Arena - Dusk
The sun had finally set and the crowds filtered into the stands of the arena, muttering amongst themselves mutinously. The disappointment from the afternoon was still fresh on their minds. Torches were lit around the arena, the flickering shadows and dim light only added to the ambiance.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The arena master, once more, stepped out into the arena. "We have, for your delight and pleasure, prepared a most exquisite bout this evening, something that has not ever been seen on this island before!". By now, every member in the crowd was hooked on his words, the early transgression completely forgotten.
"In this side of the ring!" He bellowed, gesturing towards Alicia. "The challenger! The swordsman or, should I say, swordswoman of the Stardusk crew, the Maiden of Misery with a twelve thousand, five hundred dollar bounty, ALICIA TAAAAAAAAAAAASHIGI!
Alicia calmly stepped forward into the ring after her name had been called, giving a small exasperated sigh at the name given to her by the World Government.
'I do not like that name... ' she thought to herself before closing her eyes, steeling her mind and calming her thoughts in preparation for the imminent fight. It was the same deal as the fight back on Utsukushi as she'd have to win without killing Thorn, or the duel would have been for nothing. After all she was essentially fighting to win Thorn for the crew, a concept she wasn't overly pleased with but never the less it was what Runali wanted.
'Maiden of Misery?' Sara thought idly to herself. 'What an awful arena name.'
"And on the other side of the ring!!" The announcer bellowed out once more. "The champion for three years running at the Circus Portum Insula, the Holder of 55 swords, the Prodigal Daughter of Harbor Island! You all know her name, it's THORN!"
Sara stepped out into the arena, much more brightly than the start of her last fight. Truth be told, she was looking forward to this, if Alicia's movements weren't the results of a clever and convincing bluff. She waved to the crowd, smiling and playing them up. From her observations, she noticed that roughly a third of the crowd was openly supporting Alicia. Interesting, she thought to herself, but it wasn't anything to worry by. By the time she wins, those fans will be rooting for her again.
She came equipped with her spear, now unwrapped, with the head being made of that peculiar dull-silvery metal that was common in Tilea. Her short sword and shield were slung across her back, ready to be used and switched out in a moment's notice. Oddly enough, she carried the sword of her previous match up, tied by a loop around her waist, and it was still far too corroded to be used properly.
"Get ready!" The arena master, looking at the two and, after seeing they were about ready, stepped back. "Fight!"
Alicia 's eyes didn't move from her opponent as the start of the fight was called, the audience, fans and even her crew fading away from her mind as she focused in on Thorn. Alicia brought her hand to rest on her saya, her thumb pushing the guard up till it gave a small
'clink' which signaled its ready position. The swordswoman simply stood and waited, without word or movement implying she was about to attack. Perhaps she was curious to see what Thorn would do, or perhaps it was a tactic. They would soon find out.
It begins. Sara's own brown eyes matched that of her opponents, unwavering and focused. With the signal for the fight given, Sara sprinted towards Alicia, her spear at the ready. She charged at breakneck speed but with only a few feet left between them, Sara dropped her stance and slid on the sand with her foot out, as if to break Alicia's calves with her leg. But this was just a play, at the last possible second, Sara dug her spear into the sand, vaulting herself back to onto her feet and spraying Alicia's face with sand, all done at blistering speed. To follow up, Sara lunged three times at her chest, eager to capitalize on her early dirty trick.
When Thorn started her charge, Alicia gracefully brought her opposite hand to rest on the hilt of
Shusui, it's power hungering for battle. Yet still Alicia stood firm and watched, one of her legs sweeping backwards in preparation to counter. The swordswoman quickly changed her footing when Thorn's spear hit the ground after her slide, the only warning she could see for what was about to happen. Unfortunately it was too late though, the dirt striking her eyes and blinding her vision temporarily
.
Her father, Akiyoshi hadn't neglected this as a possibility during her training and she distinctly remembered him lecturing her and Satia about how others may not respect the codes of honor like they do.
Alicia closed her eyes tightly to trap the dirt, to stop it from moving around her eyes causing further irritation and distraction, relying on her ears and the currents of the wind. She turned her body to the side, letting the first strike to pass by her before counter stepping the second. The wind changed ever so slightly, it's breeze feeding back information on the trajectory of Thorns strikes while her ears fed back her position.
