10-12-2015, 06:47 PM
Kopaka remained motionless, even as the hammer strike that heralded the commencement of this round echoed across the expansive killing floor. The midday sun shone brilliantly on his white and silver exoskeleton; sending sharp, reflected beams of light ricocheting across the otherwise drab battlezone that had been alotted for this initial skirmish.
The diminutive biological who shared the space with Kopaka did not, however, elect for a more quiescent sally into the melee. Ururu immediately called her bladed gauntlets to hand and deftly began folding her fingers together in a pattern of intricate signs. Kopaka could only assume this was preparation for some manner of attack or defense, so the Toa drew his sword and shield in kind.
One might assume a degree of apprehension on the part of the Toa, regarding the prospect of battling a seeming child to the death, but this was not so. Kopaka had no concept of what a child was, save for the basic concept that it generally defined a biological organism in its early stages of development. There was no reason for Kopaka to treat the female any differently because of her physical structure. Regardless, his target was now dashing towards him, so it might be time to move.
The Toa of Ice spun his shield into action, the whirling bulwark making a sound akin to miniature jet engine. The female slid on her feet behind one of the short walls littering the area. Kopaka called upon the power of the Kanohi Akaku, but was bewildered as it failed to pierce the stone veil.
"How?" the Toa muttered, his eye narrowing to a furious slit. The power of the Kanohi was supposedly absolute. Evidently this was not the case in the Omniverse. Was range a factor? He couldn't allow himself to become distracted, however. The female's momentary pause behind the wall gave Kopaka sufficient time to descend the precipitous wall of the ditch between them, though a moment later, she reemerged. Why enter cover, pause, and then exit with no apparent change? Something had happened behind that wall, but due to his afflicted mask, there was no certainty.
Kopaka disliked that.
What was certain, however, was that the female child was charging at Kopaka with reckless abandon, arms thrown wide and poised to strike. At least this much the Akaku was able to reveal to him, even through the solid dirt that formed the wall of the ditch. The biomech decided to go on the defensive, at least until he was better aprised of his opponent's faculties. As such, he rose his Ice Sword high into the air and called on the Power of Ice that flowed through his body. An ice laden wind began to gale forth from the shining blade, slowly causing a howling blizzard to fill Kopaka's immediate vicinity.
It wasn't fast enough to compensate for the female's vicious speed as she leaped down into the ditch and delivered two adroit slashes to his midsection. The swipes were hasty, and had less force than the Toa was anticipating, but left harsh scratches on his metal carapace nontheless. In the next instant, Ururu was gone again, leaping out of the indent with a single bound. Kopaka's pride was slightly wounded, in that he hadn't drawn first blood (per se), but it didn't change the fact that there was now a raging snow storm spiraling in a thirty foot radius around the Toa.
Certainly the spectators would find the icy shroud disenchanting to their bloodlust, but it was tactically sound. Kopaka raised his shield into a defensive stance, watched, and waited...
The diminutive biological who shared the space with Kopaka did not, however, elect for a more quiescent sally into the melee. Ururu immediately called her bladed gauntlets to hand and deftly began folding her fingers together in a pattern of intricate signs. Kopaka could only assume this was preparation for some manner of attack or defense, so the Toa drew his sword and shield in kind.
One might assume a degree of apprehension on the part of the Toa, regarding the prospect of battling a seeming child to the death, but this was not so. Kopaka had no concept of what a child was, save for the basic concept that it generally defined a biological organism in its early stages of development. There was no reason for Kopaka to treat the female any differently because of her physical structure. Regardless, his target was now dashing towards him, so it might be time to move.
The Toa of Ice spun his shield into action, the whirling bulwark making a sound akin to miniature jet engine. The female slid on her feet behind one of the short walls littering the area. Kopaka called upon the power of the Kanohi Akaku, but was bewildered as it failed to pierce the stone veil.
"How?" the Toa muttered, his eye narrowing to a furious slit. The power of the Kanohi was supposedly absolute. Evidently this was not the case in the Omniverse. Was range a factor? He couldn't allow himself to become distracted, however. The female's momentary pause behind the wall gave Kopaka sufficient time to descend the precipitous wall of the ditch between them, though a moment later, she reemerged. Why enter cover, pause, and then exit with no apparent change? Something had happened behind that wall, but due to his afflicted mask, there was no certainty.
Kopaka disliked that.
What was certain, however, was that the female child was charging at Kopaka with reckless abandon, arms thrown wide and poised to strike. At least this much the Akaku was able to reveal to him, even through the solid dirt that formed the wall of the ditch. The biomech decided to go on the defensive, at least until he was better aprised of his opponent's faculties. As such, he rose his Ice Sword high into the air and called on the Power of Ice that flowed through his body. An ice laden wind began to gale forth from the shining blade, slowly causing a howling blizzard to fill Kopaka's immediate vicinity.
It wasn't fast enough to compensate for the female's vicious speed as she leaped down into the ditch and delivered two adroit slashes to his midsection. The swipes were hasty, and had less force than the Toa was anticipating, but left harsh scratches on his metal carapace nontheless. In the next instant, Ururu was gone again, leaping out of the indent with a single bound. Kopaka's pride was slightly wounded, in that he hadn't drawn first blood (per se), but it didn't change the fact that there was now a raging snow storm spiraling in a thirty foot radius around the Toa.
Certainly the spectators would find the icy shroud disenchanting to their bloodlust, but it was tactically sound. Kopaka raised his shield into a defensive stance, watched, and waited...
C O L D