Nightangel

D'Angelo VS Black Rose Killer (Shidenblades VS Nightangel at the Mountain Monastery, Ranked Match)

Jahar merely listened to the man's tirade, a look of amusement growing on his face as the spittle coated coins bounced at his feet. When D'Angelo finished, he shook his head with an exasperated chuckle. "I don't really care what you call yourself, and the only thing I know for sure about the Veiled-Ones is that they talk too damn much." If the man thought Jahar could be affected by mere words and gestures, he could not be more wrong. No, it took far more than that to rattle the hardened killer.

He watched his opponent unsheathe his short sword--what in the hell was that off white blade...possibly carved from bone?--and come at him, the long sword whistling through the air. While examining the shorter blade, he had missed the color change and so was unaware of the transformation, though the adamantine would likely do little to damage his own enchanted weapons. At the last moment, Jahar moved with practiced grace, his clawed left hand leaving the sword at his side to snap out and intercept the path of the blade, effectively catching it between the two center claws against the crossbar over his knuckles. A slight twist of the wrist would lock the longsword in such a way that only reversing its motion would easily free it.

Simultaneously, he raised his sword in his right hand and slashed down, the strangely gleaming blade moving in a diagonal arc that would likely hack deeply into Nicoli's arm below the shoulder should it land. Jahar knew that the angle of the attack would make the blow difficult to dodge effectively without sacrificing Nicoli's grip on his longsword, but it was certainly slower and less powerful than it would have been had he used two hands. Therefore, it would be possible to parry or block with D'Angelo's much smaller blade; in fact, Jahar was counting on it, for the moment his gleaming khopesh neared his opponents torso and head, he would with a mental command ignite its ability, producing a brilliant flash of pure blinding sunlight, accumulated over hours of absorption during the previous day. The light was bright enough to cause a momentary sensation of searing heat on any exposed skin for both combatants, though not enough to cause actual harm. The only warning Nicoli would have would be the closing of Jahar's own eyes the instant before the flash.

D'Angelo VS Black Rose Killer (Shidenblades VS Nightangel at the Mountain Monastery, Ranked Match)

The disquieting smile widened as D'Angelo easily deflected his kick; the palm strike to his ankle sent a small lance of pain up his leg and a shiver of anticipation up his spine. However, the smile fell for a moment as the assassin dropped his shadowy facade and began to circle, replaced by a flash of annoyance. Jahar straightened out of his own stance, the khopesh dropping to point at an angle toward the ground, held only in his right hand. He had been uncertain what to expect from this day, but D'Angelo's behavior somewhat surprised him. Most assassins did not particularly care why their employers chose their targets. Jahar certainly didn't; one kill was generally no better or worse than another with few exceptions. One way or another, Jahar hadn't come here to explain himself. He wanted Nicoli's full attention on the fight.

"Are you paid to question your targets then, assassin?" The killer's voice was still flat, though tinged with both displeasure and a slight mocking tone. "Or perhaps it is that the Veiled-Ones have a habit of investigating the motives of their employers." He turned slowly in place, following the movements of his circling opponent; the only indication that he was not nearly as unready as he appeared was the way he moved, weight shifted to the balls of his feet. As he turned, his empty left hand slid into the pouch hanging above his left hip sheathe, the source of one of the magical auras Nicoli had seen earlier, and grasped his Tekko-kagi, the brace of claws settling comfortably around his hand.

"I will warn you once more not to disappoint me." Jahar growled as he slid his right foot back and out, widening his stance and resuming his two handed grip on his large sword, the claw doing little to hinder him. After a moment it would be clear he was assuming the same stance Nicoli had used earlier, the Iron Gate, though whether in mockery or for utility it would be difficult to tell. "You have a contract and a target, so do what you were paid to do."

D'Angelo VS Black Rose Killer (Shidenblades VS Nightangel at the Mountain Monastery, Ranked Match)

D'Angelo's choice of response gave Jahar just enough information to begin to confirm his expectations of the Veiled-Ones. In some ways, Jahar was actually impressed; the man had used the most concise possible movement to avoid the slash while still keeping himself poised for a startlingly quick counterattack. The choice of target was also telling, attacking the most exposed part of Jahar's body instead of sacrificing speed and position to attempt a killing blow. All in all an impressive display of poise and skill in battle.

