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[PP-F24] Valentines Day Tournament - Round 2 - Fight!


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His breathing was ragged when she rounded on him, his body shuddering as adrenaline fought on two fronts inside it. He felt like he was coming apart. 

Quote

"If you need us to stop,"

"No," the word tore from between his teeth as he grit them, his knuckles white as he tightened his grip on the bokken. "I'm not losing to this," he said, shaking his head. I'm not going to live in that shadow anymore. For as long as Alkor could remember, his battles had always been clear cut. The victory was all that mattered, and defeat meant he wasn't worthy. But this sensation, the fraying of his nerves, the utter lack of concentration- this wasn't going away. This was a fact of his life that he had always tried to push to the side and pretend simply did not exist. He could lose here by throwing up his hand right now, and for a fleeting moment as she scored the second point on him and he folded backward, he had considered it.

But was the real victory in stepping out with a flawless victory? He wasn't frustrated about losing, because he had lost before. He could always go back to training. He could always advance, but right now, if he looked away from that specter of his father and let it convince him that he had not grown at all... wouldn't that mean starting over from the beginning again?

The rage in him was there. It would always be there. The pain was not going away. He would stand, and if he lost, he would lose on his own terms. He would continue to train- he would always continue to improve, always fight that unseen battle, but in this moment, he had to give Lessa a response. "Don't you dare go easy on me," he told her, his voice stern but still shaking. 

She had grown beyond the fragile woman he first met. Before, she was afraid. She let those insecurities rule her, and she'd held a grudge. Now, despite the fact that he was struggling, she was able to lift her sword and hit him. Her words proved that Lessa was still Lessa- still concerned for her friends, for the people she cared about- but she was strong enough to act without the influence of those feelings. She asked him if he wanted mercy, she asked him if it should end there, and he spat on the floor.

"Give everything," he said, "otherwise, how can you tell whether or not you've grown?"

He inhaled one last time, and when he exhaled, he adopted a proper fighting stance.

If she showed him mercy, if she did anything less, it would invalidate any growth he'd seen. He would be given the same freedom he always was, the ability to look away from the ugliest parts of himself and pretend like they did not exist. Alkor refused to walk away like that. It was no different from running away- just like she'd told him not to do, so many times.

Don't you tell me to run away now.

That burning star, the paragon of everything he admired, the golden light that was Lessa...

What would her answer be?

Lessa: 2/3

Alkor: 0/3

Tie

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The parry from Morningstar made her interested from the way that he managed it.  It was certainly not planned from him, and a desperate attempt to keep from being hit- she still couldn't deny that it had been effective as her blade was knocked back and away and she shifted slightly, holding her weapon back at bay, shifting a bit more before he asked a question back to her that caught her off-guard.  A movie person?

She paused, squinting slightly, trying to think of what that could possibly mean.  She was, of course.  She watched a lot of movies with her friends, but she'd also done a lot of reading magazines and such and there was something about his face and the way he did things that really just made her memory of the real world come front-and-center for her.

But that was really starting to get into her head now.  Unlike a lot of the people she'd met, she had a really good life before coming into this place- and so any connection back to it really just got to her.  She shifted herself somewhat, trying to defend herself, but it was too late as the strike landed, and her foe earned another point. 

"Yeah, like, I watched a lot of movies when I got to high school, y'know?  What's that, like, got to do with anything?" she asked, the woman adjusting her stance slightly.  She had to stop being on the defensive.  She had to aggress!  His first attack had been low, and then high... she had to figure he'd probably go middle or low again- so that left his head as a target!  

Either way, she wanted to talk with this guy afterward.  There were so many people she wanted to talk to! 

She shifted forward, throwing a feint toward the middle before moving higher, aiming a shot at his head.

@Morningstar: 2/3
Astreya: 0/3

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A lifetime ago, before duels, before Aincrad, before Alkor, Alyssa had spent a Tuesday morning in her childhood development class. The topic had been student anxiety, and the discussion had centered on something called ironic process theory. In essence, a person is more likely to think about something if expressly told not to. For example, telling a class not to worry about an upcoming test might, instead, trigger the opposite effect. "It's always better to get things out in the open," Professor Schab had explained. "Just talk through them. Address them. Don't lock them away, or convince yourself you can just move on. And don't expect your students to, either. Because it's impossible not to think about a polar bear when you've been told not to think about a polar bear."

