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| Third Eye Clansmen; Tien solo | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 23 2015, 09:37 AM (171 Views) | |
| Tien | Oct 23 2015, 09:37 AM Post #1 |
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Triclops
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Tien lay splayed out on his bed looking up at the ceiling of the cramped room. Odd pieces of paper with incoherent writing along with clothing lay strewn about on the floor. The window in the room was slightly cracked open letting a cool breeze flow softly over him along with whatever peaceful sounds accompanied it that night. The sounds that did travel inside were either the occasional late night driver travelling along the road not too far away or the crickets and cicadas serenading the darkness. He enjoyed the silence he received by residing relatively far from the city. Finally after what he presumed to have been several long hours Tien sat up. He began twisting and turning struggling slightly to unwrap the wool blanket wrapped around his body. He stood with a frown and began to dress his lower half appropriately. He hated the nights when he couldn't fall asleep. For some reason he had lay awake for hours staring at nothing unwilling to move on the slight chance his eyes would begin to droop. He would simply need to find something to do that would pass the time and tire him out. He ran a hand over his face and up to his forehead covering his third eye. His gaze shifted around the room before he noticed the small mint plant resting on the window sill. The plant he had been told several days prior was extraordinary only had a few leaves sprouting from it. It was still young but with care he may be able to make use of it in the future. Tien stepped over to the window and crouched down in front of it. He reached a hand out to the plant and gently ran a finger along it's leaves. He observed the stalk to ensure it was indeed growing properly with no signs of being eaten away or decaying prematurely. Letting out a quiet sigh he rose up on his feet and retrieved a half empty bottle of water resting beside the plant. Twisting the cap off he and pouring the liquid into the soil around the stalk his mind began to wander as it often did. "I should have watered this thing earlier." He mumbled to himself. Tien twisted the cap back onto the bottle and set it aside once more. Leaning forward he rested an arm on the window sill and stared out into the night. As he scanned his eyes over the wood line he carelessly ignored an erect figure standing out amongst the trees surrounding it. Upon realizing what he missed he began scanning the tree line once more to find the figure but by then it had disappeared. He blinked slowly and stared intently on where he could swear he had spotted the figure. A minute straight and he finally decided to just consider it a trick of the eye. It could have been drowsiness finally starting to set in but his body was completely awake. Tien looked upwards to the stars and considered a brief walk down the road and back. He doubted there would be anyone waiting to spark up a friendly conversation the moment he left the house so the idea sounded fine. Word Count: 538 |
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| Tien | Oct 30 2015, 05:55 PM Post #2 |
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Triclops
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The clouds hung overhead in an almost threatening manner with a dark grey that shielded the sun from view. They were large that particular night and despite their fluffiness their color did not mean anything good in store for the upcoming weather. If it had been similar to any other autumn season Tien may have bet his zeni on heavy rain showers in the area sometime in the foreseeable future but this time season he was expecting snow. Typically is someone informed him at the start of the season that it would be snowing the upcoming month Tien may have shrugged it off but this time was different. It was colder than usual and as he noticed before the clouds were usually a dead give away. He inhaled slowly allowing the cold mountain air to flow into his nose and enter his lungs. Tien snapped himself out of his previous thoughts and exhaled. The tri clops returned his gaze down to the earth beneath him instead of upwards at the sky then started to walk once more. As per usual up on the mountain the paths and roads were somewhat difficult to travel on. There were many steep hills almost more than there were flat ground though all were equally hazardous and scattered with bumps and holes. Even for him and his experience keeping perfect balance the ground proved to be difficult to combat. Despite the best attempts of the dangerous mountain path Tien was not one to be easily tripped and he was able to continue on his way without pausing. As he traversed the road he saw a small hut come into view. Such things were common and he paid it no mind to it as he had passed this particular hut many times in the past. Though as he got closer he felt himself drifting towards it. A wooden home that was much larger than he initially thought from a distance the decrepit Hut stood before him resting at the top of the mountain he called home. He stopped walking just outside the door and waited. He had never before seen anyone enter or exit the hut so he assumed it had been abandoned long ago. Though each time he passed he could feel almost sense something inside moving. As if it were constantly watching for anyone who happened to walk by and disturb it. Tien shook his head and as he took a careful step forward he saw it. It was only for a brief moment but he had seen it nonetheless. A shadow shifted somewhere inside the hut as if moving to remain unseen. Tien stopped once more and turned to face the hut expecting someone possibly a homeless man to jump out at him warning him to stay away. Nothing at all emerged however and he was left questioning if he had seen anything at all in the first place. He began taking a few steps backwards before turning and continuing on his way. There was a low ominous creaking of wood behind him but he simply hunched his shoulders and walked. Wc: 517 Twc: 1155 Edited by Tien, Mar 1 2016, 01:15 PM.
