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 Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:23 pm
"I have you n-.... ow?" died off the snarl in the slayer's throat.
James clearly wasn't expecting the result either. No wonder his opponent didn't seem keen to block his attacks with his shield, it was made out of something substiantially less resilient then metal.
The awkward silence between the two was only punctated by another crash of lightning and the pitter patter of rain. The crowd's roar seemed distant now, though it had increased in light of this development, with Link's opponent seemingly powerful enough to destroy his shield with one move.
"Er," he began again, just out of each other's reach.
"... sorry?" he offered. It was a pretty weak apology, as he thought the shield held some sort of special meaning to Link, (wooden weapons were usually more of practice or ceremonial purpose then actual combat).
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 1:21 am
Truth be told, the shield wasn't wooden in entirely. It was steel overlaying wood. A shield made entirely out of metal would have been too bulky for Link's style of swordsmanship, as well as too expensive to maintain. A Hylian Shield was therefore perfect as it was wooden on the inside with steel on the out - a resilient surface with the bulk of it being relatively light-weight. However, when Link battled Leinhart, the Vampire's psychic blasts had caved in the steel and thus splintered the wood beneath. Link might have attempted to patch the surface, but there was no repairing the wood where the handle and leather strap were bolted into. So when James pulled, the weakened and splintered wood around the handle and strap would be put under more stress, and thus break away as James literally pulled the shield apart.
As for being out of eachother's reach, that was relative. James had his large two-handed sword while the Hero of Time had his hand-and-a-half sword between them both. Link was in the Martial Artist's reach, but James was barely outside of Link's. That would change as Link realized it was time to go on the offensive without his trusty shield on hand.
Heaving in a deep breath and warding off the bouts of shakes he had in regards to the cold around him, Link would raise his right hand and place his index and middle finger on the last few inches of his b*****d Sword while accepting James' apology with a terse nod. Silent for the most part, Link had always thought his actions spoke louder than any words. It would come as no surprise then as Link stepped forward with his left foot and slashed downwards and at an angle to injure the junction between James' right shoulder and neck.
War Reparations for the shield now lost.
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:16 am
"You don't talk much" James noted softly as the battle resumed in ernest, tossing away the fragment of shield (he had briefly considered throwing it at the elf man's face) and bringing his own sword back up to parry Link's blow in much the same manner that he had just done a few moments ago.
Once that was done, James swiftly took his left hand off his sword and threw it at Link's center mass in a powerful straight, rooting his body in the process, bending his knees, momentum travelling through his form as he twisted his left side into the blow to give it tremendous power. The downside was that due to the muddy terrain, Jamess actually did dig himself a inch or two into the ground. Immediately moving after Link looked like it was going to be a problem.
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 9:10 pm
After the few exchanges between The Hero of Time and the Martial Artist he fought, Link had come to expect James' decisions to forgo a two-handed grip on his nodachi in favor of a mixture between hand-to-hand and swordsman tactics. While that was the man's wont, it should have been well expected that Link would adapt and capitalize on his opponent's predictability. Paying no heed to the impact of weapon upon weapon that produced a loud screech and jarred his hands and shoulders, Link shifted his body weight away in anticipation that James had something in store with one of his hands or shoulders while simultaneously lifting his arms up and away.
It would come to no evident surprise on Link's face that he would now be watching James slide his hand off the nodachi in an attempt to -- Link didn't want to be in it's path nor did he have to be to find out. Dancing to the right by pushing off his forward left planted foot and twisting his torso to the left, the Hero of Time would watch with the utmost care every detail and gesture James committed in his next set of motions.
The fluidity of his movements, the way his muscularity tensed and clenched, and most importantly -- the way his left shoulder moved. This was going to a power punch, and Link was more than ready to handle it. When it came out as Link lifted his arms up, danced to the right, and twisted his torso to the left, Link would end all of this gestures by swiping down with the Master Sword to the top of James' left arm.
The Blade of Evil's Bane wouldn't chop the Martial Artist's arm off, but it would certainly hurt a whole lot.
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 11:01 pm
James always had a plan. Be courteous, be professional, have a plan to kill every person you meet, was a saying that his uncle taught him, although the plans themselves were rarely executed. Although they weren't fighting to kill, James's own tactical ability knew no bounds.
He solved the problem of rooting himself in the mud and Link's slash with one simple maneuver. He rolled.
