Colosseum For Honor: Between Tian and Valhalla.

[Steel Accord]

The snow fell heavy around Ji-Dan Yen. It blanketed in an eerie silence. The crunching hoof falls of his horse rung loud as thunder against it this blanket. He pulled his fur lined armor tighter around his body to keep warm. No manner of creature could live here save some form of demon.

Yet he knew he wasn’t alone. Footprints had been left in the snow, not enough for a host but enough to say there’s something of worth venturing to this cursed, frozen Diyu. The trail had been long since buried, as he would be too if he fell here.

Refusing such an ignoble fate, Ji dismounted, petting his horse affectionately and feeding him to warm his belly. Thinking he himself could use some hot tea, he put that painful lack from his mind as he advanced on foot.

His armor was red tinged for fortune with a purple sash tied around his shoulder to mark his (former) station. A long emblazoned prominently on his chest and back plates to bless his mission. His dao hung sheathed at his left hip, its hilt terminating in a ring on one end, and a disc guard beneath its wide blade.

His off hand gripped the weapon as he proceeded, his eyes scanning the area. The snow seemed to hide any movement between the trees . . .

 

[The Good Doctor]

Asmund's immense muscular frame generating heat and the scare leather he clad his torso with were enough to keep him warm in this snowy weather. This was all he knew since he was a child and all the chilly nights he had been sent out to chop down entire trees as a child had prepared him for anything nature would throw his way. Next to him was his two handed Dane/Long Axe, which he lovingly called "Eagle Claw" in Icelandic. Lion Claw had an eagle figure at its base that came with a hook of sorts with he used to haul back his kills from hunts. His person was decorated in bones of his enemies and he would frequently run a hand through the necklace that covered his muscle bound neck. It was made completely of bones, teeth, body parts and patches of fur from animals he killed and enemies that fell before him. He was somewhat popular with his brethren for his immense worth as a soldier and how inhumane his skills were on the battlefield.

While he would rather be horsing back a mug of ale right about now, he was on guard duty. The snow hid many things from people but Asmund knew this territory like the back of his hand. Any enemy that came close to this fortress would meet this mountain of a man and his Axe a few minutes after the fact.

 

[Steel Accord]

Such was this unnatural (to him) snow, that Ji-Dan didn’t notice the log built holdfast until he stumbled upon the clearing leading to its front gate. He squinted through the fog, rising above this fortress was the tell tale smoke of a fire. It would appear someone managed to build a Keep here.

This didn’t look like an encampment though, no this looked stationary. What manner of man though not only could live here but would choose to? This pondering left Ji flat footed. The misty haze of the snow around him, obscuring his senses as much as the thoughts in his mind.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Asmund's nose caught the scent of foreign metal and with this information stored in his head, he came up to the window that overlooked the front of the keep. Ishgud and Morbul had already come in from the night's hunt so everyone who was supposed to be in the Fortress was already here. He wanted to dismiss it as a rogue boar or something that had come wandering too close to his home but his gut ushered him on.

He attached his large Axe to his back and slid down the ladder that lead to the watchman's post and sauntered close to the opening of the fort. He could see something faintly in the distance and, placing his axe in his hand, screamed something to the top of his lungs in Icelandic. ARE YOU FRIEND OR FOE? SPEAK NOW!

 

[Steel Accord]

Ji-Dan’s hand snapped from resting at the hilt to halfway down the scabbard which he pulled loose from his belt, holding it out in front of him. His free hand was open with his arm raised, protecting his head.

His movements were controlled but his heart was now beating like he’d been struck by lightning. An inhuman growl had sounded out from the darkness. He squinted through the snow, at where the sound had come. He was barely able to make out the outline of something that bore at least a resemblance to a man. Deciding it was better to be cautious, he took two controlled, retreating steps backwards, not turning his back.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Asmund's muscles tightened in anticipation and he tightened the straps of his helmet. His helmet was special to him because it had a miniature metal eagle ornament at its peak, cementing his epithet as The Eagle. Hearing no reply, the large man leaned on the hard wood of the fort's door and wiped the snow off of his tattoos. It was considered a bad omen to have the elements cover your markings and he would not allow any spirits to mess with the encounter he believed was about to happen. The figure couldn't be seen now but he would be back.