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| Tien | May 1 2016, 12:34 AM Post #3 |
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Triclops
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After so many days since his last job having passed, Tien found it hard to believe this was one of the first times Syrus had decided to contact him, the few times he'd been called after the money drop could be counted on just one of his hands. Each and every time he'd seen the man though, he had seemed deep in his own thoughts, bolder than usual and grim even. There was something strange about that, though Tien did not know the cause of it, and he had no desire to guess, nor ask. For all he knew it would trigger some sort of overdrive mode and the man would demand even more from him, just when he was getting over the fiasco with the wolves. No, he would avoid a situation like that as long as he could. Still, he could not help but wonder why Syrus had told him to come to his mansion or rather, the messenger that was now leading the way had. It was a strange thing indeed, Syrus had never given Tien a hint in regards to the location of his home and had insisted they'd meet at the usual location in west city. Not that he minded, really, it was getting too cold to stand around in the falling rain and freezing winds. Lazily he refocused his gaze on the messenger girl who was sent to fetch for him. He'd seen her a few times before, each and every time she'd been standing in front of his small house to inform him that Syrus Dolohov demanded his presence. Of course, it hadn't always been this woman, there had been around five or eight separate faces he'd had the displeasure of meeting when Mr. Dolohov had summoned him. “Hey,” Tien called out, not knowing the messenger's name and not caring enough to ask, “How far off are we from this place?” She shot a hasty glance in his general direction, annoyed for he had been asking that question every three minutes since they'd started this expedition. ”A bit further.” The answer was as cool as the air around them and as vague as a scene cloaked in fog, it annoyed Tien. That was obviously the aim of that reply, the tone of voice and the glance she gave him each and every time he repeated his question. It was almost like a show being preformed every five minutes, rehearsed and practiced to perfection, exactly the same no matter the how many times it was done. But what annoyed Tien the most was the way the young woman just stayed calm and allowed him no glimpse of her own irritation. He sighed. The duo now paced through the streets, turning corners and dodging people going about their mundane business. Once more Tien's eyes drifted towards the messenger, sucking up all details with his dark eyes. She seemed about the same age as he did physically, though human and thus probably a lot younger, even if she didn't appear it. What appeared to be Warm clothes hid every possible inch of skin, except for her face and hands, which still had everything above her neck exposed. Her neck was concealed by a light purple scarf, which also hid her lower chin. Though the most distinguishable feature was the blackened burned skin covering the left side of her face. ”Stop staring at me,” she snapped, having glanced over her shoulder to confirm whether he was still following her, a thing she never was sure of. There were multiple reasons for that; the first being that it was late and the moon still dominated the sky, the second that Tien's steps were barely detectable for average human ears as he had done his utmost best to diminish the noise he made ever since his early childhood, and the third that his habit of matching the other's pace and rhythm had taken control, which made detecting him even harder. The woman shuddered under her layers of clothing, wondering what Mr. Dolohov needed such a shady figure for. There was no way he actually had connections to the underworld, Syrus Dolohov was a respected and well known figure. She shook her head briefly, clearing her mind. She was just imagining things no doubt, appearances could be deceiving. True, this guy did not really look all that clean and he moved like a shadow, but there was no mistake he was an honest person. Mr. Dolohov couldn't possibly have use for someone so clean. A naive thought, she admitted, but not everyone had to be a carefully built shell to deceive the rest of the world, right? Soon, her boots trudged onto a path and through a huge iron gate, into the domain enclosed by high walls. A majestic manor stood in the middle, the path leading right up to the front doors. A couple of steps had to be ascended and she led the man up there, onto a grey, stone platform underneath an overhang, right in front of the double doors. ”We're here,” spoke the girl, stating the obvious, ”Just ring the bell and wait for someone to open the doors.” That was all she had been instructed to do, without speaking another word she turned around and descended the three steps, passing Tien without a second glance. When she was halfway the path though, two words made her look behind her. “Thank you.” ”No problem,” she nodded coolly and continued her way, leaving the property. Wc: 918 Twc: 2,073 Edited by Tien, May 1 2016, 12:39 AM.
