Dusted with star matter and borne upon tides of nature, hers is the beauty of wild places.[/size]
She craved battle, night and day. It was almost like an addiction, though it had none of the harmful effects of such a habit.
Well, at least not to the ebony striped girl, it didn't.
She stood once again within that dried grass ring within the reaches of the Bellum Steppe, posture rigidly straight. A slight grin toyed at the edges of the lass' mouth as she remembered something her mother had told her not so long ago, right before she had left The Temple, left the life she knew and loved in order to carve out an existence amongst those less than virtuous. Eden could still smell the honeysuckle and spring rain scent of Cerridwen's skin as her wind chime words washed over her daughter, 'Eden, loved and beloved, you would break your neck to keep your chin up.'
To this day, the girl could not fathom quite what the amethyst colored woman had meant, whether it had been an admonishment or a compliment to her stubborn, proud, flawed, righteous daughter. Regardless of the intent, though, the memory was still stamped into the girl's mind with the gold and rose hues of nostalgia at it's border. Heaving a sigh, Eden wished for her wrap and tail bangle, the two accessories having been left back at the mountain convent before she left, keepsakes for Cerridwen and ways for the priestesses to scry in the sun pool.
Snorting and shaking that beautifully adorned head of hers, the shieldmaiden grunted, remembering the task at hand; to train, to spar with her brothers and sisters in arms, and to make the holy light that blazed across Terrastella stronger than it ever had been. Eden wanted to carry that light upon her muscular shoulders, to pull the sun into the apex of the skies and keep it there. She wanted to watch as Solis' golden globe burned away all traces of darkness, of shadow and the vile things that hid there. She stomped a hoof, passion exploding to life within her breast.
Yes, she would wait for her challenger, and when they presented themselves, she would rise to the occasion
Summary: Eden stands in the middle of the ring and waits for Levi to come kick her butt
The itch had come to him, writhing under his skin, but wasn't it a lucky thing that the brute resided in a Court that balanced its beliefs on strength, on fighting? An oddly fitting place for one such as him, and it gave him the relief he sought when it came to the fight that boiled in his veins, steadily bubbling in his stomach.
Warmth rushed over him as he allowed himself to trot forward in to the 'arena', the Bellum Steppe. It was better than nothing, really, and Leviathan heaved out a sigh as his muscle worked, warming up and stretching as he made his way forward. His opponent was a woman of the Day Court as well; one of sharp tongue and wit, a wild looking creature that he found delightfully appealing to all of him. It was hard to please him, but perhaps him and this.. Eden, could become friends of some sort. Or battle buddies. He cared not where it ended up.
Coming to a stop before her, he smirked as he looked her over. She was as ready as he was for this battle, and he couldn't wait to shake the proverbial rust from his bones and get himself in this again. "Sister," he called out, delight curling through him. It was more so the anticipation that came with an upcoming fight, and he shifted on heavy hooves, feeling the tickle of adrenaline that was released through his veins.
An old, but oh so welcoming sensation.
"Do try to not hold back." His lips quirked upward; Leviathan highly doubted she would hold back, really. That wasn't the point of battles. The point was to clash and attempt to overcome the other, to build up strength and rise up. He looked forward to testing Eden's mettle against his own.
Without warning, he pushed forward, delighting the way he felt so free, effortlessly eating up the distance between them and using his momentum to push off from his hind legs. Rather than run up to her, he leapt forward, consuming what lay between them and attempting to land near her. He was determined to use his own body to bowl her over, to collide with her in some way and either send her reeling or knock her off her hooves.
Dusted with star matter and borne upon tides of nature, hers is the beauty of wild places.
It didn't take long for the maiden's massive challenger to appear, his hulking mass approaching square and steady. Amber eyes watched as the stallion's scar spattered pelt shifting over thick ropes of muscle and columns of bone, a tiny smile creeping along her blackened lips; Leviathan was an accurate name for the enormous brute and the girl distantly wondered if he had chosen the name for himself or if his parents had an incredible sense of foresight. Dinner plate sized hooves pressed heavy grooves into the earth, hollowed half moons of crushed flora belying the beast's mass.
