A Lesson or Two

[Taoofbalance]

Honor, chivalry, a fair fight? None of these truly mattered to Zhent, to him there was only one goal and that goal is to survive. It didn’t matter how you won, after all, it was the winners of wars who made the history and it was the winners of fights that told the stories.

So, Zhent felt no remorse as he tracked his target down the busy streets of the city. His target was an elf by the name of Theilius but beyond that the treasure hunter turned bounty hunter had no knowledge of his quarry. Had Zhent been a tactician he was sure he could of learned something from watching him, but he wasn’t and tactics had never really been a strong point of his.

Like the elements he wielded Zhent was brash, ferocious, and lethal and once he started there was no warm up, no ‘feeling’ out his opponent there was only one mode, survival. Reckless as he might have been Zhent didn’t want the blood of innocents on his hands. Or at least he didn’t want to kill people he wasn’t being paid to, it made sense to him in a twisted sort of way.

Better get this done quick. Zhent lamented as he pulled a dagger from his belt, charging it with both electric and fire mana. “See ya.” He said calmly, though his voice would be lost in the hustle and bustle of daily city life.

Propelled by my nothing more than magic the mana charged dagger zipped through the air at it’s target, Theilius’s back, and upon contact, assuming it made contact, the dagger would explode sending bits and pieces of super heated and electrified shrapnel into his back though the explosion itself would very likely kill if it struck directly.

[Admiral Catt]

Theilius felt a sudden change in the air currents behind him, an unnatural disturbance surging forward, and turned. Theilius was too slow, though; he had barely caught a glimpse of a metallic projectile behind him before a powerful explosion knocked him off his feet and sent him skidding across the road. He gritted his teeth, leaped to his feet and cast off his robe dramatically, preparing for battle. If it hadn't been for his belt's wards, that explosion would have killed him.

Damn! That was close... thought Theilius. He pulled a sai from his belt and gripped it tightly in his left hand. As was the custom in his family, Theilius had made himself shirtless to show that he was unafraid. Tattoos of Elf language characters covered his body, especially his arms. He searched the chaotic crowd for anyone suspicious, or not running away. Then he saw one; the man had several daggers on his person, and a sheathed sword -- though he doubted it would stay that way for long.

Theilius smiled as he saw the heat-distorted air around Zhent calmed, and sprinted toward his target. He angled slightly to the right in order to attack with his sai. As he neared the would-be assassin he lunged forward, sai held in reverse grip. He would slash at Zhent's chest and when that failed, as Theilius doubted such a stealthy warrior would fall for it, he would perform a handspring off his right hand and deliver a kick to the man's jaw with his heel as he somersaulted. In the aftermath of this attack Theilius would assume a defensive stance and more than likely draw his second sai.

[Taoofbalance]

Another one down, another paycheck to ….He’s still alive? Zhent stared in disbelief as the elf warrior pulled himself him relatively unphased by the attack. Well that’s interesting.

The crowd rushed away from the spot women were screaming and babies were crying, it was all very annoying to Zhent. He pulled another dagger from his belt and smirked all-knowingly as his target came rushing towards him.

I’ll get him this time.

Zhents dagger went out to the side to block the dagger. “Really, such a simple tacti….” His words were lost as the heel of Theilius’s boot stamped across the side of his face and sending him right back on his ass.

“Ouch. You son of a bitch…” Zhent mumbled as he rubbed his chin with one hand and still holding the dagger in the other. He pulled himself up, looked at the dagger and slid it back into his belt. Zhent wasn’t very good with weapons anyways, his true skilled was in magic.

Fire rose up around Zhent than, almost as an after though it reflected is mood, his anger. “I don’t know how you survived that last attack, but trust me friend, you are not going to live through the next one.”

Zhent began to take steps backwards as he drew on his mana, focusing the energy to prepare for the upcoming battle. It was something he should have done earlier though he lacked the foresight to see there actually being a battle, everyone else always died when he put an exploding dagger in their back. Why did this man have to be so difficult?

[Admiral Catt]

"I'm not one for banter..." Theilius said, his voice level. His body was relaxed aside from his legs, which were bent and tense as he prepared to pounce. While Theilius may have been projecting total calm, his eyes burned with rage. How dare this man attack him, the king of an Elf tribe? Even if Theilius wasn't killed in this engagement, his people would be in an uproar and wage war upon this man's nation.

"...however, if you want to make the mistake of distracting yourself, be my guest," he finished. With that he grinned smugly and drew his second sai. Theilius twirled them around dramatically, for what seemed like mere showing off. In reality, he was calling the winds around him, creating a small vortex around each of his forearms.

Unwisely, he sprinted to his right, attempting to flank Zhent from Zhent's left. He would throw a powerful left hook, sai still gripped with the blade running across the outside of his wrist. Theilius had not thought to bend his wrist sufficiently in order to cut Zhent, but the punch would still do damage. If Zhent blocked the punch with fire, the vortex would suck it up or disperse it. If Zhent blocked physically, Theilius would be able to propel himself into a vertical flight and dodge a counterattack from any daggers-turned-projectile. The use of the magic was, however, taking its toll. While in use, Theilius could feel his strength draining; if normally his punch would easily shatter one's jaw, now it would be fortunate if it did anything but give a black eye.

And then, there was always the chance that a magical attack would thwart Theilius' entire plan.