• Memory • The Three Handed Battle-Axe (Balth)

[Alora]

7th of Cylus 718

On arriving in Yaralon, nearly two decades ago, Alora had been disappointed to learn that studios and schools dedicated to practicing the unarmed arts were scarce to be found. In fact, it was often considered taboo to forgot weapons. She had had to invest in a mace early on, after being accosted by some doddering old human that thought to make her his wife. She’d put him in his place easily, with just her unarmed expertise, yet the point was made. Yaralon was no place for the hand-to-hand artist.

So she’d languished for a few arcs from her arrival, until she learned of the Three-Handed Battle-axe. It was an inn of sorts, or at least that was the front for it. In fact, inside, was a veritable treasure trove of unarmed experts and masters. There she could learn all forms, from all across Idalos, as well as pit her own knowledge against theirs.

The only hitch, was that one was expected to whore oneself out to the people they engaged in combat. Given Yaralon’s attitude toward the unarmed, and unarmed combat, the Battle-axe was as much about orgies and sex as it was about unarmed combat.

Alora had dragged another unfortunate to the Battle-axe that Cylus night. As it happened, he was another defier. On learning his talents, she was instantly intrigued, being only a novice in the magical arts thus far. She’d only recently discovered her abilities, and so was on the constant lookout for one who might fill in the gaps of her knowledge. His name was Balthazar.

She led him by the collar, sending flirty glances back at him occasionally to egg him on the path to the Battle-axe.

Soon enough, they found their way to it's doorway, and shortly inside, where it was not all that crowded. Just a few other people fighting and in various states of undress. Odd for Cylus. Nevertheless, that meant more quality time for the both of them, and less in the way of ‘tribute’ to any interlopers who might want their piece of the action. Alora had to admit she was more in the mood to further her knowledge and practice fighting than to have a bit of 'fun' the Yari way.

[Balthazar Black]

“”

7 Cylus 718

Balthazar had spent the majority of his time in Yaralon thus far trying to meet people. He was looking mostly for people who could ultimately be used as sources of information because he'd learned early on in life that it was a good idea to know how to find things out in any place you were going to stay for a while. That way you could catch wind of potentially dangerous rumors before they spread. Life as a mage was not always an easy one but in Yaralon it seemed a little more manageable at least.

It was his hope to meet people that lead him to Alora and that same desire which drove him to accept the proposal to go to the Battle-axe. He didn't know what the place was because he'd never really looked into fighting groups in Yaralon, let alone the very, very specific type that this group was. Alora seemed kind enough and was a defier just like him. That was all the motivation he really needed to go with her. The idea of practicing his magic almost always was enough to draw him somewhere.

But as Adora lead him by the collar and sent back occasional glances Balthazar began to wonder if perhaps he should have done just a little more intelligence gathering about the Battle-axe. He couldn't deny that the way she looked at him made him think thoughts he ought not be thinking on the way to a sparring match. It was something about how her eyes shined like flames. His spark seemed to like it and his spark was a pretty solid wingman for anyone trying to sleep with Balthazar.

When they arrived at the Battle-axe, Balthazar's suspicions were confirmed as he found various individuals in several different states of undress but they were indeed brawling... at least most of them. Some of them looked like they were having too much fun practicing grappling. "So this is the Battle-axe. Nice place. Good design." Balthazar said somewhat awkwardly as he looked around. "What do you want to practice first?"

[Alora]

"Yes, the Three Hander. Can't say the Yari don't have a sense of humor, even when it comes to their taboos." Three-Hander being a reference to adultery and whores. A battle-axe having no room for more than two hands on it, afterall.

"It's nice and spacious in here, isn't it, just a bit chilly. You might want to warm up."

"I think we'll be practicing some unarmed first. Have you ever heard of Feris Tenebris? It's the art of my people. I'm pretty good at punching and kickshooting. But I always try to find an opportunity to improve. Even while using weapons, your feet and at least elbows are available for attacking."

That said, Alora turned her back to Balthazar after they'd settled themselves in a more secluded corner of the Battle-Axe. She rubbed her hands together, trying to generate heat in her joints. Calling to her favored element of fire, she generated just enough for a hot blast, which sent the air upwards through her fingers and up her arms. It had become a common practice of hers to indulge in this cantrip before a serious bout of exercise. She was expecting nothing less here.

She turned around and gave Balthazar a large, bright smile, walking up to him. She smiled at him a few seconds more, and then threw her fist at his face, using force adequate enough to hit someone that might've been behind Balthazar.

Whether it hit, she'd proceed to sweep his legs out from under him with a kick.

