OOC: Setting up the battlefield.
RULES: Melee only. No super powers. OOC chat is allowed. T1 battle rules will be used for this fight. There is no time limit for posting. Match will end when either someone flees, dies, or is knocked unconscious. Equipment will be chosen before the fight to keep things fair. The match will be a Semi-realistic sword duel (A bit of fiction to make things fancy is allowed).
GEAR for Excel being used:
1. Silent serenade.
2. Fantasia whisper.
3. Tattered cloak.
Character: Kynn Lightcaster in his oldest "Excel" form.

Lets start the battle!

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The sun was high and bright as Kynn walked through the knee high grass fields of the plain. His tattered white cloak with the black hood blowing carelessly in the wind behind him. He had the hood down and away from his face.
Lynn, Kynn, and all the other many names he has gone by over the years, were all the same person. Past names that he used in his youth. He now went by the name of Excel. His hair cut short to his head, and a thin braided pony tail hanging at the back of his neck, stopping just above his shoulders. He was dressed in his tan double breasted military jacket, and matching pants that were tucked into his triple buckled boots. He adjusted the single crimson glove on his right hand before settling it on the hilt of the Fantasia whisper, which was hanging in it's scabbard on the right side of his sword belt near his thigh. The Silent serenade hung on the opposite side in its scabbard on his left.

His shin high boots pushing the blades of grass out of the way and cutting a path through the field that he was crossing to get to his destination. In the distance he could hear the thundering of a waterfall. As he approached and got closer, a thin mist covered the area as the water splashed up and settled in the air, a rainbow hovering over head. There was a bridge that covered a large canyon that dipped down by about 5,000 feet. The bridge was made of wood, held together by four very thick ropes. It would take a few good hacks with a standard sword to cut through them. There were two at about knee height, and two more to serve as a hand guide so that you didn't slip and fall over into the cliff below. On both ends of the bridge the ropes tied around two thick posts that were lodged deep into the ground so that the bridge wouldn't fall over. The bridge was wide enough for two horses to walk side by side, perhaps 15 feet in width. The bridge was about 50 feet in length to cross from one side of the canyon to the other. The bridge slightly wobbled from the forceful wind caused by the massive waterfall that was just behind it, but other then that the bridge was very sturdy and well built. The waterfall was just as wide as the canyon, stretching the same distance across the open space of the canyon to match the bridge. Which was probably why the bridge was built in the first place, so that you wouldn't have to walk to the bottom of the cliff to swim through the deadly current of water. The giant fall crashed into the canyon below and filled it with water. Jagged rocks lining it as it went down, and more scattered at the bottom. Falling off the bridge would lead to certain death.

Excel didn't feel safe crossing the bridge, but walking all the way around and finding a path to walk down would take hours, if not days. He suppressed his fear and decided to take his chances. His heavy leather boots thudding against the wooden planks of the bridge as he crossed. When he reached the center of the bridge he stopped to admire the waterfall beyond. It was a breathtaking sight to take in. He had been traveling for quite some time now, and decided to stand here for about 5 minutes to rest his feet. After that, he would move on to finish his travels.

At the bridges center he stood. For a new foe, he waited. Tejinashi Leone Matsumaru XIII, the man in the mask. The hat atop his head, pure black, a purple ribbon wrapped around it, fell from his head and into the breeze. It spun in the vast canyon air as it fell further and further still into the blue abyss. His short, brown hair whipped at the wind as he held tight to his sword, using it as a cane of sorts to keep himself standing firm. Both his hands, wrapped in white gloves, sat atop the hilt of his blade. The sword itself a blade that most knew of, edged on both sides, a serpants head the design of the hilt. The gaurd, twin outward spikes. His suit was getting a tad dusty waiting around. The people of the eighteenth century didn't have much taste for clothing that was easy to maintain.

It seemed that the face behind his mask would only depict exactly what was already plastered on the mask itself, a smile. The smiles face, the twin of the cries face in the opera world. For a new enemy had set foot on the bridge, and only one of the two swordsman would live to set foot on the opposite side.

OOC: You can have the first attack. I hate kicking off fights. >:D

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Excel turned to the side. Someone else was here with him. He squinted his eyes as he stared at the man. In his life time many dangerous people tried killing him, he was now wary of everyone. He let his right hand fall, and his left hand now tightened the grip on Fantasia. He took a few steps closer to the man, keeping a distance of about 10 feet between them. He gave a slight nod of his head in greeting. His left hand on the hilt of his sword, his arm was turned slightly so that his thumb was resting on the scabbard so that the weapon could slide free for a quick draw. He kept the weapon down though, he didn't want to cause a fight if he didn't have to. "I'm just passing through..." he said in a low voice. He eyed the man from top to bottom, taking in his appearance and equipment. The blade he held looked familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it...
The man also wore a very creepy mask.
Well, that's not normal.

