Tilting The Scales [End]

[Kilik]

Careful.." he cautioned in a low voice, his tone tinged with coy concern. "Underestimating your opponents can be a costly mistake. Each of these recruits was handpicked as the most prodigious prospects Bhalia's tribes have to offer." His eyes swept across the multicolored sea of hardened expressions, their depths reflecting the weight of his words.

He should have led with this advice to the others. Though none of them spoke it just yet, their indignation was ripe; Kilik could feel the scoffing machination of the group. Interpreting the vibes of a room was easy for her as breathing, and with the way these bloodthirsty louts wore their ambitions on their sleeves, she could tell they all saw little merit to her being here. Kilik did not doubt the prowess of B'halian soldiers; however, just like she did not know what they were capable of, they had an iota of what she was capable of, especially should she take this "exercise" seriously.

Another Joro stepped forward, dwarfing her in stature. His presence immediately intimated most of them. Despite being significantly smaller than most, if not all, of the people here, she was not moving an inch. Taking him down might break the morale of some of the others. She was sure, even out of the 200 here, that she was a prime target...good, the more, the fucking merrier.

"Prepare yourself, Kilik. In the next two minutes, these training grounds will become a cesspool of weakness. There are more than two hundred applicants, but we only have space for a dozen recruits." His smile held a mixture of confidence and detachment as he headed toward the door of the main fortress. "I trust in your skills enough to not bid you farewell, but I care too little about you to wish you good luck. If you are weak, you will die. If not, then you will understand.." he said, leaving Kilik to meditate on his words and cultivate her mind for warfare.

She was sure they all had their reasons for being here and for wanting to become part of B'halia's elite. She knew many, if not all, of them, were raised on this very soil and suffered through ordeal after ordeal training for this day. She could respect their tenacity and, even more so, their ambition. But the double-edged sword of their secular experience did not know that Kilik, too, had been trained as a warrior since birth hundreds of leagues below sea level under pressure that made her a different breed entirely. She felt light as air on the surface, yet grounded, rooted even in her stance. Besides this, she had the ancient teaching of her master, the Blade Dancer herself, to lean upon. In short, they would also do well to take their leader's advice; underestimating her meant death. By the time he returned, she would be counted among the twelve.

"At first, I was going to hold back...but now..."

She thought to herself as Delion spoke his final words before leaving. Initially, she had sought to retrain herself as much as possible for fear that her blood might grow too excited, beyond her control. However, she remembered the year she spent with Eralia, the knowledge and discipline that came with mastering Noa Banyu's art—the Yuzurenai Nami's creation and the adoption of Kira. Everything had led to this moment. She had completed step one and was getting here. Step two ensured everyone, including herself, knew she was here to stay.

"That is a luxury I cannot afford"

She was here to test her limits and to push beyond them. She could feel their intentions; they did not mean to let her leave this battle alive. Holding back could cost her life and ruin her chances of fulfilling her destiny. So, she kept her stance firm, her naten flowing and solidifying her. There had never been an Atlantean to touch the land of B'halia before her, and after today, they would see firsthand the intensity of the sea incarnate through her. She did not move, her eyes staying trained on the one who came before her...this Qualen. Like a tiger with veal in its sights...

[The Bhalian Empire]

As the resounding signal pierced the air and the cannons thundered, the once tranquil training grounds of the B'halian Military Base transformed into a symphony of chaos and conflict. From every corner of the realm, warriors surged forward with a fierce determination, their weapons gleaming under the brilliant sunlight as they engaged in a relentless ballet of steel and passion. Amidst this tumultuous clash, arcane energies crackled and danced, weaving intricate webs of destruction that left their adversaries staggering in disbelief.

The battlefield unfolded before their eyes like a masterful tapestry of war, each thread woven with the blood and sweat of countless combatants. Shouts of defiance echoed across the expanse, mingling with the metallic clangor of blades meeting in deadly embrace. Yet, amidst this whirlwind of violence, the stoic diamond-embedded walls bore witness, silent sentinels to the ferocious struggle unfolding within their shadowy embrace.

