[Round 6] Tenkai Matsumoto vs. Saphen

[Saphen]

So he understands...

Saphen thought in aggravation as he watched Tenkai twist his body.

This man can sense magic...and is using it against me...but he can only move as fast as his body will take him!

The bard was exhausted...but so was his opponent...and as Tenkai prepared to swing the musician had to consider his options quickly. Knowing that another ki wave was on the way (since no one would swing out of range of their opponent for no reason) the bard had to make a decision.

You can read sheet music but try reading this cacophony

Saphen ran forward, his bow rapidly pacing along his strings so swiftly...it was almost as if two violins were playing.

Saphen had started his sprint through the snow right when Tenkai had raised his sword to swing...at the same moment several odd things happened.

Saphen's cloak towards the back of the arena twitched slightly, the bard had hidden his vine in the cloak and was now using it as a distraction. Secondly, the handles on his hidden daggers rattled against each other for a moment.

To the untrained eye it would seem silly that all of these random actions were occurring but the bard was testing something. By making the music and his actions chaotic and random he was attempting to catch Tenkai off guard with his real motive.

The stone shard that was parried into the ground (now behind Tenkai) would launch at Tenkai's upper back.

At this same moment, Saphen was stepping on the foot of stone that was left from his pillar.

A powerful surge of energy flowed through his body as the musician used his charge to switch to his physical mode. At this moment, Tenkai's wave was released, but Saphen was soaring over it and on to more dangerous matters.

With new found vigor, his body flew through the air, sliding his bow off a note and into a lunging stab. The metal blade and spike that adorned the bow gave it a similar style to that of a rapier. The weapon's four foot length extending outward as he aimed for Tenkai's right shoulder, in an attempt to disable the arm with one powerful thrust.

If Tenkai stood up to counter the thrust, the stone shard would nail him square in the back. If he didn't not only might Saphen disable one of his arms, but the shard might end up hitting the back and sliding up into his skull (due to Tenkai's position of being crouched)...effectively knocking him unconscious. But there was a reason that the bard aimed for Tenkai's right shoulder.

If Tenkai managed to dodge the shard, Saphen was flying towards his left, which meant that the shard would fly up into the air at an almost vertical angle...missing the bard as it passed to the musician's right. The shard...would then enjoy it's short flight, before landing a few feet behind both fighters...far away from any watching spectator.

But while his muscles felt stronger, Saphen was still somewhat exhausted. However, the human mind was easily tricked and with a magical like placebo effect, the bard felt invigorated in the thrill of combat.

It might have been the adrenaline surging through his veins as he loomed closer to a dangerous foe...it could have been the brisk air alerting his mind of the danger...it could have been the sway of powerful and upbeat music.

But regardless of what it was...

Saphen was ready to deliver a serious blow...


Allegro: Brisk or Rapid "My head is bloody, but unbowed."  

[Saphen]

Luckily for the bard he was no demon as the attack forced him up into the air.

However, just as the bard began to protect his face and chest with his forearms he would catch a glimpse of the spike crashing into his opponent.

"Heh...heh....HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA"

The laughter was mixed with pain as the bard spiraled through the air, he had finally scored a decent blow and it was indeed cause for celebration.

Making sure to tuck his instrument close to his body, the bard pulled his legs up as well, the torrent tearing through his clothing. With several layers of wool and the leather armor many of the slashes were either successfully defended against or shallow.

But not all, the bard's right hand took a slice along it's back, blood flowing freely from the wound as he began his descent to the ground.

Any "burning" sensation was pretty much negated from the musician's damp clothing...a gift from laying in the snow previously.

Another hidden gift was the snow itself, as the bard attempted to break fall to the best of his ability the thickly layered snow buffered some of the impact...sadly it didn't stop the fall from hurting though.

Outstretching his hands the bard landed, pushing as best as he could to roll with the impact but his right side took a primary chunk of the damage.

Any left over heat would be lost on the cold sheet Saphen now called a bed. The musician had landed a good six or so feet away from his opponent, the snow giving a humorous THUMP! sound as he landed.

But there was no time for rest...or jokes for that matter...

Quickly sitting up, the bard took a knee, checking to see what his opponent was doing as he breathed somewhat heavily.

There were various cuts all over his body...a bruised side...but the musician was only concerned with his hand.

Ripping the now torn baggy sleeve off his right arm, Saphen wrapped it around his hand quickly and tied it with a single tight pull.

The black material would soon soak with blood but the bleeding would be slowed for the time being.

