815/A Challenge in Dondruma

A Challenge in Dondruma
Date of Scene:	16 October 2014
Location:	Wyveria
Synopsis:	An invader from a far-off land comes to Dondruma Town seeking powerful warriors, and Ysabel gets in over her head.
Cast of Characters:	576, 581

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Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    Dondruma Town is one of the most active hubs of activity in all of Wyveria, second only to the desert settlement of Loc Lac City. Sandwiched between the Swamp and Jungle regions, the weather is often warm and humid, even in the dimming hours of the day. Today is no different: as the sun hangs low over the horizon and torches are lit along the town's paved streets, the air still holds a comfortable, almost tropical warmth.

    While smaller structures of wood and cloth line the streets, large stone buildings old enough that many of their structures are lined with moss form the most dominating structures in Dondruma. These are mostly more significant structures, the largest of which is the Guild Hall located right in the town square. This hub for hunters of Wyveria is a towering building flanked by two curving staircases leading from the open central square to the upper levels, where hunters can find postings for quests or rest between their hunts.

    Even at this hour, it's a bustling location: men and women in armors of a wide variety make their way to and fro, pausing at the blacksmith and equipment shops that ring the fountain-crowned central square or hanging around to chat to one another and reunite with other hunters. Some hold weapons larger than they are on their backs, while others keep arms of a more reasonable size, but as this is a peaceful place, no weapons are drawn unless they are to be repaired, bought, or shown off. Now and then some citizens make their way through, mostly on the way to other parts of the town or to gawk at the men and women who risk their lives daily for the safety of the commonfolk, but anyone who could be called 'normal' is rarely seen in this crowd. Music rings out from somewhere, too: drums and more exotic instruments lend an amicable nature to the square, occasionally assisted by the song of a woman whose voice seems to rival the most beautiful of birds.

    Soon, however, the peaceful air is likely to be disturbed, for such a vast collection of skilled warriors would no doubt attract interest.

Odin (576) has posed:
The air was indeed changing as the area soon became darker and a heavy fog rolled into the town of hunters. The fog itself was nearly blinding at first, making even the light of the torches hard to see. Soon from this fog came the sound of hooves clomping along the street, two red eyes of the nightmare steed glowing in the fog before the creature became visible and along with the mighty steed was the heavy armored rider on its back. His own eyes glowing like wisps of light, as all facial features were hidden by the helm itself.

A sword was held already in his hand, even as the fog started to roll back, but the darkness still remained to hide the very sun. He pulled on the reigns before he pointed his sword at one of the local hunters here, "Heed me, I come here in search of one and any whom dare to get in my way shall find their blood upon my blade."

The armored figured then slashes his sword outward and down to the side, which though should be out of the way of his dark sword, cuts one of the torches clean in half. "Unless any here dare to stand before me, then I shall accept the challenge of battle.."

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    The abrupt onset of a deep fog is enough for everyone to suddenly fall silent and turn their attention to the direction that fog is coming from. Hands immediately fly to weapons and murmurs pass through the encroaching cloud, questioning whether there may be some dragon that has found its way into the town somehow. After all, more than a few are known to summon storms or consume the areas around them in obscuring shadow...but, then again, how could one have come in so quietly without being taken down by the guards on the outer walls?

    When the armored horseman strides into view, murmurs of confusion and wonder pass through the crowd of hunters. More than a few step back, uncertain what to make of this imposing man on his strange steed, particularly the heavily armored man who suddenly finds himself with a sword pointing directly at him. Never before has a human (or, at least, what seems close enough to one) come with such clearly imposing presence to cast a threat toward the hunters of the Guild. How exactly is anyone to respond?

    That display of power only makes the collected hunters even more wary. A few draw their weapons, but none step forward...until someone shouts angrily from the back of the crowd.

    "What the /hell/ is going on?!"