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| Tien | May 1 2016, 12:42 PM Post #4 |
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Triclops
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While the messenger girl took her leave, Tien studied the building in front of him. It was rather big, which was quite logical seeing as it was a mansion and belonged to a successful businessman. However, it wasn't that big really, Ox king palace was at least twice as large; though this manor did certainly not lose to the palace in its decorations. The overhand where Tien was standing underneath was supported by columns, two life-sized stone statues stood a silent watch on either side of the double doors, sentinels to protect the mansion from trespassers. The doors themselves were a display of art too, having scenes of ancient history carved into them, which made them resemble expensive portraits. The rest of the mansion was not as decorative, yet for one reason or another it did not really feel that way, the glass embedded in the walls and the elegant windowsills made sure of that. It took him a moment to remember what he was there for, standing there while his eyes darted to and fro, scanning everything he could see. Then he regained his composure, gaze settling on the bell in front of him, which he pressed once. A bell could be heard chiming within the residence and hurried steps approached the doors, opening one of the two. In the door frame stood an elderly woman, hair already greying and wrinkles permanently etched into her face, dressed in a maid's uniform. She did not say a word, but just gestured the man to come in and follow her through the hallways. The hallways were not baren which was expected, instead decorated with paintings and tapestries which reminded him of of a museum, where it was more common to have tapestries hanging on the walls than paintings. Another positive point was that the corridors did not echo his steps, mainly thanks to the carpet that was placed in the middle of them. Soon, Tien found himself in a room painted in warm colors, with a low table and lots of chairs and couches standing around. The cushions were a burgundy shade of red, with strands of gold woven through, which was mildly surprising. Tien had not expected Mr. Dolohov who usually dressed in black to enjoy a room this colorful, but then again, a house was not the same as clothes. Dolohov's weathered and slim face turned in his direction, his eyes flaring as he spotted the tall figure. “Ah, Tien,” the man spoke, swirling a deep red liquid around in a wine glass and gesturing with his free hand to one of the couches. “Have a seat.” Silently, the triclops obliged, striding to the side of the table opposite of where Syrus sat, lowering himself in the cushions. Soft and surprisingly comfortable, Tien noted, placing his hands on the armrests as if it were a throne. The maid gave him a displeased look with her mouth a small line, seeming to be discontent with Tien's general scruffy self sitting in a clean chair. The martial artist chose to ignore it though. Mr. Dolohov took a sip of his wine, closing his eyes while savoring the taste, noticing that the woman was still discretely standing at the edge of the room, obviously waiting for her master to offer his guest a drink. Nothing of the sort was done though, instead she was given a flick of the wrist to dismiss her, to which she responded with a shallow bow and leaving the room. Another sip of wine, and then the business let himself fall into a more comfortable position, placing his glass on a small table especially placed there to serve that purpose. He smacked his lips a couple times and sighed deeply. Then he straightened up, staring Tien in the eye. “It has been a while, Tien." The man started, pausing to look to his drink but not reaching to grab it. Tien did not reply, guarding the silence and watching Dolohov's every move, focusing on his eyes and face every now and then, not being quite as comfortable as he might have appeared. “This is a though one,” he began again, stopping halfway to sigh once more and tap one of his temples with his index and middle finger, staring down to the floor. “No, maybe I shouldn't be this straightforward and to the point yet...” he mumbled to himself, obviously troubled, he seemed unaware that Tien could hear and understand his mutterings as clearly as if he'd been sitting right next to him. The man then raised his head, and beamed at him a smile. The fact that his eyes did not reflect this smile did not escape the triclops, but he did not point it out. “How do you like my mansion?” Dolohov asked, a strange shifting of topics. Idle chitchat had never been something that often transpired between the client and the employee, mostly because the latter did not enjoy doing so. Tien raised an eyebrow and responded with a shrug. “It's a mansion. I've seen bigger ones.” He couldn't care less about the residence, in fact, he wanted to know his assignment and be out of there as fast as possible. Dolohov had other plans though, forcing a bark of laughter. “There are bigger ones, indeed, but with only two people to manage it, a larger mansion would be a problem.” Another laugh. Tien could not help but wonder, frowning his brow at the statement. The elderly maid and who else? He did not see anyone else roaming through the hallways. Now that he thought about it, He found it strange it was so quiet and deserted in appearance. No wonder if there was only two staff members. It was valuable information, something Tien stored in the vaults of his mind in case it might prove useful sometime. Meanwhile, there had been another stretch of silence growing between the two men, and neither seemed