Are you Shor about this? (Zenke)

It was late in Zadartis as a lone figure trudged along one of the city's main streets. The figure wore a hooded cloak, with a harness over it that carried a bow and quiver. The figure reached the fountain that marked the center of town, and stopped to look around, pulling down her hood in the process. The figure was young woman, and Eldari. She had her brown hair tied back, and her green eyes glinted in the light of a nearby torch. Faylandrea Shor sighed as she looked around. She needed to find a place to stay for the night, and soon. The journey back had been busier than normal, as if every bandit crew ever had decided to show up just as she was heading home. Now she was just tired and hungry, and she was headed to her preferred inn to solve these issues.

Fayla knew the most direct route would take her through a side street notorious for crime, but she was far too tired to care. Ideally, she would make it through without incident, but much like the rest of her journey and indeed her life, things didn't go smoothly at all for Fayla Shor. It started when she entered the side street and heard movement from behind and in front. She sighed in resignation as a hooded figure stepped in front of her, barring her way in what she imagined was supposed to be an ominous manner. She glanced over her shoulder to see another two figures step out of the shadows, grinning triumphantly. Fayla shook her head in annoyance before turning back to stare a hole through the first man.

"Seriously? After the trip I've just had? Unreal." The man grinned as he slowly approached her. "It's okay sweetie. We'll help you relax and... take a load off." The men behind Fayla laughed coldly, but the Eldari just rolled her eyes. "Did you think of that all on your own? Or did you all have to put your pea-brains together to come up with that crap?" The man's grin vanished and was replace by a look of mild anger. Fayla had a habit of talking her way into people's bad books very quickly, and she was happy to note that she still had the gift. The man continued to approach until he was almost in striking distance. "Look kid, I don't think you understand what's happening here. There's three of us and only one of you. So here's the deal. Either you give us what money you have, or you get a knife in you and we take what we want and leave you for the rats. Your choice."

The man produced a knife from under his cloak and stepped forward again. Right into her range Fayla thought. She grinned evilly at the man as he hammered the final nail in his coffin. Although she doubted he would get one really. "What are you smiling at?" Fayla's expression suddenly turned serious, surprising the man for a moment. "Oh, nothing. It's just... that's not a knife." Fayla suddenly draw her sword from under her cloak and pointed it at the man in front of her. "This is a knife." The man suddenly shrunk back in terror. "B-B-But, that's a sword!" Fayla looked at her sword, Grace, as if only seeing it for the first time. "Huh, so it is." Then, without warning, Fayla spun and sliced the man's arm off at the shoulder. He fell to the ground screaming. "Aaargh! My arm!" He then yelled to his goons. "What are you waiting for you apes?! Kill her!" Fayla turned around to face the two other goons. One had a mace and the other wielded a nasty-looking sickle. Fayla sank into a combat stance and smiled at them. "Alright then, me against you two. Though you might wanna get some more men to make it a fair fight." The goons gestured behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see three more goons approaching from behind. Fayla smiled in full bravado. "That's more like it!"

Lilian walked through the quiet streets of Zadartis. She would be resplendent in her white armor if it wasn't covered in mud, and she needed a bath. Rivers and streams had not done the trick. It was late, she was tired and she had no idea how to inn. She'd expected to arrive much earlier, but was delayed by heanta. Always heanta. They cut off her arm, tried to kill her in a forest, and made her arrive to cities she knew nothing about late at night. She grumbled under her breath as she stalked through the streets.

"Well, look on the brightside, your alive, and your in Zadartis. And probably going to end up sleeping on the street at this rate. Or meet another heanta. Ha." She said to herself. As she walked, she heard a noise, and stopped to listen. She swore she heard a man say in hushed tones, "What are you smiling at?" A few seconds later, she heard screaming. Painful screaming. Lilian tore down the street, and as she passed an alley she spotted a bunch of men surrounded the cloaked form of a girl with a sword almost the same size as her. Lilian slid to a stop, noticing the man with the severed arm, and three more thugs round the corner on the stranger.

"STOP EVILDOERS!" She announced, and the men looked at her. "Ha. I've always wanted to do that." One of the men glared at her. "Piss off, this aint nothing to do with you!" Lilian slid her crossbow from her back. "Six guys surrounding a girl in an alley? Na your right that's not my business." She said, cocked her crossbow and shot one of the men behind the girl in the gut. "Bitch you'll pay for that!" one of them men shouted as his buddy fell down screaming. The two men closest to her turned and lunged at her. "Now it's my business!" She said smiling brightly.

"You'll die before you reload that crossbow!" One of them shouted as he came in swinging. Lilian sidestepped her attacker, slid the lever on the crossbow forwards and back in a swift motion, reloading it, and shot him in the back of the knee. He screamed, but swung around blade slashing. Lilian caught the blade with her metal hand and pulled it from his grasp. "What-" She threw the weapon away and smashed the butt of the crossbow into his nose. The second man rushed her, and before she could reload he smashed the crossbow from her grip with his mace. "My child!" Oblivion peircer bounced across the cobblestones, and she backpedaled as he took a second swing at her.

Lilian dodged his third swing, as lightning lit up around her hand. She stepped in and punched him in the side of the head and he spun away, collapsing to the ground twitching in pain. Lilian kicked him in the leg. "If you broke my crossbow I'll break you!" She said, and scooped up the weapon from the ground. And then kicked him again.

Fayla was getting excited at the odds before her. But before she could begin, a shout echoed through the street. Fayla looked in disbelief as a young girl stood nearby, hefting an expensive-looking crossbow. The girl yelled about evil-doers or something, but Fayla was just annoyed that this wannabe warrior was interrupting her fight. One the men told the girl to piss off, and Fayla agreed. "Yeah, back off kid. I've got these goons exactly where I want them." The men exchanged confused gazes, but they straightened up when the girl pinged one of them in the gut with a bolt from her weapon.

Fayla cursed loudly when two of the men charged the girl. "For the love of Gráinne." One of the men dropped with a bolt in his knee, and Fayla used the opportunity to plant the man in front of her square in the proverbials with a brutal punt, nearly lifting him out of his boots. The yelp alerted his friend, and he lunged at Fayla. The Eldari deftly side-stepped the swing of the brute and smashed him in the face with the pommel of her sword, breaking his nose. She then turned to see the girl kicking a man on the floor.

Fayla wiped her blade on her cloak as the miscreants gathered themselves up and fled, or hobbled away at least. She sheathed her weapon as she approached the kid and then folded her arms impatiently. "What the hell, kid? I was looking forward to that, after the journey I've had." Despite calling the girl "kid", Fayla then pouted like an eight-year-old. "What are you doing out this late anyway? Do your parents know you're out here?"

