The second it touched him, Ollie was all motion again: too late, of course, but he came at her without hesitating. If this was the game they were playing, he could play too: slicing out now, both hands trailed by ghostly afterimages of the same.
All of them caught her, and all of them stung. He moved past her in a rush, not pausing for a second, because the second he came to a halt, he suspected she'd get him back double.
HP: 30/40 DMG: 10
beejoux
A Hundred Hands
Tier Two:SS2 Dice: 9d4 First Dice: xxxxx 1: Miss xxxxx 2 - 3: HIT however the resulting damage is divided by 2. Only 50% of the damage is dealt. xxxxx 4: HIT however the resulting damage is multiplied by .8. Only 80% of the damage is dealt. Damage: Ignore the first dice, total up the remaining dice. Divide or multiply the total by the modifier depending. Average Damage: 10 (50%), 16 (80%)
She was still smiling as he bounced away from her touch, all benign interest, an almost delicate chuckle following after. Cut short as he charged, and that after image, the flicker of double, threw her enough to slow her reaction to his attack. Not by much, but enough, and the mare pulled in a wincing breath through her teeth as those small blades danced across her skin.
And then he was sprinting away from her, a dark blur, and she moved accordingly. Not into a sprint to pursue, but to bring her saber down hard into the ground with an evident twang.
But she'd missed, a second too late, and the colt's shadow was out of her reach. The buzz of magic crackled along her skin as she desummoned, let the saber melt into nothing, only to reform in her other hand as she stalked forward.
HP: 37 DMG: butts.
and be blue
Beejoux
Crew
Wrathful Demigod
Offline
and be blue rolled 2 8-sided dice:
2, 4Total: 6 (2-16)
As he finally turned back to face her -- still not stopping, of course -- Ollie made a mistake: a cocky edge, a flash of a smile across his face. And while it was brief, it meant he didn't have that same aggressive focus. This time, his blades caught air, and he hopped back again quickly. Off-balance, for just a moment.
"Not bad I think." Cheerful, but only for that moment. Then his expression settled again. Ready for her to come at him.
Where Ollie's blade had whistled past her arm harmlessly, Nergui's found it's mark. A heavy slash across the shoulder that ended in a downward slice, saber twisting in her hand for adjusted grip as she moved.
His expression might have sobered, but the mare held onto her smile, pleased. She hadn't know what to expect from the energetic colt, but he'd exceeded her expectations, in skill and magic.
HP: 37 DMG: 12
and be blue
Beejoux
Crew
Wrathful Demigod
Offline
and be blue rolled 2 8-sided dice:
2, 5Total: 7 (2-16)
All told, Ollie wasn't doing that well, unless Nergui took into account his lack of practice -- she caught him, hard, but maybe his lack of flinch would say something. Instead, he twisted in close before she could pull away, one of his blade catching her across the arm as he continued away. Not a hard blow, nor a deep cut, but he did land it, at least.
Rather than jerk away from her, Ollie was snapping forward, cutting at her wrist, and mismatched eyes widened just a touch. It wasn't a painful hit, but it was unexpected. "Brave," she mused, turning on her toes to follow his movement, blade coming around in a backward slash that would catch the backs of his legs before he was out of her range.
HP: 36 DMG: 7
and be blue
Beejoux
Crew
Wrathful Demigod
Offline
and be blue rolled 5 4-sided dice:
3, 1, 1, 3, 3Total: 11 (5-20)
"Yes, that's me." He was bright; brave but outmatched, and he knew it, so he made a rolling gesture and then shuddered as the heal settled around him. Of course, it only really undid one of her blows, and came with a thread of sorrow that sobered him up again as he came into focus on her.
"It's fun, though. Exciting."
HP: 14/40 DMG: 0
beejoux
Memories of the Dead
Tier One:CHL1 Dice: 5d4 First Dice: xxxxx 1-2: Miss xxxxx 3-4: Success! Amount Healed: Add up the remaining dice. Average Amount Healed: 10
Her head cocked to one side, birdlike, as he shuddered, and she could practically taste the magic on the air as it settled around him. Not an attack, something else. Something that stole the smile from his face, even as he commented on how much fun they were having.