Don't think about the polar bear.

Don't think about the polar bear.

Don't think about saving Alkor.

It was all she could think about. 

Years of regret had followed the day she thought she had lost him forever. In self-induced exile, she had played back every interaction they had had. Where had it all gone wrong? Why had Alkor chosen Mari over her? What had she done wrong? She had tried so hard to soothe, to heal, to put those broken pieces together again. Despite her best efforts, he had left her. It took a very long time for Lessa to understand he abandoned her not despite those efforts, but because of them. So hell-bent on fixing the man, she had never stopped to consider whether he saw himself as broken. Or if he did, whether he wanted to be fixed. Whether he wanted her to do the fixing. And while it had been one of the most difficult lessons of her lifetime, Lessa had pledged to do better by him.

In that moment, she teetered on the edge of throwing it all away again. Something had snapped within him, so evident in the way that his body trembled. Something she might be able to fix, if only he would open up to her. She could get him to, with a little coaxing. She was so good at that, right? Getting people to open up? Without conscious thought, her hand reached for him.

"Just leave me alone! I knew which way to go before this."

On a distant memory, Alkor's sobs returned to her.

"Every part of me tells me you're the one thing between me and that freedom, Lessa. You."

She drew her hand back. Then she drew up to her full height. 

"Alright."

"I want to be free," he had told her, so, so long ago. "But if I have to lose you to do that, I can't. I can't make that decision."

But I can.

Though the bokken did not require two hands, Lessa adopted the familiar Claymore grip. And though it would not react to sword arts, she envisioned herself driving power into the weapon as she approached her enemy.

I can free you, by simply removing myself as an obstacle.

Her loose hair tumbled into her face, partially obscuring the stone mask she had donned. Donned for him. Because he didn't need fixing. He didn't need her softness. He needed her strength. And she would give that to him, because she loved all those broken pieces. With more ferocity than she had ever shown a floor boss, she slashed at her best friend.

Lessa: 2/3

Alkor: 0/3

Tie

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One more point and he'd proceed to round three.

He noticed the girl's puzzled expression when he asked his question. It was fair, he thought. In this scenario, it came out as an odd question. He lifted his sword above his head, hanging it left to block Astreya's next attack. He was unfocused during her last, but not this time. They touched blades again.

"I'm an actor—or at least, I used to be. Sometimes people recognize me from films I've been in, although it hasn't happened in a while," he chuckled, backing off.

Morningstar took a moment to breathe. The mid-duel conversation had taken him away from his self-deprecating thoughts. This fight was different than his duel with Hirru. He couldn't put a finger on why, though. He relaxed the grip on his bokken. The air that had once felt heavy and consuming now eased off. He dashed forwards, closing the gap between the two, and attempted another low slash.

For a short second, he thought about home. Nostalgia washed over him as his sword inched towards the girl's thigh.

Morningstar: 2/3
@Astreya: 0/3

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Finally, in that moment, she didn't ask questions. She didn't look for the "answer." It was so simple, yet they were so different. They heard things, experienced things, and at times even understood things differently. For a species so homogenous, the diversity that separated a single human from every one of their counterparts baffled the mind. Alkor, as a boy, had been forced to try to find a place in the paradigm. Like paper, they folded him, trying to shape him into the "right" fit. Everyone, everything around him called out for conformity. The world called on him to accept his differences and embrace its expectations. For as long as he could remember, Alkor had rebelled against that notion. Instead of trying to understand, everyone was trying to "fix" him. His parents, the people who should have been there for him, stood at the head of the charge. In doing so, they pushed him away, so far away that he wanted nothing to do with them, or with anyone else.

He wasn't a door to be unlocked. There was no next level. He was content being who he was- or he had wanted to be, for so long. The world had told him no. It had never been satisfied with his complacency, and in his stubbornness, he lost himself. His rebellion against the expectations placed on him by others turned into something grotesque, a self-loathing, an inability to accept the person he was born to be. He looked everywhere but inward for an example, and he grasped at them until it unraveled his mind with anxiety and immense pressure.

