Hunting The Hunter. -[Rrah]-

[Amur]

Solomon was fast to act as his foe dodged his sweep, taking a small leap back to prevent an instantaneous counter-attack; Solomon looked at his foe, a small malicious smile twisting its way across his lips as he noticed that the strike he had aimed at his foes legs had hit. Of course, This Elf had used magic to prevent the Wyvern venom from spreading... But that just gave Solomon a weakness to exploit; he knew that magic required energy from the body of the caster to work, the longer a spell was in effect, the more energy it consumed.

And that was Solomon’s plan; all he needed to do was tire Taured out... Once that happened Solomon would have his prey exactly where he wanted it, if he could try to bait This Elf into using more magic then that would further work in Solomon’s favour.

He licked his lips, he had won, and this was already over.

But, he still had to get Taured to that stage. Maintaining his crouched stance he allowed his foe to compose himself in order to make his next move... Once more, Solomon was waiting for his foe to make the first move; doing so had already more than paid off once, now, it would ensure Solomon’s victory.

His foe charged, and once more Solomon kept his stance tense, making sure that he would be able to react with only a seconds notice. Solomon’s foe continued his assault with a diagonal left-to-right slash; however, Solomon already had his plan in mind. He moved left, into the strike, ducking beneath it by further lowering his crouch as he did so, the initial attack missed, however, Solomon didn’t have the time to launch a counter-attack instantly.

No, his foe had immediately crouched low to the ground and while raising his free arm to protect his face-and-neck used his sword in a wide sweeping attack aimed at Solomon’s feet... Solomon, however, used that to his advantage.

He relaxed and raised his stance, and then leaped forward, placing his free hand on his foe’s right shoulder. Using his foe as leverage he flipped over his foes head, using his hand to push himself away from his foe. The second his hand was clear and no longer on his foes shoulder, Solomon twisted in the air, adjusting his grip on his sword he slashed outwards, at the back of his foes neck, aiming to deliver a swift strike to the very vulnerable area.

[Mali]

It was the smile that spread across his features that gave Taured warning. He knew that he would have to be careful now not to alert Solomon as to anything else. He knew what the spell would do to Taured and the limitations he had now with the spell in place. He would need to fight better if he wanted to win against him and still walk away. It made sense what Solomon’s plan of action would be; tire him out. However, he wouldn’t let that happen so easily. It may be time to fight dirty if he wanted to win. Although Solomon did appear to be enjoying himself.

He ducked under the attack. Solomon was in a tight position to jump up and over him easily. As Taured felt Solomon’s hand on his shoulder, he immediately knew what he had planned. Their forms of fighting were easy and predictable. Taured went head on and somewhat stocky into his movements, whereas Solomon was going to try to attack from behind again, since it had worked so well.

Before his hand could leave Taured’s shoulder, he slumped it, trying to throw off his balance and landing before performing a forward barrel roll to evade Solomon’s attack. Spinning on his knees to see Solomon performing the attack which would have gone to his neck and killed him, he smirked. “I call from my magic, decrease the muscle mass in this man’s limbs to one fourth. Thirty”

[/i][/b] It was fairly dirty to use such a tactic, however, if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have time to do what he needed to get rid of his current weakness. Now Solomon’s muscle mass would have gone from one hundred percent to having only one fourth his usual strength. The thirty on the end was a time lock. He would only lose his muscle mass for thirty minutes. Taured had perfected time spells to such an extent that he need only say how long he wanted. Hopefully it would throw him long enough to allow Taured to do what he needed.

He would need at least a minute to perform the act and it would be painful. “Using the wind and water, I command you to act as a snake, suck the poison from my body,”[/b][/color] His hand was held over his wound as the purple tinge slowly started to recede and turn into dust upon hitting the air. It was a remarkable sight, although Solomon wouldn’t think so. This may even be the best time to attack, he hoped that Solomon was still trying to get used to his new muscle mass. Gritting his teeth as the venom pulled at his veins, begging and fighting to stay in his system, Taured finally got it out in time to fall unto the handle his blade for support. Standing up, this time, grinning himself, he noted how heavy Solomon’s blade must be. He wondered if he’d be able to wield it now that he was the weaker one.

