rp: side story Side Story: A Quest for Kraerhil

[Neptune]

Daedrin side stepped away from the fire, allowing them to get into a space where they could move without worrying about stepping into the fire and ruining their food. He pulled his sword from its sheath, the bright blade making a hissing sound as it was drawn. Daedrin took a rather simple stance. His right foot was slightly ahead of him, while his left foot was a little back, angled out so that he could move quickly. His arms were angled down, but they were relaxed as they gripped the handle of his sword, which was pointed upwards and towards his target. He noticed that Izanagi was holding his sword in one hand, while the other was holding his sheath. Not a style that Daedrin personally liked. While he was holding his sword with two hands right now, he could easily wield it one-handed. He liked having a hand free, allowing him to use his hand to grab or even strike out as swordsmanship often involved brawling. His father had once told him to ignore all the flashy swordsmanship shown in movies and games, since it had little effectiveness. He told Daedrin that a flashy style looked impressive, but all it did was hide the lack of skill. 

His blood red eyes were completely focused on Izanagi, not moving a muscle until the man suddenly dashed towards him. Stepping back with his right foot, Daedrin allowed the man to close the gap before moving his sword to stop Izanagi’s and cause it to bounce back before blocking another quick attack. He noticed very quickly that Izanagi seemed to favour a rather sweeping style with quick, powerful attacks that would completely overwhelm a slower opponent. But Daedrin's sharp vision and reflexes allowed him to keep up with the insane speed. He moved his blade with each strike, causing the ring of the clashing metal to echo around the clearing. Both Daegrin and Lucky were watching with widened eyes as if they couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing. Daedrin used his quick reflexes to strike back against Izanagi, employing one of his favourite tactics. He would block Izanagi’s sword, stopping it within inches of his face. He would then reach up with a hand, wrapping his fingers around it in such a way that the edges would not dig into it. His grip was hard and unyielding, preventing Izanagi from yanking it from him. He would then strike out with his own blade only to be met with the sheath of Izanagi’s sword, where upon he would let go of the other man’s sword. He did this several times, before feigning Izanagi. It started much the same way, with the blocked strike which he grabbed. He then struck forwards with the blade but as Izanagi was reaching up with the sheath, his blade suddenly darted to the side but he only managed to get a scratch along the other man’s cheek. At Izanagi’s comment, Daedrin smirked back at him, pleased that he had managed to get first blood. It had been a long time since he had fought someone with this level of skill, and his blood surged through his veins as he could almost taste the blood upon his lips. This only fuelled his movements, allowing him to move even quicker and to hit even harder.

He then noticed a slight shift in Izanagi’s style, indicating that he realised he wasn’t going to get anywhere with his first style, where he utilised the tip of his blade in an attempt to pierce at him. It also made it harder for him to be able to grab onto the sword to prevent further attacks, or to allow him to take advantage of the opening it presented. This forced Daedrin to have to concentrate even harder as Izanagi seemed to randomise his attacks in an attempt to become less predictable. Of course, one of Daedrin’s sparring partners was the master of the unpredictable, so he paid closer attention to the movements of Izanagi’s arms and body, rather than the blade. He could see the slight shift into the direction where the blade was going to move to, allowing him to react with his own blade to knock Izanagi’s aside. It didn’t always work, though, as Izanagi was able to slice a scratch along the back of his hand. An injury that could have been prevented if he had been wearing the proper gloves. 

The desire to best his opponent spurred him on, causing time to almost fly by as they exchanged blow after blow that would set his ears ringing for the rest of the night. It seemed that neither of them were going to be able to get the upper hand. But it came to a sudden stop within a moment. Daedrin had lashed out with his sword, wanting to do a feint attack. But as he twisted his blade, causing it to slide down the sheath towards Izanagi’s neck, he realised that he had left himself open to an attack. This caused them both to freeze, each with a deadly blade at their necks. Daedrin could see that his opponent was trying to recover his breath. Daedrin himself was barely winded, and his breathing was as calm as ever despite the intense duel. 

The moment Izanagi began to chuckle, Daedrin relaxed a little and he pulled back. He lowered his blade before he slid it back into its sheath. He then looked up, quirking an eyebrow up a little at Izanagi’s praise. The corner of his lips twitched a little before he chuckled softly himself, “Thank you. I had an incredible, and yet to be beaten, teacher. You are very skilled yourself, my friend. I very much enjoyed our duel.” He said, before putting his right hand on the left side of his chest, above his left heart before he bowed slightly in a sign of deep respect. When he straightened, he gave Izanagi a smile before he moved back over to the fire. The fight had taken longer than what he had been expected and he needed to check if the rabbits were burnt. Thankfully, they weren’t but he then said, “The rabbits are done.” He sat himself down, pulling the sticks from the soil and handed Izanagi his rabbits before he asked, “Who taught you?”

