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Fin winces as he sees Cesseer get a solid strike on Maka, then relaxes a bit when he sees his friend has rolled with the punch with little ill effect. When he sees Maka’s counters strike home yet again, he starts to believe his worries might be for nothing. He gives Quasit a friendly smack on the shoulder and gives Sakitu’s knee a squeeze…
”I think Maka’s got this well in hand…”
Cesseer's dance slows as Maka's blows connect, clearly bruised by the battle, but she makes it seem almost choreographed. But while her steps slow, her darting fist and blade are faster than ever.
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”I think Maka’s got this well in hand…”
Quasit nods. "Yeah, but this Cesseer is tricky. If she gets an opening, things could turn around quick. But I think the fire thing has her back on her heels a bit."
"COME ON MAKA! FINISH HER OFF! SWEEP THE LEG! SWEEP THE LEG!"
She sticks her fingers in the corners of her mouth and whistles inspiringly.
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Maka quickly closed the distance between her opponent and herself. The fire monk thought herself ready for her opponent's opening move, but Cesseer moved like the ocean in a storm: Powerful, unpredictable, and a violent grace. Movements that allowed Cesseer to break through Maka's defenses.
As Maka blocked Cesseer's blade with an armored, the battle flower followed up with a round kick squarely to Maka's chin. Maka's neck snapped to the side as her brain rattled inside her skull. But Maka's brain was used to being rattled, liked it even. The pain of the blow brought things into focus, time seemed to slow. The cheers of her friends a distant sound. For the moment, the entire world consisted of nothing but her opponent and herself.
Spinning into the momentum of the blow, Maka slammed her elbow into her opponent's nose before following up with 2 fiery jabs to Ceesseer's core. Ceesseer responded with a flurry of blows that seemed to come at Maka from all angles. Not so long ago, Maka would have been unable to defend against the attacks. However, her recent training afforded her the mobility to change her momentum in an instant, to add leverage no matter the angle. Could dodge without interrupting her attack.
The pair clashed in a deadly dance. Maka's entire world remained focused on her opponent. Maka didn't dedicate her life to training and combat simply because she enjoyed it, though certainly she did. No, fights were a thing of purity. You could learn more about yourself and your opponent in a few moments than you otherwise could in years. Maka sensed a kindred spirit on the impossible path of perfection. With a toothy grin, Maka launched herself forward to learn more about her opponent.
Maka strikes only glancing blows for now as Cesseer seems to flow more loosely with the attacks. Her expression remains impassive, but Maka's pretty certain there's an answering fire in the rhyphorian's eyes as she keeps up her acrobatic assault.
The pair remained locked in a fiery dance. Exchanging blows as neither were able to fully pierce the other's defenses.
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Fin tenses for a moment as Maka whiffs her attacks and Cesseer counters but lands only a solitary blow…then Maka responds with what seems like a solid blow against the Triaxian. He relaxes a bit as he senses Maka is in better condition right now than Cesseer and can afford to exchange blow for blow, at least as the duel stands now…
He murmurs, ”C’mon, Maka, you would’ve dropped me by now…”
Chest Thumper whines a bit and Kalchine abruptly releases his fur, having not realized he had such a tight grip on it. He'd been tensing steadily up as he watched the battle.
They were moving so fast, he could hardly see what was happening and another blow was usually being delivered while the target was reacting to the previous one.
Though he was a warrior and a soldier, his skills were focused on magic and healing and watching people strike so fast and fiercely just reminded him of how dangerous combat could be between masters.
Cesseer still stands, though Maka can sense she's nearing the end of her endurance.
Maka made a crucial misstep, leaving herself open to her foe's attack. Cessar moved in with such grace and speed that Maka could only marvel at her form. There were no wind ups, no wasted motion; each movement was designed to roll naturally into the next. But Cessar made a misstep as well, clearly expecting the combo to finish Maka off. With a bloody, toothy grin Maka slammed the top of her head into Cessar's nose.
