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| Tournament Grounds, Landing |
| Jutting out into the sea is a prominence crowned by the bulbous shape of the Landing Stadium. Built to hold 80,000 screaming fans, and boasting the latest in holo-screens high above the tournament grounds themselves, there is never-the-less plenty of room for nobles and extremely rich Citizens down at field level, nearly close enough to feel the breeze of the destriers passing one another, and certainly close enough to be surrounded by the clangor of a melee on foot.
The field itself is set up to suit whatever event is being held, allowing for tilts, the grand melee on foot, single combat on a raised platform, singing competitions on stage, shooting at archery butts, soccer games, and much more. |
| 24 May, 3013 |
The day is hot and bright, sunshine blazing down on the packed tournament grounds. Strategically placed screens shade holographic jumbotrons, letting them shine brightly and clearly and carry the pictures from below up to the crowd. Twenty knights have joined the melee on foot, and they have been arrayed around the inside of a hard light fence, penning them into a relatively small area. This isn't designed to be a fight of dancing and dodging, it's designed to bring people into conflict with one another almost immediately.
Although the majority of the field is undistinguished, there are a few knights of special note amidst those participating. The crowd has been abuzz for nearly an hour, and now the murmur is rising close to a roar, which is doubled when the announcer comes over the PA system, "Welcome, to Sauveur Stadium in Landing, for the May 3013 Tourney, The Tourney of Vengeance!" That adoption of the Generation of Vengeance's word — a recent addition given the sudden arrival of the Hostiles — causes the crowd's roars to redouble. "Today we have the Melee-on-Foot! Please check out your programs or connect to the Sauveur Stadium feed on the InfoSphere for contestant information. Contestants, to your places!"
Within the ring, the armored bulk of Sir Victor Khournas turns to his fellow Khourni, "What do you thing, boys? Michram, you want to go up the middle, I'll go right, Thalo goes left, meet on the other side?" A lazy, amused sort of chuckle lifts from the speakers of his helmet, and while he waits for a response, he speaks to the AI within his armor, the words remaining within his helmet, "Vera, tag all participants with name, 20-percent bleed. Track the winners of each individual engagement and if they engage me, project their previous attacks on my screen, 5 percent bleed." Even as he sets his armor's preferences, he shifts the heavy two-handed axe in his grip, right hand up by the padded head and left down by the butt.
After spending a moment longer and sharing a kiss with Brienne since they are battling each other to share favors. "Good luck, beloved. See you at the end." Cambric gives Brienne's helmet a slight smack for luck before he closes his own helmet down and moves towards his position on the field as he moves to draw out his heavy polearm and grips it tightly in both hands to prepare for the battle ahead. Once he has his armor and weapon set, he glances around, searching out targets and then nods his head firmly.
Beyond the notable Lordly knights, there is a selection of Citizen-born knights, as well as two other nobles, Sir Jaxon Sauveur and Sir Margory Cindravale, both of exceptionally minor branches of their families. Sir Jaxon carries a long spear with a leaf-shaped blade, and his Defender Armor projects a purple and gold hard light shield, while Margory carries a sword and a glowing yellow hard-light shield.
Despite murmurs of a long night of drinking with one Sir Nikomachos Cindravale, Lady Sir Ellinor Sauveur — the Drakefire Knight and niece to King Symion Sauveur — is looking quite steady and fresh. Her helmet is tucked under her arm, the stylized drake accents cleaned and polished. Eye black has been smeared under her lower lids to protect her eyes from any glare that might pass the segmented plates of her visor. Her fire-touched crimson hair has been pulled back tight into a ponytail with her bangs pinned and slicked. She sports a tabard that is colored violet and silver, honoring her family House, and it flutters around her legs as a soft seabreeze whispers through the tournament grounds. She glances up at the crowds that have gathered in the stadium to watch the fight. Her nostrils flare as she breathes deeply through her nose, grounding herself as she sets her heels into the dirt on the outer ring.
When the call is made, Ellinor lifts her chin a bit as she pulls her helmet down over her skull. The visor remains temporarily up as she casts one last visible glance toward the stands before she pulls it down to lock in place with her gorget. "Good day, Syrus," she says within the helmet, and a precise and elegant masculine voice replies back, "Good day, Sir."
And with the call to places, The Wall, Sir Thalo Khorax moves over next to Victor, cinching up the final locks on his helmet to keep it in place. His voice comes out in an even deeper register than his own through the helmet with a sort of mechanical detachment to it, "I could just take the whole lot." he offers idly. A moment later he slings a great two handed maul from the special holster on the back of his armor. Spinecrusher as the maul is known in Khournas is big even by great maul standards, but seems to have been made big enough for his huge knight. And with that, he moves towards the Ring, hefting his maul to prepare for the fight to come.
Nikomachos lounges up in the noble bleachers, a pair of bulbous sunglasses cover his eyes and he has a plastic water bottle — several of them actually — at his side. He gives up a cheer as well at the naming of the tournament and the call to places, "Sir Margory! Sir Cambric! Sir Ellinor! On Cindravale! On Sauveur!" And then he cringes, rubbing at his temple.
Michram is a well armored figure in red, moving towards his starting place even as he sparks his shield to life upon one arm while gripping a single handed axe in the other. He turns towards Victor at his words, a chuckle preceding a nod. "Sounds like a plan to me. The first one.. that is.. do leave a few of them to the rest of us." That last part is directed towards Thalo.
Stepping in as well, sword kept with him, Tristan looks around for a few moments. "Seems like quite a troublesome group," he remarks, as he puts on his helmet now, shaking his head a little to himself as he looks around. "Now let's see…" he mutters to himself, offering a grin over at both Brienne and Cambric. "Guess it's time to be entertaining?"
Pulling her own visor down, Brie laughs and nudges Cam back. "You got it." Holding her own polearm, opting for this weapon instead of her sword for no particular reason than wanting the practice with it. When the call is made, she glances warily around as she takes her place, looking briefly for her brother. Hearing him, she turns and bats his shoulder lightly with her gauntlet. "Sure does. You ready? Let's entertain." Big talker.. woo.
Behind the visor of her helmet, Veryna takes in the crowd. She seems to have few friends here, at first glance. A cyan hard-light shield blazes on her bracer, sword clutched tightly in her right hand. Behind the visor, she does the same as the other knights, tagging foes, particularly the three Khourni who seem to be plotting together. The AI in her suit is all business it seems, crisp and precise.
<COMBAT> Victor has changed armor to Aggressor Armor.
<COMBAT> Victor has changed weapons to Great Bludgeon.
<COMBAT> Tristan has changed armor to Aggressor Armor.
<COMBAT> Tristan has changed stance to defensive.
<COMBAT> Ellinor has changed armor to Defender Armor.
<COMBAT> Ellinor has changed weapons to Sword.
<COMBAT> Ellinor has changed stance to Shielded.
<COMBAT> Cambric has changed stance to Aggressive.
<COMBAT> Cambric has changed armor to Aggressor Armor.
<COMBAT> Cambric has changed weapons to Polearm.
<COMBAT> Michram has changed weapons to bludgeon.
<COMBAT> Michram has changed armor to Defender Armor.
<COMBAT> Michram has changed stance to Shielded.
<COMBAT> Thalo has changed weapons to Great Bludgeon.
<COMBAT> Thalo has changed armor to Defender Armor.
<COMBAT> Sir Margory has changed armor to Defender Armor. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Sir Margory has changed stance to def_shield. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon has changed armor to Defender Armor. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon has changed weapons to Spear. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon has changed stance to Shielded. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Veryna has changed stance to shielded.
<COMBAT> Veryna has changed armor to Defender Armor.
<COMBAT> Brienne has changed armor to defender armor.
