|
Post by Sex machine on Jun 22, 2006 13:57:50 GMT -5
The shouts......the pounding of the audience,Zhou Yu could see the light at the end of the tunnel the bright streaks seared into his eyes and brought black spots all around him.He was not known as one of the famed warriors,far from it Zhou Yu the advisor,the tactician Zhou knew if he won he would be Zhou the warrior.
His opponent was a man he had never met,Fa Zheng,a man he held with respect each great minds of their forces,each would fight their all.Each footstep struck loudly onto the marble floor echoing throughout the tunnel,still the crowd could be heard,awaiting the combatants to fight for their enjoyment.As the Wu general burst into the light he lifted a hand to block the sun's blinding rays for a moment all was white,he could fell the ground crushed beneath his feet and the clapping of the crowd.Zhou's eyes adjusted to the light and he looked around,a large circular arena covered in sand with the crowds on elevated platforms screaming for their champions.Wearing thin leather armor with a steel breastplate,gauntlets,kneepads and helm Zhou knew he could only take maybe two strong hits,he would have to use his speed.Placing a hand on each of the katana's on his waist the young man drew in a breath then shut his eys and drew.The air blew coldly at Zhou's face,a relief from the pounding sun,as the katana's sliced the air as they shone in the light with a godlike brilliance as if a flame burned within them,opening his eyes Zhou breathed out,he was ready,now he only needed a target.Fa Zheng.
|
|
Fa Zheng
Captain
Did you know you're on Close-Circuit TV? So smile at me.
Posts: 334
|
Post by Fa Zheng on Jun 23, 2006 6:13:49 GMT -5
It could hardly be described as the start attraction of the dueling tournament, but the crowd didn't seem to care as Fa Zheng stepped out into the racous cheers to see his opponent, and the arena, for the first time. The star-studded rulers and warriors of the land, far more adept and capable with their respective weapons, would undoubtedly prove a greater joy to watch than Fa Zheng and his compatriot, Zhou Yu. Even so, a sizeable crowd had gathered, and their shouts drowned out Zheng's meek entrance into the arena, out into the light, his boots crunching gently against the sand-encrusted marble as he strode. Fa Zheng's entry into the dueling tournament was with but a small, nerve-wracked wave, rather than a great flourish of grandeur- the strategist was certainly not confidence embodied, and his face showed it. He was far from his usual leisurely self, face tightly drawn and set grimly, ready for the task ahead of him- the arena offered no place for forward planning, no desk to sit at and plot the demise of your opponents. The only language that you could speak in the dueling area was that of the blade, and you would live or die by it.
Fa Zheng knew his opponent's name very well, as a strategist of great ability, a man whose name spread around the three kingdoms and struck fear into the hearts of soldiers everywhere. Zhou Yu, the famed strategist of Wu. Stationed initially at Chai Sang, only a stone's throw from his own prefecture, Fa Zheng knew exactly just how dangerous Zhou was with his mind, but was unsure on his capabilities with the blade. He was about to find out. He shook his head slightly, his black hair rippling off his forehead with dexterous ease, and called out to Zhou Yu over the roar of the crowds.
"General Zhou! It is a pleasure. However, as much respect as I have for you, I cannot lose here. Prepare yourself."
That was all he trusted himself to say, as his vocal chords seemed to have temporarily frozen, and so he merely set himself. Fa Zheng's weapons were two beautifully carved twin blades, one in each hand, the long, elegant blade flowing from solid metal hilts. Fa Zheng placed his weight on his back foot, twin blades out in front of him diagonally, awaiting Zhou's attack in a defensive stance. It would undoubtedly prove to be an intruiging match for the crowds, watching two strategists with similar styles and weaponry battling for their very lives. Zheng glanced up at the elevated platforms for a moment, gathering himself mentally, and then looked at Zhou Yu, who was wearing slightly more armour than Zheng. Zheng had but a breastplate and arm guards over his robes, but at least he knew that he would be likely to have the upper hand in terms of agility.