willing to break it. Syrus had reached for his drink, now swirling the red liquid around in his glass once more, watching the several drops pearl down into the fluid as he stopped, staring at it as if it contained memories of great times past. The businessman sighed another time, deeply, closing his eyes for a moment, then refocusing on Tien's figure and setting his glass back on the table, not having taken a sip. Lips parted as he readied himself to speak, however cut off by the Tien before he could even start. “So, enough with the dillydallying and beating around the bush,” the triclops spoke, clearly annoyed with the situation, wanting this to be over with as soon as possible. “I doubt you called me here to waste time discussing your manor while holding that glass of wine in your hand.” The bluntness seemed to slap the businessman in the face, making him aware of his company and the nature of their relationship. Tien continued: “Tell me about the job and I'll be off, I have other things to do than wasting time around here.” Even if Syrus Dolohov minded the tone used to address his passiveness, he did not show it, blinking once to drag himself back to the present and scraping his throat to notify he'd start explaining the details of whatever it was he wanted of the other man. Still, he seemed as distraught as he had been before, rubbing his hands together nervously, as if they were sweaty. Another frown of Tien's was the reward of the action. Dolohov certainly wasn't behaving in his usual way, Tien could only hope it did not have anything to do with his assignment. However, the more he thought about it, the more likely it became and when Syrus wasted even more time to say “Hm, yes, I forgot you dislike idle conversation,” Tien's doubts were thrown out of the window. There was no mistake, the thing that troubled Syrus was strongly connected with the next task and he knew he wasn't going to like it. Even less than usual, perhaps. Internal instincts were rarely wrong, and combined with a keen eye for detail, Tien could feel he was going to regret getting to the point. Perhaps it would have been better if he had let the client ramble for a while longer. “So, as I was going to say earlier this is a though one.” There it stopped, the man reaching for his wine and gulping it all down, drinking in some courage before continuing. “While I doubt that my … actions did not have any effect, the woman certainly did not make it seem that way. She is a stubborn one, I'm afraid, threats won't work on her.” He paused for just a moment, steepling his fingers as he leaned closer, his mouth seeming to try out different ways to start the next sentence before he actually did. “So there you have it... I never really wanted to resort to this, but it appears I have no other choice. If she has too thick a skull to heed warnings and threats, then there is no other way.” Another sigh. “Here's the thing, Tien, you are going to kill my rival.” The triclops brow lowered itself quite a bit as he narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, 'kill your rival?'” He wasn't sure if he had heard that right, Syrus Dolohov was many things but surely not one stupid enough to be plotting an assassination? “Exactly what I said. Kill. End her life. Assassinate.” Apparently he was. While this sent Tien in a spiral of doubt and unease, he did his best to appear as calm as ever, managing barely. “Do you understand what you are saying? This is murder. Not to mention High Treason. She works directly with the king.” That comment did not please the client, some sort of rage flaring up inside his sockets. “Of course I do!” the man hissed “How long do you think I've been playing with this idea?! Do you think I'd say something like this without giving it much thought beforehand?!” It lasted but a couple of seconds then he reverted to his previous state. “I know it is risky, but I do not have another choice! She'll break everything I've built! She'll destroy it!” Tien could not wipe the frown from his face. This was ridiculous! Sure, the woman had done a couple of things that made the public some of them anyway dislike her, but actually destroying an empire? Ever since the merchant had first mentioned that, Tien had kept an eye on her activities, but working to destroy Syrus was not one of them. Never mind that, if this went wrong, Tien would be the one who's head would roll. A grin could not be suppressed. If He managed to strike out a deal with the Official instead of killing her, he could try to make a deal with her. To save his own hide, and Syrus's too. He eyed the man sitting opposite of him. The fact that he'll have to make it appear he wanted to sell out this bastard makes it all the more risky. Syrus himself was now grinning too, probably believing his worries soon would be over. “Okay. One question though,” Tien spoke in reply, trying to change the situation so he could give himself as much time to negotiate with the official as possible. She was a politician after all, and discussing things with those folks was no easy task. “Do I have to make it an accident or am I free to do with her as I wish? As you can imagine one method is more time consuming that the other." Syrus pondered for a bit, tapping his chin with a finger and then shrugged. “I don't see why you can't do as you please? How would you go about it then?” Tien gave a small nod. “Yeah, I'd lure her out to a shack up in the mountains, where I can be at ease and do what I want without having to fear her staff noticing and all.” “An excellent plan. Serves her right for ignoring the warnings,” the client smiled, even though it was again a forced smile. Wc: 2,043 Twc: 4,116 |
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| Tien | May 1 2016, 06:00 PM Post #5 |