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Fin winces as Cesseer blurs gracefully thru a series of attacks, pummeling Maka multiple times…Maka withstands it though and lands another blow but clearly Cesseer came off the better with that exchange. Worried and his adrenaline pumping, he unconsciously squeezes both Sakitu’s and Quasit’s knees harder than he intended…
Cesseer stumbles back from Maka's headbutt, her rhythm broken. "Yield! I yield," she calls out, holding out her hands to her sides in what seems to be a symbol of surrender, then bowing to Maka. "Well fought. It has been too long..."
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Fin rises to his feet, cheering. ”Well done, Maka! You go, girl!”
He smiles at Quasit as he digs in his pouch and hands over the gold he owes her, murmuring,”A bet’s a bet…but I’m happy to lose this one…”
Turning slightly to face Cesseer, he bows, saying, ”Well fought, m’Lady…you fared much better against Maka than I do in our training sessions,” before he remembers she can’t speak Common. He shrugs, sits back down, and blushes…
Selena will use healing hex on both combatants.
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During her fight, Maka's draconic features had grown. Canines elongated, her scaled patches of skin had grown, and her glowing eyes glowing as bright as the sun. As Cesseer yielded, a deep anger flooded Maka. She didn't want to stop fighting, she wanted to keep going. To not hold back and unleash her flames with all her might. To roar and let all know her and her power.
But she didn't. As strong as that anger was, it wasn't anything new, though she hadn't experienced such intensity since her youth. Taking a deep breath, Maka found her center, causing her dragonic features to return to normal. She was glad for the blood on her face, hoping it might hide the red from her embarrassment.
symbol of surrender, then bowing to Maka. "Well fought. It has been too long..."
Maka returned Cesseer's. "Well fought. I can't remember the last time I had a fight that good. At least when my opponent isn't trying to kill me. So...this means we can be friends now right?" Maka's said, her body language telling her friends above that she desperately wanted to hug Cesseer.
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Quasit accepts Fin's money with a wink then stands up and comes up among the combatants. For a moment, her brow clouds as she sees Maka's curiously draconic features trying to poke out, but as they fade she decides she was probably just seeing things.
"A very well fought contest. You both fought honorably and with great skill." she says in Triaxian. She offers the combatants her waterskin. "It must be frustrating for you, Cesseer. To be stuck here alone, I mean. Maka has been traveling with us to many places, facing all sorts of opponents and challenges, keeping her skills sharp. But I'm sure that working for the dragon must have other benefits."
She turns to Maka. "Why don't you tell Cesseer about a few of the opponents you've faced recently. She'd probably have a special appreciation for the technical details of your encounters."
Kalchine rises to his feet as the battle ends. His ears stick straight up with delight.
He comes down the steps of the little arena but doesn't go onto the floor, since he doesn't know if there might be some rule or tradition forbidding it or if doing so might cause him to accidentally challenge Cesseer.
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Fin smiles at Sakitu. ”Maka’s passionate about fighting and…other…physical activity. From my training with her, I’d say she gets an adrenaline rush from such activity,” he says awkwardly while blushing a little. ”I think that, while she enjoys competition, especially winning, she’s more about pushing, and testing, herself to the limit either way, win or lose…”
Cesseer's face remains impassive. "Obviously at present I must rest myself after a difficult fight. If someone were to attack Yrax while I am resting I would, unfortunately, not be able to come to his defense, and if he were slain, I would be under no further obligations to him... but I might be duty-bound to warn him if someone were to tell me too much about their plans that might have something to do with threatening him before that."
She turns to Maka. "Why don't you tell Cesseer about a few of the opponents you've faced recently. She'd probably have a special appreciation for the technical details of your encounters."
"Oh! Yeah." Maka said with enthusiasm. "Okay there was this oven that was alive and it ate Selena and killed her. It was really tough and immune to fire, but we managed to beat it and Selena got better. Fin and I developed some good techniques for dealing with enemies that are hard to hurt." Maka continued on, obviously not finding matters of reincarnation worth detailing.
