The fighters are taken by plane to a place called Estella, a tourist spot where people are taken on explorations of the ancient city whose ruins are scattered across the forest that rests around them. The old civilization of Estella is known for being a city that was once ran by the magic of a water spirit. However, it was theorized that through some unknown event, the magic disappeared, making all of the city’s technology obsolete, and thus ending the legacy of a place ahead of its time. The old city may have lost its superiority, but Estella is still a beauty that others enjoy; from the lush greens of the forest trees to the sparkling crisp of the running waters around Estella, it is a living testament of nature’s splendor. The other thing that Estella is known for is the secret ruins found to the east by archeologists years ago in the forest of Everlive (live as in “alive”).
The next round’s fight takes place in a side venue located next to a series of running waterfalls, the sound of rushing streams creating a relaxing ambience to an already serene scene. The running waters move down among over-cropping rocks that outline the exterior of this flat rocky floor, creating a layer of water that is constantly moving across the ground. Not enough water to hinder movement, but every movement is likely to create a splash here and there. Unless the fighter wants their shoes filled with cold water, they are better off removing their footwear if it isn’t insulated. The rocks differ in sizes from small to large, with the northern edge of this area pointing toward the mass of waterfalls that populate this part of the forest.
Spectators are able to watch from a balcony, which is essentially a cliff with guard rails around it. A referee sits aside on jutted rock in the normal black stripped uniform, keeping watch over the proceedings, ready to leap in at any needed moment. And two cameramen are positioned around the area: one on higher ground, and another also on a rock platform closer to the fighting arena to watch from a closer view. Despite this, neither of these officials will be in the way for the duration of the match.
Field Measurements
The fighting area is the flat ground, which has a span of thirty feet in diameter. This is big enough to allow for more agile people the space to move around, and yet still gives a smaller space to let melee fighters have an easier time to corner their opponents.
Ten Count Boundary
Because of the nature of this arena, it is easy for someone to make use of the rock boundary that runs around the arena. Because of that, anytime someone gets on top of it to use it as an additional moving ground, it begins the ten count. In addition, running water is moving over them, so it makes any kind of travel along them harder, if not giving a good chance of slipping and hitting your head due to the water and uneven rock. Sustaining flight at least five feet above ground also starts the ten count.
Bonus
There seems to be a hint of magic flowing through these waters, and seems to be flowing passively into your body every post. For those who can make use of it, after you have made at least four posts in the fight, you are free to make use of this magical enhancement to increase an ability by one charge, or the equivalent of this, anytime after. In general terms, it gives your ability a significant boost in potency. Or, for physical fighters, you feel a slight pick up in physical performance, so it allows you one physical maneuver that is increased in power/ speed. This bonus only applies after you have done the normal preparation procedures your ability requires. It does not reduce concentration or effort.
You can only use this bonus one time in the entire fight.
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:21 pm
Beautiful.
There was hardly any other word to describe the place. James had been to many places all over Gaia, and yet there was always still another wonder to discover. There was magic and power left in this place, he could almost taste it in the air.
Having tended to his weapons and wargear more intently in the short span of time between this impending fight and his previous bout, James was still covered in a large amount of small gashes and cuts .Most of which, were hidden by his clothes and wargear however. Although his wounds were mior, the most obvious one was on the side of his face, where there was a large bandage covering his cheek where the death knight had clawed him in a grab attempt.
James removed his shoes and stepped into the arena, patiently awaiting his opponent to show himself. The daemonslayers stood at nearly six feet tall, and weighed roughly 185 pounds. He was a handsome man of oriental descent, with sleek black hair coming down into his sunglasses in bangs, and he wore a reinforced combat jacket, currently open. Armor glinted off his hands, hinting at one of his most formidable weapons, a pair of reinforced and custom made gloves designed to facilitate his martial arts and powers, allowing him to, more-or-less, wreck anything with his hands. The cool water soaked the bottom of his pants however, but James paid it no mind, instead spreading his toes out and getting a better feel for the terrain under him.