Knowing she couldn't sidestep the third strike, her hand still clutching onto the hilt of her sword flicked, the sword arching out with the explosive force of a broadside cannon to deflect the spear away in a diagonal upward angle, placing her foot forwards with her heel facing Thorn before aiming a spinning back kick towards the gladiators chest in an attempt to force her back and make some room.
The dirt did its job but it was ultimately futile. Sara noticed that Alicia was perfectly capable of fighting without her vision, an innate talent or a skill developed, she wondered. All this and more was cataloged in her mind and, with it, a more complete picture of her opponent. What did catch her surprise though was the force of the strike, her spear almost slipping out of her grip because of it but she was prepared for what next. When Alicia switched stance like that, Sara knew what was coming and with her free hand, quite quickly, reached down to unsheathe her cutlass partially and twisted her body, with the flat of the blade absorbing some of the force and her body taking the rest of it. By standing her ground, Sara was still able to maintain a close proximity to her, albeit with no free hand. So, sheathing the blade and forcing Alicia's foot back onto the ground unsteadily, her spear at the side to block any counter strikes and reached with her now free hand to grab onto Alicia's kimono, before delivering a headbutt to her nose, knocking her back.
Sara stood back, her arms to the side, addressing the crowd just as much as to Alicia. "Come on! Is that the best you got?!"
Alicia soon discovered that physics were not on her side, as Thorn was able to hold her ground against the kick, responding with a quick headbutt. She managed to tilt her head just enough to avoid her having her nose broken, which it certainly would have had it landed on target, never the less she felt her head spin for a moment as she fell back, a foot sliding to catch her from falling over.
'Alright... that hurt' she thought to herself before her eyes opened, blinking the trapped dirt from her eyes. A red mark appeared on her face where Thorn's head landed, coloring against Alicia's fair skin.
Alicia had learned that this wasn't going to be an easy fight. She hadn't underestimated Sara, but at the same time she wasn't expecting her to be as capable as she was proving. Alicia extended the black blade to her side, it's presence unnerving as if it would cut you just for looking at it for extended periods of time. "Very well" she responded softly before she ever so slowly leaned forward. The swordswoman allowed only a small smile to reach her features before she seemingly blurred from her position, the wind swirling upwards from where she'd been standing as she arrived in front of Sara in the beat of an eyelid.
The blade became impossible to see as flurries of arching blows were thrown towards her at different angles, flashes of silver being the only indication of where the blade was as it were caught reflecting the light of the burning torches.
Sara never let her grin falter, not even under such a heavy onslaught. Despite her boasting, she was still very much prepared for this counterattack. Her spear danced alongside Alicia's, the sparks from the two contacting lit up their faces even in the dim light. Sara matched her opponent's engage, her spear blocking and parrying, even making a few strikes of her own. With the way her body moved, it seemed like Sara lacked any sort of technique but this wasn't to her detriment. Her motion of her body and spear was completely random with only the foundations of multiple techniques and it was because of this that made it so challenging to strike her down.
The lack of technique was what allowed Alicia to seize an advantage as they exchanged blows, learning from each strike as her eyes remained solely focused on hers. In a fraction of a second she would find her opening, parrying a blow and nimbly slipping through her defense to step behind the Gladiator. Her eyes narrowed as her left eye briefly lit up in a blue glow before she brought her blade hard into an upward slash to knock Thorn up into the air with an explosion of destructive wind, jumping after her before pulling her saya from her hip, using it as a blunt weapon to knock her back towards the ground. She'd land moments after her, falling into a crouch with both her sword and saya held outwards before bringing them together back at her side.
Sara saw Alicia slip past her, not too worried about it. She adjusted her stance so the shield loop around her back would take the blow, leaving Alicia open to a counter attack. But Sara was certainly was not expecting to be launched into the air before getting knocked down. As she landed with a hard oomph, even with the sand cushioning the fall, she rolled back onto her feet slightly winded, her eyes narrowed at her opponent. 'Supernatural abilities,' she thought to herself with disgust. Evidently, the Tilean crowd shared her disgust too, booing loudly at Alicia. Because of the stricter rules of the arena, she never actually fought against someone capable of such acts. In fact, as she thought about it, Sara never fought against another woman. Tonight was a whole new experience.
She stabbed the spear into the sand, anchoring it down and it hung upright. She drew the cutlass and held it in front of her. From what Alicia could see, the blade was not in a good enough condition to last more than a few strikes. Sara held it out, waiting for Alicia's next move.
