Topic: The Calm; The Storm

Nazareth · Date: 2014-10-02 03:34 EST

This is taken from play between myself and the wonderful Martyr; it is a segment of lore taken directly from Nazareth's culture.

Nazareth had forgotten that she even -had- a listener, for she enjoyed the tale so much that simply mentioning it aloud brought a warm joy to her belly. She looked at Martyr and nodded, her face was strict. "Bith, who was very protective of her students and the institution of The Reika, their newly-formed allegiance of The Dominion's finest female warriors, realized that there was no avoiding Forez, but let's not forget, she also had her own pride to consider; just because she valued life did not mean that she would hand hers over without a fight. Forez and Bith exited and prepared themselves for what was, supposedly, shaping up to be the last moments of life for one of them. They were very different warriors—-Forez was vicious and speedy, a master of technique, the -inventor- of the Six Circles—-and Bith was the first, and at the time -only-, woman to possess the ability of extending her soul into steel. And it was then, when both women stood at the ready, smiling cavalierly, that Bith's blade famously emanated the element of Ice—-and since, she is the only woman on record to ever have had the Ice element." Nazareth reached both hands behind her back and smiled sharply. "Historians were mystified, but I know why she was the only one."

Martyr's upturned little face fell down to her knees when she realized the cold truth. One of these warriors were going to die....Part of her didn't want to hear this story anymore. She rolled into an Indian style position on the ground and lowered her eyes to close. "W-why was she the only one, then?" Martyr asked, and then looked to Nazareth.

When Martyr questioned, Neth smiled daintily and leaned her long body forward. She extended her left hand and softly pushed the tips of both her index and middle fingers into Martyr's rigid upper-chest, lower-collar. "Because in all of us, we possess souls that, by some force unknown, contain whisps of every major universal element. Why was Bith unique"—-Because she was able to apply both the Wind and Water elements of her soul into steel, which is a technique so impressive it has driven many latter-Reika—-not excluding myself—-mad trying to replicate it. But Forez was not without tricks of her own, as she had mastered styles and postures that made her an offensive and defensive juggernaut; to date, no one has truly replicated her style in-earnest. And although she was jealous of Bith's spiritual mastery, she was unafraid. What happened next propelled these two women, who were already somewhat famous in their region, into history: it made legends of them: they began "The Duel in Twelve", as their fight lasted nearly twelve entire hours."

Nazareth · Date: 2014-10-02 03:36 EST

Martyr was almost afraid to ask—almost. "So what happened" H-how did it end" Who won' D-did the other show mercy.." The immortal asked those questions, looking up at the hellion almost hopelessly. It didn't have a happy ending. It couldn't....Neth liked it too much.

"Well, in the eleventh-hour, forty-seventh minute, both women unlocked their blades. Bith's right eye had been cut out: in fact one of The Old Dominion's greatest Artists, Kaznus, became legend himself when he painted an abstract rendition of the strong Reika, Bith, standing tall with her hand over her eye; there was even a moment, just after the famous slash Forez delivered, that Bith had to remove the dangling eye by using her own blade to sever the few veins and nerve-endings that kept the slashed eyeball suspended from its bloodied socket. Forez, however, was not without her own injuries, for although Bith was not as swift and technical as Forez, her powerful blade hit with the force of a meteor, and it is written that Forez's blade had become chipped as she battled and defended throughout the many hours, and that the bones of her primary arm, the left one, had become completely shattered after countless deflections. The women stood apart from one-another, bleeding, broken, and it was then that something miraculous was observed by the opposing clan members that stood in audience on the perimeter of the duel—-the women had -learned- from eachother through combat: Forez's blade now glimmered with the faint ripples of flame, and Bith now stood in a famous defensive posture Forez had made a pillar of The Six Circles. These women were simply that amazing, Martyr; to be able to assimilate each other's most precious abilities is just. . . it's Genius."

