Open Chronicles New Shores

[Medja]

These are called Kumuwai.

So Noelani had artifacts of her own then, beautiful gems, no less. Just a shame the seawitches had chosen sapphires instead of obviously superior emeralds for their ancestral tools of trade. The urns wouldn't be entirely useless with these magic beads in play, but they weren't wholly necessary either. Good, that just meant that Medja didn't have to worry about inadvertently smashing them.

"Do sparring sessions often get to the point you need rules here?"

"Sometimes fighters do tend to get a bit..." An image of Maho delivering volcanic punches to a bull man and in turn getting every rib in his chest broken flashed through her mind. "...overzealous. It sounds as though we are on the same page, however."

Medja retreated to one corner of the ring and floated above a woven mat which had been placed on the ground, a symbolic starting zone. She breathed deeply and set down upon the ground, bandages curling up to allow her bare feet to make contact with land in a very rare display. Closing her eyes, the geomancer could feel every stone and pebble beneath her as though they were an extension of herself. She stanced her feet wide apart from each other and folded her arms across her chest, placing her palms flat against her shoulders. At last, she opened her eyes.

"Shall we begin?"

 

[Noelani]

"I'll make a note of that..." Noelani looked a little troubled at the idea of people smashing the life out of one another but perhaps it was just... a... cultural... thing she would get used to. She watched as Medja wandered over to a corner of the arena where a small mat had been placed and turned to find her own set up opposite. As she walked the water from the urn closest to her lifted like a snake and followed after her like an obedient dog. When she got to the mat the water dove into the ground with enough force to crack it then widen a gap to make a small pool. She slid her feet out of her slippers and then stepped down into the water with a satisfied sigh.

"Yes," Lani inclined her head to show she was indeed ready then without much more dilly dallying she swept the water at her feet upwards and sent it flying toward. As soon as it got to a certain height the water formed into a series of razor sharp spears which went flying for various spots on the woman's body. If one did manage to hit her skin however, they burst like a water balloon - as the Princess had said, she had no desire to hurt her for real.

 

[Medja]

Medja watched carefully as the seawitch prepared herself in turn. The manner in which she manipulated the water was a treat to watch; geomancy was often very rigid in nature, and watching the stark contrast between the smooth, serpentine movements of the water as it glided through the air and the sudden and sharp crack as it smashed into the ground was fascinating.

No sooner had Noelani accepted the request to start that she had begun her assault. As straightforward in battle as she was in diplomacy, it seemed. Medja grinned and quickly thrust her arms out in front of her, fingers wide and palms down, then lifted them up in a motion not unlike a conductor. Numerous slabs of rock pulled themselves from the ground at her bidding and faced themselves flat to block the incoming torrent of liquid lances. It was not a perfect defense and some of the projectiles did slip past, only to be quickly swatted from the air by the Fists of Aramekh.

Each watery spear spread itself into the air with an audible splash, particles shimmering into the air and creating miniature rainbows in the morning sunlight.

"Starting simple, are we?" Medja taunted. "Very well. Let's see how you do on the defense."

The geomancer emulated Noelani's use of toned down attacks and called forth a series of dirt clods from the arena floor. She then thrust her arm forward and dumb fired each one across the ring one after another, sometimes multiple at once, in a barrage that lasted several seconds. While the rapid fire of dirt clods was ensuing, Medja subtly flicked her pinkie finger and willed a single pebble, no larger than a marble, to go and suspend itself in the air above the arena. There it would stay, nearly imperceptible, for the time being.

 

[Noelani]

So it was the fists who were the real threat in a dual, Noelani thought to herself quietly as she watched the way they protected their mistress by battering away her projectiles. If she had kept their form stronger she wondered briefly to herself whether they would have done any damage to them or even made it past. Even still she decided smashing up her potential new co-workers beautiful workmanship would probably not be the best way to start off their relationship. So as the rainbows formed and Medja's words reached her across the arena she allowed herself a laugh. They were indeed simple forms for water - a children's trick - but a child wouldn't have been able to pull the blow in such a way.

