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Crossover
Oct 3, 2016 16:18:53 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Raisa/Darkmoon on Oct 3, 2016 16:18:53 GMT -5
Despite herself, Darkmoon found herself smiling faintly at the memory of home. Velox, surprisingly, seemed interested if not slightly reverent of her home culture - something more than unheard of among humans. But when he mentioned wanting to see them, her blood chilled. "Even if I could transport you and myself back home, I am not certain that I would," she replied gravely. She knew all too well the fate that awaited him as an outsider if he crossed to her world. "The Night People do not take kindly to outsiders. I would not even be able to grant you immunity as a guest. I am...not part of that community. Not wholly. They are born to the darkness and moonlight. I am not. My life is frequently in danger among the woods. Yours would be forfeit."
Still, even with the nightmare of her survival, she felt something close to pity for the air bender. Without a purpose... "Have you no other position that you hold here? I find it hard to believe that a warrior of your caliber would be tossed aside idly. Forgive me if I am again wrong about your kind, but in my realm humans do not possess the stamina and grace to match my skills. And mine are a far cry from the most powerful of the People. But a human with your capabilities..." Indeed, he walked with the same stealth that she did, and she knew from pinning him the day before the corded muscle beneath those loose robes. She shook her head to rid herself of the distraction as much as to stop herself from pushing the issue further. She had no place among her home, and she knew that pain well. "It seems we have a lot in common, you and I."
The edge of the forest loomed overhead and she removed her blindfold to survey their surroundings. The loamy soil gave way to gritty sand. And beyond the remaining sparse branches...nothing. She swallowed at the expanse of desert. Already her skin felt dry and tight. Even if she had more clothing to shield herself from the sun, she wondered if the heat would not beat her first. "Where I can from..." she began hesitantly, her fists clenching, "even the sun is not this strong. I have never seen terrain like this. I...do not know how to navigate it."
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Post by Velox Sicarius on Oct 3, 2016 16:33:51 GMT -5
A lot in common indeed Velox thought as he glanced to the side at her. Already he began pondering what Raisa would think of having a second version of himself around. He almost chuckled at the thought. He was snapped back to reality though, by the heat being given off by the desert ahead of them. It was vast indeed, and this was by far the shortest portion of it in terms of distance to Ba Sing Sey. Some took the longer routes, which could take several days to trek. This would take them half a day, or a day at most. He doubted Darkmoon would last the long in this heat. Even he was cautious to navigate such a desert in midday without a water bender or earth bender to accompany them.
"This Dessert is famous around the Earth Kingdom. It is very vast, and there are many parts of it that are completely un-explored. This part is the shortest of the desert, but even so we should still take caution." Velox explained stoically, figuring their options in his head.
"Basically, we have two options the way I see it. We can cross now, and risk the heat, or we can wait till sunset and risk the night-time predators. Neither should be under-estimated...." He said out-loud, both to himself as well as Darkmoon. "Though, given present company, we both may fair better against the nocturnal predators than the heat. It, will of course, delay us, which would be the only major issue. The choice is yours, as you are far more susceptible to the heat than I am, but I also do not wish to delay your quest, which seems to have a time-limit according to you." He offered. He was, obviously, more inclined to wait till nightfall. But she seemed pressed for time. It could be worth crossing now, but he was still worried the sun could put both of them in danger if they were to meet the wrong people while heat-exhausted.
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Crossover
Oct 3, 2016 16:48:00 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Raisa/Darkmoon on Oct 3, 2016 16:48:00 GMT -5
While she listened, she weighed each option. Time was a problem for her, only because she needed her staff returned to her hands. Safe hands. The Triad seemed incarnately evil. Darkmoon didn't know if a human would be able to wield her weapon, but if they could harness that power it would be devastating for this world. If, if, if...
Her life was once again ruled by uncertainty. It seemed no matter what realm she was in, her path was never clear for her. Deciding to take her fate into her own hands, she carefully stretched slim fingers beyond the cover of the trees and into the sun. After a matter of moments, she felt blisters already heating beneath her skin. She frowned and growled, yanking her hand back into the shade. No better than a rutting vampire, if she were now chained to the darkness. But the sun overhead was so, so much brighter than she was used to...