<COMBAT> Brienne has changed weapons to polearm.
<COMBAT> Brienne has changed stance to defensive.
<COMBAT> Cambric will attack Ellinor this turn.
<COMBAT> Victor will attack Brienne this turn.
<COMBAT> Tristan will attack Veryna this turn.
<COMBAT> Veryna will attack Tristan this turn.
<COMBAT> Ellinor will attack Cambric this turn.
<COMBAT> Michram will attack Sir Jaxon this turn.
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon will attack Michram this turn. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Brienne will attack Victor this turn.
<COMBAT> Thalo will attack Cambric this turn.
<COMBAT> Sir Margory will attack Thalo this turn. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Victor attacks Brienne with Great Bludgeon - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Cambric attacks Ellinor with Polearm - ARMOR on Right Arm stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Brienne attacks Victor with Polearm but Victor DODGES!
<COMBAT> Tristan attacks Veryna with Sword but Veryna DODGES!
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Cambric with Great Bludgeon - Light wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Sir Margory attacks Thalo with Sword - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon attacks Michram with Spear but Michram DODGES!
<COMBAT> Michram attacks Sir Jaxon with Bludgeon - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Ellinor attacks Cambric with Sword - ARMOR on Right Leg stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Tristan with Sword but Tristan DODGES!
And after what seems like an eternity, the announcer calls, "BEGIN!"
Victor laughs aloud at Thalo's response, "That wouldn't be very sporting." He nods his vaguely skull-faced helmet, then advances into the fray. He steps around a pair of Citizen-born knights who are going at it hammer and tongs, as if they had a grudge against one another, and advances on the knot of Arboren and allies, hefting his heavy practice weapon. He makes a distinctly unsubtle approach, a pair of overhead blows with the heavy head, aimed to batter aside Brienne's defenses and strike home on her head or shoulders.
Daytime isn't Katrina's favorite time of day. In fact, it's rather rare to see her out and about at this hour. Her hair is pretty messed up, like she just rolled on out of bed to show up. She winds her way through the benches, sliding past people without a second thought. Finally spotting a bench that looks suitable (whether she's supposed to be there or not,) she slumps onto it before peering at her new benchmate over the edge of her large sunglasses. "You too?" she wonders of Nikomachos with a mild smirk curling at the corners of her lips.
Other than Cam and Tristan, the nearest Brie can make out nearest her is some large man before her and tightening her hands on her polearm and with a swing, aims it at Victor. She didn't account for the sudden thunk against her chest that almost sends her hurtling backwards. It's through will alone that she remains standing. Unfortunately, her own swing misses entirely.
Michram advances forward into the central part of the combat area, shield and axe at the ready. Sir Jaxon winds up being the first foe that he encounters, a swift movement to one side avoiding a spear thrust from the other knight and then he is bringing his axe down to meet with a sharp sound against his opponents chestpiece. Alas the blow just slides off the armor. So far that conservative style is yielding conservative results.
As the combatants are released into the ring, Ellinor does not immediately rush in as some might. She maintains a normalized stance, taking stock of the state of the field and those within it. "Syrus, initiate target tracking," she says in a quick interior whisper. A flash comes up inside her visor, indicating an incoming target. She adjusts her stance immediately, her fiery orange shield bursting from her left gauntlet and creating a barrier of protection as she advances on the incoming Leonnida. He glows like a yellow and royal blue ghost. The faux eyes on the sides of her helmet become glowing golden orbs as she brings up her sword to clash into his left leg.
Moving into the fray as well, the large shoulder of the armor roll into a shrug and the lights in the helmet start to glow a dark red, "Evaluate targets, even spread." There is a momentary pause and then as combat begins, he moves around to the left…that was the plan right? And side steps an attack from Sir Margory, hefting his hammer and bringing it around in a swing at Sir Cambric, who happily seemed engaged elsewhere. Of course, maybe he's just trying to free up the Drake Hunter to take her out of this himself.
Sir Jaxon gives Sir Michram a salute with his spear as the Khourni approaches him, settling down a bit behind his shield and stabbing out with his spear. The attack almost unbalances him, and he has to recoil quickly to avoid taking the full brunt of an axe-blow to the chest. The padded weapon still rings off his breastplate, however, sending him staggering back a step.
Sir Margory takes a more circuitous route, circling around the outside of the fray and darting in with a tentative, very defensive slash at the huge side of the Wall.
As they're released into the ring, Tristan looks around for a few moments, before he starts moving for one of the nearby opponents, which happens to be Veryna. Attempting a quick slash towards her side now, while staying on the move, to make himself as hard a target as possible.
Nikomachos glances up to the vaguely familiar woman who settles down alongside him, chuckling softly and shrugging, "The hangover is mostly gone, but now the repeated blows from the quintain are taking their toll." He ducks down to grab one of the sealed water bottles at his feet and offer it out to Katrina, "I'm Sir Nikomachos Cindravale, and you look familiar from somewhere…"
In the opening fray, the free-for-all that begins finds Veryna seeking out the nearest foe: Tristan. Advancing on him as rapidly and carefully as she can, shield held out and sword up and at the ready, she closes the distance easily. "Highlight target; track additional targets. Alert me when anyone closes to within a meter and a half," Verya speaks to her AI. Tristan's slash is caught on her sword, parried, and when she attempts to strike back at him, her own blow meets the same fate.
As the melee begins, Sir Cambric chirps, "What's the nearest target." His computer responds, "The Drakefire is to your immediate right." And with that, the Aggressor armor twists to strike out towards Sir Ellinor. "Sorry, Ellie, you're the closest to me!" he calls out over the comm as the glave cuts across the air towards the armor. Of course, he wasn't expecting to be double-teamed in return, as Ellinor and Thalo both come in on the attack.
Thalo's massive weapon sweeps across his chest, denting and dislodging several of those stylized feathers on his chest and his HUD flashes a master caution in the area of the hit as he gets a second flash of green along his leg where Ellinor's counterattack slams agains his leg. "Whoa." he manages. "Well, since I'm the first to be doubled up on, let's see who I can share the love with. Reminds me of the time I was at this place called the Jiggle Hut, and there was this bouncer that called himself Big Rob. You know what they say about people that call themselves Big anything.. deficencies elsewhere.. anyway.." he says as the Knight moves to switch targets, noticing Victor advancing on Brienne, and like any good Leonnidan, he notices that the man's back is a nice and inviting target as he breaks contact to engage a new target.
"So anyway, there was Big Rob and one of the dancers, I think she went by Cynthia Shimmywells? I don't think that she liked the whole idea that I called her a little skinny for her hip size, and that turned into a nasty little scrum, you know.. I think Niko was there.. I don't rightfully remember though. That was the night that I learned that if you drink all the overspills from the tray at the end of the night, you can totally get plastered quickly." he's probably going to be like this the whole fight, as his polearm slams into Ellinor's shield and huhs. "Good block, Drakefire!"
<COMBAT> Victor has changed stance to aggressive.
<COMBAT> Cambric will attack Victor this turn.
<COMBAT> Cambric has changed stance to Normal.
<COMBAT> Ellinor has changed stance to agg_shield.
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Cambric with Great Bludgeon - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Tristan attacks Veryna with Sword and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon attacks Michram with Spear but Michram DODGES!
<COMBAT> Brienne attacks Victor with Polearm but Victor DODGES!
<COMBAT> Victor attacks Brienne with Great Bludgeon - Moderate wound to Right Arm (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Tristan with Sword - Serious wound to Left Hand.
<COMBAT> Sir Margory attacks Thalo with Sword - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Michram attacks Sir Jaxon with Bludgeon - Light wound to Right Hand (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Ellinor attacks Cambric with Sword - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Cambric attacks Victor with Polearm and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Tristan has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Tristan spends a luck point to keep fighting!