While the bard was not really sadistic he very much believed in the battle of the minds. It would appear to Tenkai that the bard was enjoying the pain, feeding off it like a leech, but in reality it was a diversion as the musician calculated his next action.

Damn...my bow hand is pretty beat up...but not worthless...I think I broke bone with my strike...I thought I heard a crunch...If that is the case he won't be as mobile...range attacks would be his next bet and apparently he isn't the melee man I took him for...Luckily for me I am in the right mode for such a battle. The mask hid all expressions of pain, his teeth clenched, as his train of thought flowed as freely as the blood from his hand.

It was amazingly lucky that Saphen had switched when he did. It helped him absorb the strike, deal with the physical pain, helped him break fall better...and now...it would help him dodge incoming attacks.

Saphen slid his left hand into his tattered shirt...clasping a dagger as he prepared for Tenkai's next move.

Allegro: Brisk or Rapid "My head is bloody, but unbowed."  

[Saphen]

The bard answered, in respect to his opponent's question, in what he considered to be the most appropriate way.

"Hito wo yume to ya
omoishiruramu;
sumi suteshi,
sono wa kochou no
yadori nite"

That man's life is but a dream -
is what we now come to know.

Its house abandoned,
the garden has become home
to butterflies.

Even though the words seemed some what foreign as he spoke them, Saphen had articulated them perfectly. While Saphen was many things, a warrior, a magic wielder, a musician...most forget that his title is Bard...

Bards were the story tellers of the world and this one had traveled many places. On one of those occasions Saphen had visited the great warrior nation of Japan, where he resided for a time just as he did many places before. While his Japanese was a bit rusty he knew many stories and poems in the language.

Of course he caught a few of the phrases his opponent had said through out the battle but...he wasn't much of a talker.

Saphen nodded, but as the speech ended the bard turned his bow slightly, sliding the spike into one of the holes of his throwing daggers.

From Tenkai's perspective it would appear as if the bard was preparing to play again. His left hand had only turned the dagger, so the spike could thread into it.

His left hand, which had never let go of the violin completely, formulated a chord and the music flowed once more.

The bard was moving the instrument along the bow...instead of the other way around, it wasn't easy to do... so the song he picked was slow...fluid...and culture appropriate.

But that was not the only reason...

While it would appear to his opponent that he had found a clever way around his injury the bard was actually preparing for an attack. After a few more moments the bard quickly jumped to his feet, and with a whirl of his bow in a horizontal slash...the dagger was released. This happened in one swift motion, the dagger flying as soon as his feet touched the snow.

The weapon spun sideways, end over end, aimed right for Tenkai's upper chest. With the use of his bow, Saphen got more power out of the throw than he would have attempting to throw it with an injured hand. The bard was not sure if the attack would land or not but causing his opponent to move in any fashion...especially with a fractured bone...would cause not only pain...but more damage to the wounded area.

Blood trickled down his arm slightly, as he began to move toward his opponent slowly...trying to save as much energy as possible for their confrontation.

The musician's hidden face winced in pain as he now played in the normal position...but as the music flowed he waited to see what Tenkai would do next.

The bard would not show pain...nor fear...he would not disrespect the tournament that way...

"Koogeki!" (Attack!) the bard shouted in defiance...as he marched into battle.

Allegro: Brisk or Rapid "My head is bloody, but unbowed."  

[Saphen]

As Saphen closed the gap between them he responded...surprisingly talkative with this opponent for some reason.

"Why don't you tell me what is worth fighting for?" he said firmly as he brandished his bow, moving it off the instrument and forward in the typical Capo Ferro rapier/dagger stance. After the small story Saphen would proceed into combat, the distance they worked on narrowing was easily enough for what Tenkai had to say.

Similar to that of fencing the bow was left forward while the dagger (in this case violin) was raised to chest level for parrying and close combat.

However...

The bard lowered and raised his violin, adeptly sliding a dagger into his left hand and holding it against the neck of the instrument.

With that as they got closer, the bard would whirl the tip of his bow, the spike moving in a small circle to feint a lunge. His body leaning forward only slightly to help the action look authentic. At the same time, the violin hand swung forward, while the thumb held the instrument against his hand, the rest of his fingers released the dagger. His body stepping to his left as the metal edge was released.

Where was it aimed you ask? I shall tell you!

The dagger was aimed at the top of Tenkai's right leg, attempting to stick into the thigh in order to hinder movement further.

If I can hinder his movements, I can defeat him. I just have to protect my wound and force him to hurt his own. It is possible...ever so possible...to defeat this warrior. Just need to keep focused..


