[[being super vague on actual timing/possible war aftermath]]

Really, it was some sort of small miracle it hadn't happened before. He'd been incredibly patient, he thought. He'd even gone out of his way to carry out the vague mission Vermier had given him upon joining - only to learn it had been ultimately pointless. And now he'd bled for the pride, had drawn enemy blood for the pride. He figured he was due something.

And if he was gonna go, why not go big.

At dusk (purely for the drama of the sunset behind the rocks of the bluffs) he made his way to the usual meeting area. Some consideration had gone into his choice - mostly the fact Vermier had made it a point to mention 'females were superior' here. Ryker had to weigh the odds - if he challenged and beat their female noble, his odds of actually retaining the title were probably lower than if he went after the guy.

Bad luck, there, man.

Once he'd taken a moment or two to stretch out and limber up, he made his call, summoning @Xerxes, but also @Amara and @Vermier to come spectate and judge as they would.

Ryker vs. @Xerxes (@Poe)
WB Noble
Round 0 / 3

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

GOD KILLS INDISCRIMINATELY AND SO SHALL WE

The voice crept on the edge of familiarity. Vermier hated to seem intrigued; he was supposed to be the dark, brooding figure around here. But it was calling for bloodshed against Xerxes, one of his sister's poor unfortunate souls who he had never been allowed to eat. He wouldn't mind seeing the boy bleed. Even if there was still no eat. Unfortunately when he arrived, with a slow and confident step and a steady gaze that said he knew everything, there was only him and that guy he remembered. So he hadn't been eaten by the Sigrun and decided to gain favor another way. "Famish?" He inquired. Hungry? He smirked, wrinkled scars furrowing their permanent creases on his lips.

"Coming for me when I'm wounded is quite a tactic," the lion drawls, limping his way to the battlefield. "Tell me, what makes you think you deserve the title? I didn't see you fight during the war, or am I mistaken? You choose to bleed for the Dieudonne now? Why not then?" His eyes narrow as he steps forward, lowering his head between his shoulder blades. Coming for a rank while the opponent was wounded certainly isn't honorable, but it may very well prove to be effective. His lip curls around the scar still healing on his face, and he flashes his fangs irritably. He has to wonder what @Amara thought of this individual. Xerxes readies himself, sucking in a breath. "Go on then, princess." His challenge, his move.

with withered wings and broken bones

these vengeful thoughts trapped underneath / rage, scorn, misery / payback for what you took from me / hope, love, sanity / i heard that you reap what you sow / so here's to believing in ghosts

code by corvus

Silent, Echo slinks from the side to linger near @Vermier, lowering herself to a crouched loaf with her paws neatly tucked beneath her breast. She didn't quite catch his words, but her eyes settle on @Xerxes and then flicked to @Ryker.

Her bet was on Xerxes, only because she knew him more, so something in her wanted him to win - even if she had nothing against Ryker. Thankfully, she had caught the call while nearby. More and more, it seems she's been showing up late to these affairs and this challenge was of interest to her.

[[i actually didn't realize xerxes was officially wounded, sorry >.>;; ]]

@Vermier himself arrived first, and earned a smirk with his question, "I found your Sigrun - which would have been faster with a name." His words slowed as he spoke to the man, not enough to be insulting, but just enough they didn't run together. He had the impression the man wasn't so good with the common tongue (and that it might be in his own interest to learn the guy's fancy one). "Didn't care to attack without knowing the true target," Had he been in a different mood, he might have. At the time it had been far more entertaining to play the poor lost traveler, "but I still sent a message." One that had been cryptic, at best, but amusing to him.

Then came his opponent, and his smirk grew. "Didn't know you were, but that's good luck for me, isn't it." He'd find no honorable opponent here today; Ryker was nowhere near above using every advantage available to him. Brows lifted as the man continued, "Ohhh, you're mistaken. Fought some Oasis girl, and if I win here, she's my next target." If only to fuck with the Oasis a little more. Because, as an enemy of the bluffs, they were a fair and open target.

'Go on then-' he was moving before the man finished.

Ryker charged, defense slipping into place automatically, as he attempted to ram his right shoulder into the meant of Xerxes' own right shoulder. His left paw would lift, and attempt to reach up just behind where the man's right shoulder became ribs, trying to hook claws into flesh and drag diagonally down and toward himself.

Ryker vs. @Xerxes (@Poe)
WB Noble
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 18 + 8 + 10 + 14 + 7 + 17 + 19

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 14 + 20 + 9

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 12 + 6 + 18 + 2 + 1

pride tier bonus: +1 hit (lvl 1 barbarian)

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

"i will feast on you."

Xerxes has no qualms about eating a pride mate. He is Dieudonne, and he is capable of turning on a beloved member as quickly as he would defend one. It makes no difference. The coward pursues his attack on a wounded man; quite the nobleman indeed.