As Medja launched her attack Lani drew in a breath. It was quite enjoyable to watch for it was so different to the types of magic she was most used to duelling against. On the isles there were rarely any magics not linked to water and her experiences with other types came from training with her allies on the mainland. Geomancers had, perhaps surprisingly, not been in large supply in the desert cities.

The single clods were shot out of the sky with arrows of water that leapt from one urn and landed in its sister urn on the opposite side of the arena. She was showing off a little bit with the pretty display, but when the clods came in groups and harder she was forced to put up more of a defence. The water at her feet churned and then flocked to her arm where it formed a round shield. Those that hit the shield crumbled back into dirt whilst those that shot past hit the wall behind her. This technique did also mean she had to move and like the water she flowed. As one clod came for her head and a small group of seven for various parts of her body the water beneath her feet pushed her up into the air allowing her to cartwheel to the left. The timing was impeccable as the clods sailed harmlessly through open air where there had once been skin. She righted herself and let the shield of water fall.

A small grin lit up her face and this time she was not as gentle with her attack.

From the two urns closest to Medja rose two columns of water, higher, higher. They twisted and turned like a raging tornado, a kept storm. Then they dove down upon her like snakes. Both appeared to go directly for the arms and indeed, both did to begin with. One smashed into them with the weight of the sea but then the other diverted its course at the last moment, punching into the ground and attempting to come back up under Medja's feet.

 

[Medja]

As expected, Noelani was the picture of both physical prowess and magical skill. The fusion of both qualities made for a dazzling display as she did her best to block and avoid Medja's barrage. The vizier was no less impressed with the show that the princess of the waters was putting on thus far. When at last the dirt clods ceased and Noelani began her counter attack, Medja took a mere second to observe the miniature cyclones ascend, then pointed her pinkie once more to add a second pebble to the first, this one placed in a different location.

It seemed that Noelani had caught on to the apparent importance of the Fists, as she had chosen them as her target. The rapidly moving torrents caught them up in their twisted advance before the second waterspout dove into the ground. If Noelani sought to surprise Medja by using a subterranean ambush, she was sorely mistaken. She could sense every vibration the water made, felt each advancing centimeter as it tunneled its way up.

Medja immediately slammed the palm of her hand into the ground, never breaking eye contact with Noelani. In an instant she manipulated the earth beneath her, closing off the paths the water attempted to take and diverting it. Within seconds she had forced it into a new path, one that would resurface at the center of the ring and spray the water harmlessly back at the seawitch. Simultaneously, she flicked the pinky of her free hand twice, and two more pebbles pinned themselves in the air.

"You've incapacitated my toys--smart. Now what will you do?" Medja smiled. "How long can you focus on keeping them pinned?"

Medja swept the palm she had flat to the ground upwards, and the tunnel she had form inverted on itself. A muddy, serpentine, column of earth shot out of the hole that the spray of water had just exited from, a singular strike aimed right for Noelani's chest. Three more twitches of her pinkie finger, three more pebbles.

 

[Noelani]

There was the barest hint of a smile as she felt the water get redirected underground. In truth she hadn't been expecting it to work against a geomancer but she had wanted to make Medja show her what she could do and Lani was not in the least disappointed with it. As the water broke the surface she briefly considered redirecting the spray but decided to enjoy the coolness of the water in the growing heat. Beads clung to and rolled down her skin creating tiny diamonds across her body. She brushed a hand through her now wet braids as she seemed to consider Medja's question. In truth, she could probably keep the hands pinned for at least a while but it would take energy that would have to be directed away from her blows. It also meant that there was going to be a part of her mind that was focused solely on that. Distractions were never a good thing in a fight.

Still, the Seawitch liked a challenge.

And that was exactly what Medja gave her as the Earth erupted and spiked towards her. A whip of water sliced from right to left, left to right, right to left, cutting the column of earth down so that when it finally stopped moving it was a bare few inches away from her chest. She stepped around it and back into the clear pool she had started in.

The tornadoes of water were still going.

Things were getting more interesting. This time the water that flew towards her were pressed into thin razor sharp discs, much like a throwing star.

