Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: Valentine Park

as written by Ronin

"AGH!" the bear howled as Izaic's armored fist came down against his knee. His plate protected him from what should have been a bone-shattering blow, but the damage was done. As Izaic bounded away, Sean struggled to regain his balance... limping slightly on his left leg.

Grunting, the bear took a solid step forward, bringing his hammer around in a wide horizontal arc. He had the reach advantage on Izaic and intended to use it, attempting to slam his weapon into the proselyte's side without giving his opponent enough proximity to counter-attack. Duffbrine's enormous strength allowed him to wield the maul faster than most, but it was a slow-moving weapon by nature. He could only heft it so quickly.

---

"Awww, you made us little flags?" Aaro gushed. "That's the sweetest, Thea. You must have been working on these for a while." The time and care Thea put into little projects like this were part of the reason why she was one of the more popular students at the academy. Most everyone knew her as one of the nicest proselytes in the upper grades. Half the class adored her, the other half had a crush on her.

"Oof," Aaro winced as he watches Izaic deliver a punch to Sean's leg. "I know we should be rooting for Swigelf, but damn if he doesn't fight dirty..."
 
as written by Krysis

Celeste just shrugged and backed off from the twins. "Up to you, Val. I promised him a kiss, Inarin, if he beat me in the fencing tournament. Which he did, of course, but then we were both too sweaty and sore to make it worth while, so he didn't collect immediately." The brunette female turned enough to give Luca a neutral look, only the stiff way she stood showing her defiance against whatever judgements he might have.

She acknowledged Camille's win with a shrug, as if to say that it was so completely expected that she had nothing to say on the subject.

Then her attention was drawn to the ring as she focused on watching Izaic. Sure, the Iverian was one of the better possible opponents for the older student, but she only had eyes for the proselyte. His 'dirty' tactics earned a faint smile from her, as she recognized the principle behind those choices. They were trained to fight to the death against incredible odds, so any advantage, even a 'dishonorable' one, had to be taken. It also meant that she wouldn't have to feel shy about using her own tricks against the much larger male.

Celeste didn't realize that she had drifted away from the handsome boys she had just been flirting with. As she watched Izaic, her feet moved of their own accord until she was at the side of the ring. He would be a difficult opponent-- and a difficult ally, when the time came, but well worth the effort.
___

Pierette lifted her cotton candy in a salute to Jimmy, high enough for him to see that her t-shirt proclaimed 'You can worry: I do bite.'. The pink and blue swirl of the sweet treat almost exactly matched the dyed bits of her hair as she returned to where she had been leaning. There was no way she was going to get close to Arien again, if she could avoid him. Especially not after certain warnings she had gotten from various sources.
 
as written by Script

"A kiss?" Inarin blinked with surprise. "Uhm..."

"So, how about it, In?" Val practically purred. "Fancy taking her place?"

"Um." The younger proselyte's eyes widened like a deer in headlights, glancing around. They were stood quite close to the ring, which put them in the line of sight of almost all of the people in the stands. "I don't know if..."

"Awh, c'mon," Al interjected with a grin. "Nobody's watching us. They're all focused on the gorillas in the ring. It's only fair, too. Celeste gave her kisses in plain view."

"I..." Luca, at this point, was starting to blush. "I think I will go and speak to Thea and the others... I need to ... check with her about ... something." Inclining his head to the twins, he practically scurried away.

"Oh... bye, Luca." Inarin cringed slightly at the other boy's reaction, then abruptly realised that he was alone with the twins. "Uhm... I ... I guess?" By now, it was clear that the red on his face wasn't just a result of heat.

"Don't worry," Val murmured, cupping Inarin's chin. "Al tells me I'm a great kisser."

The auburn-haired boy leaned in and pressed his lips to Inarin's, a far softer and less aggressive kiss than their drunken make-out at the rave. He lingered there for several long moments, before pulling back with a grin. Inarin was left slightly stunned, practically beet red, but undeniably smiling.

Luca, in the meantime, had passed Jimmy and Arien as the pair were on their approach, plainly flustered. He paused momentarily as he spotted Jimmy, a flash of recognition crossing his expression. He nodded to the other proselyte, but seemed to avoid eye contact. Whether that was because of his embarrassment from the exchange with the twins, or other reasons, was unclear. Either way, he didn't linger, continuing to make a beeline for the other group of proselytes without looking back.

Jimmy's greeting seemed to snap Inarin out of his daze, and he turned to face the older boy with a guilty jump. "Oh! Jimmy! H-hey! And Arien. Hi. Ah..." He struggled to regain his composure enough to form a coherent sentence, looking to Jimmy with a smile. "I-I'm glad to see you're up and about. And... th-thanks."