The disgust of the crowd didn't appear to affect the swordswoman from Yula Fei. In her mind the etiquette of a duel was sullied when Thorn had thrown dirt in her eyes to earn an easy victory, not to mention the grab before the headbutt. No, Alicia was here to win and nothing more, if it required her to call upon The Power of Destruction, she would do so without hesitation. "Do not fear, this
monkey is far from using her best" she said with a modicum of amusement in her voice, calling back to Sara's previous comment.
Sara could only smile back, she wasn't expecting trash-talk. "Oh, kitten's got claws?" She said, as she circled around him with her cutlass by her side. "Although, you really shouldn't talk, who wears a bathrobe to a duel? Besides." She readied herself. "Do you really think that hurt?"
She lashed at Alicia, multiple strikes stabbing and slashing through the air. But Alicia noticed something odd about the cutlass. For whatever reason, Sara had deliberately blunted the edge but left the point sharp. Thus, any slashes that might hit would only leave a very nasty welt.
Admittedly the condition of the cutlass did some what throw her off, especially when she noted the temper of the blade, from the blunt edges to the sharp tip. Despite the quality differences between their swords, Alicia wasn't about to make the mistake of underestimating the gladiator. A foolish swordsman placed the entirety of their faith in their weapon, one of her father's many quotes. Regardless she couldn't help but give Sara a flat look, "Bathrobe... really?" her sword even lowered for a moment as if she were some what disappointed by the joke before she shook her head. Alicia recomposed her stance before she began to casually walk forwards towards Thorn, her hand resting on the hilt once more.
Once she was in range she would wait for Sara to strike before unleashing a strong attack like before, though this time she was aiming to strike at the sword in order to destroy it, or at the least take it from her grip.
"Hey!" Sara called back a grin. "You're the one who decided to wear it!"
As Sara exchanged blows with Alicia, a horrible metallic screeching sound was emanated from the contact of the blades. As Alicia hoped for, her sword went through Sara's cutlass but not all the way through. Instead, the katana got stuck halfway through. She, at a huge risk to her fingers, blocked the katana at the base of the cutlass, where it was the thickest and at a slight angle in which it would be much more challenging to cut all the way through. Still though, it was one hell of a gamble but one that looked like it might pay off. With the katana stuck fast, Sara, gripping the blunt edge with her free hand, wrested the sword out of Alicia's hand and onto the floor, still stuck into the now useless cutlass. Both women were now completely unarmed. Sara, sensing her advantage, grabbed onto Alicia, picking her up before throwing her to the ground. Before she could get up, Sara pinned her down, straddling her waist and delivering blow after blow to Alicia's face with her right fist, the other hand holding her down. After a few punches, Sara stood up, circling her fallen foe as she rubbed her wrists. "How do you like the taste of your own blood?" She boasted, sneering down at her opponent. "First time you ever been hit?" Sara grinned as she reached around her back, upholstering her shield and sword and held it, awaiting Alicia's next move.
Alicia's brows raised when her sword became lodged in the metal of the cutlass, before in a matter of moments finding herself pinned taking punches. She was no fighter or brawler, sporting a lithe frame intended for speed which was why each punch hit hard, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. When Sara stood, the swordwoman stood and dusted herself off, kneeling to retrieve her sword before standing up again. "You've had your fun" she said, raising her sword before flicking it against the ground, breaking the cutlass into fragments.
"But now it's time you joined us" Alicia raised her sword out to her side, inhaling as her eyes closed for a moment. When they opened again she exhaled, her left eye burning with a blue aura. It was the only visual remnant of Anduin who gave his soul to return her into the land of the living, sparing her from the locker of Davy Jones. This was the power of destruction, a power that resided within the Tashigi bloodline for generations of swordsmen and women.
Alica would slide her sword back inside it's saya for a moment before withdrawing it slowly, the blade itself taking on an aura, wisps of light trailing from the blade causing the torches of the arena to whip and flicker. She took a single step forwards before blinking from her spot like before, leaving a gust of wind and dust behind. She'd appear in flashes at different angles around Sara, seeming to faze in and out sight as she slashed cuts all over Sara's body.
'Great.' Sara thought to herself as light appeared to dance around Alicia's sword. 'More supernatural faex.' Much to Sara's credit, and the bright idea to sheathe her gladius and two-hand her shield, she was able to either dodge or block some of the hits either through luck or prediction. But not even she can compete with literal inhuman speed. By the time the onslaught was over, a multitude of small cuts openly bled all over her body, staining her clothes. A thought, half-way through, occurred to her and, with a mighty parry from her shield, she forced Alicia away and stepped back, hissing slightly with the pain.
