It had been so very long - too long - since Aion had last set hoof upon the battlefield.
The last time had been borne of desperation, a need to feel a physical pain that could distract him from an emotional sort of trauma. It had worked well enough: he'd walked away bruised and limping, but his mind was effectively doused in an adrenaline so strong it had carried him on a high for days, forgetting about his troubles and his heartache. That had been all it took, a brief distraction, a tap of the restart button, a break from the emotions. When his pain returned - the sadness and grief, the feeling of being lost - he had been more prepared to deal with it.
He'd handled shattered bones and bloodied knees after all, what more was a broken heart?
Of course, he knew now how much more excruciating a broken heart could be in comparison to a broken humerus. He knew better than to assume all pain was the same.
But still, he volunteered for it all; this was his own fault, wasn’t it? He’d sought Torstein out for a fight; and here he was looking for one again, only this time he didn't care who stepped up to the plate. He put himself in these positions. He went looking for pain.
He’d even let himself fall in love. 'And we all can see how well that's been working out lately...'
The sound of approaching hoofbeats brought him back to the present, brushing the thoughts away with a flick of his telekinesis. He sized the mare up with an icy gaze: from her dark, silken skin to her ocean-tousled hair. Her looks were impressive, yes, but he didn’t linger long. Aion was more impressed with the way she moved - almost like a dancer. Agile, lithe, yes; but a brawler? Surely someone so delicate wasn’t here for a fight?
There was only one way to find out.
"I hope you aren't expecting me to take it easy on you,” he called out to her, "just because you're a girl.”
The wind tousled his feathers in a playful manner; Aion turned into it, lifting his head as if in greeting. He closed his eyes briefly, drawing in a slow, deliberate breath. His lungs expanded, and he held it for a minute; then relaxed, opening his eyes again as he exhaled deeply. Unwinding the stress from his muscles, remaining as he was in the middle of the hole-pocked field.
Spring was tentative this year, it's warmth slowly eating away at the frigid winter until one day, suddenly, it arrived. Wildflowers bloomed and Delumine turned into a veritable artwork of poppies, wild bergamot and fiery milkweed. Everything seemed to have new life breathed into it, new vigour — including Liesel.
Her Winter troubles (and romances) were gone, leaving behind a daisy blooming in the rich dark earth of her toils. Even the sun seemed loathe to leave her soft skin, dancing and wavering over each lithe, knotted muscle and casting her in shades of lilac and sapphire with each step. Unbeknownst to Liesel, her life had always been sunshine sweet, blessed as she was to be born The Blue Wolf's first daughter. He had cherished her even as he ignored others, doted upon her as he waged war against opposing territories, stole daughters the same age as she to add to his harem.
And the ocean...
Oh the ocean had embraced her as a daughter of The Blue Wolf, kissed her hooves and made her smile as she experienced first love, consoled her when her heart had been broken — and stole her away before death could claim her. Now she was the sole daughter of her fathers legacy, and she didn't even know it. It showed in her carriage, though, in her grace and that boundless beauty shining along every razor-lined inch of her.
In her golden lupine eyes.
It showed as she grinned at the sleek, handsome man staring her down across the Steppe.
"I hope you aren't expecting me to take it easy on you, just because you're a girl.”
Liesel beamed as her voice chimed and sang across the field:
"I'd be insulted if you did!"
She felt each muscle, shifting from hoof to hoof actively, her telekineses slowly pulling back her ocean waves into a loose bun. She assessed him, her lupine gaze sliding from head to hoof with a practiced technique. He was slim, but not skinny. Trim, in shape, not a hair or feather out of place.
I can fix that.
Her lithe frame moved swiftly, each limb perfectly shifting and bending to send her shooting like an arrow toward Aion — a single target, a full on attack.
Or so he thinks.
Galloping now, Liesel showed no signs of slowing, her golden gaze set gleamingly on her elegant opponent, she drew closer, closer...
She was going to hit him!
Each feather on Aion's head gleamed in the light as she shifted at the last moment, propelling herself past the slender Sage and pivoting. Agility and speed were her partners, making up for her lithe, toned body that lacked in brute strength — she was fluid like saltwater.
Her pivot should have positioned her behind and facing Aion and she lashed out with her razor-edged hooves to take advantage of that — neat, hard, practical, aiming for his fetlock and hocks to take his legs out of play.
SPARKLING LIKE SUNSHINE
Summary: Liesel gallops toward Aion in a "fake", leaps past him and pivots at the last moment, striking out at his fetlock and hocks.
She smiles at him—her dark lips curling backwards to reveal her teeth. If her voice were a little lower, or perhaps her pose a little more hunched, he might have likened her to a wolf, stalking down her prey.
But she was no wolf in his eyes, and he was not prey waiting to be eaten.
He was ready for her attack.
Aion tracks her with an icy gaze, the world narrowing and sharpening on her with a clarity that was almost painful, the backdrop of the mountains and surrounding lands blurring away into nothing. Her hoofbeats echoed across the steppe, a beautiful melody playing on his ears with each strike of her legs. Right here, in this moment, she is the sole center of his attention, his eyes and ears attuning to the frequency that was the summer wolf.