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“A shack up in the mountains eh?” Dolohov muttered, contemplating. “There's still one of the houses I own which is empty, safe for a bit of furniture. You can use that, if you want. With your key you should be able to get in there, all of the houses I rent to people have the same lock.” Tien nodded in thought,scratching the back of his head. “And where can I find it?” “Its in the Northern outskirts of the mountain road,” was the reply, to which Tien nodded again. “Good. That's all I assume?” the answer was affirmative. “Well, then I'll be on my way.” His lines had barely left his lips as Tien stood up, translating words into deeds. Dolihov did not rise to see to it his guest would find the way back, instead remaining seated with steepled fingers, not even paying any attention to Tien anymore, staring off into the distance. Turning his back on the man, the triclops walked off with silent steps, pausing halfway through the hallway when he ran into the maid, who still held the disgust in her eyes when she watched him. Tien stared right back, blankly, his black gaze trying to penetrate her own and finding out what exactly it was she disliked him for. Not that it had any use, he couldn't read minds, nor could he see anything except for the obvious dirty look she gave him. His gaze though, which had once been described as one that made it seem as if he stared at the very soul of the person in front of him, could not be held by the woman for long, intense as it was. Without a word she averted her stare and returned to her chase for dust bunnies. Not speaking either, Tien started striding too, heading for the entrance hall, where he'd find the exit. Somewhere along the way though, he decided he'd rather go back, to see what exactly Dolohov was up to, the more information he had, the better of course. With a sudden change of direction, Tien spun on one of his heels, going back to the salon where he assumed he'd find Syrus still sitting there. The maid was gone, probably cleaning some other area, which was a good thing. Once he had reached the salon, Tien pressed himself against a wall, taking a quick glance inside, expecting the client staring off in the distance, but there was no soul to be seen. He frowned. A step took him inside, but still he saw no one, but that was exactly why he had set foot in the room again. What he heard however, was the sound of a door closing, somewhere near his left side. Less than a second and he stood with the knob in his hand, checking his surroundings for anyone watching, then he opened it as quietly as he could manage, sneaking into the corridor that lied beyond. And there was Dolohov, rounding a corner, Tien closed the door carefully as not to alarm anyone in the vicinity, then proceeding to follow him, sneaking closer with quick tiptoeing, checking before he turned the corners and making sure he kept enough distance between himself and the man. Soon he found himself on the second floor, standing before yet another door, with his ear near the keyhole to eavesdrop on the conversation may be held there any second now. Tien's reasoning wasn't hard to understand. He guessed that Dolohov was quite happy with him accepting his order to kill the politician. Since he had heard the man mutter to himself many a time when the triclops was leaving the scene directly after having received his orders, Tien had figured that it had to happen this time too. However, there was a chance that moment had already passed, while Tien was holding a staring competition with the maid. Yet, there was one thing Tien had always heard when Syrus was talking to himself; Whisper. It sounded like a name, since the man would sometimes say 'my sweet Whisper' or 'my dear Whisper' when speaking to himself. And always he had stated something like 'It is unfortunate I can't talk to you directly, but when I come home I will.' Whatever or whoever Whisper was, it had to be in this room. It appeared he was right, a conversation started, words and mutterings flowing from Dolohov's mouth, sounding euphoric. “I did it, Whisper!” came the voice, harder to understand than usual. Tien focused a bit more on the words, ignoring whatever sounds were made in his immediate environment. “Tien is going to kill the Overseer! Then we can move on to step two! … Yes, those other three troublemakers could be an issue. Not that it matters though, I'll just have to dispose of them too. That's only if...” That was all Tien could hear before he was roughly pulled away from the door, and thrown backwards. Coincidentally, the stairs were close by, and as things were proceeding, he would crash onto them back first. However, that was only if Tien was less competent and unaware; instead of succumbing to that scenario, he threw his legs towards his head as violently as possible, turning mid-air and barely managing to touch down on the treads with his feet mostly thanks to the slanted nature of the stairs. Yet, he could not prevent stumbling backwards and further down, balance off because of the momentum and the limited space to place his feet. Fortunately, he reached the first floor before he fell backwards, then landing on his behind because there were no more treads to descend. Eyes darted to the end of the stairs, looking for his attacker. A giant dark skinned man returned the gaze; He couldn't really put his finger on an exact name, the two were too similar names to know the difference. In any case, the man laughed, cracked his knuckles and came down the stairs with surprising speed. Tien cursed under his breath, having completely forgotten that those two annoying bodyguards could have been