Panting, a single drop of sweat rolling down his forehead, Taured didn’t know whether he should speak or not. Surely, Solomon would have someone smart to say about his spell.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

Solomon had to alter his aerial manoeuvre slightly as his foe dove and then rolled away from him, it was awkward, but he managed it with relative ease. Landing and recovering because of that took a slight bit longer than usual, but, he managed it. His attack had missed, but no matter, he would be able to land another hit, the longer the Wyvern venom drained energy from his foe, the bigger the advantage Solomon gained.

He shivered as an odd sensation spread through his limbs... Something didn’t feel right; he stood up, shaking his arms and legs gently, rolling his shoulders and head. The feeling persisted and for a moment Solomon could only try to ignore it and figure out what it was later... For a moment. At first he passed off the feeling of increased weight in his sword-hand as fatigue, but, he knew his limitations, he had only just started the fight... Why would he be getting fatigued now? Quickly he shifted his grip and held his sword normally, fearing that if the weight of his blade kept increasing that the reverse-grip hold would make him drop it.

That ended up doing nothing to help.

In fact, now, the simple act of standing was fast becoming difficult, not because he was getting tired, but because his limbs were physically weakening. Solomon grunted, his hold on the venomous short sword slackening before he released it completely, allowing it to fall to the ground... The blade wasn’t even that heavy, yet.

Solomon remained standing in silence, his concentration now diverted to keeping himself on his feet... But, even that was proving difficult, he stumbled forward. No, his pride wouldn’t allow him to fall to the ground face-first; instead he gave up his task and simply allowed himself to fall to one of his knees.

He couldn’t even keep himself knelt in an upright position and had to bend himself forward and place one of his hands on the ground in order to keep himself from falling any further. He was able to hold himself in that position, and he already despised it. How had this happened? He looked down and saw it, his arms were... Skinnier than usual, in fact, they were now almost comically disproportionate to his torso, he could hazard a guess that his legs had been similarly affected given how difficult it had become to stand.

Was this caused by the use of magic? Surely not, there was no way that actually decreasing the muscular structure of someone was within the limits of a mage... Just, no way. How was he supposed to fight against that? How could he fight against that?

He wasn’t going to concede, not yet! He grabbed his sword, and concentrated. Through force-of-will he managed to get back to his feet, he was slouched awkwardly, his sword still on the ground. Drawing in a deep breath he put whatever strength he had left in his arms to full use, and with a grunt managed to partially lift it off of the ground before dropping it again.

He stood, rooted to the spot breathing heavily for several seconds... He could keep going, he could still fight. He tried to take a step forward, only to stagger and end up falling back to a kneeling position... Then he pitched forward again and was forced to use one of his hands to steady himself enough to remain in the awkward kneeling position he now found himself in... No, with his lower muscle-mass, not only did his legs back the strength to support the weight of his torso, but his boots and trousers were now far too loose for him to be able to move properly.

“Du muiet se scheiden mich.”
He cursed to himself; this was the way the fight was to end? Solomon on one knee, barely able to support the weight of the rest of his body, the thought of being in such a position disgusted him... He was NOT weak.

His breathing became heavy due to how much he now had to exert himself, even in this position. That he had allowed himself to fall prey to such an attack was disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful... He didn’t make mistakes; he was never out of his depth, never without a plan of attack, nor without a place of defence... But he could hardly move. He couldn’t retreat himself behind the triggers of one of his traps in order to bait his foe into following him, no, he couldn’t let it end this way...

He tried to stand once more, but, this time, he only succeeded into trembling on the spot slightly and expending further effort on a now, apparently futile endeavour... He growled to himself in frustration, taking a moment to try and regain his breath.

“I’ll be a moment... I can still...... Fight.”
He said slowly, sweat beginning to bead of his forehead, he had never found himself in such a position so quickly before... It unnerved him to think that it was possible... He didn’t make mistakes. He looked down at the ground, the effort of remaining in this position taking its toll on him, he was unsure just how much longer he would be able to keep himself even kneeling like this... had his foe been intent on killing him Solomon would have been powerless to stop him... And that was a fact that stung Solomon more than he would ever admit.

[Mali]

Taured was still panting from the exertion of removing the venom when he noticed out of the corner of his eye how Solomon started to struggle. It wasn’t that he wanted to particularly watch Solomon struggle, it was that he hadn’t considered the rest of his body when casting the spell. He had forgotten that the rest of his body would be too heavy for him to be able to hold up. Oops.