The wind at his back whispers in his ears, sweeping his tail against his hocks and tousling the feathers at his poll. Oh, how it tempts him, coaxing him forward; he lifts his legs at its bidding, allowing himself to be talked into moving forward to meet her attack. He canters as she gallops, as collected as she is reckless, frosty gaze as intense as is her molten one.
But she refuses to slow, and he hesitates in his stride; his mind whirs at a thousand miles a second, calculating and recalculating her movements and second-guessing again. She was behaving erratically—too erratically?—that toothy smile burning bright in his mind. He digs his heels into the ground, dipping his hindquarters low as his momentum slows to a stop—buying himself time.
Just enough time for her to veer sharply, her path curving around him in the blink of an eye. He could have sworn he saw her flash another grin as she did—and it boils his blood down to his very bones in rage.
His ears lose themselves in his crown of feathers, pinning tightly now against his skull. She’d wanted to trick him, and it had worked—but only in part. His eyes continue to follow her, icy and cold against the darkness of his face, head whipping indignantly into the air.
She draws closer and closer to his legs, threateningly so. It’s inn one fluid movement that Aion brings his head down low to the earth, using it as a lever arm to kick his hooves up and up and up, bringing them out of reach of her strike—and directly into her face, eager to feel the crack of hoof on bone. His tail is a flash of white, snapping with a near audible crack! at her eyes, all the better to blind her with.
And he can’t help but wonder in that flash of a moment: how might that pretty grin of her’s look toothless?
Summary: Aion canters collected towards her, sliding to a stop in confusion when she refuses to slow. He’s able to watch her as she pivots, and when she strikes at his hocks he dodges by bringing his own hooves up and kicking out at her face, attacking simultaneously. For good measure he throws his tail in her eyes, but he’s looking to break bones.
He was fast, she'd give him that. It surprised her, for usually she was the swiftest in play, the first to land a blow while dancing upon her neat hooves. It seemed that for once she would not be matched with a brawny warrior but one as fleet-footed as herself... and that perhaps Aion could be more of a challenge than she had first thought. As his hard hooves flicked upward (those tender bones avoiding her initial strike) she jerked her elegant head backward, the momentum from her own attack working against her even as she found ground to push off of.
Soft white hair filled her vision as she lurched backward, feeling rather than seeing her opponents hooves as they flew past her delicately boned face, scraping the side of her soft skinned cheek. There was a brief pause and then blood welled and spilled in a crimson line down her face, a thin slice of flesh missing just below her left eye. Liesel snarled, exposing bone-white teeth even as she felt her chest buoy with adrenaline and excitement — here was someone she might actually find difficult to outpace!
Wasting no time and ignoring the burning bruised feeling of the cut, Liesel leaped forward with bared teeth as she attempted to sink them deep into the Sages alabaster rump. It wasn't the most elegant move, but it would be a tough one to shake if she managed to get a good enough hold.
Aion seemed to emanate cold like body heat, the scent of brittle winter air clinging to his porcelain skin in a refreshing, clean perfume. He also seemed to give off the distinct sense of contempt, which, combined with the messy cut he'd gouged across her cheek, made attacking him considerably easier.
SPARKLING LIKE SUNSHINE
Summary: Liesel jerks her head back to avoid Aion's hooves but doesn't move quite quick enough, earning herself a slice across her left cheek. She then leaps forward to bite Aion on his fancy lil butt! ALSO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG UGH.
His timing had been perfect: snapping his hooves up from under her teeth to slam them instead into her face. Only one connects, and it is a scrape rather than a true hit, but still, still he has drawn first blood.
Oh, his satisfaction—sweet, sweet satisfaction blossoming inside of him, his heart crowing in victory.
Up until he feels the tear of her teeth, ripping into the tender flesh of his hindquarters, that is.
His smile turns into a silent snarl, a cruel grimace of pain and fury etched into the lines of his lips, pulled back to reveal his teeth. His satisfaction flees from the face of his wrath, and he swears he can feel every single one of her teeth that have made contact with his skin, ripping and tearing, blood tainting the surrounding area red.
He may have drawn blood first, but he reckons he can make her pay for this attack, as well.
Instinctually he twists his body, haunches dropping low and head rearing back like a snake in preparation for his strike. As he turns to make his move he sees her: attached to him by the pearly whites of her teeth, like a dog with its favorite bone. 'A wolf after all, perhaps?'
Lining her up in his sights, he lunges forward. His momentum breaks him free from her toothy grip, tearing away skin and flesh in the process but his mind is far from the pain now. A tight 180 performed on his hind legs points his body towards her, and like a piston he launches. All of his pent up energy is released into the singular movement: closing the distance so that he might strike and latch on not to her rump, to return the favor—but rather to catch an ear, or perhaps her neck, in his teeth. Already he's anticipating the metallic taste of blood, her blood, while rivulets of his own stain down the side of his flank.
