"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Whenever you're finished with your mock with Tyrna, I'll be waiting.
You move first.
2 attacks per post.
2 posts each.
As much time as reasonably needed between posts.
Let me know if you want to use traits or not. I'm ok with either.
None of the attacks should have serious injury intent.
06-16-2015, 10:39 PM (This post was last modified: 06-16-2015, 10:39 PM by Lyris.)
Well, isn’t this going to be interesting. Lyris eyes the grey mare from across the challenge grounds, sizing up the Amazonian general. Lagertha, as always, cuts an impressive figure. The general is quite a bit taller than Lyris, and nicely muscled, likely from her many years spent at the top of the Amazonian army. And though she does not carry too many scars, her keen eyes are proof enough of her battle experience.
This fight is going to be a challenge.
She decides to start simple, with an attack that she had used recently against the Falls warrior Tyrna. Not terribly creative perhaps, but the attack had worked fairly well against Tyrna, and Lyris isn’t going to throw out something that she already knows to be effective. At the very least it will help her determine the speed of Lagertha’s reflexes (though she already has a feeling they are faster than her own).
She stays perfectly still for a moment longer, then without warning, charges the larger mare. She picks up speed quickly, moving from a trot to a fast canter in quick succession. She aims opposite from what she had with Tyrna - aiming her right shoulder at her opponent’s own right shoulder. Lagertha is quite a solid creature, so impact, if it happens, is going to hurt, but will potentially give Lyris an advantage for her second attack. The combination of surprise and her smaller frame could be used to undercut the larger mare and unbalance her. And an unbalanced opponent makes an easier target. Of course being the experienced general that she is, Lagertha could foresee her attack (through giveaway movements) and dodge it, but the dodging will keep the mare occupied, and potentially leave her vulnerable to what Lyris has planned next.
After she’s attempted her attack, she continues at a canter past the mare to her own left, wheeling away as fast as she can in an attempt to avoid any counter attack. Knowing Lagertha that might be wishful thinking.
Now it’s time to throw something a little more interesting into the mix.
As she wheels past the grey general, she reaches out all around, gathering the winds in front of her. The familiar feeling of exhilaration takes over as she works, and soon a concentrated ball of wind travels in front of her as she canters. It fights her, as wind tends to do, so she releases it quickly, forcing it back in Lagertha’s direction. The concentrated gust heads right for the general, throwing up dirt and weeds as it roars over the packed earth. If it hits, it will send the grey mare head over heels, sprawling in the dirt. If this was a serious battle, this would put Lyris at a huge advantage. As it is, it will probably bruise her, and make her look more than a little undignified. Lyris can’t help but giggle a little at the thought.
And if it doesn’t hit, well, Lyris will need to get out of their quick.
Lyris
I’ll burn this whole city down
html by maat | gif by headlikeanorange.tumblr.com
Apparently I can't edit on here, whoops! Anyway, since it looks like Lagertha is a Anglo-Arab/Andalusian cross, I assumed that she's bigger than Lyris (who is 15 hh). If that's not correct, I can re-write the post.
Oh, and traits are fine, clearly. Lol.
this will never end, ‘cause i want more, more, give me more
It should be an easy battle, one where Lagertha has nothing to prove and their strikes are only to test the waters. However, if she were to take it lightly, she would not be worthy of her title. She takes her soldier’s training seriously, which means that she will not go easier on Lyris. She will not be overly hard on her either, but treat the mock as if it were any other challenge.
Naturally, she couldn’t let Lyris win either. That simply wouldn’t do.
Lagertha takes after her dam far more than her sire, in almost every way. The Andalusian-type hybrid stands opposite of Lyris, and at 16 hh, is only slightly taller. She is bulkier, and undoubtedly has more muscle, due to simple genetics and a constant training. While it gave her an advantage, there was something to be said for speed and traits. Anyone can work on speed, training like an athlete. Traits, however, can give anyone an advantage. Hers are more defensive than offensive, but with proper usage, they can inflict damage. She was eager to find out what Lyris’s tricks were.
The grullo mare leaps forward, but it does not take Lagertha by surprise. She had allowed a decent amount of space between them, enough to make a counter attack. She wonders how quick Lyris’s reflexes are, and lets the mare get a few strides closer before she, too, moves forward. It would be foolish to remain still and give her opponent a still target. Lesson number one: have a backup plan when situations change, and two: never make it easy for your opponent.