Alright, she had said.

Such relief in that word, that simple utterance of acceptance. He called out to Lessa, he beseeched her for that validation he so desperately sought. The validation that he had been denied so many times, to the point where his hope had dwindled from a fire into a sputtering candle on the verge of going out. Instead of one of the many chasms that stood between him and his peace, instead of the monolithic walls that others built and he felt the desire to tear down, Lessa stepped out of the way. She brought her blade down at him, and his own bokken intercepted. Their weapons smacked loudly, louder than any impact in the room before it. They traded blows, and Alkor snarled like the beast he was, clawing at the chains that had always bound him. Others entered this tournament for various reasons, and they saw the final victory as a goal, if one born out of fun. Alkor never needed that win, had never wanted the prize waiting at the end. 

And perhaps it might be over too soon, but for the first time instead of pressure, he felt nothing only satisfaction as he fought.

Lessa: 2/3

Alkor 0/3

Tie

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At the man's reply, the woman blinked in response.  An actor?  "What the heck?" she asked aloud, blinking in response to the man's words.  She let her mind wander for the briefest of moments, focusing on the fact that she knew him from that.  That made...sense to her, at least, and it also explained why he held himself the way he did.  If he was someone that was used to taking on acting roles, then he was someone that also was used to being in front of many people- that explained the movement from him as he had come into the arena.  Not that he was necessarily confident about fighting, but he wasn't put off by all the crowd and attention.

"Well then like, what movies have you been in?" she asked, curious for a moment even as he moved forward toward her.  He was different, now, all of a sudden.  He seemed a lot more lax, and that actually was in her benefit as she knocked the weapon aside, stepping into the strike with her weapon, setting the attack free for her to respond to.  "You're cute- makes sense you're, like, an actor," she spoke, grinning and fixing him with a wink as she shifted forward, hoping to use those wiles to gain some advantage here- she was already down two!

This round: TIE!

@Morningstar: 2/3
Astreya: 0/3

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Lessa wasn't sure that she believed in fate. But when Alkor's pivot took a second too long, and he exposed his back to her, she knew what she was meant to do. A sick sense of humor, she mused, even as she slid up behind him. Her body brushed along his, a featherlight touch that ended with her sword pressed to his spine. The pressure lasted only a heartbeat, before it, and she, disappeared. Withdrawing to her side of the mat, Lessa lapsed into silence. In a perhaps poetic parallel, their second fight had ended in much the same way as the first - quiet contemplation rather than whoops of joy. Only this time, it was Lessa who stood victorious.

Victorious in what way? The tournament she had desperately wanted to win suddenly seemed so trivial. Her mind did not jump to brackets, or strategizing for the upcoming fight. It, like her gaze, remained fixed on Alkor. In a matter of minutes, the man had revealed more about himself than she could have ever asked. And in that same amount time, Lessa came to understand how problematic asking him for those revelations really was. He would open up to her on his own time. Or he wouldn't. But Alkor's well-being did not indicate how well she played her role as a friend. His level of happiness did not determine hers.

Alkor was not a tool for Lessa to gauge her own worth.

And by believing that for so many years, she had hurt them both.

"Thank you for allowing me this rematch," she said suddenly. "It's been a long time coming. I- well, I appreciate the opportunity to redeem myself."

She should have left it at that. After the many leaves they had turned, and the burdens they had finally shed, Lessa and Alkor both deserved a moment of peace. She should have given it to them.

Instead, she asked, "But will you tell me one thing?"

"Will you tell me what you're fighting for? Not just 'to win in duels' or 'to beat the game' - but what's at the heart of it. For as long as I've known you, you've been consumed by this endless need to be the best. Is there a place where you'll ever be satisfied? Where you can just acknowledge how far you've come? Because you are so, so much stronger than the Alkor I met in the Town of Beginnings, but in so many ways, you haven't changed at all. What will happen when you run out of people to compare yourself to?"