With a nod more to herself than to her opponent, Eden assessed the warrior further, keen gaze sliding across his skin to catalog the advantages and disadvantages that could occur from choosing to spar with such a beast. First and foremost, the lass noted the nearly overwhelming difference in stature between she and Leviathan - there was at least a four hand disparity and no doubt did the stallion hold a minimum of two hundred pounds of muscle over her frame. Yet, the possibility remained that he would be slowed by his bulk, reigned in by his own sheer size. She snorted, rather enjoying the cruelty of the odds that she had been presented with.
Eyeing the scars that crisscrossed Leviathan's skin, the paladin wondered if any of them remained sensitive to impact - she could use them to press an advantage if necessary. Onto the twin spikes of horn that jutted from the behemoth's slightly convex nose, Eden noted the sharp edges that the pair held, despite the frontward's broken state - she would need to steer clear of those if she was going to stand any chance against the goliath. Cocking her head to the side, Eden arched a brow as she noticed the cloudy paleness that mottled Leviathan's right eye. Gaze tracing the scar that pressed itself to the skin about the occipital bone, the lass presumed that the stallion must be blind or near-blind on his right - A pity for him, an advantage for me.
The small smile that had danced about the corners of her mouth split into a full grin as her adversary called out, the honorary of sister upon his tongue. With a stamp of her right front hoof and the resulting jingle of her freshly polished bangles, Eden saluted the older warrior, her own greeting of "Brother," echoing his. Truly, the stallion seemed in a jovial mood, only offering the barest of words before leaping into motion, his immense body soaring toward her own in a matter of seconds.
A surprised laugh leaped from the girl's lips as she noted the agility with which Leviathan moved, a surge of joy surging through her adrenalice-laced veins. Amber eyes narrowing in focus, the lass moved as quickly as she could, taking only a few swift steps to her left - and Leviathan's hopefully blind right - and bracing for the impact that would be the stallion's chest to her exposed right hip and thigh. The shield maiden had assumed the collision of Levi's massive chest and her hindquarters would be a punishing one and she had been right as rain; two surfaces of hard packed muscle crushed together in what would be a vicious bruise.
Yet, her mentors had taught her the value of sustaining an injury in order to invoke a hopefully more successful strike upon her opponent.
Focusing her weight upon her front two legs and tensing her muscles, Eden allowed the weighty momentum of Leviathan's blow to swing her back end around, settling her at what she estimated would be his shoulder for a split second before the mare rose up on her back two legs, flinching at the tenderness that had already settled into her hind. Striking out with both front hooves, the speed of which causing the bangles and hooves to look like streaks of gold, Eden attempted to wound the right side of the stallion's ribcage before his momentum could take him past her reach. Another laugh burst from her lungs, breathless with the exhilaration of it all.
Oh, it mattered not where her quest took her, it mattered not at all where her head would lay, for as long as battle waged and as long as the tang of blood and sweat loomed near, Spring's Daughter would be home.
Summary: Lets Levi run into her back right buttcheek/thigh/hip and uses the momentum from that to swing her hind end around so that she's standing on his right side. Rears back and tries to hit the right side of his rib cage with her front hooves.
Adrenaline thrummed in his ears and it tasted so sweet on the back of his tongue.
Leviathan was alive again, shaking off rust from muscles that weren't used in so long, and his body ached for more. It was a rush that lit his insides on fire and gave him the breath of life he had needed for so long. The titan could have only been stagnant for so long without going a little stir crazy for a fight. It was a good thing he was in the Day Court, and he met the battle-maiden known as Eden.
The two collided with a thud that spread an ache through his chest. It would form an incredible bruise, and he knew it would, but oh, he enjoyed it. It would likely leave him tender and sore for a week or two, but it would be a reminder of this. A glorious -- if temporary -- trophy for him. The dazzling impact swung her body, but didn't knock her over as he had hoped, but it was something, and he allowed himself to laugh. Breathless and in delight; he had missed this so much, and it felt good.
Short lived as it was, his bad eye caught motion of her colors (more so moving blobs), and he knew she was using it to her advantage. Sneaky, wasn't she? He didn't have the time to move, and he took the blow full force instead, teeth clacking together in his mouth as he grunted, and the wind was pushed out of him. Each hoof landing would form a bruise, he knew, and he could feel the tear away on his flesh. Nothing deep, but enough to send a trickle of blood down his ribcage and to his belly.
