Tales of the Exalted

Eida narrowed his eyes at the crude joke.
"Things in general? Not so much. If I had time, I could manage with anything. You will find that common with my traits. Time to prepare will solve anything. But that is well enough that I need only worry about one person's explosive abilities. Will the steel have a chance against your swords? It might be more fair to your abilities to test against a more durable tool." He wondered what it would be like to hold a weapon like that. He had trained with so many under the watchful eyes of the Azuma, but every tool felt wrong when compared to Jaeda's fang.

If Cion didn’t know any better, there was a veiled threat in there somewhere but maybe the man was always that pretentious about his talents. ”Well I assure you, I have not exploded anything quite yet. Steel does alright against them but the heat will damage the weapons or in some cases cause them to break. I will not be hitting at my full strength, as I am sure my friend here would not want to take a full blow from one of these and I would hate to harm anyone the lady is fond of,” he said with a charming smiled aimed at Callista.

Eida looked unimpressed. "That is reassuring. Thank you for your consideration towards the Princess." His ego was bigger than even Awilix'. without much else to say, Eida took his place next to the bleachers to watch as whatever was about to happen unfolded, likely in a horrific mistake or damage to the palace itself.

Donovan was surly impressed with Ruby's work. The armor was smooth and blemish free. He almost regretted putting it through the trials they were about to do, but then again perhaps she would be kind enough to mend it again, even with the new suit from the armory, for sentimental reasons.

Mercy was taring down the steps running at full tilt to get to the yard. Good. She was going about her duties as she should.

He sat and started pulling on his grieves and fastening them before she got there. He by the time she had arrived he had donned the front breast plate and without any communication she started affixing plates over the chain and quilted jacket, the two of them working together like clockwork, until within mere minutes they were complete. Donovan flexed and rotated checking the movement and then nodded to Mercy in approval.

She fastened the heater shield onto his arm and his sword to its lanyard. After which he gave a few practice swings.

We'll start slow and work up to speed. Once there, just call out if you want offense or defensive posture from me. I will match you.

As an afterthought
I am sure you want to show off what these can do. Don't worry about hurting me, I'm tough. he said confidently

Cion nodded then bowed to his partner, turning again to bow to the rest who sat in the bleachers. He then dropped into a fighting stance that was both fluid and yet chaotic at the same time. The blades in his hands responded to the essence he allowed to flow into them, beginning to heat but not a flame just yet. Cion began with small attacks that seemed to be testing the skills of the knight then began to build up to more aggressive strikes. His form echoed years of training that had a heavy influence from his father's Fire Dragon style but there was also a lot of his own, flashy showmanship that made the whole thing a dramatic dance that displayed his great skill with the blades. Eventually the swords came alive with an aura of prismatic flame, sparks flying as blows where parried of deflected. Cion wasn't just born of fire, he was fire.

Cion was very impressed with his partner's talents with a blade and motioned him to come at him a few times. They might have been matched in technique but without heavy armor on the Dawn was fast like the flames flicker off his weapons. Eventually the bout was over and Cion bowed deeply to Donovan. ”That was most enjoyable, you show great skill with that sword and shield you wield, I would not wish to try and get past it on the battlefield.”

Callista had never seen anyone fight quite like the foreigner did. He wielded the two weapons easily, parrying and striking with either had as he moved. There were a few times that she gasped despite herself and the fact that she knew very well it was a mock battle. She was a bit concerned about Donovan getting burnt by the wild flames that surrounded the blades as Cion swung them so after they finished, she applauded politely and stood to meet them at the edge of the field. ”That was very impressive, Cion. Your weapons truly are miraculous things but I am sure their wielder’s skill contributes to that too.”

Cion grinned proudly and bowed, taking her hand again as he leaned in. ”Well, anytime the lady needs a champion I would be more than honored to do so,” he gave her a wink and a charming smirk.

The combat had been exhilarating. Cion was a gentleman and never went for anything close to what could be a killing blow, so the armor was really useless. The shield on the other hand had been twisted and bent in the corner that had taken repeated blows from the heated sword. He was impressed. Handing off his equipment to Mercy he approached the stand and bowed to Callista.

M'Lady Then turned to address Rebekah

I trust that suited your needs Miss Stalling?

"My needs? Hells no! It certainly got me wanting to try it for myself though. Someone that she could actually have some fun with. He looked tough, he talked a good game, and best part? He could hold his weapons. "Hey, Firebrand! I want in, you still got some juice left? Ruby nearly fell over herself when he went to swoon Callista, but hey, he's new, likely didn't know about the Prince.

Cion turned away from his flirting momentarily to smile at the approaching fellow redhead. ”Certainly, I would be honored. What would you like to spar with?” He eyed the woman appraisingly and not just because she was lovely under the dusty leathers but she did carry herself in a way that showed the control of someone who knew now to fight. Without armor, he was a bit worried about burning her but figured if needed he could hold himself back a bit more than he had with the knight.

