Blade Master

[Toneh]

The walk from the broken city, was longer then it was when they were walking to it. Nights on this island were not something to be happy about and needless to say the Jester was not pleased with having had to let Ari try on every dress she saw. The Coins the Girl managed to snatch from that random guy were enough for them to purchase some food and a few things for the lady to wear.

They were coming to the Cave entrance which was at the edge of what was a jungle, the old sandy desert city being near the coast line and the interior assumingly being mostly jungle.

“Ari.” Jester whispered. “Hide.” He grunted, his tone very serious and Jumpy. The Jester’s right hand glided delicately to the hilt of his sword which was hanging at his belt in its scabbard that was very much fit or intended for a king. “I hear something…” He whispered as he began looking into the darkness, his eyes gazing straining them selves to pierce through it.

[Vylrath]

Vylrath felt the weight of his armor for the first time in years. He left Caela and Isabella, allowing them time to gather their wits. The jungle wasn’t unfamiliar to him anymore, so he felt at ease out in the open.

He was weaponless, save for his own strength. Thoughts surfaced, only momentarily to wonder his current predicament and if Kahlan had truly given him a state he could live with. Having his other daughter here was cumbersome as well, since he knew that she possessed a side of him in her nature.

He was totally, utterly, surrounded by women. He needed air, a break from the constant clucking and drama that they brought upon him.

Vylrath let the cool breeze touch upon his skin- a sensation he had never recognized before. With that thought, he wondered what had happened to his demonic soul. Did the poor bastard really suffer the fate of being torn in half? If only he could obtain a new one…what he wouldn’t give to have his old self back.

His new self irritated him- constantly perplexed on the dilemma at hand. Why should he fend a Kingdom that had wanted him dead to begin with? He remembered being placed in that arena, while the crowd cheered for a deathblow, only to have him survive- just barely. That was how he had met Isabella. He had thought she was a Goddess, but nowadays she looked like an innkeeper’s maid.

Sighing, he cleared the way of foliage.

“Destroy them…why should I destroy them? Maybe I should end this miserable existence and see how the women fair without me!” He spoke out loud, until he heard a rustle near him. Unafraid and curious by what the cause of the noise could be, he found the source. He missed his demonic senses, when he could simply track a being by their essence.

“Fuck this! I might as well be blind AND deaf! My hearing and sight is shit!” He stopped dead in his tracks, unbelieving at his find.

The source shocked him.

“Humans…? Who the Hell sent you?!”

The pair had come directly from the cave, their movements causing a suspicion in Vylrath. Could someone have sent them to spy?

[Toneh]

Ari dashed behind a rabble of rocks but was clearly visible as she watched on (Rosi that’s all I’m going to do in NPCing Ari) The Jester stood and watched a young man clad in armor boldly walk out into the open. He looked at him in surprise. “Who the hell sent me?! This is my territory you raging tin can, the better question is what do you think you are doing on my front lawn?!”

The Jester did not yank out his sword. His right hand hovered above the hilt, and his left hand was held protectively over it, clearly in a very defensive stance. Xexorian fencing, long sword overhand style. Specifically used for dueling.

The Jester’s feet were spread. “We aren’t looking for any trouble, but if you want it you have found it. You wanna think you are the king of the land? Well you just met the court Jester my friend.”

The Jester clearly was not looking for a fight, but it would be reasonable to assume if one came looking for him he would stand and deliver. Not to mention he was literally on his front lawn. He prided him self on this location being secret, and with out trying it appeared this bad tempered old man had discovered it. “Well kid are you gonna just stand their and grow a hard one?” The Jester said taunting Vylrath.

[Vylrath]

Sighing mentally, he took hold of his ceremonial dagger that rested at his hip. It was hot with a poison tip, but he wouldn’t let this ass know the inner-workings. He rolled his eyes at the insults, only worried that they might discover their “Temple”.

“I haven’t had a hard on in 1,000 years! There hasn’t been woman alive who has been able to…” His eyes glanced over to the cowardly Ari, who hid behind a rock. “And who is this lovely creature?” Maybe he would get a hard on after all! (Women always got to his heart when they were losing their wits.) Maybe the man was keeping this woman captive! The thought hadn’t crossed his mind until now, but why should it be his problem?

Vylrath sneered, his boyish face baring his fangs. “I would be happy to take her off of your hands…” He would have raped that woman on the rock, if the man hadn’t been with her. He ran toward the man, the fear turning into ignorance. His confidence shined as much as his armor, making him easily readable in movement. He attempted to thrust the poisoned dagger inside the man’s side.

Even though he didn’t have demonic blood in him, he still had the blood curse, or “Vuri” as he called it. He could wield blood from his own wounds if it came to that point in time. However, it would drain him of the energy he needed to fight.