The peaceful surroundings calmed the assassin as he gazed upon his surroundings upon arrival. Lush forrest overlooked the sloping waterfalls for quite the scenery. For Nov, it evoked emotion that he long thought dead in the time of turmoil he had lived in for so long. The feeling of happiness. Comforting nostalgia filled the man as his chest rose with the fresh air around him, and for a moment, he forgot why he was there...
But another thing filled his being as well.
Energy began to flow into his body as he felt his daggers shake ever so slightly. Magical energy was flowing around in this area, and he could feel it take form around him. This was what he was searching for, and the tournament did indeed deliver on his expectation of finding power. Now he needed powerful allies to finally fit the bill, and, being this far in the tourney, he was bound to find someone to fit the bill.
Nov entered what was the arena to find himself facing his foe directly. In his state of trance, he had forsaken the fact he could've used stealth to gain the initial advantage. How sloppy of him. He felt a tinge of shame as he took a moment to size his opponent. He had a few inches on the oriental fellow, but he was somewhat stockier. It would be a fair statement that the two combatants where at least in the same boxing weight class to say the least. But it wouldn't really matter in retrospect due to the weapons and such. Nov could see the armored gauntlets on his hands, and his guess was that he was a brawler of sorts. Close range was not going to be favorable here...
After his moment of reflection, Nov took a moment to look his opponent in the eye, despite the fact he had a mask on. And, following the previous suite of unusual behavior, he initiated a bow. Nov was never one to give a gesture of respect (first), but perhaps the surrounding around him provoked a far more significant change than previously determined. He would bow with his head as he brought his hand to his chest. His buckler shield covering his torso as he placed it firmly on his dark combat gear that covered his body.
After his bow, he was silent. He was resolute, at this point, to focus on the task at hand. He stood a good 20 feet from his opponent, with Nov having 10 feet from the center radius of the arena. He had a fair amount of distance at is disposal, but rather than approaching first, he let his opponent have the first go. Despite the fact he already deduced he was a melee fighter of some sort, Nov didn't know whether he had any other 'traits' at his disposal. And he needed to provoke it out of him before he could calculate any good strategy.
These weren't the assassinations at home, he was dealing with foes who had powers unlike anything he's seen before. He lost his stealth in his trance, and brashly going for a fast finish may very well be the end of him.
Nov took this to heart as he spread his legs wide as if he were to pounce at any moment. He reached to his sides as he clutched the handle of the two daggers in the holsters at his side. His eyes remained fixated on his foe behind the Guyy Fawkes mask he wore.
It was on....
TL;DR: Nov would arrive 20 feet from his opponent, being 10 feet from the center of the arena. He doesn't move as he bows and grabs a dagger in each hand...
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 1:48 am
James studied his opponent as he bowed to him. The silent type, he noted the mask.
An "assassin". James used a similar mask when masquerading as "Ory'hara". The thought brought a smile to his lips. Assassins usually did not bring shields however.
James returned the gesture of the bow in his own way, through the clasping of his fists before him, a martial artist's greeting, before taking his fighting position.
As he shifted into stance however, from within his jacket, James withdrew his Composite Spear, extending the weapon to its full length in his left hand. Gripping the lower end of the spear with his other hand, the daemonslayer pointed a tip at the assassin, and advanced. If the assassin did not move, he'd find his opponent taking a lunging step forward on his left foot, taking a stab at Nov's upper body.
Quote:
Telescopic Composite Spear: The Composite Spear James possesses is nothing more then a large, and highly modified pair of extendable batons, end to end. Around 12 inches long with fully retracted, the Composite Spear reaches five feet when fully extended via a button, and is tipped on both sides by a one-inch long titanium spike, Portions of the spear's composite ceramic and metal "shaft" is grooved for better grip and aerodynamics, allowing the spear to be thrown with a fair amount of accuracy. Like all of James's weapons, it has been imbued to resist extreme heat, and is quite sturdy.