"And then there was a dragon that lived in a big clock tower. He thought breathing ice on us would take us down but then I breathed fire on him and then Saki took him down with her magic." Maka pointed up at the Kitsune. "She's little and doesn't like to fight, but don't be fooled, she's got some super strong magic."
"Hmm let's see after we got cluckers and went wherever, we ran into some Centaurs, those are people with horse bodies, and fought a bunch of big demons. They were a lot of fun to blast. You know actually now that I think about it, those demons looked a lot like Chest Thumper."
"But after that we got stuck in this stupid witch dungeon full of trickety trick tricks and dishonorable fighters. That was awful, I hated it!" Maka wrinkled her nose at the member and looked as if she were going to spit. "Ugh I thought we'd never get out of there. But we did help a nice couple get back together, so that was nice."
"But then cluckers took us here, to Triaxus! Oh it's been great so far. There have been so many Drakes and Dragons and Dragonkin to fight. You've met dragonkin right, they've got hands! A whole army attacked Spurhorn and we fought them off. I mean...I didn't like that so many people had to die but I really like the fight."
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Fin nods to Maka. ”Hey Maka, ask her if they have hot baths in this place…for after we finish our mission of course…”
Looking back to Quasit, he asks, ”Q, do you think we should ask her if she needs a ride back to Ning on our way back?“ Fin ponders for a moment. ”That is, if we succeed in…dealing…with Yrax…”
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”Q, do you think we should ask her if she needs a ride back to Ning on our way back?“ Fin ponders for a moment. ”That is, if we succeed in…dealing…with Yrax…”
Quasit looks at Findurel and addresses him in Common. "I think she's made it clear that her duty lies here and she would never agree to making other plans, at least as far as the formalities are concerned. I suspect that if we succeed in our mission, she will approach us if she wants to leave with us."
Then she turns back to Cesseer and speaks to her in Triaxian.
"Well, since you need to rest, we should leave you alone. The cook mentioned something to us -- apparently to avoid attracting the attention of the Bone Sentries the dragon puts some sort of mark on his guests? Do you know anything about this mark? We don't wish to further disturb the tranquility of Yrax's fortress."
"Also, I don't suppose you know of any concealed doors we should avoid? We wouldn't want to disturb Yrax by mistake simply because we found a hidden door and got curious."
Kalchine's ears slide back and up, a sign of wariness though not threat as Cesseer frames out the boundaries of her duties.
He watches Quasit carefully as she speaks to the woman, though his ears rise again the more she talks.
"The less said the better my friends," he says to the others in Common.
Cesseer listens to Maka politely, but does not engage further in the conversation, much as she might like to.
"Yrax himself places an Arcane Mark on welcome visitors. It is an unfortunate oversight that you did not receive one," She replies to Quasit. "And you should most certainly avoid the westernmost hall."
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Fin nods to Quasit. ”Roger that, Q…secret door, western hallway…with the patrols about, might be best if I scout ahead and find the secret door first, then come back here and give you the layout and we can form a plan. Gimme a few minutes,” he says as he draws his bow.
With a quick kiss and a wink at Sakitu, he heads NW up the main passage, blending into the shadows, and looking out for the patrols, taking cover till they pass if he sees/hears one coming. When he reaches the west hallway that Cesseer mentioned, he’ll check for secret/hidden/magical doors along its western face; he’ll also check for any tracks that appear to lead into the walls…
Kalchine shakes his head, his ears drooping slightly. "It is not the sort of magic I know," he replies to Quasit's question.
"I guess we will," Kalchine says, casting an awkward glance at Cesseer.
He can only wonder how long she'll be "tired" before she feels like she has to defend Yrax from intruders.
"I might be able to recreate the mark, but I'll first need to see what the real one looks like." Selena notes.
Cesseer will just happen to not leave the room until after Selena has had a chance to look at the arcane mark on her with detect magic.
Bulvi had considered loaning his ring of regeneration to Maka but as long as it was a friendly sparing match it didn't seem sporting. Still seeing the creatures ferocity he had a knot in his stomach in case things spiraled into a fight with a more permanent end.