"Lucky," Katrina crinkles her nose at Nikomachos. Her tone suggests he must not, in fact, be all that lucky. "That sounds terrible." The bottle is accepted with a quick, polite nod and the hint of a smile. After taking a long needed sip, she screws the cap back on and introduces herself in a casual tone. "Katrina," there's a pause, "Nash. Been to any concerts lately?" she asks with a wink. She takes a moment to peer out toward the field with curiously lifted brows. "Who are you rooting for?"
The announcer keeps up a running tally of those knocked out of the fight, already four of the Citizen-born knights have been defeated by their foes, and each one has their chance to be singled out by name as they yield.
Yes, Cambric moved off towards Victor. That's hardly point. There was a blur across Thalo's visor and he swung at it, once more slamming his maul into Cambric's armor, then he whirls on Drakefire, stomping one massive foot down on the ground, "Let's see how the Drake Hunter fairs when she meets the Wall?" He hefts his hammer once more, and takes a more defensive stance.
Victor's AI projects a caret in his peripheral vision as talky-mc-talkerson comes sweeping in, but instead of retreating in the face of two attackers, the Khourni drives forward, "Vera, switch skins, random timer." And just as the nearly-betrothed couple attack him, Victor's armor goes a featureless white, making it difficult to tell where the surface is. He brings his axe across his body, catching the attack on his haft, then swapping hands so that he drives his axe down at Brienne's right side with his left-hand dominant.
As Thalo keeps on Cambric, that heavy bludgeon slams into his chest again and the bright yellow starts to turn to red and the Leonnidan knight actually draws in a sharp breath as he felt that one. "Just keep moving." he tells himself as he moves along the battlefield. As he swipes at Victor, the large polearm seems to be aimed at air, but instead, he twists and pirouettes on the pivot, and uses the twist to bring the polearm around towards a new target, aiming it towards Veryna. And while that is going on, Ellinor brings her blade in to try to nail the damage to his chest that Thalo has caises so far. "Nope, not yet!" he says as he jerks backwards, allowing Thalo to take over attacking the Drake Hunter while the Falcon seems to be flight about his targets.
Seated at the noble benches besides her mother and other Larent family members, Ariana keeps a cool, steady gaze on the carnage happening down on the field. At the very moment when she locates her sister, Veryna, in the chaos, the elder Larent sibling just happens to be lashing out at one of the Arboren knights. Nevertheless, Ariana claps gently for the good showing on both the Larent and Arboren sides, possessing a aura of calmness despite her sister's participation. Every so often, her gaze drifts to view the other contestants nearby, but they eventually find their way back to Veryna.
"Sir, I have finished downloading your selected playlist. Would you care for me to initial song shuffle?" Syrus announces inside Ellinor's helmet. The Knight announces the affirmative and her interior helmet speakers begin to blast the first song — Let the Bodies Hit the Floor by Suffocant Hole — though Syrus does politely make sure she hears the dialogue around her as well. Ah, soundtracks. This is perhaps just in time for her to spot the Wall turning on her, and she sweeps around with a bit of a swirl of that violet and silver tabard to face the Wall. She holds her shield steady, giving her sword a bit of a flourish to face the monstrosity. "Picking on the little guys, huh?" And then she launches forward.
Nikomachos laughs softly, shaking his head, "Not too bad, really. I've had worse." The introduction takes a moment, but then he nods his head, "Ah yes… I've heard a few of your songs… what's that one that's getting all that play on the InfoSphere right now?" Looking back to the melee, he leans forward a touch, watching closely for all that he's talking to the woman next to him, "Well, I have a Valen interest in seeing Sir Margory or Sir Cambric win, but Sir Ellinor is a friend of mine as well." He pauses, then shrugs, "Quite a few of them are, actually."
Michram continues to circle with Sir Jaxom, quickly catching the spear thrust with his shield and retaliating with a swift strike of the axe towards one of the other knights gauntlet clad hands. Although his suit displays show the action elsewhere in the arena, for the moment he seems to content to stay right where he is at and duke it out.
The story, it was the story that distracted her right!? The story of Cambric with someone called Shimmywells. At least Brie can pretend that's what it was… up until that weapon Victor is throwing around at her finally makes contact, connecting with a solid and painful thud against her right side. She doesn't manage to get much of a swing in before the hit so her own attack is ineffective. With a loud yell, she changes from defensive to aggressive and advances on Victor, favoring her right side considerably.
After the initial clash and opening parries, Veryna keeps pressing the attack. Not lacking for height or reach compared to her foe, she twists out of the arcing swing of Tristan's sword, and lashes out with her own, striking the knight in his hand. It may be enough to end the short exchange of blows, or at least to make it hard to hold and wield his sword effectively. When he does drop it to the ground, Veryna asks simply, "Do you yield, Sir Tristan?" He has the option to pick it up and continue on.
His own attempt to attack only catching air, Tristan cries out a bit as the strike to his hand causes him to drop the weapon and take a few brief moments to make sure he didn't wound anything yet. As he hears the question, he shakes his head a little, as he ducks down to retrieve the weapon. "The crowd expects me to hang on a little longer, at least," he remarks, with a momentary grin.
Sir Jaxon continues to fence with Michram, although he once more goes a little too far on the offensive. Where it didn't cost him too badly last time, this time he catches a padded axe to the right hand, yelping a little and nearly dropping his spear. Instead of getting more cautious like he probably should, the Sauveur spearman advances on his opponent.
Sir Margory continues to circle around Ellinor and Thalo, this time landing her tentative blow on the Wall but not even chipping the bricks.
<COMBAT> Cambric has changed stance to aggressive.
<COMBAT> Thalo will attack Ellinor this turn.
<COMBAT> Veryna will attack Tristan this turn.
<COMBAT> Thalo has changed stance to Defensive.
<COMBAT> Brienne has changed stance to aggressive.
<COMBAT> Cambric will attack Veryna this turn.
<COMBAT> Ellinor will attack Thalo this turn.
<COMBAT> Tristan will attack Veryna this turn.
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon has changed stance to agg_shield. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Tristan with Sword - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Tristan attacks Veryna with Sword and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Ellinor with Great Bludgeon - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Michram attacks Sir Jaxon with Bludgeon - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Ellinor attacks Thalo with Sword - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Cambric attacks Veryna with Polearm - Light wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Victor attacks Brienne with Great Bludgeon - Critical wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Sir Margory attacks Thalo with Sword - Moderate wound to Right Arm (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon attacks Michram with Spear - Serious wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Brienne attacks Victor with Polearm - Moderate wound to Abdomen (Reduced by Armor).
The Citizen-born knights have nearly all knocked themselves out of the fight by now, with only three of them dancing about one another, trying and failing to gang up enough to take one of the others out.
After thrusting his polearm at Veryna's back, Cambric continues his grand tour of changing targets. This time, he moves to poor Sir Margory, who everyone seems to be ignoring at the moment as the falcon twists around and moves to engage the knight. "Hey. Looked lonely. Figured I'd pay you some attention!"
"Sir, I register that you have sustained a substancial hit to the upper right quadrant of your breastplate. In actual combat situations, your armor would have been compro—" Ellinor interrupts the AI's prattling with a wheezing breath. "Syrus…" There is a moment of silence from her speakers as the knight steps back from the Wall, and then he concludes. "Very sorry, Sir." She shakes her head a bit, drawing in a deep breath. Her stance shifts from aggressive to a more normalized stance, though her shield remains active as she steps forward to initialize another attack against the Khourni giant.