Lessa: 3/3

Alkor 0/3

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Astreya's reaction was common when he explained to people who he was. You don't expect to meet someone from the type of lifestyle Star came from in a random video game tournament. It seemed to sink in for her quickly, though.

He thought about movies she might have seen, disregarding his failed attempt at an attack. "I was the lead in a sci-fi movie called 'Patchwork Humanity' a few years back. Or maybe you saw 'Perfect'? It was a romance film. A little cheesy."

Her next remark seemed in character. Morningstar replied with a smirk but gave nothing else in return, stopping the strike that followed. Their dance went back and forth, extending longer than his match with Hirru had. He kept his lead but found himself enjoying the plateau they'd reached. Around them, a second fight concluded; however, Star's focus remained on Astreya. He returned to his side of the mat, wiping drops of sweat from his forehead. She kept herself well guarded. Star, unsure of his next move, attempted to copy the girl's downward arc. He glided across the mat, swiping down at Astreya's head.

TIE
Morningstar: 2/3
@Astreya: 0/3

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Astralin was a troublesome opponent. By using martial arts, she was able to attempt two puncturing attacks before he was able to make a single slash. Had he been using his real weapon he might have stood a much better chance here. Sadly, he was using a wooden bokken and had relatively no experience dealing with martial artists. It was a rather sore matchup for him. Returning to a defensive stance, the blonde girl would begin pushing him immediately. 'I need to decipher which is going to be her real attack. Detect the killing intent.' The issue was, the girl wasn't trying to kill him. Her intentions were going to be blurry. 

As she came in for a strike, the samurai would twitch and his weapon would release from the sheath... at the wrong moment. Diving back, the girl would deliver a pounding fist into his exposed side. Leaping back, his eyes would travel to his health bar. 'Is she... actually dealing damage to me? I guess it makes sense since she isn't a practice weapon. She came into this battle without a single restriction on her normal fighting style.'

A thud would be audible as the wooden pommel slammed into its sheath. "I guess there isn't any room for error, is there?" Green eyes bore into the girl. "I'll come at you without holding back, prepare yourself." The air would vibrate and suddenly he would dash forward. This was his one chance. He couldn't give her the chance to regain the offensive, he would defeat her here. 

"First Form, Shock Drop... Equinox!" Normally, Shock Drop would use the momentum of gravity to enhance its force. Right here, he would use pure speed. Should he intend the use the second attack it would have to be that way. A rush forward at blinding speeds would take Astralin head-on. Could she block it? She could try. If she wanted this win then she would have to dodge and counter but could she almost have to move subconsciously to attempt it. 


Astralin 2/3

Morgenstern 1/3

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As the back-and-forth continued between the pair, Astreya couldn't help but to find herself somewhat enjoying the whole thing. Sure, she was two points down and a mistake would cost her the victory, but all the same, she still wanted to keep it going.  Even if she lost, which was looking likely, she was enjoying this conversation quite a bit with him.

Once he'd offered the movies however, her eyes widened slightly, and while they went back and forth in their strikes a moment longer, eventually he took a few steps back to recover.  They'd been evenly matched, now that she'd gotten her feet under her and was no longer reeling from the fact that she recognized him from somewhere she couldn't recall.  Now, of course, she did know, and as he parried her most recent attack, they had a few moments to talk again.

"It was 'Perfect'!" the girl spoke, now that she had a second to just breathe.  "A friend of mine was like, totally obsessed with that movie.  I only watched it, like, once, but that totally was you in it, wasn't it?" she spoke, before giving a wide grin.  "Linz is gonna be like, so wildly jealous," she spoke with a small grin, before taking a few breaths of her own.

Without the armored gauntlets she normally wore, the girl found it much easier to wipe the sweat away from her brow as well, before realizing another fight had finished.  "Jeez.  People are like, going really hard.  This is just like, for fun, y'know?" she murmured, glancing back over at her before she noted he was readying himself to fight again.  Bringing her weapon up, the woman stepped forward, turning hers parallel to the ground to block his own strike before she tried a chancy maneuver- stepping into his guard to strike at him with the pommel of the blade into the center of his chest!  "Hi-yah!" she called.