He couldn't shake the intense feeling of danger, so he began slowly walking passed the man, keeping his guard up. His cloak blowing behind him from the breeze.

The gentelmen did not speak, nor did he move. As the man attempted to walk past him, he slowly took in everything he could about him. Just as the man got to Tejinashi's left side, the man in the mask lifted his sword with his right hand in a backward stance. That is, the tip of the blade pointed at the ground whilst the handle was held upside down in his white glove. The eyes of the snake that graced the tip of his hilt glared at the enemy.

Tejinashi's mask gave no inference to what he was planning, he still spoke not a word, but if the new foe didn't do something quickly, it looked as though Tejinashi were going to slash up his right side.

[ Word to the wise, Be careful of your movements, knowyour position, watch your footwork. All these are very necessary when fighting against a master swordsman. ]

Excel had predicted this move, which was why he had shifted hands just moments ago. Fantasia was on his right side, and earlier he had switched hands so that his left hand was reaching across his body to grip its hilt. He turned his body slightly to face the man in the mask, moving his left foot forward slightly for balance and bending both his knees to adjust his stance. The bent knees gave him a slightly lower stance in case he needed to bend them more to jump, or take a quick step back. He didn't need to do either one for now though. Excel prepared for his next attack. With the flick of his right hand thumb, the buckle that held Fantasia's scabbard to his belt slid free, allowing him to move the scabbard around without it getting stuck on his own sword belt.

He matched Tejinashi's attack with one very similar. He grabbed his scabbard with his right hand pulling down, while at the same time pulling the Fantasia whisper half way up and out of the scabbard with his left hand, moving the sword across his body in a slight angle to shield his side to parry the other's attack. While Tejinashi's blade was slashing for Excel's right side, the two blades would meet before the attack connected, and the man in the mask's own attack would be deflected away. Excel was holding his sword's hilt in the normal manner with his left hand, but it was still aimed down because it was half way inside the scabbard, so both Excel and Tejinashi's blade points were facing the ground.

The man in the mask made still not a sound as he poised. He'd looked as though he were going to slash the enemy's right side, but in all actuality, he had only poised his sword in this position to defend. Unkown to the foe, Tejinashi had given him the initial attack. With no momentum in any direction on his ownsword, Tejinashi was free to counter at will. He pushed down slighly, the snake at the base of his hilt now coming ino play. It was a very good replica, after all, the twin fangs in it's mouth atually having space between them and the back of the snake's jaw.

With one flick of the wrist, Tejinashi guided the enemy's sword into the mouth of the snake, locking it between the creature's fangs and the back of it's jaws. He spun the base of the handle, and based on the enemy's stance, the fact that tejinashi was using his own momentum against him, and the distance between the two, the enemy only had a few options. This wide legged, low recover stance was an excellent mark of a swordsman to say the least.

However, Tejinashi had seen it time and again. As his sword came down slightly, it was mere iches from the ground at the tip, and with the strike of the enemy's blade and spin in a clockwise manor, the tip of tejinashi's sword quickly slashed over the top of the enemy's foot.... unless he were to move.

Meanwhile, with his sword ensared in the snake's mouth, there was noting defending his entire being, as Tejinashi had complete control over where the sword were going, and without action the sword would be ripped from the opponent's hand as the man in the mask altered the direction of his spinning blade to come around, poised to behead the enemy.

Tejinashi was a man of very few words. A magician, a joker.... he only if tossed out a quick one-liner now and again. In this case, that one-liner had more to do with the fact that the enemy had overlooked detail. The magician had pulled the oldest trick in the book. He jumped at the enemy, made him think this were an attack, then waited for him to jump into something rash. He spoke quickly as his sword came around. The enemy could be dragged into the blow if he held onto his weapon, or take less damage by releasing it, provided he hadn't already tried to move away from a slice across the foot.

"Two for flinching!"

Well, that sure was a surprise. It was rare that Excel had encountered another with such skill with the sword. He tried to remain calm as he saw that he quickly lost control of the situation. This move to disarm your opponent was quite common, especially in fencing when the enemy was using a swordbreaker or a parrying dagger. Excel had two blades for a reason, so that gave him a bit of choice. He could allow the man to disarm him by letting go of his blade, and then pull the Serenade free to continue fighting, or he could hold on to the sword to see what would happen...
Fantasia's hand guard was round and hooked around Excel's knuckles so that it wouldn't be easily dropped, his arm would be moved with Tejinashi's if he held on to the blade, which may prove to be Excel's own downfall. He thought it to be unwise to hold on to his prized blade. He unwrapped his fingers, and with a bit of sorrow, let the Fantasia whisper fly free from the scabbard and into the air. It landed on the bridge with a dull thud a few feet away, point lodged into the wooden planks of the bridge.

