BUT STILL, LIKE DUST, I RISE

The scent of blood both old and new drew him to the pit. What he arrived to see was a familiar scene — battles being held with spectators gathered in various places. So similar to his own upbringing, it made him wonder briefly who ran the fights as he overlooked the few he could see. There was always at least one master in the pit he knew. And yet, he could not make out a single one, which was strange, but perhaps that was simply another strange custom of these lands. This, he assumed, was why the masters here allowed their gladiators to battle each other unsupervised. Breaking a rule like that would have yielded an unspeakably painful punishment.

He would never have dared back then.

But he belonged with — or as some would say to — Krueger now. He had no need to concern himself with what his old master would have done for misbehaving as these gladiators were. He had an odd sort of freedom...? was it? now that he had never known before. Well, perhaps it was not exactly freedom, but his days consisted less of mindlessly being order to savage his poor opponents and more on...mindlessly savaging who he was told to.

Hm, so perhaps not that different after all, but he could not complain (that was forbidden, you know). Krueger didn't seem at all concerned his lack of a mane, which had marked him in the eyes of his masters as an abomination.

Granted, there was no need to heed a dead lion's idea of abomination now. So he instead turned his focus back to Krue as they descended into the pit, grunting for attention once they slowed: "Spar."

It was a question, though it did not sound that way. Rosencrantz was not exactly gifted when it came to tact, but all the same he knew what he wanted. A new place came with new enemies, and, more importantly, he wanted to prove his usefulness. Nothing, he decided, would be worse that being deemed a waste of hulking space. So again he asked:

"Spar."

@Krueger

Walk | Talk | Think

He follows — slow; methodical.

Watching their backs, caution not thrown to the wind simply because they are in new lands. Foreign, and unrelenting; danger, potentially, around every corner. He's not paranoid, but simply seasoned; he knows what lurks in the darkness, ready to devour those too weak to see it coming. The lion taking point does not know of such things, confined to a gladiator pit for the majority of his life. Strong, and powerful — a beast that drew the De'Vil to him, but very much immature in the ways of the world outside. It's why Krueger watches their back, even as they descend deep into the earth.

Limbs drag himself to a halt once they reach the base, a standstill beside the behemoth at his side. Mismatched eyes gaze into the barren landscape, bloodsoaked for eternity — many fights had taken place here. It's recognizable, the same hellhole @Rosencrantz had been stolen from. Something about it... Rubs the battleborn warrior the wrong way. He may fight for a living — kill for a living — but that didn't meant he did it for entertainment. He did it in the shadows, where his sins could easily be hidden.

“Spar”. The lone word breaks the silence between the two of them, Krueger looking upon his companion now. Soft would be the wrong word to use for the intensity of his gaze, but there is a certain warmth radiating that is normally unkind to others. Once more the word is uttered, much more of a demand now than a question, and Krueger huffs a chuckle. It seemed fitting for their first experience in the lands to be one of brutality — even if they generally do not seek to harm one another. His defenses slip into place mere seconds before he finally answers his ally with a short chuckle.

“Gentlemen first,” he responds, teasing — taunting.

BUT STILL, LIKE DUST, I RISE

Krueger is funny, he thought. Funny in the way that he had never called Rosie the abomination he had always been called, yet still seemed prone to make jokes about his manelessness. It did not hurt his feelings, of course, that was for cubs. Besides, this was perhaps, not the worst thing to ever be said to him, so he laughed — or really, huffed — at the taunt.

Gentlemen first indeed. Well, this gentleman wasn’t going to make it easy, but then, that was what they both expected. Softness in battle was a sign of weakness, and even if they were not intending to kill one another, he would not be gentle.

In fact, he started out with brutality, flattening his ears, baring his teeth, and lowering his chin to obscure a clear shot to his throat as he charged forward attempting to slam a heavy paw into Krueger’s side with his full weight behind him. His goal was to knock Krueger off balance, ever one to use his full weight to his advantage when he could.

