It was easy to slip into the temple with the group of youn warriors, all eager to see the Goddess and earn her blessing. The very thought made him laugh. As if the Goddess of Blades had the time to bless the sword of each and every foolish adventuror who came though thoe doors. It was more likely that she would whack them with a trainign weapon and tell them to train with some acolyte first. But he did not intend to spar with anyone other than the Goddess of Blades. No other opponent would be fitting for the new God of Darkness. Seele passed through the temple unmolestered, walking with enough purpose to avoid attention questions but slowly enough to not appear suspicious. He did not like people keeping tabs on him and so tried to stay under the radar as often as possible, if not off of it completely. For this reason, he had masked his aura, hoping that Veronna would be unable to sense him until he wanted her to. He wore a black hooded jacket over a dark grey shirt, cut off at both shoulders. His black leggings were baggy, tied off and shoved into his soft velvet boots at his shins. He looked like any other number of warriors training here, a multitude of the finest warriors in Imythess.

Soon he reached his destination, the training chambers he had found on the map of the temple in the Taras Library. The majority of the training rings here were unoccupied, a welcome sight. He preferred it when people didn't stare. Seele took off the hood, revealing his odd features to anyone paying attention. He folded the hood up carefully and set it next to one of the larger training areas, ignoring the spars of sparring from the scattered pairs training in the large room. Soft, silver hair brushed his shoulders, framing a face so pale he almost looked like an albino. A blakc tattoo swirled across the left half of his face, tracing from his jawbone to his hairline, passing through the middle of his left eye. Both of the God's eyes glowed a bright golden color, dark power crackling in the depths of the hourglass-shaped pupils. Seele bent over and untied his boots as well, setting them on top of the folded hood. He stretched languidly, feeling his anticipation build up with every tiny movement. A long time ago, before his ascension, Seele had sparred with the Goddess of Blades. No victor had been decided, but it had been one of the most challenging fights of his life up to that point.

It was time to finish that battle.

Seele sat next to the training circle, folding his legs close to his body and clasping his hands in his lap. He let his aura flow freely, dark power emanating from his thin frame like a miasma. The warriors training all paused for a moment as an uneasy sensation swept over them, but continued sparring after no threat presented itself. A thin smile spread over Seele's lips as he closed his eyes, waiting. It would only be a matter of time now.

So many people. So many wanting to see her. This was new to her, all these people wanting the Goddess of Blades to come and show her blessing to them. She was overwhelmed, unsure as to how she should react to so many wanting to follow her. Veronna stood, staring out one of the windows, thinking. She felt tired still, but ignored it the best she could.

She could go down and observe those sparring in the training circles, but then they would still want her attention. She frowned, wondering if this what is was truly like to be a goddess, to be someone who other people followed. She turned from the window, her hair flowing over her shoulders with the movement. She walked over the her bed where her scimitars lay, waiting to unleash their power again. She reached down and picked one up, unsheathing it to look at it's black metal. These scimitars had been with her for a long time now. Though they were not her original scimitars from the Dark Lands, they were still almost like family to her.

She twirled the weapon around, the feel perfect in her hand. And that made up her mind for her. Something called her to go down and spar a bit. Even if those present were not the best. She sheathed her weapon and grabbed the with the other scimitar on it and clasped it around her waist, attaching the other scimitar back on the belt. She grabbed a leather cord from a dresser and pulled her hair back with it, which went back easily for the many times she had pulled her hair in to a horsetail.

As she turned towards the door, a new presence she had not noticed before became visible to her. And a dark smile spread on her face, one that hungered for a decent spar with the God of Darkness. She wasted to more time and headed down to the second floor, descending the stairs at a decent pace.

She opened the door that lead in to the training area and stepped out where she saw several people training, more then she was truly use to. She started walking by the training circles, and in turn, the people sparring stopped and bowed to her, no hesitance in any of them. She hardly looked at them as her eyes focused on Seele who was sitting on the floor waiting.

