[1v1][FIN] A Challenger Appears! [Shikoba + Shaheen]

[medigel]

Shnk shnk shnk! The daggers embedded themselves one after the other in different parts of the dummy: neck, abdomen, and shoulder. The lattermost torn sewn flesh in its haste and landed two feet behind the target in a burst of hay.

Not bad, but it could be better. Shikoba wiped sweat off his forehead and went to pick up his weapons. While they were nothing like his preferred summon, the obsidian stone daggers were the first steps he took to reacquainting himself to the executioner's vast repertoire of arms. Tomorrow, the bow. Next day, spear.

Today? Sharp instruments the size of his longest finger. These particular daggers were slender as well, meant to pierce and pin rather than cause lasting damage - incapacitate or reduce movement capabilities. Shik had been at it for several hours at least thus far with varying degrees of success. It was one thing to strike at a single, rooted target, and something else entirely to try on a live one. But he had to go at it one step at a time didn't he?

The giant huffed impatiently as he turned to take his spot again, the three weapons sliding between his fingers.  

[NeoSeussi]

Just as Shikoba turned back towards his target, he would find an object go whistling past his face, so close that it might have even snicked off a few strands of his fabulous hair. The object itself was a dagger, one that was sharp, and had embedded itself up to it's bamboo hilt into the middle of what was likely the dummies face. A throaty laugh would ring out behind him, and if he turned he would see the bronzed form of Shaheen, standing with arms crossed over a more then ample chest, her tawny blonde hair, streaked with gray hanging almost messily down to her shoulders as she stood, head cocked to one side and amber eyes full of an almost cocky amusement. Her large, falcon like wings were folded in neatly behind her, and she wore her usual garb accessorized with beads and leather.

"Hello, Shikoba." Her voice was low yet still very feminine and rich, and it came out almost like a purr as she uncrossed her arms to hold up one hand in an almost odd gesture as she re summoned her weapon, which came more then readily back to it's owner, and her other hand went down to rest on one hip.

"Please tell me you have better aim then that?" She gestured towards the dummy with her dagger, with it's many punctures that indicated just where the daggers that flew from the horseman's hand had been landing. It was a little unclear if she meant for this to be an insult, and the smile on her face could probably easily mean that she was just teasing the overly large horseman.

Or she was being incredibly arrogant.

She began to make her way towards him, hips swaying of their own accord as she took a few strides towards him on long and powerful looking legs. She stopped only when she was mere inches away, her eyes locked on his, her weapon still held bare in her hand. He was only a couple of inches taller then her, so she was hardly intimidated by his size, though she likely wouldn't have been even if she had been a foot shorter.

That just wasn't her style.  

[medigel]

The first thing Shikoba did was smirk, an uncommon gesture on the otherwise reserved horseman's face. "Better than yours," he replied, touching the newly sheared strands of hair by his ear with amusement; it wasn't as if it couldn't grow back. "I at least hit the face."

As much as the chieftain's arrogance might rub him wrong some days, Shaheen's familiar swagger was comforting. Much like Zelda and Molpadia, she hadn't seemed to change since their relocation. Though Shik's eyes did alight on the grey streaks curiously. It reminded him somewhat of what he had seen on his other War-sister during his scavenging . . . But all thoughts of it were filed away as Shaheen stopped with her face mere inches from his own, dagger in hand.

Ah . . . it was just like back home on the Isle. All that was missing were more trees and the smell of blood.

"I am glad to see you are still well," Shikoba remarked lightly, brown eyes locked onto her amber. "Gods know I don't have a full day without an insult thrown my way."  

[NeoSeussi]

His easy retort brought a small frown to her face, though it did nothing to chase away the amusement still lingering in her gaze, or the smile from her lips. Though when his eyes flickered towards her hair, she actually might have cringed the slightest bit inwardly. Did he know something? Was he suddenly judging her? There were soft whispers constantly floating somewhere just beyond in the back of her mind, though she found she could normally easily ignore it during waking hours.

Night time, when she attempted to sleep, was a different matter entirely.

"Hey!" Her tone was clipped and short, as she reached up to tap the flat of her dagger against the side of his face, bringing his attention back to her eyes and away from the streaks adorning her hair (though there were streaks of grey edging across the right side of her face, a lot of that was unintentionally hidden by her hair).