Black eyes stinging, she pulled the cattail back into place and ground her staff into the ground. "I cannot cross," she hissed. "I have no choice but to wait for moon rise." Darkmoon growled once again at the damning expanse of desert and whirled around to storm back into the forest.
About a half mile back the way they'd come, and she felt mild relief from the heat and removed her blindfold. It was still far more than she was used to in the cool mountain forests of her northern home, but it was manageable. She followed her ears and the scent of dew to a small stream gurgling it's way down the incline of the mountain's base and knelt in the cool soil, immersing her hand in the icy ripples. She bit back a snarl, feeling her canines prick into hr lower lid. After a moment, the sting lessened and she withdrew her hand. She didn't see Velox, but knew he was nearby. They were far enough off of a main trail not to risk being spotted by a passing caravan. "What now?" she snapped, more angered at her own fragility than anything else.
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Post by Velox Sicarius on Oct 3, 2016 17:05:33 GMT -5
Velox watched silently as Darkmoon tested the sun, having to suppress his bewilderment as her hand almost instantly began blistering. She didn't have to say anything then for him to know her answer. There was absolutely no way they were crossing the dessert midday. He sighed a little ashe watched the anger boil over her, a feeling he knew all too well. A feeling of powerlessness in the face of something that seems easily beatable. As she stormed off into the forest, he followed silently behind her, not saying word, simply observing and waiting for the right moment.
When she snappped out in anger, he could only feel pity for Darkmoon. She was in a foreign world, without her possessions, and now trapped powerlessly at the mercy of the land. It would make anyone angry. Velox considered kneeling down next to her, to provide some sort of company to calm her down, but then a better idea came to mind. As she asked her question, he merely smiled and began circling their clearing, sweeping away dead twigs and leaves with motions of his feet and some small amounts of wind. It didn't take long for him to be satisfied. He returned back to where Darkmoon was sitting, extending out a hand to help her up.
"How about a friendly sparring match to pass the time?" He suggested with a wry, playful smile. His eyes gleamed at her with slight joy, all to curious to see how they might match against each other. This would be the perfect way for her to blow off steam, as well as for him to get a better idea of what she was capable of. Plus, if she happened to fair well, as he was sure she would, that at the very least might allow her bring back some of her confidence.
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Crossover
Oct 3, 2016 17:46:30 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Raisa/Darkmoon on Oct 3, 2016 17:46:30 GMT -5
As Velox swept the area clear of debris, Darkmoon couldn't help but wonder what gods had bestowed such powers on the mortals here. Yes, there were hose among the People that had specific affinities - summoning fire or ice, calling a hailstorm, singing a gale into being, but those gifts were not as widespread as they appeared to be here.
She found herself again watching Velox not out of caution but out of... curiosity? No, something else... but at his suggestion she only blinked at him incredulously. "I'll kill you." It wasn't a challenge, but a concern. She had the strength and speed three times that of the average human. And while she did not have the full arsenal of gifts that Alex had at his disposal, her own diminished powers remained - and frequently loosed themselves when her temper flared or instincts kicked in.
But in the short amount of time she had known him, Darkmoon had learned not to underestimate Velox or downplay his own abilities. She snorted as she stood and brushed the dirt from her knees. Apparently male ego was the same no matter what realm she was in. "Okay. If you insist." She quickly stripped herself of the meager supply of weapons she had, setting them on a nearby boulder. She took extra care setting her sword down, loath to part with it for even a moment, but her brother would have chastised her for backing down from a challenge. So she stood and faced Velox, waiting.
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Post by Velox Sicarius on Oct 3, 2016 18:04:17 GMT -5
Velox smiled widely as she accepted his challenge. He was glad of it, and more than sure this would brighten the mood. Of course he was well aware that her speed and strength were incredible, but that was not about to stop him, nor slow him down in the slightest. It made him all the more eager to try, as he had yet to find anyone apart from Aang and Raisa who could duel him on an even playing field. This was going to be....interesting.