Well, it looked more like he pitched forward in a dive into the mud, landing on and using his shoulder as a pivoting point to turn as fast as he could. The sword was no problem despite its size. A skilled warrior like James could easily tuck it in properly during the roll, and even as he was swiftly getting back to his feet, the nodachi lashed out in a one-handed swing to bite into Link's lower legs.
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 11:46 pm
A deep rumble of contemplation emanated from deep within Link's chest as he watched James pitch over to roll out of the way of The Blade of Evil's Bane's path. It took a few encounters between the two, but it would seem that Link was finally pushing James onto the defensive.
Link was, for all intents and purposes, not going to give that up. He wasn't going to give James the opportunity to gain any distance between the two to optimize on the reach of his nodachi and overpower Link with swift and powerful two-handed strokes - which were the Hero's worse fear in the fight at hand. So long as he kept the distance between them minimal, maintained swift offensive tactics, and stayed keen of mind, Link knew he could prevail over the martial artist.
With his sword molesting nothing but air while he danced towards the side, the Hero of Time would land with a squish on the balls of his booted feet in the muddied ground, effectively slipping a few inches back before coming to a stop. It was then, before he could truly gather his wits about himself and devise what to do to hurt James the most, that his stomach would churn with enlightenment to what was coming to cut into his leg. With the Master Sword already angled down after the completion of Link's slash, the Hero would angle his wrists and catch James' strike on the the Master Sword's length while simultaneous rushing into the swiftly rising James.
No plans. Not much in regards to tactics save for the desire to remain close to the man he fought with little reserve. Just the thrill of battle, the adrenaline pumping through his veins, and the will to win.
After the initial impact of metal on metal, and upon entering James' guard, Link would release his hold on the last few inches of the Master Sword's handle to curl his right hand into a fist and send a punch into the facial area of the martial artist's head as it would nearly finish its rise. An unorthodox straight backed by a running start performed by a man with little to no training save for what he was taught on the fields of battle.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:13 am
Too easy, the running punch could be seen a mile away by such an experienced fighter like James. Link's best chances against him would actually have laid in the mid-range section, just outside of the slayer's fists. It was a precarious balance however, the slayer was always moving and shifting, and the heat of battle could blind one, however unintentionally, to certain events that went on.
And James was a master of infighting, even without his flames.
He swiftly changed the grip on his nodachi over to his left hand, and twisted his right shoulder in to pat aside the incoming fist using his armored palm, the edge of Amaterasu nodachi was in the ground somewhere to his right, as James's left held it up near his lower body, presumably to guard against the Master sword.
From here, his counter-attack was two-pronged. Maintaining his balance well, even in the gusting winds through the use of his nodachi as a makeshift leg, James rose up his right leg slightly and lashed out at the side of Link's leading leg, swiftly breaking the elven man's rush, while his right hand made a much more noticeable followup in the form of a quick backhand, ancient metal seeking to break bone and shatter noses. Hopefully Link was made of tougher stuff then that, and was able to take a hit, even as James's gauntlet Susanoo turned that arm into a veritable mace of sorts, only more deadly due the warrior's skill and speed.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 10:14 pm
Realizing there was barely an arm's length between James and Link by the time the martial artist had batted aside the Hero's punch in apparent negligence, it would come as no surprise that the two would collide chest-to-chest arm as James lifted his leg to swipe at the Hero's own while simultaneously sending a backhand into Link's face. Fortunately, their proximity would deal with one of those attacks. With James' right arm crossed over his chest as Link pushed in, there could be no leverage to hit the Hero's face as Link barreled into the martial artist. As for the leg swipe, it impacted the side of Link's forward right foot to produce a painful thud.
With his face hovering over the junction between James' right shoulder and neck at collision, Link would reach with his once-batted-aside right arm and wrap it about the back of James' neck, regardless of the fact that the fighter could have very likely lost his balance and began a fall backwards, and pump his left leg up to send a knee-strike into his opponent's abdominal section. At this junction between the two, it was very obvious that the battle would become more of a flurry of limbs and ill-conceived attacks than coordinated attacks and defenses.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 11:08 pm
A backhand made its own leverage. If it wouldn't hit Link's face dead on, it'd produce a bruise on his cheek. Whether James struck with his forearm, his fist, or his elbow in the motion, it'd all hurt, especially when covered in a shell of metal of arcane origin.