[Balthazar Black]

“”

7 Cylus 718

Balthazar nodded to Alora when she suggested he warm up and began a stretching routine he'd learned arcs ago that he could only really remember the basics of. He folded at his waist while standing and stretched his legs. He bent at the side and stretched his side. The boring stuff. Then he bounced back and forth a little on his feet to get his blood flowing. He didn't have much practice with unarmed combat but he knew that moving felt right. His Rupture spark was likely to blame for that. As well as his little zone of motion awareness that he would soon be very grateful for.

"I admit I've never heard of it but the versatility sounds impressive." Balthazar didn't mention that is also sounded slightly intimidating. Only just a little. Alora sent a small burst of fire into the air and Balthazar looked at his own hands. He considered doing the same to prepare his ether but instead brought his hand in a circle in front of himself as if he was gently turning a wheel. As he did a small breeze kicked up around him and Balthazar smiled. Alora had thought it chilly in the Battle Axe, Balthazar had thought it too hot.

When Alora approached, Balthazar wasn't entirely sure if she meant to tell him something or begin the training. Her smile was deceptive which Balthazar realized when he sensed her fist rising. He jerked his head to the right of her fist but then he sense her leg moving in. He tried to avoid it but she was faster and swept his legs from underneath him. His back smacked into the ground but then Balthazar quickly rolled away from Alora. He sort of writhed on the ground for a moment once he had the distance- the fall had stung- but then he pushed his palms onto the ground and coaxed the earth to soften. He scooped some of the soften earth into his hands and then coaxed it to form into gloves around them and harden. Yet that likely took all the time he had before Alora could reach him.

[Alora]

She didn't have long to celebrate the man's fall, as her sweep took him down, before he was rolling away, out of reach of a hammerheel kick that she brought to the muddy dirt of the floor. In truth she was surprised at the adeptness with which he evaded her first punch, her first strike. Impressed even. Not many could last a second with a Naer before finding themselves facedown in the dirt. But he'd gone a good five seconds, at least.

After he rolled away, then began pushing himself to stand, she watched with growing intrigue as the man grabbed handfuls of muddy earth. Instead of throwing them at her, however, as she would've expected, he formed them around his fists as makeshift gauntlets, dancing the mud and hardening it into what she would presume were functional gauntlets. She grinned at this trick.

The pause she'd given to him was considerable enough for him to find his feet before she could launch an attack of her own. Despite that, she made similar elemental preparations of her own. With a call to the element of air, she brought about a dancing of the air around her body. The air would dance about her body, dampening blows and giving way to her movements, making it easier for her to move yet slightly harder to hit.

She knelt near to the ground, grabbing her own handful of earth. Instead of making a set of rock knuckles, however, she waited for Balthazar to make the first move. If he did, she would throw that handful of dirt into his eyes, its trajectory bolstered by the dancing air, and begin an attempt at offensive pummeling with her feet against his shins.

[Balthazar Black]

“”

7 Cylus 718

Balthazar was surprised to find that Alora hadn't pressed the attack on him and he was too young at the time to realize that he should have stayed back and waited for her to come at him. He saw the air dancing around her and thought too much of it and not enough of the dirt in her hands. The price of his foolishness was his eyes. Balthazar charged in to attack and the dirt hit their mark. He shut his eyes quickly and move his forearm to wipe the dirt away but a moment later he felt Alora pushing in on him. Even blind, the Rupture mage saw movement.

He didn't know what to do at first- he'd just been blinded and was acting entirely on his sort of sixth sense but it was giving him an oddly more complete image than his eyes. He saw Alora entirely because she was entirely in motion. Her first few kicks landed on Balthazar's shins as intended but he got wise to the attack quickly. The pummeling hurt a bit and would only hurt more if he let it continue. He let one connect, then another while feigning blindness, then he suddenly lashed out with a jab towards her right shoulder which he intended to follow with a kick to the inside of her left knee and a shove to create some distance.

[Alora]

Time of Day/Night: Evening
Weapons: Unarmed Combat
Armor: Casual Clothing

Injuries: Bruised r-shoulder and sprained l-knee.
Illness: Battlelust
Ether Reserves: Slightly exhausted

Emboldened by the success of her pummeling offensive, Alora wasn't expecting that his counterattacks would be quite as accurate as they turned out to be. Balthazar first jabbed her right shoulder, which sent her latest attack off balance, while also hurting like a demon. THe next moment he was kicking the back of her left knee, which sent her kneeling to the ground. Finally, he shoved off of her, to give himself some distance from her.

"That was well done." Alora said, wiping some dust off of her shoulder as she knelt on the ground, "you fight well without the use of your eyes."

It took her a few moments to recover her senses, but when she did, she Caressed her feet with the essence of earth, making them heavier to strengthen her stance. This done, she pushed off with her legs to resume the offensive.

