[Round 2] Anson vs. Makenshi

(( Before anything starts I just want to get this out there and apologize beforehand.

I'm moving. Today (seeing as I'm making this post at 3AM). So I might be around to make some posts on Thursday and maybe Friday but I doubt that I'll be on much until at the earliest Monday (the 5th).

I apologize for having to be one of those guys that doesn't show up for most of the fight timer but that's just how things worked out this time around. ))

(( I'm back, yay! Sorry for the delay. ))

"No, hey, wait, I need to, no not, hey I, don't pu- oh barnacles!"

From the crowd on one of the floating platforms that surrounded the fighting ring there was a brief commotion and a sudden splash; one of the crowd who was trying to shoulder his way through to the front had been bumped, knocked, shoved, and pushed until finally he was sent flailing backwards over the short railing that kept the spectators out of the water and... well, the rest is rather self-explanatory.

Splash!

Bubbles and foam hissed on the surface of the water for a few seconds after he went under, but when he finally bobbed back up to the surface again he started swimming towards the ring rather than the spectators' platform. After about 30 seconds, and one failed attempt at dragging himself out of the water and onto the edge of the platform, a young man looking like a drowned cat crawled up on his hands and knees onto the wooden platform that would serve as Round 2's fighting ring.

He took a moment to spit saltwater into the puddle beneath him while on his hands and knees, then straightened up and wiped his face with both hands before swiping them back through his blond hair to slick it back and out of his eyes. After several deep breaths and a few moments of dripping, the young man reached down for the sword he had dragged with him through through the surf and pushed himself back onto his feet.

"I apologize for making you wait," said the young man with a bow. "Paladin Anson Brent, ready to begin."

He was young, looking about sixteen or so give or take a year, with a wiry body type that showed through well enough with all of his clothes sticking tightly to his body; sneakers that squeezed out water like a sponge, worn out bluejeans that clung to his legs, and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt to top it all off that wasn't doing him any good right now. The boy looked as if he weighed about a hundred sixty soaking wet... and he was.

There were only three things about him that didn't scream 'tourist' at the top of a metaphorical set of lungs: the first being the hand-and-a-half sword he was holding by the sheath in his right hand, the second being the engraved metallic bracers and chain gloves he was wearing on both arms, and the last was the small silver medallion on the end of a rosary chain wrapped around his left wrist that was causing small points of light reflected from the sun to dance across the wooden platform as it slowly spun on the chain.

"Let's begin." With those words the young paladin moved his hands; taking the sword by the hilt in his right and grasping the sheath with his left, drawing out the sword in a long, smooth motion by spreading his arms. "Draw your weapon."

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Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> "It's an honor."

"For me as well."

Many people might say that there is no need for proper manners when building a life around conflict, or that chivalry is dead, but those people would be wrong. Without discipline in his life a fighter is nothing more than a thug, and codes of honor like chivalry and bushido have uses that go far beyond a person's conduct during battle. After facing such a rude opponent in the first round of the tournament Anson was happy to see that his adversary for this round was another man of honor.

The phrase 'draw your weapon' wasn't particularly asking Makenshi to draw only one if he was more comfortable to using more than that - the young paladin was simply saying that he intended to wait until Makenshi had armed himself before their fight would begin. Anson himself, after seeing his opponent's choice of a short blade, considered his own options; drawing the bastard sword out from the sheath with his right hand and then holding the wooden scabbard in his left as if it were a second weapon, rather than casting it aside. His weapon gave him the advantage of reach but he knew that if he missed his strike Makenshi would be the one holding the advantage.

When the other man took up his Gedan Stance Anson stepped forward with his right foot and into his own; lowering his right hand to near his hip and pointing the sword's tip forward at about the height of Makenshi's brow in a single-handed Pflug Stance. His weight was forward on a bent right leg, with his body turned to the side and his left hand holding the scabbard down by his left thigh as if in a Tail Guard Stance.