"Good day, Seele." She said, giving a slight nod of her head, her eyes looking him over. He defiantly fit the position as god of darkness, and Veronna could feel the darkness around, but was unaffected by it. "I would like to apologize for cutting our last sparring match short. Sometimes there are things I cannot ignore and have to attend to at inconvenient times." She explained, knowing that was why he was here, and she looked forward to sparring with him again, and actually finishing it.

Seele's smile broadened slightly as he felt the Goddess of Blades enter the training area, her presence as strong and clear as his own. He opened his eyes to mere golden slits, watching the training warriors bow to her as she passed, stopping near the God of Darkness. Although he did not bow, he did nod his respectfully before rising, stretching languidly. "Hello Veronna. It is a pleasure, just as it was before." His eyes flicked to the scimitars on her belt for a moment, remembering their last training fight. It had been at the Academy of Arms, in a small training ring. He had offered the Goddess one of his own weapons, but there would probably be no need for that now. "I completely understand. Although I regret that our last match was interrupted almost immediately, I do believe that this one will be much more... fun..." There was a strange glint in his eye, an emotion hidden behind the madness and cruelty that usually lingered in his golden gaze.

It was excitement.

Seele hopped backwards into the training circle, folding both hands behind his back. He pulled out his twin fighting daggers from their hidden sheaths, thin fingers wrapping comfortably around the hilts crafted especially for him. Each dagger was as long as the deitie's forearm, slightly curved, with a wicked, razor-sharp edge. An ancient rune was etched into each blade near the hilt, pulsing with the light of a strong enchantment. Huginn and Muginn. Thought and Memory... Seele twirled the blades so quickly they were merely a silver blur before throwing them into the air, catching them in a reverse grip. "I see you have your own weapons this time. Would you like to borrow a dagger again, or will you honor me by wielding your own blade?"

"I do regret that as well. But perhaps with less people watching it will prove to be more interesting." Veronna said, feeling bad about their last spar which only lasted for a few moments. She watched Seele for a few moments, and caught the glint of excitement in his eyes. She was pleased that he did, indeed, looked forward to facing her.

She walked in to the circle, her eyes quickly glancing around the room to the other circles, where fighters had been sparring, they now only stood, watching the two deities prepare for a match. She brought her gaze back to Seele to see him draw his two daggers. She eyed them for a moment, their curved blades obviously sharp. She also noted the runes upon the blades of them, wondering what their meaning was. She smiled when he asked her if she needed to use one of his blades like their previous spar. "I believe I will use my own weapons for now." She said, her arms crossing over her stomach as her hands rested on the hilts of her weapons.

She waited for a moment, thinking of how many battles her blades had been in, and how many to come. She smiled to herself, then with a graceful ease, pulled the blades form their scabbards. The metal blades were black, but gleamed with the light of the room. They were slightly curved, but nothing to severe. Seele's daggers may be sharp, but her blades had always been in perfect condition, and were known to be the sharpest weapons around. Her scimitars had no enchantments placed upon them, except for the fact that they could not be broken by any mortal weapon, and remained decently sharped even when not cared for. She watched him twirl his blades around, with a speed only few could accomplish.

Her body adjusted to the situation, her muscles tightening slightly, her eyes starting to burn with the fire they normally did when she was ready to fight. And she felt the strength again. A strength that seem to come only when she was fighting, or when she was angry. A strength that she was worried she could not control eventually, mostly because she did not know where it may have come from. But now, like always, was not the time to think about it.

She took her fighting stance; her right scimitar going up towards her face, diagonally in front if her, the blade pointing towards the ceiling. Her left blade went down across her waist, also slightly at an angle like her other one, this one point downwards, not as severe as the other, but still noticeable. Her feet were placed firmly on the floor, ready to absorb any impacts made by her opponent. She stood ready, waiting for Seele to take up his stance so the battle may begin.