He allows the attack, staggering backwards ever so slightly and taking the full brunt of the impact. The bruising blossoms quickly and his already wounded body screams in protest, but he is furious. The lion wastes no time in retaliating, lunging forward and using his head to swing upwards below Ryker's chin in an attempt to bash the man's jaw. Xerxes knows @Echo is there, too, and he wonders how his anger might flare if she offers to heal his opponent. Amara has given him this title and he will defend it, his body broken or not.

Xerxes vs. @Ryker
Rank challenge
Round 1/3
Hits:

Rolling 4d20: 18 + 14 + 9 + 3

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 20 + 6 + 4

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 20 + 19 + 2 + 6 + 3

+1 to dodge, pride tier 5 - master paladin

with withered wings and broken bones

these vengeful thoughts trapped underneath / rage, scorn, misery / payback for what you took from me / hope, love, sanity / i heard that you reap what you sow / so here's to believing in ghosts

code by corvus

A satisfying starburst of pain blossomed in his own shoulder, the sort that warned of a bruise soon to form. Ryker didn't honestly care if the man was pissed - either he'd win or he'd lose, and then they'd see what happened from there. Although Ryker was of the opinion that winning here should automatically grant him the title, he wasn't completely sure how the bluffs handled this kind of thing, what with half of them being family and all.

His left paw would lower from it's previous attack, and target the back of Xerxes' right front limb instead, aiming to hook claws behind the man's wrist and pull toward himself. Either to slice up the area or yank the leg toward himself, he wasn't picky here.

Movement of the other man's head was his warning, and Ryker clenched his jaw tight, attempting to meet Xerxes' attack with one of his own. As his opponent's head came up, Ryker aimed the point of his chin at the man's skull and attempted to bring it down hard, right between the eyes - jaw still clenched to avoid damage to his teeth or tongue. It was worth a potentially bruised chin if it meant doing a little more damage to the other guy.

Ryker vs. @Xerxes (@Poe)
WB Noble
Round 2 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 18 + 15 + 11 + 9 + 19 + 3 + 20

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 15 + 8 + 19

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 9 + 19 + 12 + 14 + 16

pride tier bonus: +1 hit (lvl 1 barbarian)

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

Xerxes feels the claws behind is leg and allows his paw to be swept from beneath him. It doesn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things, but he does feel the sting of new lacerations. Xerxes simply takes the opportunity to strike out at Ryker with the leg, his claws attempting to rake the area behind his opponent's shoulder and back towards himself. His head collides with Ryker's chin and ouch, a headache and damnable bruise, but it leaves his opponent's throat open for attack. Xerxes snaps his jaws, attempting to grab the sensitive area between his teeth.

Xerxes vs. @Ryker
Rank challenge
Round 2/3
Hits:

Rolling 4d20: 14 + 20 + 12 + 5

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 12 + 7 + 9

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 17 + 18 + 2 + 15 + 20

+1 to dodge, pride tier 5 - master paladin

with withered wings and broken bones

these vengeful thoughts trapped underneath / rage, scorn, misery / payback for what you took from me / hope, love, sanity / i heard that you reap what you sow / so here's to believing in ghosts

code by corvus

[[woo, speed fight~]]

There was a soft grunt drawn out of him by the impact of bone-on-bone, heat similar to that in his shoulder spreading from the point of his chin. Another bruise for the collection, but better than sore teeth or a bitten tongue.

The feeling of the man's claws on his flesh, skin parting under them, was as invigorating as he imagined the sight of his bloodied shoulder would be if he could see it well enough at the moment. More movement below his jaw, and he lurched backward an extra inch, so the man's fangs clipped the front of his neck rather than gaining a dangerous grip. A few moderate cuts and a manageable amount of blood loss were preferable to fangs full in his throat.

Ryker's own head angled further down, jaws parting as lower fangs tried to catch the man around the eyes (not directly in them, but hopefully close enough to make the man flinch away from biting at his damn throat), top fangs attempted to sink into the top of the man's head, and he'd try to bite and scrape what flesh he could manage.

Ryker vs. @Xerxes (@Poe)
WB Noble
Round 3 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 10 + 1 + 9 + 3 + 14 + 17 + 11

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 9 + 18 + 13

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 14 + 10 + 12 + 4 + 3

pride tier bonus: +1 hit (lvl 1 barbarian)

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

Amara's ears pin back against her head at the call that went up. While normally she wouldn't really care much about her pride members fighting for rank. So many were wounded. She wasn't sure it was smart to start this now. She slowly and painfully made her way to the fight but it seemed her wounds had her moving to slow as she arrived to find the pair already fighting. Well then. She watched the fight carefully, her favor toward @Xerxes but he had to keep his rank just like everyone else in the pride. She had given it to him because he had fought Manes, won, and then just as quickly dumped him. All the things Amara wanted to do to the idiot of a male herself. Since then, he had proven himself useful and that was nice. Should @Ryker win, he would have to prove himself as useful.

ART COPYRIGHT IRISH