The green tassles at the ends of each hilt blew in the slight breeze, a sign of Zheng's loyalty to the Shu cause. He hoped that it would not end here.
|
|
|
Post by Sex machine on Jun 23, 2006 14:53:51 GMT -5
The meagre entrance of Fa suprised Zhou who had heard the Shu officer was a confident man.Of course Fa Zheng could have been faking it,as a man who had served in diplomatic matters he knew that faking emotion was a useful tactic surely one his foe had mastered.As Zhou thought of each of their cities,Jiang Xia and Chai Sang he remeberd the rivalry between the nearby cities a rivalry that had become another reason for Zhou to win.Inside Yu felt like Zheng looked,fearful,worried and tense however using the same faking of emotions he expected Fa was Zhou's face was a cold,emotionless mask a one way mirror with only Zhou able to see all.
The famous strategist Fa Zheng,known well in his methods to Zhou Yu and a man deserving of respect,the duel would have no hate only a deep respect for Fa Zheng.Reflecting on the battle of the strategists Zhou thought that perhaps the battle of the minds would win the fight not the skill with blades.Zhou Yu of Wu who aided Lord Bofu in unitinf Jiang Dong and Fa Zheng of Shu who'd made a name amongst those such as Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang.Never a man to have belief in that he couldn't see or touch he still prayed to heaven,prayed for victory,for mercy.
The voice of Fa brought Zhou's focus back into reality.Normally a master of words Zhou didn't know what to say his voice crackled akwardly and unsurely.
"General Zheng,it is a pity we have never met before I admire you greatly...............good luck."
The twin blades of each warrior,the agility in their steps,this battle would be of skill,and luck.The twin katanas cut a cool breeze as Zhou loosened his arms a cold rest from the fury that would soon begin.Perhaps there was strategy in dueling,Fa went on the defence forcing Zhou into a position he didn't want to be in,attacking.As he covered the distance between himself and Fa the thin sand cracked under his feet letting the underlayer of marble make itself known.As Zhou approached he pulled his left hand close to his chest,even in offense the young man was defending,placing the weight of his light body on his forward foot,the right,he pushed off letting the right blade cut towards Fa.Meanwhile his left hand was held diagonally across his chest the tip near his right bicep so he could swiftly defend against the possible arm attack.As the right katana soared to Fa's left shoulder Zhou knew the battle had begun.
|
|
Fa Zheng
Captain
Did you know you're on Close-Circuit TV? So smile at me.
Posts: 334
|
Post by Fa Zheng on Jun 25, 2006 19:53:34 GMT -5
And...Zhou Yu marches into the second round. Congrats.
|
|
|
Post by Liu Bei on Jun 25, 2006 20:06:54 GMT -5
Sense no one had truly ok-ed that, then you can technically still post. So, post, why would you want to give up?
|
|
|
Post by General Pang on Jul 4, 2006 17:59:54 GMT -5
I'm filling in for Ryan. I will post soon but give me a bit of time please. Before I went to Europe I hurt my arm and I never really got it fixed. It hurts a lot and I'm having trouble typing this incessantly of late...
|
|
|
Post by General Pang on Jul 5, 2006 14:51:52 GMT -5
Hmm...I think I will underline what my actual actions in red during this duel because that will make the brawl progress faster...