Lagertha isn’t 100% sure what her sister’s first attack will be, so she chooses to keep a straight path and ups her trot to a canter, quickly eating up what distance remains between the two of them. Right before they hit each other, Lagertha covers her right side in a sheet of smooth, red sandstone. It moves with her body, giving her the appearance of living rock. This should make the impact a little rougher for Lyris, almost as if she were falling down on a hard surface, leaving a bruise or minor abrasion. It all depends on how hard they collide. The general tries to angle herself so that they only graze each other, but it can be tricky sometimes. When they do hit, it jars Lagertha, causing her to grunt with the impact, but she doesn’t let it slow her down. It’s like a horse shoulder check. Makes you pause and grimace, but keep on chugging down the sidewalk.
As Lyris passes her, Lagertha makes the armor disappear, and reaches over to bite her sister’s spotted rump. As Lyris wheels away and presents her back end to the General, it would be an easy target. Far easier than Lagertha trying to pause, pivot, and then lash out with her hind legs, all while Lyris moves in the opposite direction. Though a horse’s teeth are dull, they can still pinch and bruise and provide an unexpected bit of pain. If it lands, it won’t cause Lyris to bleed. Maybe just… give her a little proverbial kick in the butt?
Nothing, however, could have prepared her for some good ol’ fashioned weather manipulation. Lyris turns to her left, and so Lagertha turns to her right, to meet her opponent head on in a sort of pincer movement. She can feel the wind rush past her - which is odd, because it wasn’t a particularly blustery day. As the gray mare turns in a tight circle, she takes her eyes off her opponent and looks up, noticing that the tops of the trees are bending and the branches are all being pulled inward… towards the two of them. Her eyes narrow. What does Lyris have up her sleeve? She continues moving towards the other mare but pulls her pace back a bit, trying to figure out what is going to happen.
Then a heavy, hard gust of wind hits her and practically stops her in her tracks. Luckily, it came from the front and not the side, so Lagertha has much more stability. She digs her feet into the ground coats her skin in heavy iron, making it rather difficult for anything to make her move. She doesn’t know how long the attack will last, so she braces herself to endure something that would give Lyris the time to sneak up on her from a different direction. But the bombardment is short, thank goodness, and when Lagertha can open her eyes to more than a thin slit, she immediately tries to locate Lyris.
She knows she has a second attack, but chooses not to use use it. She wants to see more of what the other mare can do. A small, thin smile stretches across her lips while she waits and prepares for the next attack. Oh, this is fun.
lagertha
carnage x grim reaper; amazonian general
I hope it doesn't seem like a cop out - wanted to go with the 'teaching and observing' part more than the 'real battle' part
The general moves, as Lyris had expected she would. But, instead of dodging, she angles herself away. Lyris barely has a moment to register confusion before she makes impact, and then she instantly understands what the general has done. Pain lances through her shoulder as it hits Lagertha’s armoured shoulder, and she grimaces as she wheels away from the grey mare. She hadn’t known about an ability like that. Well that attack was useless. In fact, any physical attack will be useless.
Lagertha’s teeth graze her rump as she flies past, pinching and bruising the skin, but she pays it no mind. She’s had far worse, just in this fight already. The bruise in the muscle of her shoulder throbs.
She keeps moving, but slows as she releases her wind attack so that she can see the results. She can see the curiosity building in Lagertha’s eyes before it hits - the mare is smart, calculating. But she’s also never fought a weather user.
Lyris feels a twinge of disappointment when the General grows a thick, heavy army, allowing herself to withstand the pressure of the wind and stay on her feet. But she has to concede that Lagertha is the General for a reason.
She is more than a little surprised when Lagertha declines to take her second attack, but she supposes the grey mare is more interested in learning Lyris’ ability, than revealing her own. It is after all important for a general to know the capabilities of her warriors. She might as well oblige.
She continues around the mare at a canter, giving her a wide berth and reaching upward towards the sky with her power. It turns dark - clouds forming overhead and blocking out the sun. Electricity flickers in those clouds and she draws it down, aiming for the dirt directly to Lagertha’s left. Lighting arcs down to the earth, crackling and hot. Lyris’ aim is good, so she shouldn’t hit Lagertha, but the explosion of dirt, heat and glass (formed by the combination of extreme heat and the silica in the dirt) could scratch her up a little, and potentially even singe her a bit through that armour.
For her second attack she decided to once again use her abilities. As she previously discovered, physical attacks against against Lagertha are foolhardy and will likely cause more injury to herself more than she can inflict upon the general. So she turns back to the sky, calling upon the storm that she’s already created. She pulls the cold air down from the sky and draws warm air up, causing them to converge. The funnel that forms is a small one - long and thin, arching down to the dirt. She could call up bigger, but this is not a war or even a real battle. Simply a little fight to test one another.