Thalo faces off with Ellinor, still ignoring Sir Margory…for now. "Reset target spectrum, background noise 20, filter uv glare negative 10" And with that he steps in towards her stepping left and swinging his hammer at her breastplate. She's quicker than he thought though and the blow she deals back slams into his breastplate, denting it badly and actually causing his foot to move back a step. The wall doesn't get moved often. Audibly through his helmet he grunts and in that moment Sir Margory's swing slams into his right arm, causing him to nearly drop his hammer. He resettles his grip and goes back into the fight with Ellinor.
Michram watches as Sir Jaxon becomes more aggressive, carefully moving his shield and biding his time during the advance. Finally seeing what he thinks he is a perfect moment he darts in with the axe swinging powerfully towards the other knight. The estimation of just where Sir Jaxon's spear would happen to be however was, sadly, in error. A powerful blow sends him staggering back a step. While he's still standing, it very much appears he is now getting the worst of the exchange. There is no switching foes however, shield instead being raised back into place as he advances once more to continue what he started.
Victor continues his aggressive assault on Brienne, even as the caret disappears from his vision, indicating Cambric is moving off elsewhere. As Brienne likewise goes on the offensive, Victor whirls his heavy two-handed axe over his head, switching back to right-hand dominant again as he does. The axe-blade comes down, but not to slash at his opponent. Instead, it hooks in close, trying to loop the beard of the blade under Brienne's polearm and pull it down and out of the way, then thrust the head of the axe directly into the center of her chest. This, of course, opens him up below, as he extends to put his full weight behind the blow, and his breath 'whoofs' out of him as her weapon strikes home beneath his rib-cage. Even as the strike hits, his armor shifts again, taking on a shattered-glass look of grey and black that breaks up his outline.
Though Veryna's initial opponent doesn't yield, she certainly can appreciate the grit shown in the endeavor. She shows no dishonor, and allows him to pick up his sword, expecting that it will be retrieved with another thrust, lunge, or something similar. That blow is easily deflected, but the issue comes from behind. Dutiful as ever, her AI neglects to inform her of Cambric's polearm strike from behind…since Cambric was not close enough to sound the alert. The weapon strikes her armor from behind, throwing her balance off enough to change the impact of her own strike at Tristan, which now lands square on his breastplate and totally ineffective.
It's a hard hit that strikes Brienne right in the chest, over the one she'd barely avoided falling from earlier. This time she has no such luck and she swings her polearm even as she's falling to back. The hit is hard and it takes her breath, but it doesn't keep her down. With grim determination, she pushes herself back to her feet, still favoring her right side and attempting to catch her breath, already going for another swing, determined to take him down with her, if she's going, putting her full weight into it.
Having not succeeded with his own attack, Tristan staggers backwards a bit at the hit to his breastplate. Looking up, he spots Cambric after he made that strike, offering a brief grin, before he moves in more aggressively in his next attack now.
Sir Margory finally circles around the Wall to a point where she can actually manage a bite in through his armor with her sword. And then Cambric comes barrelling in, and she quickly backpedals away from him, getting her shield between him and her once more. Evidently, she's aiming to play the long game. "I was quite happy being lonely, Sir."
Sir Jaxon takes an axeblow to the chest, but he battles through it, thrusting his blunted spear at Michram's chest as well, this time managing not to overextend himself.
"Fair enough," Katrina nods, her tone breezy and light as they continue casual conversation. "Right now? Uhh. I think Glitter Bomb is the one they keep playing right now," she rubs the underside of her chin, her expression briefly thoughtful. Shoving her sunglasses back to their rightful position, she scans the playing field before cracking a mischievous grin at Nikomachos. "That means your odds of celebratory drinks afterward are exceptionally high. Right on."
<COMBAT> Cambric has changed stance to Defensive.
<COMBAT> Cambric will attack Sir Margory this turn.
<COMBAT> Sir Margory will attack Cambric this turn. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Ellinor has changed stance to shielded.
<COMBAT> Tristan has changed stance to Aggressive.
<COMBAT> Brienne will attack Victor this turn. Options: called=head
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Tristan with Sword - Light wound to Head (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Ellinor with Great Bludgeon - Light wound to Head (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Ellinor attacks Thalo with Sword - ARMOR on Abdomen stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Victor attacks Brienne with Great Bludgeon - Serious wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Talayla has joined the combat as a observer.
<COMBAT> Tristan attacks Veryna with Sword - ARMOR on Abdomen stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Sir Margory attacks Cambric with Sword and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cambric attacks Sir Margory with Polearm - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Brienne attacks Victor with Polearm but Victor DODGES!
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon attacks Michram with Spear but Michram DODGES!
<COMBAT> Michram attacks Sir Jaxon with Bludgeon - Serious wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Ellinor has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Tristan has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Ellinor spends a luck point to keep fighting!
Nikomachos 'aahs' and nods his head, "Glitter Bomb, that would be the one, yes." He gestures to the field, "I hadn't planned it that way, but I suppose you're right. Although I think I'll keep my celebrations to a minimum, as I have the tilt tomorrow." Taking a pull from his water bottle, which, sadly, only contains water, he adds, "Is there anyone in there that you're cheering for, Miss Kent?"
One of the last Citizen-born knights is finally dropped, and the other two face off against one another, clashing sword to mace in what would be an epic combat if not for the display that the nobles are putting on.
Victor should probably let Brienne get back to her feet without interference. It would be the chivalric thing to do. Instead, he continues his advance, ducking under the sweep of the polearm's blade and then stepping close to sweep his two-handed axe up and in from his right side, aiming to slam it hard into the left side of the Arborenin woman's rib-cage even as she's rising back to her feet.
There is nothing quite like getting a great bludgeon to the head. Ellinor is sent reeling at the strike, and for a heartbeat it almost looks as though she is about to collapse in the dirt at the feet of the wall. Her ears ring, the various dialogue and banter around her becoming nothing more than a muted hum. She can hear a woman's voice sing in her ears… But I won't back down, oh no… And she draws herself up once more as she launches forward to engage the Wall once more, her sword colliding with the massive chest of his armor.
Michram advances once more, stubbornly trying the same approach as last time. This time however he actually gets the timing right and the spear thrust meant from Sir Jaxon instead winds up skidding off his shield in a brightly colored display. Then the red armored knight takes a step forcefully forward and brings his axe down in a downward sloping angle to catch his opponent with a solid blow to one side.
When Margory comes out swinging at him, Cambric flares his armor, moving to the side to cause the woman to miss the strike on him. "Well, I always say that a gal shouldn't have a dance partner at one of these souirees, and with my own date currently occupied, I figured I'd offer you a dance." he says with a grin as the HUD illuminates and his strike slams true but the armor holds up.
Again with the chest.. Brie is going to need those things eventually, when she has a child. Maybe. The hit is much harder than before or it certainly feels like it is! When she falls this time, before she could even make it up from before, she gets the hit and falls back again. It takes her a little longer to get back up, but she's determined! Rolling to the side, she rises and finds herself near enough Cam to hear what he says about a dance partner… and turning, she finds herself facing him. "May I cut in?" With a scowl, she advances on him, which may look sort of comical since she's all favoring her right side and her armor is for shit since she'd been hit repeatedly. Next time though, Victor only gets a view of her back since she's straight up facing Cambric.
As Veryna fends off the clumsy thrusts of Tristan, using that sore hand to hold the sword, she manages to make contact with his head. There's the clang of blunted metal on armor, as she connects with a solid blow that she expects will send the man reeling. While he wobbles around, Veryna seeks out Cambric, intending to return the favor, by attacking while he's otherwise engaged.
Hearing Brienne's call, Cambric gives a little gulp and a totally innocent smile. "Aww, hon, you know I like dancing with you best of all!" he calls out to the Arborden he courts as he prepares for the attack and engage in return.