roaming around in the mansion too. What was more was that he had just done something to provoke them, or at least one of them, which was slightly better. Quickly Tien got to his feet, using a backward somersault, also dodging the stomp which would have forced his face to smash into the floor. Adrenaline started to flow through his veins as Tien assumed a fighting stance, one from which he could easily switch to any step he needed. He stepped to the side when the large guard recognizable by the greatsword strapped to his back charged wildly, striking only air. Unlike a raging bull though, the giant managed to stop in place and turn around immediately, something Tien had somewhat anticipated. Truthfully, he hadn't, he had only planned to attack the guard as soon as he turned around. While he would usually go for the face in a situation like this, there was no way he could actually reach that height, not even when jumping it wouldn't be an effective strike so he had a different strategy. A knee came up with terrifying speed, raising higher and higher, gaining extra power by his other foot launching him upward a bit, striking the giants crotch hard. Bending over was what was the result, the guard slumping and in pain, and his ordeal wasn't over yet. Now his head was well within striking range and striking it was what Tien did. A jumping kick to the head hit the latger male on the side of his skull, Tien's toes only briefly touching the floor as he added another one and another, stringing his kicks together in some sort of spin kick combo. The constructive blows were not quite enough to make the giant fall though, only serving to make him stumble to the side a bit, as well as pissing him off big time. An angry giant was not quite what Tien had wanted to see, though on the other hand, it would mean that the Giant's attacks would become fiercer, cruder and easier to dodge. However, the backhand slap stinging his cheek and sending him stumbling to the left he had not expected. Surprisingly, Tien's mouth curled up into a grin. It was true that Tien hadn't dared to provoke them, and that he would rather run than fight the two giants, but there was only one here right now, and he had had enough of this fear. The grudge he had kept demanded retribution, and he'd go to extract it right now. A sparkle of aggression flared up inside his black orbs, something that made the larger man curl his lips in an evil grin. “Good, I like that look! There's no fun in beating you to a pulp if you don't resist!” Tien did not react with words, instead rushing forwards with agile steps and getting closer again, dancing around the huge man with swift motions, entering and exiting his striking range for brief instants to taunt him, which succeeded rather well. The Giants fists only struck the air where Tien had been standing a second ago, more often than not just failing to touch his skin. Taunts alone wouldn't win a battle, Tien knew all too well, and he sped up just a little, causing his foe to try and keep up, while he prepared himself to perform a certain strike. Against a foe this muscular, there was little he could do, but there were areas one couldn't train, no matter how much effort they put into it. The ankles were one of those spots. Lowering himself in a crouch, Tien used his momentum to power his attack, one leg extended and mowing away the legs that supported the huge body. The bigger they are, the harder they fall! Tien's mind reasoned, spiraling his body already upwards, arm with clenched fist raising up to smash itself into another area that couldn't be trained: the ribcage. The combined force of the fall and the strike should be able to deal some serious damage, Tien thought, which was the reason he had opted for this strategy. It indeed seemed to be the case, the giant roared in pain as he crashed into the floor, a huge hand carefully feeling the area Tien had struck. Knocked out, the large man was not though, nor was he floored for good. The Sweep kick did no real damage, other than toppling opponents, and slowly he rose to his feet again, angrier than ever. If it wasn't Tien's objective to mock the giant, he wouldn't have allowed the behemoth any rest, attacking immediately once he was downed, however, for the sake of regaining his pride, he just bounced in place, gesturing the giant to try and touch him, a wicked smile splitting his face in half. His opponents complexion was twisted in rage, one hand grabbing the hilt of his burly blade, unsheathing it quickly and staring at Tien as if he was going to kill him. The words he spoke translated his gaze into speech. As a reaction, Tien drew the knife obtained from his last job, holding it in the hand at the side he believed his opponent would strike next. Those ribs must hurt quite a lot, he figured, so the giant wouldn't use the swipes that needed him to twist his torso. Swordsmanship required the use of one's entire body after all, not just the arms; therefore, Tien guessed he'd be able to block the bodyguard's strikes, whereas otherwise he'd be no match for the giant's strength. Meanwhile, the foe had started moving again, aiming for the side Tien had predicted. Unexpectedly though, one knife was not quite enough to block it, the force Tien put after his blade to slam the sword out of its trajectory nearly inexistent in comparison. The other hand joined to help, but it was no use, he could only stumble backwards in hopes to escape the blade. Fortunately, the impact was enough to knock him over, thus making the blade pass over his head. A new danger presented itself though, in the form of a foot that was going to stomp him. Quickly Tien rolled for his life, feeling the shockwave of the foot even though he hadn't been