Nov watched as his opponent returned the gesture of respect. He was pleased that his misstep was met with good will and he relaxed as he observed the next set of motions. His opponent withdrew a rather unusual looking spear. It stood about a foot short of the man's height and had a rather small piercing head.
It seemed to be designed more for thrusting more than anything, but the grooves and such on the shaft suggested the capability to tossed. Nov took note of this as he drew one dagger into the open and brought his right hand to his chest.
He now assumed what looked like an almost gladiatorial stance, with the dagger in his left hand at his side and his right hand buckler dancing around his chest. His face crunched as his form lowered for a better center of gravity.
In this position, he observed as his opponent would wait till about a ~10 foot gap between them. At that point, Nov would let the dagger fly in a smooth motion. He aimed the dagger at his foes right knee at the cap, hoping to disrupt his foes stride. He wanted to see if his foe had any evasive tricks like his first opponent (who managed to manipulate gravity itself it seemed).
Otherwise, the dagger would be a rather vein attack as Nov knew the dagger would, more likely than not, be blocked or dodged. It would serve a purpose later, but for now, it was rather mundane. Nov would let the blade fly as he would spring to the side off his right foot and sprint full speed. He would circle his opponent going from his foe's left, his left hand covering his flank as his right hand clutched his second dagger.
Time to see what his foe had packing...
TL;DR: Nov would wait till James covered ~10 feet of the gap before throwing a dagger from his left hand. After which, Nov will spring off his right foot and start sprinting towards what is his foe's left.
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:32 am
James saw the attack coming, and flicked his spear down, intercepting the knife easily with the tip of his weapon and deflecting it off course.
The attack seemed to be an attempt to draw some kind of reaction out of him. James figured that the assassin either had a way to get his weapon back, or he simply had alot of knives to spare. Otherwise, as the daemonslayer immediately rounded on his opponent and stepped to follow him, keeping the spear pointed at the assassin, the martial artist felt that the attack was a bit of a waste.
As his opponent closed in, James spun the spear counterclockwise with both hands before him once, twice, from side to side, before lunging in and lashing out with his left arm. The daemonslayer stepped forward with his left leg as he swung it one-handed, horizontally into the left side of the assassin's head. He sought to use the momentum from spinning the spear to simply snap the blunt side of the tip into the side of the assassin's head.
As Nov observed his foe and began to pace his run slightly outward to gain some distance on his foe. But this wouldn't help too much as his foe had already closed a fair amount of distance. At this point, Nov would make a hard stop with his right foot, using his toes to both stop and prepare himself for the next springing motion. His body was now facing his opponent head on with his right hand, holding his second knife, covering his chin and his left covering his chest with the dual buckler's covering the forearms.
After he turned to face his opponent, the dagger that had thrown previously, and was now on the ground would begin to rise.
As he turned his torso to face his opponent, his foe was already waving his spear before he swung it horizontally towards Nov at what was now his face. Nov wouldn't have time for a complete dodge at this point, but his left hand was already close enough to his face to allow him one solid defense. He barely had enough time to cross his left hand to his right shoulder and swing the buckler on his forearm to meet the spear head on. At the same time, Nov's right arm began to rise in preparation for an immediate throwing motion to follow the makeshift parry. The dagger he thrown before was now on a path to the back of his foe's left kneecap on a collision course to tear the ACL and deal as much damage as possible.
*SHICK*
The spear's momentum would deviate on contact, but not enough so to avoid all impact. And with a smooth motion, Nov's trademark mask would fling off his face. But the mask wasn't a mere mask however, as the impressive alloy material would take the impact without damaging Nov's now bare face. The mask would likely fly off a good few feet to the side of either combatant
Nov wouldn't blink at this, and his right hand would follow in suite, seamlessly sending the dagger at his foe's now very vulnerable right kneecap. His foe's spear was now forced to the left after following through with the motion and the parry, leaving it a good target. The armor penetrating design would likely tear through any protection and debilitate his foe's motion by dealing serious damage to the ACL and other sensitive joints. And, along with the dagger being thrown, the dagger he had thrown before will have made contact as well, hitting the back of his foe's left knee as it was guided on the return.