Lilian was surprised when the other girl told her to back off also, and seemed to be annoyed when Lilian distracted half the goons for her. After the fight, Lilian studied the crossbow as the thugs scampered away. fortunately for them, Oblivion piercer was a sturdy weapon, though she seen some scratches on the rail. Those thugs got lucky, anyone else and they probably would have all been killed but she was happy with a beating. If they were quick they could probably save their two wounded freinds. If not, the others might learn a lesson from their mistakes.

Lilian wasn't looking for a thank you but when the other girl came up and started giving out to her for helping, she tilted her head to the side and frowned. "Excuse me? You wanted them to beat you up in an alley?" She said, very confused. She studied the girl before her. They were the same height, and looked around the same age so she didn't understand why the other girl was calling her a kid.

Lilian was taken aback when the girl reacted like she was a fourteen year old school child running around the streets at night with a crossbow. She thought about giving her a smack in the head, but was also unsure what that would prove. Instead she took the high ground, and resorted to childish insults. "I'm pretty sure we're the same age, but if you want to keep calling me kid, I'll start calling you toddler because your pouting like one right now."

She let that sink in before continuing. "Did you go looking for trouble or something? What if someone else came along and got hurt? Even if your mad I stepped in to help you, I didn't do it just for you, but maybe thats not something you think about." She said.

Fayla laughed when the girl asked if she wanted to get beat up in an alleyway. "Of course not. But they obviously did, that's why they started on me." The girl questioned why Fayla was calling her a kid, when they appeared to be the same age. She suggested calling Fayla a toddler, because she was pouting. The Eldari was confused for a second, then realized that she still had her hood up. "Because you look really young. Maybe nineteen or twenty? I forget how fast you Humans age." Fayla then pulled back her hood to reveal her pointed ears. "I am actually forty years old."

The girl then asked if she went looking for trouble or something, and asked what she would have done if somebody else got hurt. Fayla shook her head in annoyance. "There shouldn't have been anybody else to get hurt. The chances of one girl wandering down Stab Alley is small, never mind two." Fayla looked the girl up and down. "What are you doing out here anyway? You look like you fell in a bog on the way here."

By this point, the adrenaline and excitement of a fight had worn off, and Fayla now just felt tired and hungry. She looked at the girl again, feeling bad for snapping at her, but didn't let it show on her face. "Look, I don't want an argument. At least, not at this hour." The Eldari yawned and looked towards the end of the street, beyond which lay her destination. "I'm heading to the inn just up the street here. That's where I was going when those goofs attacked me. This street just happens to be the most direct route." Fayla put her hood back up as it began to rain. "I'll cut you a deal. I presume you're looking for a place to stay too, so you can come with me and we can share a room instead of you wasting money on a different one. Then, once we're fed and rested, if you're still mad at me, we can beat each other up if you want. Sound good?" Fayla extended a hand to the girl. "We might want to get going though. I don't know about you, but my hair doesn't agree with moisture. I'm Fayla, by the way." Fayla glanced at the regalia the girl bore. "You a Knight-in-training or something?"

The girl pulled down her hood and revealed her face, saying she was fourty years old. Lilian wasn't sure, but she though she remembered something about Eldari aging slower than humans, meaning she was still considered quite young at fourty. Even so Lilian didn't push it. "Fine your older, just don't call me kid." She replied. The girl said there shouldn't have been anyone out, and Lilian frowned. "That doesn't really make sense. We're in the middle of a city. There's houses everywhere. Anyone could step out to see what's goingo on." She said.

The girl brought up her dirty armor, suggesting she fell in a bog. "Turns out travelling in white is a bad idea." She replied. The girl said she didn't want an argument and Lilian shrugged. "I never wanted one. Your the one who got mad because I helped. I didn't know you could handle yourself against six guys, and there's no force on Asmir that would stop me from helping people in danger." She said.

the girl offered to show her to an in and share a room with her. Then if she was still mad, they could sort it out. Lilian wasn't actually that mad, just a little annoyed about being condesended to. "Are you going to go down any more thug filled alleys?" She asked. But she smiled slightly and nodded. "You know what, sure." She said. "just as long as you remember i'm not a lost child. I don't need you to help me find my mommy or anything.."

Lilian started walking and the girl introduced herself. Lilian didn't think much of it, probably because her brain was starting to shut down unnessary functions, and nodded. "Thats a nice name. I'm Lilian Toral." Fayla asked if she was a knight in training, and Lilian shook her head. "That would be a squire. And no, i'm not. I'm a knight of Mondolin." She said. As they walked, Lilian examined Fayla. "Your a long way from home. I suppose I am too, but I'm on my way to Sunshield hold. What has you all the way out here?" She asked as they reached the inn. She couldn't wait to have a bath. And clean the mud off her armor.

Fayla gaped at Lilian when she mentioned that she was, in fact, a fully-fledged Knight, rather than a squire. "You're a full Knight? But you're so young! You must have some serious skills." Lilian questioned what Fayla was doing so far from home, mentioning that she was heading to Sunshield Hold. "I'm actually coming from home, heading for the Free Lands. I'm meeting someone in Zendar." They reached the inn and Fayla entered holding the door open for Lilian. "The Hold, huh? What brings you there?" The inn was relatively quiet, and Fayla just hoped that they had a room left. She turned to Lilian. "I'll sort out the room. Back in a second."

Fayla returned shortly after with a rusty looking key. "Okay, you probably want to get cleaned up. You go up to the room, and I'll sort us out something to eat." She handed the key to Lilian. "Any funny business and I'll kick your ass. It's up the stairs and the last room on the left." Once Lilian left, Fayla would arrive around fifteen minutes later with two bowls of steaming soup. She put them on the small end table and shrugged.

"We were too late to get any of the proper food, so soup will have to do. It's warm and non-lethal at least." Fayla chuckled to herself, remembering Kairi and her obsession with soup. "I actually have a friend in the Order who'd be loving this." Fayla sat on the bed and smiled warmly.

Lilian smiled confidently. "Well I like to think so." She replied to Fayla's shocked expression. When Fayla asked why she was going to the hold she said, "expanding my horizons. I was given leave to do with as I liked, and considering my hobbies mainly include fighting and enchanting I decided to skip the holidays and visit the Hold, to see if I can help out. Plus I have friends there."

when they entered the inn, Fayla offered to sort out the room and soon returned with a key. She then said she would go to get food, and told Lilian to head up. Lilian nodded in thanks and handed Fayla a few silver to cover her share of the meal and inn, the ended up to the room. She asked a serving girl for hot water for the bath. Undressed and removed her mechanical arm, leaving it on the bedside table. She didn't like getting it wet, no matter how slowly Aurilium rusted. By the time Fayla arrived with soup, Lilian had bathed and was now dressed in a short sleeved nightgown that fell well past her knees, and was sitting on the bed applying a salve to the stump of her left arm which had been chaffed red because she hadn't removed it since she'd left.

