Ogrey-Author
01-01-05, 11:07 AM
Hello all. This duel idea come from a topic in the Off Topic fourms quite a while ago. Just decided to play around with the idea for a while..hope i don't dissapoint. :y-sealed:
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"The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it comes to death, there is only the quick choice of death." – the Hagakure-
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It was a magnificent teahouse, the chachitsu* of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu. To the eye of a simple samurai, it seemed to be such a colossal building, almost too large and exquisite even for the respected cha no yu, the tea ceremony. On the outside, its front side was covered with a seemingly endless row of painted glasses encased in sleek oak wood, used as doors or windows. Its marble steps shimmered with elegance while its towering rooftop, plated with porcelain tiles, seemed to touch the sky. Once inside, one would spy a scroll with skillful calligraphy hanging in the alcove, the tokonoma. The one and only purpose in there was to savor tea, and absorb the sense of tranquility and peace.
This day, however, gave rise to another use for the chachitsu.
Inside its magnificent walls, two men stood motionlessly. One of them, dressed in blue, was a samurai, a warrior of the sword. His armor was effective and strong; made of metal scales tied firmly together with silk cords. A layer of lacquer made it shine gloriously in the candlelight as the light rays bounced off brightly into the quivering eyes of his opponent; as if the armor was blessed by the mighty gods themselves. His weapon of choice was obvious: the legendary katana. Unsheathed, it shone brilliantly in the moonlight. Fear shone in the grim eyes of the samurai’s opponent, for the ruthless katana was circled with countless rumors of its wondrous ability to slice cleanly through both bone and metal like mere butter.
Standing only three meters away was a much different warrior. He was of a much bigger and wider build than his adversary, and had much thicker armor that offered significantly less mobility and speed. However, it was made with good, strong metal that was thick and reassuring, covering every inch of his vulnerable skin. His weapon was choice was also much different: a longsword, so thick and lengthy that it would crush you if its bite didn’t, matched with a huge shield that easily covered half his body. He was not another Samurai, but a knight. Stories of their heroism and bravery had also traveled to the Samurais, and as such the knight’s opponent knew he was not dealing with easy meat.
Drumbeats slowly rose audible, but from where no one knew. It was said that they were played by the gods themselves whenever a battle was about the take place. Doom, Doom, the beats went, slowly quickening as tension filled the air.
Doom. Doom.
The beats grew faster.
As if encouraged by the drumbeats, the two foes began circling each other. The samurai growled in a wild, feral hunger of blood while the knight grunted, eyes staring in immense concentration ahead at his enemy.
In a sudden flash, the Samurai pounced! Flying through the air in lightning speed and accuracy he aimed a savage blow at the neck, a tiny weakness in the armor where soft pink skin peeked out from heavy metal. However, the Knight wasn’t going to fall that easily. His training and reflexes took over as time slowed down in his perspective, and the Samurai’s quick strike decelerated into bullet-time. Instinctively, the knight raised his oversized shield, just on time, blocking the attack with confidence.
Recoiling, the knight immediately used his shield to push the Samurai’s katana away with his superior strength, creating an opening. Raising his longsword with surprising speed, he swung it heavily forward for a bash, but was met not with the sound of a broken bone, but a parry! The speed and dexterity of the Samurai was astounding. In a duel with another knight, that move would have been the finisher, but the Samurai was far quicker and recovered speedily. In a last ditch attempt to block the Knight’s blow, he had twirled backwards, sending his katana whirling like a cyclone to parry the attack. It had worked magnificently, and it showed off the Samurai’s experience and training.
Without pause the Samurai flipped forward in a somersault, katana raised poised for a strike. The Knight, grunting, swung his longsword up with a powerful defending blow. Such was the force exerted that attacker became the defender and vice versa as the knight’s huge blow parried the attack and even continued to strike forward after that, fueled by its immense momentum. The Samurai, katana blown away by the mere force of the parry, could do nothing but stare listlessly as the giant sword flew forward, crushing against his chest, sending him flying and landing squarely on his knees.
The battle was over… The knight was victorious!
Doom. Doom.
The heavy drumbeats rose up in harmony once more, as if celebrating a new death to its devastating collection, but its beat quickly died down as mystifying as it had came.
The knight walked over and stood over the kneeling Samurai victoriously, gazing over the seemingly broken body of his opponent. While there was no cut due to the toughness of the Samurai’s armor, the force slamming him was comparable to a herculean sledgehammer, and without a doubt the Samurai’s ribs had to be all broken into pieces by now. The knight nudged his adversary lightly with his leg but got no response; the Samurai was motionless, as if dead, with his face staring at the dusty ground. Without an exhausted grunt, the Knight raised his longsword for the final blow to the neck to confirm the kill, and swore loudly as he sent it flying.
Thwack
The longsword dropped to the floor with a clang, the arm wielding it cringing in pain. The knight, in shock, tumbled to the ground as his hands tightened around his wound. In reality, the Samurai was not dead, and was only playing possum to his unsuspecting foe. At the last moment he had unsheathed his secret blade, a long dagger slung behind his waist, and struck directly in front of him, happening to be right between the legs of his adversary. The devious strike had succeeded, piercing through the armor cracks and falling his opponent, crippling him permanently. The Samurai rose up and quickly recovered his katana, and without hesitation, beheaded his fallen foe in a speedy ritual sacrifice.
Doom. Doom.
The gods were happy with his offering, for the mysterious drumbeats rose in rhythm once more and this time, did not stop. With respect, the Samurai bowed painfully to the fallen, now headless, body of his opponent. He then sheathed his bloody katana without wiping it, clutching his chest which was now injured with a symphony of broken bones. Swearing heavily in Japanese, he staggered distressingly away.
