.

Woe's question was answered with a smirk and Balthazar assuming a high guard with his katana. He held the sword down in front of his body with both hands, the blade pointing downwards toward Woe's feet. He knew that Woe was going to take a crack at him with the whip. He'd seen it more than enough times. Welts over his legs, neck, and cheek were proof enough that Woe liked using his whip. Balthazar swept his sword upwards in front of himself as he moved inward, trying to catch Woe's whip with the blade but still feeling those signature lashes strike him on the left, then the right of his abdomen.

It hurt but frustration kept Balthazar going. His form slipped slightly as he reached Woe and his first swipe missed altogether, exposing his back enough that Woe would have been able to smack him with the flat of his sword. One point to Balthazar, one to Woe. Balthazar turned, ever so slightly more frustrated and slashed downwards with his sword only for Woe to catch the strike with his own sword. The moment Balthazar realized their blades were in a bind, he pushed downwards- then before Woe could try to move out of the bind, Balthazar swept his right foot out to strike Woe's ankles in an effort to knock him off his feet.

It seemed successful, but it was hard to tell because using his foot cause a wave of pain to burn through his shin where the whip had hit him before. Balthazar cursed in Yari and stumbled away, limping on his right side. "Alright, let's take a break." He groaned, "I don't know if that counts as a win for either of us. I don't feel like I won. How are you?" Balthazar began looking idly around for something flammable so he could work a little healing magic. His eye's caught Feugo sitting with his hands covering his eyes so he didn't have to see them fighting but he knew Feugo's fire couldn't actually be used. It was part of the spirit. He'd have to find something else.

[Woe]

The match had been more or less even, despite the victory of Balthazar. Woe made Balthazar pay in pain for every inch he got in that fight, and yet for all that, he was the only one to actually land any kind of viable strike, and had dominated throughout the match with his blades skill.

Of course, for the purposes of the match-up, the whip didn't count as any kind of point in Woe's favor. It was merely the only way he knew to mitigate Balthazar's advantage in athleticism and fluidity of movement. Other than that, Woe may have been the better swordsman. But Balthazar was a Yari, from a culture that raised their children to fight, and every moment was a struggle.

So Woe took the loss in his stride. There was little shame in admitting defeat to Balthazar. He just was the better fighter. Woe was more mouth and brain than muscle.

"Whether you feel it or not, you touched with the sword, so the win is yours... I don't feel it's a good idea to practice our skills with live blades... We're each of us barely familiar with the weapon. So let's call it a match and a win for you at that."

Woe replaced the coils of his whip on his belt loop, and sheathed the tienite sword into its scabbard. He stuck out his hand for Balthazar to shake. "We should go check on the dragoons, and see if they are ready to deploy us yet."

Once they shook hands, Woe would lead them over toward the Fortress gates.

[Doran]

Woe:

Knowledge:
Acrobatics: x 8
Whips: x 1

Loot: -
Lost: -
Wealth: -
Injuries:
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

Balthazar:

Knowledge:
Blades (Two-Hand Focus) x 3
Blades x 5
Endurance x 1

Loot: -
Lost: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: Pain in Balthazar’s cheek and eye, pain in his legs and in a couple of other places. It hurts! There is no permanent harm though.
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

- - -

Comments: First of all, I really liked the music that you picked for this thread, Woe. I listened to the entire song while I read and reviewed it. With that being said, I always enjoy a good sparring thread!

I found the contrast between Balthazar’s skill in several domains of magic and his somewhat awkward attempt at swordsmanship rather interesting. You described his struggles well.

I’m always a bit envious of Woe’s weapons when I read a thread where he fights. I quite enjoyed the description of his various weapons – and the comparison between Balthazar and Woe.

The fight itself was very exciting to read and easy to follow. I found Woe’s ability to cause pain, but no real damage, with his whip interesting. I tried to guess who would win, but found myself unable to. Woe is extremely skilled with a whip, but Balthazar is better at Acrobatics, and Woe needs a bit of room in order to be able to use his whip effectively.

That being said, congratulations to the winner, and enjoy your rewards!

P.S.: Balthazar, I would have added “Endurance” to the list of skills used as Woe hit Balthazar with his whip several times throughout the thread. I decided not to award your Magic XP as the magic use was brief and not much for a mage of your skill in my opinion.