1st Trial, Ashan, 719a
Volta, South-West of Rharne
Sunrise
Volta, South-West of Rharne
Sunrise
He couldn't kill them, and that limited him. His eyes were unused to the suns, the brightness, the burning in his retinas, and this required time to adjust to. They were unknown to him and he needed scant moments to know what they were capable of, but those moments would be painful, if instructional. Finally, he'd known since the previous night that this would be more than just a fight: it was to be demonstration and warning, both. He needed to show these people he was not a soft touch for the voyage home; a timid traveler who could be pushed around. So he'd need to stretch it out... and that meant taking a beating.
All of these things were true, and they played their part. But Kasoria just wasn't willing to admit that, maybe, he was just getting old, too.
Not that it matters now.
It didn't. Whatever leash he kept over his self-control, he cut it off and threw it away as he hurtled towards the two men. His leg throbbed and his face sent shards of pain into his brain with every movement, every breath, but he could ignore it. He'd survived far, far worse than them. He'd been tortured and stabbed, shot and burned, sliced and drowned. Yet there he was, a thousand leagues from home and still stubbornly refusing to die. A pair of cocky sellswords weren't about to change that.
Especially not now I have your number, lads.
He knew they liked to hit him at once, from the flanks, so he came in fast and to the side. Shaz was the hardest mark, as far as he'd been able to tell, so that who he went with first. The two younger men were still recovering from their surprise when they reacted, Kasoria almost upon them, and Shaz immediately retaliated with a right-left combo-
-the former thudded uselessly against Kasoria's left forearm, and before the second could even land-
CRACK
-his right elbow swung into Shaz's face with a sound like an ax handle smacking against a tree trunk. The watching crew made that unmistakable "oooooh" sound of feigned, sympathetic pain as Shaz went reeling back-
-into Raader's path, stopping the kick-boxer from launching his own counter-attack. He pushed his comrade away with a snarl, seeking the little cunt that had vanished behind his stumbling partner-
-only to reappear as a whirling figure of leather and sweaty, bloody flesh, spinning around and aiming for a high kick-
he'd duck it, he's not stupid, but he still doesn't think much of you
-that Raader ducked under, but the little man didn't stop, he just kept spinning, only now it was lower, wounded leg screaming and he screamed along with it, drowning it out, numbing the pain with feral blood-lust as his second kick came in so low his foot almost scraped the deck as he-
-swept Raader's ankles from under him and knocked him onto his back, just like he'd been mere trills before. Surprise and incredulity did more to keep the sellsword down there than pain, disbelief that he'd been felled by such a combination, and just as Kasoria braced himself for a finisher-
-Shaz came in from the side with a bloody bellow, cracked cheekbone and scarlet lips making him a daemons mask as he launched a flurry of punches at the smaller man-
-who wasn't even in the same air to feel them. He stepped back with every punch, body swaying left and right and back as he did, not allowing a single blow to land on him. Until his back hit the railing at the edge of the deck, the crew around it clearing the way for the two fighters. Grunting, wide-eyed Shaz kept punching, kept up the pressure, knowing the little bastard had nowhere to go and now he was trapped-
And you're far away from your friend, too. Mistake, that.
Shaz reared back for another punch and Kasoria was already lunging forwards, one-two combination of short, vicious punches slamming into his chest like a hammer, stunning him-
-left forearm coming up to knock away the shaky punch-
-right hand snapping up and around the back of the kid's neck, yanking him close down into a clinch, almost bending him over-
Shaz's whole visual world became the blurry, sweaty, stinking skin of Kasoria's chest as he was held tight and fast. He had about half a trill to get mad about this before he saw the little man's knee snap up-
CRACK
CRACK
CRUNCH
Three time. Twice into his stomach, the third time between his legs. The first couple were enough to make his eyes flash and swim with pain; the last killed his legs and sent him sinking down to the ground. But still he raised his arms, trying to fight back-
-only Kasoria was no longer there. He let go of his neck and instead sidestepped, bringing both hands to the back of his head-
CRACK
-and swung his hips as hard as his shoulders, smashing Shaz's face into the wooden railing of the main deck. Even the hardier members of the crew looked away with a wince and some vague, likely religious hand movement of protection. A handful of teeth skittered and splashed into the water below, and Shaz sunk down to the deck with glassy eyes. Behind him, and already back in Kasoria's vision, Raader was on his feet. The smaller, older, lighter man grinned as he saw a fresh face atop that lean, hard body. No confidence this time. Just anger warring with fear, as the ruse was cast aside and brutal reality was made clear to him in the shattered form of his barely-conscious friend.
