[1v1] A Mysterious Letter

[Nio Love]

To my ranger of pure white

and black ranger, kept out of sight

a task lies before you tonight

a single spar, which you must fight

the winner is irrelevent

your attempts are your testament

to how much you have learned since last

to see your mentor, from the past.

 

[Blade Kuroda]

This was what Shun received one day, though he needed Mitsu to read it out for him. He furrowed his brow at the content and how it was formatted, but he understood what was to be done. Assuming that Levi would have received the same note, he made his way to the gym and awaited her arrival. A single spar where they must use what they've learned.

It was simple enough.

Letting out a breath, he let the time pass by meditating on the gym floor.  

[nekoluch]

She had to read it really slowly, line for line. At first, the tatzel had no idea who this could have been from. West? The writing was too descriptive. Xiu? Not nearly as proper. Demi? There was no bacon smell to it. Then the word ranger wound in her head around the lightbulb that was slowly trying to illuminate to the discovery. This was a letter from their mentor; Shun's and hers.

Noland, the curious invisible Trick or Treater was giving them some instruction. Within a few more minutes of realizing this and rereading the lines again and again, it finally came to Levi. They were going to spare using what they'd learned from Noland's lesson.

The ghoul reluctantly entered the gym, thinking perhaps she should have tried to get in through the ventilation ducts or something as part of the test. However, it didn't seem like something Shun would do. They'd have to see each other face to face before becoming unseen. She took no care for the moment to enter silently, offering a wave to the reaper. Aye thar, Shun. Looks like we're 'ere on request, eh? If his name had been in there too, and he was clearly where she was, well- he'd gotten the same notice.  

[Blade Kuroda]

Hearing some footsteps coming on in, Shun opened his eye and saw Levi approaching. Taking in a deep breath, he just nodded quietly before getting up to his feet. Well then, since they were both here, they may as well get started. Moving over towards the wall, he shut off the lights to the gym, making the room rather dark.

It was then that he bowed lightly and summoned his daggers. He was ready to begin whenever she was.  

[nekoluch]

Oh. Oh.

Okay he wasn't talking. It seemed the challenge would begin now. Sealing her lips tight, Levi nodded and blinked during the moment the lights went down, easing in a crouch backwards into shadow. The ghoul was trying to allow for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but that was when Levi recalled the training again. No, not your eyes. This fight would be rather blind, strengths relying on perception not based on eyesight alone if at all.

She didn't note the bow, but distinctly made out the sound of a shiny blade or two coming into existence. Shun had undoubtedly called out his knives.  

[Blade Kuroda]

Ah good, Levi had caught his cue. Shun was controlling his breathing carefully as he began to stalk around the room, listening carefully for any signs of movement. He also kept note of where he had last seen the tatzel, keeping it in mind for where he would need to strike.

Keeping his focus in check, he was soon on the move. Swiftly and as silently as he could, he closed the gap between himself and where he was certain Levi was. Raising his blades, he struck twice. Once was a slash towards where her back should be and the other was a stab, aiming between her shoulderblades.

HP: 50
Damage: 9
Effect: Beginner's dodge! - Success! Next attack incoming to Shun has a -8 modifier.  

[nekoluch]

Shun had hit one of his marks dead on. The slash that ran across where he'd predicted Levi's back to be was offside, resulting in the cut going from one shoulder to the other. The stab would thusly hit her in her left shoulder, body jolting violently in response.

Levi felt the force of the second blade rush her into the floor where she fell out of her stance with an audible thud. She was hit, and hit quite badly if the pain was any indication, but the majority of her worry was in that one single sound that acted as an alarm to her position.

HP: 41/50
Damage: 0
Effect: Using -8 modifier due to successful dodge  

[Blade Kuroda]

His blades had connected, and Shun spun off to the side to avoid any attacks that were aimed right back at him. The Reaper could hear where Levi had landed. Zoning in on that, he rushed back forth, looking to keep the pressure onto her.

Leaping, he soon descended quickly to try and stab her with both blades from above.