    The woman who shoves her way through the crowd of hunters doesn't seem especially imposing at first glance, at least compared to the horseman. Ysabel is not especially tall, but the Zinogre armor she wears lends a wolf-like appearance to her form, accentuated by the ears, claws, and blades that glow an electric blue. That same feral ferocity gleams in her sea green eyes as her gaze fixes on the horseman, glaring at him as if he were threatening territory that was very much /hers/.

    Ysabel stops just in front of the crowd of hunters who glance between her and the invading horseman. Her glare remains sharp, but her hands don't go to the indigo switch axe folded up on her back. Not yet, at least. First she has to snap at the armored man. "Who are you and what are you doing in my town? Do you seriously think you can just walk in here on your..." She pauses, glancing at the steed. ".../whatever/ that is and start threatening people? Who does that?!"

Odin (576) has posed:
Odin stares down at the woman who approaches him with no fear. The horse looks at her in equally and actually huffs in her direction when she perhaps insults the might steed. Odin only giving a gentle tug on the reigns.

"I am Odin, the Dark Divinity. I travel these worlds seeking one whom was responsible for my imprisonment and none shall dare stand in my way." Odin then stares at her more directly, seeming to gaze right into her very being. "You are not of her descendants, but if you so desire to challenge me, then perhaps you can show these cowards around you the true power of your words.."

The elder Primal then tilts his head, "Or is that all you simply are? All the bark, but none of the bite-- as so many who dawn themselves in armor of that they kill which equally is the mind of beasts, instead of the minds of greater men."

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    "What? Hey!" A man in black armor almost similar to Odin's shouts in protest from the crowd. "You don't even know what we go through to get all this-"

    "SHUT UP!" Ysabel's angry yell over her shoulder cuts over the man's objections. Her glare is cast back to Odin, though something in her rage seems vaguely subdued. For all her bluster, the initial protective rush she felt upon Odin's arrival has started to fade, and the weight of the situation is beginning to settle in. Blind though she is to the supernatural, even she can feel the foreboding presence of the mounted figure in front of her. This isn't just any knight; even if she doubted his words, the power she can feel in him would speak clearly enough to confirm that.

    Well, she may be in over her head, but she's also never really been one to back down.

    Her left hand moves to the Brisant Demolisher folded on her back, fingers curling around the handle. While her voice is more subdued, it still comes with a sharp edge. "I guess you must not be from here. Whatever, that's not my problem. My problem now is that you're threatening a place I /care/ about, a place I've had to take down dragons that could eat all of us in one bite to protect. If it's a fight you want, then fine, I'll fight you."

    The switch axe is drawn, lifted from her back to move in front of her. The axe head slides up to lock in place at the end of the weapon just as the slime covering its blade hisses to life, adding a rainbow of green, orange, and red to the indigo weapon. "And I'll do it myself, too. I don't care if you beat me, but I'm damn well going to make sure you get that what you're doing was a bad idea either way!"

    While their motions are uncertain (for these hunters, while experienced against the beasts of Wyveria, have never once had to face the challenges of the Multiverse), a few people start to step forward from the crowd. Ysabel, however, turns back to level her hard gaze at them. "Hey, back off. I'm getting first dibs with this guy. He's not from here, and I've had more experience dealing with the shit that goes on outside of Wyveria."

    Someone tries to get a word in, "But-" "So," Ysabel interrupts, raising her voice again, "if I screw up, go ahead and have at him if you want. But until then, since this guy isn't from around here, /I'm/ your best chance at dealing with him. Now move out of the way!"

    While some of the hunters remain reluctant to step back, more than a few are quite willing to clear the square and form a ring around the open space. Once she's sure that everyone else is safely out of the way, Ysabel turns back to Odin, takes a deep breath, and stares up at him. "There. You've got me. Happy now?"

Odin (576) has posed:
Odin hms as he listens to the woman hunter's words. As she speaks, he then swings his leg off his steed and then steps down on the ground, which darkness under his foot step for a moment. He can sense the aetheric flow here is exceedingly weak and once he is fully on the ground, he motions for the nightmare horse he rode upon to return back into the aether.