He was relieved when it was over. He was used to being occupied with a threat when there was fighting going on and he felt a lot more sympathy for Sakitu as the fight wore on. He couldn't help but laugh when Maka called the hut "Cluckers".
He was relieved when it was over. He was used to being occupied with a threat when there was fighting going on and he felt a lot more sympathy for Sakitu as the fight wore on. He couldn't help but laugh when Maka called the hut "Cluckers".
In a burst of flames Maka jetted over to Bulvi and threw her arms around his neck. "That was some fight huh!?" She nearly shouted before passionately locking lips with her lover.
Fin passes by a few doors on his way to the western hallway, carefully timing things to arrive between patrols. He gets partway up the corridor before noticing that one of the walls on the west side is illusory... but he can hear that one of the patrolling constructs is about to come around the corner to the north.
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In a burst of flames Maka jetted over to Bulvi and threw her arms around his neck. "That was some fight huh!?" She nearly shouted before passionately locking lips with her lover.
Well used to her fire infused antics he doesn't flinch as she jets towards him. Bulvi returns the kiss but as their lips break he puts his hands under her armpits and hoists her up above him in the moment of respite. "You bet it was... I was starting to get a bit nervous but you triumphed." He gave her a quick spin before bringing her down once more and planting a lighter kiss on her lips... taking the opportunity to show some affection before chaos and violence overwhelmed them again.
In a burst of flames Maka jetted over to Bulvi and threw her arms around his neck. "That was some fight huh!?" She nearly shouted before passionately locking lips with her lover.Well used to her fire infused antics he doesn't flinch as she jets towards him. Bulvi returns the kiss but as their lips break he puts his hands under her armpits and hoists her up above him in the moment of respite. "You bet it was... I was starting to get a bit nervous but you triumphed." He gave her a quick spin before bringing her down once more and planting a lighter kiss on her lips... taking the opportunity to show some affection before chaos and violence overwhelmed them again.
** spoiler omitted ** He was still mindful that Maka was longer from home than the rest of the group. Giving her a chance to speak in her native tongue he was the least he could do. Vudrani had such long and complicated words it was quite the challenge to enunciate them properly and if you wanted a skilled tongue you had to put it to use.
Maka laughed as she was spun around.
Fin ducks through the illusory wall and waits while the patrolling golem passes by. Beyond it he sees a passageway that goes for a few dozen feet before turning to the right.
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Seeing the passageway, Fin opts to carefully scout it out a bit so that he can better give Quasit an idea of what lies ahead…
He first looks for tracks of any creatures that might’ve gone this way prior to him…
…and then cautiously moves forward, to just around the bend to see what’s beyond, his senses alert for any signs of danger, concealing himself within the shadows as he moves…
The temperature, already cold in this fortress of ice, drops further as Fin goes down the passageway. Peeking around the corner, he sees a circular chamber. Unlike the other floors in the fortress which have been roughened for traction, the ice in this chamber looks smooth as glass, and likely very slick. The center of the chamber is dominated by a massive obelisk carved of ice, with runes etched into its surface.
To Fin's experienced eye, it looks like the obelisk doesn't quite meld with the floor...
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Fin notes the oddness of the obelisk; he will quietly move away, still concealing himself as best he can…
…when he gets to the illusory door, he’ll listen carefully for the patrol, peeking out to confirm the way is clear…
…if it’s clear, he’ll sneak back to his friends; if a patrol is near, he’ll wait till it passes before he does the same…
Providing he makes it back OK, he reports to Quasit. A little flushed, he says, ”Q, I found the secret door; it’s an illusion in the western wall. The passage it hides leads to a large chamber with an obelisk that looks off to me; I think it might be an ice trap of some sort or perhaps an ice creature. The floor there is quite slick, have to be careful moving across it. I did not see any signs of the dragon; however, I couldn’t see the western portion of the chamber and, frankly, I was scared to look as I didn’t want to give myself away in case it was there…”