Summary: Aion celebrates his short-lived victory with a smile, then feels her bite his rump. She hits true and draws blood, and he twists around to try to shake her off and bite down on her ear before she can get away!
Liesel grinned around the mouthful of ass and sass, golden eyes flashing as Aion turned, wrath burning within his cobalt gaze. She could feel blood beginning to ooze around her lips, each small movement her opponent made only causing further damage. His rage only served to make her more buoyant, her bright laugh threatening to break free around his satin skin even as he moved. Copper filled her dainty nostrils and Liesel peeled her velveteen lips back in distaste —
Gods, he was flexible.
Flesh tore and ripped, releasing a gush and spurt of crimson that dripped from her lips lugubriously — looking surprisingly sinister upon her dainty face. She'd never really enjoyed this part of fighting, the mess and the gore, it was better to first intimidate so that nobody wanted to fight... unfortunately that option was a little too far-fetched for the sweet faced Summer Wolf.
Too soon and almost too quickly to follow, Aion lunged, his elegant face transformed into something snarling and serpentine — but he had forgotten how swift she was, how agile. He had forgotten that, for a woman-warrior, speed became excessively important in a fight.
So she moved, her salty hair following upon the warm spring breeze as she slipped to the left, dancing swiftly out of the way of his bone-white teeth as she sang;
"Almost!"
SPARKLING LIKE SUNSHINE
Summary: Dances to the left to dodge Aion's schlick teeth ~~
Creativity: originality, imagination, and attention to detail.
Realism: mechanics and whether you accurately reflect your health and attack
Overall writing: creativity, realism, and writing mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation, run-on sentences, etc.)
FIRST POST (intro)
Really liked the emotion and description of the results from his last battle, and what brings him back to the battlefield. Nitpicks: semi-colon/colon usage, (sentence fragments). You breathe in deeply but do you -exhale- deeply?
SECOND POST
Defensive: (block) Your defense as well made sense with an easy and straightforward evasion.
Offensive: I loved this post! It was simple, but I loved his emotion and reaction to Liesel’s devious smile. Your attack was both realistic and I think with the tie in to the smile that he hates, creative as well! This post worked really well for me.
Mechanics: Change of tense (echoed vs echo), in* not inn
THIRD POST
Defensive: Again I really liked how you two are running with the “wolf” narration! Excellently done in reception of the attack and the way you described moving away from it as well, with the blood flowing down. I might have liked to see him react a little more to her bite, especially when he forcibly tears himself from her. I would have liked to see a concluding post where you could go in to how this affects him.
Offensive: This read really well for me! It felt realistic and it has a nice creative touch to it, because so often we find our characters struggling to get away from the opponent. I liked how he stayed up close and personal.
Creativity: originality, imagination, and attention to detail.
Realism: mechanics and whether you accurately reflect your health and attack
Overall writing: creativity, realism, and writing mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation, run-on sentences, etc.)
FIRST POST
Offensive: I liked that she aimed for his lower legs to try and knock him off balance, which is definitely a different opening move from normal. That being said, I find the pivot to be rather awkward and unrealistic. It would make a lot more sense to me if she had slid to a halt and kicked out with her hind legs.
Mechanics: Its*, oxford comma, “Winter”/winter, use comma instead of hyphen, father’s*, telekinesis*, “Sage”/sage, missing comma, (sentence fragments)
Notes: I really enjoyed the lead up with a little description of her background and how she carries herself. It gives me a little opening into who she is. Felt like you overused “lithe”.
SECOND POST
Defensive: Very logical response, aiming to get out of his way. I like that you included how her own attack made it more difficult to avoid his. Not sure I’d describe a scrape like that as a “bruised” feeling, though.
Offensive: The close proximity of his ass and her mouth makes this a very logical attack. I like that she takes on the wolf-like attack of “sinking her teeth in”, since the wolf is something you’ve referenced throughout the thread.
Mechanics: sage’s* not Sages
THIRD POST
Defensive: Simple yet effective dodge. Not much more to say.
Mechanics: semicolon/colon
Notes: “Ass and sass” - loved it! lol
CLOSING REMARKS:
Well done you two! This little spit between Aion and Liesel was fun to read and I'd love to see them butt heads again. I especially liked the wolf theme that you both contributed to throughout the thread. Your mechanics got way better with each post. That being said, I felt that there was more... content in the beginning. The further along you got, the more cut and dry I felt the fight was. Part of that was that I feel with the injuries they got, they both sort of.. ignored. "Ow it hurts but FIGHT ON!" I'd like to see a better reflection of how their wounds affect them. So try to keep those good mechanics and good feels/story throughout the whole thing! ^_^
Due to Liesel is no longer active, this battle auto-defaults to @Aion. Congratulations!
Because the battle was finished before Liesel's deletion, both the win and all corresponding prizes also go to Aion.
All damage taken in the thread is still applicable and cannot be retconned!
Participate in a Battle or Challenge: +1 EXP to Aion
Win a Battle: +1 additional EXP to Aion
Total EXP: +2 EXP to Aion
Aion's official experience has been updated to reflect these changes, so there's no need to post in the Experience Updates thread!