"It's a terrible title, I know." Katrina adds belatedly, "but terrible is kind of my thing." At least half of her bottle is now gone, and she momentarily peers into it with one eye. "Not particularly. The guys from Khournas are pretty hot though, so maybe them." She nods toward the field, "I don't know anyone personally, so… you know, different social circles and all," she dismissively flicks her wrist.
Sir Jaxon's shield goes too low, expecting his opponent to be feinting the same blow and trying another. Instead, he steps right into the descending axe, the blunted weapon slamming into the join where his pauldron meets his gorget and sending him staggering to his right. Coughing, he notes, "Well struck, Sir."
Sir Margory circles around with Cambric, trying to keep her back to the hard light fence surrounding the melee area. "You might say I'm a wallflower, Sir." Or a turtle. Either way, her thrust is careful, precise, and distinctly not bold. The return strike from the polearm flares against her yellow hard-light shield, driving it back into her chest, but protecting her from the impact.
At least he managed to hit this time, although there's just the armor blocking it. But he hit something, which makes Tristan smile a bit, until the hit to his head makes him step backwards a few times, taking some moments to make the world stop spinning. "Good luck with the rest of the combat," he offers a bit quietly to Veryna, before he makes his way off the field. Why is there more people there now than when they staerted? Doesn't make any sense…
Nikomachos laughs softly at Katrina's words, "Any PR is good PR, and all of that, Miss Kent? Now that does sound very familiar." Her reasoning for who to cheer for causes him to laugh aloud, shaking his head, and then he quickly takes another swig of water, "They do grow them rather large in the Crescent, don't they? We of the Vale prefer a touch of finesse, and a great heaping dollop of style, rather than pure size."
<COMBAT> Ellinor will attack Thalo this turn. Options: called=Left_Hand
<COMBAT> Ellinor has changed stance to agg_shield.
<COMBAT> Veryna will attack Cambric this turn.
<COMBAT> Cambric will attack Brienne this turn.
<COMBAT> Cambric has changed stance to Aggressive.
<COMBAT> Brienne will attack Cambric this turn.
<COMBAT> Sir Margory attacks Cambric with Sword - Serious wound to Chest.
<COMBAT> Michram attacks Sir Jaxon with Bludgeon - Moderate wound to Neck (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Ellinor attacks Thalo with Sword - ARMOR on Left Hand stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Victor attacks Brienne with Great Bludgeon - Light wound to Abdomen (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Thalo tries to attack but has no target!
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon attacks Michram with Spear - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Cambric with Sword - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Cambric attacks Brienne with Polearm - ARMOR on Abdomen stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Brienne attacks Cambric with Polearm - ARMOR on Abdomen stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Mars has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Brienne has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Cambric has been KO'd!
Ariana's ice blue eyes light up at the sight of Veryna besting her opponent on the field. Just a touch of a smile forms upon the younger Larent's lips and she graces her elder sister with a more enthusiastic clapping than the gentle ones she had offered before. Exchanging some quiet words with their mother as they both continue to watch the ongoing beatings.
There's no way that they're really going to survive the round so as Cambric and Brienne charge down each other, the strikes against his back tear through his armor, causing it to overload and start to enter the shut down and the knight gives out a wheeze. However, he manages to set up and get his polearm down to keep Brienne supported up as she ends up doing the same to him in the process. With both of them out of the fight, their helmets touch together and Cambric lifts his helmet. "Hi. I love you." he finally says to her with a grin. "Now will you marry me if the High Lady allows?" There's a laugh at that.
Victor has already demonstrated his pure pragmatism by striking at Brienne while she is getting up, and now he demonstrates it again. As his armor fades back to it's usual grey and orange, he follows after her, stepping to his right and bringing his heavy axe around to swing up and in at the side of her abdomen. As the two lovers entangle and fall, he continues past the pile-up, stepping around it without a word and bringing his heavy weapon to bear on the little Cindravale turtle.
Michram shifts his weight back for a moment and carefully watches Sir Jaxon's movements while replying to him. "As was your one just before Sir. A good showing for us both however it shall end." That bit of conversation done suddenly rushes forward in with another blow, axe raised high this time and striking towards the other Knight's head. It does not quite get there, the axe instead catching him in the neck. A faint "oof" is heard as another spear strike finds his well armored chest.
The attack to Cambric's back is simply to return what he'd done earlier. When Cambric and Brienne both falter together under the blows, Veryna simply leaves them to be, a simple nod given to them. As alliances are created and destroyed on the fly, Veryna joins Victor in approaching the defensive-minded Sir Margory to press the attack.
Sir Jaxon continues his duel with Michram, bouncing a spear-thrust off the man's chest and taking a heavy blow to his gorget in return, one that sends him staggering back, choking a bit and shaking his head in an attempt to clear his windpipe. The Sauveur spearman's voice is a bit choked as he responds, "Good showing both."
Sir Margory proves herself as pragmatic as one of the big Khourni, pouncing forward to stab at Cambric's back as he turns away to strike at Brienne. Her solid blow has her laughing, "Thank you for the dance!" And then there's a big Khourni… and another swordswoman. Well hell…
Energy spent and simply too tired to go on, Brie feels the hit round her side and at her abdomen. Again, it takes her breath.. Or was that Cambric, when she falls against him and he lifts his helmet? With a slow smile curving her lips up at his words, she offers a wink, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Hi," she says softly, lifting off her own helmet. "I love you too and I thought you'd never ask. Now come on, let's get out of here before someone swings something at me again." Gingerly she pushes herself to her feet, making sure she had all she ha brought with her. "I hope he wins…" glancing back towards Victor before grinning back at Cam. "I want to stay and watch the rest though."
Ellinor has grounded herself once more after the almost-collapse on the dirt, though she still feels her head ringing and brain sloshing about in her skull. She is advancing on the Wall again, though her attempt to slam her sword into the man's hand proves a bit futile as she cannot seem to deliver the appropriate damage to the unarmored gauntlet. She finds her temper start to build, reverting to the old fire pits of Khournas. Her shield abruptly drops, dissolving back into her own gauntlet, and she does not seem to cease her aggressive and relentless strikes against the Khournas. If she's going to drop, she's going to drop swinging away at the Wall.
Well, at least now it seems that they're back to the normal amount of people, and the world's stopped spinning. Dropping his helmet to the ground now, Tristan takes a few deep breaths, before leaning forward to let the contents of his last meal go to the ground. At least he's away from the fighting and such, right?
The giant screens have plenty to show right now, a good quarter of them are displaying the touching moment between Brienne and Cambric, half are showing the fighting — including the last two Citizen-born Knights knocking each other out — and the last quarter are showing Tristan displaying the contents of his stomach. Lucky man…
<COMBAT> Ellinor has changed stance to aggressive.
<COMBAT> Thalo will attack Ellinor this turn. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Ellinor has changed weapons to Greatsword.
<COMBAT> Sir Margory will attack Victor this turn. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Victor will attack Sir Margory this turn.
<COMBAT> Veryna will attack Sir Margory this turn.
<COMBAT> Ellinor will attack Thalo this turn.
<COMBAT> Victor attacks Sir Margory with Great Bludgeon - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Sir Margory with Sword - Moderate wound to Neck (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Michram attacks Sir Jaxon with Bludgeon and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Ellinor attacks Thalo with Greatsword but Thalo DODGES!
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Ellinor with Great Bludgeon - Light wound to Abdomen (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Sir Margory attacks Victor with Sword - Light wound to Left Hand.
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon attacks Michram with Spear - ARMOR on Right Hand stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Ellinor has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Victor has been KO'd!