Upon release of the dagger, Nov would spring yet again off his right foot, barreling backward to what was his 5 o'clock with a gymnast-style diving roll (if what was in front of him was 12 o'clock). He would land on his feet after hitting the ground, and immediately begin to put some distance between himself and his foe and continue to do so if he was approached.
As he did this, he would make eye contact with a foe for the first time in his life. Never before had he taken off his mask or had been forced to under any circumstances. And, to be honest, he was impressed. He would take a moment, being chased or not, to clear his throat as he would call to his opponent with a audible voice:
"What is your name Zänker? I must know..."
TL;DR: Nov would try to clear as much distance as possible, but fail to do so. He would stop on his right foot and face his opponent face to face, and while doing so, begin to command his dagger back to him. At the time he does this, James is about to follow through with the horizontal swing with his spear. Nov manages to do a makeshift parry while raising his right hand to throw the next dagger, but doesn't block all the hit. The spear would knock off Nov's mask, but deal no damage as the two armaments would, together, null most the damage.
Immediately after, Nov would follow through to throw his right hand dagger at his foe's right knee cap, and his other dagger will be guided, on the return, into the back of James's left knee cap. Should they both land, James's mobility would be severely limited. He would then spring backward with a roll and begin to put distance between the two...
Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:53 am
James kept moving, not really expecting the first strike to land. The key to using a spear or staff-like weapon in the way he did, was to keep moving, keep building that momentum. The martial artist used the recoil from the dead-on block to spin the spear back around in the other direction. James's right leg slide back, and he twisted to his right, turning a quick 360 degrees.
It would not have been a quick spin were it not for the fact that spear James was using was designed specifically for ease of use in close-quarters. The shorter length gave up a major advantage in reach, but it was still enough to cover most of his body, a fact made evident as he brought the weapon closer to his body during his 360 to increase the speed of the maneuver. The constantly twirling spear presented a daunting barrier for any projectile, deflecting the returning knife strike, as the other dagger zoomed past his retreating leg.
Toward the end of the complete turn-around, James lashed out with the spear again. The weapon transferred hands mid-spin, and the resulting blow mirrored the first one almost perfectly except it was to the other side of the assassin's head.
Except that he wasn't there anymore. The strike would whiff air as the assassin dove and rolled away. The daemonslayer snapped into stance, holding the spear behind him, pointing out to the side in his right hand, his left hand held up by his chest, held like a claw.
It wasn't quite, eye-to-eye. James still had on his shades. The assassin couldn't see, but the martial artist's eyes glanced around for the locations of the knives that were thrown. He could've swore he deflected one that came from behind him. The assassin had tricks, as was expected. James was well versed to dealing with sneak attacks however.
The daemonslayer brought his left hand up a little higher, up to his face in what looked like a form of a salute to his opponent.
James watched the warrior in his dash as his already returning dagger returned to it's holster. This happened mid action, and would be something very difficult to truly observe. Regardless, Nov would leave the other dagger there as he addressed his opponent.
"Well James, you may call my Nov. Pleasure to meet you warrior..."
The man said as he returned the salute with a fist pressing against his chest. This was all unusual. Perhaps it was because, with his mask, his assassin identity was no longer present. For that mask was a symbol of the anonymity and aloofness of an assassin, and now that it was gone, his obligation to his previous code of conduct, for this fight, seemed non-existant.
Nov observed his foe yet again, and an idea occurred to him. If he was already, at this moment, abandoning his background, why not go all the way? Nov looked his foe in the eye and knew that this would be quite the stalemate if things carried on like this.
"Warrior, I have a proposal. We fight, but with no tricks, magic or weapons. We fight in the traditional manner..."
Nov said as he lifted the dagger in his holster and raised it in the direction of his foe. He wanted to see his foe's reaction first, but should his foe follow the suite, Nov would strip down to nothing but his boots, his flame-proof garbs, and his gauntlets.