"I don't insult, I just give constructive criticism" These were big words, coming from Shaheen who probably barely even knew what that actually meant. "Speaking of, did you really not notice me approaching? One should always be more weary. Clipped wings can not fly."

Whatever that meant.

The cocky smile on her face suddenly turned into something warmer, more genuine. "I am glad to see that you made it, Shikoba. We might not have been the best of friends but...." She let her voice trail off there, not feeling a need to fill in the rest as she was sure he understood. This time of great tragedy was bringing them all quite a bit closer together.

"Anyways, I didn't approach you for idle chat. I thought you looked like you could use a spar, and I haven't had a chance to kick anyone's a** yet today. How about it, big guy?" She mock punched him in the shoulder with her free hand, more then ready for some familiar action to drive away the creeping lonliness in her chest and the quiet whisperings in her head.  

[medigel]

"Focus is among the things I have lost it seems."

Meaningless phrases, a weapon against his face, that cocky smile - Shikoba's smirk broadened into a full blown grin despite his grim words. For one picturesque moment he could believe this was just another day on the Isle of War, another day of teasing exchanges and sweaty brawls before taking to the air and enjoying the warm thermals that brought them over the jungles, another day of wrestling with the animals below and bringing them to joust, or of story-telling and singing.

The reminiscence broke when Shaheen uncharacteristically showed a crack in her display of confidence, reminding Shikoba of the danger of allowing memory to cloud his vision as he'd just done. The flat end of the chieftain's dagger could have been much sharper and less friendly while he stood vulnerable in his musings. But her words touched him, and he inclined his head in response to show he understood the gravity of each syllable. Shaheen was a force of unbending will - allowing herself to flex to the level of acknowledging fondness was a rare occurrence indeed.

"War will always have casualties, but . . . knowing one more has escaped that fate lightens the burden, War-Sister." As per usual the giant was terrible with emoting something as soft as relief, but even Shik could manage lightly touching Shaheen's shoulder in a show of camaraderie. "But enough heavy talk, hmm? I need more than boasting words to show me battle prowess," he added, back to teasing. The shoulder touch turned into a retaliating push before he began to step back, assuming a grounded stance with his feet just beyond shoulder-width apart.

"The slain collects firewood for the night?" Not that spars ever aimed to kill, but it was Shik's term of endearment for "loser".  

[NeoSeussi]

The soft hesitant words of fondness that had escaped her lips had probably been a mistake. She'd shown a c***k in her armor, one that she would have never allowed before. She would have blamed the voices in her head, the faint whisperings that were just forever out of range of actually understanding, but it was more then just that. The loss of the Isles, of her few friends and family, it had shaken her more then anyone could have possibly guessed. This strong, fierce, war-woman was not completely invulnerable, as she would have had everyone believing, it would seem.

It was too late to take it back, but at least she could recover her sense of strength and pride right now as her smile turned into something wicked and cruel once more. Shikoba was accepting the challenge of a spar that she had laid down at his feet, as of course any proud member of war would have done, and she was more then ready for the bloodshed to begin. She began to back away from him, wings flaring behind her, stretching, ready to be put to use if she should find need of them, before settling back against her body.

No need to provide the 'enemy' with a larger target!

Dagger still held in hand, she widened her stance, bent her knees slightly, held up her arms in a proper guard position.

"These are fair terms." She replied, her smile a flash of teeth now that did nothing to soften the hardness in her eyes. She then made a small gesture with her blade and nodded her head to show that she was ready to begin, then waited for him to make the first move.  

[medigel]

Shik's smirk lasted long enough for a nod of assent before it smoothed over, back into the neutral expression he so often employed. It was strange: battle was where he felt most alive, and yet even then his face rarely showed it. Only when blood really began to spill would the giant come alive.

And it seemed today he was eager to push towards that end. The knives in his hand were thrown forward to start them off - not to strike her but to get her on the move, as they were aimed more towards her feet. Legs tensing, he launched himself forward, all the faster with the help of a wingbeat, and arced rending claws diagonally from Shaheen's shoulder to her hip.

HP: 40
Damage: 6  

[NeoSeussi]

She watched her opponent carefully, eyes held steady on his, gauging whatever she could find therein to help her predict what move he might attempt to make first. The flicker of movement just before he threw the knives at her gave her the chance to dodge, though one did manage to graze along the inside of her calf, and blood slowly began to bead to the surface.