He watched momentarily as Solomon tried to adjust his stance before falling over onto his knee. Now Taured felt bad for casting the spell. It had been because he needed to remove the venom now that he had a weakness, and needed something to keep Solomon from attacking while he removed the venom. He hadn’t thought that his spell would affect the male in such a way.

Taking his own time to regain his strength, Taured left his sword in the ground, conjuring up some water to trickle down his throat. It wasn’t that he was trying to show off right now, he was just thirsty after their little battle. Thinking on how short the battle had lasted, he felt that dread rising again. He really did feel bad for doing this. He didn’t usually use this fighting style when in combat. He’d never encountered such a poisonous blade while in combat however that wasn’t an excuse for him to have fought dirty.

Hearing Solomon saying something, rather angrily, in a foreign language, Taured had to wonder if it was his native tongue. He also wondered what it was that he had said. Watching him for a few more moments, growling before stating that he could still fight, he had to correct him. He could still fight, not in this condition though, but the spell had a time lock. Clearing his throat, he thought it was alright to inform him politely.

“I know you’re better than what comes across right now, however, the spell has a time lock. You’ll be in this condition for quite some time. I’d be willing to wait though,” he tried not to appear too happy with himself. He wasn’t happy with himself for using such a spell, but he had to refrain from smiling. From what he’d experienced since meeting Solomon, that would be something he would rather not voice aloud. Taured didn’t expect an answer in return to that statement.

Still keeping his distance, Taured sheathed his sword over his left shoulder, adjusting his stance now that his breathing was back to relative normalcy. He would give Solomon a few more moments for him to get all of his thoughts together before speaking again. It was then that he considered he’d won the battle. Even if Solomon could still fight again, and he could, in another twenty minutes, Taured could easily kill him now and be done with it. He had won the battle here since he didn’t believe in killing for sport. There was also the fact that he wouldn’t mind sparring with Solomon some time again in the future.

“I have another offer for you. Seeing as I could easily kill you right now and be done with it, I think it’s relatively sports manlike of me to make you the offer of removing the spell, upon acceptance of defeat. However, if you would prefer, I could leave you in this situation, or allow you the dignity of being able to stand when defeated. Your choice.” it was a lot to be said, but he wouldn’t take too much notice of it. It was all needed to be said and there was no way of making his offer any other way. He would love to get another chance against Solomon in the future, however this time, he had clearly won the battle. He would wait, however, for an answer to his offer. It was Solomon’s choice after all whether he wanted to be able to stand or stay in this condition for another twenty minutes.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

Aimé speaking/speaking to Solomon
Aimé speaking to others
---

Solomon kept silent as he knelt awkwardly trying to regain his breath, the tasking slowly but surely becoming more and more difficult. Undoubtedly, he was going to have to lie down soon in order to actually allow himself to rest. But not yet, he wouldn’t give Taured the satisfaction of seeing that happen, he looked up, taking note of Taureds actions and was enraged by what he saw, this elf was taunting him!

He tried standing up, but once more his weakened limbs failed him and only caused him to expend further energy upon the failure of the attempt. He managed to keep himself from vocalising his now rapidly climbing frustration and managed to draw a slower breath between his now usually laboured breaths. Getting angry at himself for letting his situation deteriorate this quickly wasn’t going to help things.

He listened as Taured spoke, taking in what the elf had to say, but still, he remained silent... Time locked? So, it wasn’t permanent, that much Solomon found relieving, however, just how long did the effects of this spell last? Solomon didn’t like the idea that this could last long enough to cause him some serious harm. He cursed once more, in his native tongue, despite the frustration this ordeal was causing him; Solomon couldn’t fault Taured for it. No, it was actually an intelligent tactic; he definitely stood head-and-shoulders above The Wyvern-kin and its Elf... Not that Solomon was going to admit that, this situation was already humiliating enough.

Solomon allowed the silence that Taured had left after speaking to remain, further collecting his own thoughts, the first that ran through his mind was the fact that this fight was over, no matter which way Solomon tried to look at it. He was incapable of defending himself; if Taured was fighting to kill then Solomon would have been dead by now. Solomon grunted; this was a sobering defeat that would remind him of the need to stick to tactic and trickery in order to keep playing to his strengths... But, to be defeated where he was strongest... That simply drove the humiliation much further beneath his skin... Perhaps when he next had an encounter with The Wyvern-kin and its Elf he would take his frustrations out on them.

It made the most sense, they were amateurs, and they were forever his prey.