Which it does as it turns away and vanishing into a fog mist. "That is a question you should ask yourself, huntress." Odin says calmly as he raises up his sword toward her. His cape barely moving behind him. Those eyes of his staring directly a her.

"..and do not concern yourself with the others-- for my interest is now solely upon you and you alone. Tell me thy name huntress-- so if you defeat me, the favor you can bare correctly."

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    "You obviously haven't heard of me before," Ysabel remarks, eyes narrowing as she watches Odin dismount. The way his horse simply vanishes is regarded warily for a moment, but her attention soon flits back to the armored swordsman. "I'm not happy very often."

    Confusion flits over her expression when a favor is mentioned, though. Her brow furrows as she stares up at him, at once wary and uncertain. "...Ysabel. Ysabel Thibault. And what 'favor' is that, exactly? Are you going to bind me to some kind of contract or something?" Her grip on her switch axe tightens slightly, but she doesn't move forward. She's already done enough to get herself in this position; now that she's stuck here, she's going to be as cautious as she reasonably can be. "And am I going to have to give you some 'favor' if I lose for some reason? I'm not a fan of owing people anything."

Odin (576) has posed:
Odin stands comfortably there, his hand doesn't even seem tired as he holds the blade still aimed in her direction. The edge of the blade glowing white for a moment before the glowing seem to vanish lightly. The light of the torches don't even play against the black armor, giving the armor a void look compared to the surroundings with only the slight edges and gold-chrome trim giving it some life.

"The favor is given to any whom defeats me to have me do as they will." Odin explains calmly. "..and though I can conqueror the minds of the weak, I dare not do such a thing, for makes me no better then the one whom imprisoned me."

Odin then takes an easy step forward, showing with such a calm, slow movement that the weight of his armor matters little to him. "But if you do anything with that favor, lady Thibault is your choice alone. For once the favor is used-- one must defeat me again to gain a new."

Just as he finishes that line, the Dark Divinity suddenly steps forward, his form seems to shift around in black tendril of fog, before seeming to disappear only in less then a second reappearing in nearly the same manner as he had vanished to bring his onyx blade around to bare. The swift swing of the sword moving in slight downward motion, with the edge of it glowing to cast a light in the air even as the blade itself already passed by.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    Tension fills Ysabel's frame as Odin begins to start toward her. Of course she wouldn't admit it, but the hunter can't help the nervousness settling into her. She hasn't had to face an opponent from outside Wyveria on her own before; who's to say how well she can hold up now, against such an unfamiliar adversary?

    The huntress scowls faintly as she pushes that concern aside. Now's not the time for doubts. Just take it easy, watch, and be ready to-

    Suddenly, Odin vanishes, and just as suddenly, he's in front of her again. Ysabel's eyes widen in surprise, and as a reflex, she hefts the Brisant Demolisher up to try and block his cleaving assault. It's only partially effective: sparks fly from the impact, and while the blow doesn't slice through her or her weapon, she's sent stumbling back several feet. Thankfully, she has enough practice with getting tossed around that she doesn't fall over, and after some brief skidding, she digs her feet into the stones below to come to a halt again.

    Teeth clenched in a wolf-like snarl, she braces herself again and grips her weapon tightly, holding it horizontally in front of her. "...good thing I'm not fond of using things that like recklessly, then," she remarks.

    Ysabel is quick to retaliate. Hardly a moment after her retort, she rushes forward to deliver a horizontal slash with her weapon, swinging the heavy blade with more than enough of the strength needed to weild such a large weapon. Should it hit, not only would the blade dig in, but the slime coating it would burst off in a splash of green. Not that it actually seems to do anything at that moment, though.

Odin (576) has posed:
Odin goes to bring the blade up to parry the heavy strike, his blade moves with the momentum of the two weapons impacting. Once his blade goes low, he curves his sword away, using his cape at the same time to block whatever the slime may be.

