[Training] [SE] Games To Play In The Dark

”Tis only fair!” Kel shot back with a grin. ”But the first of my vengeance…s.” Not the most confident ending, but he faced his friend with a cocky grin after his first shot went home. One arm down, one to go! And two legs. And a heart! Maybe not in that order though; he was less confident now, but only by a little bit.

He’d practiced fighting with both hands behind his back, after all.

Unfortunately that experience didn’t save him, as Rance stepped in with an attack that Kel saw coming a mile away, but in his eagerness to block it with his own stick he only managed to bend the green fibers, the raven’s ‘blade’ tagging his thigh. The windborn cried out in mock pain and stumbled dramatically, attempting to whack his sword at the other man’s wrist. ”Ah! Tis only a flesh wound!”

The thin sticks were no real protection against each other, Kel's stick bending to Rance's as the latter's proved stiffer. The reaction he got was very satisfactory, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "A perfect strike!" When, really, he'd barely tapped the man.

Triumph was short lived, however, as Kel lashed out. Unlike Rance's strike, a much thicker part of the stick struck his wrist, stinging enough that Rance felt the tingle through his fingers. "Fuck!" was shocked out of him, though there was still laughter behind the word. "Damn you again, you've cut off my hand!" And with that, he tucked his other arm behind him.

"You haven't beat me, yet!" He swept out a leg, intending to hook Kel behind the knee.

In spite of his aim he hadn’t expected to really hit Rance. He’d thought his friend would manage to dodge or pull away in time, and he drew in a sharp breath at the unexpectedly solid strike. Before he could apologize, though, he realized that Rance was laughing still, and a grin spread across his own face once more as his opponent was ‘disarmed.’

”Do you yie—Hey!” He should have known that Rance would never give up, but he was still caught off guard when, weaponless, Rance lashed out with a deft foot to catch his knee and pull him completely off balance. Kel went down like a tree to an ax, his leg collapsing under him and a look of undignified shock on his face as he hit the ground hard. He couldn’t yelp with the wind knocked out of him, but he could feebly swat at Rance’s ankle in return with the ‘sword’ he had somehow managed to hold on to.

Rance crowed his defiance and lashed out with a kick fast, before Kel could anticipate his attack. He hadn't expected to be quite so successful, but expectation or not he hooked Kel and pulled him down. With how hard Kel landed, he might have gone down to check on him. Indeed, his hand had begun to move from his waist. Of course, even breathless, Kel was still quick. His weapon struck Rance's ankle with a sure blow.

"Ah, I am hit!" He collapsed again to the ground, a mostly controlled fall to his ass. "You haven't won yet!" And he kicked out with the 'uninjured' foot in a rather clumsy attack to one of Kel's legs. With no sword, though, he wouldn't be 'cutting off' any more limbs.

The first thing Kel did when he got his breath back was wheeze a croaking laugh at his friend’s overacting. ”That’s three down!” he crowed. The other man wasn’t done yet, though, and the wind spirit’s son was forced to roll away from the kick, just barely dodging the unexpected blow. He pushed himself onto his knees at the end of the roll and hobbled closer, his previously ‘wounded’ leg dragging comically behind him. ”But I am a generous Prince. I’ll put you out of your misery without making you suffer more!”

With that, speaking through his laughter, he flailed his stick gently towards Rance’s unprotected belly, trying to avoid his kicking leg in his final strike on the grievously injured triple-amputee but only succeeding in tickling Rance's shirt due to his instability and laugh-shaken grip.

In all the fun he’d quite forgotten about LongNight and the darkness around them, focused only on Rance’s smile and the warmth that seemed to wrap around him like a comforting blanket when they were together.

Kel may not have gotten in a solid hit, but Rance reacted as if he had, rolling to the side with the 'blow' "Oh, I am gutted! An end to my life and my honor!" unwrapping his arms from behind him, he clutched at his stomach and rolled backwards, legs coming out from beneath him so that he could rest his feet flat, knees still bent. "I'm done! I am slain." And with that he closed his eyes and feigned death...

...Though only for a second, before his eyes popped open again and he gave Kel a wink. Kel might have won the 'duel' but there was no losing in a game where they made each other smile. The Longnight was far from over and they'd make the most of it together, with stories, games, and the comfort of each other's presence.

~fin~