She thrusts the little tornado in Lagertha’s direction, controlling it with changes in pressure, temperature and wind. She does not aim it to hit the general head on, only to hit her with a glancing blow. If it hits true, it could knock the general off her feet, put her in a position of vulnerability. But her own concentration slows her to a trot, making herself more vulnerable and she makes a note of it. When they return to the Jungle she will need to practice her abilities at speed, in order to make her a true force to be reckoned with.
Attack completed, she brings herself back up to speed, still circling the grey mare. Even if she does knock Lagertha over, she’s sure the General will be back on her feet soon.
Lyris
I’ll burn this whole city down
html by maat | gif by headlikeanorange.tumblr.com
Aaaand the award for the longest wait for a mock post goes to ... myself. Sorry @Sarah . D:
this will never end, ‘cause i want more, more, give me more
So far so good. Wind Manipulation, eh? That could be awfully useful, especially if enemies made an aerial attack, or sent something flying at them. She can’t take the time to go into an in-depth analysis of the possible things Lyris could do because she’s in the middle of a battle, but later, she definitely would.
Her eyes narrow when Lyris keeps a wide berth, both of them going in circles. Then the sky starts to darken, and the gray mare glances up at the equally dark stormclouds that seem to have appeared out of nowhere. Oh.Ohhh. Oh shit. She actually laughs once or twice, a sharp guffaw as she glances back and forth between Lyris and the sky. Oh this is fantastic! Not wind, but storm manipulation. Even better! And then a crack of thunder and a flash of light, and Lagertha yelps, rearing up on her hind legs and pivoting to the side. Fused dirt and clay form some hard pieces of silica, which fly every which way. Some pieces hit her legs and belly, scratching where they land. It stings, but as Lagertha skitters to the side, she tries to focus on what may be coming next. Lightning wasn’t something she could easily defend herself against - she’s seen what happens to sand and trees the fiery heat strikes. Her natural armor formation wouldn’t stand a chance.
Though further research might be needed. She should ask Rhy to zap her while she’s wearing different armors, to see what conducts and what does not. That would be very useful information.
Lagertha snorts and turns in a tight circle, finding Lyris again and deciding that she doesn’t really want to experience another lightning bolt. Her sister keeps a fair amount of distance between them, which leads Lagertha to believe that while she seems to have good aim, she probably wouldn’t risk hurting herself, either. Especially if Lagertha surprised her. So the General collects herself and leaps forward to a canter, hoping to catch her opponent off guard while she’s looking at the sky. That would have to be something to remedy - always keep your eyes on your opponent, and be able to use your trait without looking away from the battle.
Lyris sends the funnel her way, and let’s be honest, Lagertha has never seen anything like it before. There are no tornadoes in Beqanna, at least not in the Jungle, but the swirling wind and dirt and twigs and rocks look dangerous, so Lagertha does her best to avoid it, while still moving towards Lyris in the hopes that she’ll either tone it down or do… something. Lyris slows down to a trot, which gives her a tiny bit of extra time to get closer before the funnel hits. Hopefully she’s close enough to her sister, that some of the debris will hit her as well, or she’ll lessen the force.
Either way, once the dust starts to get in her eyes, Lagertha screeches to a halt as quickly as she can, throwing a layer of lead to help weigh herself down. Luckily the funnel isn’t too big and doesn’t lift her up or push her over, though she still stumbles a little to the left. Everything that catches in her mane and tail tugs painfully at her roots, and she grits her teeth until it passes. When she can feel the winds lessening (it isn’t that long, really), she opens her eyes a fraction and peers out from beneath long lashes. As everything settles, she opens her eyes fully and shakes the dirt and tiny rocks and bits of everything that seem to have stuck itself on her. In this moment, she has a decision to make: to complete her last attacks or call it quits. The only benefit from going on would be see how Lyris defends herself.
That, she thinks, can wait. And she doesn’t want to admit that the funnel cloud shook her up a little bit. So Lagertha nods her head and walks towards Lyris, calling to her to get her to come closer. The mock is over, and she’s learned quite a few interesting things about her fellow warrior… Things that will definitely come in handy.
lagertha
carnage x grim reaper; amazonian general
[I know I'm totally copping out with not doing the last attacks and I'm sorry. If you want them to discuss it IC they can, or we can just assume it happened, etc ]
