| Virrilis rested heavily against one of the derelict buildings that arched around the alley as if they were mighty canyons. Dark windows, some boarded up, leared out towards him, shrouding any would be assailant inside them with near perfection. At least in the City of Theives. His hands rested wearily on the twin blades at his hip, one the scimitar he used to battle Lazal, the other a dirk he had replaced his missing scimitar with. Over the months, he come to appreciate the lesser weight of the new found weapon, and remained just as deadly with it, as with his previous, longer curved blade. He waited patiently. He had come to the alley alone, against the wishes of both Ferchen and Rail. The mystery of a letter was too much for him to pass up, especially when it was signed "Your Better Half...". It was Sethin. He knew it. He kept his eyes panning from one side of the alley to the other, watchful of any movement, of any sound. It had been close to an hour, with nothing to show for it.
Virrilis shuffled impatiently. After only a moment longer, he pushed himself from the building, and turned towards the path that would take him out of the winding maze of Calminshan buildings. Maybe it was a mistake.
"I would have figured you to be a more patient type..." a cool voice said, almost mockingly, from behind and above.
Virrilis stopped, spinning wildly in his tracks, the loose sand creating a small mound around his leather boots. In the same motion, both blades were drawn, the scimitar beared across his frame, and the dirk held with the blade paralell to his forearm. His gaze went up slowly to meet that of the other elf sitting on a wooden beam across the alley no more than fifteen feet above him.
"You look upset..." Sethin ****ed his head a bit, his long hair shifting slightly with the movement. After a second, the mimic dropped from the ledge, his hair creating a cascading trail as he fell.
Virrilis noted the extreme change in Sethin's appearance. The double had grown his hair to such a length, it was a wonder he would not trip over it during combat. Sethin strode towards Virrilis, his own weapons remaining confidently placed in their sheathes.
"Come now. You can't think of anything to say to me... Afterall we've been through..." Sethin grinned a ****y grin.
"I've come to finish our business!" Virrilis then charged forward, his blades already forming a wave of motion.
In a brief flash of light, Sethin's own blades, a finely forged Katana and matching wakizashi was drawn, and firmly placed in the path of Virrilis' weapons. In the following seconds, the alley became lightened with the sparks of metal colliding, the blades shreikingly protesting every thrust, every parry. The two elves seemed to flow as one, each blade turning aside the others attack. The acrobatic talent mixed with the intensity of the battle did little to take away from the ferocity of each attack.
Virrilis kicked out to the side, sending his dirk in a wide arc in front of him, only to be countered by Sethin's Wakizashi. The double spun with the same motion, sending his other blade out to combat his original. As his katana met only the ringing sound of Virrilis' scimitar, a twisted smile appeared on his face, and he brought the wakizashi in to lock the blade together. Once done, he leaned in close to Virrilis.
"Do you not miss the challenge? The thirll of combating your complete equal!" Sethin mocked the Bladesinger.
Virrilis heaved the clone away from him, sending a wave of sparks from the blades. He watched Sethin for a moment, standing, poised to defend another onslaught of attacks, his own blades positionged in the same manner.
"How many more souls did you take to carve out your empire in the desert?" Virrilis almost hissed the words as he spoke, his bitter hatred of all Sethin stood for seeping through his teeth.
"My empire?" Sethin almost laughed, his now incredulous appearance setting Virrilis off slightly with uncertainty. "This is hardly my empire, Bladesinger. What I have done, I have done for the Pasha."
"That does not excuse what you have taken from me, and countless others..." Virrilis shuffled slightly, angling himself for another attack.
"Nor does it excuse what he has now done to me!" Sethin dropped his blades to his side, and Virrilis stopped in his tracks...  |