Taured spoke again, this time telling Solomon about how easy it would be kill him right now before giving Solomon another offer... Solomon blinked; did Taured even know that he was mocking Solomon? It was hard to tell, Solomon was still having trouble reading his facial expressions –a fact which he still despised- finding it difficult to find the breath to talk, since keeping himself in this awkward kneeling position was still draining him faster than he wanted to admit.

“You. Don’t. Need. To. Patronise. Me.”
He huffed in response.

“I’m. Already. Aware. That.”
He had to stop; he wasn’t sure just how much longer he would be able to keep himself in this position for, talking had only made him feel more fatigued. At this point his legs and his arm were all starting to burn, he was about to try and continue what he had to say when he heard the sound of small wing beats and then felt a weight on his shoulder, a weight which in his present state was too much for him.

He closed his eyes gently as his body twisted forward awkwardly and then found himself lying face-first on the ground. Aimé had managed to get to Solomon before he had fallen to the ground himself, which only made the humiliation of this moment even worse. Solomon had just been put on the floor by Aimé... Aimé.
---

Aimé had arrived only moments before Solomon and the other wingless person had started their little scrap and had been watching ever since. He had never seen a Hunter get silenced so quickly before, he was starting to like this land, not only had he seen Solomon injured, he had actually lived to see Solomon get silenced entirely... It was delightful, Aimé wasn’t going to get another chance like this again, but, he was patient, carefully listening in to what this wingless was saying to Solomon while he was incapacitated.

Once he heard that Solomon’s condition wasn’t going to last forever Aimé took his chance and flew from the branch he was perched on. And ever so carefully perched himself next to Solomon’s head, the Hunter immediately fell forward, and Aimé hovered in the air as Solomon fell to the ground. He waited several seconds as The Hunter turned his head and then landed gently on the side of Solomon’s head, chirruping happily as he did so.

“Again Solomon? Well, no, not again, this time you were actually bested by a ‘wingless-commoner’. Last time you were only injured. Does it sting this time as well?”
Aimé questioned, allowing a sense of genuine curiosity to colour his thoughts as he questioned Solomon. At once the Hunter growled furiously and twitched as if in an effort to grab Aimé, but as he was right now, The Hunter seemed to find such an action impossible.

“Vile bird!”
Solomon spat angrily, Aimé simply ruffled his feathers and chirruped again. He hopped across Solomon’s head and tilted himself forward, twisting his head to one side, lowering his head and looking into one of Solomon’s eyes with one of his own.

“Would you look at that? I ‘put you on the floor’, Solomon. Does it sting twice-over?”
He stood up again, listening as The Hunter once more growled, Aimé narrowed his eyes smugly. He wasn’t going to let Solomon forget this; in fact, he was strongly considering telling Aeon of this development the next time he was back at Empire Nirvana.

“Nein!”
The Hunter growled as the thought had occurred to Aimé.

“Fine... I... Admit defeat.”
Solomon ground the words out slowly, to Aimé it sounded as though those words had actually caused him physical pain. Aimé cocked his head; this was far too good... He didn’t think that this land could possibly make him any happier right now.

[Mali]

Taured didn’t know what he should be doing as Solomon tried to regain his senses. There was no way that he could fight again in this condition. Looking at his arms, Taured noted how small they had become compared to the rest of his body and had to wonder if it hurt to have such a disproportioned body. He didn’t mean hurt his ego or even the laboured breathing which seemed to become even more raged, but if there was any actual pain from his muscles shrinking. If there was, he would thoroughly apologise.

As soon as he informed Solomon that the spell was time locked, a large black bird flew down and landed on top of Solomon’s head, only knocking him down further. Taured looked to Varden, wondering who this bird was and what it was doing in the middle of their paused battling, but didn’t voice it aloud. It almost seemed as if they knew each other. He would watch the interaction further.

Taured continued his speech, making his offer, which, had been declined. Of course he knew that Solomon would decline the offer, but he felt it right to still offer it. Upon being told not to patronise him, Taured visibly looked confused. He hadn’t been trying to patronise him, Solomon should realise by now that it was part of Taured’s character to be polite and courteous.

Watching as the pair seemed to communicate mentally, Taured had to wonder how Solomon knew this bird. He also wondered what kind of animal this creature was. Of course it was obviously part bird, but none of the birds in Alaga¸sia weren’t quite so mentally verbal. He even heard Solomon replying aloud, ‘vile bird’. Obviously, this bird was having the fun that Taured wouldn’t of the situation.