Saphen's right hand was wounded, so when he lunged he was only trying to bait the weapon so the other side of Tenkai's body was open to attack.

In this close proximity, Tenkai would be able to hear the bard's pained breathing but that didn't matter now. The pain would not fade anytime soon, it was there and the bard had to deal with it. The musician knew he had to make these moments worth it. He was closer to his goal at the end of the tunnel, and while the last competitors were mighty...Saphen hoped to prove himself to be in that group.

Hoped to claim an identity that birth had wrenched away from him before he had a chance.

Hoped that those who he fought would never forget the mask man who honored them in combat.

No one knew but Saphen suffered from Prosopagnosia or face blindness. Saphen fought at this moment with such intensity because Tenkai was the first to acknowledge his reason for combat. At birth, Saphen was unable to recognize faces...including his own. His mask was his face, his actions were his identity, and this tournament...at this moment...was his life.

But that was merely a single note in an orchestra at the moment they were about to collide.

For they knew...

They both knew...

The one who endured the most pain would come out the victor...

Every action would be an intense but subtle elegy, each moment...each strike...each pained breath...moving closer to one of their metaphorical deaths.

The snow beneath them was covered in blood...but it was because of that blood that they felt alive...

They...will...remember....ME!

Allegro: Brisk or Rapid "My head is bloody, but unbowed."
 

[Saphen]

"Argh!" Saphen cried as Tenkai gripped his right hand, shifting his body to get into a better position. The bow was easily moved since the bard held it loosely, while he focused on the failed dagger throw. The slice merely a paper cut, considering the intensity of the wounds both fighters had collected through out the battle.

But as the swordsman pivoted, his intentions became evident as soon as he gripped Saphen's hand. The right side would be open to a stab if the bard did nothing to remedy the situation.

Something Saphen intended to deal with at that very moment.

As Tenkai stilled his hand, Saphen bent his right elbow, using the leverage to pull on his opponent's grip slightly. At the same moment, Saphen turned clockwise as well, squaring his body to Tenkai as the blade thrusted. Saphen's left foot stepping forward, the snow crunching as it raised, oblivious to the chaos above.

Saphen's left hand, with violin gripped (the main portion of the instrument still facing up), whirled down to counter the thrust. The waist of the instrument was reinforced with metal, giving the strike a natural clank sound as metal rang against metal. The left hand, which was already moving down from the dagger throw, was easily adjusted for defense as the deadly tango heated up on the cold battlefield.

However, with their close proximity the furious blade would finally taste the flesh it longed for regardless. The waist of the violin struck the blade as it destroyed flesh, the instrument pushing against the weapon in order to prevent the blade from puncturing his right side. The Violin's waist, with it's arc shape, would stop the blade from moving side to side when pressure was applied to it.

Instead the blade would slice through the leather armor, leaving a decent wound across Saphen's side, blood flowing freely as the bard continued his rotation.

With both of his hands checked the bard was left with only one option.

Use his head...

Using the rotation as well as tugging on Tenkai's grip to help pull his opponent towards him, Saphen launched his face forward. Pulling with his right hand also helped with squaring Tenkai to the strike, that way their faces would be fairly even when they crashed into each other.

"Ha!" Saphen cried in both pain and fury, wanting nothing more then to end the fight with a single motion...but life was never that simple in most cases.

The stone masked, with wool buffering beneath it, would attempt to collide with Tenkai's face in a radically crushing blow.

Since the opponents were nearly the exact same size (5'5-5'6), it would be easy for the bard to crash into Tenkai's face from this close. Ironically the bard had the advantage in this particular situation.

The stone mask and wool beneath it would buffer the bard's face from the strike...but Tenkai's naked face would take the full force of the collision.

If you told Saphen at that moment that he was fighting in cold weather...he wouldn't believe you.

Every wound, every bruise, every ache and pain...informed Saphen that he was indeed in hell. The warm blood flowing down his side, his breathing heavy, as he prayed for divine intervention.

Give me the strength...to overcome...

The thought rested in the back of his mind...as the front of it attempted to rest on Tenkai's skull.

Allegro: Brisk or Rapid "My head is bloody, but unbowed."
 

[Saphen]

Tenkai's actions were indeed noble...to a fault.

His attempt to save Saphen from his identity crisis would instead only drive the poor bard deeper into perdition.

While the monk was right about the mask being a somewhat thin layer of stone, it was not that easy to describe. Even though the origin of this object was unknown any mask maker could see that the craftsmanship was at expert levels. Masks in general were often made out of a single piece of material, carved or chiseled into a smaller object until finally...it was a mask.