Lilian put the tin of salve to one side and grabbed her bag, pulling a small loaf of bread from it. Lilian offered it to Fayla. "Soup is great, but even better with bread. And don't worry I have more." She said smiling. Fayla mentioned she had a friend in the order who loved soup, and Lilian laughed. "I do too. They must all eat soup in sunshield hold." She said as she picked up her bowl of soup and balanced it in her lap and started to eat. "I prefere something more solid, but as my friend Kairi would say, 'its nutritious, easy to make and you can put anything in it.'" Lilian said.

Fayla took the bread and put it next to the soup on the nightstand, and stretched with a yawn. She chuckled when Lilian mentioned a friend of her own in the Hold who loved soup. "Yeah, makes sense." Fayla picked up her soup and began to eat. She looked at Lilian in surprise when she mentioned Kairi. "You know Kairi too? I was on a mission with her not too long ago. Nice lady. Really strong fighter, but she doesn't like fighting all that much."

Fayla downed a mouthful of soup and looked at what Lilian was doing. She seemed to be eating rather awkwardly. "I like her though, and she really does love her soup and-" Fayla suddenly stopped talking when she noticed that Lilian was lacking her left arm. "Wait a second, what happened to your arm? You had two when I saved you from those guys in the alleyway." Fayla looked from Lilian to the arm on the bedside table and back again in confusion. "Um... wut?"

Lilian nodded enthusiastically. "Yep I've known Kairi for a few years know. Its crazy that we'd meet here though, such a coincidence." Lilian said. She was about to go on, when Fayla noticed Lilian's arm was missing. "I technically save you but alright." She said before shrugging. "Do you wan't to know what how I lost the original one, or why its sitting on a table?" She asked with a cheeky smile. "Its an enchanted mechanical prosthetic designed by yours truly and her very talented little brother."

She explained. She put down her spoon, and reached out, placing her on the end of the arm. She wiggled the fingers. "Humans don't have access to the same levels of magical healing the eldari do, so when we lose a limb its kind of permanent unless we travel very far and pay lots of money." Lilian explained. "I found a solution. Also its badass and it makes my lightning abilities better." She smiled.

She didn't tell Fayla how she lost it, but if Fayla asked she would. However something just occured to her, and she'd almost forgotten because Fayla had distracted her with her question. "So, you know Kairi. How about a boy named Rex?" She asked, watching her reaction before smiling. "Your Faylandria Shor aren't you! Rex told me your freind's with a Heanta! Is that true?" She asked. She'd met two heanta now, three if you counted the dead one. One was a ruthless monster, the other she wasn't quite sure about, but the girl hadn't attacked her so it was a start.

Fayla gaped in amazement when Lilian explained that she and her brother had designed and constructed the prosthetic arm. She watched as Lilian wiggled the fingers of the arm, before explaining the limitations of Human medicine. Fayla nodded in understanding. "That's true I suppose." Fayla eyed it for a moment, before looking at Lilian inquiringly. "How did you lose your normal arm?" She blushed slightly and looked at her feet. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

When Lilian filled her in on what happened, Fayla nodded in disgust. "Korroth. Vala's told me about him. I'd love to take his head off one day...." Lilian then got the original conversation back on track by asking about Rex. "Yeah, she's a heck of a fighter. I know Rex too. Bit cocky, if you ask me. decent fighter too though. Didn't seem to like taking orders, a bit like me. But Kairi had the most experience of missions like what we were doing -except maybe Bethany, but she didn't want to lead- so we listened to her. Good thing too. Without her plan and support we might not have made it through the mission."

Lilian then smiled and asked about her full name, and if she was really friends with a Heanta. Fayla nodded with a smile. "Yeah, that's me. Though I prefer to be called Fayla. People who call me by my fuill name tend to get chinned. But yeah, Vala and I have been friends for years. She's not like the rest of her people. Though she does have a temper."

Lilian stillled when Fayla asked how she'd lost her arm. She didn't mind telling people, but it didn't change the fact that it had been a terrifying experience. She told her the details. When Fayla expressed her desire to cut off his head, Lilian paled. "Trust me, you do not want to go anywhere near him." She said. She hoped Fayla didn't pick up on just how afraid Lilian was even talking about it.

Lilian listened to Fayla talk about the members of the strike team, and nodded along. She mentioned Bethany aswell, striking Lilian's curiousity. But she would ask about that later because she was practically bouncing with excitement as Fayla confirmed who she really was. "I can't believe I'm sharing a room with the granddaughter of one of Ka'lesa's greatest heroes! Also wait, Vala is Ren the hornless' granddaughter, and your best freinds! Isn't that a bit crazy!" She spoke rapidly then suddenly stopped. "Ok I'm calm. Wont do that again."

"Do you know if Rex has a girlfreind?" Lilian asked suddenly curious. She blushed and changed the subject. "Actually nevermind. Rex mentioned Bethany too, but didn't say much about her. If she's more experienced then Kairi she must be an interesting woman. What's she like?"

Fayla simply chuckled when Lilian warned her about facing Korroth. "Yeah, you're probably right. The way Vala described him, he probably smells." She detected a slight waver in the Human's voice when she mentioned him, so Fayla allowed the subject to change. When she finished describing the strike-team she had been a part of, Fayla noticed Lilian almost bouncing with excitement. The Human expressed disbelief in the fact that she was sharing a room with the granddaughter of Dalrodir Shor. Fayla turned red slightly and looked away. "You have no idea." Lilian immediately ceased her excited bobbing and vowed to not let it happen again.

The mood then changed when Lilian suddenly inquired about Rex's relationship status, before blushing and changing the subject abruptly. Fayla grinned evilly, having regained her bravado somewhat. "I suppose you are both around the same age. Though I couldn't really be sure with him." Lilian asked about Bethany too, and Fayla took another mouthful of soup before replying. "Yeah, I wasn't really sure what to make of her either. She looked older than Rex, but it's kinda hard to tell with Asentari. Like my people I suppose. She was a great fighter. Bit of a hothead, and drinks too much."

"He smells like death...." She wispered. Lilian blushed at Fayla's grin. "Its not like that, I'm just curious, he didn't really talk much about himself." She said. Then Fayla mentioned casually that He and Bethany were Asentari. Lilian's jaw practically hit the floor. "Huh what?" She asked. Her nose twitched with anger. "That slimy little.... He never told me he was an asentari!" She said feeling betrayed. Of course, she'd been to busy enjoying herself to spot the very obvious signs in his strange eyes. In her defence she hadn't seen an asentari since she was thirteen. While she no longer outright hated them all, she still blamed them for the war and her mother's death.