As Solomon continued to shout things at the bird, who simply moved about Solomon’s weakened body, Taured had to think that the scene was just a bit comical. He wouldn’t show his amusement though as that would be patronising of his situation, especially since he had been the one to place Solomon in this situation. It would be rude, although, Varden gave a sort of aloud chuckle at the scene. Turning to face his dragon, Taured shook his head. “You may have to be polite since this is your fight, I however, find it funny.” Taured rolled his eyes.

He turned just in time to hear Solomon agree to his offer. He was shocked and disbelief was splayed across his features. The disbelief quickly changed into a neutral poker face before nodding his head and closing his eyes. “I release my magic, dispel the thirty.”

[/i][/b] Opening his eyes, Taured felt his stomach lurch slightly. He had mastered spells perfectly and some to such an extent that only one word was needed to cast them. However, since they used a part of him to hold and keep the spell, dispelling spells always made him feel a little queasy. Or was it just time spells that made him feel a little queasy?

Solomon would be back to his normal self in the same amount of time it took for his muscle mass to deplete. It was at this time that Taured began to get prepared to leave. He didn’t move from his spot however, but mentally made a list of things to do before leaving. Such as, getting a full detail account from Varden what had actually enfolded in their battle, as well as the venom. The reason it had turned to dust when hitting the air was to be able to collect it and analyse it. Using a simple collecting spell, a vial from his saddle on Varden came flying to his hand as he knelt down to scoop up the dust with another simple wind spell. If coming into contact could have such negative effects then he was wary of touching it with his hands so freely. One of his biggest weaknesses was his hands. Since they were essential to certain spells, such as removing the poison, if they were to be injured then he would be at a loss.

Standing up and sending the vial back to his bag, Taured watched as Solomon made a full recovery. He smiled in a friendly manner, if Solomon knew how to be friendly that was before starting to move closer for a hand shake. It was customary to shake hands after battle, and it was good sportsmanship. “Good performance,” he held his hand out for a shake.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

Aimé was enjoying every second of this moment; it was one of those rare times in which he could openly taunt Solomon without having to worry about The Hunter having some kind of clever response. He was also aware that once he had recovered that Solomon wouldn’t actually do anything to him, and if he did try anything... Then well, it was easy enough to remain beyond the reach of a wingless, even if it could climb trees.

For the moment he ignored the other wingless, Aimé didn’t know who it was, but he did make a small note to himself to thank it for giving him this opportunity. He hopped up and down on the spot several times as Solomon conceded defeat to this other wingless, knowing what he did of their pride Aimé could only imagine how much it would have hurt The Hunter to utter those words.

“A Hunter admitting defeat? And to a ‘commoner-wingless’, no less. If these were stings from a Wyvern you would be dead already wouldn’t you, Solomon?”
Aimé questioned, taunting The Wingless Hunter further, one of the few safe times he was actually able to see how far he could push Solomon with his words. He continued to ignore the other wingless, and stood in silence for a moment, still enjoying the visual effect his words were having on the usually calm and confident wingless.

He would have continued his taunting, but, he felt Solomon stir. In a moment of panic Aimé leaped from The Hunter’s head and hovered just out of his reach as Solomon twisted himself and made to lunge for him. He cawed at The Hunter, narrowing his eyes smugly before flying up to the highest branch he could find and perching on it, far out of Solomon’s reach, his eyes still narrowed smugly as The Hunter got back to his feet.

“I’ll get you later, you know I will.”
Solomon snarled at him, Aimé, however, still amused by the events that had taken place already knew how best to respond to Solomon’s threat. He simply spread his wings as wide as they would go while remaining perched on the branch that he had landed on, imitating a gesture he had seen Solomon use time and again, actively daring The Hunter to get him.

He got the response he had been hoping for as The Hunter stood silently, merely fixing Aimé with a death glare. He lowered his wings, ruffled his feathers and then chirruped in joy, finally, he could tell Alastor that he had managed to silence Solomon, and he already knew that Aeon would find no-end to the amusement of this situation... But he would probably stick to telling Alastor, and only Alastor, Aeon scared him more than Solomon did.

It was during the following moment of silence that the other wingless finally managed to catch his attention, Aimé wasn’t sure what it was doing, and regarded it with curiosity. Cocking his head to one side he stayed perched in silence, just watching what the wingless was doing... He extended his mind, gently trying to make contact with the other wingless being, knowing that many of them reacted violently to mental contact.