With the two of them out of the combat, Cambric helps Brienne to the sidelines and moves to settle her down in case she needs medical attention as he leans back against his chair. "Oi. That could have gone better. Guess I got too much attention. How're you, Bri?" he asks, looking her over a bit worriedly.
"Exactly. You get it," Katrina flashes Nikomachos a wide, pleased smile. "They do - it makes you wonder what they feed them, you know?" She leans, throwing her elbows on top of the back of the bench, bottle still in hand. "Variety is awesome. And size isn't all that matters, of course," she comments with a straight face.
Michram is moving more slowly than originally. Perhaps he is catching his breath but more likely the extended fight has simply taken it's toll on the reflexes. His next axe strike is a rather pathetic effort, cutting a path through the air and leaving his hand exposed to the spear strike that greets it. No more talking now, just a step backwards to take a deep breath and then it is back to circling and looking for the next advantage.
Victor comes swinging in on Sir Margory, circling around to her right and slamming his axe down at her ribs. Unfortunately, he overextends himself, and the blunted blade of his opponent slips in, and slices into his left hand, actually cutting it through the plain leather glove and sending blood spilling across his armor and the haft of his axe. Starting back, he curses, "Fuck! Godsdamnit." The exclamation doesn't appear to be out of anger or pain so much as surprise, well, and a bit of pain. He starts to reach for his axe again with his left hand, but the blood continues to pulse weakly from his hand, and inside his helmet, he pales a bit under his swarthy skin. Medics stand just outside the ring, beckoning him over, and he nods once to the two knights closest him, then strides over toward the medics.
Once back on the sidelines, Brienne doesn't settle down until her armor is all off and then she sits heavily, tired and sore. "I've got to get myself back together again before tomorrow." Lifting her chin, she smiles when she meets his worried gaze. "Aww, Cam, don't worry about me. I'm good, trust me." For a moment though, she tips her head to the side as if contemplating something then she raises a fist and punches his shoulder. "No more Miss Swizzlykitty or whatever her name was. And no more dance partners." Despite her teasing tone, her eyes reflect a bit of fire in them. "Deal?"
And that is the last hit Ellinor Sauveur can handle this fight. As the hammer, literally, falls and dinks against her armor, she staggers back a few more strides and indicates through a gesture that she yields. Thalo disengages, allowing her to step off of the field. Her helmet is not removed, hiding the grimace of pain and just a touch of residual temper hiding behind the fallen visor.
The spantaneous alliance with Sir Victor seems to pay off…at least for Veryna. Perhaps distracted by the two approaching attackers, Sir Margory makes for something of an easier target. Veryna's sword finds a home on the side of the other woman's neck. The alliance dissolves though, when a lash of the Valen woman's sword lands just so, and forces Sir Victor to retire. However, he's replaced by someone even larger and more ominous.
Taking the punch, Cambric laughs and nudges Brienne in return with a chuckle. "No other partners. And it was story, Bri. You're my one and only, you know that." he grins and gives her a light push in return. And then he leans in to whisper to her.
Nikomachos spreads his hands, "Of course I do… I'm a Valen." That spreads a smile across his lips, and then he sits forward as blood sprays across the viewscreens. He's not looking there, however, his right hand tightening against the bottle of water with a crackle of deforming plastic. Apparently, that causes him to miss Katrina's double entendre, because he half-turns his head toward her, distractedly asking "Hmm? What was that, Miss Kent?"
It takes a while longer, before Tristan manages to get out of his armor, and get hold of some water. Moving along, he spots Brienne and Cambric, heading over in their direction, although the steps are a bit slow now. In addition, he's got an ice pack over his left hand, held in place by a towel wrapped around that hand.
Sir Margory is hammered under axe and sword, staggering back, but then she laughs when her defensive return swipe draws blood, and a good deal of it. Turning back to Varyna, she starts forward a little more aggressively, only to back up again slightly as Thalo comes thundering over, turning her sword on him. She's definitely not laughing anymore.
Sir Jaxon continues his duel with Michram, taking another hit on his right hand, although his gauntlet takes most of the blow, it sends his own thrust off-course, "Ow! Six above!"
<COMBAT> Thalo will attack Sir Margory this turn. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Sir Margory has changed stance to shielded. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Sir Margory will attack Thalo this turn. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Sir Margory with Sword - Light wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon attacks Michram with Spear - ARMOR on Head stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Michram attacks Sir Jaxon with Bludgeon but Sir Jaxon DODGES!
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Sir Margory with Great Bludgeon - Serious wound to Head (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Sir Margory attacks Thalo with Sword - ARMOR on Head stops the attack!
"Nothing," the blonde smiles innocently. "And it's Nash," Katrina corrects Nikomachos, shaking her head in mild amusement. "You okay?" His reaction to the action seems to surprise her a little. She seems to only be half paying attention to the competition, other than the occasional cringe as competitors call it a day.
Victor curses inside his armor, "Vera, clear bleed." And the ghostly arcs of his opponent's attacks are swept away from his vision. "And cancel color shifts." The medics strip off his gauntlet, wrapping his hand tightly and applying coagulants.
Feeling the push back, Brienne grins approvingly, but she doesn't laugh, definitely not, that would hurt. "Yeah, I know.." Shaking her head, it's hard to refrain from the chuckle. When he leans in to whisper, she leans in to hear, but lifts her eyes once again to meet his. "Perhaps tonight then, or soon, she will meet you then. Hopefully sooner than later." Speaking in soft tones, but not really a whisper. Seeing her brother approach, she lifts her good hand and beckons him over to join them. "Saw you on the bigscreen." Of course she has to tease her brother, but the concern in her eyes weighs out everything else. "Are you okay?"
Michram skillfully deflects the next thrust of Sir Jaxon's spear with his face. Well, perhaps it is not so skillful, still this moment of not being decapitated by a tourney weapon is down more to the skill of Khournas smiths than anything else. Michram's own answering strike does not even come close, whiffing wildly through the air between the two knights as he stumbles back to clear his head. "Reset left optical display" he can be heard to mutter to his suits computer.
Nikomachos blinks and looks over to Katrina, "Oh… I'm sorry Miss Nash. I got a little distracted there. Yes, I'm quite fine, thank you." He takes another slug of the water, finishing off that bottle of water and popping over another. "It seems to be getting a little violent down there, Miss Nash." He re-emphasizes the name, just to ensure he has it right this time.
Veryna continues to press the attack on Sir Margory, this time striking the woman in the chest. The armor seems to take the bulk of the blow…but she feels the giant axe to the head is certainly going to take the woman out of the fight. It doesn't, however, which truly surprises Veryna. What it means is that she doesn't relent, advancing on the woman with a careful flourish of her sword, a bit of a graceful spin, leading into another slash whirling from her shield side.
Finally, Ellinor manages to roll her head out of her helmet once she has taken a seat on the sidelines. Her brow is damp with sweat, her mouth set in a firm line. She looks serious as she watches the remaining fighters exchange blows.
Sir Jaxon ducks under a sweep of Michram's axe, sending it glancing off his shield. He sends a thrust at Michram's head, only to see the spearhead go glancing off the helmet. "Getting tired over there?" The Sauveur spearman is panting by now, "Because I am."
Sir Margory is getting hammered literally now, trying to deflect both Veryna and Thalo's attacks and managing to deflect neither. She sends a slash clanging almost gently off Thalo's helmet, staggering and nearly falling, barely managing to keep her feet.
"Considering what a lot of people call me, Kent is an upgrade. Don't even worry about it," Katrina muses lightly, clearly amused more than anything. "Violence is the point though, isn't it?" An assistant suddenly pops up in the aisle beside her, frantic as if he has been looking for her everywhere. He leans in to whisper something, and she sighs dramatically. "I've got a photoshoot to get to. Nice to meet you, Lord Nikomachos. Enjoy the, ah, festivities. Catch you later?"