Her movements weren't as swift as she was accustomed to, and so was forced to deal with the added weight of earth-imbued boots. Thus she relied on her fists for her offense, while leaving her legs to defend against any attacks to her lower body.

Her arm shot out into a hook punch, which would be followed up by a straight elbow aimed at his jaw. Then she tried bringing her other arm around to deliver a hook down to his belly, to try and knock the wind out of Balthazar.

All the while, her legs and knees were prepared and set to interject against any counterattacks he might launch with his legs and feet. She didn't notice it yet, but her left knee was beginning to crack and develop a sprain. Adrenaline purged the pain out of her, however.

[Balthazar Black]

“”

7 Cylus 718

"Only so long as you stay close." Balthazar admit foolishly. He didn't consider that providing her with that information would give her some insight to his limitations. He had only thought of it as idle chat for the few moments before she came to strike at him again. As she caressed the essence of earth to her legs, Balthazar wiped the dirt from his eyes and put himself into a readied position. He tried to take a quick mental inventory of his pains but before he could Alora came in close again.

Balthazar wasn't skilled enough to notice that she was moving slower than she had been before because it still seemed like she closed the distance surprisingly quickly however he did notice her earthen boots briefly before he sensed her fist coming towards him. He brought his right forearm up and coaxed the earth on his fist down to his forearm so that Alora's arm would strike against the hardening rock. Unfortunately the coaxing had taken so much of his focus that he did not notice her elbow coming in until it connected with his jaw. The hit dazed Balthazar slightly and so he was unable to block the follow up that did in fact knock the air from his lungs.

Balthazar doubled over and coughed as he backed away slightly. A bit passed and he waved for Alora to attack again despite the fact he was still doubled over and breathing heavily. He had some idea of what to do next, and part of it was playing possum.

[Alora]

Alora strode with confidence toward Balthazar, where she'd laid him out. This was all part of the give and take of unarmed combat, especially the variant that was celebrated in Yaralon. Alora was no stranger to Yari culture, and thus had come to embrace the erotic overtones of the open hand. She did a cartwheel toward the fallen warrior, and then plopped down, stradling his torso. Her hands were rested on his chest, gently, without force.

She'd gone from aggressive and punishing to soft and gentle. It might've come as a bit of a strange switch-up to Balthazar. Tourists, and people who had no idea what it meant to fight without weapons were taken aback by this unusual perspective toward hand to hand combat.

Nevertheless, as Alora had dominated her opponent, she took it upon herself to lord it over him. She leaned in to kiss Balthazar, beginning with the nape of his neck, and working her way up his chin, his jawline, then finding his lips.

Her hands stretched and searched over his chest, as she took her exploration further, seeking underneath the cloth of his shirt. There she found purchase in his flesh with the claws of her fingertips.

Pain compounded with pleasure, that was both a Yaralon value as well as a Naerrik value. Something that she'd always and often been at home with, since making Yaralon her home.

Her clawed hands trailed upwards and around his neck, as she pushed herself onto him. Lovingly she wiped the dirt from his eyes, and grinned down at his handsome, yet battle-battered face.

"You're such a good fighter." She said, putting on her best attempt at Yari pillow talk.

[Balthazar Black]

7 Cylus 718

Balthazar did not expect such a sudden end to the conflict at hand but it was not the last time something like this would happen to him. In Yaralon it happened too frequently. He was going to strike when she neared him but when Alora mounted Balthazar- and he could tell there was little offensive intent given that she didn't knee or otherwise injure him in the process- his body tensed. He squirmed for just a moment before easing into the fact she'd mounted and by extension taken control of the action. There was nothing he could do from the bottom... or at least nothing he was intent on doing while she mounted him.

He thought she meant to bite him when she leaned in but instead soft lips graced his neck, his jawline, his chin, and then his lips. His body felt like it might melt into the floor and when her lips met his he found himself trying to lift his head to remain connected only for them to ultimately be pulled apart. He could understand the passion of the Yari better now than before. He could feel how close together the desire to fight and to fornicate were in his mind as Alora straddled him. Her hands wandered curiously beneath his shirt and then suddenly her nails dug into his flesh. The pain was sudden but enjoyable in a way Balthazar was unfamiliar with. The pain spread through him like a chill enhancing the softest of her touches and the more firm.

Balthazar's hands found their way to Alora's waist while her hands trailed up to his neck. His thumbs traced the skin beneath her shirt while the rest of his hand held her by the waist but he did not push them further beneath her clothing than that. They were a suggestion, and option he dared not explore yet. Alora wiped the dirt from his eyes and said what Balthazar felt was almost a joke given the positions they found themselves in.

"And I've yet to meet one who can hit as hard as you." He replied in a cool tone, doing what he could to mask the fact he didn't have brawls take this turn often.