Seele's sharp eyes watched Veronna closely as she settled into a comfortable fighting stance, a scimitar in each hand. Although he had heard of her amazing skill in battle, this would be the first time the God of Darkness would witness the event with his own eyes. She stood easily, the scimitars set so they could respond to any attack, one held across her face and the other guarding her torso. Seele stretched his arms out to the side before adopting his own fighting stance. The deity placied his left foot so it pointed towards Veronna, sliding his right foot back so it was perpendicular to his left, placed roughly the width of his shoulders apart. He crouched slightly, spinning the dagger in his left hand into a comfortable reverse hold, the shimmering blade slanted so that it ran parallel to his forearm, the tip almost touching his elbow. His other arm was held loosely, his hand resting near his right hip, the dagger there held so it pointed straight towards the ground. Seele tilted forward so that the majority of his mass rested on the ball of his left foot, ready to move in any direction.

The God of Darkness closed his eyes, focusing all of his rampant energy back into himself. His aura compressed, boiling inside of the deity, begging to be released. Destroy her.... unleash your all... envelop her in the crushing black... Seele banished the conflicted thoughts bouncing around in his head, focusing his mind as well as his energy. I have not ime for you now. Ignoring the shriek of protest, Seele closed himself off from his dark energies, letting them storm within the confines of his body. Instead he opened his eyes, staring directly at Veronna, his eyes glowing slightly.

"If you don't mind... I'll begin." He pounced forward, spinning as he brought his left hand around, Muginn's blade flashing as he swiped at the scimitar across her face. He continued to spin, scraping the dagger along her blade and dropping down into a full crouch. His leg shot around, aiming to catch the back of Veronna's leg and bring her to the floor. Show me your all, Veronna. I desire... No, I NEED... this entertainment... There was a wild look on Seele's face, an almost demonic grin.

Veronna watched Seele take up his fighting stance, flipping his left dagger around in his hand, while keeping the other held in his original grip. She adjusted her feet a bit, placing her left foot back slightly, ready for an attack from her opponent. Seele said he was going to begin, and Veronna let her eyes flash, her body craving for this battle. Seele came at her, spinning, bringing his left blade around to bare down on her right one, dragging it along the blade. The noise produced by this was a type of shrieking, a noise which would have hurt someones ears, but all who were present were warriors and were use to the sound of metal against metal.

Seele then dropped, his blade leaving hers. He struck one of his legs out, bringing it around to try and trip her. She jumped backwards, out of the way, getting further from Seele, and out of the reach of his leg. But right as she landed from her jump, she jumped directly at him, taking advantage of the couple seconds it would take him to straighten up back in to a combat stance. She swung her right scimitar, which had been guarding her face at him, the diagonal slice coming fast and hard towards Seele's chest. Veronna kept her left scimitar across her torso, ready to block any weapons that would come at her.

She missed battles such as these, the excitement and adrenaline in everyone who watched or fought. This is why she loved combat, it was simple, no complications with magic. It was straight forward, no advanced rules to it. Anyone was capable at melee combat like this, and that was why she loved it so.

The crazed and wild look on Seele's face was interesting, having never seen the god of darkness like that, she wondered what he was truly like. When people were in a sparring match or an actual sword fight, you normally saw their meanest side, the side that would try anything and everything to win. She wondered what more Seele was capable of, his weapons most likely enchanted. She used no magic in a fight, finding it slightly unfair, but this was a battle between gods, and either of them had the power to destroy everything and everyone around them. Which she noted, all the warriors who had been practicing were now surrounding the training ring where the two gods fought, everyone silent as they watched, some of them whispering to each other, about what, Veronna did not know.

Seele’s grin grew even wider (if that was possible) at the noise of their weapons colliding, the metallic shriek that he had missed so. That was the problem with Godhood. No one could provide proper entertainment. Before his ascension, Seele could have bested most warriors in single combat without breaking a sweat. His lightning-quick reflexes, sharp eye for strategy, and pure insanity made him a match for even the most grizzled, battle-happy veteran. Now, as a God, no mortal could match even a single one of his daggers. Not Seele wielding the dagger, the dagger itself. The glowing runes not only revealed their names, but also their power, the enchantment that allowed them to fight on their own. They even possessed a remote semblance of intelligence, fighting completely independently of Seele’s will. Muginn was the vengeful weapon, lashing out to kill indiscriminately, while Huginn was a blade of subtlety, often slitting throats before its victim would even shout out. But he would not use these abilities on Veronna. As a fellow deity, she deserved the entire package. Seele could feel the daggers pulling at his consciousness, begging to be released, to attack the Goddess of Blades. His fingers tightened on the identical pommels instead, enforcing his dominance. She deserves this much. Later, my pretties. Later, when the time is right, all of our power will focus on her...