(ANOTHER TIE OMIGAWD)
@Morningstar: 2/3
Astreya: 0/3

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Bismuth's slash was blown out wide as his opponent stepped forward into his slash, countering with his own slash at his neck, Bismuth flinched before the weapon even struck, which it ended up doing, making him grunt in pain. Cursing under his breath Bismuth continued his back pedal, he had spent two years in this game, away from the real world, why was it still affecting him so much, Bismuth grew a scowl on his face, and though to most people, they would just assume it was because he was losing, but truly it was because he couldn't shake his own past, even when he was more free then he had ever been.

Takumi, his opponent, seemed to be able to tell that his plan was to garner distance, which made it clear that he was far more skilled then himself, and chose to dive in with a thrust. A thrust that Bismuth was able to twirl around the outside of in order to bring his own blade slashing diagonally down on Takumi, though so far none of his attacks had landed, and he doubted that this one would either, he had to try, this was to garner more confidence in himself, something that he was sorely lacking in.

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Despite his aggressive advance, Takumi's opponent remained a contestant through and through. The two points that loomed over his foe's head must have finally moved them into action. The thrust meant to finish the duel found only air. Through the corner of his gaze, Takumi watched his target sidestep. To his side, where his heels lacked the ability to pivot as freely as his other side, the swordsman felt a sense of impending dread.

I won't be fast enough! Raced though his mind. He tried to turn, bring his blade up to block, but he only felt the shock of impact radiate from the crook of his neck and shoulder.

Teeth clenched, eyes wide, the ferryman recalled a lesson from his mentor. There was confidence and arrogance. When taking the offensive, confidence carried strength and determination. Arrogance on the other hand carried weakness and opportunity.

Takumi scowled. The faint simmer of frustration lingered at the back of his mind. To have the tides turn from his own arrogance-- the boy could only imagine the words Baldur would share with him. He stemmed his emotions with a deep breath.

"Fair point," the boy commented, but the tinge of anger lingered on his words. Without further pause, the samurai adopted another lesson from his master: the swordsman is as much the weapon as the blade. Takumi dropped low and swept his leg out to catch his foe's. Takumi's heated gaze remained keen, ready to flow into a final strike at the faintest opportunity of lost footing.

Takumi - 2/3

@Bismuth- 1/3

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"Perfect" being the movie she'd recognized him from seemed fitting. It was your stereotypical girl-meets-boy story. Not that it was a bad thing—he'd enjoyed filming it and loved his co-stars. There just wasn't a lot of depth to it. He noticed Astreya wipe her forhead. She seemed tired but maybe he was projecting.

"Maybe some people have someone they really want to ask out," he returned with a chuckle.

With two short steps, Morningstar found himself back in the midst of the fight. He thrust his sword downwards but failed to breach the girl's block. Astreya's counter caught him by surprise. She stepped in close, aiming a strike at his center. Time seemed to slow down before panic could set in. He stepped back and parried her attack, tapping her on the back with the tip of his bokken. A judge raised a flag, signaling Morningstar's point. It was over. He'd won.

He knew that the girl was right, that the tournament was just for fun, but taking another victory felt satisfying. He turned back to the raven-haired girl.

"Nice fight," he said with a smile.

Morningstar: 3/3
@Astreya: 0/3

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Despite her current lead in her fight, things weren't looking too well around her. First, she looked over to her opponent...and it was here of all times, that she would notice the cursor's color.

Her eyes widened at the realization of what kind of player she might be dealing with. "A killer?" She thought. She backed up suddenly, staring at the cursor for a few seconds. She then made eye contact with her opponent and-

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The eyes.

Astralin...wasn't the best with eye contact. In friendly situations, she could keep it for longer...much longer, in fact, but....this stare that bore into her very soul spoke different volumes. Very different volumes. From Astralin's perspective, the two seconds that passed felt like twelve, and the eyes of the opponent came across to Astralin as those that belonged to one unwilling to show mercy.

The opponent's words rang out and Astralin's focus snapped back to reality. He rushed in at a dangerous speed, and Astralin was left to instinctive action.