He had won… to live for another battle, in another day.
-
*chachitsu = teahouse.
-
"The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it comes to death, there is only the quick choice of death." – the Hagakure-
-
It was a magnificent teahouse, the chachitsu* of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu. To the eye of a simple samurai, it seemed to be such a colossal building, almost too large and exquisite even for the respected cha no yu, the tea ceremony. On the outside, its front side was covered with a seemingly endless row of painted glasses encased in sleek oak wood, used as doors or windows. Its marble steps shimmered with elegance while its towering rooftop, plated with porcelain tiles, seemed to touch the sky. Once inside, one would spy a scroll with skillful calligraphy hanging in the alcove, the tokonoma. The one and only purpose in there was to savor tea, and absorb the sense of tranquility and peace.
This day, however, gave rise to another use for the chachitsu.
Inside its magnificent walls, two men stood motionlessly. One of them, dressed in blue, was a samurai, a warrior of the sword. His armor was effective and strong; made of metal scales tied firmly together with silk cords. A layer of lacquer made it shine gloriously in the candlelight as the light rays bounced off brightly into the quivering eyes of his opponent; as if the armor was blessed by the mighty gods themselves. His weapon of choice was obvious: the legendary katana. Unsheathed, it shone brilliantly in the moonlight. Fear shone in the grim eyes of the samurai’s opponent, for the ruthless katana was circled with countless rumors of its wondrous ability to slice cleanly through both bone and metal like mere butter.
Standing only three meters away was a much different warrior. He was of a much bigger and wider build than his adversary, and had much thicker armor that offered significantly less mobility and speed. However, it was made with good, strong metal that was thick and reassuring, covering every inch of his vulnerable skin. His weapon was choice was also much different: a longsword, so thick and lengthy that it would crush you if its bite didn’t, matched with a huge shield that easily covered half his body. He was not another Samurai, but a knight. Stories of their heroism and bravery had also traveled to the Samurais, and as such the knight’s opponent knew he was not dealing with easy meat.
Drumbeats slowly rose audible, but from where no one knew. It was said that they were played by the gods themselves whenever a battle was about the take place. Doom, Doom, the beats went, slowly quickening as tension filled the air.
Doom. Doom.
The beats grew faster.
As if encouraged by the drumbeats, the two foes began circling each other. The samurai growled in a wild, feral hunger of blood while the knight grunted, eyes staring in immense concentration ahead at his enemy.
In a sudden flash, the Samurai pounced! Flying through the air in lightning speed and accuracy he aimed a savage blow at the neck, a tiny weakness in the armor where soft pink skin peeked out from heavy metal. However, the Knight wasn’t going to fall that easily. His training and reflexes took over as time slowed down in his perspective, and the Samurai’s quick strike decelerated into bullet-time. Instinctively, the knight raised his oversized shield, just on time, blocking the attack with confidence.
Recoiling, the knight immediately used his shield to push the Samurai’s katana away with his superior strength, creating an opening. Raising his longsword with surprising speed, he swung it heavily forward for a bash, but was met not with the sound of a broken bone, but a parry! The speed and dexterity of the Samurai was astounding. In a duel with another knight, that move would have been the finisher, but the Samurai was far quicker and recovered speedily. In a last ditch attempt to block the Knight’s blow, he had twirled backwards, sending his katana whirling like a cyclone to parry the attack. It had worked magnificently, and it showed off the Samurai’s experience and training.
Without pause the Samurai flipped forward in a somersault, katana raised poised for a strike. The Knight, grunting, swung his longsword up with a powerful defending blow. Such was the force exerted that attacker became the defender and vice versa as the knight’s huge blow parried the attack and even continued to strike forward after that, fueled by its immense momentum. The Samurai, katana blown away by the mere force of the parry, could do nothing but stare listlessly as the giant sword flew forward, crushing against his chest, sending him flying and landing squarely on his knees.
The battle was over… The knight was victorious!
Doom. Doom.
The heavy drumbeats rose up in harmony once more, as if celebrating a new death to its devastating collection, but its beat quickly died down as mystifying as it had came.
The knight walked over and stood over the kneeling Samurai victoriously, gazing over the seemingly broken body of his opponent. While there was no cut due to the toughness of the Samurai’s armor, the force slamming him was comparable to a herculean sledgehammer, and without a doubt the Samurai’s ribs had to be all broken into pieces by now. The knight nudged his adversary lightly with his leg but got no response; the Samurai was motionless, as if dead, with his face staring at the dusty ground. Without an exhausted grunt, the Knight raised his longsword for the final blow to the neck to confirm the kill, and swore loudly as he sent it flying.
Thwack
The longsword dropped to the floor with a clang, the arm wielding it cringing in pain. The knight, in shock, tumbled to the ground as his hands tightened around his wound. In reality, the Samurai was not dead, and was only playing possum to his unsuspecting foe. At the last moment he had unsheathed his secret blade, a long dagger slung behind his waist, and struck directly in front of him, happening to be right between the legs of his adversary. The devious strike had succeeded, piercing through the armor cracks and falling his opponent, crippling him permanently. The Samurai rose up and quickly recovered his katana, and without hesitation, beheaded his fallen foe in a speedy ritual sacrifice.
Doom. Doom.
The gods were happy with his offering, for the mysterious drumbeats rose in rhythm once more and this time, did not stop. With respect, the Samurai bowed painfully to the fallen, now headless, body of his opponent. He then sheathed his bloody katana without wiping it, clutching his chest which was now injured with a symphony of broken bones. Swearing heavily in Japanese, he staggered distressingly away.
He had won… to live for another battle, in another day.
-
*chachitsu = teahouse.