The pain was just enough of a distraction that she wasn't prepared for what the large horsemen threw at her next, and that was his entire self. She had just enough time to push backwards the slightest bit, her wings unfurling and giving her that extra little burst of speed, but it was too late as claws met flesh, dragging diagonally across her torso and down to her hip. It wasn't as deep as it might have been if she hadn't moved, but it was deep enough to provide the blood that Shikoba so wished to spill. It was also enough to nearly slice off Shaheen's top, though if Shikoba thought that being topless would effect the horsewoman's ferocity in battle he was sorely mistaken.

She gave a small grunt of pain, her teeth gritted together tight. He was too close for her to put much power behind an attack now, so she continued to retreat, lashing out at his face with her large wings, more to distract him from attacking further then to actually do him harm. She just needed a moment, a split second to regroup and recompose herself. It was difficult for her to find her center with those damn whispers, and that was obviously throwing her off her game.


HP: 34
Damage: lawl  

[medigel]

It was such a beautiful red cascade. He didn't care that some of it got on his person - if anything, the splatter was the trigger to make him keep going. Shaheen would not get more than a moment to recompose herself before the giant's feet touched the ground and pushed him towards her again. The momentum was picking up and didn't allow him much time to give a long swipe like he had last time.

Shik remembered how Yuzhi had given him so much trouble because of her height. During that fight he had begun to question just how far his training had fallen, but now . . . now he was beginning to believe that it was just a matter of adjustment, and he could work on that. Starting now.

Yuzhi had targeted his legs because they had taken up such a large portion of his body - Shikoba implemented the practice here, aiming low to claw at the chieftain's closest knee.

HP: 40
Damage: 3  

[NeoSeussi]

Her attempts to back away from Shik seemed to be utterly futile as he advanced on her once more, obviously not willing to back down when he had the current advantage. She didn't really blame him, she would have done the same, and while she fought to regain some composure she still couldn't help but admire the strength behind his attacks, even if they were the cause of the blood currently spilling down her bare, bronzed skin to the ground below.

Another lunging attack, this time aimed at her knee, an area with which she was not at all used to having targetted. She lifted her leg up, turning slightly so that the side of her calf took on the brunt of the attack, not willing to give him her knee. A soft hiss escaped from between her clenched teeth as she felt yet another warm spill of her own blood and the pain that quickly followed, though at least her FEAR shield meant that currently their were no lasting effects, no risk of blood loss, no gaping wounds. She kicked her raised foot out towards his face, not actually aiming to hit but more, again, to distract while she gathered her FEAR, ready to drive her dagger deep into his chest. Her lip curled back from her teeth in an almost bestial grin as her foot came down and she spun with dagger in hand...

And then something happened, something that rarely ever happened. Perhaps, again, it had something to do with the whisperings in her head, and maybe that was why she was having such a hard time of concentrating, of finding that peaceful tranquility she was always able to find before whilst in the midst of a battle, or of being able to control her own FEAR. But no, the FEAR she had built up to use, to charge her attack and give it that extra bit of power needed to really do some damage to her opponent, seemed to just break apart and scatter, slipping through her fingers like a handful of fine sand.

A look might have come across her face then, one of disbelief, and possibly something that nobody had ever witnessed before.

Doubt.

In a flurry of feathers she stopped her attack, pushed herself back and away from Shikoba once more. This could not be happening, she just needed to calm down, think things through more carefully. But that was not the way Shaheen normally fought. Usually this all just came quite naturally to her, and there was never really much thinking involved, just movement, just a strange sense of knowing what it was that she needed to do. She knew that a battle could be won or lost in the first few seconds, and already she could feel that this one was slipping out of her grasp, just as her FEAR had done.

Somehow she needed to be able to regain control.


HP: 31
Damage: all the 0's
FEAR attack: Battle Cry: FAIL (omg she's worse then Alex omgomgomg!!)  

[medigel]

He forced himself back as the foot came up at him, snatching one of the thrown knives from the ground and readying it between his pointer and middle fingers. He could feel the FEAR gathering in her weapon and prepared for the strike behind it, only . . .

He didn't feel anything pierce him, not physically. The look that passed over Shaheen's face, however, certainly struck him. One time had been strange, but a second crack in her armor? In one day?