<COMBAT> Sir Margory attacks Thalo with Sword but Thalo DODGES!
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon attacks Michram with Spear - Serious wound to Right Arm (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Sir Margory with Sword but Sir Margory DODGES!
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Sir Margory with Great Bludgeon - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Michram attacks Sir Jaxon with Bludgeon - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Michram has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Sir Margory has been KO'd!
"The big screen…" Tristan begins, before he adds, "They all saw…?" He shrugs a little bit as he hears the question, moving to find himself some place to sit. "Looked like there were more people on the field when I left than when we started…" A sip from his water bottle, before he lifts the towel-wrapped and iced down hand. "And took a hard hit over the hand. Not quite good…" A brief pause, and a grin, before he adds, "Yesterday was more fun, you know."
Nikomachos nods half-heartedly, "Yes, but controlled violence." He rises up from his seat, grabbing another water bottle, "Nice to meet you as well, Miss Nash." And he's already headed down toward the front of the bleachers, leaning against it alongside Ellinor and offering out the bottle of water, "You can totally blame that on drinks from last night, but I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have lasted anywhere near as long against that mass of Khourni muscle. You did really well, Ellie."
In the long term one on one duel between the Khournas and the Sauveur knights, it is Michram that finally falls first. Another attempted blow is aimed towards the center mass of the other Knight, again meeting only armor and this time taking a serious blow to the arm instead. Still not recovered from the blow to the head mere moments before he lifts a hand and calls out, "Yield. Well fought Sir, and good luck." Then he is making his way towards the sidelines, finding a bench to settle on while working loose his helmet. Ah. Fresh air.
The Wall seems to have earned his name at this point at least. Being attacked by multiple oppenents in the start of the event, and taking down Drakefire. Helping to take down Sir Cambric and now focused on Sir Margory. The attack flung at him is dodged with a sidestep, quicker than many might expect from a man of his size, though he's certainly not lightning fast. He swings his hammer around his head and slams it into the chest the Knight following through so his steps carry him past the man and give him time to adjust and turn to see who remains. His gaze shifts between Sir Jaxon and Veryna now, red eyes of his helmet still glowing dimly, "Decisions, decisions…" his deep voice intones, echoic of the helmet. He once more slips into a defensive stance, hefting his huge hammer up.
Ellinor is still watching the fight as two more flies drop out, and she does not immediately answer Nikomachos — though it might still be the slight sloshy-brain action going on after being smacked in the cranium with Thalo's hammer. Finally, though, she looks up and takes the offered bottle of water. "Not well enough, but thanks…" she grunts at first before she drains a bit from the bottle. Then she offers it back up to him. "My guess is it will come down to Veryna and Thalo here in the end…"
It would seem the spin move was just a hair too slow to develop; Sir Margory manages to dodge Veryna's slash with ease. Though, the effect is the same as Veryna finds her sword slashing through thin air…but driving the other woman into the path of another's weapon. She uses the opportunity, however, to turn from the towering knight and towards the aggressive spear-wielding knight who seems to be faltering from his previous efforts.
Sir Jaxon gets another hammer-blow on his breastplate, but he returns it with a stab to the arm. When his opponent yields, the Sauveur salutes with his spear, "And you as well, Sir," then turns toward the remaining two knights. He salutes once more, then moves in toward the smaller of the two fighters, thrusting out quickly from behind his shield.
Sir Margory can only stand up against two knights for so long, and she gets slammed in the breastplate once more, falling down and spitting out, "Yield, curse it." She crawls to her feet, limping off the field.
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon will attack Veryna this turn. (Mars)
<COMBAT> Veryna will attack Sir Jaxon this turn.
<COMBAT> Thalo will attack Veryna this turn.
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Sir Jaxon with Sword - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Veryna with Great Bludgeon but Veryna DODGES!
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon attacks Veryna with Spear - Light wound to Right Arm (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Sir Jaxon has been KO'd!
As the competition goes on, Ariana and many of the members of House Larent watch the remaining competitors with a deep instensity in their eyes. One of their own, one of the very few Larentian knights and the heir of House Larent still stands and has made quite an impressive showing. Ariana, herself, looks pleased by Veryna's prowess as her own cold blue eyes remain fixed upon the last of the knights out on the field. She waits with bated breath to see what how the tournament will end.
"Yeah, Tris, you should leave this part to me and I'll leave the archery to you. Sound like a deal?" Brienne offers with a quick smile. "I'd offer to shake on it but.." Not feeling entirely on the up and up herself, she shrugs only her left shoulder. "You understand, right?" Nodding towards the screens, she smirks. "Live and in color, baby brother."
"I think you should ask her out if she wins. After all, she is an eligible lass." Cambric says, giving Tristan an nudge and glances towards Veryna. "Perhaps you can do better on the dance floor than you did in the combat arena?"
Nikomachos shakes his head, taking a sip of his own bottle as his right hand hangs over the front of the bleacher to rest on Ellinor's shoulder. He waves off the offer to return the bottle, "Oh, that one's yours. I brought a couple extras. And you certainly did better than I would. And yes, I would guess the same. She is quite dodgy, and he… well, he's damned huge."
Another swing of his hammer, but his defensive posture seems to have caused him to be too slow to hit Veryna. He grunts and starts to circle a bit as she deals with Sir Jaxon, "Impressive." he grunts out lowly and switches into a more balanced stance, keeping his weight centered instead of forward as he might if he were going all in. He whirls his hammer once and settles for a moment, giving the another Knight a chance to recoup from dealing with Sir Jaxon. The hits he's already taken have seemed to wear on him a bit, his armor rises and falls with heavy breaths.
The announcer calls out, "And the whole Melee on Foot at the Tournament of Vengeance has come down to Sir Veryna Laurent and Sir Thalo Khorax, sworn to House Ibrahm!" Up above, almost all of the screens are focused on the remaining fighters, but one screen is focused on each of those fighters who has been knocked out.
The Drakefire Knight narrows her eyes as another Knight falls, and she jumps a bit at the hand placed on her shoulder. It appears as though she has not quite regrounded herself in the wake of her yielding, though she does breath out a slow breath out her nose before she speaks. "I think Veryna was actually a little unsure about facing against the Wall. Funny how the Gods work."
Victor has finally had his hand wrapped up, and collects the double-handed axe that one of the squires ran out to grab. He nods sharply to Michram, "Well fought." And then he settles in to watch the final match.
Veryna dispatches Sir Jaxon, weary from his fighting, with a slash to the chest…and narrowly avoids being smashed by The Wall's hammer. His cautious approach though might've been her saving grace. Veryna spins around and faces off against The Wall, nodding once. "Your kind words will not earn you any quarter, Sir Thalo." A moment to catch their collective breaths, and Veryna holds her sword in one hand, up and ready.
Sir Jaxon manages to get one hit home, but the reply is enough for him, and he drops down to his knees, dropping his spear and holding up his hand in surrender. As the last two fighters face off, the Sauveur spearman gets a hand out of the ring.
"I have a better idea," Tristan offers with a grin. "You teach me to use the sword a bit better, and I'll teach you how to actually hit your target with a bow and arrow, and not the innocent bystanders?" Glancing to the screens again, he grimaces, but doesn't say anything more for now, before he shakes his head a little at Cambric. "I don't know. If there's one thing I'd do worse than this, it's probably dancing…" Looking out at the fight again now.
<COMBAT> Thalo has changed stance to normal.
<COMBAT> Veryna will attack Thalo this turn.
