BogMod/LuZhinDreams3
"Fists of Shattered Flames!" The warcry cut out through the open air under a bright burning sun. A great slab of grey stone in an otherwise featureless island in the west. One of the many islands dredged from the deep with Solar magic it was an ideal place to practice the deadly and powerful exalted combat maneuvers of the Solars. The one who had cried this out was a dark skinned with hair the colour of the morning sun. She wore a simple fighting gi of crisp white and she made slow punches into the air before her, like her powerful arms could barely push through the air. It was not however air they pushed against but essence and as the punches finished essence bonds she had focused in her fists snapped and torrents of broken essence that burned like fire shot out from her fists.
These blasts burned gouges into the stone floor and where they struck great 20 yard wide craters erupted from the force of the blasts. Her long hair was kept in a single dark braid which she tossed over her shoulder with a flip of her hair as she stood and regarded the half dozen smoking holes in the ground. The once clear air filled with dust and smoke and the mark of the Dawn Caste shining bright on her brow. She spun suddenly as seeming to materialize from thin air another woman was behind her. Bearing the Sunflame with its head unleashed this other woman stabbed down at the Solar. She struck with that fist and met the tip of the Sunflame with her essence laced hand and blocked the blow to hold the other woman up in midair a moment before a sudden whirling kick caught the the spearuser and sent her tumbling away. She rolled and hopped to her feet and stared back at the Dawn caste, the mark of the Night caste visable on the other woman's brow.
"That is a new one! I see now why they call you the Queen of the Fire Legions!" The staff wielder called out. The Fire Legions were a special group of the Southern Military of the Realm. They were shock troops specializing in rappid advancement, fortification and unit destroying power, with a heavy emphasis on essence weaponry and the use of ranged charms to soften foes before a breaking melee assault. To their credit no enemy had ever held their ground against them when they launched their melee assault. It had been however 130 years since they last saw combat fighting a sudden surge of forgotten creations left by the Primordials below the earth. She was dressed in enchanted leathers. Supple enough to provide complete movement while naturally spreading out damage over the entire surface of the leather to absorb any blow. Given that she was younger and less trained the fairness of a few powerful artifacts seemed fair. Her hair was more ragged though, the golden locks having started in a bun held in place with two needles now freeflowing and a bit of a tussled mess.
"And I see you spend too many hours dallying with your husband while you should have been furthering your mastery of your weapon. That is why you were so hurt when you fought the Demon." The other woman returns. She slowly shifts her stance, her powerful foot dragging and forcing a gouge into the stone as the Queen of the Fire Legions lifts her fists. She suddenly leaped up and lept the 40 feet seperating them coming down with a fist into the stone as the Night caste dodged to one side. The spear swept low and she leapt over going completely upside down at one point as she jumpted over the Night caste and reaching down and grabbing onto the leather armor at the shoulder. Landing then on her feet her muscles bunched and she hurled and threw the blonde woman through the air into one of the smoking craters. Powerful magical leather it was but the Dawn caste still held a fist full of armor she had literally torn from the other woman's body in the throw.
A dozen jagged bolts of gold power shot from the dark smoke of the crater. Seeing the energy assault the Dawn jumped up and back keeping her attention on the crater. As the bolts chased after her her fists lashed out and blocked the golden solar energy, shattering them into motes of golden light or directing them away where they pierced the stone of the training arena in deep holes. Then even more more impressive she turned her body into one of the blasts that would have missed and let it strike a glancing blow on her. Her body ignited in Solar fire now even as the bolt damaged her she forced the pain down and took strength and restored essence from it. She landed lightly on her feet as the Night caste materialized outside the smoke a few yards away. Her armored leather was heavily damaged. From her left shoulder down diagonally across her chest a great part of the upper armor had been torn away. Even the shirt below was ripped leaving her in somewhat an exposed position. Still she didn't try to cover up she kept the full focus on the Dawn trainer and tried to think of how she could press her advantage.
Few motes left in her reserves of essence, her anima having flared into a full iconic panther several times this fight allready but she was unhurt yet. As she sized her up though the Dawn caste laughed at her. "Oh ho! Such a pretty bosom you have. No wonder he calls you his little princess and keeps you busy with children and at home. Had I a wife like you I might have done the same. Oh dear...I do think that I am far too distracted by your fair looks to keep this fight going. You must cover up your indecency. Here, I still have the rest of your armor." Her words were charged with an edge of essence and inflamed and angered where any other time the Solar would have brushed them off. The Night caste her face a sudden twisting of rage charged in a reckless fury.
She moved so quick that no normal perceptions could track her movements. She was on the left. No the right. Jumping no running. The wounded Dawn waited then turned and lifted her arm up in a swift block. The sound of wood on flesh was so mighty the thwak could be heard for miles out to sea. A foot lifted and blocked the second reverse thrust of the staff before the full swing was even halfway done. The Night twisted around, trying to spin and work her weapon between them but the Dawn was too swift and agressive. She danced through around the staff, an arm locking with her other arm, a twist and suddenly she slammed the younger Solar chest first into the stone floor. The arm hooked behind the back she pinned the other and smiled.
"You lost. A good fight though you are getting better. Just for Heaven's sake dear try to not let your emotions get the better of you. Work on the Integrity charms to ward your mind. These are important even in a fight." Her words were friendly, a concerned mentor to a stund as she helped the other up. She smirked as the younger Night caste dusted herself off and then the dark skinned woman reached out and cupped the one breast. "And dear, less time sparing in the bedroom with your husband and more time sparring on training floors. You try to please him far too much. They serve as our champions we Solars are not their bedroom playthings."
Having no real response to her and to be honest anything she might have snapped back with would have been disrespectful to her sifu the blonde haired woman nodded as she covered up her spear. Four Dragonblooded in ceremonial attire moved forward with towels and robes for the Solars even as the bound demons crawled from the shore to begin repairs to the great stone floor of the island. The Solars though with their aides would return to the nearby ship. Golden Luthe was expecting them for a great dinner.
