( video ) un: achilles

[heelies]

[As when storm-bruised clouds cast their dark pall over the sky, a harbinger of the torrent and tempest to come, so appears the countenance of Peleus' son. He is harnessed in the glorious armor that lame-foot Hephaestus did forge for him, and upon his head fiercely glints the golden helmet which once served as a beacon to the Myrmidons and all of the vast host of war-loving Argives. Like the thunder that is hurled by almighty Zeus who bears the aegis, his voice roars out over the network.]

Koltira, you whose heart is blackened with vile hatred! Hear now the son of Peleus, Achilles, best of all the Achaeans - I whose pride was rent by your blade when you did raise arms without first issuing a proper challenge as is honorable between warriors. I demand that you meet me in single combat, that I may avenge myself and slake my spear upon your blood. Meet me then to the east of the town ere the sun touches the far horizon, where it settles for the night into the couch of the desert - unless the worm of cowardice burrows deep within your breast to weaken your fighting spirit!

It is for this reason that I give my challenge in this public forum, that others may bear witness and hold you accountable to this duel. What say you, Koltira? Recoil not from the bloodshed you so take pleasure in! Long has my anger rankled in my breast, and long has my pride festered without salve potent enough to soothe it, for the cure lies only in victory by dint of my spear. Thus, today I wait no more!

[In the colloquialisms of the locals: This town ain't big enough for the both of us.]

Comments

[asscan]

In my experience, prayer tends to do worse than better.

Achilles made his announcement in public, that we might play witness to... what, a great service against a creature who does our team more harm than good? [He has no great love of Koltira, but Laedo has then again never really done any work to assuage his opinion after his original sullen interaction with the elf.]

Or could it be that Achilles, son of Peleus, feels that he has much to lose in front of the members of Audentes that he must prove himself in violence? Perhaps our greatest human warrior needs more to be reminded that he has already proven himself here, that this is not his homeland, that we need not see a sacrifice in order to respect his abilities.

Perhaps he needs be reminded that overturning rocks to unleash bitter rivalries in the middle of a tenuous claim to the fates of all in this branch of the timeline would do more to utterly demolish our love and good will.

[This he says conversationally, though of course he's happily spouting it with half an ear to hope that other muscle-bound magnificently maned humans are listening to the clucking, hypocritical disapproval.]

[grunehexe]

I would take him at his word- that he has made this challenge public because he wishes to be sure it will be met.

[But as much as she likes Laedo as well, she says only that, not feeling in much position to speak ill of either party- even if she does wish Achilles had not done this, especially now.

But she has always felt a certain kinship with the man, another in the team who like her often found their ideas of right and wrong, of culturally appropriate, at odds with the more "modern" in their midst. An she can't say she doesn't understand his motives.

It simply leaves her with a rock and a hard place.]