Velox removed his upper robe, leaving his entire upper body bare to the wind and free to move without restriction, his baggy gray pants also designed for moments like these. He made care to also remove any and all weapons on him and placed them far to the side. When he was satisfied that both of them were down to their basics with no weapons, he placed himself opposite of Darkmoon. "The match will end when one of us forfeits or is otherwise unable to continue fighting, the hopefully it wont go that far". He said with a wry smile. He gazed at her one final time, and then bowed deeply, taking his ready fighting stance with his legs in a wide, low stance and his arms out in front of him, like snakes.
Within moments, his calm, cheery demeanor vanished into a facade of solid stone. He burrowed his emotions down, and brought forth his killer instinct, and his trained senses. His eyes took on a slight bloodlust, as he was ready for the match to begin. Just because this was a friendly match did not mean he was going to go easy. Especially since Darkmoon could kill any normal human just as easily as he could.
The wind stopped for a moment, and then slowly began to circle around Velox. It would aid his movements, and calm him. He would be just as the wind, and try his best to be impossible to catch.
Without warning, Velox immediately strafed to his right and sprung into the air off of a tree trunk, arcing high into the sky. He thrust his hands downward, raining a curtain of air toward Darkmoon as it propelled him into a somersault behind her. He was sure she would already be on guard and ready for him, so as soon as his feet hit the ground, he dropped further and planted his hands, kicking his legs out in a spinning motion as they sent a spiriling disk of air around him low to the ground.
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Crossover
Oct 3, 2016 20:09:11 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Raisa/Darkmoon on Oct 3, 2016 20:09:11 GMT -5
Darkmoon suppressed a shudder as Velox took his stance before her. His energy changed into a lethal glide - the killing calm, the Night Watch had called it. And it was a dead giveaway of his extensive training. Her own training was...well, she'd never had formal training. Her only instructors had been instinct and survival. The patterns and behaviors he was now analyzing with her made her gut scream to fly into the shelter of the trees.
But this was supposed to be a friendly match. Not a duel. And she would have to trust him to that. Trust. Such a tenuous rope she was now walking. Could she trust him in this? Or was this a clever ploy to take her down?
Before she could figure out the answers, Velox was soaring. Her ultra sensitive, finely pointed ears felt the disturbance in the air before he struck, giving her just enough time to throw a shield of energy up to deflect the blast. She whirled and crouched to face him as he landed, slashing with her claws out at his legs, her own coiled underneath her to pounce. When he attacked her from the ground, she struck out fast as an adder, fangs barred, lunging for his throat.
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Post by Velox Sicarius on Oct 3, 2016 20:24:09 GMT -5
Velox narrowly dodged the swipes to his legs, and then barely had time to respond as Darkmoon lunged straight for him. His body moved on instinct as his arms raised and then swiped to the side, a wall of air following in their wake that pushed him to one side and Darkmoon just enough the other way, safely away from his throat. He let out a deep breath he had been holding, eyeing her once again. She had shielded herself against his blast of air, meaning that long range direct attacks were not going to help in this fight. He could not use any of his lethal moves either, for obvious reasons. That meant close combat was his best choice. However, this was a girl with frightening strength and speed to match his own. He would have to be wary of every attack she was sending against him.
Velox blasted himself forward and closed the distance between himself and Dark moon, punching forward with his fist. But, rather than targeting obvious weak spots such as the head, throat, or chest cavity, he instead targeted her elbow, surrounding his fist with air so as to give himself a wider area to hit with. He intended to target her joints: Elbows, knees, wrists, shoulders, and by doing so he could simultaneously deal damage and keep her on the defensive. Her greatest weapons up close were her limbs, and so he would prevent her from being able to follow through any attack correctly.
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Crossover
Oct 3, 2016 20:35:28 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Raisa/Darkmoon on Oct 3, 2016 20:35:28 GMT -5
If Velox continued to attack with bending, she could do nothing defend, having no bending abilities of her own. However, he seemed to realize that this would simply result in a stalemate between them and changed his tactics. The only warning she had was a flash in his green eyes as he shot forward to strike.
Close combat - good. She could hand hand to hand fighting. And if he were trying to distract her with his sculpted bare chest (albeit it might have worked initially), it only gave her exact pinpoints to strike without missing. She may have been strong and fast for a human, but for a non human she was barely average. And, she was small. Overwhelming an opponent was never an option for her. Which brought her back to those long limbs of his now stretching towards her to strike - and the pressure points they presented.
