Fight! Fight! FIGHT!

Jake saw it coming as soon as his attacks were faulted. It was only logical that he would be countered. That was all a battle was: action and reaction. There was little time for thought, little time for process. So, he countered the counter.

Even though he saw the attacks coming, he wasn't able to completely dodge them. It didn't matter a great deal, anyways; the first attack glanced completely off his scales. The second, however, was a completely different story. Jake had to work for that one.

As a Dragon, Jake's main weakness for penetrability were the scales running up and down his torso and breast. While they were far better than skin, a piercing attack would be difficult to glance off; they were softer than his other scales.

And so, Jake jumped to the side, sharply drawing in breath as the attack slashed his underbelly. Upon instinct, Jake threw up his arm. The resulting clang of the sword and his scales sent an echo into the nearby forest. He grunted; he would have a large bruise to show for that later.

And it hurt like hell. Jake bit back the yelp he was about to let out, grunting and pushing back at the same time. He landed on his hand and whirled around, aiming a massive kick at his opponent with his left foot. To place more power behind the kick, Jake pushed off from the ground, righting himself as he swung.
 
Maximilian nearly got hit by that kick, putting much effort on evading the attack which took a great toll on his body. Maximilian knew that no matter how much he struggled, Jake kept getting stronger and stronger with each passing minute. Having missed that attack by mere inches, Maximilian grasped the hilt of his sword, holding it tightly with both hands. Sweat and blood covering his face, Maximilian was determined to end this battle as soon as possible, for it would be really difficult to keep it up for a longer period of time.

"It has been an honor to fight you....but I know my limits...your power is far greater than I expected....yet....I won't give up....I'm going to raise today....and I'll change this world..."

Maximilian focused his energy within his blade, transmuting it into a flaming sword of pure holy fire. The determined Maximilian sprinted towards Jake with a ferocious unyielding will, ready to face his inevitable defeat. Thus defying fate itself, Maximilian jumped high and came rushing down with a powerful downward slash so strong that could shatter the earth, his last attempt to even the odds.
 
Why'd you even bother talking then? Jake thought sarcastically. He looked up at his foe, who had jumped to a great height. Jake shook his head. "Dumb move," he said. When the attack was only a few feet above him, Jake dodged to the side, jumping seven feet to the right.

"You left yourself wide open! Dragon Flame!" Jake shouted. He thrust his hands forward, firing a flame-like wave of Chi energy towards his foe. He felt it as a quarter of his energy was depleted. It was worth the cost, though; at the range he was in, Jake was certain that Maximillian would have extreme difficulty trying to dodge. At least it won't kill him, Jake thought.

The flame-like wave dissipated as Jake released the energy, waiting for the smoke to clear.
 
As the smoke dissipated, a man could be seen still standing still, his clothes partially scorched and burned by flames. In his hands, he had his sword held tightly, shining brightly with purifying flames. Moments later, the flames faded away as the man released the grip of the hilt with one of the hands, his right hand remaining to wield the sword. Maximilian stood tall and firm, not surprised to see he wasn't killed, after all the purifying flames of his sword also served as a last resource scapegoat, shielding him against 90% of the damage. Having stopped the attack with his sword also nullified the effects the enchantment had on his sword, thus the effect of the flames disappearing from his blade. Maximilian breathed heavily, inhaling and exhaling constantly, knowing that it was mere luck that saved him from facing the fury of Jake's flames. While he inhaling, Maximilian began to cough and spit blood on the ground, it seems that finally he was beginning to face his last. His sight now a little blurry, Maximilian closed and opened his eyes doing an astonishing effort to keep himself focused in this battle. He tried to lift his blade but his strength began to fail him, his muscles and bones ached and he was exhausted. Though, his unyielding will still persisted, mastering his courage and making one last effort to grasp the hilt of his sword with both hands.

"I see the gods of fate have abandoned me, for it seems that no matter how much I try....my efforts are not enough....your powers must be of divine origins...what manner of sorcery gave birth to such creature?"

Falling on his left knee, the tip of Maximilian's sword struck the ground and he leaned against his sword as if it were a staff to bring some support to his weakened body. His sight forcedly brought to face the earth, with pride he rose his eyes to meet Jake's dragon eyes. Maximilian had a cut over his left eyebrow and on the right corner of his lower lip, blood covered his cheeks and he was covered with dirt. "Why? Why can't I even come close to even the odds? What does it takes to take you on? Someone like you could easily conquer the world and reduce it to ashes..." Maximilian tossed his sword and it landed at Jake's feet. He then fell on both knees with open arms, accepting the fate determined for him for being defeated. "I am ready to face death if you find it in your heart to kill me...but if you do....you'll prove my point...that power will end up corrupting you....just like it happened to that ancient dragon of legend whose name should not be mentioned...."
 
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((Alrighty, now allow me to make my terrifying post. Just edit your post that comes after this one, so we save room))

Jake was astonished to find that the man had endured the attack, taking little damage. It astonished him even more that the man had gone down on his knees and did little less than ask Jake to end his life.