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Thalo with Sword - ARMOR on Right Arm stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Veryna with Great Bludgeon - Light wound to Right Arm (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Thalo with Sword - Light wound to Right Arm (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Veryna with Great Bludgeon and MISSES!
The whole screen thing focusing on her brings another scowl to her face as Brienne just realizes her mug is on there. Attempting to ignore it, she instead looks between Tristan and Cambric. "Sure, Tristan, that sounds like a good idea. But until I learn more, I'm staying far away from competing in archery." Slipping her gaze to Cam, she reaches out to gently touch his hand. "Are you feeling alright?"
Easily turning his hand over to capture Brienne's in his own, Cambric gives it a squeeze. "Aye. I'm fine. I enjoyed myself, and if I had concentrated on one target, I believe I would have done better." he says with a shrug of his shoulder as he rubs his other hand over his chest.
Nikomachos arches his eyebrows behind his sunglasses a bit as Ellinor jumps, shaking his head, and chuckling softly, "I would be unsure about facing him without Erinye and my lance myself." He raps lightly on the Drakefire knight's pauldron, "Should I not be doing that?" The fingers remain in place as he takes another swig of his water, "So… how bruised are your ribs?"
As Veryna launches into her attacks, she finds that dodging the bulk of the hammer's strikes are easier than dodging the entirety of them. A glancing blow to her sword arm as her steel deflects off the armor of his right bracer; a near miss as she swings again at a slightly higher point on the man's arm which strikes home. She's pressed to dance and spin around those swings, knowing that one solid hit may be enough to knock her right out.
It is now blow for blow. Veryna's first blow glances off his bracer, offsetting his balance a bit, but his hammer still connects. Thalo spins and sweeps his hammer in an arc and bringing it down to no effect. Instead he manages only to take an actual hit to his arm and he manages to hold onto his hammer at least. He grunts audibly and backsteps a bit, going back into a defensive stance.
Tristan keeps on watching in quiet, aside from one simple word to his older sister. "Deal."
The Sauveur Knight blinks at his question, and finally the haze lifts. She offers a soft laugh finally, raising a hand up toward her brow as she rubs at her cool skin with the fingerpads of her glove. "I'm sorry, Nikomachos… I'm replaying it all in my head. Syrus will have better data for me to study tonight." She then takes another thick swallow of water before she begins to stand once more, handing her drake-headed helmet off to the Cindravale. She winces a bit as she straightens, trying to rub at her ribs through the armor. "Painful."
<COMBAT> Thalo has changed stance to defensive.
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Thalo with Sword - ARMOR on Right Hand stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Veryna with Great Bludgeon - ARMOR on Abdomen stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Veryna with Great Bludgeon - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Thalo with Sword - Serious wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Thalo has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Thalo spends a luck point to keep fighting!
When Cambric captures her hand, she looks down at their entwined fingers then peers up at him with a smile. "I had fun too, as soon as a winner is declared, want to get out of here and we can find some sort of food somewhere?" When Tristan falls silent for the most part, she eyes him with concern. "You should get your hand checked out." Like any of them are much better, but Brie is stubborn.
Another flurry of blows, armor clangs and the hit that catches Thalo seems to get him totally off guard. He was mid movement, side stepping and hefting his hammer when her sword catches him in the chest hard and the weight of his hammer brings him crashing down with a grunt. They don't call Thalo the Wall for nothing. He growls audibly, the sound resonanting from his helmet and he scuffles back, using his hammer to hoist himself back up to his feet. A foot stomps on the ground with a loud BOOM and he charges, one last stand. It's risky and Thalo must know that…
Nikomachos shakes his head at Ellinor's words, "So what you're saying is that you're going to be too busy studying all that footage to have dinner with me?" He shakes his head slowly, "Now that is a miserable way to celebrate such a good showing." Arching his eyebrows in question, he adds, "Do you want to get out of the armor?" And then his eyes flick up to the screen showing Ellinor — and him — "Uh… maybe not." And he nods up to that screen.
"That sounds like a fine plan, Brienne. I would appreciate some time with you, as always. Once the healers say your leg's okay." Cambric says with a challenging smile. "After all, if I want to dance with you tonight, I don't want you using a bum leg as an excuse to say no."
Pressing the attack, Veryna uses the flashing speed of her sword to keep the larger knight off balance as best she can. The objective is not to strike with a single decisive blow, but to keep him reeling to the point where he can't bring that huge warhammer to bear in a crushing blow. She takes a few glancing strikes, but when he staggers at the blow to his chest and then charges, she hefts her bracer and brings that to bear as well. Glowing blue is used as she spins and slashes into his charge…
<COMBAT> Thalo has changed stance to Aggressive.
<COMBAT> Veryna has changed stance to agg_shield.
<COMBAT> Thalo attacks Veryna with Great Bludgeon - ARMOR on Neck stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Veryna attacks Thalo with Sword - Serious wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Thalo has been KO'd!
"Sure, sure. After they've checked up you, sis," Tristan replies with a bit of a grin as he studies Brienne for a few moments now. Looking from her to Cambric now. "So, if you guys are both cleared for it, will you participate tomorrow?"
Thalo probably should have stayed down, but that's not how he rolls. He charges holding his hammer high and brings it down, but the attack missed and her next blow slams into his chest again, his armor now likely having broken his ribs thoroughly from all the hits he's taken there. The Wall finally comes down for real. He crashes to the ground after the hit and though he starts to shove himself up almost immediately he waves a hand up, "Yield." he states lowly. As he gets to his feet he speaks up again, "Well met, Sir Veryna…A well earned victory."
Ellinor shakes her head a bit, finally settling into a warmer smile. "I suppose I can make time for you—" She starts, but then he points out the screen, and she glances up toward the jumbotron. She blinks several times, but the shot of the pair is lucky consumed by the final exchange of blows between Thalo and Veryna. She glances toward Nikomachos with a smirk. She does not say anything yet though as she joins the applause to congratulate both the winner and her opponent. "They both did well… I imagine we will see a grudge match next time though," she says to Niko.
As the Citizen-born knight falls, cheers go up throughout the stadium. From the section of the stands painted in cyan and white, cheers erupt all the louder. There may be rioting on Nubilus tonight.
It feels like an eternity has just passed when Veryna comes out victorious in the very end, but once the dust has settled the cheers and applause from the Larent section of the stands is more than apparent. Ariana, too, rises in her graceful manner to clap enthusiastically for both the victor and the fallen — but most likely the victor, her sister! "I knew that she would bring pride to Larent and Nubilus during these festivities." She notes to a few of her family members as they all begin to shuffle out and down to the field to congratulate the competitors.
"Have you ever known me to back down from a challenge, Tristan? Course I'll be in tomorrow. What about you?" Brienne counters her brothers question with one of her own. When the victor is announced, Brie applauds, but sighs and looks between her brother and her soon to be betrothed.. hopefully. "It's more my chest and my right side, but yeah, I'm find for dancing, as long as you don't do that fancy twirling and dipping."
Nikomachos shakes his head, "No, no… watch your films. I'll bring dinner in." And then he sets down his water bottle, straightening up out of his lean to clap along with the rest of the crowd. Raising his voice to be heard over the tumult, he adds, "Gives hope to those of us who aren't built like Mount Drakon itself, that does. And yes, one can only hope that there is a grudge match."
"Very well, Sir Thalo. Well met, indeed! I was hard-pressed to avoid your hammer! The thought of being struck square is quite intimidating!" At the conclusion, Veryna closes down the hard-light shield in the bracer of her armor, and places the sword back in it's hip scabbard. "The Hostiles will be ill-advised to confront you, Sir Thalo." While the crowd cheers, Veryna pulls the helmet free, and holds a hand up in triumph, for the honor of House Larent and House Orelle.