At the heart of the chaos stood the main fortress, a formidable bastion of gold and steel, its towering presence a testament to the indomitable spirit of the Bhalian Empire. From its lofty heights, commanders surveyed the battlefield with unwavering authority, among them Delion, his keen gaze darting from one skirmish to the next as he evaluated the prowess of each combatant with a critical eye. Here, alliances were forged and shattered in the crucible of battle, as warriors fought not only for survival but for the honor and glory of their tribes.

Yet, amidst the throng of warriors, a towering figure emerged, a colossus wreathed in shadow and clad in cobalt flesh. Qalen, his every movement a symphony of lethal intent, charged into battle with a roar that shook the very earth beneath their feet. His hands, dripping with the blood of his enemies, became instruments of destruction, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.

As the battle raged on, Qalen's prowess became the subject of awe and fear alike. With each opponent he vanquished, his legend grew, his name whispered in hushed tones of reverence and dread. He fought with the relentless fury of a maddened demon, his every strike a testament to the unyielding spirit of the Joro Tribe. Only a couple of minutes had passed, but Delion watched the young berserker run his glowing fists through a torrent of bodies without taking a second to breathe. Yet, even as Qalen carved his path through the enemy ranks, other warriors too sought to make their mark upon the field of battle, their names destined to be etched in the annals of history alongside his own. Delion averted his gaze from the cobalt behemoth, satisfied by performance. He wanted to see what else these new prospects sought to offer the Empire. Kilik in particular.. if she was still alive that is.

[Kilik]

Finally, it had begun. It was the longest two minutes of her damn life, but it was not spent in vain. The entire time, Kilik did not break her stance; she was grounded deeply rooted in her stance, reciting the mantra of her people inside her mind. Her naten was like a calm sea beneath a clear blue sky, but the moment the alarms went off, signifying the beginning of the fray, it erupted in a volatile maelstrom of utter catastrophe. Her scale shimmered as she concentrated her naten in her hands. Qualen, from the jump, began slaughtering the others in mass; he held nothing back, unleashing the total merciless terror of his battle prowess upon them. It was most impressive. The release of her pressure intimated some, causing them to hesitate. Save for one fool brave enough to accost her with a great sword. He was a bodacious fellow not too much smaller than Qualen. He struck at her with an overhead slash of his mighty blade, bringing down enough force to cleave the young sedra in twain. His arrogance would be his downfall. For this entire time, Kilik had been sizing up all the targets closest to her, ascertaining every little detail she could; this brute, though powerful, was not nearly as speedy as she was. Her scales clad her hands, and she deflected the first with what seemed like a lack of effort, using his burtish force against him, causing his massive form to strike at the ground beside her.

He boasted impressive reflexes and superior control over his weight; however, he brought it back up and unleashed a barrage of attacks with a speed that she almost found impressive. Each blow carried enough power to crack the earth beneath them, but yet she casually, if not graceful, deflected each one a total of 15 rapid, mighty blows.

CLINK CLANK CLINK

The sound of the steel echoing at it recoiled off her called hands, the weight of each massive blow cleaving the air around them with deadly force, slicing at those unfortunate to be too close to the exchange.

"Not bad..."

She said softly. However, her fighting style was perfect for these matches; with her otherworldly reflexes and the incredible durability of her draconic scales, anything short of Diamond made it quite tricky to land a decisive blow. Zorasu was a fighting style rooted in using an opponent's force against them. With the fantastic amount of power his strike held, each becoming stronger than the last when the final blow of his flurry came about, using his momentum and force and her reflexes to her advantage with an impressive, almost mystifying display of speed, she penetrated his personal space grabbing hold of his sword arm in a fluid motion flipped the giant barbarian on his shit crashing him into the earth below with his and her own naten enhanced strength creating a crater beneath them double the span of the ones his earlier flurry of attacks made.

"But not enough..."

With another motion and with a severing intent, she used her vehemence to tear the arm that held his weapon off his body his howl of agony brought a brief halt to the carnage around them and once more their eyes were on her. She returned to her stance, dropping his arm as he bled out. His splattered fluid dotted her face. The warmth of the warrior life force narrowed her eyes like a blade poised to strike. Her taunting earlier and this display sent the rest of them into a frenzy. Thinking it would tighten their chances if they approached her all at once.

How wrong they were.

