Fate - First Reply Deafening Silence

[Magrin Kor]

Situated as he was Magrin didn't fear a repeat of her last maneuver, he was confident that if she attempted to perform another slide between his legs that he could counter but he was expecting her to move quickly. She'd shown that one of her greatest advantages was her speed which was noteworthy, as Magrin had already noted such speed and agility seemed rare amongst those of Nord origin being that they tended to be a larger, bulkier people.

As she brought her sword from behind her right shoulder Magrin would tuck his left arm, sucking his elbow down to height with his midsection so that the Axe ran diagonally from his right shoulder across to his abdomen on the left side. As he did this he'd have twist to his left so that he could catch the fall of her sword on the haft of his axe, between the grip of his hands and push it off following impact. The energy she attacked with was surprising, the added weight brought on by her jump causing Magrin's arms to tense before he retaliated quickly.

Turning his right shoulder forward when he'd twist to the left to support the initial block of her sword Magrin would push forward, driving his shoulder towards her shield in an attempt to press her backwards and off balance with his superior weight. The Axe maintained so that it could block her next blow, the first of her volley which targeted his left shoulder then Magrin would follow that contact by taking a large step backwards on his right foot to turn himself into a left sided lead. As he opened Magrin would rotated his right forearm inwards, releasing the haft with his left hand simultaneously before sweeping the axe back down on a diagonal arc from its elevated position at his left shoulder back down to his right hip. The swing aimed for the outside of her right leg, below the knee in an attempt to hook the cleft of the axe against her calf and pull her leg out from underneath her.

 

[Brenna]

Brenna clearly wasn't playing anymore.

As he hit her shield with his weight she clenched her teeth, the force making her feet skid back even if she hadn't wanted to move: she was strong but not enough to do much more than put up resistance to such an impact. What she didn't do was stumble. She dug her heels in to make him work in order to make her give up an inch of her space. Whilst this was going on she was focusing on the quick exchange of volleys. The weapons sung in the way only an axe and sword could. Occasionally a hit would come close to her body and a kiss of wind would touch her skin but no blade as of yet. Finally with her shoulder screaming at her now she broke the lock with her shield and his weight and skipped back two paces at the same moment he shifted his position to be the left lead.

With their weapons having pause for breath it gave her opponent the chance to go in for his own attack, putting her back on the defensive. As it came swinging in from her right in an attempt to cut her off at the knees - literally - she had one of two options. Parry it or move. Considering she had already shown off her acrobatic skills she decided to test herself by parrying. Her sword came down in a sweep and she bent into a crouch with it to give her block more strength. Her sword lay flat on the shaft a few inches below the axe head so he couldn't attempt to hook the blade itself. Then, with her position as it was, she bought her sword upwards as she stood. If she had been without a shield she might have instead used two hands to deflect the blow but her movement of force gave the same level of strength and worked better with a shield.

There was not a long window with which you had to push an axe away from you before the axe wielder would try and hook your weapon or swing at you again so she had to beat him to it. Instead of following through all the way with her parry to try and push him off balance, she cut her losses and parted their weapons. It was a risk - he could also now swing for her after all - but it was a waste to try and topple a man so much larger than her. Instead she brought her sword quickly back down to his mirror leg of where he had just tried to cut her - his right leg.

 

[Magrin Kor]

Perhaps it was fate or perhaps he had been setting her up.

Magrin had anticipated she would block the blow from his axe. A thin smile played across his lips as she maneuvered her sword beneath his axehead, crouching to give her block more strength before rising into her next move which is when he struck.

As she stood, pressing his axe higher in the process Magrin would shift his rear right foot and push off of it to close the distance to her until they were almost within an intimate range. Doing this his left hand would snap out in the process, reaching for her right arm when it disengaged from his axe so that he could take hold of her by the forearm and grip her firmly before wrenching back hard, out to his left to pull her swordarm out of its blow and twist it awkwardly out to her right.

The Axe angled back in his right hand then too, he'd slam the butt of the haft forward into the face of her shield to jam it in place before rotating his arm inwards to arc the axe around and over to his left in a movement that would set it against her bicep if it was outstretched. Clearly such a move would have been able to cleave her entire arm off but Magrin would only lay the axe there, the outcome obvious if he hadn't pulled the attack.

"Axes and swords are tools. We are the weapons."...he'd caution her, seeking her gaze with his own as he made the statement.

 

[Brenna]

Brenna flinched when he grabbed her arm.

Oh fu--

As he yanked her forward she grimaced as pain ripped through her muscles which only got worse as he twisted her arm around, causing her to open her hand in reflex and let go of her sword. Clearly he had learned from their earlier spar for this arm lock made it almost near impossible for her to be able to flip her way out of it without popping her arm out of its socket. A grimace. Her conundrum was only exemplified when he threw a strong hit against her shield. Given she was already off balance with her arm in such an awkward grip such a blow would have sent her to the floor if it weren't for the fact his grip was basically keeping her up. As it was she still ended up taking a knee which only served to twist her arm further. Her shoulder was a symphony of pain. Another grimace.

And then the almost taunting feather light touch of his axe against her skin. Brenna was panting hard, bits of her hair stuck to her cheeks and neck and her skin was a touch more pink than previously. She was furious at herself for getting in such a situation - the tap was a reminder she could have lost her arm. So much to learn still. She gazed right back at him as he spoke and pressed her lips into a thin line but it didn't stop the slight growl that was rising in her throat. If there was any doubt what she was it disappeared in that moment. But unlike her father, Brenna could keep her emotions under check. It was infuriating, yes, but she had learned a lot today. She kept his gaze locked for a breath more before her lips turned up at the corners again and nodded once in understanding. Her eyes then flicked to his hand on her arm in a silent question of being allowed to have her arm back.