Arien wore a smirk, eyes wandering between the flustered proselyte and the twins. He raised an eyebrow at the latter two, who only offered a pair of matching 'innocent' smiles in reply.
 
as written by Emperor Jester

He'd seen. How could he not? While others in his Order, especially those around his age, seemed to consider visual training a pain, developing a situational awareness was an essential skill that Izaic had never once considered a waste of his time. However, unlike last time where he'd let himself become distracted, Izaic did what he normally did with his anger.

He transferred it into his blade.

The maul came in a vicious arc, whistling through the air with the power behind it. Blocking the massive hammer portion of the weapon would be a fool's move, so Izaic turned his claymore's blade to the side, exposing the broad, flatness of the sword, turning on his heals so that he'd be pushed to the side with the force behind the blow, though the shock traveling up his arm might lead to some soreness later. He'd catch the attack on the handle instead of the deadly portion, meaning his shoulder would be clipped as well, but to his credit, Izaic only barked a curse at the explosive, if mostly non-damaging pain.

Once enough of the momentum behind the swing was lost, the proselyte would counter, a half step back before a full one forward, overcoming his minor injury to heft his two handed sword around, before throwing a good portion of his strength into a savage assault, two horizontal blows one after another, both aimed towards the hip that helped support Duff's already damaged leg.

This meant close proximity, so if this didn't have enough of an effect, and if he wasn't quick enough, Izaic knew he could be facing a serious counter attack.
 
as written by Ronin

The bear grunted in surprise as Izaic moved to counter his swing. All the opponents he'd ever faced took every effort to dodge his maul, not having the courage or skill to offer a parry. Izaic's calculated flatblade-to-haft counter worked flawlessly, the foamed heavy end of his hammer rattling against the proselytes pauldrons to little effect. He was already inside his guard. The pain in his knee slowed him as he tried I maneuver into a defensive position. Two explosive 'pops' of pain shot up his thigh as Izaic's blade practically forced his knee out of its socket.

"YAGGH!" he roared, but did not fall. Anger blinded him to his disadvantage and he snarled up at the proselyte. Close proximity. With a toothy growl, Duff threw up the haft-end of his maul, looking to catch Izaic on the side of his head with a helmet-rattling close-quarter strike.

His left leg bent as he moved, the bulk of his movement supported by his right.
 
as written by Faithy

Jimmy pondered briefly on the look Luca came and once again started to regret coming back to the Park. Why was he torturing himself like this? Well, he would just say his hello’s and then move to his room. His roommate would hopefully be gone and there was a chance that they moved Gary, his roomie to another room. Shaking his head a little, the male couldn’t help but grin at how flustered Inarin was and he couldn’t help but wonder what he had missed.

“You’re welcome, In and yeah, I told you I’d be here. Looks like I missed Cam and Aaro’s match though.” Jimmy glanced over to the second group, also noting the presence of Thea. Well, he would let them come to him if they wanted to see him. If not, he would just head off on his own. Sighing, he shifted his gaze away, peering towards Izaic and the guy he was sparring against. Watching the two for a few minutes, he couldn’t help but be impressed by the Proselyte fighting against the huge beast of a man.

“So, who’s up after Izaic?” He finally returned his attention towards them after spotting Celeste near the ring, obviously watching to learn about her potential opponent.
 
as written by duramon

Thea, despite her distractions, was focusing intently on the fight. Senses honed by years of practice and befitting of a marksman taking in the details of each movement, each tell, before an attack or its counter. Any advantage couldn't hurt against Izaic, the bear was almost inconsequential. An animated doll for a live demonstration.

She smiled happily at Aaro's comment and continued to wave the flag absently. "You're too kind sir Aaro, ever the gentleman indulging a woman's fancies." She teased, awkwardly craning her neck to grab a straw with her mouth, sipping from some unknown beverage buried in her pile.

Damn I'm elegant.

Upon Luca's approach Thea allowed herself to look away for a moment to offer a welcoming grin and a tiny wave, nudging Cam gently with her elbow. "Pssst, offer him a pastry, my hands are full of fun." She fake-whispered loudly, sticking out her tongue playfully, keeping at least one of her eyes on the fight at hand at all times.
 
as written by glmstr

Thea's concentration reminded the Lacroix 'peacock' to watch the match at hand. After all, he was going to square off against the large proselyte soon enough. He wasn't going to be able to afford to try such extravagant and flashy maneuvers as in the previous match or during the fencing tourney.