So the priestess gave a very small smile, shrewd almost, as she eyed him, then it grew. "It certainly is." A mare in her profession, her calling, should not have had such a battle lust, but Nergui did, and she agreed with the colt.
Not the same as facing off against a hunter, but invigorating all the same.
Grinning, she went for him again, and that dark blade came down in a cross slash.
HP: 36 DMG: 2
and be blue
Beejoux
Crew
Wrathful Demigod
Offline
and be blue rolled 2 8-sided dice:
8, 4Total: 12 (2-16)
The moment's pause had certainly done him well: when Ollie swung again, he seemed rejuvenated, striking with more force. Of course, he should have been surrendering, at this point, already courting true harm by continuing his assault. But it had been a long time before he had the chance to really throw himself into the fight -- and besides, he expected that a priestess would stop before permanent damage was done.
She could afford to.
And he had scars enough, already. More wouldn't hurt.
That one had bite to it, and Nergui gave a sharp hiss as she jerked back, readjusting her hold on her saber.
"That shadow power of your's." Spinning on her toe and closed that small gap again, blade coming down quick, but not quite as as powerful. "It's a rare thing. Potentially powerful. I could help you." The point of the saber came up to touch his chin, just a soft tap as she smiled at him. "If you wanted to explore it, that is."
HP: 30 DMG: 3
and be blue
Beejoux
Crew
Wrathful Demigod
Offline
and be blue rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6Total: 6 (1-6)
Now, finally, he hesitated: chin lifting under the tap and both of his blades coming up to swat hers aside. And, puzzled, Ollie just shook his head, taking a step back with his defensive position still in place. He wouldn't push his luck. He didn't want to end up seriously injured so shortly after his return to the tower.
"...it didn't even work, though."
HP: 9/40 DMG: 0 DEF: 6
beejoux
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 4:50 pm
"But it's there." Mismatched eyes seemed to blaze as she let her saber lower a few inches. "It responds to you, even if it does not always answer. Shadows are fickle things, they need to be coaxed. They will not simply bend their will." A step forward, the tip of the blade rising once again, pointed towards the center of his chest.
"I can teach you, if you want to learn." And perhaps there was a note of eagerness to that soft voice. There had been other shadow wielders on the aisles, but since their fall she had not encountered one. Not until now, of course.
If he did not attack again, she would not either. Their spar could end here, but hopefully not their conversation.
"Uhm." It wasn't a yes, and wasn't a no, but was somewhere between: acknowledging the offer while Ollie lowered his own weapons, head tipped to one side. His imagination went to the teachings of childhood, which meant sitting still and listening, largely. That wasn't an idea that appealed to him, in any way.
"How?" Suspicion slid into his voice. He didn't hide it well.
beejoux
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:10 pm
Oh, he reminded her of Senga, and that thought was enough to make the mare's heart give a little throb. She smiled though, lowering the blade and letting it disappear, unneeded now. "Hard work," she mused honestly, unsure if that bit of truth would make it more appealing, or less. "Repetition, practice, training."
Hands free, she lifted them to comb fingers through fly away curls, smoothing them back from her face as she watched him. "It's not going to be easy, but nothing worth having was ever won with idle hands." Nergui was a creature of ambition, it had let her rise to the ranks of priestess at a uniquely young age, and it was how she stood before him now an elder.
"I can rend a foe to sunder with the pass of my blade over their shadow. I can infect them with my own. I can infuse myself, or my allies with my own, and lend them strength, and of course, you have seen the barrier."
Absently, Ollie twisted his own blades in his hands: a slow, distracted whirl that was a sign of exactly the sort of problems teachers had always had with him. Ollie just couldn't stand still, and even this small conversation had him fidgety, even bruised as he might be. He licked his lips while he considered the offer, and then twitched a shrug.
"I should learn. I just have to figure out...life, first." His eyebrows knitted as he said it. "Here, I mean. It's different. There are things I should...I don't know."