She tried to hide the anger on her face, remembering that Fayla was Rex's friend. She figured it was prudent not to start giving out about Rex to Fayla. She tried to think of something to change the subject and blurted out something random. "So did Vala ever try to eat you?" She asked before slapping her hand to her face. Probably not the best way to change subject. "Don't answer that. I meant to say, how did you and Vala meet?" She asked. "Your grandfathers faught the Kishin Dola together. Do you think its just a coincidence you two met, or maybe the sister gods keep bringing your families together?"

Fayla's grin slid off when Lilian suddenly gaped at her with incredulity. It appeared to Fayla that Lilian had some sort of beef with Asentari. Lilian was angry that Rex hadn't told her that he was one of the Dragon-folk who came from Edia, the mysterious floating islands that lay beyond the Vultani Jungle in the south. Fayla knew there were still some mild tensions lingering in both peoples after the First Contact conflict almost a decade ago, but Lilian's reaction still surprised her. "I'm... sorry? I didn't mean to upset you." Fayla studied the Human for a moment, trying to understand what was happening. "I know the First Contact mess was only a few years ago, but is that what's going on? Or is there some other problem you have with the Asentari?"

Lilian then tried to change the subject by asking about Vala. Fayla chuckled when Lilian bluntly asked if Vala had tried to eat her, before changing her question quickly. "Not exactly. The other Heanta she was with tried to though. But she saved my life. I wouldn't have made it out of Mirallas alive. I paid my debt though by saving her life later. We've kinda just stuck around each other ever since." Lilian asked if it was fate that the granddaughters of Ren the Hornless and Dalrodir Shor were brought together by fate. Fayla smiled. The thought had occurred to her before. "Who knows? The Gods certainly haven't made themselves heard in millennia, but the threads of fate they have woven remain."

Fayla finished her soup and bread and peered out the window. "It's getting late. We should get some sleep." Fayla left her eating equipment on a side table by the door. "If you want, you can come down and meet Vala with me. She's who I'm meeting in Zendar." The pretty Eldari glanced at Lilian with a sly smile. "I'll make sure she doesn't eat you." Fayla winked before leaning over to take Lilian's eating equipment when she was done. She then returned to her bed and extinguished the candle lighting the room. "Goodnight. Don't let the bedbugs bite."

Lilian shook her head. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have reacted like that. Lets just not talk about it." She said as Fayla brought up the contact war. She was relieved when Fayla accepted her change of subject without argument. She didn't want to think about her mother's death. She was surprised when Fayla explained how she met Vala and how the girl had gone against her own to save Fayla. Lilian did briefly wonder if Fayla hated all heanta before that. The rivally and hatred between the two races was well known, and it made any ill will between humans and Asentari look like a childrens squabble. Maybe Fayla had never hated anyone, she seemed so shocked by Lilian's reaction to Rex being an asentari.

Fayla looked out the window, then suggested they get some sleep. She took Lilian's bowl as Lilian nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'm actually fit collapse.." She said. Fayla mentioned she was going to meet Vala and Lilian was welcome to tag along. She thought about it as she lay down and snuggled into the bed. "I'd like to, but is zendar not back east? I don't want to keep Kairi waiting. I could always stop in Zendar on my way home though." She said. "I'll think about it. Goodnight."

Fayla awoke the next day and looked over to see Lilian still snoozing in her bed. The Eldari lithely got to her feet and stretched. She got dressed into her usual attire before noticing something and immediately forming an immature and childish plan. The morning sun was shining in through a crack in the curtain. Fayla giggled to herself like an idiot before angling the curtain slightly so that the beam of light shone directly at Lilian's face. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" Fayla gestured downstairs. "I'ma go get some breakfast. I'll see you down there. I've got a plan for our day, if you're interested."

Downstairs, Fayla ordered her breakfast and brought it to her table. She began chowing down on eggs and toast until Lilian joined her. She looked at the Human with a mouthful of food. "Sleep alright? I have an idea for some fun once we're done. One of us could also make a bit of money. Sound good?" Fayla swallowed her food dramatically, almost choking, before continuing. "There's a tournament happening at the old training grounds near the edge of town. There'll be sixteen fighters. Last person standing. The only thing is you'll have to use the blunt bolts they'll give you for your crossbow. I'll be using a wooden sword. What do you think?"

Lilian's wispy dreams were suddenly turned upside down as blademaster Jensen appeared and cast his pattented Solar Flare, blinding her. Lilian flinched. "Ohgoddessmyeyes!" she squeaked and threw up her arms, preparing to take a wooden waster to the side of the head again, but the blow never came. She realised she was awake and could hear fayla laughing as she said rise and shine. She immediately dropped her arm and blushed. If Fayla commented on her bizare reaction she would mention that the blademaster who trained her, while otherwise kind, did not hold back when it came to her training. Fayla then said she was going down to get breakfest. "I'll be down in a minute." She said, and started to get dressed as Fayla left. Fully clothed and armed, Lilian headed downstairs. Fayla looked up to her with a mouthful of eggs and toast. Lilian again found herself wondering exactly how old the eldari was as she asked her how she slept. "Well the mattress was a bit hard but.. It beat sleeping in a ditch." A fate she had to endure on her journey. Right before she fell in that mud puddle. Lilian ordered some toast and sat down. Fayla mentioned she had some ideas for the day. "Sure I'm interested." Lilian said.

Fayla explained that there was a fighting tornament down in the old training arena. She would have to use wooden bolts and sword, but that hardly bothered Lilian. It sounded like fun so she agreed. When she was done eating they headed over to sign up. There was a decent crowd gathered, and the opposition looked pretty formidable, with a veriety of weapons on hand. Lilian took a training sword and emtied a few clips to fill with wooden bolts, since there was no objection to her using her crossbow. She did disconnect the hidden blade just to be safe.

By the time she'd prepared herself and stashed her bolts and akroma away, the tournament matches had been drawn up. The first round consisted of eight one on one matches, the winners of which would face off against each, which was reapeted until there was a winner. The matches were one by knockout, or surrender, but obviously there was no killing. The first match was between a formidiable looking warrior named Wolf, and a not so formidible teenager who took a single solid hit and went down.

To Lilian's delight, she was next, and hopped into the ring crossbow in hand and short sword at her hip. She gave Fayla a pleased wave and turned to watch a lumbering ogre of a man with a wooden club step into the ring. He grinned down at Lilian. "Ah jees I don't want to hurt a little girl. Take a hint, step out before you end up like that kid over there." He pointed to the semi concious teenager who had been carried out of the ring and was asking about the cart that had hit him. "I hope your nose doesn't break when you hit the floor." Lilian replied. "Big talk for a little girl. Suit yourself, but you aren't going to stop me with a little crossbow." He said, sneering. The referee shouted for them to begin, and the man charged forward.