HP: 50
Damage:0  

[nekoluch]

She had to move, there was no question about that. Claws lengthening defensively with the impact of the pain, the tatzel tail aided in picking her up with a few snaking coils. Thankfully, her lower half hadn't been scathed, so Levi took to the air when she considered sounds through the air to be the stillest of movements. It wasn't even really sound, but the sound of the air hitting against something itself. In any case, Levi didn't want to be there when Shun came back at her unless she had the higher ground.

Sure enough, had she not taken to the air, Shun would've had her down again by the sound of things. There would've been no escaping another stabbing as blades sliced through air with a recognizable tune.

She'd just nearly fell at the right time to claw into the boil in her decent, feeling flesh under her nails.

HP: 41/50
Damage: 12
Effect: Beginner's Dodge  

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun landed, feeling no Tatzel under him. She had moved. Swiftly and silently. This raised an alarm as he realized he didn't know where she was exactly... until he felt her claws digging deeply into his back. Arching up, he gritted his teeth and grunted in pain. With a sort of hiss, he quickly spun around to try and stab into Levi while she was still there. With his free blade, he made one more slash, then jumped back to try and slink back into the darkness.

That attack of hers had hurt, and he had been careless to let her get behind him like that. He was going to need to be more careful. More alert.

HP: 38
Damage: 11  

[nekoluch]

To match, Levi now sported a straight slash at her midsection, immediately rolling off of Shun and returning to a crouch, one hand curling and scrapping into the floor with her claws. The tatzel's tail came across her front, placing pressure at the cut to judge how deep she'd been cut and if she needed to take any immediate precautions. It was pretty deep. Not so much as to spill entrails, but enough to hinder her ability to keep upright for prolonged periods of time. How to counteract this...

Attacking by distance, Levi's tail unwound as she placed her other forearm against her stomach instead. Lashing out, she sought to strike the reaper through the darkness, depending on the length of appendage to sweep through when she couldn't.

HP: 30/50
Damage: 4
 

[Blade Kuroda]

Letting out a breath, Shun sat there in the darkness, listening carefully. He heard something moving towards him and he was able to start moving but he still felt the thick muscular tail of the tatzel hitting him soundly in the chest.

Grimacing, he kept himself from grunting out this time around, and he was quickly on the move once more.

Focus. Concentrate.

His fear began to gather and he was soon feeling more in tune with his surroundings. It would aid him in figuring out where to strike best.

HP: 34
Damage: n/a
Effect: Y2 Eye - Success! +2 accuracy for the next 4 rounds.  

[nekoluch]

He wasn't budging. Not even the sleek sound of his blades moving against air could be acutely heard. If he was biding his time, she'd have to counterattack before he unleashed something potentially worse than what he'd already done. With her tail back at her side, Levi tried to slide back up, using it as a sort of crutch. They were apart in this darkness and she needed another way he wouldn't suspect, hear, or be alarmed immediately by. Somehow she had to place damage on him silently so she could move out of her current position.

Inhaling, Levi held her breath. A mix of her own vemon went from a liquid form to gas within her before venting out slowly with her exhaled air. Perhaps, if she was lucky, this might effect his silence as well. She inched back several feet, her tail slinking against the solid floor as her poison began to fill the space.

HP: 30/50
Damage: 2
Effect: Tainted Fang/Poison Breath: -2 hp for 2 turns
 

[Blade Kuroda]

There. With the help of his fear, Shun was able to pinpoint where Levi stood. Before he began to move, he realized that the air around him had changed. It smelled odd and he soon found himself coughing as he inhaled. The air was now burning his lungs.

Poison!

Grimacing, he tried to not breathe too much of the noxious fumes in before closing the gap between himself and the Tatzel. Once he was there, he cross-slashed towards her torso.

HP: 32
Damage: 7 (+2) = 9
Effect: +2 Accuracy for the next 3 turns,
-2 HP for this and next turn  

[nekoluch]

His coughing alerted her to his position- which was far closer than she would have liked. It seemed to have worked, but didn't keep the boil from attacking her head on still.

With her forearm still in place, it took the brunt of Shun's assault this time, causing Levi's nose to wrinkle and a faint hiss sounding to her displeasure. Reaching out with her other open claw, the ghoul swiped at Shun full force, retaliating while he was still in a known position.

HP: 21/50
Damage: 2 + 7 = 9
Effect: Tainted Fang/Poison Breath: -2 hp for this last turn