"Okay," Camille returned a fake whisper, and promptly held out a pastry to Luca, almost as if luring an animal to a trap.
After all, Thea's hands were indeed full of an almost-concerning amount of fun. Then again, it would only be concerning to those that didn't know her very well.
 
as written by Script

"I think it's Luca and Celeste," Inarin answered after a moment to regain his composure, turning to follow Jimmy's gaze towards the ring. He frowned faintly. "He should yield before he gets hurt more seriously. His leg looks p-pretty bad..."

"The Iverian Bear, yield?" Alvére raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I doubt he knows the meaning of the word. Or, indeed, many words."

"I don't know, Al. Yield is only one syllable. Maybe he can manage it?" Valére answered with a smirk.

Inarin tried unsuccessfully to suppress his giggle, shaking his head. "D-don't be so mean, I'm sure he's... not that dumb."

"His opponent aside... Your classmate can certainly move," Arien chipped in idly as he observed the fight. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting him."

Both twins snorted in unison. "Val still has the marks to remember the 'pleasure' by. And I don't mean that in the good way." Al remarked with a bitter edge to his voice.

"Ah," Arien raised an eyebrow. "So that's him, huh? Not quite what I was expecting." His eyes narrowed into a glare as he watched Izaic fight. Let him dare to try and lay a finger on his prizes while he was around.

Sensing the tension, Inarin cleared his throat. "S-so, uhm... What are you guys doing for the rest of the day?"

The twins shrugged. "Our free periods are up in a couple of hours, so we'll have to head back to school." Al answered.

"But if you'd like, we can meet up with you again later. We should be free by around five, when our music practice is over. You'll still be here, right?" Val asked, nudging Inarin.

"I-I can be..." The proselyte answered with a shy grin. "For sure."
 
as written by Emperor Jester

Izaic pulled back from the blow, but he was much too close to completely avoid it. He'd taken the giant's strength for granted, and knew it in an instant, when the scraping blow resounding harshly off the side of his helmet, sending the proselyte reeling backwards, almost stumbling, as the once fresh now dented metal flew from his head and onto the stadium ground, an indignant curse slipped through his lips. It wasn't just the metal that had been damaged, no, there was now a steadily flowing cut on the right side of Izaic's head, and it only seemed to get visible worse as he backpedaled quickly out of the hammer's range.

This wasn't good.

Vision wobbly, and suddenly very lightheaded, the warrior to be knew what had just happened. He'd been bashed in the head enough over the years to recognize a concussion from impact and effect alone. A snarl on his lips, Izaic once again charged forth, a high vertical swing looking like it was aimed to come down near the Iverian's neck or shoulder, but at the last second it would be revealed for the feint it truly was. This time, a heavy steel boot would come crashed with almost unnecessary force right down on top of that still-injured knee.

It was as if Izaic was trying to make sure this man might never be able to fight on that leg again...
 
as written by Krysis

Celeste glanced back once at Inarin, the twins, Jimmy and Arien, giving a distracted wave of greeting to them. It didn't seem to register with her that Jimmy was the one that had been attacked by a werewolf recently. Mostly because she was more concerned with Izaic's battle.

When the older proselyte got bashed in the head, she took an instinctive step forward. If one didn't know better, it might be thought that she was concerned for the big bully. Then she gave a distressed hiss when Izaic went after a crippling injury instead of backing off and letting the Iverian or ref cry uncle.

"I guess that means no mercy for him either." The young female muttered as she folded her arms and just watched closely.
___

Eventually, Liz would return to the area, two children in tow and pushing the stroller. She didn't know most of the males that had shown up while she had walked off. The spacey smile was back as she looked around for Celeste, though she did stare at the sight of a proselyte sandwiched between two minor celebrities for a bit. She smiled a bit wider at Jimmy, thinking he looked familiar for some reason.

She loitered next to where Celeste had left the practice weapon that the young woman would be using later, long enough for little Adam and Marie to pick up practice weapons of their own and return to chasing each other around.
 
as written by Script

"Good morning, Thea. Camille." Luca nodded to each of the other proselytes in turn, accepting the offered pastry with a smile of thanks. The faintest trace of a blush still stained his cheeks, from his brief interaction with the twins, but he was quickly regaining his composure.

"Thank you for the pastry. And congratulations, Cam. You were very impressive, as is your armour." Certainly, from Luca's perspective it was a welcome change to the boy's usual attire, which was often entirely inappropriate.