[Toneh]

“1,000 years? Yea. Right. I bet 500 years ago was when you hit puberty too.” The Jester said in response to Vylrath’s attempt to explain him self. Then The Jester saw it. It was a split second glance Vylrath had sent to Ari. One that The Jester was very acquainted with; a glance of one wanting. All men covet something, and at the moment this…thing was coveting Ari.

“I dunno if I let you keep her she might kill you in your sleep, you are far safer with me then you ever would be with her, kid.” The Jester held his stance but saw Vylrath break into a run yanking out a dagger. The Jester did not know it was worked with a venom, but then again he also had no intention of letting the little weapon touch his skin.

In mid charge the jester drew his sword, and the dagger came spearing in. It was a good well founded strike, not one an amateur would ever think to make, but he made to attempt at deception, he just went in balls hard as if he was a super human. It was the sharp sound of steel striking steel that rang out in the night air, and signaled that The Jester had deflected Vylrath’s attack. In a counter move the Jester threw a swift kick into the young fanged ban’s armored torso. Not as painful had he been unarmored, but it was enough to throw him back. Moving with his own move his foot would come back down. If Vylrath was thrown back by the blow the Jester would bring his sword back into a wide open upward slash, that could come in from under Vylrath’s body aimed at barely touching the boy’s face, and giving him a nice cut over his left eye. If Vylrath was not thrown back then his head would end up being split like a melon at the country fair. It was not a forceful sword swing, but one intended to get a message across and leaving room for reflex to kick in and allow the jester’s fast feet to let him dodge a counter attack from the youth.

“Wow, maybe I would do better letting Ari handle you.”

[diabolicalxdamsel]

She felt nauseous. Men were disgusting creatures indeed and she would have thought about writing them all off as such if she wasn't in such a bind. Seriously, am I really just a magnet for trouble? she thought. She then glanced at her compaion trying to fight the attacker. Perhaps it was fifty-fifty.

Her throat went dry when she saw the fangs. What the hell was he? However her sass momentarily overuled her fear.

"1,000 years, eh? Quite an embarrassing thing to admit out loud is it no, sir? Don't know if even my body will solve that problem. Have you tried ginseng, perhaps?"

She ducked a little bit back behind her rock. She looked up when her heard the fight. Once agin her sass spoke for her.

Oh, I don't know, friend. He seems to have trouble enough handling himself if you know what I mean!

[Vylrath]

The kick by this mortal only drew a smirk across his face. Maybe this man would finally realize that he was not an ordinary man. He saw the drive in the Jester and knew that he was a worthy opponent. “I haven’t fought like this since I came to Xexoria!” He threw his arm up with the blade in defense. He heard the clash of metal-against-metal. Vylrath’s agility was still with him and his newfound youth aided him in defense. He would not be receiving another scar across his new face.

The voice of the woman would not impede him on his fighting stance: he would fight to win, even if it meant making a new enemy that day.

“I’ll still take that bitch off your hands! It looks like you can’t control your women!” He smirked, trying to gain control of his footing. He pushed the blade off of the man’s weapon, allowing him a chance to claim balance. “…I have about 5 at home! Always room for another…”

The urge for human flesh would be gone forever, but the desire for women would stay the same. Ari was basically bait for a man who hadn’t had a new woman in a long time…it would only take a small mistake by Jester for him to claim her.

“Better come with me, miss! At least my weapon isn’t compensating for something…” He stood a few feet away, his blade still drawn, his body still tense.

“How do you think you will finish me off? You can’t even make me lose my footing!”

[Toneh]

“HA!” The Jester exclaimed “I don’t need to make you loose your footing, you are fighting with a dagger as if it is a long sword. “But you have good reflexes, you are a little off balance with all that armor, but that was not an easy dodge to mate wearing full armor.

The Jester was walking in a circle around to Vylrath’s right. The Jester had flipped his sword around in his hand so that the flat of the blade ran a parallel with his forearm, and had it held up with the edge facing Vylrath. His left hand was to be cradling his stomach as if he had received a hit. “But you are acting if is you have more strength.”

The Jester then started Jinxing very quickly. He darted to Vylrath’s left, then switched and darted to his right, then to his left then to his right again. This chaotic movement ended with his left hand flailing out and sending his back up dirk tumbling through the air at high speeds. It was not a direct throw, with the weapon flying straight through the air so catching it would be difficult. It was also a fast throw, aimed at Vylrath’s center mass.

The Jester smiled and resumed walking his a circle, this time to Vylrath’s left, his defensive stance still up. “Five women? Damn man, sounds like they have made you the pet, not the other way around.