Something was wrong.

Frowning, Shikoba tensed again and bounded to her, curling his wings close to his body as he leapt the remaining few feet and dug his claws into her shoulder, bringing himself close. "Are you focused?" he asked, eyes boring into hers. "Are you well?"

HP: 40
Damage: 3  

[NeoSeussi]

It was slightly frustrating, to say the least, but Shaheen found she could shake it off easily enough, if she stopped dwelling on it and instead focused on what she could do. Apparently FEAR attacks were out, at the moment, which was fine since she was fairly certain she couldn't focus that amount of FEAR again in such a short time span even if she had tried. Whatever, it didn't matter. She had been trained in all forms of combat, and could change her fighting style to suit the current situation if she needed to.

Shikoba was determined to keep himself near her, lunging at her again and again no matter how much distance she attempted to put between them. Close range battle was not her favorite, especially with an opponent who out muscled and out sized her, but she could adapt. She had to adapt.

The giant horseman was upon her once more, this time managing to dig those grizzly (pun? oh yes) claws into her shoulder. More pain, but this time she welcomed it, let it wash over her, let it clear her mind, as much as it really could be cleared considering her...circumstances. His eyes were staring straight into hers, and he was asking her a question, one that made her chest tighten in anger, and possibly shame. She had shown weakness, and he had seen it, and now he was..concerned? She didn't need that.

"I'm fine." Her voice was a low growl as she closed her fist around her dagger and swung upwards towards his jaw, throwing what weight or small momentum she could gather into the uppercut meant to knock him back and away from her, finally.

That was more like it.

HP: 28
Damage: 8  

[medigel]

Apparently women had a thing for his jaw. Last time, Yuzhi had swung a killer punch that had nearly knocked him to the point of dissipation, and this time Shaheen's furious swing unhinged it momentarily. The force behind it freed her from his grasp, the pointed claws trailing an inch or so past the original entry points in her skin before leaving. Shikoba staggered back and, grunting, pushed his jaw back in place with a pop, tasting blood.

He was still sure something was off, but now was of course not the time to pursue it. A one-sided battle would have been boring anyway.

"Better. I was beginning to believe you were all thunder and no lightning." Shik's frown was gone and replaced by something closer to amusement as he assumed his stance again. Summoning his preferred dagger, he mimicked Shaheen's pre-battle motion and beckoned her to come at him, bro sis.

HP: 32
Damage: 2  

[NeoSeussi]

Was there anything sweeter then the cracking sound a fist made when it hit its target? Well yes there actually was, and that was the sound of a jaw dislocating from the force of said fist. It brought a satisfied smirk to Shaheen's face, one that lingered even as Shik's claws trailed form her shoulder to part way down her arm. The large executioner was backing away, popping his jaw back into place and that just made her smirk widen into a grin.

"Perhaps I've just been lulling you into a false sense of security." Her tone was rather flippant, as she reached up with her free hand to flick the tangled curls of hair out of her face, fully revealing the grey scale that was previously obscured from view.

Shikoba was finally at a distance, and at this point Shaheen should have taken full advantage of that fact. But of course, then Shik gestured at her with his knife and her mood may have soured a little. Who was he to determine when she would or would not attack? Indignant, but still grinning not to let it show, she instead took a deliberate step backwards, before crouching low to the ground, one hand placed in front of her and wings partially spread. If he were to launch himself at her now, she would be ready to throw herself at him in turn.


HP: 26
Damage:  

[medigel]

Perhaps that was true. Maybe the disastrous event to their homes had finally begun to make him sentimental, more prone to concerns (especially over those of his clan), and thus more likely to be led about based on them. Shik didn't know. He never knew when it came to his emotions anyway. They were supposed to be things kept out of battle save for when he was reveling in that bestial side of himself, and even then it was instinct, pure and simple.

He was slipping as well. Damn it. It didn't help that Shaheen's rebellious gestures allowed him to full grasp the extent of the gray on her face, throwing more questions about in his head than he cared to have when sparring.

Shik shook his head a little to ward them off, though it might have looked as though he was giving a disapproving "no" to his opponent who, of course, met the challenge with her own. Remembering he had picked up one of the knives, he threw it forth to get her moving hopefully - this time aimed at her throat.

HP: 32
Damage: 0