Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

54th of Ymiden, Arc 717

A woman sang from a hill above. The clouds converged to cover up the sun, and from those clouds came a pouring rain that lashed against his skin. The Shadowdancer sat quietly, collected, unflinching of the rain. His mind peered out into the world around him, imagining a different realm. In his mindscape, he was there in the north, the thumps of the great dragon's steps causing tremors from tens of miles away. He sat within a field, a valley, Sohr Khal circling overhead. Rain poured on him and him alone.

Before him, lain into the dirt, was his spear. Shadowsong. A head of Terrendyte, a shaft of brilliant Beryllium Emerald covered by a thin layer of light oaken wood. A masterwork weapon, made of some of the greatest materials known. His weapon -- an extension of his body. In his mindscape, his eyes opened, and he stared upon the object as it laid plunged into the dirt. He stared upon the chromatic, silvery emerald shade that gleamed in the light, as well as the white that faded into a black-indigo gleam.

The master's voice resounded throughout his head -- his eyes opened, not the ones contained to imagery within his daydreaming mind, but the eyes he bore to look upon a foe.

"Alistair," the man called upon him. "Open your eyes," he whispered.

"Keanu," the apprentice replied. "I've come to realize something, this arc alone. The majesty of life is not of mastering the world, but allowing for the world to master you. I have never felt greater than in the arms of my beloved, flesh upon flesh, a union ordained long before I came into this world; and more, pelted by the rain, touched by the wind. I've come to find myself in the reflections left in the puddles, the shimmering steel, the panels of glass." He set his back to the wet grass, his eyes staring openly into the clouds, nebulous colors running across the surface of the spheres from which he saw all things.

"And who are you, Alistair?" the master asked.

"I am a Vistant," he began, "not a human, not divine. I am a facet of space, where the laws of nature become malleable and infinite. I am a singularity, a vessel for the fabric from which our realm exists. I am not human - I am a door, one that leads anywhere, and touches anything. The other side, the realm I lead into, is infinite. Would you like to see, Keanu Ki'Lozdara?" he asked, standing from his meditation. The man, perplexed, nodded his head.

And then it started - Alistair's hands held out, and then all movements ceased. He no longer even appeared to breathe. A blackness swelled from the center of his body, and a fire-like gradient swirled around it. The master, utterly confused, feared stepping into the darkness - but determined that he would. On the other side, his eyes witnessed leagues and miles before him; he'd been sent to stand atop a great mountain overlooking the realm. Below, he could see Alistair no longer unmoving with a black pit swelling from his chest, but instead waving as a mere spec hundreds of meters beneath him.

The mage joined him, blinking to the top of that hill; his ears felt the change in altitude, plugging momentarily as he rose.

"Hundreds of miles away, I could send you. To the top of the Pillars to the east, or along the Nosgorn waters to the southwest. To a land where the sun has risen or the sun has set, or where the people dwell in the streets brawling like beasts or fanning themselves in the summer heat whilst their servants bow at their wake. I have always wondered what it would be like to live outside of time, outside of places and things. Some time ago, I learned."

He was no man, indeed. The master acknowledged this, and his eyes narrowed. Confusion. How had the mage not demonstrated this talent by now? He kept his abilities naught but latent, quiet, unseen. Perhaps he did not wish to offer himself a skewed advantage. He wanted to dance with the shadows with steps and spins, rather than leaps and bounds across distance, propelling himself at a speed only time could decree. Whatever the case, it was time to test him.

"Alistair, you are a Shadowdancer, in earnest," he said, nodding his head. "You have become something else - the art has introduced you to your real self. It is through the art that you learned of your place within this world, and even the canvas this world has been painted across. In terms of the mindset, you are perhaps more of a master than I. But there is something else you must know," he stated, pulling his spear from its place tied along his back. Alistair had picked up Shadowsong from the dirt, and wielded it in one hand.

Twirling the spear along his fingers, he then gripped it firmly and pointed it at the mage. "You must dance as you are, not as who you wish to be. Tie your magic into the art -- do not solely rely on the physical, forever, if there is more you have to offer. Remember, this style is one of lethality and effectiveness, not showmanship. If you can dance better with a few magical bursts within your step, then all the better," he explained. Alistair noticed - he was no longer wielding his practice spear. It was the black weapon he'd seen before, rivaling his own weapon in the greatness of its craft. A monumental weapon, fit to be passed on across generations and histories.