Excel had once more anticipated the man in the mask's move, which was why he had disconnected his scabbard earlier. Since Excel had already pulled the scabbard down with his right hand, he simply followed the motion to deflect the attack aimed at his foot by knocking the blade away, following the motion by bringing the scabbard up in a backhanded slash angled to 'cut' the man in the mask's torso if he were to stay where he was. While he was swinging upwards, he ducked down at the same time using his left hand to keep his balance and his right leg to twist his body so that his attack was turned into a spinning slash, turning all the way around in a complete circle as he went. His left leg whipping outward and dragging along with the motion to trip the man in the mask while he was spinning. As he came all the way around, his scabbard ended at the top of his head, once more deflecting the attack that was aimed to behead him. He managed to mutter a few words in between moves with clenched teeth.
"Very cleaver..."

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OOC: I think I'm in over my head with this fight!!! >:O

The sound, the thud of steel against whatever material the scabbard were made of was the cue to the ending. Tejinashi smirked behind his mask, leaning forward with the momentum of the scabbard striking the sword and allowed his arm to move forward while the blade stayed fixed against the sheath. He picked his moment, as the sheath moved his sword, he pulled backward, whipping the blade forward, along the sheathe and then off of it, slicing the foes arm clear off at the shoulder.

"Well, my fine footed friend." Began the magician, as the bleeding foe would certainly be falling to the ground now.

"You fight well with the blade, but your style lacks ....subtlety" he was sure that by now the enemy might have realized that sinse the begining of this battle.... he hadn't moved an inch from where he was standing at the begining.

Time seemed to slow down as Excel's eyes went wide. He may have picked up a large amount of sword techniques over the years, but reading and learning and then putting it to use in actual combat, were two completely different things. He had deflected two attacks, only to fall victim to the one that would have mattered most. As Tejinashi's blade slid down the scabbard Excel screamed in pain as the blade sliced through flesh and bone. His arm was sliced off at the shoulder and the bridge was stained red with blood. He fell back, dropping his scabbard and attempting to stop the bleeding with his cloak using his good hand. With a large amount of healing and time, the shapeshifter would be able to regrow it. But that wasn't going to happen within this day... or week. The cut was clean. If he weren't in so much pain he would have admired the masked man's skill.

With clenched teeth he let go of his shoulder and used his good hand to scoot away. "I yield... you win." He gasped in pain in between breaths. "I ask two requests. One, that you spare my life. And two, that I may know your name..."
If the man were to honor these requests, Excel would use his time to study, and one day challenge him again...

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OOC: Wow... I could have had him keep fighting with one arm, but that would go against his character. Kynn is a bit of a weakling, it would be unlikely for him to fight through such pain.
I think I will train against some other players, and then one day challenge Tejinashi to a rematch. I think I learned a lot from this fight. Although it was very fast, and very short, I suppose this ends the fight...
O_____________________O

Having won the battle, The man in the mask reached his hand toward his face. "Spare you? You needn't ask. Your swordplay is magnificent, but far bellow mastery." He smiled lightly, behind his mask. "Your mistake was not reading into my techniques... but never fear, you will train under me some day. Until then, you have my respect, the respect of Tejinashi Leone Matsumaru the thirteenth. Of course, those from the time period you look to come from know me better...." his eyes flashed red behind the mask, the view slowly rising up the blade of his sword, "....as the headless horseman"

The man in the mask turned then to walk away.... his slow steps bringing him to the edge of the bridge.... He lifted his sword over his head, slinging it down and through the ropes of the bridge as they slowly began to dwindle away. "If you survive the fall, feel free to look me up!" a demonic laughter surged from behind the mask as he turned his back and waltzed on

OOC: That was evil. I don't have to post, but I'll do it just because... I may start a RP using a half-dead Kynn.
May I request a judge to score the fight?
I'm still new to the battle arena and I would like to know how well I did for this fight. Thanks.

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Exel heard the name of the masked man, or should he say 'The headless horseman.'
He watched as the man walked away. He yanked on his cloak with his good arm and attempted to slow the bleeding. He began the slow process of shifting it closed, it hurt and took time, but he would be able to do it. He pushed himself up with a great amount of effort and walked over to his golden rapier. He placed it back in it's scabbard with his good hand and watched as the man made it to the other side of the bridge.
"If you survive the fall, feel free to look me up!"
What did that mean...? Oh...

Excel began to quickly grow a pair of Wyvern wings. The ropes gave way and the bridge fell in. It hurt as his muscles and bones shifted into place, and the wings began to extend. Excel began falling the distance to the bottom, all 5,000 feet of the canyon. It was enough time to finish the shift. He pulled the wings out just in time to glide down and slow his fall, but not fast enough. He spiraled down, wrapping the tough wings around himself just moments before he crashed into the water. He disappeared beneath its surface as the current washed him away...

"he fough though the pain" noticed the man in the mask. "There goes the next perfect swordsman"

He removed his mask, tossing it into the canyon, yet turning to keep his face hidden all the same.