A Formal Challenge: Ace V.S. Martyn (Open to spectation. Referee: Oblivion)

Ace's bare feet hit the hard wood of the dojo floor quietly. He brushed his back with the palm of his hand, in order to keep it out of his eyes, though he knew it would just come down again. Without thinking, Ace entered a fighting stance, staring his opponent right in the eyes, and fiddled with a small throwing star. His challenge had come to Martyn with no explanation or reasoning behind it. "Ready!" Ace announced to the referee.

Sylas stood stoically next to the gong, his axe in one hand, dressed in his Feral Insanity cloak. He nodded to Ace, waiting for the other contestant to arrive.


OOC: For Reference,

Martyn was reluctant to enter, he carefully took a few steps towards Ace, stopping about 5 yards away. "I'm ready." he said to Sylas, and took a deep breath to steady his nerve. The only way to preserve the rule laid before him, by himself, is to not use his sword if at all possible. His stance tightened, and he clenched his fists.

"I hope you've got some tricks up your sleeve, samurai." Ace's arm morphed a bit, and a chain with a weight at the end took its place. "We aren't here because I don't like you." His eyes were forced shut and he relaxed for a second. "We're here because your soul said something to me that you wouldn't, and I'm gonna find out what it is." Wide awake, the weapon's eyes jolted open, and upon Sylas' command to begin, Ace sprinted past Martyn at a remarkable speed. Left behind him was his chain, wrapped tightly around Martyn's leg. He gave it a firm tug.

Before Ace had begun his charge, Sylas clashed the staff of his axe into a large gong, the sound reverberating throughout the dojo. Sarah slipping in, keeping a safe distance from the sparring, but staying close enough to be able to see everything.

Martyn smirked as he ran towards him. "Then maybe we will both learn something new!" Martyn didn't move a muscle as Ace made his first move, and he foot was easily caught. As Ace pulled him in, he jumped towards Ace, using the combined momentum to land a kick with his military boots, while spinning through the air to unravel the chain.

He could only hope that somebody hadn't tried this on him before.

Surprisingly, Martyn was no fool at fighting. Unfortunately for him, Ace didn't like surprises. Once the chain had reeled in close enough, Ace ducked to avoid the inevitable counter attack. No one responds to a chain pull like that without going offensive. The chain was gone now, and in it's place was Ace's arm, experience the twisting motion of Martyn's body. He quickly grasped Martyn's pant leg, and adopted a wide stance to prepare for the force that would come from the boy's momentum. Someone this skilled would definitely catch themselves, but swinging Martyn's body at the ground still left Ace with the upper hand. Zero blows exchanged since match start. Opponent's exhaustion: minimal. Opponent's overall damage toll: no broken bones or significant wounds. Not a bad start, kid.

OOC: I'm going to let you guys have it out. Sylas seems to be done here for the present.

Marty was a little shocked by Ace's quick response. He was challenged by a dangerous opponent. He somehow managed to land an awkward handstand after Ace grabbed his pants. He brought his other leg swiftly down aiming for his opponent's head several times.

A series of blows came from above Ace, all of which he had no choice but to block with his arm. Doing so forced him to unhand Martyn's pants, as his other hand was occupied with firmly placing the shuriken in the ground. Attached to it was a thin ninja wire, the end of which Ace held in the same hand he'd used to place it. He hopped backwards, away from his opponent, in between kicks, and stood firmly as far from Martyn as he could. "Silly of you to keep your weapon sheathed. If I were playing dirty, it'd be in my hands right now."

"How kind of you. I had faith you'd fight honorably today."

Martyn couldn't seem to figure out his plan. Putting a shuriken in the ground, and he appceared to be holding something. Keep talking, you'll figure it out; he assured himself. "I'm concerned I might have to use my sword, but it stays sheathed for now."

"Pity. I don't intend on holding back. Now... let's see what kind of soul wavelength you have...." Ace focused intently on Martyn's soul, using Soul Perception to remove any disruptions that might be in the way of seeing his soul. His face seemed furious as he studied the meister's wavelength, and when Ace was finally able to reveal Martyn's soul, he was taken aback.

A massive, red sphere surrounded Martyn's body. His soul was something that Ace had only seen in one other person throughout his entire life at the academy. Just like Mifune, Martyn possessed a Strong Soul.

"Hey, Sylas. You might wanna take a closer look at this kid." Ace's hand sparked with his own soul wavelength. Strong Soul or not, Soul Menace would still leave some pretty formidable wounds. In a blur of movement, Ace propelled himself towards Martyn, with no intention of landing a blow just yet. He would pass Martyn's position, focusing on dodging any counter strikes. Upon reaching the wall, he'd fish out another shuriken and plant it there, just like the last one. The only difference, was that there was no string at the end.

Sylas focused for a moment, closing his eyes and gaining a clear look at both of their souls. He raised a brow in surprise at the sheer size of Martyn's soul, clearly impressed. To Ace, Sylas would appear to not have a soul, for at this point it was just larger than the walls of the dojo. Sarah focused her own soul perception on the two, and the sheer difference between their souls led her to believe that Martyn perhaps stood a better chance then she'd assumed.

All Marytn could think of was trying to figure out exactly what Ace's plan was. And then he noticed Soul Menace, he didn't entirely understand it but he could just feel this kid's power. He couldn't let that hit him.

As Ace approached him, Martyn placed his plam firmly on the ground for balance, and performed a sweeping kick, to try and knock him down.

