Lovers Quarrel

[Nimue Stormson]

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The old ruined arena of Thranduin was one of the few remaining relics of the anicent times of Effekt. Back when technology was a fantasy and its people did not believe in the idea of beings from other planets. Back in those ages the arena had often been used for both battle and entertainment. Warriors would duel for honor and glory or entire shows would be put on disply for everyone's amusement. All manner of citizen could be found, from the poorest of beggers to the highest of nobels. It was something of a testement to those days, and one that has been kept as preserved as possible to this day and age. But today it was needed yet again. ​

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Empress Nimue had sent a message to her lover/commander and royal second-in-command [member="Asterion"] . There had been a great tension between them after Nimue had made a shattering revelation to the Sith warrior, that he not only had a daughter but that she was a mutation of his DNA along with other men. Of course he was spurred by this, considering it a betrayl. For the longest time they had not spoken to each other, he barley able to even look her in the eyes. Nimue was ashamed to say the least but she wanted to try and prove that what she did was never against him. Too many times that explination failed to reach him. Instead she felt a new apporach was needed to sway him. ​

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She'd sent a message for him to meet in the arena after breakfast. She would await him in advance while allowing him whatever time he needed to prepare. Her message had even made it clear to come as armed and equipped as possible. She was already armored and ready, wearing a more knight-like armorment that resembled her usual attire. Light armor that allowed for movement while still having her long furred cape. It even included a helmet that had the two large horns that were part of her crown atop them, further showing she was an Empress ready for battle. ​

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As she waited she flexed her body and limbered up. Light snow was falling, having already covered everything in a thin sheet of white. Her footprints indicated how long she'd been in practice. They were almost all over the place. ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Days ago he would have ignored her request, but now he deemed himself ready for an audience outside in the arena as he knew what this would mean. Let her have this moment. He was simply existing in the palace making plans for his initiation to the Primeval which had been set-back thanks to Nimue, her deception and her array of lovers. Asterion was the only one who had stuck around – so fool him.

The lone figure of the Empress stood in the snow-covered arena, flakes drifting down from the purple-grey sky. Her attire was evident, and even though she wanted him to come prepared, he didn’t need to. His greatest weapon and defence was his body and his mind.

She wanted armed? His lightsaber hilt bounced gently on his thigh as he held it in his right hand. Not a training saber, but his Sith weapon from his time with the Order. As for clothing? He wasn’t here for a show or spectacle. If she wanted to fight it out, then he would let her. Wearing his combat trainers and boots that crunched over the light snow covering the grassland, only his black vest covered his body. The cold kept his senses alert, his muscles tight and his nerves heightened. He didn’t need plates of metal or fancy attire to convey who – WHAT – he was.

He came to stand opposite her and looked for a reaction.

”You called?”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

She'd sensed his arrival as he apporched the arena. It was only when the sound of crunching snow could be heard that she finally stopped and waited for him to speak. When he did she turned. The look in her eyes was a mix of both content and almost desperation. She could sense the anger that still lingered in his mind, something she both knew and feared would be present once he arrived. He wasn't as armored as she was, but perhaps that was just his confidence in his powers. She, however, was more nervous than anything. She had hoped this would help, otherwise it would be a very short regin for the Empress without a head on her shoulders. ​

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"I know you likley never forgive me, [member="Asterion"] , but at the very least indugle me." she said, holding up her lightsaber hilt. "I want to show you something. Something that can't be done without first....fighting you. And seeing which of us is the better warrior. And I want to make a deal with you. If you win then...I'll leave Morgana where she is. She'll never have to come back to Effekt....and I'll bear another child. Only yours." The idea almost seemed to break her heart before she put on a more brave face. "But if I win then not only sill she come, but I want you to be the one she meets first. The one who I consider more of her father than any of the others. Agreed?" ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Standing still, hearing his own hear beating hard and the blood pumping through his body to fuel the muscles needed for the confrontation, Asterion listened. As Nimue finished, he glanced to the right looking to the palace.

”A few mistakes – one, you assume I’d want you to bear my child when you already have taken my DNA to create something of mine, effectively taking that from me. Two, I am the stronger warrior, but you are the stronger combatant with your magic and power. Three?”

He looked at her.

”You have the gall to bargain with me after what you did.”

Stepping forward, looking at her cross-guarded hilt, he knew this would be difficult as the blade was designed to be far more efficient and protective of the one wielding it. He’d need to be careful not to lose a hand with the flick of her wrist. Still – he had nothing to lose.

He took the leather bound hilt, slightly curved for better grip, and held it tight and didn’t wait for her command before activating the blade.

”First one to die loses then?”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

He tore her down, as usual. Taking apart everythig she said and then showing how dumb she was for saying it or thinking it. She hung her head, shaking it as she realized how right he was. She really had nothing to use against him and it was clear he didn't even want to touch her again, let alne bare another child. But she did tense when he seemed to flare when he'd questioned her gall to bargain with him. She was still an Empress, a woman, and a mother. That should have grated some authority. Towards the end she sighed and began to come to terms with what he was saying.​

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"I won't use my powers. Only our blades. I swear." she conceded before taking position. Her lightsaber flared purple as it activated before she said "First one to die...." She gave a more heartborken look before adding "Effekt will be yours. All of it. Perhaps, if I do die, then you'll do something better with it."​

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[member="Asterion"]​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

As she had offered a lifeline on Teth weeks ago, now her words stung him. The only woman to really get into his head and his heart beside young Felicity, but this was far different. He was a monster and a cold-blooded fighter, but he wasn’t about to hurt the woman he loved.