"Lesse how good y'are on yer own, mate."
All of these things were true, and they played their part. But Kasoria just wasn't willing to admit that, maybe, he was just getting old, too.
Not that it matters now.
It didn't. Whatever leash he kept over his self-control, he cut it off and threw it away as he hurtled towards the two men. His leg throbbed and his face sent shards of pain into his brain with every movement, every breath, but he could ignore it. He'd survived far, far worse than them. He'd been tortured and stabbed, shot and burned, sliced and drowned. Yet there he was, a thousand leagues from home and still stubbornly refusing to die. A pair of cocky sellswords weren't about to change that.
Especially not now I have your number, lads.
He knew they liked to hit him at once, from the flanks, so he came in fast and to the side. Shaz was the hardest mark, as far as he'd been able to tell, so that who he went with first. The two younger men were still recovering from their surprise when they reacted, Kasoria almost upon them, and Shaz immediately retaliated with a right-left combo-
-the former thudded uselessly against Kasoria's left forearm, and before the second could even land-
CRACK
-his right elbow swung into Shaz's face with a sound like an ax handle smacking against a tree trunk. The watching crew made that unmistakable "oooooh" sound of feigned, sympathetic pain as Shaz went reeling back-
-into Raader's path, stopping the kick-boxer from launching his own counter-attack. He pushed his comrade away with a snarl, seeking the little cunt that had vanished behind his stumbling partner-
-only to reappear as a whirling figure of leather and sweaty, bloody flesh, spinning around and aiming for a high kick-
he'd duck it, he's not stupid, but he still doesn't think much of you
-that Raader ducked under, but the little man didn't stop, he just kept spinning, only now it was lower, wounded leg screaming and he screamed along with it, drowning it out, numbing the pain with feral blood-lust as his second kick came in so low his foot almost scraped the deck as he-
-swept Raader's ankles from under him and knocked him onto his back, just like he'd been mere trills before. Surprise and incredulity did more to keep the sellsword down there than pain, disbelief that he'd been felled by such a combination, and just as Kasoria braced himself for a finisher-
-Shaz came in from the side with a bloody bellow, cracked cheekbone and scarlet lips making him a daemons mask as he launched a flurry of punches at the smaller man-
-who wasn't even in the same air to feel them. He stepped back with every punch, body swaying left and right and back as he did, not allowing a single blow to land on him. Until his back hit the railing at the edge of the deck, the crew around it clearing the way for the two fighters. Grunting, wide-eyed Shaz kept punching, kept up the pressure, knowing the little bastard had nowhere to go and now he was trapped-
And you're far away from your friend, too. Mistake, that.
Shaz reared back for another punch and Kasoria was already lunging forwards, one-two combination of short, vicious punches slamming into his chest like a hammer, stunning him-
-left forearm coming up to knock away the shaky punch-
-right hand snapping up and around the back of the kid's neck, yanking him close down into a clinch, almost bending him over-
Shaz's whole visual world became the blurry, sweaty, stinking skin of Kasoria's chest as he was held tight and fast. He had about half a trill to get mad about this before he saw the little man's knee snap up-
CRACK
CRACK
CRUNCH
Three time. Twice into his stomach, the third time between his legs. The first couple were enough to make his eyes flash and swim with pain; the last killed his legs and sent him sinking down to the ground. But still he raised his arms, trying to fight back-
-only Kasoria was no longer there. He let go of his neck and instead sidestepped, bringing both hands to the back of his head-
CRACK
-and swung his hips as hard as his shoulders, smashing Shaz's face into the wooden railing of the main deck. Even the hardier members of the crew looked away with a wince and some vague, likely religious hand movement of protection. A handful of teeth skittered and splashed into the water below, and Shaz sunk down to the deck with glassy eyes. Behind him, and already back in Kasoria's vision, Raader was on his feet. The smaller, older, lighter man grinned as he saw a fresh face atop that lean, hard body. No confidence this time. Just anger warring with fear, as the ruse was cast aside and brutal reality was made clear to him in the shattered form of his barely-conscious friend.
"Lesse how good y'are on yer own, mate."