A simple leap allowed Ace to pass by Martyn's obvious attack. Now, planted firmly on the wall, due to the force of his speed, Ace planted the second shuriken and shot off from the wall, diving towards Martyn. Fist first, he came towards Martyn, howling like a bullet. Should Martyn be foolish enough to block the hit, Soul Menace would quickly take its tole. Should he dodge, Ace would roll forward and lash out with his empowered fist, followed by a firm kick, and a typical crouching, defensive stance.

It was an obvious move indeed, but only a front for the real attack. Keeping his balance on his left hand and using his right for leverage he spun on the ground, bent his knees and performed a kind of "tornado kick". The sweep was just to help build up speed, and cause a little diversion. Even if Martyn was slightly off time, he was guaranteed a few solid hits. The ball was in Ace's court now.

Surprised to be met with a maelstrom of feet, Ace embraced himself for the blow. His fist made solid contact with one of Martyn's shoulders, disrupting his soul wavelength slightly, before Ace was tossed in to the nearest wall. The string that was so snugly in Ace's hand would, at this point, have crossed paths with Martyn. By nature, the spinning motion of his attack would wrap him up in the wires firmly. Ace rose shakily, still in shock by the ferocity of the kick. "You're smart. Too bad I'm a genius."

Due to the force of the kick, however, the shuriken would quickly remove itself from the ground, whirling itself at the bound meister.

Caught in an unconventional snare, his legs were bound tightly together during his whirlwind style dervish combo from his ankles to his thighs. And he only had more to worry about, as Ace could now literally stomp on him like a bug, once he got to his feet, and shuriken whirled towards him. He got up in to a push-up position, and finally drew his sword to cut line between him and the shuriken, cutting a close victory as it flew past his fingers. He jimmied his sword between his legs to try and free himself.

OOC: Gotta go for the night. Peace out.

OOC: Technically bringing his sword down on such a loose line wouldn't cut it, but Martyn's already screwed as it is, AND this is a sparring thread, so I'm not gonna argue that.

"Finally drawing your blade, huh? Guess I may as well do the same." The arm that ace was previously using to hold his wire morphed in to a blade, dropping the handle of his favorite tactical weapon. "I wouldn't bother pushing your sword down there though. That stuff's made out of a fine steel, and no blade is strong enough to cut it without any momentum. Bringing your sword down on yourself like that would do more harm than good. You'd need a REAL weapon to cut through it, and last time I checked that katana doesn't have a soul." The time Ace spent giving this monologue was not wasted. He was steadily making his way towards Martyn. "Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter. I got what I wanted out of this fight, and after a long talk with Sylas and Death, I think you'll be satisfied too. Now, ready to end this little warm up? I'm thinking about taking up a mission soon." Ace calmly brought his blade in to the air, Martyn now at his feet, and forcefully brought it down on the wooden floor beside Martyn's head.

Martyn remained still for a few seconds, and then he just started... laughing... hysterically laughing. "You said we came here so you could understand what my soul illustrated to you, is that correct? WE CAN'T GO YET, ACE! I still have so many more questions!" He stabbed his sword into the ground to help him stand up. His entire stance had changed, seeming rather sloppy and formless, and he pointed his sword at Ace's all the while trying to balance on a "mono-leg". He just kept laughing, it was getting kind of disturbing. "Besides, I can't concede yet, buddy- old pal of mine. Somebody has to draw BLOOD first!" He swung his sword madly, carelessly at Ace.

His soul wavelength was distorted, and unclear. But it was certainly clear this wasn't Martyn anymore.

This man... So we are the same after all.... A crooked smile shot itself on to Ace's mug. Almost as if someone had slapped it on there in the past couple of seconds. Insanity was a subject that Ace didn't take kindly to, and sometimes that got him carried away. The major alterations in Martyn's soul hit Ace like cannon. It just so happened, that he was returning fire.

Flashes of Ace's soul wavelength surrounded him, and he jumped backwards. Once Ace hit the wall, he practically disappeared. Every few seconds Ace would appear somewhere in the room, launch his chain at Martyn, then vanish once more with his inhuman speed. "You don't know what true madness is, KID, until you've hit ROCK BOTTOM!" At this point, Ace was moving in closer, beginning to make close range attacks with his blade.

Martyn parried each of the incoming attacks with ease, and each passing second his bindings become looser, it was common practice for him. "Kid, huh? You think I'm a kid... I suppose it makes sense, I'm 14 and rather short for my age, but I assure you I'm no kid." As Ace neared him he waited for the right moment, when he was just within arms reach. "Don't pretend you know me. I LIVE AT ROCK BOTTOM, I HAVE MY WHOLE LIFE! But I couldn't expect you to understand, nobody truly knows me." He faked a parry, and turned his blade and body around, hooking Ace in a grapple with a hold on his forearm and the opposite should wedged into Ace's chest. He pulled his arm in a twisting motion, in attempt to dislocate his arm. Whether or not he's successful he rolled backwards to avoid suffering further blows almost free of the wire trap.

"Tell me Ace. How is it to live in Death City, and go to the DWMA where you enjoy the company of friends? Is it all grand and beautiful? I envy the chance you have to have lead such a simple life."

"You think my life is simple!" Ace was furious now. His shoulder popped out of its socket with ease. There was no cringe, no sign of pain in his face, only anger. "You have no clue.... what I've been through!" He stood still, putting his arm back in to place, and cocked his head slightly. Bits of his soul leaped out and surrounded his body. After a few moments, Ace vanished with his unmatched speed. He would occasionally appear for a few moments, then vanish once again. Ace showed no signs of attacking.

Martyn had no intent of trying to catch him. He took a defensive stance, and used Soul Perception to see if he could managed to locate Ace. "I grow tired of games. Let's put our remaining strength into our last attacks. Surely only one of us, could come out on top." As he spoke he carefully backup until his back touched a wall.