Lilian gracefully stepped to the side and the man stumbled past her, into the barrier. He pushed off it and swung his club, which whooshed past her stomach as she stepped out of range. He pushed forward swinging again and again, all the will with that confident smile, but she counted her steps and knew how far the barrier behind her was. As he swung down at an angle she ducked, and the club smashed of the barrier, shaking the man's arm up to the elbow with the impact. He nearly lost grip of his weapon and lilian took the oppertunity to dash forward and slam the crossbow into the back of his knee. It buckled, and she jumped back, shooting him between the shoulder blades.

The man stood up with a roar of rage, gripping his weapon in two hands. He was right, she was unlikely to actually knock him out with wooden bolts alone, not at range. So as he charged forward and swung his big club downward, Lilian threw up her left arm and blocked it. The impact hurt like hell, but the divinium plate on the arm took the brunt of it. "What?!" The man said in confusion. Lilian smiled, and shot the big man in the crotch at close range causing him to yowl in pain. He dropped the club and fell to the ground, cradling his parts and wimpering. She actually felt kind of bad. "Do you surrender?" She asked, and he nodded. "I do." he squeeked. "Do you want me to get you some ice?" He nodded again.

When Lilian was done getting the poor guy some ice, she rejoined Fayla to watch the next few fights. There was some good bouts, with another woman kicking the snot out of her opponant, and couple of other tough looking guys. There was an eldari named Coro who beat his opponant, a big man with a bigger sword, in a single blow to the back of the head, how he'd pulled it off Lilian didn't actually see, and then there was the last match right before Fayla's. A man name Kros. He won by surrender, after beating the woman he was fighting black and blue, purposefully striking to cause pain and not knock her out. It annoyed Lilian to watch. And then it was Fayla's turn for her first fight. Lilian wished her luck.

Fayla beamed when Lilian agreed to check out the tournament. She downed the rest of her toast and eggs quickly. "Great! Though just a warning, there are technically rules, but the only one they actually enforce with any effort is the "no killing" one. So don't rely on anybody playing fair. Me and Vala entered a tourney in Karem and I almost didn't make it to the final round because a guy got angry at me and started hurling fireballs around the place. Set my cloak on fire, but I managed to get him to fire at a Heanta that was in the arena fighting someone else. Poor guy got creased before he even realized who he had hit." Fayla finished her tea and tossed some coins to the barkeep. "Karem is a bit rougher than Zadartis, but there's still some bad folks here."

When they arrived at the arena, Fayla decided to go with a wooden longsword, and she watched Lilian load the tournament ammo into her crossbow. The brackets were drawn up, and Fayla was relieved to see that she wouldn't be able to meet Lilian until the final, should they both make it. The first fight was brief and one-sided, a burly warrior named Wolf defeated a young man named Borcha in one blow. Lilian was next up. Her opponent was Kradus, a brute wielding a massive club. Lilian waved to Fayla in the stands, who waved back. Lilian made short work of Kradus, defeating him with a low blow after blocking a club strike with her arm. Fayla cheered wildly, throwing an orange at the man as he was carted away in intense pain.

Fayla grinned at Lilian when she rejoined her in the stands. "Great work! You sure showed that guy." Fayla punched Lilian on the arm, but unfortunately it was the wrong arm to be punching. Her knuckles bounced off the metal limb and Fayla recoiled in realization. "Ow. I forgot." They watched the next few matches together. An Eldari named Coro made very quick work of his opponent, and Fayla couldn't wait to try fight him herself. After that, a fighter named Kros defeated a female fighter, but not before inflicting a lot of unnecessary punishment on his opponent. He was in Fayla's side of the draw too, so dropping Kros was another thing Fayla could look forward to.

Eventually it was Fayla's turn to fight her first-round match. Her opponent was a quick little bastard called Eloy, who proved to be very elusive indeed. Unfortunately for him though, speed was also Fayla's specialty. The fight was a blur, with both fighters using longswords and only scoring glancing blows on each other. However, Fayla also had more experience than him, despite her youthful appearance. She feinted three times in quick succession, bamboozling the young man and granting her an opportunity to wrap him in a weapon-assisted choke-hold and force a surrender. She got back to her feet and offered a hand to Eloy, who gratefully took it and retreated to the stands. Fayla rejoined Lilian and awaited the next round.

When Lilian returned Fayla punched her on the arm and congragulated her, but apparently she'd forgotten Lilian's arm was made of metal. Lilian giggled. "Don't worry I forget all the time too. Leads to some... Awkward reminders." Like the time she slapped herself in the face and made her nose bleed. Lilian cheered on Fayla as the two opponants ran rings around each other, only for the man to be caught off guard and forced to surrended. Lilian high fived Fayla and gave the other guy a freindly clap on the shoulder.

"And now, for the second round of fighters, We've got Wolf, Mysterious wandering warrior, vs Lilian the merciless, destroyer of future children!" The announcer said, announcing her next fight. "When he says it that way, I feel even worse..." She said before making her way back into the ring. Lilian looked Wolf up and down. His long black grey hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and he carried a longsword with similar reach to Fayla's. In a closequarters fight he had the advantage, but she had the range, and even with the small ring, she had the speed and agility to hopefully keep her distance.

Wolf eyed her up too, though he didn't say anything, and as soon as the announcer gave the shout to begin, he dashed forward and threw something at her. Lilian raised her hand and knocked away a wooden dagger only to find him taking a swing with his sword. She blocked with oblivion driver and was pushed back a good few inches. Goddess, he was strong, she thought, as his next strike aimed to take out her leg. Lilian threw herself to the side over the attack, and managed to avoid it. Springing up she shot him in the shoulder with oblivion piercer, causing him to flinch.

She reloaded, and he dashed forward for another strike, but when she went to block he caught her offguard with a feint, and slammed his wooden blade down on her hand. Oblivion Piercer was knocked from her grip, and he took another swing aimed for the head, and she was forced to leap away from the weapon. He'd successfully seperated her from her only advantage, so she drew her short sword. He lunged forward, aiming a ruthless uppercut for her chin. Lilian twisted to the side and lashed out with the short sword, catching him across the arm. He was stronger, and fast, but she was starting to pick up on his flaws. He didn't react to attacks as easily, which was the key to beating him.

Wolf attacked again, and Lilian kept light on her feet and moved from his path, but this time he didn't give her a chance to get close, as he swung a horizontal slash aimed for her ribs. Lilian intercepted the blow with her metal arm, and caught the wooden blade. Before Wolf could escape, she dropped the sword sword and caught his wrist with her right hand, Then punched him across the jaw with her metal hand. Luckily for him, she was wearing leather gloves, but the blow connected solidly and he staggered back. Lilian scooped up the sword, and pushed her advantage striking at his knee, causing him to drop. She leveled the blade at his throat. "Surrender." She said.