 

[Medja]

One thing was apparent: Noelani wasn't buying into Medja's attempts at goading her, at least not verbally and definitely not by her reactions. The Mchawi princess was disciplined and focused...but Medja was also aware that every mage had their limitations, and keeping the Fists pinned in place was going to push Noelani to her limits that much faster. It was simply a matter of figuring out where those limits were.

What was very clear to Medja by now was that this was becoming a battle of attrition, and in such an exchange it was important to conserve one's resources. To that end, Medja didn't use her magic to block the incoming wave of projectiles. The vizier was no warrior, her body was not as firm and honed as the Seawitch's, but she was hardly a slacker when it came to physicality. No, instead of blocking, Medja dodged, weaving around and through the blades of water one by one as they assailed her.

The resulting display was a complex dance as Medja arched her body, dipped her back, and performed rolling flips to avoid the oncoming liquid missiles. It was an intentionally extravagant and distracting display, meant to draw attention away from the subtle twitches of her little fingers that she made with each avoidance. A veritable, practically undetectable, floating minefield was gradually constructing itself in the air, and before long it would be ready.

Medja's mind was an ever turning machine, an inexorable contraption that chose goals and discerned a hundred ways to achieve them, then refined each method and put them into play. To her, a sparring match was no different than destabilizing a nation or deposing a ruler. One simply needed to bring the right pieces together and allow them to fall into place. Whether Medja's inner machinations would be made clear to Noelani by her unerring, confident grin, or by the way she never broke eye contact with the woman, well...that remained to be seen.

 

[Noelani]

A small smile tugged at one corner of her lips as she watched Medja move. It was a waste of her depleting energy to keep them going when she was dodging them so easily but Lani wanted to watch her move for a moment or two longer. There was just something deeply satisfying about seeing how another mage worked and used not just her mind to fight. Not that Lani was in any doubt the geomancer was thinking. The smirk worried at her mind and her gaze swept the earth in front of them more than once, looking for some form of hint...

"Pretty. Were you a dancer?" the Princess asked as she finally let the attacks stopped. She didn't move like someone who had had their first training in an arena. Her body had flowed like - well - water. It possessed far more flare than an ordinary soldier. Though she asked the question in a casual manner, as if the pair of them were out for a walk along the port side once more, her attention was half on the water keeping the hands pinned. She was impressed the sheer force of water wasn't already corroding them, a testament to Medja's skills no doubt.

Her fingers flexed at her side only briefly as she thought on her next move.

 

[Medja]

"Pretty. Were you a dancer?"

"How very astute of you. I was, once." Medja replied, chest heaving slightly from the burst of activity. "Perhaps not as skilled in that art as I used to be, but it does have its applications now and again."

The geomancer's gaze narrowed on Noelani as the latter's gaze dropped to the earth. She was expecting a subterranean assault, then. If Medja could keep her attention split between pinning her artifacts in place and dealing with another wave of earthen attacks then checkmate was rapidly approaching.

Medja slid her foot backward across the dusty floor of the arena and tapped her heel against the ground in a false show of subtlety. The movement was understated, but detectable to someone who was paying attention as the seawitch clearly was. Medja allowed a few small ripples to roll across the ground between them, if only to satisfy Noelani's observant eyes. Then a pair of stone pillars would burst forth from the gound directly in front of the Mchawi woman, followed by a delayed third pillar from behind to seal the appearance of a feint attack.

All the while her tiny stones hung above Noelani, waiting for their opportunity to strike.

 

[Noelani]

There was a slight narrowing of her eyes as she watched the ripple. Was it just for show like the way she had manipulated the fountains of water earlier? Perhaps to give her a little warning to keep to their arrangement of not causing each other bodily harm? Something about it unsettled her anyway but the thoughts were promptly shoved to the back of her mind as the columns burst forth from the ground.

The water beneath her feet suddenly reared up, carrying Noelani several feet to the side and then upwards, twirling about the column of Earth even as it rose until placing her on top of it when it came to a halt. The watery vine then tightened about the pillar as if it were a snake strangling the life from its prey. At first the earth withstood it then slowly it began to crumple as the water grew stronger, eroded it harder, compressed it until it gave way. A second before it toppled the slimmest of pillars caught Noelani and carried her to the next pillar and the next. Once each of the pillars had fallen to rubble did she surf her way back down to the ground.