Then as his blade comes right back around, his foot slides back, as he then flourishes his blade around, before coming back with another strike of his sword, not once but twice. For with each swing, he steps in. His foot work easily moving across the stone ground, almost like a dance. While he goes to ready himself to block another attack that may come. "..Impressive strength.." He says with some interest in his voice. Perhaps expecting that she would not cause him to give some ground early on in the fight.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    Switch axes aren't really made for blocking. It's something that could be done with a greatsword, but the mechanisms inside the switch axe make it less of a solid mass than the greatsword. Even worse, Ysabel isn't exactly used to fighting human opponents and reacting to swifter, direct assaults.

    With that in mind, facing someone of Odin's ability might not be the best idea she's ever had. As he comes in with two slashes that close the distance and increase the pressure on Ysabel, she's forced to adapt to a very unfamiliar strategy. Again her weapon comes up to block the first strike, sending her reeling back slightly, but she's well aware that she can't manage the second. Instead, she ducks and swiftly tumbles aside in a practiced roll toward the side opposide Odin's sword arm, coming up with a powerful upward swing that very briefly takes her off her feet with the momentum. Again that slime splashes slightly when it hits, though this time it's a yellow color. Even then, it doesn't seem to be doing anything otherwise.

    "Kind of have to have it if I'm going to use a thing like this every day," Ysabel quips back, tension clear in her tone.

Odin (576) has posed:
As the woman raises off her feet with a powerful strike of her axe, the elder primal has no choice but to step away swiftly from the blow. The blade however claims a piece of his chest armor, cutting into it, though the armor seems to slowly start to reform after the weapon is clear from him.

The force causes him to step back and he has to move away for a moment until he can sweep back around to the side of her. He uses his own cape as a form of distraction as he moves, bring the blade around hidden by the flourishing of the cape, in an upward swing, before stepping around and sweeping down low with his body to trace his other hand around the ground as black chain then seems to form from dark mist.

As he goes to stand back up, the dark chain follows up like a whip and then he goes to strike it back down with a heavy force just as one would with a whip. Lashing the dark chain out at her.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    The distraction proves to be an effective one. As Odin whirls in front of her, Ysabel finds herself uncertain of where the attack will next come. In a moment of panic, she attempts to block again, but it ends up in the wrong direction; Odin's blade slashes up against her side, drawing a shout of surprise and pain as she's knocked back from the strength of the blow. Even as she tumbles, though, she's quick to right herself, landing in a crouch that sends her skidding along the stone pavement for a few more feet before she comes to a halt. A gash shows along the wyvern plates on her right side where his blade struck, but at least it didn't dig into her flesh. She might not have survived that.

    Even then, she only has a moment to recover before she's under attack again. This one, at least, she's more prepared to avoid: as she sees the chain descending, she quickly leaps to the side, barely clearing the space where the chain then crashes into the ground. It's not an opening she lets go to waste, either, as she rushes in toward Odin right after landing. As she brings the Brisant Demolisher back to deliver another swing, however, it suddenly shifts. The axe blade slides down to the base of the weapon, while the sword blade flips up from the back and locks into place just above it as the weapon changes formation, vibrant slime hissing to life along the sword's edge. As she brings it into another upward slash, the whole weapon glows with a red aura, and somehow, it seems to strike with even more force than before. It seems faster, too, for just as it reaches the peak of its swing, Ysabel quickly brings it down in another cleaving strike with a shout of effort, the splashes of slime emerging in orange, then an ominous red.

Odin (576) has posed:
As the chain rotates back around, Odin watches as the woman takes advantage of the opening given. The Elder Primal is also caught off guard by the sudden shift in the weapon. His only thoughts on it is as he voices softly, "...curious.."

The first strike hits true, cutting across his chest and a part of his collar bone armor. The impact actually knocking him back a bit, but as she goes to bring the blade back down with its ominous glow, Odin goes to strike high in order to parry the blade as it comes back down.

The two weapons then coming into lock and the sheer power actually causes Odin to grunt gently as he holds the blade against blade for a moment. The edge of his own sword glowing gentle, but only with a faint light.