"I conceed." He said. "You fight well. Your sword play is a bit sloppy, but you seem to make up for it with a solid punch." Lilian smiled. "Your kind to say that." She said. "I am just hoping you will see fit to spare my future children." He said, causing Lilian to snort a laugh. With her second bout won, she scooped up her crossbow and headed back to Fayla. The next two fights proceeded. The winner of the first bout was the woman who had laid waste to her first opponant, and did a similar number on the next man. Her name was Vraska, and to Lilian's surprise she was an Asentari, and also Lilian's next opponant. This particular peice of information was revealed when she unleashed a prehensile tail from beneath her cloak and wrapped it around her opponant's throat, strangling him until he fell unconcious. Lilian tried to hide her reaction to that piece of information, but the momentary frown was probably noticed by Fayla.

Coro was next against another tough, and though this one put up a better fight The Eldari once again came out on top, utilising a rapid assault with curved wooden sword and a sturdy wooden sheath. Leaving Fayla to fight Kros, who stepped into the ring smiling menacingly. "Come on girly, I want to hear you scream." Lilian put her hand on Fayla's shoulder. "Kick him right in the balls for me." She wispered angrilly.

After Fayla returned to the stands, there was a brief intermission before the second round commenced. Lilian was up first, and Fayla couldn't help but laugh when the announcer dubbed Lilian "the destroyer of future children". "Well, it could be worse. Although it's not as cool as Vala's nickname in Karem's arena. They call her 'Corporal Face-Break'. Sounds a bit meaner." Lilian took to the arena floor as her opponent, the burly man known as Wolf, faced her from the other side of the floor. Fayla yelled at Lilian, though she couldn't be sure if the Human could hear her. "Lilian! Just remember, he's not a real Wolf!"

The fight commenced, and it soon became clear that Wolf had a massive strength and power advantage over his smaller adversary. He used a feint in order to bypass her defenses and disarm her of her crossbow, leaving his opponent with just a short sword. Lilian had to stick and move in order to stay in the fight, and that was what she was doing. She was beginning to frustrate Wolf with her speed, and she was also beginning to adjust to Wolf's fighting style. He was powerful, and he was no slouch in the speed department either, but his attacks were predictable to an extent. He kept going for the big one-hit knockout attacks, and so he was leaving himself open with each swing.

In the end though, Lilian's victory came through a show of strength from her metal arm. She blocked a blow aimed at her ribs, and managed to catch Wolf's right arm. She followed up with a straight right to the jaw. She then clipped his leg and held her recovered blade to the man's throat, prompting his surrender. Fayla couldn't hear the words exchanged between them over the din of the crowd, but Lilian looked very pleased with herself when she returned to the stands. Fayla patted her on the back with a grin. "Nice work, champ. He looked tough."

The next fight was the woman who had decimated her opponent in the first round. Her name turned out to be Vraska, and she made similarly quick work of her next opponent. The most surprising thing though, was that she turned out to be an Asentari, using her tail to choke the man out. Fayla glanced at Lilian, who frowned at the woman. Fayla was curious to see what would happen next, as Lilian was due to face Vraska in the next round. The Eldari, Coro, faced a much sterner test than he did in the first round, but he still managed to make it through relatively unscathed. Fayla's match came up next, and she was pleased to see that her opponent was Kros, the brute who had severely punished the woman he faced in the last round. Kros grinned evilly and said that he wanted to hear Fayla scream. Lilian asked her to kick him in the balls for her. Fayla chuckled.

Upon reaching the arena floor, Fayla looked at Kros with complete contempt. He licked his lips and sneered at her. "You look like even more fun than the last one." Fayla walked forward languidly, as if she hadn't heard him. She stopped 5 feet from him, regarded him coolly. "I was gonna say the same thing about you." Kros stepped forward suddenly and swung his weapon, a wooden mace, aiming to hit her on the head. Fayla simply sidestepped the attack, and then sidestepped again as he tried to catch her with an uppercut. He looked at her angrily and roared as he swung again and again, but Fayla was simply too fast and his movements too lumbering.

Kros stopped and glared at Fayla. "Wait until I get a hold of you. You'll feel true pain." Fayla stared at him with sheer boredom. "What I'm feeling is bored. Yet another woman you've disappointed in your life." Kros roared again and charged, but this time as he swung and Fayla sidestepped, he produced a small blade with his off-hand and gashed Fayla across the forearm. She recoiled instinctively, and Kros used the brief opportunity to grab her and lock in a tight bear-hug. He was incredibly strong, and Fayla grunted in pain as he applied more pressure.

"Come on, girly. Let them know how much it hurts." Fayla looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "Why don't you tell them?" Kros looked confused, and he was far too slow to react to what came next. Fayla suddenly used her Second Chance, escaping Kros' grasp and leaving a copy made of stone in his grip. She appeared behind him, and brought her weapon up with all of her strength in a mighty uppercut between his legs. Kros was physically lifted off the ground, and the sound he made was so high-pitched that Fayla heard dogs beginning to bark in the distance. Kros collapsed in a heap on the floor, and he was deemed knocked out. Fayla stepped on him as she made her way to the stands to await the next fight. She winked at Lilian as she arrived.

Lilian watched the fight intently, including the bored look on Fayla's face as Kros tried to intimidate her, following which, he started swinging his mace around as she simply avoided his blows like it was nothing. It was clear Kros was not happy, and as she sidestepped him again, he pulled a blade and slashed her. Lilian looked at the referee, expecting them to end it since he'd used real steal, but the man didn't blink. She remembered Fayla mentioning that these things could get extra rough, and as long as no one was about to die, they didn't tend to step in.

Lilian began to worry as Fayla was taken off guard and caught in the man's grip. He looked much stronger than her, and used his temporary advantage to crush her in a bear-hug. However Fayla suddenly escaped the hold, leaving him to hug a copy of the herself, before moving behind him and bringing her weapon up between his legs. He screamed so loud Lilian heard dogs startled into barking by it. She let out a giggle as he crumpled to the ground. She didn't intend on getting him some ice. With the fight won, Fayla left the ring to rest, and gave Lilian a wink. Lilian smiled back. "I doubt there's a healer in the city that can fix what you just did to that man." She said.

After Fayla's victory, there was a brief break giving combatants time to rest. She couldn't help but worry about the next fight, and not just because her opponent would be more resistant to her signature move. An Asentari of all people, it was like Fayla having to fight a heanta. Though Lilian did look forward to watching Fayla fight the Eldari Coro, she could only assume the next battle would be spectacular. And then it was time to begin, with the announcer calling for her and Vraska to enter the ring.