The attack did nothing to stop him, and he used his position to move forward, and suddenly lash out with both legs once he was far enough. The weight pressed on to his front legs and his chest ached, but he still bucked back, hoping to land a hit somewhere on her.
After all, what was a fight without a little scarring after?
Summary: He took the attack full force. Cut him open a little to add on top of the bruising he'll have on the front of his chest. Nothing too major, but breathing will be a little achy for him for about a week or so. He takes the moment to kick out with his legs, hoping to land a hit on her chest or leg.
Dusted with star matter and borne upon tides of nature, hers is the beauty of wild places.
The stallion replied to her laugh with one of his own, a joyous, carefree rumble bursting from his scarred lips and into the youthful spring air. Ah! came her elated thought, cheer filling her bones with a warm light at the concept of another who found such happiness in the midst of battle. Truly, it was a blessing to have stumbled upon a court that worshiped both the Holy Light and battle. Truly, the realm of Solis' children had been pulled together from earth and celestial bodies, a nation scratched out of the harsh desert that felt and stood as a savior. Even now, as the delicious sensation of muscle and ligament pushing and pulling like waves upon a shore, the lass felt the warmth and pride of her god and of her universe pressing upon her ebon striped skin.
Worship could be found in all actions; Eden's holy house was the arena, the blade her priest, and combat her salvation. As she fought, she was cleansed, as she emerged, she would be pure anew, sinless and faultless as the newborn lamb.
As her hooves found purchase upon the behemoth's flesh, piercing skin and coaxing forth a thin stream of ruby blood to run in a small mockery of rivers down his side, she was already anticipating what her opponent's retaliation could be. Golden bangles clanked and jingled their tuneless melodies with the impact of her strike, and the gilded lass relished in the slow burn that had been building in her hip. Pain was a simple reminder that one was alive, nothing to be feared, nothing to run from. Yet, as Leviathan's momentum carried him past her and the mare saw the muscles along the stallion's shoulders, side, and rump ripple in preparation for a buck, she threw herself to the side.
Twisting to the left, in the same direction those massive hooves were flying, Eden allowed gravity to assist her in bringing those golden hooves to the earth. Despite her efforts, though, the lass could not avoid the behemoth's right hoof scraping over the point of her right hip, the force and angle of the blow tearing through the maiden's flesh and peeling away layers of skin and shimmering rose pelt. With a gasp at the sting that arose so readily from the injury, Eden leaped into a steady canter and cast a glance back toward the burning abrasion.
The small smile that had graced her lips from the beginning of their spar had not receded, instead, as she gazed upon the roughly four inch long wound - a slow ooze of blood beginning to leak from it's raw and ragged center - the paladin's grin could only grow. I have drawn first blood, but shall he draw last? The thought only served to strengthen the lass' resolve and spur her forward, a newfound vigor in her stride.
Bearing to her right and giving a toss of her proud head, blackened locs scattering with the motion, Eden barreled toward her adversary. Briefly, she considered leaping toward the stallion's head and claiming one of his ears as a trophy, but she was neither bloodthirsty nor did she want to stray too close to Leviathan's horns. In addition, she entertained the possibility of jumping over the brute's broad back, but that would require practice that she had yet to add to her daily training regimen. Best keep it simple, then, came her measured thought as she slowed her canter and attempted to slide to a stop at Leviathan's muscled side.
In a smooth motion and with jaws agape, the paladin sought to grasp and rip out a large chunk of mane hanging near the left side of behemoth's withers with her blunted teeth, aurelian gaze narrowed to avoid any errant strands from lodging themselves in her eyes.
Pray the brute's nape is sensitive...
Summary: Twists away from Levi, but still gets a graze along the point of her right hip. Canters away and circles back to Levi's left and tries to rip a big ole hunk outta levi's mane w her lil teefers
He was bloodied and bruised and there was only a steady thrum under Leviathan's skin. A singing in the back of his mind and through his muscles. Had he been any other horse, he might have simply danced on his hooves, but this was the middle of a fight, and his energy was gladly used in attacks and movement in a rather... unique sort of dance. Their motions of their bodies and the movements of each limb drew intricate patterns of movement, and he couldn't help but allow another laugh to burst forth.