[Vylrath]

The shine of the blade gave him a quick flashback – quick enough for him to lose his stance and sense of urgency. He was reminded of the arena, the moment when he met Isabella. Pet? Had he truly become that attached to flesh and bone when he was an immortal by creation? Shouldn’t he of been her superior? Shouldn’t he of been the one to destroy Xexoria?

He felt something puncture his chest. The blade sunk into flesh, bone, marrow, making the shock even more inevitable. His reaction seemed instant- the blade was pulled out at such speed, that it felt as though someone had twisted a serrated knife with each painful breath.

Each time his blood spilled, it sang to him- the sensation became euphoric. The woman was still his goal, but he needed to do something about the Jester.

He tried to wield his own blood, but found himself losing breath with each command. The intensity of the pain blinded his sight and clouded his mind. He had forgotten that he now possessed a soul and a beating heart- he would die.

Vylrath crouched low, trying to inch away from the Jester, the humiliating weighing as much as the pain riddling his body.

“Might as well kill me...maybe I’ll bleed out before you finish me off!” He knew the wound would be too great to simply heal- he would have to rely on luck- something that was never on his side.

[Toneh]

The Jester’s eyes drew wide. He then shifted a shame filled look to Ari. “Damn it!” His hissed as he clinched his teeth. He had not intended to inflict a mortal wound on the man, not for something this Trivial. He should have managed a dodge, or deflected the blow. The Jester had planned on eventually knocking him out, but this was not his goal. This was unintended. Perhaps he had over estimated Vylrath, and had forgotten to take in possible variables that always resided in the hearts of the living when they entered combat.

“Ari!” He said placing his sword back in its scabbard, and dashing over to the Fallen Vylrath. “I never wanted to kill you, you buffoon.” He said as he kicked the dagger Vylrath had been wielding away. “Kill you for what?” Shit.” The Jester. The Jester removed the dirk from Vylrath’s chest with a sharp jerk. By this point blood was pooling in his lung and it would be increasingly difficult to breath. The Jester yanked out a clothe from one of his holding bags and cleaned the dirk off very carefully. He then began stuffing the cloth into Vylrath’s would, being careful not to get any of the gore on his body due to fear of sickness.

“Shit.” He said once again as he rose up and began walking in circles around the dying man. “Well really it is your call now, I can give you a healing potion, but you will be suffering for weeks trying to heal…or I can cut your head off and give you a warrior’s death.

Before anything else could happen. “Shit.” The Jester drew his sword, and raised it up over Vylrath’s neck. “I will see you in hell.” His statement was not degrading nor insulting. But said more in the context of a promise.

The Blade would come down, and decapitate Vylrath.

[Vylrath]

The deathblow was instant. With his head cut clean, his body slumped into a bloodied heap. The Vuri still alive, attempting to heal its master, quickly faded out of existence. His essence, what was made up of it, travelled out of the living world and into the Underworld.

[diabolicalxdamsel]

During the match she glanced wide eyed as monster fought with mortal. He was swift. Her words ran dry as did her throat. Her heart sank with every near miss. She bit her lip. She saw the blade sink in, but it was so quick, she almost doubted he made the blow until she saw his opponent sink to his knees.

He may as well kill him?!? Surely he wouldn't oblige to such a request.

Indeed, she saw him pack the wound as she drew near. She gazed at how human the man was becoming. "Yes, but surely you will heal, however slow it may be. Serves you right for trying t-"

She saw The Jester raise the blade. "Oh, he's down for the count. I don't think frightening him wil-"

Her words caught in her throat as the blade sank with a nauseating thunk. She saw the severed head slide away from it's body and everything went black. She fainted.

[Toneh]

As Ari fainted The Jester cleared his sinuses and discharged the mucus on to the ground. He then cleaned his blade off using another cloth. He then set about removing the armor from Vylrath’s corpse as well as sorting through his belongings.

The Jester took to laying Ari down in a hiding spot as he moved Vylrath’s body and head into the cave. A time consuming task as he gathered what little items of worth were located in the maze of tunnels that was his hiding spot.

Vylrath was laid to rest in the catacombs of the Bandit’s nest, becoming its un beating heart. This hiding spot was to become his body’s tomb.

The Jester took nothing of the warriors belongings. He merely lay the armor next to him. All he took was the dagger and the scabbard that came with it.

He then gathered up the food he and Ari had purchased, tied the sack to his back. And scooped her unconscious form up in his arms. The pair then began traveling south, vacating the area. Vylrath was well dressed and The Jester knew he would probably have companions who would be looking for him.

They were gone heading deep into the heart of the Island. Back to the broken city.

(Thread Ended)