[Akira]

"Heh, right back at you. I never saw a fighting style like yours" Izanagi replied with a slight chuckle to his friend's first comment. "Hmm... the smell surely is good" Both warriors then sat down near the campfire once again so they could eat, and Izanagi was right, a duel with someone who equally strong surely is a nice way to prepare an apetite. The rabbits were very tasty as well. The meat was well done and the flavour was really flowing out. The demon didn't have much time to focus on that, however, as his attention was then taken by Deadrin asking him about his teacher. Izanagi's mind was floaded with memories from his childhood. The short lived peaceful days he had with his family back in his hometown, his father's dojo, training schedule, and a few other things. "My father did, back when I was still just a kid. He was a very respected and regionally well known swordsman. He even had his own dojo." he replied with a slight smile as he remembered those sweet times. "He taught me pretty much everything I know when it comes to my quick-draw style of combat, but I added a few personal touches here and there over the years. Mainly because I don't have the same... shall we say... limitations a normal person has." He ate a little bit more from his meal before he continued "You saw me using a few special techniques during our journey, right? Well, I came up with them, and a few secret ones that I save for emergencies only. I even had Odium help me on naming some of those techniques." the demon admitted with a slight chuckle "You see, naming those attacks and saying those names in combat helps me to execute them faster. Even I don't fully understand why, but it is what it is, I suppose." Izanagi then ate a bit more of his meal "I am curious about your fighting style as well. You said your master is yet to be bested, right? Maybe I can meet him someday and learn a thing or two."

[Neptune]

As Izanagi detailed out about how he had been taught how to wield a blade, Daedrin sat silently as he ate the meat of the rabbit straight from the bone, tearing off as much of it as he could. He nodded his head slightly in approval when Izanagi said that he had improved upon the techniques that his own father had taught him to better suit the capabilities that he had. Daedrin himself had adapted some of his father’s lessons to better suit himself and his own personal style. Thus far he had yet to come up with something that would allow him to beat the man himself. He raised an eyebrow, pausing in his eating when Izanagi stated the reason why he spoke his attacks out loud. He supposed that somewhat explained it, but honestly Daedrin didn’t quite understand. But then Izanagi didn’t have the benefit of an Eldyrannth brain, which processed information at a much faster rate, which helped towards his quicker reaction times. Not only that, but when wielding magic, all he needed to do was think what he wanted and it happened. The speed of thought was far superior than that of speech which, to him, seemed rather clumsy. It was something he had noticed with other people, especially magic users. Perhaps speaking the spells or incantations out loud helped them better focus, so that their thoughts didn’t lead them astray.

Daedrin had finished his bite when Izanagi said that maybe he might meet Daedrin’s master. Daedrin smiled at Izanagi as he flicked the now empty sticks onto the fire, “Maybe you might meet him one day. But I will warn you; my father is not one to be trifled with. If you spar with him, expect to lose. Even if you used all your fancy powers, he’s pretty unbeatable. And if you wanted him to teach you some things, then you’re going to have to prove that you’re a worthy enough student.” He then paused as he looked at the fire thoughtfully before he went on to say, “He has spent his entire life in the pursuit of the protection of his people. He has done things that would rip the sanity away from a normal person. He has fought in wars that have lasted longer than you’ve ever lived. Possibly longer than even Odium has lived. He is a Doctor, though. He dedicates his life to healing people, to saving their lives. But very often it involves picking up a weapon to do so. Most people wouldn’t understand the contradiction, but then they don’t really understand my father.” He then stopped and shrugged, as if he had said a little more than he intended. He then coughed and said, “Why don’t you go to bed? I’ll take the first watch.”

He then looked at the fire, silently indicating that he was no longer interested in talking. He decided to leave the fire alone, as the chances of them being attacked by something were much slimmer than when they were deeper within the forest. He waited until Izanagi had gone to bed, and his breathing indicated that he was fast asleep. He then stood up and moved around the fire, looking out into the dark forest before he turned his head and looked towards Hermitage. It was still too far for him to see, but he stared nonetheless. He spent the hours almost restlessly moving around, his footsteps as silent as smoke to avoid waking his friend up. Finally, when he judged that it was time, he moved over to Izanagi and gently shook him awake, “Time for your watch.” He said silently before moving over to his sleeping bag and getting inside, turning his back to the fire so that it would benefit from the heat radiating from the flames. He willed himself to sleep, and it wasn’t long before he was deeply asleep.

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