More fool him! Love. A weakness he swore he never would accept. He watched the fiery sparks of her blade ignite, the cross-guard flaring to life with a powerful energy and sharp hiss that was unlike anything he’d seen in person, only heard of.

”I love you.”

And with that, he shifted the blade to his left hand and swung violently backwards as if to take her head and repeated a move he first did with her years before – swinging to distract her and then pushing out with his right hand with the Force to push her backwards.

His lesson had always been combatants never played fair.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

He advaced and Nimue rasied her blade foward, ready to block. But this move was familiar. She knew what he was going to try next. She learned that hard truth years ago when they first sparred and practiced with each other. She braced herself before the Force push came, her heels skidding against the ground before coming to a halt. Her eyes had been closed as she was pushed back, only to open them and see him standing there. She smirked, realizing how he was reaching back to those older days before all of this drama. She reacovered and came foward starting ith a thrust before adding with an over shoulder swing. She then followed with a feint to the left, trying to tap at his shoulder to wound him. She would not kill him but would he go so far to kill her?​

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[member="Asterion"]​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

As expected, she was prepared for this attack and only a fool would doubt she wouldn’t be. Asterion had to think fast as he lunge came, pulling back not once, but twice and in quick succession to avoid her attacks. She was more aggressive this time around, and it seemed that this wasn’t just a training duel, but one born from high emotion and frustration too.

Side stepping in the snow, narrowing his eyes against the flakes falling and spitting as they landed on the blades, Asterion began a simple series of steps forward – high strikes for the arms, swinging low to the hips. A classic move, one that could either open her up for more attacks, or be defended and have her pushed back.

Either way, it had been too long since he taken up a blade, and he knew it. So would she.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Despite the armor Nimue was quick to block his attacks. The mobility of the crossguard blade was limited but enough to where she simply had to quick change hands with each strike he attampted. Her hands were free to embrace the cold of the the wind while fighting against [member="Asterion"] . She'd been through enough to endure it. One of his strikes to the shoulder was lucky enough to have nipped at her cape. There came a point she stepped back before he could hit her again, only to stand there and see as her cape was hanging off and the fur was singed by his blade. She smirked back at him before undoing the other strap, letting it fall to the ground. Far more mobility now. She advanced and fiented to the left only to side-step again to come around to his back to try and give a side swipe to his hip. Following that she tried and overhead strike.​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

With a smug smile and nod of satisfaction at his hit, Asterion walked around her - stalking like a predator looking her in the eyes. Her eyes gave away her movement, her feelings, her emotion. She was an open book to him. The cape dropped to the floor, fluttering up loose snow as it did.

Again, she moved smooth and quick, and as he turned to come around her attack, he didn't expect her to follow, and he ended up facing her and the blade caught his hip with a pierce of flesh and fabric. Thankfully his reaction was enough to lower him from her follow-up strike.

Gritting teeth, Asterion stumbled back and hissed at the cauterized burn of flesh and blood, his eyes filling with venom at his own stupidity for under-estimating his opponent and her bravado and tactic. Taking a moment, blade angled across his body as a barrier, Asterion pushed down on the ground and sprang forward with his body as the weapon, coming in to shoulder barge her back and take her down to have the high ground.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Nimue had actually felt bad now for hurting [member="Asterion"] to the point of gasping. She'd thought he would be able to block it or do something clever but, in truth, she'd made the hit. She cursed herself in her mind before seeing how angry he was. She took a stance before seeing him use the Force to spring foward. She felt his shoulder bash into her, she giving a loud OOFF before hitting the ground. As soon as she realized what happened she sprang foward from the ground and got to her feet, pointing her blade foward again. The steam of melting snow spurted from it as it did on his blade, giving Nimue an idea. She used the Force and pushed downward, sending all of it up into the air around her in a massive flurry. She used the distraction to her advantage before using the same tactic he did, shoving with her shoulder before following up with a kick to the gut.​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

If he could nip her leg at the thigh at least, he could cause pain like he felt at least, but she was quicker and thinking more tactically. As he brought his blade over, he felt the Force tremor before he saw the effect of it. Snow whipped up in front of him as the figure of Nimue moved fast and hard into him, and her boot came up into his stomach. The wind was knocked from him, but it wasn't hard enough to floor the warrior - simply stun him at the attack.

This was turning dirty and more personal by the second.

Fingers flexed on the hilt, and he brought the blade out and forward, pointing it at the Empress as he walked forward, the wounded hip a little more stiff aiding his movement.

”You've remembered a lot since we were last here,” he goaded.