"The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long!" She declared, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at her. "You can't sustain that form forever, your body can't handle it!" It was a bold prediction, and Sara needed to hear her reply.
After the parry she reappeared a short distance away, walking casually around her with her ignited eye trained on her still. Alicia's expression betrayed nothing of how she felt, seeming to be more focused than pleased or excited. To her own credit Alicia did well at remaining humble despite her prowess as a swordswoman. "You'll have plenty of time to learn my limitations once you join our crew" she replied simply before stopping to face her. Alicia knew she'd made enough cuts on her opponent to put her on a time limit, and she would wager that Thorn was also aware of it. Despite that knowledge, Alicia refused to let it end by running out the clock, she'd fought admirably and she would even go as far to say she fought better than most she'd come up against. If she was to win this fight she'd ensure the end to it was befitting her as a warrior.
"Suruki Ora Fell!" Alicia spoke in her native tongue as she would suddenly flash past Sara in a straight line, appearing at her other side with the intention of having cleaved her shield into two pieces. The strike would leave a white trail along where the blade had traveled before fading.
"The only way I'm joining is in a box!" Sara snarled, finally having enough. "I don't quit, I never quit!"
The strike might have broken lesser shields but this one was made out of ferrosteel, some of the finest steel that Tilea can offer. As the strike came, she simply tanked it, absorbing the blow with her body. She turned upon her and began the dance once more.
The two fought, with Sara refusing to falter despite her wounds. Each one fighting and occasionally finding a weak point to exploit. For Alicia, it was the opportunity to inflict more wounds that bled. For Sara, it was the chance to punch Alicia in the face, something which she took to with great relish. During one of their exchanges, Sara was even lucky enough to score a glancing hit on Alicia's shoulder.
But as time went on, their wounds and technique started to exhaust both of them. Sara, at this point, was down on one knee, panting heavily whilst still guarding. She looked pale and on the cusp of exhaustion. The more observant of the crowd could have sworn that she passed out, if only for a few milliseconds.
As for Alicia, she too was drawing heavy breaths, albeit she was still standing. The blood from earlier had dried and there were bruises appearing all over her from blows she'd endured. The ignited aura of her eye had dulled where she'd began to tire, unlike before when she burned brightly, demonstrating how potentially lethal she could be. "Your arrogance blinds you" she spoke as she looked down at the Gladiator, "Your stubbornness deafens you and your hubris silences your strength" Alicia took in a deep breath, her body aching from the physical exertion. "Learn humility, to respect life and you could be so much more than this" Alicia raised the tip of her blade towards Thorn, "I will ask only once. Will you surrender?".
As much as she hated to admit it, Sara was most likely going to lose this fight. The crowd, by this point, had blended into one big blurry amorphous blob and felt a chill run bone-deep through her entire body, despite being close to a lit torch. There was only one option, one path, towards that of victory. She considered and accepted the possibilities without another moment's hesitation.
Still though, she thought to herself, her only regret was that the crowd was not big enough but it will certainly be a finale to remember.
With nothing more than strength of her will, she forced herself to stand up, her shield resting on the ground and gladius in hand, staring down Alicia. She was covered in head to toe in blood, most of it hers, and in the flickering torchlight she looked quite terrifying. She tried to listen to Alicia, but it felt like cotton was surrounding her head, dampening and suppressing her senses. Sara could not understand a single word that Alicia was saying, but the vibe she got was that of her demanding surrender, to which Sara showed a bloody grin. "You have a terrible memory" She chuckled in between pained breaths, sword still at the ready, practically yelling the next line. "I. Don't. Quit!"
Alicia dropped her sword a little as Sara stood up and replied, exhaling a partly frustrated breath that the Gladiator was this stubborn. Alicia had fewer options than before, having to really consider her next moves in case she killed her, making all of this a pointless waste of her time. "So be it, Gladiator Thorn" she said, calling her by a full title to show a modicum of respect. Alicia extended her sword to her side before taking a single step forward, twisting her wrist to strike at Sara with the back edge of her sword, aiming staggeringly fast blows to pressure points. Using the back of her sword she wouldn't open up more cuts, but would instead weaken her body further.
Three…
Two…
One.