A group of them rushed her at once, by her count, 10 of them. All with rather impressive speed and interesting fighting forms swarmed her viciously. With a calming exhale, she retaliated unleashing a torrent of combos that involved deflecting, redirecting and bone crushing counter acts incapacitating the lot of them targeting as many vital spots as she could. She is still no worse for wear. Her adrenaline is pumping. They were gifted, experiencing more than just a couple of close calls in their exchange of blows. One even managed to knick her cheek with the tip of his blade, to which she maliciously responded by taking her claws across his face, lacerating it, relieving him of his vision. A brief respite saw the cut heal in a matter of seconds—a trait of the Nissago who boast regenerative abilities through the invigoration of their cells.

It seems Delion was correct. Undesetemating B'halian soldier would cost her dearly. Nearly paying the price of doing so with her eye.

"Very well then..."

She said as she stood in her stance, this time the glint in her meant business.

"I better start taking this more seriously"

[The Bhalian Empire]

From the commanding vantage point of the main fortress, Delion's sharp eyes scanned the battlefield below, and were instantly drawn to the elegant silhouette of Kilik amid the tumult of war. Observing her movements with a discerning eye, he couldn't help but marvel at the grace and precision with which she dispatched her adversaries.

"..tougher than she looks." he murmured to himself, his voice barely audible above the din of battle. With each lightning-fast strike, Kilik showcased a mastery of combat that left Delion intrigued. He was unfamiliar with the Zorasu fighting style, but her fluid movements and powerful counter attacks proved it to be a formidable asset on the battlefield.

"Considerable reflexes." Delion continued, his admiration evident in his tone as Kilik faced down wave after wave of adversaries. Her strategic acumen was evident in every calculated move. There were no wasted movements. Barbarism, mingled with the practiced elegance of martial arts. Even with the odds stacked against her, she remained unyielding.

"An impressive display, no?" Delion remarked, a hint of pride creeping into his voice as he conversed with his peers. He was surrounded by a party of other high-ranking officers, many of them Joro, but not all of them. Such as the robed avian elf that responded to him, who met Delion's enthusiasm with cautious optimism. “Yes.. it seems you may have stumbled upon something promising, Delion.” Conceded the Cyr, noble. Echoing the sentiment of their colleagues. “But do try to reserve your biases until the end. No point in drawing up favorites just yet.” The Cyr noble countered with a smile. But all eyes within the main fortress were already polarized toward Kilik as she continued to carve a path of destruction through the enemy ranks. Delion knew that her performance would be remembered long after the dust had settled, but only if she could maintain this extraordinary pace. For in the crucible of war, it was warriors like Kilik who would ultimately determine the fate of the realm. But she was not the only promising prospect.

It was then that the room was suffocated into a tantalizing hush when it became clear that Qalen and Kilik were on a collision course with each other– neither of them showing signs of pause or fatigue. Between the two of them, nearly half of the combatants would meet their demise. And with a clearer view of the war zone, Qalen was able to lock eyes with his primary target. Even if they were more than a few dozen yards away from each other. But Kilik wouldn't have the opportunity to clash with her rival just yet.. Because before she could truly focus on Qalen's menacing gaze, a flaming ax larger than her entire body was screaming through the blood scented air in efforts to split her from her crown to her toes. It's wielder, a 7’ tall Vulqin– equipped with plates of armor around his extremities and skull themed mask protecting his face. His raw strength alone splintered the battlefield with thousands of crawling cracks and tremors.

[Kilik]

She was ravenous on the battle. Like a torrential blight she tore through their numbers with the force of a living wave. Never truly taking her eyes off her true prize, Qualen. He was simply marvelous in battle the ferocity he displayed as he blistered through the others well, she would be lying if she did not concede to impressiveness. Like a whirlwind of devastation they cleaved through half the combatants almost if they were in some waltz of carnage. Just as it seemed like they would finally be able to indulge one another...

But Kilik wouldn't have the opportunity to clash with her rival just yet.. Because before she could truly focus on Qalen's menacing gaze, a flaming ax larger than her entire body was screaming through the blood scented air in efforts to split her from her crown to her toes. It's wielder, a 7’ tall Vulqin– equipped with plates of armor around his extremities and skull themed mask protecting his face. His raw strength alone splintered the battlefield with thousands of crawling cracks and tremors.