Rosencrantz vs @Krueger for Spar
I of III

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 11 + 13 + 8 + 9 + 7 + 18 + 20 + 15

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 9 + 10 + 5 + 7

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 1 + 10 + 8 + 11 + 19

Walk | Talk | Think

He comes at him with the force of an elephant; no warning — and that's just the way he likes it. Lips twist upwards in a gleeful, twisted grin before he's on the defensive. Defenses already in place having anticipated the scuffle, his weight is spread evenly across all four paws, with ears and skull tucked. Tail remains lashing at his hindquarters for balance — which is all the more necessary when @Rosencrantz immediately charges for his side.

They're far enough for Krueger to see the hit coming — and for Rosencrantz to build up some momentum with the charge. The beast slips forward just enough so that the hit knocks him along his hindquarters. Krueger grunts — weight thrust into the defenseless part between ribs and hips — but he digs his front limbs into the soil and allows his hips to be pushed with the momentum, body swinging so that he can turn and better align himself with his opponent.

In a more parallel position now, Krueger lunges and attempts to snag Rosencrantz's shoulder with his jaws — enough bone that no serious damage could be done, but could potentially give him a decent grip if his attack lands successfully.

@Krueger vs @Rosencrantz
Spar — I of III

Hits

Rolling 6d20: 8 + 5 + 20 + 19 + 13 + 12

Dodges

Rolling 5d20: 10 + 6 + 1 + 3 + 18

Luck

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 9 + 16 + 18 + 19

BUT STILL, LIKE DUST, I RISE

He was big, yes, that he had always known. To that end his strategy for the longest time, even before his liberation, was a simple one — hit hard, hit fast, and take them out before they even realize what had been done. It worked wonderfully in the pit he was used to, back when his record was something his late owner was proud of.

But Krueger was smart, and, noticeably faster than him.

It meant when they collided, he expected to bowl his ally over and dominate from there. Instead, he found Krueger worked with the momentum of his force and catch his shoulder.

Rosie was quick to whip his head towards Krueger, if only to ensure his throat was not so easily accessed. Deciding that pulling would be a poor idea, he instead thought to use his weight again, this time leaning towards Krue and attempting to slam his paw into the other's legs and knock him off balance.

Rosencrantz vs @Krueger
Spar II of III

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 18 + 3 + 20 + 12 + 11 + 13 + 16 + 7

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 4 + 10 + 12 + 16

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 17 + 11 + 5 + 19 + 15

Walk | Talk | Think

His attack lands successful, fangs digging deep into the flesh just barely covering the bony shoulder blade. It's a tenuous grip at best, but he doesn't mind — it's not like he's out for blood. It is merely two allies shedding blood in new lands.

He sees @Rosencrantz twist his head towards him out of the corner of his eye — but it seems, for the moment, it's more defensive than offensive, as he doesn't yet feel the sting of teeth anywhere on his body. Instead, a large paw throws its weight against the front leg closest to him, powerful enough to momentarily throw Krueger off balance before he re-centers his weight to his remaining three legs that are grounded, tail lashing for balance.

It jostles the battleworn heathen enough for his jaws to loosen their grip, and he attempts to regain his hold again. Simultaneously his raised paw lashes out and attempts to rake claws down the leg Rosencrantz had used to knock into him.

Krueger vs @Rosencrantz
Spar — II of III

Hits

Rolling 6d20: 11 + 20 + 19 + 5 + 18 + 14

Dodges

Rolling 5d20: 20 + 9 + 11 + 8 + 17

Luck

Rolling 5d20: 8 + 16 + 3 + 18 + 15

BUT STILL, LIKE DUST, I RISE

He can feel Krueger lose balance, but the sense of victory is short lived when his opponent recenters himself. He lets out a frustrated roar, both because of the pain of teeth digging into his flesh and the realization that he would need to do more in order to free himself for more than a few seconds. Though he has no intentions of causing any real damage, his failure to dislodge Krue stirs his anger.