Her chest rose and fell a little as her heart rate spiked from the exertion and the strength of the water pinning down the hands lessened a fraction.

"I get the feeling you're playing with me."

 

[Medja]

Medja could feel the watery grip around the fists loosen, the artifacts now able to wiggle slightly in their prison, and when Noelani launched herself into the air the geomancer knew it was time to deploy her carefully laid trap. She splayed her fingers wide then balled them into fists, and the pebbles reacted accordingly. Each one darted onto Noelani's person and clung to her gently, some on her arms, some on her legs, some on her neck, back, and everywhere inbetween.

"I was...but now the game is over."

No sooner had she said this that Noelani would feel her body seize up, unable to move past where the pebbles had placed themselves. Medja began to wave her fingers about, continuing her earlier impression of an orchestral conductor, guiding the pebbles and forcing the Mchawi princess to move at her command.

"Geomantic puppetry. Not too long ago I encountered an entity made of sand and realized I could make it dance at my whim. Since then I've been waiting to see if I could make something similar work on a person." She twirled her fingers as she explained, making Noelani do a little pirouette. "Quite effective, I think, though it could use some refining. What do you think?"

 

[Noelani]

Noelani uttered a curse in her own native tongue as the earth began to coat her skin like an extra layer. It happened incredibly fast and then she felt herself... move. There was a startled yelp and her concentration finally slipped on the hands entirely, the tunnel of water dispersing into a burst of water droplets. Even though the sensation was uncomfortable Lani couldn't help but laugh. It was truly an amazing piece of magic and she wondered whether she would be able to replicate it but with water.

"It is marvellous," the Seawitch admitted as she was spun. "But," the gems at her throat and wrist suddenly began to glow. The waters that were held within them were of a different quality altogether. They could heal, they could poison, they could achieve things even Lani hadn't figured out yet. The water spread out along her skin winding between the tiniest of gaps and began to push outwards. The Earth crackled and then exploded outwards.

Lani flicked a bit of dirt from her shoulder.

"Perhaps a little more practise is needed," she smiled warmly to the other woman.

 

[Medja]

The earth sorceress observed as liquid poured from Noelani's jewelry and burst Medja's carefully laid trap as though with all the effort might one expend to snap one's fingers. A pity, Medja had truly wanted that particular trick to be the nail in the proverbial coffin. She sighed, but also offered the seawitch an impressed smile.

"Hmm...you may be right." She started thoughtfully. With her strings severed that particular line of attack was undone. Her Fists, however, were now free to wreak havoc (soggy as they were).
"Perhaps I should be quicker to fall back on the classics."

Medja thrust her arm out and the Fists obeyed, flying forward at a breakneck pace. Their fingers were outstretched as their intent was not to slam into Noelani, but to seize her limbs.

In spite of herself, Medja actually felt a tickle in her heart. By all accounts she seemed to be having fun. Gods, when was the last time she had fun practicing magic? These days the only way she found entertainment was in drinking wine and tormenting her peers...and the occasional late-night rendezvous.

 

[Noelani]

Manipulating the water with magical properties was a lot more tiring and testing than normal water. Lani let it slide back into her gems and returned to using the water so helpfully supplied by Medja, rolling her shoulders to loosen the tension building in them. After the duel perhaps she would suggest getting massages or relaxing in the bathhouses at the palace; they had seemed pleasant enough when the servants had rushed her to her rooms the other day.

The thought of warm waters distracted her. A novice mistake really to let her mind wander thus and it nearly cost her a few bruises no doubt as the fists flew towards her. Even though they were outstretched Lani's first instinctive thought was that they were going to hit her not attempt to grab her. Tendrils of water leapt up and began spinning in circles about her. They over lapped one another weaving a moving net of water that constantly shifted and changed pattern from one moment to the next. If the hands touched the ribbons they would find they had enough resistance and pressure that it would be hard for them to cut through with brute force alone and it would instead take precision to catch the seawitch in the middle of the net.