hit. He was back on his feet pretty fast, stepping back in order to evade the next swing of the sword. His opponent was quite fast for being such a huge guy, and Tien found he had to do something about it. Utilizing the bounce step, he brought himself near the giant swiftly, a horizontal strike of metal came to greet him, one he could barely dodge by letting himself fall on the floor, the smooth flooring allowing him to slide onwards for a bit, through the giant's legs. Once his shoulders were passing through, he swung his arm widely, the blade he held slicing through his opponent's flesh, a rather deep cut through his calf. With a scream of pain, the large male fell down on one knee, wildly swinging his own blade in the direction the triclops should be found. The tip of the sword grazed his cheek, a shallow mark that stung quite a bit and bled crimson drops. Tien grunted in pain. “Tsk.” He had been hit, he had been wounded, it was bleeding. Not that it was that bad of course, it was but a minor cut, nothing compared to his opponents gap in his calf. It did however serve to deliver Tien a great deal of frustration; his fighting style thus far the hit and run style was designed to evade attacks and deal a lot of damage over time, but not a lot at once. Disable the opponent's body to dispatch of him easier, and increase the chances of winning. That he had suffered an injury, though minor, was truly annoying. Did that mean he wasn't fast enough yet? This was an armed fight. Tien had to take the reach of the blade into account, it seemed, something he may have overlooked before. From his kneeling position, Tien got back up, feeling his cheek, instinctively retracting his hand when his fingers increased the pain momentarily. Blood clung to his fingers, he wiped them clean on his Tunic and watched with interest as his opponent struggled to stand back up, refusing to give up. The fighting spirit of this man was quite incredible. Rage burned brightly in his eyes, the fuel for his actions, probably diminishing the pain to a dull throbbing, seeing as he actually managed to support himself with his injured leg, be it with an expression of suppressed screams. Impressive as it was, it however failed to scare Tien, who guessed that standing up was about as much as his foe could manage. Walking would probably be extremely painful and near impossible. There wasn't much to fear anymore, only the sword. No matter, his steps could take care of that with ease. Once again getting the rhythm down for his footwork, Tien started moving swiftly across the smooth floor, darting to and fro without losing momentum as he changed directions, dancing around the guard, who only followed him with his head, not moving his legs. Smelling a chance, Tien closed in quickly from behind, noticing to his surprise that the giant was shifting his position so he could swing his huge sword at him, which was done the moment Tien set foot inside his range. However, since the surprise was gone, the attack wasn't effective at all, easily dodged by stepping back for a second, then to the side and back into range, while the giant was still wide open because of his wild and wide swing. A swift slicing of air and flesh, the dagger bit into the giant's back, leaving a deep red trail which leaked crimson. A kick to the exact same region followed, hitting the fresh wound perfectly and sending the foe once again to his knees, yelling in pain. This is it, I suppose. Tien thought as he walked away, still trembling due to the adrenaline, heading for the door. It swung open before he had reached it however, and a familiar huge silhouette passed through, stopped to observe the scene for a moment or two and then spoke with a deep rumbling voice. ”Picking on my brother are we? That, I won't allow! Prepare yourself!” Tien cursed his damned luck while once more assuming a fighting stance, holding the knife in his hand as the second brother grabbed the greataxe strapped to his back. Another curse was uttered as Tien realized he wouldn't be able to block the axe's blade with a knife, the rounded edge would slip off his own blade, even if he managed to catch it somehow. In this case, all he could do was run and try to disarm his opponent before the blade severed his head from his shoulders. Or of course, he could attempt to talk himself out of this. He'd have to be fast though his second foe came charging his way, axe heaved above his head, ready to strike down with immense force. Acting on instinct alone, Tien dove to the left immediately, leading his body in a tight roll as the axe hit the floor with a terrifying sound. Immediately he was on his feet again, backing away hasily. “Hey! Syrus still has need for me! You can't just split me in half! Hey! Are you listening to me? Cutting me up will interfere with his plans!" “Like I care about his plans! He never gave the command not to kill you!” This was quite the predicament Tien was rather tired from his intensive use of his stamina earlier, only adrenaline kept him going. He couldn't block, and there was no opportunity for him to go on the offense. At this point he needed to rely on his defense. All he could do was run, avoid being hit and run. He wouldn't last long without a means to defend himself. A horizontal swing of the axe came his way, aimed for his shoulder. Without thinking about it, he stepped back, and then jumped backwards, body arching downwards he did so. Hands touched down first, functioning as springs to launch him a bit further, where he once again landed on his feet, but with his back against a wall. With cold stone keeping him from backing away further, Tien believed he was perhaps facing the most dire pinch he’d ever experienced without the use