"!!!"

Before she even felt the heat of his axe her scale tingled with the vehemence that fueled his swing. She sheer speed and power of this warrior's strike was nothing to scoff at, with the slightest window of opportunity she focused her strength in he legs evasively backflipping with the very tip of the axe painfully scrapping the surface of her scales the heat searing them she winced but it did not detour her from paying him back in kind. As she moved backwards formed two Kira, special hand signs that allowed her to compress the power of her wyrmspeech, an ancient form of invocation that would see her mouth swell with magically conjured water. In the pique of her maneuver she released the spell.

"Noa Sozu Caar!"

Sozu meaning "Creation" allowed Kilik to create water when none was present at the cost of using extra naten to do so. Caar, wyrmspeech for "Shape" allowed her to give form to water under her control. From her mouth she fired a beam of exceedingly compressed water that she aimed to split him in half from his groin to his crown with surgeon like precision.

[The Bhalian Empire]

Kilik's impressive exhibit of skill and ability had done more than garner the attention of her superiors, it had put a target on her back among her peers. People were actively avoiding her warpath as a means to prolonge their survival, but others were attracted to the challenge she posed as competition. Such as the Vulqin standing before her, and his alliance of equally deadly tribesmen flanking her position.

"Noa Sozu Caar!"

Sozu meaning "Creation" allowed Kilik to create water when none was present at the cost of using extra naten to do so. Caar, wyrmspeech for "Shape" allowed her to give form to water under her control. From her mouth she fired a beam of exceedingly compressed water that she aimed to split him in half from his groin to his crown with surgeon like precision.

The Vulqin elf anticipated a swift counter attack after he missed his dainty target. He was nearly four twice her size in height and hundreds of pounds thicker than she was. She was less than intimidating.. until she fired that laser like blast of compressed water. The Vulqin elf instinctively extended its massive palm in an attempt to intercept Kilik's attack with the strength of its hide, but the super compressed stream of water sliced directly through his arm and up to his shoulder. His agony exploded along the sweltering sands of the battlefield. He was dismembered, but alive.. and now his flesh was surrounded In an aura fire molten fire.

The second after Kilik fired her arbiter and dismembered their leader, a gang Vulkqin Salamander elvs lurched from her blindside and took hold of each of individual limbs. There were four of them in total, and each of them intended to hold her down with their massive strength while their leader-- the Vulqin elf with enormous flaming ax, sought to slice Kilik's body in twine once again. Her executioner only had one arm now after suffering from her deadly attack, but he intended to pay Kilik back athousand fold.

The strength of his swing nearly brought the entire battle if recruits to a close. Aside from their ability to manipulate fire, the Vulqin Salamndes were known for their incredibly unstable and volatile attitude problems. But because their emotional state was directly linked to the potency of their flames, their cultured romanticized aggression. They were always angry as a means to remains forever ready in combat.

Today, the swing of that dismembered warrior generated a deadly firestorm upon impact with its target. Whether the epicenter be Kilik's restrained body, or the ground beneath them made no difference. He intended to cut her and the entire battlefield in half behind the explosive strength of his weapon. The bodies of weaker recruits were sent flailing helplessly through the sundering air, and anyone not accustomed to smouldering conditions of the volcanic plaines would begin to experience some.. discomfort. Molten geysers of naten erupted from the yawning cracks within the surface of the ground. From the perspective of Delion, a large portion of the battlefield was enveloped within a flash of burning orange and red. From what he could tell, less than a quarter of the combatants could have survived such a deadly attack. Which only meant that the weak were probably weeded out from the rest.

[Kilik]

"Tch"

She was disappointed that her attack did not hit its mark as she wished. Not only this, but she found herself accosted by a group of elves who were aiming to pin her down for a strike of untold destructive force—a tactic that might've worked if others had not already tried and failed. They sought to take advantage of her blind spot.

What kind of amateur did they take her for?

But because their emotional state was directly linked to the potency of their flames, their cultured romanticized aggression. They were always angry as a means to remains forever ready in combat.