If he had any hope of doing something meaningful, now was the time. He had not, after all, asked to spar only to flounder about and allow himself to beaten up...too much.

With that in mind, he had little time to react to both attacks, choosing to feel the searing burn of claws raking down his leg, allowing Krue to regain the hold on his shoulder. Now, he would try a different strategy — punish his opponent for refusing to relinquish his hold. As fangs dig into his muscle and the hold become stronger, Rosie tries to pivot and aim to grab hold of Krue with his forearms as he pushes up onto his hindlegs in attempts to get enough momentum to slam them both to the ground, intending to crush the other with his weight.

Rosencrantz vs @Krueger
Spar III of III

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 12 + 9 + 3 + 7 + 16 + 11 + 17 + 4

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 19 + 14 + 5 + 10

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 6 + 1 + 14 + 8 + 11

Walk | Talk | Think

Om nom nom—

Jaws managed to regain their grip once more on the solid bone, tightened just enough for the hold but not enough to try and break bone. It wouldn't benefit him any to permanently lame his champion, after all. Satisfaction appears as a rumbling growl in his chest as he feels his claws sink into their intended target as well — also not deep enough to cause any permanent damage. Though there isn't much care for others in Krueger's mind, he still understands the benefit of having a warrior at his side that is uninjured.

Oop, there he goes— Krueger feels the shift in weight and the shove upwards far before the behemoth's arms wrap around his front end. They're stuck in the position of an odd bear hug for a second — time seemingly standing still in the process — before his world is turned upside down and he's slammed against the ground on his back.

His jaws immediately let go, their position far too awkward now for him to keep any semblance of a hold, and he grunts as the wind is momentarily pushed from his lungs. But he's far from defeated, a wicked gleam in his eyes now as he uses his position to curl his hind legs up and then thrust them up and out, attempting to shove both of them into @Rosencrantz's underbelly — claws extended, as an added punishment for the other male's maneuver.

Krueger vs @Rosencrantz
Spar — III of III

Hits

Rolling 6d20: 11 + 10 + 15 + 19 + 14 + 1

Dodges

Rolling 5d20: 16 + 13 + 10 + 17 + 19

Luck

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 18 + 8 + 15 + 19

@Rosencrantz VS. @Krueger FOR SPAR
— RESULTS —

Rosencrantz Hits: 5+6+4+4 luck = 19
Rosencrantz Dodges: 0+2+2 = 4

Krueger Hits: 4+5+4+9 luck = 22
Krueger Dodges: 1+3+4 = 8

Rosencrantz Successful Hits: 11
Krueger Successful Hits: 18

KRUEGER HAS WON THE CHALLENGE FOR SPAR!

Please allow the challengers to respond to the fight results first. As per the site rules, if 3 days go by without a post from the challenger(s), they can be skipped. Whichever comes first! Any posts made before this will be removed, unless you are posting to another fight.

BUT STILL, LIKE DUST, I RISE

Any tactic outside of 'crush them' was beyond Rosencrantz, and though he managed to slam @Krueger on his back and dislodge the painful hold on his teeth, he quickly paid the price for his lack of foresight. The look in Krue's eyes should have warned him, but he was too late to avoid the harsh, clawed kick to his underbelly. This was too painful to ignore and he quickly back away from Krue, hissing all the while.

It became clear to him that he had lost this bout and the overwhelming sense of dread that washed over him was unmistakable. He was winded and could already feel the soreness of wounds already inflicted. Maybe, if he hadn't stumbled back out of shock he could have continued on, but he knew it was over. There was only the matter of making it understood, lest Krue come and beat him up more.

"Yield," he said finally, when the pain subsided. "I yield." His tone pointed to his frustration at the defeat, and briefly, he wondered if Krueger would be rid of him for his failure. Such failings were unacceptable, of course, and his expected to be punished in some way for it. Still, that did not stop him from lowering his head in a sort of bow and attempt to ask for mercy. "Not good enough. I will do better." He had to.

Walk | Talk | Think