“Very well done on your part, it is refreshing to see a Wingless-Hunter silenced... But why help him? That kind of situation doesn’t happen to him nearly as often as it should do... You wingless are all strange creatures.”
He kept this conversation hidden from Solomon, not actively wishing to further enrage The Hunter. Aimé already knew that there was only so much he could push Solomon before he lost his ability to care about his promises to Alastor.
---

Solomon had been too focused on glaring at Aimé to pay Taured any mind, at least for a while. Damned bird was lucky that Solomon had already promised Alastor that he wouldn’t kill him; otherwise he would have crushed Aimé’s head quite some time ago... The bird had a tendency to get on Solomon’s nerves, especially when managed to find Solomon at times as unfortunate as this, and the fact that he had dared Solomon to get him... He could only quietly promise himself that he would get Aimé back later-on, he wasn’t going to waste what energy he had left now, not when this situation had already been humiliating enough.

He turned and backed away several steps in uncertainty as Taured walked toward him; he wasn’t sure what to make of this action. It wasn’t something that happened very often –if at all- in Hunter culture. He looked at Taureds hand in confusion for a moment and then looked up at him, arching an eyebrow in confusion both at the gesture and at Taureds words... But, Solomon had lost, how was that indicative of a good performance?

What a strange land...

“That’s not...”
He began, stopping short as he became unsure of what he planned to say, exactly... Of course he knew what a hand-shake was; they just didn’t tend to happen very often... It was easier to explain in his native tongue, but, he enjoyed the language barrier to much to let Aimé translate for him. So, how to explain? He stayed silent for a moment longer and then decided that he wouldn’t explain; if Taured was unable to figure out Solomon’s gesture then that was his own fault.

“No need for that, Taured.” He said calmly, backing away a further several steps. “You have my respect... I’m not happy about it, but you have my respect.”
He said calmly, raising his left hand he placed the tips of his fingers on his insignia and held them there for several seconds.

“I’ll have to watch my back.”
He finished off calmly, lowering his hand... His actions required no explanation, if Taured couldn’t interpret them, then that was down to him, Solomon wasn’t in the habit of explaining the obvious to people.

[Mali]

Taured watched the interaction between the bird and Solomon a bit longer. He found it more comical now than he wanted to admit before. Varden was paying more attention now that the bird had showed up, than he had during the battle. He had known that Taured wouldn’t lose with such high stakes on the line, so there was no need to pay too close attention to it. He would have been worried though if Taured had touched his mind with doubt, however, that hadn’t happened.

Assuming that Solomon was getting his strength back, he watched as the bird flew away. What happened next was something he didn’t quite understand. The bird seemed to be doing some kind of trick on the branch. Whatever it was he was doing, it seemed to irritate Solomon into giving him a deathly glare. With the, ‘I’ll get you later’ comment, Taured wondered how they knew each other. Were they both from this Empire Nirvana? Taured assumed that to be the case as there were no creatures like this bird in Alaga¸sia, not to his knowledge at least.

It was then that something touched his mind. Welcoming the source in, feeling that the likelihood of the bird being a threat to be nil, he listened to what the creature had to say. This was a very intelligent creature from Empire Nirvana. However, one that wouldn’t live much longer if it kept this approach and thought process of all creatures in Alaga¸sia. Taured was a tolerant person, as Solomon had come to find out, however, not many were here.

At the end of the statement, Varden chuckled. Turning to face his dragon, who had openly accepted the barrier as well, started his reply. “Yes, they are, Taured gave him a look as to say, ‘what does that mean’ and concluded that they’d discuss this later.

“As to why I helped him out, I would feel horrible leaving him helpless and vulnerable for however longer the spell would last. I would feel terrible to find out he’d died because he had been incapacitated.” He replied to the bird. In addition, what he said was true. He would feel horrible and terrible knowing that while he couldn’t defend himself, something had come along and killed him. He knew that Solomon was very worthy and able to protect himself easily, however, in that state; he didn’t believe that to be the case.

Taured looked confused as Solomon took a few steps back as he approached. Surely, he had been polite enough at the beginning of their conversation—standing more than a good distance away—to warrant coming closer now? He looked wary of the handshake and Taured had to wonder if they shook hands for such reasons in Empire Nirvana. If something such as a handshake after a battle was odd, Taured believed that he would rather not visit the place.