 

[Magrin Kor]

The grip he maintained on her forearm remained tight until he was certain the fight had ended then when he caught her eyes, flickering over towards the hand on her arm Magrin would release her and withdraw. Bringing the axe back as he did so he would have matched her gaze again with hard but considerate one of his own while replacing the weapon into the leather loop on his belt. It seemed that he was satisfied with their match.

Having caught the emotion in her eyes as well Magrin would have finally stated after stepping back..."No doubt in time you will be as skilled a warrior as your father."...his words weren't meant to patronize her or play on her ego, she obviously had the spirit of a warrior and her skills extended beyond what she gave herself credit for. Magrin did not know her brother but he imagined that after she'd polished her technique to some extent she would be his equal at least.

Looking around himself, flexing his right hand to loosen his fingers he'd have begun to move in the direction the cloak he'd discarded had fallen so that he could retrieve it. Once he was closer he'd have knelt down and scooped it up before coming back to his feet and sweeping it over both of his shoulders while turning to regard her once again..."We shall have to do it again."...he made sure she was looking at him before he spoke so that she could read his lips, no point in talking otherwise.

 

[Brenna]

Brenna gasped in relief when her arm was released and she carefully stretched it out despite the protesting joints, one of the worst things to do after such a match was hold them still even if that's all you wanted to do. Once she was content everything was just a little bruised and nothing serious she pushed herself to her feet and grabbed her sword, in the same moment catching his words. Her face softened. He probably had no idea what such words meant to her; it was nothing about ego but about doing him proud. She had hoped he would be the one doing this stuff with her in all honesty. Despite his long trips away her father had always been happy when passing back through to spend time in mock fights or teaching her how to track. She had heard stories as she grew up of his brash nature, quick temper and his ferocity in fighting, but to her he'd always be the man who had let her put flowers in his hair as punishment for losing their play fights.

She followed him back to the direction of their stuff and was collecting it when he spoke again. She paused as she tugged on her jacket to watch his lips before giving him a smile and heartfelt nod in agreement. Quickly she scribbled down on her notepad her address in Faarin and handed it to him almost shyly.

If you're ever passing through on your travels. The note read.

 

[Maude]

Nok.

Nok.

Nok.

Nok.

Hollow echoes of footsteps across the wooden boards of the surrounding arena rafters heralded the attendance of one lone Queen to this private little spar. She'd not been here long, but long enough to see the pinnacle and subsequent conclusion. The pair had been incensed enough with their brawl not to notice her arrival - just as well, it allowed her to get a better gauge of who they were.

What they were made of.

Magrin was vastly an unknown entity. His presence here intrigued her, but his demeanor intrigued her more. Seemed a respectable sort. Strong, clearly experienced in the ways of a brawl if the previous night's run in with Gylfi Runarsson and this show today were anything to go by. Not that either Gylfi or Brenna were terribly experienced themselves; both were young, neither had seen true war. A blessing or a curse, depending on who you asked.

Maude placed herself on a set of stairs leading down into the pit arena, the main entry and exit, and squared her stance to block it off, arms hanging loosely at her sides.

"For a wanderer just passing through for a drink you certainly have a penchant for roughing up my community's youth."

 

[Magrin Kor]

Accepting the note that Brenna had handed him Magrim would tilt his head so that he could read it slowly before a thin smile touched the corners of his mouth. He'd nod and was about to speak when he heard the footsteps of another which caused him to turn his head. Initially he didn't recognize her, his introduction with Maude had been brief the previous evening however she had the bearing of a Queen and her voice was noteworthy, sparking the recognition in him as did her words.

"If I pass through I will see you in the arena."...he'd tell Brenna, setting a powerful hand on her shoulder. It was uncertain when he would wander through Faarin however he knew the day would come whether near or far that his path would set him on that course. When the day came he would be sure to visit her.

After he had turned away from Benna he moved towards the entrance to the arena. It came to no surprise that Maude was now blocking his path, he had heard what she said. Once he had come close enough his expression would turn darker, his smile grim to behold though his words were clear and without malice..."She's clearly better than many of the other youth around here, I believe one of the boys I passed on my way here had a broken nose. Perhaps I'm lucky she did not do the same to me."...he chuckled...."A Drink brought me to the Mead Hall, a fight to the arena. Do not fret Queen Maude, I'll be on my way before nightfall."

Magrin stood several paces from her after coming forward, he hadn't proceeded any further. He had to wonder if she would challenge him now, he'd seen many others take a stance similar to hers. It would be the first time he'd fought a Queen though.

 

[Maude]

Maude watched him, straight faced, for several long moments before allowing a small smirk to shift her expression. Shoulders relaxed, she lightly folded her hands at her back - a neutral stance if nothing else. She was not here to challenge the man, there were far more pressing matters to attend to.

"I'm not complaining," the Queen responded, "I'm recruiting you for a journey that leaves this afternoon. I have need for one more person with a level head, a strong arm, and a good sense of humor. Travel with us, fulfill a need, and you will be welcome to treat with us at all stops along the way. What say you?"

 

[Magrin Kor]

When Maude's stance shifted to a more neutral one Magrin thoughts relaxed, she had come for another purpose which she revealed shortly thereafter. Listening to her speak Magrin seemed to contemplate what this quest might entail though in all reality what else had he to do. Only wandering awaited him.

"I accept."...came his answer, Magrin hadn't hesitated when he replied. A Quest would allow him to test himself in the company of others and besides drinking what Magrin's soul seemed to hunger for most was battle and adventure. Doubtless Magrin would find these if he went with Maude.

Nodding his head Magrin would state..."If there's nothing else I'll prepare myself."