This was getting down and dirty, assuming his foe agreed...
OOC: Sorry for not posting, I PM'd Female about it. Me and Fier were discussing logistics of the first exchange, and I wanted to come to a firm conclusion before anything else.
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:09 pm
His opponent's request came as something of a surprise to James, whose eyes furrowed first in confusion, and then hardened in dislike. As he noticed the dagger in the other man's hand, pointed at him, he realised that the assassin had already returned it to him without his notice. Very subtle, and cunning indeed.
That first exchange, James had been lucky to escape injury, his sharp instincts, choice of weaponry and strategy ensured that, although he was only able to strike one light blow in return. How long would he be able to keep that up?. The assassin had a massive advantage at range if he could command his daggers at will, and it looked like he could, an advantage he was willing to give up for... what? Honor?
As the man spoke and pointed at him, James set his spear into the ground efore him, landing it stand on its own wedged in a small crack in the river bed, and he pulled off his combat jacket, letting it dangle in his right hand before taking up the spear again in his other hand.
Assassins did not enjoy a challenge. James did. For the same reason he anticipated a bag of tricks from his opponent from the onset, James would refuse.
"No, assassin."
"No offense, but I do not trust you".
It was better to be safe then sorry. James would not be wrong-footed. Hand-to-hand only was a gesture of respect only to those he acknowledged as worthy, and he did not know this man.
Nov said with a bow. It seems he got ahead of himself, and though disappointed, he could understand his foe's hesitation. He had too many tricks and such for his foe to truly expect a clean fight. With that said, Nov needed to get back into his previous state of mind.
Nov would first look for his mask, which was, in his head, his mark as an assassin. It was in the foreground between the two fighters, after being flung with the leftward horizontal swing of James's spear. Luckily, a large gap had been made between the two fighters to allow him the chance to retrieve it.
That in mind, Nov decided to make a bold move on his behalf. He would begin to walk, rather nonchalantly, toward his mask. Now, he didn't do this without thinking, but he wished to observe whether his foe was going to capitalize on his rather sluggish walk. As he walked, he also focused, allowing his breathing to slow after the first exchange. He let the energy surrounding him enter his body as he, assuming he was uninterrupted, bent down to grab his mask.
Even as he crouched, his eyes never once left his foe's. He put the mask on, firmly attaching the apparatus back to it's original state. There was a slight, but noticeable opening in the center of the mask, going from the left cheek bone and stopping around the beginning of the nasal bridge. It was a shame the mask was damaged, but it didn't make the mask useless.
After attaching it, his form would rise as he began to walk towards his foe slowly. He chuckled as he commanded his dagger, that remained behind his opponent after being flung from the recoil of his foe's spear. He commanded the dagger, on it's return path to him, into the wedge of his foe's right shoulder blade. Around the same time, Nov would raise the dagger he had earlier and let it fly at his foe. He aimed dead into the chest this time. The dagger aimed for the chest would likely land first, with a 2 second gap for the returning one to make contact.
As he did this, he began to approach. He was beginning the second phase of his assault. He was going to see how long these spear antics last until he has to show his true colors or take a hit. Wielding a spear and constantly dodging daggers was tiring. Nov didn't have to expend much on his movements or his attacks. He returned his heart rate to calmer levels by the time his dagger left his hand.
As he threw the dagger, he called to his foe in a draconic voice. His attitude was starting to return to what it was in his previous fights.
"En Guarde!"
He yelled, as his bucklers rose to cover his chest and a half of his face.
TL;DR Nov would walk to pick up his mask, which was between the two fighters after the initial exchange. As he did so, he would begin to store the charge the environment would give him (to be used later). After retrieving and putting on his mask (assuming he was uninterrupted), he would rise to throw a dagger into James' chest and redirect the one he left behind into James' right shoulder blade. Nov is doing this while slowly walking toward his foe.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 4:35 am
The cunning daemonslayer already had in mind a plan to deal with the flying daggers. Although he found the "professional killer"'s talkativeness irritating, he allowed him to go fetch the mask. James looped his combat jacket over his right shoulder for his part, looking almost bored with it all.