Because of this very thing, the same trait that bolstered their flames was the one that alerted her body to their presence. The moment they attempted to grab her, they would themselves enveloped in a blinding lilac glare. Not even a second later, their bodies were utterly eviscerated by a blistering sharp storm of scales as her anthem, Ryujin Fantasia, blossomed to life. Her scales were sharp enough to rend steel, thier flesh was no match. The thick veil of light would obscure her momentarily as the blazing fire engulfing them all.

"Noa Banyu; Hokostu"

In that singular instance, her hand gripped her blade firmly. When she invoked her magic this time, she used no Kira or hand signs to mitigate its power. Its release impresses her will upon the world around her with the full force of her wyrm-speech invigorating her being. Her draconian magic channeled in her feet before using them to propel herself off the glyph that manifested upon her invocation with an exhibit of uncanny force and speed. Her primal voice, a guttural roar from a dragon wrested from its slumber to those incapable of understanding its meaning, its ardor filling the stadium. Hyokostu the Primordial word for "Enhancement" provided a boon that improved her physical prowess. She can increase her speed, durability, and reflexes by suffusing her body with magic.

"Yuzurenai Nami, Severing Wave!!"

The blistering heat and the searing rage of the firestorm consumed all it intended to, though without the advantage of his peers to hold her down, Kilik was able to narrowly avoid the physical strike the only way she could by going forward. In a dazzling display of ocean fury, unsheathed her blade with phenomenal gusto like a blazing comet. She emerged from the hell storm, cleaving through the flaring maelstrom towards the Vulqin warrior seeking to remove his head clean from his shoulders. Despite the voraciousness of her strike the blow itself was struck with such precision her target would've felt nary a thing at all as he drifted into oblivion. She would land 3 meters away from the flaring force, and its hopefully headless creator. Though far from unscathed. The heat she barreled through was agonizingly scalding. Her scales, which generally boasted a brilliant resplendent hue, were charred pitch black, with Kilik's flesh suffering in cauterized pain. Like a shattered mirror, they fell off of her, revealing Kilik's proper form(As shown in her profile pic), as well as her naked body before them all.

"Fuck..."

She exclaiming through her pain. Upon exhaling, her body produces a film that invigorates cells, encouraging growth and development. This substance was the driving component in their coral grove stewardship. It allows the Seadras to recover quickly from most injuries and rejuvenate living cells by coming into contact with them. The seared flesh revitalized as her scales reformed around her body like a nano-suit. Her blade Vorpalion brilliantly shone in the light of the side other side of the arena not utterly destroyed by the brutes monstrous display of power. Kilik had stopped underestimating the tenacity of her foes since one nearly took her eye out, however it seemed they had yet to stop underestimating her and even more so her gal to survive. Nothing was going to stand in her way from achieving what she came here for. Not while he was just barely reaching step two.

[The Bhalian Empire]

Delion and his comrades gathered around the spectators' window, their breaths held in anticipation as they awaited for the smoke to dissipate. The scent of charred flesh and blistered soil lingered beneath the opaque cloud of smog and sediment. But despite their strained efforts to peer through the thick haze, hardly any visuals could be discerned; the majority of the battlefield lay concealed beneath the Vulqin's blinding firestorm.

"Resourceful." Delion murmured beneath his breath, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of destruction. He watched as the flames licked hungrily at the edges of the fortress, grateful for the protective runes that adorned the window. Without them, the destructive force of the inferno would have surely breached the main fortress, laying waste to all in its path.

In a single attack, the fire manipulating elvs shifted the terrain in their favor. Yet, even as the flames raged below, Delion couldn't help but critique the Vulqin's method of attack. Untrained in proper combat, their tribe relied on sheer brute force and overwhelming numbers to compensate for their lack of finesse. And while clearly effective, they lacked the strategic nuance that Delion had come to expect on the battlefield.

"But tactless." he commented, his voice tinged with disappointment. Despite their formidable firepower, the Vulqin's reliance on brute strength alone left much to be desired in terms of tactical prowess. The Empire didnt need them.. and anyone who perished beneath their adoslcent display of power simply didnt deserve to be here. However, as he watched Kilik emerge from the smoldering explosion behind the force of her decapitating strike, a sense of pride swelled within him.