Martyr began thinking of when she'd lost her own eye. It was back in the early days, when she had first used her healing technique. Her first handler, Meike had been broken in the woods, and she, being the person she was, attempted to carry her back to her village—which was not Sama nor Sava but a place she'd called home. Acastia. She was not a person of royalty, but had been a respected member of the community. Skilled in swordsmanship, and compassion alike. She had been known as Lady Ausia. Her first name—her first identity. She found the victim of a village not far from Acastia, wandering in, beaten and bruised, broken and cursed without an eye. When Martyr's skin had touched hers, her hands began to glow and she felt her own body breaking. The pain and shock was too much for her, and littered her body with scars, her eye deteriorating from its socket. It wouldn't be too long after that, that Martyr would have learned that if she stopped the healing process, her own body would cease to heal. So Meike and her were left with matching half-healed eyes. Martyr snapped out of this reverie, and she turned back to Nazareth. "So w-who won?!"

Nazareth · Date: 2014-10-02 03:38 EST

"During the famous intermission, both women turned to their most gifted students and vocalized their last testaments, leaned into them for a prayer, and it is said that the cores of their most precious techniques were leant to the ears of these young, adept students this day. Forez nodded at Bith, and Bith only stared singularly with her remaining eye. When Forez started over towards her opponent in a crooked, broken hobble, Bith raised her right hand and said, "Before we finalize, can we agree to let our students teach in unison' Hate me if you must, but if future Reika were to learn from both of our schools, they can only become greater: stronger." It is said that Forez did not reply immediately, that her expression was blank and wide until finally her mouth formed a great smile. She agreed with a nod, and Bith smiled." Neth's expression lost light. A long breath was taken and subsequently ejected, her eyes fell over the lacy ribbons of moonlight that traced over the broad, flat surface of the lake-adjacent and she then, herself, nodded; nodded like she imagined Forez did centuries ago. "Bith raised her blade and the great frosted weapon radiated in white and blue with what little spirit remained in her broken body. Forez held her blade in-front of her body horizontally like a shield, and stood ready to block the strong downward slash Bith had tipped. Bith did swing, swung her sword down with such great power that it snapped Forez's blade in-two the minute it made contact. In a moment of explicit agility, Forez snatched the tip of the blade that Bith had broken-off, in mid-air, flipped her wrist and sent the dagger-like fragment right into Bith's neck. Because Forez's defense had been broken in-two, all Bith had to do was follow-through with her swing and she would have most-certainly cut Forez's belly wide-open. But. . . she did not. She stood there with the tip of her blade an inch away from Forez and smiled, and this was the last gesture she'd ever make, for the dagger Forez had thrown struck-appropriate, and Bith bled to death from the throat."

Martyr winced and it would be apparent, that she liked Bith more—and why wouldn't she" The one who could kill, but did not' The one who opted not to fight unless left without a choice" Bith was her. Martyr wished she could meet this legend, her eyes sank and she let out a soft sigh. "She sounded amazing..."

Nazareth nodded firmly and, with the tale basically complete, pushed herself up. "I relate most closely to Forez," she said, but this much was obvious. "But I respect both women the same. The Reika mourned Bith's loss, arranged a funeral so grand that it was said that even rival clan members—-Oh, before The Brides marched in and decimated The Dominion, The Dominion, like every other culture in history, warred with themselves—-attended in mourning. Forez became a violent recluse that, because of Bith's mercy, was labeled a "Lucky Coward". The most sacred, truthful texts say that Forez threw the fatal blow as Bith was in the process of cutting her down; that she had done it as her farewell present because she knew that Bith was only one simple stroke away from opening her chest. But as things go, rumors began to spread that Bith heroically objected to continue, and that Forez, in a fit of rage, murdered Bith heartlessly. I promise you, that despite the fact that they were outstanding rivals, no one loved Bith The Calm more than Forez The Storm. On the day of Bith's funeral, Forez took a single step off The Larens Peak and fell to her death. Naturally, no one threw a theatrical ceremony for her." Neth hated the end of the story most of all.