James's lips broke into a snarl, as his opponent chuckled, that irritation blossoming into outright dislike, and it also tipped him off that he might've been trying something again with the flying knives. Whatever it was, he was ready. These kind of "assassins" always gave themselves away in some manner, and James was savvy enough to take advantage of that.
When Nov chucked the dagger in his hand at him once again, James leaned forward and whipped his jacket down onto the weapon. The knife would pierce into the jacket of course, and had he still been wearing it, the strike would've stabbed into him, but as it was, the knife would become harmlessly embedded in the wargear.
As an additional bonus, or perhaps it was planned, Nov would become unable to retreive his knife easily, due to the fact that the article of clothing was quite weighty with all of the reinforcement and armouring methods inlaid. James moved to a crouch, letting the knife lay trapped beneath the jacket, while feeling a fresh sting on his right shoulder as the assassin's returning dagger made nicked him on its way back.
One flying dagger down. James would deal with the other shortly, to deprieve his opponent of those assets.
Quote:
Custom Combat Jacket: James's normal jackets are extremely heat resistant, and are composed out of a tough, leather-like material. Underneath the jacket however, is a layering of Kevlar and titanium carbide fibers, and ceramic discs woven into the lining. This grants James a superb amount of protection against shrapnel, reasonable protection against blunt force trauma and slicing and cutting attacks, but relatively poor protection against piercing and stabbing attacks.
As James used his Jacket to catch his dagger, the course of the dagger returning would begin to warp to match his body movements. Nov now released the energy he had been storing with his little 'walk', and the returning dagger's momentum grew exponentially with the tightness of it's control. It would slam into James' now bare right shoulder blade with a thumping force that would likely inhibit any future motion with that arm. Plus, with all the sensitive organs in that area, it would make this battle a battle of time for James.
Nov had, and always did, control over his knives in terms of their return path to him. In this case, rather than simply dealing a grazing blow, Nov altered the daggers course as to keep on target. Luckily, his foe didn't roll backwards, for Nov could only alter the course as long as the path was towards him (i.e. returning). Though it did have to continue to be on path to return to Nov, obstacles were never accounted for by the enchantment, granting it a very powerful attack mechanism.
And with the flowing magic around him, he used it to amplify both the power, velocity, and dexterity of the control of the dagger as to make it hit it's mark. Though it expended the energy he stored, it would be well worth it to potentially cripple his foe throughout this fight. The 2 second gap he had made, along with the energy he had, would prove to be an amazing asset in his surprise assault.
But with this came a cost. For if Nov landed said assault, the dagger would be stuck inside his foe's shoulder blade and his other dagger in that jacket. He could likely retrieve the one in the jacket with some focus and time, but he likely didn't have that at his disposal. His favorite mechanisms of attack were lost should this work, but he did have more tricks up his sleeve.
He wasn't a one trick pony, after all...
TL;DR Nov would alter the course of his dagger to made sure that, on it's return course, it would land in James' shoulder blade. To make it more potent and accurate, Nov would expend the charge of magical energy stored from the environment.
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:55 pm
The sudden pain shot throughout his body, and James hissed in anger. His opponent's control of the knives seemingly bordered on absolute precision as he managed to redirect it at the very last moment, and James was glad that he had locked down the other one.
The daemonslayer planted his spear down once again, and reached back with his left hand to pull out the knife, growling as he did so. Blood leaked out from the entry, and although an ordinary man would've lost the ability to use the arm effectively, James was no ordinary man, and that particular arm even less so.
Flexing his arm intentionally to spike the pain so he could get used to it, James pocketed Nov's dagger in his jacket, zipping it up, and dumped the mass at his feet. The water running over the ground would sodden the jacket, adding even more weight to keep the daggers unable from being used, before picking his spear back up and starting to advance on Nov slowly, menacingly.