He almost laughed as Veronna deftly avoided his attack, easily avoiding the God’s extended leg. She lunged forward almost immediately, catching Seele as he had started to rise back up. He instead stayed in a crouch, moving both arms above his head so his daggers could intercept the keen edge. The screech was like music to his ears, the sweet symphony of battle, the deafening melody of war. Too soon was the moment over, her weapon continuing its arc past his block. He felt a surge of bloodlust, an almost irrational desire to attack. He shot forward like a snake, pouncing out of his crouch to jab at her midriff with both blades. Muginn he angled towards her heart, Huginn towards her right hip. He tensed, ready to fall back at the slightest indication of danger.

To his own surprise, the God of Darkness found that he had begun to laugh. It was a strange sound, one rarely heard by beings with more than a few seconds to live. It was soft, yet echoed in the huge chamber, an undercurrent of malice and insanity barely constrained by his indomitable will. ”Come, Veronna! This is what we live for! This is all we live for!” His eyes were wide and crazy, glowing like miniature suns. His hourglass-shaped pupils rotated faster and faster, eventually becoming a blur that was almost lost in the metallic glow. The ring of spectators collectively stepped back, unconsciously sensing the danger here, their murmured whispers silenced for the moment. All attention was focused on the dueling deities, all eyes transfixed by the battle.

Veronna compensated when Seele did not stand all the way, remaining in his crouching position. Right when her strike was blocked, she spun left slightly, getting a bit of room between her and the daggers, knowing her blades would be slower being that close. He wasted hardly anytime to counter attack her, lunging both his weapons at her, one aiming to pierce her heart, while the other went for her hip. She took into account his stance, noting how he was ready to fall back when a counterattack came.

She went low to the left, ducking under the blade that aimed for her heart. She continued left, throwing herself in to a roll, her shoulder hitting the brick a little harder than she wanted to, but no matter. She kept the roll fast and short, her feet back under her in milliseconds. And now she was more at Seele's right. With the momentum she had gained from her roll, and the movement, she gracefully slashed out with her right blade, the black metal flashing as it longed to cut his side.

She had heard Seele speak as she went in to her roll, and only now had figured out what he had said. "This is only one of many things we live for. It can not be the only thing however." She replied, her words showing no sign of being tired. She thought Seele could get no more insane. She was mistaken, as the god's smile was even bigger now, his eyes glowing, his pupils spinning. She matched his eyes with hers. Her red pools burning with a fire which was stronger than ever before, the power almost pulsing within her eyes.

This was proving to be an interesting battle, Seele surprising her with his combat skills, the elf, though insane, was quite the opponent. And it thrilled her. It had been so long since she had a battle like this, so long to fight someone of her league. Ocar was about as good as her, so was Kona, but both were mortal. With immortals combating, they could cut at each other for a long time before giving up, or until one of them died.

Seele smiled as Veronna once more dodged his deadly attacks, her lithe frame slipping between his blades as she expertly rolled to his right, passing under Muginn's deadly blade and clearing Huginn's devious edge by a hairsbreadth. The smile turned into a small sneer as he whipped both weapons back, holding them near his hips. From this position he was able to catch Veronna's slashing scimitar with Huginn, a jolt traveling all the way up his arm from the wrist at first impact. Seele's eyes barely widened as he felt the strength of the blow, her sheer power sending him stumbling backwards. The deity almost immediately regained his composure, shaking his wrist to restore some of the feeling. The blow had bushed the flat of the dagger back into his forearm, the blade barely nicking his white skin. Seele's eyes went to the small incision on his wrist, to the single drop of blood slowly growing on the cut. He had not been injured by another's hand since before his ascension. The God of Darkness looked up at Veronna, his stare half-hidden by his metallic hair. His eyes burned with rage and darkness for a moment, emotions that were quickly replaced with a blank stare.