Asterion stopped, arched the blade downwards and swung it violently across again for a strike to her chest and head. It was evident he wasn't fighting as a fluid combatant, but as a warrior out to be victorious out of strength.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

He was getting angrier. Nimue wasn't sure if that was what she wanted. It meant he would be a little uncontrolable with his movements but also that he would be more violent with his attacks. She only braced herself before he tried to bring the blade down across her. She caught it bu bringing her blade up and catching his. As they locked she brought herself closer to him as they blades sparked and fizzed while struggling against each other. ​

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"You weren't my only teacher." she said before pushing back. ​

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Once there was distance between them she hand both hands firmly gripped on her hilt. She arched up and began to put both Force and strength into her attacks. It was a tactis she'd learned from Kezeroth, and how she could use an inner strength as a means of weaponry. Hopefully it would work against someone like [member="Asterion"] . ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

And as if he couldn’t feel more wounded, literally and emotionally, she dropped another dagger in his side with the fact he wasn’t her only teacher. Just another teacher; lover; father. Asterion snarled and frowned at her as they pushed away, sparks flying both from the blades and their Force bond.

He noticed a change in his posture, and he felt she was starting to retaliate more. He gripped the hilt of his blade and moved back and let the momentum of her swing carry her forward, and span around to make space between them.

Rolling his left hand into a fist, he summoned the Force from inside him, the anger racing around in his blood, and he sent a shockwave under the surface of the snowy ground, spitting up white snow and brown dirt as it rippled from where he stood, a low rumble coming from deep down.

He moved forward with it, to wait for an opening.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

The sudden shockwave from the ground had taken Nimue off her feet. It wasn't enough that he'd managed to deal with the blow she'd made but now he was trying more powerful means of attack against her. If she wanted to she could've tried anything else by using her magics, but she'd agreed to him before. And she wasn't about to turn on yet another promise she made to him. She only took the blow and landed on her back with a loud metal thud against metal and dirt. She flipped herself back, rolling on her back before coming to her hands and knees and then standing up. She shook her head for a moment to clear the hair from her eyes before advancing again. A sweep from the right followed by another attempt at the shoulder. ​

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[member="Asterion"]​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

As the sweep came from the right, Asterion locked his blade with his and pushed into her as she lurched forward. Glancing down, his blade was now locked under her cross guard. A flick of the wrist could be crucial here. He could lose more than he wanted if she was as cunning and deadly as he felt she could be.

Feeling strength from her equal to his, which was a little surprising but not un-expected, Asterion brought his left hand up to strike at her life force – aiming to grip her throat and force a submission with a brutal move.

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Their blades locked again and Nimue stared [member="Asterion"] down. Suddenly she felt the Force gripping at her throat before gasping for breath. He was going to a great extreme now with this sort of attack. Her arms dropped to her side while one hand reached for her throat as if to pry invisible hands away. She beamed at him before using the same hand and raising it up high. With a sweep of the Force behind it she was able to break his grip off of her. Another thing she'd learned from Kezeroth. She took a moment to cough and regain before pointing her blade at him again. A shuffled foward before a sweep to the right followed by a left strike and finally a whole turn of her body to the right, hoping to use all her body weight behind it. ​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Her resistance, greater than usual, surprised him again, and his confidence and patience was dropping fast. He didn’t want this humiliation; he didn’t even want to be out here. The invisible barrier came to bear on his grip and he backed away.

Suddenly, he was facing her blade and edging back to avoid it spearing his chest. Her body moved to strike, and he shuffled, stepped and lurched to avoid her blade but didn’t count on the counter-move from a spin to the right. It came unexpectedly fast.

Asterion dropped his lightsaber as his body turned to the right, the snow melting under the tip from the heat of the emitter now dead. Staring into the snow on the floor beside him, hearing the one active lightsaber hum with a violet glow on the ground, his arm was across his chest and his bicep was sliced. The burnt skin was cauterized immediately, and it gave of steam in the cold air.

Heavy breathing came from gritted teeth, fist clenched and pushing the pain down as far as he could. He kept his arm still as it hurt to move, and turned his head to look at her.

”Quite clearly you’re beyond me. Are you happy now?”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Nimue gasped at what she'd done. She gasped, yet again thinking [member="Asterion"] would've found a way to avoid that or defend against it. She thought she knew him better than that. Apparrently not. When his blade dropped so did hers, hitting the ground as her hands went up to her mouth as she cover it. She hurried over and tried to look at his wound while hearing him taunt about how she was better.​

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She shook her head while saying "I wasn't trying to be the better fighter. I just....thought this would help."​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Bringing his right hand up to stop her, he stood up right and placed the palm over the wound.

”How would this help? What’s been sorted by this?”

Sucking in air, his palm came away a little blood stained, but the wound was less red and just pinker, the flesh seared together a little. While his Force Heal was of good standing, right now his concentration wasn’t, but it helped numb the pain of torn muscle. His chest rose gently as he took deep breaths and side stepped around her, taking back his hilt from the snow which swirled from his movement.

”You won. I meet your daughter.”

Asterion looked around the snow covered arena, the majestic imposing palace behind them. His hilt and hand rested over his wound.

”Who taught you to fight like that. Using the Force more.”

[member="Nimue Stormson"]