Fa Zheng had kept his composure up till then. But as the blade swung towards him he immediately changed emotions. The Fa Zheng previously in front of Zhou Yu had been calm, collected and defensive, but little did Zhou Yu know that the Fa Zheng who had been staying defensive had also been preparing a little secret weapon.[/color] In any case Zhou Yu would discover that the Fa Zheng that dodged the first attack was a quitedifferent man. He had sweat rolling down his face as he maneuvered. He was super Fa Zheng, a god of battle, one who would stop at nothing to screw up his enemy, to mutilate him and render him unable to win, using any thing at his disposal, but utilizing these tools with utter speed and precision.[/i]
As the sword came to draw blood in Fa Zheng's precious skin, Fa Zheng would stay in battle stance, but simply hop backwards to evade Zhou Yu's slash coming for his right shoulder[/color], watching as the katana flew through the air in front of him, a spectacle to see for all the crowd in the audience, which would no doubt at the time be going ecstatic with clapping, wooing, and all the other retarded half conscientious actions a mob makes when in an excited state. While Zhou Yu was still in slashing motion, Fa Zheng made one more move. He would take the split second that Zhou Yu was temporarily slightly immobile, still finishing his cutting attack, to release a ball of spit that Fa Zheng had been gathering in his mouth. The gross phlegm, germs and so on would be shot and directed at Zhou Yu's face, with Fa Zheng endeavoring to get it in Zhou Yu's eyes.[/color] A nasty blow below the belt was just what Fa Zheng required to get the battle going in full swing. Whether or not Fa Zheng would be successful in contaminating Zhou Yu's precious face was another story, but when he made the move he could only think two things: 1.) That he must stay alert, and 2.) That for a diplomatic advisor and fencer, he could hock a lugi with the best of them...[/i]
The ball of spit might of seemed like a stupid, immature strategem, but it was a special technique that Fa Zheng had employed for a reason. Fa Zheng, like Zhou Yu, knew that there was strategy in a duel, and he understood that Zhou Yu's particularly half-defensive, half-offensive tactics could be countered with a long-ranged attack, something that Fa Zheng, unfortunately, did not have except in the form of a ball of spit.
|
|
|
Post by Sex machine on Jul 5, 2006 15:01:21 GMT -5
(Er....right..well good luck)
Zhou felt the spit splatter into his cheek in a sickening,weak thud.A lone shiver spiralled down the advisors spine,as this happened he rose the hand he'd just attacked and wiped his sleeve over his face and looked down at the......contamination.It was truly a greeny,a cross between spit and flem.Shuddering again the officer of Sun Ce prepared to beat back Fa Zheng.
Returning to his normal pose,his right blade held above his head and curved downwards and his lower weapon curved upwards,creating a pincer able to tear apart any attack and destroy it and the one who had orchestrated it.Although the strategist was puzzled by Fa's attack he made the assumption it was part of a strategy and elected to remain defensive.
The crowd instead of being disgusted had becoming a roaring singular entity of furious noise.They pounded and screamed for blood and death,their barbaric chanting made the floor vibrate.Zhou grinned he knew they would get the show they desired.
(Not very good but I'll improve.)
|
|
|
Post by General Pang on Jul 5, 2006 15:48:54 GMT -5
(Ack sorry for taking so long. My mom and dad just came home with subway sandwiches and I had a long debate about socialism, dictatorship and Mao Zedong/Chiang Kai Shek...)
But Fa Zheng was quite aware of what Zhou Yu was trying to do, for Fa Zheng had wanted to do the same thing (I actually did want to do something similar lol...). Zhou Yu had simply analyzed the situation cleverly and taken Fa Zheng's tactic before Fa Zheng could do anything to get into that stance. Fa Zheng had a counter-attack planned though. As the sun beat down on his head, as the ground trembled below the two warriors, as the stadiums went wild, Fa Zheng kept his intense focus and formulated ploys within his head in second.
And so when Zhou Yu had made his move, Fa Zheng had immediately acted to counter his rival's strategy. Zhou Yu's 'scissor' ploy only would work if Fa Zheng struck from the front, but the wily Shu strategist had something else planned. He simply spit in Zhou Yu's face again to distract him, and then he quickly leapt to the side of Zhou Yu and swung with slick speed his right sword horizontally, hoping to hit Zhou Yu in the back where he was undefended. In this position Fa Zheng had his back to the audience, and his side and front were protected well by the other sword which he gripped firmly in defense. He would strike Zhou Yu while keeping himself perfectly safe, as Zhou Yu had just failed to do by holding his swords in a position only aptly capable of defending from the front.[/u][/color]
|
|
|
Post by Sex machine on Jul 6, 2006 11:22:39 GMT -5
(I'm sure that was fun?)