"No, Veronna. It can be everything... Seele raised one dagger to his face, pressing the cool blade against his cheek. He traced the point across his skin, smiling at its lethal caress. "Our blood is the same, the blood of divinity. You feel it, I am sure. Your blood boils much the same way mine does. This thrill, this rush, the adrenaline that has been so lacking since gaining all of this power... you do not miss it?" Seele spun the dagger as he approached Veronna again, beginning to circle the Goddess of Blades. "I can see the thrill for battle in your eyes, Veronna. I think this is all you can live for..." He flashed a dark grin at the Goddess before rushing in again, although this time his attacks were calmer, more deliberate, slightly more cautious. "Or maybe it's just me."

He led with the left dagger, jabbing towards Veronna shoulder before slashing across her torso with the right blade. He stepped closer, placing him squarely in the middle of Veronna's attack range, but also forcing her to fight in a more confined manner. Pressing forward, he brought each blade straight out from himself before slashing at both sides of her stomach, bringing the long daggers back to a guarded position as soon as the strike was finished. He bent his knees slightly, a mixture of excitement and bloodlust reflected in his golden gaze, an unreadable grin sketched across his pale face.

[OOC: I edited this post so it sounds better. ^_^]

Veronna had barely noticed all the power she had behind the blow she struck at Seele, surprised slightly by how he stumbled back, but also pleased, watching as he shook his wrist, the blow obviously making it slightly numb from the jolt of the attack. She let a smile cross her lips as she saw blood on the God of Darkness's wrist. She looked up at his face to see him quite furious, several dark emotions in his eyes. And she watched them fade, to be replaced with nothing. She also let her smile fade, but some amusement remained in her red eyes.

She would have continued to attack, but she wanted to listen to what Seele had to say, the god pressing one of his daggers to his face as he said that it could be everything. Veronna shook her head, standing up straight as she twisted her scimitars around in her hands, to keep the blood flowing so her grip was strong. "I have plenty of years of battle, and I still long for the rush. But it is not what I always desire." She looked around quickly to see the circle of fighters watching the deities closely, some of them whispering to each other. She had to prove a point to them, one that said she was not better then them. She knew she probably was, but she never stopped believing that she was the best.

Veronna watched Seele as he started circling her, his daggers gleaming. She did not move her body, standing still and unconcerned about any attacks to her back. "Even as greater beings, we are still mortal to an extent. Our knowledge changes, our looks. But we can not completely leave the person we once were." Her grip tightened on her weapons. "I can live for much more in my life. I have a family, friends and followers. I have lost myself in battle before. Never again will it happen. Never again." She brought her weapons up as Seele came forward, even as he walked she could tell he was being much more cautious. Obviously she had gotten his attention that she was not someone to toy with.

His first attacks were higher. She snapped her right scimitar up, placing it on the inner side of Seele's left weapon and hitting it out and away from both of them. She did a similar thing with her left scimitar to counter attack his right weapon. She brought her left weapon around on the outside and smacked it downwards. After his first attacks he came at her again, getting closer to her, making her attacks slower. He slashed at her stomach, so she pulled backwards as fast as she could, not wanting her guts all over the floor. She was almost fast enough, but not quite. One of the daggers' blades cut her leather armor vest, nearly making it to her skin, but the leathers prevented it from getting that close. She wasted to time to jump forward, her scimitars ready for some blood. She went in to a roll again, forward this time. She was mere inches from Seele when she brought both weapons up vertically and aimed at Seele's forearms, behind his weapons. She pulled both weapons down, hoping to meet flesh with the movement.

(I hope this is't too confusing...My brain isn't working properly today...)