Lilian locked eyes with Vraska who had discarded the cloak, since her secret weapon had been given away already. No point being restricted. Lilian chose to do the same, removing her own short blue cloak and sash. She reloaded her crossbow and nodded to Fayla, before climbing over the barrier into the ring. The Asentari looked at her fiercely, piercing green eyes slitted. She wondered how she'd never noticed that about Rex's eyes, but then she remembered the dark ring around the centre of his eyes that obscured his pupils. For some reason remembering that with such detail made her blush.

"Oh dear don't get shy on me. I watched you fight those two men before me and you had no trouble with them." Vraska said as she walked forward. She carried a short wooden blade in one hand, and wore a leather cestus that extended into a gauntlet on the other. Her tail coiled around her, whipping as she walked. "Well, am I making the first move, human?" Lilian didn't respond. She was lost for words, facing and asentari. She was wondering if maybe this was a bad idea, and she hesitated so long she took a second to realise Vraska had moved.

A scything blow to the side of her head forced Lilian to drop low and roll, and she rose loosing a bolt that Vraska's tail flicked away. Lilian would have stopped to wonder just how Flexible that tail was, but Vraska didn't wait, using her speed to close the distance. Lilian drew her short sword and slashed, but Vraska dodged it and slapped Lilian across the leg with her own sword. She staggered away, and regained her footing, but what she needed to do was regain her composure. Easier said than done, as Vraska spun back around, and lashed her across the face with her tail. Lilian found herself on the defensive again.

She started to back up, and Vraska didn't give her a second to breath. Lilian was faster, but there was only so far to run, and while her previous opponent suffered in Agility it was clear Vraska didn't have the same problem. Lilian cranked the crossbow and fired, but Vraska simply dodged it and got in close, forcing Lilian to retreat out of range. But as Vraska waited for the next shot to come, Lilian had an idea. She cranked the crossbow and fired, and as expected Vraska dodged, but as she dodged, Lilian threw her crossbow, the butt clonking Vraska hard in the face. She begged for Oblivion piercer's forgiveness as she used the opportunity to get in close and tried to slash Vraska across the ribs.

The Asentari recovered faster than she expected and dodged the attack. She swung a wicked uppercut between Lilian's legs but Lilian managed to sidestep and avoid something she imaged would have been rather unpleasant, only to have a tail wrap around her ankle. Vraska yanked her foot from under her and Lilian ended up on her back. The woman followed up by trying to slam a foot down on Lilian's ribs, which Lilian barely managed to roll out of the way of. She rose into a spinning strike with her wooden sword and lashed the asentari across the hip, and brought the weapon back down to strike Vraska's knee.

Vraska's hissed in pain and lashed back, forcing Lilian to block a barrage of strikes with her metallic arm, Vraska closed the gap and before Lilian realised, she got a hold of Lilian's right Wrist. Lilian tried to punch with her left, and Vraska Wrapped her tail around it. "Smart idea hiding metal plates beneath your leather armor. I can admire that style of fighting." She said to Lilian. "Surrender. I've got you all tangled up, you can't escape, and I really don't want to knock you out. You were way more fun to fight than the previous two lunks." Lilian frowned. "I.. Am not beat yet." She said, and drove her right knee forward and up, into Vraska's stomach. She pulled away sharply, breaking Vraska's grip on her right hand. Vraska stilled had a strong grip on her other arm with her tail, so Lilian reached over and undid the clasp to the straps that held her leather sleeve inplace. Her arm ripped free, pulling a gasp of pain from Lilian’s lips and causing Vraska to stagger back.

Lilian lunged forward and struck the woman across the chest with her wooden sword, using ever ounce of strength she could muster. Vraska completely lost her footing and fell backwards, and Lilian threw herself on Vraska, pinning the woman's arms with her Knees as she went to bring the pommel of the weapon down on the woman's head. She felt every bit of hate for the Asentari she'd ever over her life felt rise up, but she seen the fear in Vraska's eyes. She must have seen the hate on Lilian's face, and suddenly the only thing she felt was shame. "I surrender." The woman said, practically stammered. Lilian dropped the sword, and took a deep breath.

Lilian pushed herself to her feet from off the top of Vraska, a feat made difficult and awkward with only one arm, and looked around sheepishly. She extended a hand to Vraska to help her up, and Vraska returned her arm. "I see now you weren't just hiding metal plates.." Vraska said. "Sorry I pulled your arm off." Lilian frowned. "It's fine.." She said. She awkwardly scooped up oblivion piercer and walked out of the ring. She returned to Fayla and quietly redid the straps on her arm, flinching in pain as she tightened them. If Fayla asked her if everything was ok, she told her they'd talk about it after the tournament. There was another short break, and then Coro and Fayla were called into the ring.

When Fayla stepped into the Ring Coro was waiting for her, and gave her a deep bow. "I have looked forward to this bout since I witnessed your first Fight. Maybe the best warrior win, and I wish you Luck." He said, then drew his wooden sword, the wooden sheath in his other hand. Lilian managed to pull herself from her melancholy to watch the proceedings.

Fayla smiled when Lilian mentioned the unlikelihood of Kros being able to heal from what just happened to him. "Actually," Fayla corrected her, "I believe 'man' is no longer the correct term for Kros now." There was another intermission while everyone prepared for the semi-finals of the tournament. Fayla bandaged up the cut on her arm from Kros' knife and stared at her opponent for the next round. Coro sat stoically in the stand opposite hers, and Fayla couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen him before. She had good opportunity to examine how he fought, and she had no doubt that he would pose the toughest opposition so far.

Lilian, for her part, had handled herself very well so far, but Fayla was a little worried about how she would fare against an Asentari. That match was happening now, and Fayla gently took Lilian's arm before she went down to the arena floor and whispered in her ear. "Just remember, as an Asentari she'll be a bit harder to damage with your weapons. Good luck." Fayla let the Human go and took her seat as she entered the arena to loud cheers.

The fight was a lot closer than they last ones, with Lilian being kept on the defensive. She was holding her own at first, but as the fight wore on Vraska was asserting herself more and more. She eventually forced Lilian to detach her arm in order to escape her hold. Lilian connected with a couple of solid hits before mounting the fallen warrior and making to bring the weapon down on her enemy's head. Fayla saw the rage in Lilian's eyes, and jumped to her feet. "No! Lilian, stop!" Whether the Human had heard her or not, Fayla couldn't say, but Lilian stood down anyway, accepting Vraska's surrender.

When Lilian had scooped her arm and weapons up and rejoined her in the stands, Fayla looked at her with some concern. "Nice job, Lilian. But what happened at the end there? Are you alright?" Lilian simply shrugged it off and simply replied that she would talk about it afterwards. Fayla nodded and grabbed her weapon. "Fair enough. Wish me luck!"