Zhou Yu was keeping on the defence,obviously the spit had no offensive advantage and was quite probably a distraction.By the time the globe of spit struck the chest of the Wu officer Zhou had shifted his pose each arm bent slightly and held above his head,blades pointing behind him.Zhou was right,he saw Fa moving and aiming for his back,turning his hips slightly he exposed more of his back,more of a enticement to his enemy.
With his left blade he stabbed it down,the tip almost touching the bottom of his spine.A dull clang signalled Zhou had defended well and was still alive.A quick look was all Zhou took at his foe,he had little time to formulate his plan and had to count on his instincts.Rather than swinging across with his right for Fa's chest he reversed his grip on the katana with a defet twist of his wrist.All the while he kept the left blade against Fa's and very slowly scraped the wepon down Fa's aiming for his hand.But this was only a distraction,with the free weapon he swung around pressing his body closer to Fa's trying to shield the advance of his weapon.Like a snake he attacked his arm hurtling the blade towards the small of Fa's back.
(No sure if i got the point of this across really but I'm brain dead and probably not making sense.If you have any questions PM me)
|
|
|
Post by General Pang on Jul 6, 2006 12:43:09 GMT -5
(Wow, confusingness. I'm not even sure exactly what you did but I'll try to counter it lol)
Fa Zheng was surprised to see Zhou Yu counter his previous move so agily. But when he saw Zhou Yu only very slowly attempting to take blood from his hand in their brief weapons deadlock, Zheng knew immediately that the Wu commander had been toying with him, attempting to distract him while he made his next move. Fa Zheng, however, was known to be a quick learner in his home provinces. Like Zhou Yu, he had left his back slightly open to attack for a short while, but like Zhou Yu he had slowly moved his defensive blade in back of him, to guard against the assault that Zhou Yu was inevitably to attempt on his undefended spine. [/color]
So when Zhou Yu struck, Fa Zheng made two quick maneuvers, both of which he initiated to stop himself from being struck. With his defensive blade in back of him, he clanked his sword with Zhou Yu's, stopping it from hitting his back or flank, and with the might of a Riverlander, he pushed against Zhou Yu's weapon to stop it from reaching his rear[/color]. With his offensive sword deadlocked with Zhou Yu's though, he knew that he would need to move his hand quickly, to avoid the slow hit that Zhou Yu had endeavored to make as a distraction. In this case, Fa Zheng evaded the cut by, moving his hand to the right, the side that Zhou Yu wasn't on, while all the while he kept his long sword deadlocked with Zhou Yu's.[/color] At this point Fa Zheng realized that with both their swords clashed in the way they were and with both of the combatants so close together, he would not be able to make an offensive move with his weapons; instead he would need to struggle with Zhou Yu's iron grip and win both deadlocks while keeping himself flexible to the idea that his opponent might change his strategy at any moment.
As Fa Zheng kept his arms steady though, engaged with Zhou Yu, he figured that he could make one attack on his enemy, who was on his left side and very close to him. Fa Zheng, in this case, decided to hit Zhou Yu with his head, his skull having been said to be one of the hardest of the Shu kingdom, an excellent shell to protect Fa Zheng's immense brain. With his head he hit Zhou Yu's own cranium, wishing that the attack would push Zhou Yu to the far left and out of the deadlock, though at the same time this would then leave Fa Zheng open to a vicious scissors pincer...[/color]
Edit-Just seperated the last paragraph into two. :/
|
|
|
Post by Sex machine on Jul 6, 2006 14:20:22 GMT -5
(Yeah I think you understood it better than i did ) As Fa's head came forwards Zhou could have laughed,however he knew speed was the key and lowered his head offering only the metal of his helm for Fa to strike.Although it was not a decisive blow the inevitable striking of skull on helm would shake Zheng and Zhou intended to use that to his advantage.
In the instance he lowered his head he also allowed his back foot,to move backwards slightly and bend his knee.As Fa's head came forwards the Wu officer tensed his rear leg and in the exact instant his helm struck he pushed up from his leg,the force shooting through his young limbs,using the additional strength to throw off Fa's weapons and knock them high.Assuming Fa found no way to stop this ending of the deadlock Zhou would hold his left blade high to tryand defend against any attack from the probably off-balance Zheng and keeping his right weapon at waist level aim to stab Fa in the chest and impale him on the weapon.
