"There, Talazar," said Nira, and the man's gaze followed her arm to where his scythe was positioned.
He smiled as he stepped past the Shade whom so naively distinguished himself from everyone else. Talazar so enjoyed the paleness of the man's face as the blood drained entirely, then smirked as he tried to regather himself, attempting to look as if he was unaltered, though unsuccessfully.
"Well now, I'm much more merciful compared to Talazar. I do hope you give us a good show, Shade," continued the Elven woman. "Enjoy yourself, Talazar. I know you've been dying to kill something."
Talazar chuckled to himself as he took hold of the massive scythe, the eight foot length being far more than most people could ever think to wield, coupled with it's imbalance. It was an art, Talazar's fighting style, and he'd been perfecting it ever since he'd won the weapon to near flawlessness. As he turned, he was glad that he didn't need to tell the other shades to clear the center of the room. He waited silently as everyone evacuated the immediate combat zone, retreating to safe-spots along the walls, leaving the poor single man alone in the center, still trying to look as if he weren't about to wet himself.
The weapon, which Talazar held upright, suddenly came down as he simply allowed it to fall forward, the blade digging into the floorboards several inches in front of him. He smiled as he admired it, then looked up to the man and stepped back, spreading his arms, a literal open invitation to attack as he left the scythe impaled into the floor, the shaft of the weapon slanted upwards, just slightly.
"If you've got the audacity to challenge Nira, then that would suggest you possess at least some level of competent skill, yes? Or are you lacking that much in intelligence that you overestimated yourself?" Talazar watched the man carefully, his stance, the subtle shaking that racked his body as he struggled to maintain a calm composure. Fear, anticipation, no doubt the man had a rather loaded arsenal of emotion that he was concealing, but that didn't matter. "The challenger makes the first move. So, come on. If you put up a fight, perhaps you'll die quickly... If not, well..." The man let the sentence fall unfinished, letting people draw their own conclusions as to what would happen as he simply waited.
Smiling still, Talazar watched with content as the man drew a shaky breath and prepared himself mentally for what would follow. Most shades, he knew from experience, at least tried to save their pride by putting up a fight, but it never lasted long. Perhaps though, Talazar would drag this on as long as possible. But then again, that would be only if the man could withstand the first few seconds.
The man suddenly shot forward, using the standard rush, with his sword trailing behind him, intending an upwards diagonal cut from the right. Very well, Talazar had assumed as much, though instead of dodging, he simply allowed the man to get within range before his foot moved in beneath the scythe's shaft.
In a single fluid motion, he had kicked it up, the weapon pivoting in place, rotating around towards the man as the blade acted like a sort of fulcrum. With Talazar's simple motion, the weapon spun before the blade broke from the floor boards. Unfortunately for the shade's slow reaction and pause of bewilderment to the unconventional fighting method, the heavy pole of the scythe found it's mark. There was a loud crack, almost palpable, as the weapon came down hard along the man's forehead and nose, effectively breaking it and sending down a cascade of coppery crimson.
Talazar smiled as he watched the Shade reel back in pain, his first attempts at combat having already been quelled, resulting only in his humiliation. His eyes traveled behind the man now, searching for his weapon. The scythe had almost literally jumped from its previous position, rotated around, and hit the man before continuing on. Perhaps, Talazar thought, he had kicked it too hard, as normally most other weapons would've bounced back, but instead the scythe simply traveled up and over the man, impaling itself once more into the floor at his back. No, he'd done just what he intended. He wouldn't need it yet, but it was in the perfect position for later use.
"Would you like to try again?" he mused as his gaze fell back onto the man whom stood, trying desperate to cease the blood-flow from his nostrils. "I must say, for someone who thinks they can draw their weapon on Nira, you certainly wouldn't have lasted long."
It was Talazar's turn now, and he took the opportunity to attack eagerly. Without waiting for the man to ready himself, Talazar was already dashing forward. The man had seen him just a second too late, and Talazar had anticipated the swing, which he simply ducked beneath. As the man's sword dragged his arm far off to the right, leaving his body completely exposed, Talazar had stood up and gathered all the strength he possibly could into his left arm. The the man's punch connecting to the shade's jaw gave a resounding crack, it must've dislodged, and a second later, the he was sprawled out on his back, his sword lying uselessly several feet away.
Shaking his head at the man, Talazar brought back his left fist again, then took a moment to move each finger individually before balling his hand into a tight fist. His muscles, which he could now flex again, surged with power as he towered over the fallen shade. The man's end came swiftly as Talazar punched out one last time, coming to one knee in the process so he could reach the body, before his fist met the man's throat, crushing his windpipe and all else, while the vertebrae let out a sickening crunch.
He didn't move from his position even after he'd finished, but instead simply moved his hand and looked up. "Anyone else?"