He said it! He said Taured’s name. Varden trotted on spot happily, even though he knew Solomon would probably continue to refer to him with derogatory terms. At least he was happy, as was Taured for earning such respect. He was puzzled though when Solomon rejected the handshake to place the tips of two fingers over an insignia on his shoulder.

The insignia was probably of whatever clan, group or family he belonged to and meant a sign of respect among his kind. Seeing as Taured didn’t have an insignia so he could repeat the action—out of respect—he would have to improvise. Pulling his hand back, Taured raised two fingers to his lips, holding the tips there for the same duration Solomon had. Solomon was loyal to his clan and Taured was loyal to his word. It only made sense.

Chuckling, Taured nodded his head. “We have to do this again sometime, when you know more magic per chance and I may re-enhance my swordsmanship a bit more.” it was then that Varden moved over to the pair for Taured to climb up onto his back.

A hawk screeched as it announced its arrival. New commands already? It hadn’t been so long ago that he had been sent to see what the commotion with Solomon had been about and the council already had news for him to find out about? The hawk landed on his gauntlet, allowing Taured to take the message and send the bird off. Now that hawk, was nothing in comparison to the intelligence of the bird Solomon seemed to have befriended.

Reading the message quickly, rolling his eyes at the request to return to Ilirea with any findings, he bid Solomon adieu. “Well, I shall be off, it was nice to meet you Solomon Latro,” And then he was thrusted upward as Varden took off toward Ilirea. That was an eventful day.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

The reply that the wingless had given Aimé served as a source of confusion, it was aware that had the positions of each been reversed then Solomon most definitely would not have shown this wingless the same courtesy... In fact, Aimé would have guessed that the only courtesy that Solomon would have shown this wingless being would be the reward of a faster-than-usual death, and even then, that was an uncertain guess on Aimé’s part.

He blinked; wingless were indeed a strange lot, at least Emerald-wings saw sense. He stayed silent for a moment longer, watching as the two wingless seemed to share their usually array of odd bodily gestures... Wingless never ceased being strange, it was at this point that Aimé felt as though he had to point out the wingless beings error in judgement.

“You are aware that Solomon wouldn’t extend the same courtesy to you, aren’t you?”
He asked the other wingless curiously, did it not believe in the expression “what goes around comes around”? Or was it “turnabout is fair play”? Aimé could never remember the expression that the wingless used for circumstances like that. He shook himself, ruffling his feathers, it didn’t matter how much time Aimé spent among the wingless of the world; he still couldn’t understand their strangeness.

He looked at Emerald-wings.

“The wingless have meaningless gestures here as well, Emerald-wings?”
He asked, cocking his head.
---

There was little else to say or do, though Solomon had been surprised to see Taured return his gesture of respect... Well, clearly he understood, the gestures that Solomon had shown him, so to a degree Solomon could feel somewhat easier about this loss... Not by a great deal though, he smirked in response to what Taured had said, without a doubt, next time he would make sure he was ready for what Taured had to throw at him.

“Heh, ja. Next time, it won’t be quite as easy, count on that.”
He said calmly, turning to go his own way. He would need to find somewhere to lie low and lose anyone trailing him, that much was obvious, but where that was... Solomon had no idea; he had a pretty good idea about the lay of the land, but had yet to explore it in its entirety, so for the time being he was blind... That wouldn’t last though, and he knew it.

He paused for a moment, an idea flashing through his mind as Taured made to leave... He may not have seen The Wyvern-kin or its Elf in a while, nor did he know when he was next likely to see them again. But this encounter had provided him with the perfect opportunity to send them at least one taunt, just one.

“Before you do go, I have a message for The Wyvern-kin and its Elf. And possibly for anyone still aiming to capture or kill me.”
He said calmly, he took a second to compose the messages he had in mind before speaking them aloud.

“For the Wyvern-kin and its Elf”
He paused for a moment.

“Ja , es ist mich. Hoffentlich Leben ist behandelnd Sie wohlauf und ich aussehen nachschicken zur folgend Zeitrechnung ich könnt tun Sie in ihrer unterbringen.”
He said calmly, he had very little doubt that Taured would have any trouble committing what Solomon had just said to memory, even if he didn’t understand it.

“This one is of course only if you find the time.”
He rolled his shoulders.