Although this effective onslaught was dependant on the fact that Zhou ends the deadlock Zhou was sure it was impossible to stop and only the next defense his rival constructed could prevent Fa's death.
|
|
|
Post by General Pang on Jul 6, 2006 17:18:19 GMT -5
But Fa Zheng knew he was no match in strength for Zhou Yu. He had held his own against the Wubie for only a short period of time before he came to the conclusion that wasting energy in the deadlock between the two would be pointless; Fa Zheng did not have enough adrenaline pumping at the moment to avoid losing stamina in such a gamble. Moreover he felt at that given minute a surge of energy that made him want to move around rather than staying still and in an intense deadlock struggle. At the same time, as Fa Zheng looked to the side while his head was moving to ram Zhou Yu's at a moderate speed, Fa Zheng immediately recognized that he would crash into Zhou Yu's helmet. His head, though hard, would give him immense pain if he banged it on a nearly impregnable metal surface. So Fa Zheng really had to act fast and as soon as possible. If he didn't, he would lose his balance and soon after have a large, disgusting, bleeding hole in his stomach from Zhou Yu's godly fencing.
In the end Fa Zheng ended up doing multiple things at once, again. With his focus still kept on Zhou Yu's helmet, while his excellent periforal vision gave him a view of his and Zhou Yu's blades (or at least Zhou Yu's and Fa Zheng's blades in front of him), Fa Zheng recoiled his neck and head quickly. At the exact same time, he lifted his swords up when Zhou Yu did[/color], thus relieving himself of the pressure on his arms during the same second that his precious skull ducked out from being hit by Zhou Yu's headgear. In his current position, Fa Zheng felt exposed, so since his swords went up faster through the air than Zhou Yu's did, Fa Zheng took the split second he had before Zhou Yu's weapons reached torso level to then jump to the right, where Zhou Yu currently wasn't standing (for Zhou Yu had been on his left, close to him and assaulting from behind and from the front).[/color]
As Fa Zheng did this, he also turned slightly so that he was facing Zhou Yu[/color], thus allowing him to use his direct range of sight to spot his rival's next move. The whole movement looked as if Zhou Yu had thrown Fa Zheng to the right with powerful might. To the audience it must have appeared both comical and entertaining, for Fa Zheng could have sworn he heard roaring and laughing, though the heat of battle might have just been driving him crazy. In any case, Fa Zheng had little time to reflect on these thoughts, for soon after he had leapt back and turned to face Zhou Yu, another sword thrust came zooming at him. Distracted slightly, Fa Zheng barely dodged the movement to impale him, though he managed to crawl out of the jaws of certain death by ducking quickly with his swords at his side, one of them still being held horizontally in the position it was in from his and Zhou Yu's deadlock. [/u]
The weapon of Zhou Yu's soared through the air, coming so close to hitting Fa Zheng that the bottom of it was in fact touching the highest and longest hair on Fa Zheng's great head, a "cowlick" that always tended to stand up when Fa Zheng was excited. Refusing to stop and pant for even half-a-second, Fa Zheng immediately executed a move to confound his opponent: He took the saber that he had been using thus far for offense, the one that he had held horizontally in deadlock against Zhou Yu's sword and used it for defense, moving it up, forward and slightly to the left to try to lift up the weapon that was hovering above his head, the weapon that had sought to impale him just a second before and could still give Fa Zheng a good bonking or, worse yet, be turned slightly and used to give Fa Zheng a painful labotomy...