"Fight me at earnest, Alistair. I know you have underestimated your own ability in the fights we had before. You do not imagine that you can compete with a Shadowdancing master -- but you can do more than compete. In truth, I am not even a challenger, am I?" he asked, observantly. The mage did not know. He had never fully relied on himself -- always, his minions came into the fray, or some other thing. Learning to fight like this had been an incredible thing, though he was not entirely sure how well he'd fare when all bets came off.

Keanu was incredibly skilled. But then... so was he.

"Alright," the man replied, raising Shadowsong and gripping it with a second hand. "Keanu, the Shadow, versus..." he paused, unsure of what to call himself, his eyes narrowing as he thought of a proper name.

"Alistair the Sunless," the master called him. "As a Shadowdancer, I fight in the image cast by my foes, falling to their blindsides and weak points to press my advantage. As Sunless, you do not rely on shadows at all, but instead dominate on your superior mobility. Everywhere for the enemy is their shadow; every movement is an opening, a weakness. You can become the greatest Shadowdancer of all. Show me."

Fight, with magic at his disposal. That was the command. Become Sunless, approach the skill of a master by laying on arcana. He would do this, and he would win. He remembered the moves his master had taught him - Scorpion Sting, Shadow Sweep. There were more. What were they?

Rapid Swing, his mentor's words repeated in his head. Keanu had told him of it, yet he had not taught him. Alistair, upon their duel, made a request.

"Show me the next skill. Don't go easy." With those words, his master nodded, and he got into battle stance. So too did Alistair, though his legwork wasn't perfect, and he knew. Spreading out his legs somewhat evenly and holding his spear in both hands, he took a breath. The master jumped from the ground and began to spin mid-air, doing singular three-sixty degree turns with each jump, feet meeting the ground time after time. Alistair observed, and decided that he would dance with him, attempting to do the same. It was incredibly difficult, and certainly acrobatic, but after a time he managed the spinning turns with only few faults.

"This is how we warm up - we become fluid, we twist and turn. Now, Rapid Swing," he nodded. Pulling back his spear, the master looked Alistair dead in the eye. In an incredibly quick motion, he swiped the spear horizontally, seeking to slash across Alistair's armor and into his chest. The mage backstepped, though he was followed by an incredibly vicious and hastened thrust of the spear, Keanu's body turning with the motion. The spear shot out far to attempt to impale him -- the motion would have killed virtually anyone else, were they not Alistair, who splintered the head of the spear and nimbly managed to elude the rest.

He lunged his own spear forward quickly, throwing his strength into it and thrusting against the body of Keanu's weapon. He managed to hit the weapon, and while he did not disarm its wielder, the thrust caused for his enemy to recoil. While Keanu stepped back and attempted to keep his balance, Alistair swiped once himself, performing the Rapid Swing - he caught the beginnings of Keanu's armor, before lunging forward, nearly burying the spearhead into the man's chest . . . had he not gotten back onto his feet, slid forward and kicked Alistair off of his balance. As Alistair fell, he brought his spear down to impale him, though the mage quickly rolled his body out of the way, spinning on the floor.

He threw himself standing with the strength of his legs, and patted wet grass off his chest. Alistair took a breath.

"Now, Snakebite!" the Biqaj exclaimed, leaping off of the ground and attempting to lunge into Alistair as he recovered. The jump was fast, and the spear quickly came near his body, with the force of Keanu's descent only further increasing its lethality. If Alistair did not successfully evade this, he would die. In response, he blinked behind Keanu, and swiped horizontally with his spear. While he restrained the swipe, the mage managed to cut into the calves of the master, sending him plummeting onto the floor.

The man cried out in pain, blood soaking the blades of grass. He... actually won. Had this been a duel to the death, he could have used Snakebite now and finished him.

"Snakebite - a leap into a powerful lunge. A finishing move, where one throws their spear if the opponent manages to dodge," he recalled, nodding his head.

"Trying to kill me, Master Ki'Lozdara?" he questioned, and the man shook his head no.

"I am trying to harden you, Alistair. You nobles fight with practice swords and lances that do little more than splinter wood. To truly learn the fight, every session must be a battle, one of life and death."