The vestiges of his unsettling smile still upon his face, the Blackvine took one step forward, placing his weight on his front right foot. He crouched his legs for the barest moment, coiling like a spring, and reversed the direction of his own sword. He swung the much heavier blade across his body in an upward arc from left to right, driving the swing with his legs and core to connect hard with Nicoli's longsword as he drove it downward before it could reach his flesh. The impact of the blow would likely have shattered lesser blades as bronze and steel connected with a dull ring, and Jahar felt the familiar sting in his hands as vibrations shook the Khopesh.

The swift counter swing was designed to push Nicoli's own sword upward, thrown away by the superior mass of the bronze khopesh, though the force with which Jahar had swung would lose him precious moments were the tattooed man to attempt to follow with another slash. Instead, Jahar pivoted on his planted right foot, using the motion of his brutal swing to turn his body, and immediately lashed out his left leg in a perfectly executed side kick.

The kick was aimed directly at Nicoli's breastbone; should it connect it would be rather painful, though likely not enough to break bones or gravely injure the man. Rather, the combination of the sword clash and kick was designed to throw Jahar's opponent off balance. The Blackvine would waste no time after executing the move, immediately bringing his left leg back beneath him and bringing his sword to bear, ready to attack or defend should his maneuver fail.

D'Angelo VS Black Rose Killer (Shidenblades VS Nightangel at the Mountain Monastery, Ranked Match)

The reply came back in the same flat but edged tone. "I've heard similar words too many times to count." Jahar's words were true; he had literally lost count of those who had tried to end him over the years. This man's outward confidence almost disheartened the murderous warrior, for such bravado was all too common from hired swords, usually with little substance behind it. Still, when combined with the reputation of the Veiled-Ones...there was something different about this one. Almost as though he were stating fact rather than boasting. Whether or not he possessed the skill to defeat Jahar was as yet unknown, but he clearly believed it so.

With a quick, scrutinizing glance, Jahar assessed his opponents stance; it was indeed a common one and one he himself had been taught early in his training. The Iron Gate provided for quick defensive maneuvers by sweeping the blade across the body, as well as for equally swift counterattacks in the form of thrusts and short slashes. Nicoli's stance was flawless, as expected. It was time to see how strong this man really was.

Without further word, Jahar raised his khopesh in a two handed grip over his right shoulder and dashed in from ten paces, gliding over the distance and mounting the platform in a series of short, powerfully graceful bounds. As he approached Nicoli, he swung the khopesh in a slicing diagonal arc beginning from the top right, the heavy sword appearing as light as a practice blade in his hands. Should Nicoli fail to defend, he would find the last six inches of bronze buried deep into his left shoulder. Clearly that would not be the case, as there were several avenues of defense available to the no doubt resourceful man. Still, which he chose would tell Jahar much about what sort of combatant he faced, and so as he attacked, he watched carefully, awaiting the man's response and likely counterattack.

D'Angelo VS Black Rose Killer (Shidenblades VS Nightangel at the Mountain Monastery, Ranked Match)

The tattooed killer continued his slow pace after leaving the stairs, moving languidly toward Nicoli as the man made his guess about who had hired his organization. He once again barked a short laugh at the man's words. "Of course I did. There's only one person bold enough to actually move against me anymore, and I doubt he'd hire outside help." Jahar shook his head with a smile. "No, I just couldn't think of a better way to make one of you show yourselves. I wonder...how deserved is the reputation of the Veiled Ones?"

The man came to a stop some twenty paces from where Nicoli stood, watching him draw his blade and make his proclamation, the veil of magical shadow slipping over the assassin's face. Jahar reached back his right hand to grasp the hilt of his own sword, skillfully unlimbering the heavy, wickedly curved blade from its oddly shaped sheathe. The moment his fingers touched the weapon, the smile upon the killer's face transformed, any hint of lightheartedness wiped away in an instant to be replaced by an almost predatory cast to his features. His one remaining natural eye glimmered with anticipation while the other only reflected a hint of silver moonlight.

When he spoke again his voice had also taken an entirely different tone, mostly flat but tinged with an edge of...hunger. "Swords it is then. Do not disappoint me, assassin. I've never taken well to disappointment."

Jahar took up the blade in a two handed grip before him and began to advance deliberately, the bronze colored khopesh glinting curiously as though reflecting nonexistent, intermittent sunlight. His movements had a liquid fluidity to them, evocative of a hunting cat stalking its prey through the underbrush. To one as skilled as Nicoli at reading stances, the complete lack of tension in Jahar's body would likely be evident.

Despite the dire threat before him, this man was completely at ease.

