Uncertain Wondering (Levi/Matthew/Invite)

[Phoenix]

“Glad to hear it...”

A small smile spread over the façade of stoicism. It was hard to tell if the expression was a response to his words or merely a precursor of the man's expected enjoyment. One man turned to the other, a twinkle in his eye...

“May I?”

The twinkle answered Phoenix's unspoken question. It was something he had seen many times; the twinkle was for the fight, the smile had been for hi. The two words on the other hand, they provided a little more information. The man with power over the Earth seemed in charge, it was something that crossed his mind before, however, now it was settled. He would only face the man with the metal eyes, more manageable perhaps, but still far more dangerous than Phoenix cared for.

“Alright stranger, you kill my friend here and I will teach you what you need to know to have the power you want. But be warned, he has every right to kill you instead should he choose. If you are willing to take that risk then strike him down. Otherwise you have five second to drop the blade and leave.”

The man stood back, counting down using his fingers. Five seconds was a long time, time that Phoenix planned to use to think. He gripped the hilt of the sword firmly with both hands, carrying the weight easily; it was indeed a peerless weapon. One that would hopefully give him more of a fighting chance. It extended his range, something that may be useful should his opponent prove quick, also, his opponent seemed to be almost a foot shorter than himself, comparatively his total wingspan a foot less too granting him more time to react. However, swords weren't familiar to him, it would eventually wear him down should the battle be prolonged. Refocusing his eyes on the fingers, he saw he had two seconds left.

“Leaving won't accomplish anything.”

Phoenix settled down into a balanced stance, informed his opponent that he was ready with a slight nod and lunged forward in a stabbing motion, carrying the sword in his right hand. Aiming for the midpoint of the man's torso, it would be a good test of speed, making him move the most to avoid the blow.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi watched as the man used every second to analyze his opponent and gather his resolve. This man would not refuse the challenge and Levi's assumption was confirmed quickly as the intruder lunged at him with the finest weapon he would probably ever wield. As expected, the man was using the advantage of reach to try to compensate for the difference in speed, and it was a good idea, however the way his opponent wielded the weapon gave away his lack of expertise and the form of attack he chose left a great deal of weight away from the user's center of gravity, making it difficult to control...Levi would exploit this weakness. Levi's brow furrowed slightly as he began his counter-attack.

"hmm..."

Levi's body turned as his right hand shot across his torso and into the side of the stone blade, deflecting it to the side while stepping forward quickly as his left hand shot forward to grab the hilt of the sword. As his grip tightened, his right hand came down as a hammerblow directed at the man's wrist, the intent being disarmament not damage. Levi wanted to see this man in his element, which was clearly not weilding a weapon he didn't know how to use. Assuming the disarm attempt was successful, with his shoulder still facing his opponent, Levi would look at him with his typical analytical stare as he spoke.

"A good way to get yourself killed is to use a weapon you do not know how to use against an unknown opponent...."

Levi's torso quickly leaned back and his right leg shot outwards as he threw a sidekick towards the man's chest. If it landed, Levi would choose to not pursue as he grabbed the handle of the sword with his right hand, his eyes glinting dangerously as he held it at waist waist height towards his opponent. He was interested to see whether the man would attack again now that Levi had his former "advantage."

[Mathew Amtrum]

Mathew continued to back away to give the two men some room. He did not want to be the cause of either side losing, rather he simply wanted to enjoy the show. Not that he was expecting Levi to have trouble fighting this stranger. He was more than capable and the fight was already decided. Rather he was curious as to how Levi would win the fight, and how long the stranger would last. That would be the interesting part of this.

((OOC: Take me out of the post order while you two fight. If I feel the need to comment or whatever I will. But I don't want to hold it up.))

[Phoenix]

The stone sword moved quickly through the air. It was the epitome of a sword, a perfect weapon. Sadly, a weapon is only as proficient as the one who wields it. None of this was new to Phoenix. The sword, however, still had a purpose, a different one that it was designed for but an important one nonetheless. As the thrust began to close the distance between the two of them, his opponent turned clearing the blade and deflecting it away. Phoenix had anticipated that he was going to be slower that whoever he fought but it was still unnerving to see just how much faster others were.

Before he could withdraw the sword or relinquish his grip, a firm hand clamped down on the hilt, making either options impossible. The logical next step was to disarm and from what Phoenix could tell his opponent was an intelligent man. Out of the corner of his perception he could just make out the coming strike, a right handed blow presumably aimed at his wrist to disarm him, and it would work, there was no way in avoiding it. Instead, Phoenix attempted to trade blows. As soon as the blow landed, pain shot up his arm forcing him to instinctively drop the sword. At the same time, he raised his left hand and viciously swung it towards his opponent's exposed neck. Phoenix's hope was that as his foe's right hand had just swung downwards and his left would have to cover a larger distance that the strike would be effective. Timing the strike was difficult though, as he was fighting one much quicker than himself.

“A good way to get yourself killed is to use a weapon you do not know how to use against an unknown opponent...”

“That's true, however, I thought you'd prefer to disarm me rather than damage. It gave me a chance to glean a few things. Now it shouldn't be against a completely unknown opponent.”

His opponent's body leaned away amazingly fast, not sure of what was to come and unable to move away quickly enough, Phoenix raised his guard and brought his arms up to his torso. The kick thudded into his forearms. Trying his best to keep his weight forward, Phoenix was still thrown back a few feet. Slightly dropping his arms, his eyes flicked over to where he had just been, only to see that his opponent had now armed himself. Straight out attacking would be reckless and potentially fatal, shifting his weight around, Phoenix waited to see what type of attack his foe favoured.

[Levi Kayamei]

Making the most out of a lost situation, determining how well a fighter could do that was one of the best ways to truly evaluate the potential in an individual....this was Levi's opinion anyways. The attempt at an exchange of blows and the instinctive guard, all good, intelligent maneuvers. Levi smiled in response to the stranger's words as he turned the sword in his hand, feeling its' weight, stabbing it into the ground before responding.

"Indeed, I wouldn't want this fight if you fought me with such a handicap....."

The Mirage Dragon had disarmed his opponent and had left himself with a single target, one that he was obligated to test to the breaking point for the sake of seeing its true nature. Letting out a cool breath, Levi's form rushed towards his target at full speed, his arms raised slightly to indicate an attack from his hands. This position was a diversion and would hopefully serve to lessen the man's defenses as unleashed his true attack. Closing to striking distance, Levi snapped his right leg out wide and brought it quickly back in towards the side of the man's head. This leg would be his main weapon for this particular assault as he followed the first kick up with a succession of six similar kicks aiming for the man's torso and head.