Fayla reached the arena floor as the announcer introduced the next fight. Coro bowed respectfully and wished her luck, stating that he'd been looking forward to this fight. Fayla returned the bow and smiled. "Yeah, me too. Let's do it!" Fayla spun her weapon and dropped into a combat stance. Coro did likewise, and Fayla decided to make the first move.

The Eldari swept forward and tried to bait Coro into swinging at her torso, which he did. She then suddenly dropped low and slid, attempting to take the warrior's legs out from underneath him. But her compatriot was too nimble for that, and flipped over her sweep. Fayla had expected that, but she didn't factor in the sheath, and she was caught across the face with it. Rolling through and wincing slightly from the strike, Fayla regained her feet and suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a barrage of strikes from weapon and sheath. She fended them off rapidly, but a sudden switch in tempo caught Fayla out, and she took a blow to the stomach from the sword, followed by an uppercut to the face from the sheath.

Fayla landed hard on her back, but performed a swift kip-up and regained her form. Coro stood in front of her, a confident look on his face. Fayla blew one of her loose bangs out of her face, and exhaled slowly. Coro's form was flawless, and so she realized that she couldn't hope to defeat him on Eldari technique alone. So, Fayla would have to use some non-Eldari ones. She decided to dig into her old bag of tricks that she learned from her father. They were not in a forest, but that didn't matter.

Fayla advanced, with both hands on her sword. Coro assumed a different Eldari fighting stance, one made famous by the greatest swordsman the Eldari had ever produced. Jerk is using my granddad's fighting style against me, she thought, He's probably expecting me to do the same in return. Fayla reached him and waited for Coro to swing. When he did, she ducked it while keeping an eye on his sheath. When Coro tried to follow up with his sheath, Fayla suddenly advanced into the swing, stopping its momentum. At the same time, she grabbed him by the wrist while also stamping on his foot. Coro's surprise was enough to let Fayla continue her combination by smacking his sheath hand with as much force as she could muster in the close space. Luckily it was enough to make him drop the sheath, and Fayla kicked it away. The brief distraction allowed Coro to knee her in the stomach, winding her. He then unleashed a ferocious combo of kicks and weapon swipes, knocking Fayla backwards onto her back.

Reeling, Fayla tried to get up, only to be met with a hard kick to the ribs. She tumbled away, and she then tried to swing at him, but he sidestepped it and grabbed her in a choke-hold from behind. Fayla struggled, but her vision began to fade. So she did what her father had always told her to do. She improvised. Opening her mouth wide, Fayla chomped down and sank her teeth into Coro's forearm. The warrior grunted in pain and his grip loosened enough that Fayla could slip out. Out of pure instinct, she spun and swept Coro's leg out from under him, and jumped atop him, pushing her weapon against his throat. He struggled for a bit, but he eventually surrendered when Fayla increased the pressure. She rolled onto her back coughing and spluttering.

Coro made it back to his feet slowly as Fayla did the same. He eyed her warily, before bowing respectfully and leaving. Fayla returned to Lilian, looking a little out of breath. Fortunately, there was another break before the final, allowing Fayla to catch some wind back in her sails. She glanced at Lilian and winked. "I promise I won't bite you." The announcer called Lilian out first. "Introducing first, the one-armed Ender of Progeny, Lilian Toral!" When Lilian took her place on the arena floor, Fayla was then announced. "And her opponent. The Eldari Eater of Men, Rose Firemane!" Fayla joined Lilian, and would respond to any enquiry about her announced name. "You didn't expect me to tell them my real name, did you?" She spun her weapon and saluted Lilian. "Alrighty then. Shall we?"

Lilian watched the fight proceed. It was a display of eldari blade skill the like she had never seen, with both combatants giving a good back and forth. Fayla was an impressive combatant when in fullswing, but as Lilian watched it became clear that Coro was actually better. He battered her with blade and sheath, and though she wasn't as badly beat back as Lilian had been she was struggling. But Fayla used some rather unconventional moves to disarm and knock away the other warrior's sheath, causing him to try to catch her in a chokehold. She did something Lilian hadn't quite expected, and chomped down hard on the man's arm, using the distraction to get free. Lilian cheered, and wondered if perhaps Fayla had learned that from Vala.

In a similar manner she pinned and forced Coro to surrender, and the two eldari went their seperate ways. Fayla was short of breath when she returned to Lilian, and both of them were given time to rest.  Then they were called into the ring and Fayla promised not to bite Lilian, Lilian let out a snort of laughter and said, "Just remember if you do get hunger, a decent portion of me is metal so watch where your biting. You might chip a tooth." Lilian got loud cheer from the crowed as she was called in.

Then Fayla was called in, as Rose Firemane, and she recieved an equally loud cheer. Lilian gave her an inquiring look in regards to the name, and Fayla explained. "Ah, that makes sense. I doubt the locals would have figured out who you were if you went by Fayla, but Coro might have." She said. Lilian reloaded her crossbow and checked it over, the made sure her sword was secure at her side. "We're good to use powers, right?" Lilian asked. Regardless of Fayla's answer, Lilian smiled like a fool and said, "Lets give these people the best show of their lives!"

Lilian's first move as soon as the announcer shouted for them to begin was dash away from Fayla, and Line up a shot aimed for Fayla's right shoulder. She'd watched the eldari fight, and knew she liked big swings with that two handed weapon. Weaken her shoulders, and it might give Lilian a better chance once this finally fell to closer quarters. She knew she wasn't faster than Fayla, so she would have to outmenouver her. She also knew Fayla had watched her fight, and would have a general idea of how Lilian was going to handle things, and also know she had a speed advantage. Although, she might not know what Lilian was planning just yet.

Fayla smiled across the arena at Lilian as they prepared to fight. The Human reminded her that she wouldn't be able to bite her way out against her metal arm. "Don't worry. I've got plenty more tricks up my sleeve." Lilian then commented on Fayla's alias for the arena. She simply shrugged in return. "I wasn't even worried about that. I just wanted a cooler name. I use a different one for each place." The announcements soon finished and the fight got underway. Lilian asked if they were okay to use powers. Fayla nodded and smirked. "Just try not to blow up the crowd, okay?"

Lilian immediately dashed away and fired a bolt aiming for Fayla's shoulder. The Eldari swiveled on the spot and began her pursuit, remaining on guard for any more crossbow fire. She had seen how fast Lilian could rattle off shots in a hurry, so she had to be wary. If she reached her, Fayla would attempt a low sweep to Lilian's legs, similar to how she opened the fight against Coro, and slid through into a roll to regain her feet quickly and reacquire Lilian. If not, she would divert wide and try to corral Lilian towards the arena wall.