Meanwhile he exploited again a weak point of Zhou Yu's defense, for Zhou Yu's blade was hung high in the sky and probably could not counter a low-blow. Because Fa Zhang was in a crouched position, Fa Zheng was able to quickly take the sword that he had normally used for defense thus far, the one in his left hand, and swung it at Zhou Yu's feet, hoping to cut them off in one slick slice (no pun intended). And in this duel, in this test of wits, strength, speed, precision, skill and wise attacking, counter-attacking and so forth, Fa Zheng said nothing, realizing that anything he yelled would be drowned out by the shouting of the crowd. Instead he merely whispered "to your right," hoping that Zhou Yu could lipread and could be easily fooled, which would cause the combatant to be baffled into thinking that the sword Fa Zheng was using for defending was suddenly striking...
|
|
|
Post by Sex machine on Jul 7, 2006 14:17:29 GMT -5
Zhou had been suprised about how easily he'd forced Fa backwards,he'd almost considered opening up a complete onslaught to destroy his foe but quietened any thought when Fa began his complex movements to prevent death and strike back at Zhou.But of course Zhou wasn't foolish enough to simply watch as Fa wormed his way out of the attack with a carefully constructed arrangement of motions.
While Fa was about to dive to Zhou's left,the advisor noticed the subtle,uncontrolable movements that a body gave off and seeing his stab wouldn't strike swung across his own body with his higher,left hand body and at the same time took a step,his attack was aimed and timed all but perfectly,it would strike Fa,under his right arm and finish near his belly button.In a simultaenious motion Zhou changed the ultimately wasteful assualt with a stab and hurtled his blade upwards,held horizontally his blade would collide with Fa's although this deadlock held little chance for Zhou to suceed he only needed time for his attack with the right to strike Fa.
Zhou was a thoughtful man but today had put more energy into quick thoughts and relied upon instince whereas Fa was creating a huge number of movements and agile dodges,but ultiamtely in the fire of the melee there was only the moment,no time to plan out careful strategies.Yu may have been going against what he was famed for,his brain and devilish mind but was playing with a strength Fa didn't hold,instinct.
The crowd had now become a single entity to Zhou,not a beast with arms or legs but some great pulsing mass of energy that screamed out pure noise and cared only for the scent of blood.
|
|
|
Post by General Pang on Jul 7, 2006 16:00:07 GMT -5
It was true that Fa Zheng had little time to think, little time to slip past the strikes that Zhou Yu so precisely tried to land on him, and it was also true that Fa Zheng didn't have instinct. But this meant that Fa Zheng did not have either good or bad instinct; he was not relying on simple luck based on wild intuition to escape Zhou Yu's thrusts. It was skill and knowledge of the human mind that would drive Fa Zheng forward into the next round or, perhaps if he was unlucky, leave him to be a shamed, humiliated loser in the arena.
So as Zhou Yu made his move, Fa Zheng was prepared, not simply left to use guesswork to decide how to counter the untamed swordplay of his rival. Zhou Yu had struck out with the sword about to stab him, but he had made a vital mistake: he had attacked where Fa Zheng was putting up a defense, attempting to pass his sword through Fa Zheng's right armpit and hit Fa Zheng's exposed belly, but doing so on the right side where Fa Zheng held his weapon horizontally. This gave Fa Zheng the opportunity to knock it away easily by simply turning his hand and thus causing his blade to go from being held horizontally facing the left to facing horizontally facing the right and hitting Zhou Yu's sword downwards and away from Fa Zheng's skin, which is what Fa Zheng in fact did.[/color]
While this happened, Fa Zheng realized that Zhou Yu had, at the moment both arms occupied. One of Zhou Yu's swords had just been pushed back and the other was in a deadlock with Fa Zheng's own weapon. So without faltering and going off balance, Fa Zheng attempted to trip up Zhou Yu by moving his foot in the same motion that he had moved his sword in.[/color] He would hope that this would either get Zhou Yu to dodge to his back, left or right and get his blades out of the way or that Zhou Yu would attempt to slice at Fa Zheng's foot, as this would allow Fa Zheng, with nifty swordsmanship, to counter with his own weapons. If Zhou Yu did nothing though, he would be on the ground and vulnerable, and if Zhou Yu tried to jump then Fa Zheng could suddenly move his foot up to kick Zhou Yu in the nuts or use one of his swords to impale one of Zhou Yu's balls on his blade.
|
|