“Any still attempting to claim the bounty had better be ready; for I am going to make every step you take Hell.”
He had said all he wanted to now, it was probably best if he started moving again, there were undoubtedly more out there attempting to hunt him, and being caught here again wasn’t an appealing prospect to Solomon... He would need to pick up his game if he wanted to avoid getting tracked down this easily again.

“I’m sure we’ll meet again somewhere down the line, Taured... Let’s just hope that time is under better circumstances.”
He said simply, picking his venomous short-sword up from the ground as he spoke. He paused, then span the blade by the hilt and returned it to its sheath. Turning his back to both Taured and his Lizard he started walking away from them, wherever he was heading, he was sure he could find a safe place to lie-low for a good while.

Briefly he raised his hand in farewell, his back still turned to them.

“Lebewohl Taured and Lizard. Until we meet again.”

[Mali]

Taured knew that Solomon wouldn’t show him the same courtesy that he’d shown Solomon. He had made it clear to Taured at the beginning of the fight that if he won the fight, he would have died. However, there was no way that Taured had planned to allow that to happen. He would never leave his dragon, Varden, to fit and bouts of insanity. That’s another reason that he showed Solomon mercy. It wasn’t his way to kill people just for sport. He knew that there were people who cared for Solomon—even if they didn’t want to admit to it—that would be burdened with his death, even if just once in their lives. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

Nodding his head, he smiled to the bird. “I know, he made that quite clear before we started. I couldn’t allow things to end up that way though,”

[/b] he left his sentence hanging to leave the bird to think about what he meant and how he worded his sentence. This bird was an intellectual being and was capable of a thought process so it wasn’t too farfetched to think that he wouldn’t be able to figure out what he meant.

Emerald-wings? Varden assumed that the bird was referring to him and since he didn’t know Varden’s name, that Emerald-wings was what he was going to refer to him as. He had to wonder if all creatures and beings from Empire Nirvana gave strangers they had just met derogatory names. However, the name wasn’t offensive so it was okay for the bird to refer to him as such, just as the rider pair referred to the bird as, the bird.

“Yes they do, but they’re endearing at times.”[/b] Varden left the statement in the air, allowing both Solomon and the bird to hear it if they chose to listen. He had no idea whether Solomon was even listening to what Varden said, or if the hunter was even following their conversation.

Taured had to chuckle at what Solomon had to say in return. So it wouldn’t be that easy, eh; well, he counted on that. He knew that now Solomon was aware of his magical abilities, he would be ready for anything. He looked forward to their next meeting and would gladly duel it out with him, in the hopes that maybe Solomon may show the same respect he’d shown in. At least, in the hope that if the battle is exciting enough, he allow Taured to live, if only to be able to duel again after that time. Nodding his head, Taured made a small, verbal, ‘mm’ in response.

Taured had made to leave but stopped Varden from taking off before they heard the message. Solomon was able to leave messages for those following as well as for Niko and Arashi perfectly fine until now. Why would he suddenly need a messenger and why would he trust Taured with the message? Maybe his gesture had made a point to Solomon, telling him he could trust his word and that if he asked for his word to be delivered, it would. However, that was probably assuming too much of the hunter.

The message he received was odd and would be foreign to his tongue, but he had it memorized, as did Varden so that the message would be sent perfectly and without mistakes. Taured smiled and nodded again. “Shouldn’t be a problem,” He was actually headed to Ilirea anyways to report his findings and information, he shouldn’t have too much difficulty delivering the message, seeing as Niko and Arashi were kicking around that area recently.

Laughing slightly at the threat to be sent for any bounty hunters still following Solomon’s trail, Taured meant no offence by his laugh. It was just comical to him that Solomon needed to point this out. “Will do,” it was as if his statement toward the other hunters was a quote to send back to the rider’s council. At least, that was how Taured viewed it.

Watching briefly as Solomon picked up his blade, his back turned to the pair, Taured felt something swell as he heard his name. Soon, he may remember Varden’s name as well, but for now, that may be expecting a little too much of the hunter. Even though Solomon wouldn’t see him wave his hand, he still raised the limb to make the simple gesture before departing the scene. He would have quite a lengthy report to make when they got back to Ilirea and it would take both of their opinions and of experiences gained from watching the fight, to make an accurate report. However, it was a short flight back to Ilirea from here, they would need to stop off for food somewhere as well, and that could be dealt with later.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]