A Sidestep, a grab of the opponent's arm. It was only because of her training in the Martial Arts skill that this was possible. She pulled at her opponent with both hands and flung him two meters, using the force of momentum to assist, turning her opponent's movement against him.

Astralin stared into her opponent's eyes, regardless of what she'd seen. A fire was lit, the star had ignited.

No more mercy.

She rushed in with all due haste to strike. It would be likely that her opponent would have gotten up by this point, but no matter.

As long as her next attack would strike, that was what mattered.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tie!

Astralin: 2/3

@Morgenstern: 1/3

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The air vibrated as the Storm Samurai pushed forward, the wooden sword creaking with the air resistance pushing against it. The girl who was his opponent took a defensive stance and as he came close would... grab his arm? Using his speed, she would guide him away from her body. His teeth would grit as he turned direction back towards Astralin. He had purposely set up for his attack to be two-pronged, but his first was supposed to have met its mark. Everything was already off with her having redirected him, though he was too far in to redirect now. 

Another flash and his weapon aimed for the neck of his opponent. However, it appeared that Astralin had taken the offensive immediately after her throw. A fist met his shoulder before his blade could reach her. Freezing in place, the man would stop. "Looks like this victory is rightfully yours." Retreating his weapon, the wooden weapon would return to its sheath. How much different would the fights had gone if they had used real weapons? 

His eyes would search Astralin. "You know you bested both Calrex and I, students of this very same school. If you don't win, I'll be a little upset." 

In his eyes was the battle all that fair? In a training scenario, Martial Arts certainly had the upper hand, however; Jonathan himself was severely lacking in experience in fights against MA users. Not that it mattered too much, few players used it. The chances of having to fight someone with it were quite low. This match was over, and he could at least say he was satisfied. He did the best with what he had to work with. 


Astralin 3/3 VICTOR

Morgenstern 1/3 CHUMP

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Bismuth wasn't used to the jarring sensation that would come from a heavy hit, especially since normally Bismuth would never had gotten himself into a fight in the first place, this sort of thing really wasn't his forte. Though silently the hit had made him proud, it was nice to know that when the fear was mostly gone, that he was, for the most part, able to put the knowledge that he had garnered to good use. He hadn't spent time practicing, and in a real fight, knowledge didn't mean a lot when it came down to it, he wasn't built for combat, and their was only so much that you could do to beat someone who hits like a bullet train when you his like a butter knife. 

Bismuth flinched at the aggressive words from his opponent, the venom clearly held back, but still there, anger wasn't something Bismuth handled well, and even the smallest hint of it could for the most part cloud Bismuth completely by the past. Even with that Bismuth kept himself aware of his surroundings, and with that the kick that was aimed at Bismuth's leg. Not thinking much before he did it Bismuth leaped into the air to avoid his kick, bringing his knees up to his chest before sending a kick of his own into his opponents chest.

2/3 @Snow

1/3 Bismuth

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He could hear it now. Don't sweep the leg unless they won't see it coming or you are ready for them to jump. Takumi clenched his teeth. Bismuth leapt into the air, coiled like a snake. Takumi's leg only just returned to a stance he could barely call stable. In combat, a kick paled in comparison to a blade, but in this tournament, a hit was a hit. Who was the young samurai to decide whether or not a blow would lead to a fatal strike or not?

Both arms raised to block his face. The kick connected and with the full weight of his airborne opponent behind it, sent Takumi rolling feet over head backwards. The tumble devolved into a roll. It took a conscious effort for the ferryman to keep his grip firm on his bokken. His body came to a stop near the edge of the map where Takumi could hear the soft gurgle of the water that surrounded them. On his knees and propped up by his blade, Takumi heaved a few breaths before looking to his opponent with frustration in his eyes.

After all my training...

Takumi thumped his bokken's tip into the mat in a display of his self loathing before he got to his feet. Then, with his chin up, the lad took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and looked to Bismuth with a familiar sense of calm. The air around the boy mirrored his mentor. With an fluid, practiced motion, Takumi slid his weapon into the belt at his side as though it were its scabbard.

"I commend you for continuing despite the look of being out of your element." Takumi complimented. "You've fought well."