Jake shook his head vigorously. "Man, did that thing hit you too hard in the head? I might have fought you, but I'm not gonna kill ya." Jake glanced at the treetops before looking back at the man. "Why would I? Not only is it totally bad, but it's pointless. I mean, what would I get from it anyways? I had fun fighting you, and I'd love to do it again." Jake considered this before adding, "Rest up for a bit, and then come back at me whenever you're ready. I'll be waiting on that rock." Jake powered down, returning to his untransformed Dragon state.

Jake flew to the epicentral rock. It only took him a short while going there again, and Jake sat down on it, awaiting his opponent's decision.
 
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Still clinging on his honor but having already lost the will to fight, Maximilian rose to his feet, barely able to walk, and headed towards the spot he tossed his sword to pick it up. Having seen his reflection on the surface of his blade, Maximilian thought about quitting the path of the sword, yet a new found hope sprouted from within his heart, pushing him on a different path. Maximilian sheathed his blade and sighed, though a bit disappointed for losing, but pleased to know he faced the trial fate had set for him, and survived. He didn't knew if he would ever be able to defeat this mighty warrior called "Jake", nor did he care for he was going to fight his best to retain his honor. Maximilian limped as he walked to where Jake was sitting, Maximilian was placing his right hand on a wound he had on his left shoulder made by one of Jake's previous attacks. He stood firm and brave before the warrior who had beaten him so badly, proud as he was before but ashamed to admit he barely made a scratch on his opponent.

"It seems after all that my training was not good enough, and that my pilgrimage to obtain the skill in order to become one of the greatest of swordsmen is still a long road ahead of me...."

Maximilian turned away from his opponent and set his eyes on a tower hidden deep within the forest. Eyes filled with hope, Maximilian knew that his road to obtain wisdom continued in that edifice. "I leave, for I must pursue wisdom and attempt again to accomplish what I have failed to master so far...but know this dragon...you may have won this time, but someday, you'll meet someone who will be far stronger than you, and on that inevitable day you will walk the same path as I. May you find peace and wisdom in your life..."
 
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Jake frowned and snorted. "Hmph. I have been down that road. I'm just not going to let it weigh me down. I'm not going to let it get in my way. The Dark Dragon must pay, and so must Sukani."

Jake looked towards the tower that Maximillian was looking at. "I've fought battles that I've lost, man. I've been beaten so badly that I almost died...you think you're in rough shape now? Believe me, there is no pain that you've experienced that I haven't." Jake looked at his gut, where his opponent's sword had pierced his scales. It reminded him of when he fought Boromyo for the first time, and lost. "I've lost family and friends, but I'm not going to let it stay on top of me. Take the advice of a fifteen-year old kid, a kid that has seen parts of the galaxy you wouldn't dream of: don't let anything stop you from reaching your goal. Don't give up, don't give in. Nothing is worse or more of a spit on your honour than to give up."

Jake stood on the rock. "Well, in that tower you'll find monks. They can heal you, though they speak a different language. You'll probably have to use sign language or something, but they should be able to understand that you need to be healed. I'd heal you, but I haven't mastered that part of my training yet." Looking off into the snow-tipped mountains, Jake said, "Well, I hope we meet again. Train hard, and when the time comes, we'll have a re-match. Don't think I'm going to take it easy on you, though." Jake laughed and jumped, soaring towards the mountains in a blustery wind.
 
And so their the true outcome of this story was postponed, Maximilian was determined of finding atonement for his past mistakes, and wisdom to know how to avoid new sins. Whether or not they will meet again, that is uncertain, but now they've sheathed blades and fought against each other, so they won't forget each other's names nor forget this day. Maximilian set his goals on becoming a better warrior, thus starting his way towards the tower he saw before. No one knows if he will find the answers for his dilemma, but I assure you he will find the way. Until the next time, for this newer chapter is a tale for another day....


The End?
 
Hmm. I wonder if I should have somebody judge this battle. It wouldn't be fair if either of us were to judge, we participated. Mebe Mark or Fox or someone...
 
No, thank you. It was an excellent, if short, battle.

Now...who should we get to judge this...
 
The fight seemed a little too like a FFX battle to me - you strike, he strikes, you strike, he strikes etc, so it felt tedious to read, to an extent.

However, I found Julius' defensive stance to be quite impressive throughout, whilst also dishing out a fair amount of assault of his own. Though I feel you endured a little too much of every attack that hit, except towards the end; you picked up there.

Hera's apparent love for evading just about everything makes me discern your character as a little too... exploited, for lack of a better word. Overworked regardless of his apparent draconic transformation. Alas, your assault didn't provide a dull moment.



Concluding a winner is quite hard, though I think I'm going to go with Hera/Felldoh on this one. This doesn't mean to say you're sub-par Julius, but you did a damn fine job.
 
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