With that said, he turned his attention back to the fight in time to see Izaic driving his boot towards the Iverian's knee. He frowned, wincing at the brutality of the attempted strike. It was hardly behaviour appropriate for a friendly spar.
 
as written by Faithy

“Aaah, that’s a tough one. Not sure who I’ll be cheering for.” Jimmy realized that he pretty much just committed to staying to watch at least one more match. When it came down to it, the male really didn’t want to be alone in his room and if his roommate was there, well, he didn’t want to talk about what had happened or be judged or anything. Sighing, Jim ran his fingers through his hair, absentmindedly itching the bandage that was covering his bites and claw marks.

“Oh man, that knee is never going to be the same again.” Jimmy winced when Izaic nailed his opponents knee yet again. He was not sure why the Proselyte was going so far, but he wasn’t about to ask. He turned his attention back in time to hear Inarin offering to do something with the twins and he smiled faintly, happy that he was coming out of his shell. He only hoped he didn’t get hurt in the process.

“Hrm. Is there a list of people that’re competing today? I want to see if it’s worth sticking around after Celeste and Luca’s match.” In truth. Jimmy knew that he needed to go back and arrange for his father’s burial, but that thought made him incredibly sick to his stomach.
 
as written by Script

"Ah, after Celeste and Luca... I think that Thea's up, against someone from Lutetia City University. After that, Colin is up against that warden that Leon and Perrin have been talking with the last few days. Noah." Inarin answered, once again demonstrating his propensity for remembering details. "Then there's the first round of the tournament for the over twenty-ones, with Perrin and Leon in it."

It was at that moment that Izaic kicked towards the Bear's injured knee, and Inarin let out a sympathetic squeak, wincing away in anticipation of the impact.

"I wonder how many people he has to cripple before they kick him out," Alvére remarked dryly.

"As if they would." Valére shook his head with a disgusted sneer. "We already saw how much they favour their prize bull. Eddy's never going to wrestle again, and yet ... here the bastard who did it to him is, on for a repeat performance."

"I still say we should have taken him to court when he hurt you..." Al muttered, folding his arms.

Arien, in the meantime, was unusually quiet. His gaze was fixed on Izaic, boring into the side of his skull with its intensity. He'd make the brute pay for daring to lay a finger on one of his own, somehow. He'd just have to be subtle about it.
 
as written by glmstr

"Thanks!" Camille smiled at Luca before turning to watch the king of unsportsmanlike conduct.

His formerly cheery face formed a deep scowl as Izaic went after the bear's knee again. Even if the Iverian in the ring was little more than a monkey with a club, it was still appalling that a proselyte would stoop to its level.

"Shameful, absolutely shameful. I expected more from him."
 
as written by Ronin

Izaic was not alone in his rage. The proselyte's hate had awakened a reciprocated wrath in the Iverian Bear, born of bodily pain but fed by indignant shame. He had lost the fight the moment Izaic's second strike had sprained his knee - only blind bloodthirst kept him from exhibiting the effects of his injury that would undoubtedly merit an intervention by the referee. As the opponents squared off for the final time, the understanding between them was as articulate as if they were speaking directly into each other's minds. This was not a game anymore. Izaic would fight to cripple him, to shame him, to destroy him utterly. The bear would fight to kill, to crush, to exhaust the young proselyte's life beneath the end of his hammer.

It was hardly decipherable which intention was worse.

The bear had his right foot forward, injured leg back behind his hip. For Izaic to reach it, he would need to step well-inside Duff's guard - a maneuver easily accomplished with his sword feint. But the bear seemed not to notice as Izaic's boot came crashing down on his leg, rending bone from tendon and crippling him instantly. He was immune to pain. His hammer was held high, saliva foaming off his lips as he waited until Izaic was just close enough... before bringing his weapon down, overhead, aiming for the top of his skull.

The referee was already charging forward. 'No overhead strikes!' he roared, but it was too late. The hammer was in motion. The bear was falling even as he swung, unable to support his weight on only one leg. If his maul found its mark, there would be little doubt as to the consequences: death. It would pulp Izaic's skull, levy well through his cranium into his throat. He must either avoid the damage through some act of inhuman athleticism, mitigate it along some other part of his body, or die.
 
as written by Emperor Jester

Izaic's eyes went wide when he realized what was about to happen. This was not what he'd anticipated. That was meant to be the blow that would've ended the fight, but this...this...monster! just kept coming at him. Too fast, and too close for the proselyte to react to, again. This was the risk of close quarters combat, but that didn't diminish the pain. Izaic had no choice but to turn into the blow, exposing his uninjured shoulder to the brunt of the blow. If it hadn't been for his well made, brand new armor, the shoulder would've surely broken, dislocated, smashed to a pulp, or any combination of the three.