The mask itself was made by compressing a much larger stone into something smaller...but more resilient. The visage was made to withstand combat, but there was no way the bard could have expected such a counter action as he surged forward.

This meant that the mask would not simply shatter when struck against Tenkai's advanced skin care system. (or TASCS for short)

Instead the mask would crack at the top, since Tenkai had an inch advantage in the height department. The entire mask would have shattered if not for it's creation process but the force was still too great for the bard's "face" to withstand.

A shard of his mask fell off as his head wrenched backwards in pain, while wool still covered most of his face one could see something...

A dark blue eye (the right), looking wildly at his opponent...but at that moment something amazing happened.

Pain...became his savior...for while it was pain that had sent him down the rabbit hole to begin with...it would bring him back just as well.

Saphen was momentarily stunned...but since they both moved back slightly, Tenkai's hand tugged on Saphen's right...the piercing pain brought him back to reality.

The single eye that was visible focused on the situation, a hint of blue hair peeking out from the top of his hood as he released the bow from his right hand. Letting his fingers relax, pointing them all forward, would allow the bard to wrench the blood soaked hand from Tenkai's grip.

The bandage would slip off, the blood assisting in allowing the bard to free himself as he prepared to show his appreciation for Tenkai's...help. Saphen's left hand kept the sword in check with his instrument...his right hand readied itself for war.

Saphen had already cocked his arm back, bending at the elbow, in order to give him a chance to attack in the first place. This meant that as he pulled his hand out of Tenkai's grip...it was already primed and ready to punch.

Yelling in defiance, the bard's right hand surged forward, aimed to slam into Tenkai's jaw. Blood would probably splattered into the monk's face if the punch connected and as it did Saphen would scream

"We all wear masks and they are all covered in blood!"

After a moment Saphen would whisper...

"Yours is no different..."

Allegro: Brisk or Rapid "My head is bloody, but unbowed."  

[Saphen]

Saphen had put most of his force into the punch...which was a curse as he lost his balance, falling forward. Saphen could do nothing more then attempt to break fall as he fell, rolling in the snow.

Thumping...like that of a timpani drum rattled his brain as the adrenaline faded slightly.

The force of the previous head butt was starting to come back as a vivid reminder that regardless of the situation...the heads of men should never touch.

The snow left a streak of red as Saphen tumbled a few feet, but luckily the bard's muscle memory took over...allowing him to roll to a kneeling position. It seemed that he managed to bruise his opponent's face...but more importantly...he escaped melee range alive.

"What do you know of masks!?!"

Saphen bellowed as he looked up, wildly at Tenkai, shrieking in pain as he clasped his right hand under his left armpit. The musician may sound hypocritical at this moment for those who did not understand his statement but in reality that was not the case in his eyes.

Saphen understood that everyone had a choice to wear a mask but his?!...oh no...there was no choice for him. It was either the mask or be reminded by every mirror, stream, river, and photograph that in his world

HE WAS NOT HUMAN!

The violin was held up in stoic defiance against the swordsman's words. But after a moment the instrument fell into the snow...sinking in slightly as the bard gripped his bloodied right side with his left hand.

"When you forget everyone that is important to you then you can come with your words of UNDERSTANDING!!!"

It appeared that Saphen had doubled over in pain...his hands grasping his stomach as his last cry echoed in the wake of the empty arena.

But if one thought the musician finished...they were dead wrong...

With the ferocity that only emotional anger could muster, the bard gripped two throwing daggers.

After a few deep breaths the bard launched them with a pained roar...one from the depths of which no tournament had ever seen.

Saphen finally had finally sung his deepest note...but it was not with out thought.

The daggers were thrown with precision...pain...but precision...

The first was thrown at his opponent's fractured collar bone.

The second was aimed at the center of his opponent's gut.

The brief thought the bard had while in pain was

Aim for his pain...and something else

Picking a target like the torso did two things...it let Tenkai know not to come closer...and it gave him a chance to irritate his opponent's wounds further.

Surely the bone would be the easiest area to predict an attack...but it was the second dagger that would hopefully catch the monk off guard.

Hopefully he was in as much pain as the bard...hopefully he would react instinctively to one dagger and be hit by the other...hopefully a fractured collar bone hurt more than a sliced side...

The bard had nothing left but hope and fury...as Saphen's teeth would grind in pain once more a moment of clarity came to him.

Let my hope be in God...and my fury be known by him!

Allegro: Brisk or Rapid "My head is bloody, but unbowed."