The student samurai placed his hand on the grip of his weapon and his stance rooted. He had felt this a hundred times. He saw it time and time again. After his lessons, the boy would practice its motion with and without Cardinal. Into the late hours of the night, over and over, he rehearsed this move for its speed, precision, and simplicity.

"Let's see you dodge this one..."

Like lightning unfurled from the clouds, Takumi's weapon screamed from his makeshift sheath at his side. His arm tensed but moved as fluid as water. A single stroke-- a blur. Takumi's bokken tore a clean line through the air as his entire body leapt toward his foe.

The art of the quick draw attack, Iajutsu.

2/3 Takumi

2/3 @Bismuth

Edited by Snow
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Bismuth wasn't nearly dexterous enough, nor fast enough to find any sort of footing after his flying kick, and so just felt the air rush past him as he fell directly on his back hard on the mat, with a groan, the air knocked out of him, that was going to be something he felt for a while, but with the tumbling his opponent did, so would he. Bismuth didn't want to get caught on the ground so before his breath fully came back he scurried to his feet, his breath labored as he held his sword shakily, that kick was mostly just luck, something hat Bismuth knew well, he was just getting lucky in this tournament so far, his opponent was much more skilled with a blade than he was, and if it wasn't for the luck, he wouldn't have made it even to the second round, but luck was what carried Bismuth, and it would be what saved him now.

Bismuth's face grew a serious tone, his tired eyes focusing, the lax smile on his face turning into one of serious determination, luck was all Bismuth had, and he would use it to his advantage. Bismuth stood with his curved sword out, his right foot forward so that his body was facing away from his opponent, a true duelist's stance. His opponent had gotten cocky again, though his stance made Bismuth think that maybe that was for a reason, but that cockiness would be what led to an opening, the strike, a blur of bokken through the air as an impossibly fast attack came at Bismuth.

Instinct, was all that bismuth could feel as he pivoted, bringing his free hand and sword up in one fluid motion, the sound of a bokken striking could be heard through the arena as dust enveloped both fighters, the mad dash from Takumi having sent up enough to cover the duo. The dust seemed to linger in the air for an eternity, slowly falling around them, settling back onto the floor to reveal the outcome to the audience. A bokken grasped in a hand, and a curved sword a few mere centimeters from a neck. "I don't think I need to dodge this time." Bismuth was uncharacteristically calm as he let go of the bokken, and let his sword hand rest at his side. Baldur calling out Takumi's point, the winning point of the match. Bismuth turned without another word and walked off stage as the shroud of dust finally dissipated completely. He had lost, but his luck had not yet run out, the win may not have been his, but victory had been, and to Bismuth that was good enough, though in the end, this was still no real fight.

3/3 @Snow

2/3 Bismuth

Edited by Bismuth
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Thread Summary:

12579 words / 30 = 420*5= 2100*Tier

Only 1 full page, so everyone gets full credit, who made at least 3 posts.

Baldur (1 post, no EXP)

@Astreyareceives:

6300 EXP (Word Count [2100*3])

@Nari-Lanrethreceives:

2100 EXP (Word Count [2100*1])

@Snowreceives:

6300 EXP (Word Count [2100*3])

@NIGHTreceives:

25200 EXP (Word Count [2100*12])
3780 col (3780 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col])

@Astralinreceives:

8400 EXP (Word Count [2100*4])
1260 col (1260 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col])

@Morningstarreceives:

2100 EXP (Word Count [2100*1])

@Bismuthreceives:

2100 EXP (Word Count [2100*1])

@Morgensternreceives:

16800 EXP (Word Count [2100*8])
2520 col (2520 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col])

@Alkorreceives:

14700 EXP (Word Count [2100*7])
2205 col (2205 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col])

@Lessareceives:

16800 EXP (Word Count [2100*8])
2520 col (2520 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col])

Note: Astreya, Nari, Morningstar, Bismuth and Morgenstern.  You all neglected to include your stats in your first posts.  I used what I had available from the first round, but this may have resulted in a reduced EXP award.  Please ensure that your full stats, including level and P-level, are always included in the first post you make in any thread.

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