Still, it was a well felt strike, and the young warrior, gritting his strength so hard the gums bled, would drop his blade, and throw his full weight into his opponent's injured size, quickly (and barely) lifting Duff off his feet before slamming the giant onto his back. As he rode his opponent down, Izaic would make sure he landed on top of his foe in a straddling pin.

And during the short amount of time he probably had before the brute threw him off or the ref stopped the match, Izaic got the Iverian's helmet off.

And begun to rain down blows with mail and plate covered fists...
 
as written by Krysis

Celeste hesitated for a heartbeat when the ref shouted for the two beefy males in the ring to stop. For some reason, she thought it would actually stop the violence, since if the ref was shouting, someone had already lost. When the Iverian didn't check his swing, she started running.

A few people shouted when the female proselyte dove between members of the crowd on her way to the ring. She didn't care if she knocked people over, the brunette was just not going to let her comrade die in front of her without doing something.

By the time she was vaulting over the railing, the worry was more that Izaic would become a murderer if no one stopped him. She slid her helmet on while she was moving like an armored missile, launched at the pair of fighters. She aimed to ram her shoulder into Izaic's side and knock him off of Duff. Even though she was only about half Izaic's weight, she had plenty of momentum from sprinting across the field and might actually succeed. The movement would likely catch his attention anyway, and prompt both the large males to respond to another threat.

Either way, she was going to hurt herself, but somehow she didn't think anyone else really grasped how violent the older male proselyte could get. She was very sure no one else had realized that Inarin's public affection for others had set him off again too. That meant it was up to her, to act on what she knew and try to prevent tragedy.
 
as written by Script

"Look out!"

It was a pointless yell. At this point, Izaic would either live or die by his own reflexes. But Inarin couldn't help but shriek as the hammer descended towards his classmate's skull with lethal intent. He breathed a sigh of relief when the blow struck his shoulder-plate instead. The relief was swiftly followed by horror, however, as Izaic began to rain blows down on his opponent.

"Is he about to..?" Al murmured.

Val nodded. "... he is."

And then, Celeste. Like a bullet from the crowd, she burst into view and slammed into Izaic's side, even as the tournament official was moving to try and separate the combatants.

"Ooh, nice hit." Al grinned, whilst Inarin winced. "Solid eight out of ten. Good connection, but a bit of a shaky landing."

Val looked on with a raised eyebrow. "Jeez... Remind me to avoid getting on Celeste's bad side. It shares too many similarities with getting on the bad side of a freight train."

"How can you guys be making jokes already?" Inarin glanced between the two taller boys with a sigh. "Two people just almost died!"

The twins exchanged a glance, then shrugged.

"Uhh, coping mechanism, I guess?" Al suggested.

Val nodded solemnly. "Our humour serves to mask our crippling emotional issues."

"Or maybe we're just jerks. But we're funny, so plus points?"

Both twins gave a snort of laughter, and Val hooked an arm over Inarin's shoulders. "Seriously, though. The key word is almost. Nobody did, so... joking helps with the tension."

Inarin frowned dubiously. "I guess if it works for you guys..."
 
as written by Faithy

Jimmy made a mental note of who was up next as well as who was going to be taking part in the over twenty-one matches. Did he want to stick around and watch or would it be best to go back to his room before the paladins realized he was walking around free. How soon would it be before he was booted out? His thought process vanished when he realized what was about to happen in the ring. His eyes widened and the shout that was trying to come seemed to freeze in his throat.

“Phew…” He released the breath he had been holding when Izaic shifted to let the hammer hit down on his shoulder instead of his skull, but watching as the Proselyte launched himself on his opponent and start wailing on him was less encouraging.

Watching Celeste rush through the crowd before vaulting into the ring was something he never thought he’d see and when she slammed into Izaic to knock him off the Iverian who he had been pummeling moments before, Jimmy couldn’t believe what he was seeing. In fact, he went as far as to rub his eyes before glancing over at Val and Al, frowning a smidge at their jokes. Even Inarin seemed to be shaken by just how easily they brushed off the fact that Izaic and the Bear was almost killed.

“…so much for it being just a friendly spar. That was uncalled for on both sides. Izaic needs to cool it.” Jimmy shook his head and crossed both arms against his chest, keeping his gaze on the male to ensure he didn’t try to go after Celeste.
 
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