It didn't even matter if he won this or lost it. It felt good to be back in action.
The roar of blood in his ears reminded him of his true living, how this was how he had come to live life. How this was what had built him when he had all but crashed and burned. Solterra was his salvation, the kingdom of the Day Court his lifeblood now, and he knew with this spar, with these steps, his loyalty to them all was sealed. Those that resided were family and there was no changing that.
His thoughts were punctured by the motion of Eden, his head tilting toward the other just in time to catch her intention. Had it been his right side, perhaps she would have scored a true hit to where she was aiming.
As it was, he turned himself at the last second, giving a push of his hind legs to lunge himself forward several inches, a bare breath leaving his lungs as he felt her teeth scour him. There was no welling of blood from what he could feel, her teeth catching just below his withers, more so on the right side near a shoulder, and he let out another laugh, deep and rumbling. He nearly danced on all four legs, finally allowing them to lift and lower as he pawed and shifted, as he stepped forward and gave himself a whole body shake, tossing his head and turning to face her.
Leviathan's face was nothing but a grin, despite the blood on his body and the soreness settling in his chest. A pause was given in his joy, his head dipping down instead in a coy sort of half bow, his lips twitching upward and his neck arching almost proudly. "A good spar. I sincerely thank you for this. It was a rush I haven't had the honor of feeling since before I came here."
Summary: He was a butt and blocked the attack via turning himself away and using his body to get in the path of it. At least she still bit him, but not with his pretty hair LOL just lower than that, missing the mane but getting him
- 21/25
I like the way he throws around his size and uses it to take her hits, I think this reflects his stats p well with health being higher! - 17/25
They were all pretty straightforward and easy to read, but it loses some points from me because of how short they were. Really liked him turning into a battering ram lmao - 13/15
All of the attacks were short, but concise and easy to figure out what he was doing. The entire post gave a pretty good feel for Levi as well!
Dodge 28/35
- 14/15
Based on his size and the short notice he seemed to have gotten, I like that you still had him take some damage out of this - 11/15
Honestly I kind of laughed at the mental image of this behemoth running out of the way just in time--that being said, it was a pretty plain dodge, but it def did it's job - 3/5
Not much stood out to be, got a little hard to understand there due to some of the wording and longer sentences. You do however get a really good feel of Levi and I like that
- 20/25
Leading up to the first attack, I really like that she sizes him up instead of charging blindly. I would have liked to see some more damage taken based off of her stats tho! - 22/25
I like that she uses him to spin her around into the rear and slides into a stop to literally pull his hair. I would have liked to - 13/15
Easy and fun to read through, there was a bit of repetition but few grammatical errors that I noticed. Though the anatomist in me is dying to point out that “occipital” is not the bone you’re looking for in the first attack—that forms the back of the skull! “Orbital socket” is what I assumed you wanted.
- 23/25
Attacks were creative (particularly using Levi's hit to help her spin around quickly) and incorporated Leviathan's actions well to fuel retaliation. - 20/25
I would have liked to see the damage taken have a little bit more of a toll, as Eden's health stats are a good chunk lower than her attack. - 13/15
Few grammar mistakes, explanation of attacks clear and easy to understand.
Block
Dodge 0/35
- 0?/15
No blocks to score. - 0?/15
No blocks to score. - 0?/5
No blocks to score.
- 20/25
Attacks were very straight-forward; Levi definitely took advantage of his larger size (as he should!), but sacrifices some flare in order to do so. - 22/25
The amount of damage taken seemed accurate when looking at Levi's health stat, it did not hinder him too much and I feel his slightly lower attack stat was well-reflected. - 13/15
Few grammar mistakes, attacks were to-the-point and easily imagined in my mind.
Dodge 23/35
- 10/15
Pretty simple block, nothing too fancy but did the trick to avoid heavier damage. - 10/15
Well-executed and realistic - 3/5
Nothing too notable, some of it was a wee bit choppy and could have been made into a new sentence rather than incorporating commas.
