isleofavalon | [closed]

🧙 WHO: Claude and Yuber
⚔️️ WHAT: just a little friendly murder attempt between bros... nm
🕒 WHEN: April, during the event
🗺️ WHERE: Outskirts of New Camelot
⚠️ WARNINGS: Violence.

[It's the early hours of the morning on the outskirts of New Camelot, and Claude had been riding out of the city, but he didn't get far before he noticed the horse he'd been renting had developed a limp. He's forced to dismount by the side of the road, checking the beast over for any reason for its lameness -- a pulled muscle, maybe, or a rock stuck in its hoof? He pats the mare's flank when he can't see anything immediately obvious causing the problem, and sighs.]

Don't feel bad, we all have days where we need a break. [...Is what Marianne would say, if she were here. He should be a good horse friend in her stead!! Or something.] Let's get you back to the city, shall we?

[Distracted as he is, he hasn't noticed yet that his pit stop has caught a certain someone's attention.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yuber is sitting off the path, drinking from a canteen of water when he sees a rider pass by then stop further down the road.

The rider looks...familiar. It's him, the man from the video who intends to negotiate peace with the King... The man who intends to rob Yuber of a war.

The demon growls and rises to his feet. Beside him his ever present familiar lifts its skull.]

I need a snack for the road.

I won't be but a moment.

[And with that he's off.

Yuber charges down the path, pulling his collapsible long swords from his sleeves. Once he is close enough to Claude he swings.]

[Claude's shaken off a little of his paranoia since arriving in Avalon... but only a little. So as soon as he hears rapid footsteps coming towards him his instincts kick in and he reaches for the Sword of Begalta at his hip, drawing the sacred weapon and turning to meet his assailant in a clash of steel.

He doesn't recognise the man, but right now, that hardly matters. He twists his blade out of the parry to strike back in a low thrust.]

[Yuber catches the attack, parrying with one sword and collapsing the second down to a shorter length.]

Hmm.

[The now shorter blade flickers in the sunlight as he thrusts upwards, intent on skewering his prey through the throat.]

[Claude twists aside to avoid being impaled, but the blade still manages to slice his jaw and up his cheek. The two blades are too much for him on top of the stranger's relentless speed and skill -- he does the only thing he can think of and counters with a hex, hoping his magic is at least strong enough to disable one of the man's arms.]

[He feels the magic take hold. It's not enough to fully disable his attack, at least not immediately, but it's enough for him to draw back when he feels a sudden weakness in one limb.]

...Magic?

Why are you resisting me? You're only going to drag this out.

Kneel and I'll make sure my swords bite true. Your death will be painless.

[Yuber's face isn't easily recognized from the network but his voice may well be with its deep baritone rumble.]

[Claude realises as he backs up that his horse has bolted in a panic, but he does at least have the breathing room to catch his breath and hold his sword in a two-handed grip. His cheek and jaw are bleeding, and it occurs to him that without the power of his Crest of Riegan, he can't rely on it to heal his wounds should he incur more.]

I should have guessed it'd be you. [He laughs, but it's a humourless noise.] Sorry, but I can't die here.

[He's not sure how long his dark magic will last, given his inexperience. So he wastes no more time in charging at him, aiming to slash at Yuber's weakened side.]

[Yuber twists as Claude lunges, putting his stronger arm forward to parry the attack.]

So you recognize me, do you?

Then you'll remember that I am war. If I can drink my fill of violence on the battlefield then I will be sated.

You'd dare deny me this!?

[The blow is parried, but Claude doesn't let up, striking in another succession of blows to try and get at the weak point in his defences.]

If this place falls into war, we'll be trapped fighting amongst ourselves instead of saving our worlds! Eventually, we'd all be destroyed -- you included!

[Yuber parries each strike then quickly hops backwards, spinning the swords in his fingertips and extending them back out to their full lengths.

He fights with the skill of a swordsman with countless centuries of experience and is equally comfortable fighting with either arm but Claude will see that his hex is working. Yuber cradles the weaker arm closer to his body and his grip on that blade is looser.

He is fiercely determined to keep his enemy from that side.]

The fae have the means to end this. So far they have not yielded their secrets to resolving the Calamity.

By blade and by bow we will force their hand... And if countless citizens of Camelot fall then so be it.

A bloody conflict suits me just fine.

[He won't even address the possibility of his own destruction. He refuses to let that happen.]

[Claude knows he's vastly outskilled, even if he's unaware of quite how much, and he's not especially strong; there's a reason he prefers to stay back atop a mount with a bow and arrow. The strain is showing on his face just from his efforts to keep Yuber on the back foot. He knows one slip-up here could prove fatal, however, so he can't relent.]

This would all be over faster if we work together! Your way only sets back progress!

We have had our chance to come to an understanding and failed. The fae have judged Camelot and found it wanting...

Wouldn't you do the same?

This wretched kingdom is useless.

[Yuber swings wide with his stronger arm, aiming for Claude's neck. The weaker arm lifts up, ready to strike at Claude's torso if the first strike is parried.]

[Claude parries the blow to his neck, but he can't avoid the weaker blow entirely, feeling the cold of the blade bite into his skin.]

This "useless" kingdom saved our lives! Why can't you see that?! [He gasps, adrenaline dulling most of the pain lancing along his side. If not for the hex, that could have been his stomach, and that fear cuts at him deeper than any wound.

He can't keep fighting like this. He lunges into a feinting attack in a one-handed strike, using the other to cast a second hex hoping to disable a limb -- even just causing a brief stumble of the leg or a weak ankle to topple Yuber's footing.

He doesn't stop to see the effects, however, because he turns tail to run, praying Yuber has no kind of magic that will help catch him.]

[Yuber is about to swing when he feels his knee buckle then give out beneath him. He collapses to the ground with a sharp cry and watches as Claude runs along the path to the city.]

THAT'S IT! RUN, YOU CHEATING COWARD!

[Yuber's voice booms after the other man's retreating back.]

IF YOU ROB ME OF MY WAR I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! YOU WILL DIE SCREAMING, MAGGOT!

[The bone dragon slinks out of the bushes to sit beside him.

"The horse is still around here somewhere. Let's heal it and ride to the Archivist."

Yuber doesn't even spare his familiar a glance as it gets up and starts to pad its way along path northward.]

[closed]

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