"I give you an offer," He says calmly to her, before moving to knock her back. "Only because your strength interests me and I am curious to see your true potential." Then he goes to step back in before she has a chance to recover in attempt to swing the blade to wrap it around her ankle, if it should grab and knock her on her back.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    The sword comes down...and locks with Odin's own. Ysabel gives a tense grunt both of surprise and effort, but nonetheless tries to push further down on the blocking weapon. Her own strain is visible in the frown that forms on her features; still she pushes, trying to overcome the divinity's strength.

    That remark catches her off guard, though. He pushes against her blade, and the weapon's unwieldy size makes it easier to knock aside. "Woah-!" Ysabel stumbles, trying to regain her footing, and in that moment Odin catches her while she's off balance, sending her falling onto her back with a pained grunt.

    The huntress finds herself stunned for only a few moments, though, before she manages to sit up again. A wary leer is leveled at Odin as she starts pushing herself back to her feet, still clutching her weapon in her hand. "An offer? And just what kind of offer do you have in mind?"

Odin (576) has posed:
Odin walks over to her and points his blade down at her, though she has enough room to get away if she so desires too-- or continue the aggression as well. "The offer is that I take my leave, if you shall battle me in the place where the Elements reside."

Odin cants his head a bit. "There you can show me your true strength without the lack of concern for your village. For I believe you are not showing me what you are truly capable of and I rather have for once a true battle-- then one dealing with blades of burden."

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    Ysabel is not fond of having weapons pointed at her. The moment she realizes she has some space to move, she does, scrabbling to her feet and backing away from Odin and his pointing sword. The Brisant Demolisher isn't held upright when she stands, though; instead, she allows it to lower at her side as she considers the offer.

    It's not one she really wants to face. On the one hand, agreeing means that Dondruma won't be threatened any further, at least by him. But, on the other hand...she could likely end up proving him /wrong/ in his belief. What 'true strength' can she show? Despite her weapons and armor, she's just a human, after all. It's not like she has any inherent special powers.

    The huntress chews her lip, looking aside at the crowd of other hunters watching the fight with bated breath. Her frown deepens, and after a moment, she looks back at Odin again.

    Finally, she lets out a slow, tense sigh. The Brisant Demolisher folds up again, the slime along its blades fading away before Ysabel places it on her back. Arms folded, she looks up at Odin again with a hard, even expression. "Fine. I'll come to...that place, wherever it is, and fight you there instead. Just give me directions or something so I don't get lost finding wherever the hell it is."

Odin (576) has posed:
The elder primal stands his ground then as he moves his sword slowly to the side as it vanishes into a dark fog before being completely gone. He then goes to turn away from her, his cape barely moving as he does, before he lifts his hand over to the side to show a place with a water-mill and tall, massive trees with a dark fog image of it. "You will find it in my world, the world they call Hydaelyn."

"Seeker deeper into the forest beyond the city where Urth's kin resides. There you will find my resting place.. and there we shall fight." Odin then waves his hand and the image simply fades, before he walks away from her and the fog rolls around him, before he seems to vanish entirely, along the the darkness he brought.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    Ysabel stands in silence as Odin describes their eventual meeting. There isn't much more for her to say, is there? Besides, her mind is too caught up in the thoughts that her choice has summoned. Thoughts of her own foolishness, wondering why she keeps getting herself into these situations...and, of course, answering that for herself. She knows why.

    Once Odin vanishes, a silence lingers over the square for several more moments. The now-starry sky gleams above Dondruma, and soon enough, excited murmurs start among the hunters. Murmurs of awe, anticipation, doubt, and encouragement, all various opinions of what just happened and what awaits Ysabel.

    The huntress, meanwhile, only casts a brief glance at the crowd before she turns away. Quietly brooding with her own thoughts, Ysabel strides away from the square toward the residential areas of the town, letting the many hunters ponder and gossip over the events the Multiverse has brought about. It's nothing she's really in the mood to hear at this point.