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@Vordak I'd still be up for doing another. Shiden and I just decided it has been too long since we threw down :) Just to be clear though I'd still like a look at a CS before we agree to anything.

D'Angelo VS Black Rose Killer (Shidenblades VS Nightangel at the Mountain Monastery, Ranked Match)

Jahar snorted a short laugh. "The Red Butcher...." He said the words slowly, as though mulling them over, as he stepped out into the moonlight, reaching up with one hand to undo the clasp of his cloak as he did. He let the heavy garment slide off his shoulders and onto the landing at the top of the broad stair. In the red tinted silver light the dried blood upon his clothing was black as the night sky itself, standing out against even the dark colored cloth. "I think I actually rather like that one."

The callous killer began his way down the steps slowly, casually, his posture oozing confidence, looking almost at home in the macabre scene. "I've been called many names, but I can assure you that I'm the man you're here to see." His lips twitched upward in a smile, as though amused by a private joke, then he gestured about himself at their surroundings. "Do you approve of my choice of location? It was far too noisy earlier in the day, but I've since remedied that."

While his attitude and demeanor were nonchalant, Jahar's eyes were intent as he descended, taking in the assassin's size and build, what equipment he could see, and noting the many small pouches upon his belt. For the hundredth time that day, a jolt of excitement coursed through him. The reputation of the Veiled Ones was impeccable, and he was curious to see if the truth lived up to the tales; surely this man would be skilled enough to sate his....appetites for a time. At least he fervently hoped so.

If Nicoli chose to continue to simply view Jahar through the lens during his descent, he would be given ample time to discern the maximum level of information regarding the various magical implements he carries before he reached the bottom of the stairs, just as he finished his question. Most prominent would likely be the auras surrounding the strange daggers hung in their odd sheathes at his hips, with somewhat less powerful auras emanating from a necklace, the sword upon his back, his belt, another oddly shaped sheathe hung above the left dagger, and of course his left eye. There would currently be no magic emanating from the Blackvine tattoos, though the moonlight was strong enough to see them clearly with the naked eye.

D'Angelo VS Black Rose Killer (Shidenblades VS Nightangel at the Mountain Monastery, Ranked Match)

A low chuckle resounded in the otherwise nearly silent antechamber that made up the first floor of the ancient monastery tower. Only moments before another sound had risen above the light whistle of the surprisingly warm spring breeze, that of a man hitting the sand outside in the courtyard and rolling to his feet.

At the back of the room a figure straightened, stretching his arms over his head languidly as though he had been sitting upon the altar from which he rose for some time. Finally. The thought was accompanied by a slight smile as stooped to pick something up from the carpeted floor at his feet and strode toward the door.

Jahar had been waiting for some time now; perhaps he had been overeager in arriving so early in the morning when assassins tended to operate at night. In the end, excitement had simply gotten the better of him. Still, he had thought that his preparation of the arena for the confrontation would have taken much longer than it had. Weren't monastic types supposed to be trained warriors? Certainly more so than these, at least, who had refused to even put up a fight.

As he neared the threshold of the antechamber, Jahar had his first look at the man who was here to take his life, standing in the sand garden only fifty paces from the bottom of the stair leading to the opening to the tower. Knowing that no eye but his could likely pierce the gloom of the room in which he stood, he simply studied his opponent for a few moments as the man looked about himself, likely appraising the new changes in decor, then put some sort of monocle to his eye and focused on the tower.

As D'Angelo studied the tower with his infrared vision, he would clearly see the body heat coming from the man standing a few paces inside the open black maw of the large opening, both double doors thrown wide. After a few moments, he would see the figure swing back his arm and throw something held in his right hand through the open orifice, merely standing and watching as it bounced down the stairs toward the sand garden.

It would quickly become clear that the spherical object was not a weapon by the awkward way it bounced and jolted; more telling were wet blotches of liquid it left behind. The severed head would hit the sand facing D'Angelo, the pale red moonlight clearly illuminating its gruesome visage. By the apparent age of the deceased, Nicoli could likely guess that this was the Abbot. His death had not been peaceful, and it appeared his left eye had been cut out and replaced by a flower blossom, still glistening wet from the ink into which it had been dipped.

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I think Shiden and I are agreed that we trust all the judges equally. Whichever of you wishes to judge the battle, we will be more than pleased to have you.

D'Angelo VS Black Rose Killer (Shidenblades VS Nightangel at the Mountain Monastery, Ranked Match)

Very nicely begun, and the arena looks great.

I'll respond as soon as we get a judge. :)

Good luck.