James didn't worry a blink about the flurry of movement below, he focused on his own task at hand. He used the leg kicked with to restrict the elven boy's movement and prevent him from escaping by stepping and pinning down Link's foot... even as he felt a dull thud against his left hand when something slammed into the sharp edge of Amaterasu.
It was Link's knee attempt. The sheer length of James's nodachi served well as a barrier as well as a weapon. Though the force of the strike would shake it from James's grip, he didn't have anymore use for it. In a second, he would snake his own right arm around the upper part of Link's right, while his left grabbed the lower part of that same offending limb.
In the next moment, James hunched, turned, and shoved his back up against Link and smoothly performed his variation on a Judo Ippon Seoinage, or One Arm Shoulder Throw.
The variation was that James put an inordinate amount of power into the toss to speed it up, and it had the side-effect of making the thrower twist his shoulder deeper and faster, so although the muddy floor wasn't exactly an ideal terrain to throw somebody on, James would manage to complete a 180 degree spin in the air to slam his left elbow down on Link's gut at the end of it.
"Suki, Executioner's Drop!"
Ill-conceived attacks? Hardly so, atleast for James. This was where he thrived, and Link was going to find out, painfully.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:41 am
Unfortunately for him, Link was not a master at hand to hand combat. He took openings when he saw them, defended when he thought it was necessary, and adapted as fights progressed. These skills were no match for a well trained martial artist. Link had, to his dismay, stepped into James' domain and was going to pay the price for it. With James dropping his sword altogether as Link's knee struck it's flat (if the edge was buried in the dirt, the flat was between Link's knee and James' stomach) in favor of slipping his hands around Link's right arm, the Hero of Time would grunt with effort as he was quite literally pulled off of his feet (one which was already upraised and the other pinned down by James' foot) and thrown around like a rag-doll.
No time to think. No time to react. Link was taken by surprise by the expertly executed Judo move and was now watching his world be spun about with a odd sense of vertigo. All he would do is clench up and bring his left arm close to his body as he would find himself landing on his back at the semi-completion of James' throw. In a splat of mud and subsequent squish, Link would have the luxury of landing in the semi-cushioned ground that preserved the air in his lungs and resolve in his mind.
Perfect. Simply perfect execution. Link was right where James wanted him as the martial artist came down and ontop of the Hero, but could have James planned on Link's left knee? With it dropping marginally since being tossed, Link would right the appendage as if he were still striking James and place it blindly between himself and James once again. As James twisted his torso and sent his elbow into Link's gut as he fell, the man would find a powerful obstacle in the path of his body that barred his way.
With a good chance of colliding right into the side of James' head, shoulder, or chest, all having the very good chance of making James' striking-arm lax out of sheer shock-and-awe value, Link would blindly angle the tip of the hand-and-a-half-sword clenched tightly in his left hand and send it into James' body. Link could hardly see what he was doing with the rain beating down on his face, but he could certainly make out the blur of James' form as it descended upon his body. Half-blinded or not, he was far from being finished off.
((Edited targets for knee placement. Didn't realize how Link's and James' bodies were aligned.))
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 1:38 am
Even more unfortuanate for Link, his maneuvers only made the oriental warrior's job even easier. Landing on his back in the aftermath of a shoulder throw was pretty much a given, there was no need for him to draw his left arm into his body.
The easiest that could be described of James's elbow attempt was that it was similar to a bionic elbow drop in wrestling. It put James's body weight behind the blow, with the help of gravity, and since it was a drop, the martial artist merely incorporated it into the shoulder throw, since he followed his opponent down and landed on him. The result was that Link would find his left arm delayed because it was now somewhat pinned from having James's body ontop of him.
This was not turning out to be a good match for the Hero of Time. However, attempting to knee did help him. Even if it was weak, and lacked power from Link's position it struck the martial artist in his left shoulder as he laid on Link, and seemed to force him to roll away and get to his feet, freeing Link from his conundrum and avoiding the haphazard sword swings.
In actuality, James Eredas simply disliked grappling all soaked or mud-splattered. Holding onto your opponent was much harder. Of course, the throbbing area where Link had kneed him was also a mild factor.
"Tch" he clicked his tongue softly.
EDITTED: For clarity.
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