Darkmoon let Velox come at her elbow. Just before his blow connected, she swept her arm up in an arc, catching his fist in the crook of her arm as she brought it up and to the side of her, harmlessly redirecting his strength away from her body. With one hand currently immobilized, and a foot going for her knee, she quickly stepped herself right into him, inside his striking range where he would not be able to form power so close up, weaving her own legs between his. In a blinding movement, she struck with her knuckles into the shoulder of his trapped arm, below his collar bone on the other side, and a series of strikes along his torso - again ignoring the muscle there - before pivoting to put her back flat against his chest. Even pulling her punches, the strikes she dealt on those points would have been enough to throw a normal human off balance. And being a full head short than him, it was easy enough to throw his trapped hand over her shoulder in front of her and toss his body clear over her and towards the ground. She knew - hoped - he would catch himself before he hit the ground.
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Post by Velox Sicarius on Oct 3, 2016 20:54:12 GMT -5
Velox quickly discovered that Darkmoon was much better at close range tactics than he had initially expected, though it should have occurred to him beforehand. For someone small and specializing as she did, close range fighting would indeed be something she'd be good at. All this went through his head as his punch was deflected and then countered with some rather painful punches. He was able to pivot his torso well enough to minimize the damage on most of the punches, but the one to his shoulder where his arm had been locked was definitely going to have a bruise later. For a brief moment, he felt her press up against him, her back against is chest, and had it not been for his state of mind, he would have been greatly embarrassed.
Then, in the next moment, he was hurtled over her and toward the ground. That was the first mistake on her part. She should have figured out by now that being in the air was his speciality. Throws such as this were close to useless (that being said, the punches were indeed effective). As his body curved over her, his back arcing over and heading toward the ground, he kicked both of his feet out and propelled himself with a burst of air toward Darkmoon's legs, freeing his arm in the process. Just before his back hit the ground and his shoulders made contact with her legs, he spiraled his body and creating a spiraling torrent of wind around himself, both bracing himself against the fall and hopefully launching Darkmoon to the side. He quickly up-righted himself and followed through with a series of punches toward her, speeding them up past the level any human could reach by manipulating the air around himself.
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Crossover
Oct 3, 2016 21:34:28 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Raisa/Darkmoon on Oct 3, 2016 21:34:28 GMT -5
At first, Darkmoon thought she'd made a mistake. He was human. Human. Even with his skills, she needed to be careful. She absolutely could not risk injuring him. He was her only guide through this forgein land, and possibly her only link to survival. And...she felt a strange tug in her core towards him, a kinship she though might have arisen due to their similarities. She found herself...not wanting to hurt him.
Fortunately, the assassin did indeed right himself. Darkmoon let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. It was this lapse in her concentration that allowed him to slam into her. She had never once had to fight for sport - only out of fear for her life. Pulling strength from her blows, trying not to kill her target... this was all new to her. And it was giving him the upper hand.
Her skin pricked at the change in air pressure mike to before she was assaulted. She hissed as she tried to shield herself, but still slid backwards through the grass. The moment she lowered her arms, he was flying at her again. Rage at her own distraction threw her into the offensive. His blows were swift and painful, but it was a battle to be lost in an effort to take the war. She allowed his punches to land, if only to bring him closer. Just as the wind was knocked out of her, just as he was close enough that she could count ever lash ringing those pine green eyes, she took her turn.
One hand fisted in his auburn hair, pulling his head to the side, while the other latched on to his shoulder, her claws biting into skin. Even as she was hit again, she lashed out for the soft, exposed skin of his neck, her fangs pricking into him. She could feel the pulse of his life blood thrumming under her sharp teeth. He could hit her, he could throw her off - but not in time to escape the bite through his artery.