"Yet, still she stands." Delion said proudly, his gaze fixed upon the Nissagro as she emerged from the chaos behind the decapitating force of her katana. At that moment, Kilik's determination had officially drawn a crowd. Delion, The Cyr Noble, and several other armored authorities found their curiosities piqued by the strange aquatic talent found their way to their homes. Impressive.. was the consensus among them. It was only now, after surviving the Vulqin's molten attack and enduring the sundering heat that followed that Kilik showed signs of fatigue. “Well, well.. it would seem your prospect isn't invincible afterall, Delion.” The Cyr avian heckled Delion. “Only our Zenith is invincible..” But The Joro elf responded swiftly, as if he anticipated his words. “This one is impressive.”

It was then that the thunderous cannons that served as the call to battle sounded once again, signaling the end of the preliminary culling of new recruits. Kilik would look to see barely twenty survivor's of the deadly firestorm– none of them unscathed, and even fewer of them capable of standing on their own. These were the worthy.

”Congratulations to those within range of these words. This concludes the enlistment tests of the B'halian Military. If you are alive, your wounds will be tended to momentarily. “

As Delion's voice stretched across the expanse of the training grounds, a team of ethereal creatures known as the Slyva Dryads funneled out of the front door of the main fortress. They were a species of fae born directly from the mystical woodlands of B'halia; attuned to the rhythms of nature, they possessed the ability to manipulate plant life and all of them were incredibly potent healers.

”Welcome, recruits, to the B'halian Empire. Your training and conditioning will begin at dawn. ”

The team of Dryads would begin attending to the weakened warriors upon the battlefield and escorting those too badly injured to the Infirmary found inside. Qalen among them. He was alive, but his flesh had been severely scorched from the Vulqin's explosion. In time, Delion would make his way down from the spectators tower of the main fortress to see and address Kilik.. if she was still able to speak that is. But not now. He would convene with her later. He didn't know it when he brought her with him, but she was turning out to be way more promising than he anticipated.

[Kilik]

The blazing ire of the fallen warriors echoed somberly as it eventually died out. She was careless, had she but the forethought they might try to gang up on her again she would’ve enforced her scales with Naten cladding them over her body to prevent the flame from damaging her. A mistake she would not make twice. It was the first time she had faced foes with such…cowardice. She never expected them to lay down their lives just to give their leader an edge.

In that frame of mind…perhaps they were much more courageous than she was giving them credit for. Regardless they were now but flickering dust in a forgotten breeze while she herself stood tall her tenectoty pulling through again. The fact that she had to resort to using her anthem and blade truly attested to he voracious intensity of the fray. And yet still, this was only the beginning.

“…”

She glanced as her blade witnessing her reflection in its gleam. The vision she had earlier said she would stand atop a mountain of corpses, the likes of which would serve as the pillar that lifted her to her apex. These were but the foundational bricks along that path. Despite her callous facial experience her eyes brimming with rage softened as her adrenaline went down and for a single second did they reflect remorse. It seems that teaching of pacifism were yet etched in her still. A notion she would have to discard soon. For it would do nothing but impede her pursuit of destiny.

”Congratulations to those within range of these words. This concludes the enlistment tests of the B'halian Military. If you are alive, your wounds will be tended to momentarily. “

As Delion voiced traveled across the arena she looked up at him, and the other higher ranks of the Empire's military. Knowing that one day, she would count herself amongst them. Knowing that one day one of their bodies might join her mountainous pilar of how far she would go to see this through to it's end. But for now, she felt herself just content with being counted still among the living. It seems she still had much to learn, one listening to her elders, underestimation could have cost her dearly.

"No thank you, there is no need"

She spoke to the Dyads that had come to heal her and the others. Despite the pain she experienced earlier, Kilik was no worst for wear. Her trait allowed her to heal her injuries as her own fluids saw to the invigoration and rejuvenation of her cells. The older, damaged imperfection removed and replaced with a new glimmering se of scales that if any of them looked close enough resembled the starry nebula of a night sky. She actually felt relived. Though she born human like appearance her aquamarine horns and gorgeous scale pattern screamed otherwise, she practically oozed an otherworldly presence.

Still after Delion welcomed them into the army and detailed when they would begin she would decide to sojourn in the infirmary. Wanting to see who all lived, wanting to gauge those that remained.