Ruby smiled. A home raised noble from here probably wouldn't know what what a firewand was, let alone something like her Kaleidoscope Rain. She pulled her piece from its hip holster, shouldering it like a lumber axe. "A personal toy of mine, only fair to fight on similar terms. I work with explosives, so if your blades give me more than sunburn, color me impressed." She let her essence pour into the firearm and the Glass lit up like a stained mosaic as she stepped into the training ring with a defensive posture, leading her weight on her back foot.

Callista opened her mouth to respond to Cion’s rather bold offer. She had champions. Not official ones but she had no doubts that her friends would come to her aid like they had the night of Chagatai’s betrayal. Ruby’s eagerness to engage the young man saved her from having to formulate a polite response to the offer although something about the way he had said it made her think that it wasn’t entirely just an offer to defend her honor.

”If Rebekah is taking the field, I think we should go sit back in the bleachers,” she glanced over at Eida before returning to her seat. It was already a warm afternoon, but Callista had a feeling with those two together it was about to get a lot hotter.

Cion watched as Ruby pulled out the most interesting looking axe that started shimmering with internal light. ”Explosives you say? I would appreciate not getting blown up if you don’t mind,” he laughed as he moved to square off with her. At first he was a bit worried that her weapon would shatter upon impact but after a few deflected blows he was surprised at how well she handled the piece. He was constantly moving, which was good because her ducking and rolling to dodge kept him guessing where she was going next. It was definitely different from sparring with the well-armored and precise knight that was for sure.

Ruby was glad that she had seen him warm up with those whirling blades of his. She had prided herself on an unpredictable pattern thanks to her life on a rocking boat, but the jagged see saw of avoiding two swords from one person was exhausting. By the time she had recovered from one movement the squall pitched her to the other side left she get seared like Icarus. The scraping of Jade on Glass was deafening thunder, the sparks as clear as lightning. Finally she found an opening. Jumping back to clear some distance between them, she looked him dead in the eye, leveling the muzzle of Kaleidoscope at his chest. She only said one word as she winked at him. "Duck"
With a click, a ball of vicious flame poured from her piece and arced towards him. She dove into a roll right behind it as he leaped to the side, instincts likely saving him from some serious burns. She settled crouching just below him, staring up into his chest as he blinked away the flash of light.

"Bang."

She motioned an empty hand in the same recoil that Kaleidoscope had with a grin. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, her eyes bright and alert from adrenaline. Ruby was sweating, but after a workout like that, who wouldn't be?

The match was undoubtedly a display one some of the most adept fighters in their respective fields. The agility expressed between the two hearts of flame was unparalleled, and they were not even using their innate gifts. Eida was glad that he had Jaeda at his call, and even if he could not match them in prowess, subterfuge and guerrilla methods were his fall-to. Callista gazed on at their display, as enraptured with their ability as he was. He could not help a lopsided smirk as he watched the engineer reveal her tool for what it was. Small victories, indeed.

"I am extremely relieved that those three fight with us. having to go against even one of them would be a terrible concept." The praise was real enough, he did not have to pretend that Cion and the others were better. Eida might hold his own again the An-Tir, and only because their tools were so different.

The two styles seemed to have much in common but were also vastly different, at least to the Princess's untrained eye. It was actually enjoyable to watch the bouts, as the only fighting from the group she had seen had been in the heat of battle. The Temujin did tournaments and displays on occasion but they were a lot of displays of prowess and might, not this more refined styles. It also reminded her how much she relied on others. Each time she had been in danger, others had to step up to help her and some even lost their lives doing so. Callista wondered if this was right or just how things were.

”They are very impressive. I haven't ever seen anyone fight like that before. Sometimes I wonder if I should learn to fight but I'm afraid I would be no good. What is the use of having a knife if you do not want to strike with it?”

Jill stuffed another cookie she had pilfered from the tea into her mouth and cheered Ruby on. Both fights had been good, and all the participants were more skilled than she. She was tempted to show off her tiger style, but there really wasn't much point. It was fun watching and she got to see some very nice butts moving around down there.

Take the chance, before the 'Firebrand' does. I like that, I'm going to use it.

"If it is a concern over capability, Princess, I would be more than happy to instruct you on simple techniques with small arms when we have some time." Eida was a little self conscious at offering his service, but he was competent with a wide selection, and would not intimidate her like the 'experts' might. In addition, he would get some time to spend with her and get to know her more as a person and less as the noble he watches over.

"I would also help teach you, if you wanted. You have never been bad at anything before, why would you start now?" May said as she took her place next to Callista. She nodded at Eida as she did so, a soft thanks for his offer.
"Besides, it might help if you are not going to run when I tell you to." she said with no malice.

Will also? Mayumi was offering additional assistance, not turning his down. Maybe she felt the Princess was at risk from Cion as much as he did? Eida knew that his feelings have not slipped through the cracks while he was in public, so she was not approving of his action, just preventing a different one.
Eida smiled, brief and small, at Mayumi.