 

[Steel Accord]

Every sense in his head told him to run. But this snow was not letting up and he couldn’t no for sure what else was waiting out there. Safety was inside this monstrosity.

He tried to sneak as far as he could from where he heard the sound, trying to find some means of ingress.

 

[The Good Doctor]

There were traps around the fortress that would go off if someone or something stepped on them and Asmund was hoping that this would catch his prey for him if whatever it was wasn't willing to face him.

 

[Steel Accord]

Ji-Dan crept around the exterior and he heard something on the inside. The sound of deep throated laughter and celebrating. His confusion only grew about these other visitors to this land.

Before he could think further on it though, his ankles were snagged in a rope and he was hung from them by a tree. Acting quick as he could, he drew his sword and cut the line with surprising ease and control for such a compromised position. His recovery landing was almost as smooth, only marred by his feet sliding in the snow. Whoever set that trap had to be nearby, they knew he was here.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Asmund rolled his eyes as he too heard the laughter and such from the inside. Belnorg and the others were probably getting drunk as usual. It was sort of a national past time when they weren't hunting or killing any matter of things. His mind did not fail him though, and he heard the spring that was set off and rushed towards it with killer intent in his head, snapping large twigs and some branches beneath his immense feet.

 

[Steel Accord]

Ji-Dan heard what could only be likened to a rhino charging through the brush and as he spun in his fighting stance, he beheld something out of a nightmare. A mountain of muscles and bone. Ji could only shout what he truly thought was before him.

“Yaoguai!” He would not run though. He took a breath to center himself and raised his dao high over his head with his free hand extended, a high guard for this taller for. If the demon could cut, he could be cut in turn.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Asmund broke through the brush with a crazed look plastered on his face but instead of a squealing pig or an enemy belonging to another fort, there was a strange armored man. The man's blade was quite flimsy compared to the sharp hunk of metal he had attached to his Axe and he was fairly certain he would kill him with one swing. ÉG RÍF ÞIG Í BITA!

The large man took his Axe above his head and brought it down with a mighty swing, trying to cut the man in half right from the start.

 

[Steel Accord]

Ji-Dan sidestepped the crashing axehead, almost gliding around the giant.

“Wu Nai Tian Di!” He shouted as he tried to swipe at the rib section of this beast as he passed.

 

[The Good Doctor]

The raider glared at the smaller man with severe annoyance in his eyes. The smaller ones were always squirming around his Axe but, this one was especially quick. Luckily though, he was able to place the thick metal of his Axe's handle in the way of the blade. The sparks from the clashing steel allowed the foreigner to see the killer intent in his eye if even for a second.

Dashing backwards, the Raider began to encircle his prey, looking for an opening.

 

[Steel Accord]

The sparks flew out and Ji-Dan saw the fiery red hate in this creatures embers where his eyes should be. His counter parried, he at least put some distance between them. Ji held his dao low and at his right, before bringing the blade tip up aligned with his left shoulder and across his chest, protecting as much area he could.

His opponent wore almost no armor, but their strength and the reach of their weapon utterly dwarfed his own. He had to get inside the range of that axe where it would be less effective.

He reverse gripped his dao and tucked it under his arm as he charged the beast. He had a plan and it relied on his reflexes.

 

[The Good Doctor]

The Raider appreciated an opponent who would get straight to the point so he decided to do so as well. He met the foreigner's charge and instead of using a large swing, he was going to a stunning tap move instead. The objective of this move was to leave his opponent open for a swing that would usually end the battle.

Asmund twirled his ax in his hand so that the other end was pointed towards his enemy. Lifting up from the floor, he aimed the end of his Axe towards his enemy's helmet, hoping to stun him.