Sara saw her one and only chance. She walked forward and
deliberately threw herself at Alicia's sword. For a second, time seemed to slow down, Sara was able to pick out details in crystal-clear view, even able to make out the individual expressions of horror on the spectator's faces. She felt the coldness of the blade, a chill like no other she had ever felt, enter the left side of her belly. Before Alicia could pull it out, Sara wrapped her free hand around her wrist, her grip like that of iron. She looked up at her opponent, leaning in closer until just a few inches were apart, and grinned from ear to ear.
"Gotcha." She whispered, in a hoarse tone, a spittle of blood landing on Alicia's face.
But then, disaster struck. Sara had not accounted for the shock that followed, a shock strong enough that, from her trembling hand, her only weapon slipped from her fingers, the only thing that she had to kill Alicia. This only caused Sara to push herself even more, she was not going to die alone. Using the last vestiges of her energy, she delivered a brutal knee to Alicia's belly, followed by a kick to the back of her legs, driving her down on her knee, whilst still holding her wrist, twisting her arm painfully. With her free hand, she brought it down like a guillotine upon Alicia's twisted arm, snapping it with painful and audible crack, and kicked her away, all while the katana was still deeply embedded within her.
This effort was too much, and Sara was forced to lean on the arena wall, her legs completely failing her. Unbeknownst to her, she was right next to the crew, her pallid sweaty face entirely focused on the downed Alica. But she had no weapon. Well, she did have one. She looked down at the sword in her body. After grabbing to the hilt with both of her hands, she slowly dragged the katana out of her, inch by bloody inch. Blood gushed out the open hole but still she stood, now equipped with Alicia's own weapon.
Alicia had taken lives in the past, most of them deserved. But despite having killed before there was nothing that could prepare her for seeing someone throw themselves willingly onto a blade. The act caused Alicia to watch in shock, caught completely off guard by the move. It caused her to lose focus, receiving a knee to the stomach and a kick to the leg which put her down onto one knee causing her to groan. Alicia tightened her grip on her sword but her physical strength was nowhere close to Thorns, feeling her wrist twist before her eyes widened as her other hand came down to break her arm, causing her to cry out in pain before she was kicked away.
The swordwoman gritted her teeth, the fiery aura fading entirely from her eye now as her strength depleted. Seeing the gladiator pull her own blade from her stomach and wield it made her question whether Thorn had power of her own beyond that of a normal human, although now wasn't the time to be contemplating the questions. Alicia slowly recovered, nursing her arm as she looked around for something she could use. Her eyes would fall upon Thorn's shield, one of the instruments that countered her sword. Reaching down with her remaining arm she hoisted the heavy metal up before standing to face her blood covered opponent.
Alicia wobbled on her legs a little due to the weight and her physical exhaustion, summoning the last of her energy together as she once again prepared to fight. She'd raise the shield and step forward, waiting for the signs of a strike. The swordswoman from Yula Fei would parry the first slash, throwing a punch directly at Sara's head, the contact of which would reden her fist with blood. Alicia wouldn't stop here though, it was all of nothing to bring this to an end as she continued to bat away her own sword and throw punches, despite them doing little damage given her physical strength. Alicia would eventually start using the shield itself, striking her with it over and over till the Gladiator fell
But the strike never came.
The crowd was completely quiet, and an eerie silence fell over the arena, unable to determine which woman would be the first to fall. Sara had stood up, unable to even lift the sword. She walked unsteadily towards Alicia dragging the sword along, leaving a bloodied snail's trail on the sandy floor.
But even she had her limits.
The sword, the hilt drenched in her own blood, slipped from her hand. She stopped, as if to look down at the bloodied blade on the ground. Sara fell to her knees and landed on the ground, face buried in the sand, as the blood slowly pooled around her dying body. She was no longer able to fight.
Alicia had won.
Alicia watched as the monster walked towards her, wondering if it was even possible to kill her after all the damage she'd soaked through the fight. Seeing her eventually fall though caused Alicia to drop the shield and fall to her knees, hunching over to rest on her still functioning arm.
After a few moments she'd retrieve her sword, the sword that'd once belonged to her mother. It was dirty and bloodied and would need a good clean, but it would need to wait. Alicia slid the weapon inside it's saya before slowly pulling herself to her feet. Sara looked dead, but Alicia doubted it. She could almost feel it, the willpower within her that drove her in battle.
Her kimono was bloodied and torn too, but she didn't care. The swordswoman headed back to her crew, almost stumbling over a few times before she made it to the wall where she rested. "I may... need some assistance" she said between labored breaths. Her ribs felt bruised and she felt like she could fall out of consciousness herself at any moment if she exerted herself any further.