of his ki. Whether it mattered what his biggest pinch had been or not, there was one red line he could trace through most his adventures; he had always found some way to make it through. Though, some times had been due to pure luck; the guards willing to overlook his skirmishes because it was the end of their shift, and a helping hand from Goku during his bout with Piccolo's son. Whatever cause he might have or appeared to have. Tien himself had no idea. Not important anyway, he had to find a way to escape this dangerous situation, and the axe of his large opponent. The triclops mind raced, going over solutions and risks, strategies to use and different possibilities of outcomes; everything he could come up with. Most were dismissed; some were too stupid to try and others were too risky. However, there was one thing Tien decided on he could use. Probably. Timing would be rather crucial –or should be to make the plan as effective as possible, but his skill with his knife was not yet very dependable. He could block, he could slice and stab, he could even throw, but everything was really crude and too… inaccurate for something like this. Even when throwing a knife, he wasn’t sure if it would hit, and hitting the correct spot was really important here. Sure, he could cheat a bit and adjust his aim -a bit more to the right perhaps? Or left?- but that meant leaving this up to his ki and he wanted to get through without resorting to that. In the end, Tien decided to take aim of his slowly approaching foe, though only to use his knife as a distraction, instead of hoping it would hit. It could at least buy him some extra time by making the giant flinch… hopefully. Sharp steel was flung as his foe came almost within reach, aimed for the shoulder, but serving more as a distraction than a true attack. To avoid the blade, he stopped his approach momentarily, stepping to the side instead, giving Tien the time to draw close swiftly, into reach of the axe-blade and directly exiting it, too close for the blade of the axe to hit him, though the handle still could not that he feared getting hit by that. Of course, the large brute swung his weapon immediately when he noticed what Tien was plotting, but it was already too late. The wood was stopped by his arm, while the other jabbed with his fingers pressed tightly together in the arm that held the axe. His foe was no slouch in combat however, dropping his weapon and opting for grabbing the triclops with his uninjured arm while he was retracting his arm. A large beefy hand wrapped itself around his throat and lifted him effortlessly up in the air to stare right into him with hellfire blazing eyes of the furious guard. Hands clawed at the vice-like grip, while feet franticly kicked and stomped and Tien even sliced at the man’s arm with his knife, but it did not seem to matter to the bodyguard, who instead raised his other arm to methodically and repeatedly slap him in the face, the corners of the brute's mouth curling up in sadistic pleasure. When Tien's nose started spilling a stream of scarlet liquid, the brute did not stop his assault, slapping only harder, then after a while relocating his punches to his stomach. Of course this new tactic was a lot more effective than slapping Tien in the face, convulsing with each blow he received, pain spreading like wildfire. Each blow weakened him more and more, his struggle decreased in intensity and strength, though the brute's hand did not quite choke him anymore, occupied the giant was with stomping him in the stomach. The savior appeared in a form Tien would have never expected though, and spoke with a voice that he had not expected either. “Stop! I’ve had enough of this ruckus!” The messenger girl's voice boomed, forcing the fist to cease its motion. “Unhand that.” the Brute let go of his throat, the triclops falling to the ground, slowly hauling his body up and rising to his feet once more, wiping some blood from his face with the back of his hand. “I don’t care if you morons want to fight each other for a little while! I don’t care if you end up wounded! However, not today! And not in Dolohov's mansion! He need all of you alive and unscathed, you bunch of idiots!” “But but, he was-“ “I couldn’t care less what he was or was not doing! All I care about is whether this plan is a success or not! You!” She shouted, pointing at the first brother “Go treat your wounds! You!” She screamed at Tien, “Out of my sight! Go to the front door and don't move an inch!” the woman hissed at the second brother, “Clean up this mess.” And with that the annoyed female turned around and headed up into Dolohov's room, slamming his door shut in the process. The brothers shot Tien a dirty glare, one which he returned, and started doing what they were told, the older one supporting the younger as they went off to search for a first aid kit. Tien on the other hand collected his knife with a groan, a hand on his painful stomach and breathing rather heavily. His nose was bleeding, his upper lip also seemed to have been bleeding, and he felt miserable. All in all, it was a pretty failed act of defiance. A blob of saliva was spitted onto the floor as he thought about it, pushing his battered body through the halls and out towards the main doors. He would walk as proudly and as straight as he could manage, as a man who fought and a man who had claimed victory, not as the one who lost. Whatever happened in there did not happen, as far Tien was concerned, the event locked in the vault with bad memories, the vault he would never open deliberately, but where every now and then one escaped from and surfaced to haunt him. Wc: 4,148 Twc: 8,264 |
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4:38 AM Jul 11