Without the jacket to conceal it now, it would be revealed to the assassin that James himself had a combat knife, sheathed on his chest. The martial artist radiated malice and rage now.
"Is that all you've got, assassin?" he snarled, and, holding the spear in his left hand, when he was close enough he stepped forward on his left foot to deliver a sweeping strike with the side of the spear into right side of Nov's neck.
Quote:
Path of Dou: Basic Ideal: Dou is the opposite of Sei. Where Sei relies on the user to maintain a calm, cool and collected mindset, feeling empathy for and reading one's opponent like a book, Dou is the aspect of rage, allowing emotion, usually anger, or hatred to power one's fighting ability to greater heights. When entering Dou mode, James gains a small passive bonus to his strength, speed, and power, and has his warrior instincts sharpened, and gains access to his Dou techniques and his passive fist technique, Hellish Shock Fist. High level Dou techniques can grant James more increases to these bonuses, at a cost of fatiguing him faster, and amplifying damage taken, or causing himself internal damage. James is capable of staying in "Dou" form forever as long as he uses his flames and ki minimalistically. Up to three Hellish Shock Fist or Molten Iron Fist strikes or their respective foot techniques can be performed within the cost of one charge, taking from James's regular energy meter
Quote:
Right Arm of the Slayer: This is not so much equipment as it is part of him. James's right arm was badly injured in a battle with a dragon, defending a sacred Temple of Falis in Barton. Mutilated almost beyond recognition, and studded with pieces of the ancient gauntlet he once wore over that arm, it is a testament to the healing powers of the priests and priestesses of Falis, and a white mage named Seyumi Kaikou to have salvaged the arm so. James retains the same basic functionality with the arm that he had before it got injured, however, the inner flow of ki through the arm has been permanently disrupted, with massive consequences to his life and battle style. The Right Arm of the Slayer, as James calls it, is physically tougher then his left arm, and is less susceptible to pain, and is also slightly stronger. A normal distinguishing feature are the white, purified bandages that James has wound tightly around the arm to help control and keep the unstable ki in that part of his body in check, as well as stave off the frequent pain there.
Too bad he wouldn't have time to pull that out. Throughout this entire sequence, Nov wasn't stationary. He was approaching with a slow, yet constant, march with his guard held high. By the time the dagger made entry, the gap between the two fighters had been closed to about 7~6 feet. At this point, Nov would reach to his foot to pull out a rather ornate looking pistol. He would take aim as his foe would reach to pull out the dagger and shoot directly at his foe's feet. Upon contact, which was around the time his foe had taken hold of the dagger in his back, thick smoke would bellow within a 5 foot diameter. Nov would fire and back away a few steps as to not be so close, in case his foe had some type of area of effect attack.
As this happened, Nov would use this confusion to command his dagger back to him. This was used to buy back time for the daggers, but he had more in store. As he commanded the first dagger, that was inlaid in the jacket, back to him, he would try to time the second dagger's return when it was in his foe's hand. This would create an immense pulling force towards Nov, and he would force the dagger to struggle, writhe and rumble as to return. This would force his foe to try and stabilize the weapon, and cause more damage to the wound he created. The magic enchanting the weapon was strong, and would provide quite a challenge for his foe to withhold.
This little dagger just wanted to go home...
And as this was all happening, Nov crouched in a 'pouncing' position a good four feet in front of the smoke. His arms were up in a guard with the shields covering half his face as he awaited his foe to 'arrive'. His knees were bent and ready to move on a moments notice. His foe, should he attempt to 'keep' these daggers, was going to be coming to him anyway...
TL;DR Nov would fire a smoke bomb from a 6~7 foot distance from his foe. This would be aimed at his foe's foot and timed when James take grip of the dagger in his back. The moment Nov fires the round, he begins to command the dagger in the jacket back to him (how many posts it would take can be debated). And he would wait a moment before commanding the second one as to try to force James to struggle to control the weapon, if not concede it.