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Post by Velox Sicarius on Oct 3, 2016 21:51:01 GMT -5
Velox was not sure what had distracted, what had caused him to entirely forego defense in his offensive assault. Was it his want to win,...or was it her? Either way, just as his flurry of punches was slowing and she seemed to be slowing down, she lashed out at him like a viper. He should have been able to parry her, and yet he hadn't even noticed the arm go straight for his head. His eyes had been too focused on her face, and eyes. In the next instant, her fangs were at his nick, poised for the killing blow, and her full weight on-top of him. It was her win, a strike just as good as he any blade to the throat. His guarded state of emotion released, and just as his body began relaxing slightly, he found he had forgotten it was not just his own weight he was supporting.
Wide-eyed, Velox felt gravity pull him backwards and toward the grassy-floor, his weight pulling himself, and Darkmoon with him, toppling to the ground in a mess of limbs. As he came to his senses, he gazed forward and his eyes struck with bewilderment, seeing Darkmoon's body ontop of him. In addition to this, he had also realized and remembered he was still practically half naked. Velox opened his mouth to speak, but could not find any words to see, his brain practically at a halt from pure surprise and embarrassment. His cheeks flushed the slightest shade of pink, more than most people had ever seen on him before.
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Crossover
Oct 3, 2016 22:05:37 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Raisa/Darkmoon on Oct 3, 2016 22:05:37 GMT -5
Darkmoon's pride in winning their match was short lived. She knew that she had dealt somewhat of an underhanded blow as they weren't to use weapons. But he had attacked her with bending, a weapon to which she had no equal...
She had killed before. And a body collapsing underneath her was nothing out of the ordinary. But something about Velox falling under her slight frame made her tense. Had she hurt him? As he hit the ground, she retracted her claws, pinwheeling herself up and over him to land on the soft grass above his head. She crouched over him, black eyes wide with concern as she assessed him. Scratches from her claws, which she had not entirely intended and did feel guilty for for, but no other mark on him aside from...
Those silvery whorls she had spied on his hands continued down onto his chest, his stomach. She followed their threading pattern from the line of his pants up, up to...
Green eyes staring back at her.
"I am sorry, so sorry!" she cried frantically. As she spoke, she felt hot wetness on her lower lip. Swiping at it, her hand came back with a smear of red. Her fangs. She must have bitten him by accident when they fell. She looked over him again is horror, now seeing the two pinpricks of red welling on his neck. "Velox...I'm...I didn't mean to..."
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Post by Velox Sicarius on Oct 3, 2016 22:22:40 GMT -5
Velox was still essentially trying to get his brain moving again as it was racked with embarrassment. He hadn't even noticed the last wounds he had received. He did however, notice his blood on Darkmoon's lips, a strange sight to behold. She seemed bewildered by it for some reason and he failed to register why, and yet for some reason it made him strangely uncomfortable that she had tasted it.
At this point he had given up on moving and was content to just lie on the ground right where he was. He still tried his best to search for some reply to make and couldn't think of anything. It was rare for him to lose, especially in a manner such as this. He could begin to feel the tension tighten in the air.
"I..uh....You just couldn't resist getting a taste of me, huh?" He finally blurted out, only able to come up with a weak attempt at a joke in the present situation. He tried to avert his eyes, just now realizing that Darkmoon was crouched just above his head.
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Crossover
Oct 4, 2016 9:35:51 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Raisa/Darkmoon on Oct 4, 2016 9:35:51 GMT -5
Darkmoon raised one slender brow as she surveyed Velox. She had fully intended for him to attack her for the injury, or at the very least be upset. Instead, that killing calm was completely erased and he seemed far less at ease than she would have expected. Perhaps he didn't like when he lost control of situations.
Still, she couldn't help herself from taking advantage of the opportunity. A devious,wicked smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she pinned him with a predators stare. Slowly, she ran a finger over her bottom lip, that drop of ruby blood gimmering. Without dropping his gaze, and just to see if she could unnerve him even more, she slid her bloodied finger past those razor sharp canines and sucked the blood from her skin. After a long moment, she shrugged. "I've had better."
Standing, she left him on the ground and moved back to the stream. Her hands immediately when to her brothers dark sword, buckling her sword belt around her waist. Instantly, tension eased from between her shoulders atthe return of that familiar weight on her side. Then, she strode into the frigid water and drew from the stream a smooth, palm sized rock. "Here," she said, tossing the stone to Velox. "For your shoulder. The nerve will recover faster with the cold."
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