 

[Steel Accord]

It worked. The move was one he didn’t expect. This brute was not without a warrior’s cunning.

The strike knocked Ji-Dan’s helmet clean off his head, exposing his wild, black as night, hair. Luckily it was the now dented headgear that took the blow so he was shook but not entirely disoriented.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Wanting to see nothing else but blood, Asmund brought the other end of the large Axe around full horizontal swing, trying to cut the man in half. He did notice that there was no way that this man could be one of his brethren. His hair was too different and his weapon was also strange to him.

 

[Steel Accord]

Ji-Dan was saved from being cleaved in two only by his years of Kung Fu and the luck that his helmet took the brunt of the disorienting blow beforehand.

He aerial cartwheeled over the ax’s blade, time seeming to slow as the snow gave shape to the air where he once stood being shorn as his body would have been. Landing, he attempted a slice to his opponent’s exposed chest with the flick of his blade followed by a kick with as much qi as he could force out.

“Ni Yi Bai Yi!”

 

[The Good Doctor]

Asmund couldn't bring his guard up in time and suffered a slash along his chest that only enraged him further. The wound wasn't that deep and the kick that followed was stuffed by the axe handle he raised in front of him. This foreign warrior wasn't a slouch and he would need to take him out quickly. Taking a moment to regain his breathe, Asmund took the offensive once again.

This time, he feinted a right slash and replaced it with another stunning tap. Hopefully, this would hit the man's exposed head and achieve his desired affect.

 

[Steel Accord]

Ji blocked right, falling for the feint, but saw the pommel strike coming this time and simply turned in place to dodge before pushing the axe handle away with the flat of his string. He then leaped into a twirl to bring his blade chopping down aimed at his opponent’s head.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Asmund used the force Ji used to push his Axe handle away against him, rolling out of the way to avoid the strike. The raider spirit inside him took a back seat to his common sense, deciding to stay on the defensive now more than anything else.

 

[Steel Accord]

Damn! This beast was even more nimble than he appeared. Strength, size, speed, and cunning. Truly this thing couldn’t be human. He was obviously toying with him, the wretched evil, holding back when he obviously held every advantage over the Tiandi.

Ji-Dan was growing tired and he’d thus far landed only a single, shallow cut. Perhaps that was it. His only chance to get one last good blow in. Victory or death.

Ji-Dan let fly the cloth at the end of his weapon, advanced upon his foe, let out a mighty qihe, all the while going through a flurry of forms in rapid succession trying to make his blade seem in many places at once.

Once close enough, he feinted a cut but pulled his blade back to try for a tornado kick to the ribs followed by a tiger palm strike.

 

[The Good Doctor]

Asmund was looking at the strange man, trying to wrap his brain around anything. He was a savage man at heart and didn't really use his brain that much because of his overwhelming strength but this opponent was different than anything he had even faced. His techniques lacked the raw brute strength he loved to fight against and there was a smaller muscle mass for his axe to hit, which also took away from the fun.

He didn't have much time to wrack his brain because he had to prepare for the stranger's next attack. He followed the movement good enough and saw his opportunity when the slashing attacks were replaced with blunt strikes. The man was obviously trying to get in range where his Axe couldn't reach him but the Raider had a strategy just for something like this.

He took the kick like a man and coughed up a little bit of blood but he ducked under the palm, trying to grab the man's body. He took the punishment of the kick to gain a better position on the foreigner. There was a nice tree with the stranger's name on it and he wanted nothing more than to slam him into it!

 

[Steel Accord]

Ji-Dan’s death or glory attack brought him both. Nailing a decisive blow upon the monster but putting him inside his reach. He was easily lifted and crushed to a tree. The wind knocked out of him, only to be followed up by a knee to his face.

The coppery taste of blood tinged his tongue and his head spun as he braced himself against the tree to climb to his feet, his sword still gripped lightly in front of him. Defiant, he’d definitely kill all three of them.