Though he only had a moment to look, the placement of his opponents hands on the hilt of his short blade and the fact that he was standing on his right leg at the rear made Anson think that his opponent was left handed... something he should keep in mind when deciding where to sidestep.

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> "Let us begin." > > Makenshi would begin to step forward slowly with his sword held low, but grip firm on the handle, for his retaliation in case he was attacked first.

The first attack would come as soon as he stepped forward into range - though it would have come a moment later if he hadn't, with Anson being the one who stepped forward. With only 10 feet between them and much of that covered by the reach of their arms (pun intended) it would only take one or two steps to put them within striking distance; Makenshi stepped forward cautiously and Anson did so aggressively, raising his forward leg just a short distance and sliding it forward as he thrust through the distance with the tip of his bastard sword.

The target was Makenshi's left shoulder, a safe place to begin in terms of both limited lethality and the severe hindrance a wound there would cause for the opponent. If the thrust was parried or dodged Anson would quickly step back, rebounding off of the bent front leg to create distance between his body and Makenshi's counter-attack range while he retracted his arm. The backstep would bring him into something more closely resembling an Alber Stance in relation to the scabbard in his left hand.

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Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> (hope this makes sense. I tried to make it make as much sense as possible.)

(( It makes perfect sense, though it seems you forgot about one detail I mentioned in the entrance post. Also, I'm just going to clarify one thing before I write my response... I'm assuming that when this:

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> with a rightways slash (left to right).

Is followed by this:

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> He would immediately rotate his sword and pull a follow up slash, from left to right this time.

you meant to say "from right to left this time"... the first slash being left to right, and this one being the blade turning and coming back from right to left. ))

As expected the quick thrust at his approaching opponent was predictable; Makenshi knocked it aside with a quick movement of his short blade before it ever even stood a chance of inflicting a real injury, though Anson's quick step-in-step-out movement was enough to not leave him within range of his opponent's counterattack long enough for it to catch him. As Anson pulled back his arm from the thrust Makenshi stepped forward and follow up his deflection with a fast slash at the young paladin's right arm. It was a fast movement, but not one that was fast enough to catch the retracting arm with more than the tip.

CLANG! The sound of metal striking metal rang out for an instant as Makenshi's blade shaved a shallow groove in the engraved steel bracer that the paladin wore. It might have been a crippling wound if not for the armor, Makenshi was quite fast with his counter, but it seemed like luck just wasn't with him today.

By the time Anson had managed to recover from his own thrust and step back into the Alber Stance his opponent was already recovered from his own strike and stepping in to follow it up with another; still slashing for the paladin's right arm but this time standing a better chance of reaching a place that wasn't armored.

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> *"..Hyaaa!!"*

It was fast, it was aggressive, and it would have pressed Anson's defense even harder if it hadn't been exactly what the young man had been predicting to happen... just one strike later than he'd initially thought. The fast counter after his thrust was a surprise mostly because Makenshi was attacking the arm rather than trying to step in and strike at Anson's body... with this second attack, it included the forward step that the boy had been waiting for. To close the distance between his range and Anson's, Makenshi would need to step in and when he did so he would predictably guard high.

This was where the Tail Guard Stance and the Alber Stance come in.

The moment that Makenshi stepped in and swung, Anson would backstep with his right leg and pivot his body as he brought the scabbard in his left hand across with a grunt for a strike - though not a strike to the head like Makenshi was guarding against, but a strike to the knee of the leg he had stepped forward with. All things considered, he had about as much reach with the scabbard as Makenshi would have with his ninja-to; if Makenshi was in range to strike at the forward part of Anson's body then that meant that Anson was within the range to strike at the forward part of Makenshi's...

The result of all of this was that when the ninja-to was swung right-to-left to go after Anson's right arm again his entire body swayed back just a little, and his right side pulled back dramatically to bring the crossguard of his sword into the path of Makenshi's swing to catch the short blade against it with another sharp metallic CLANG! At the same time the hard wooden scabbard in Anson's left hand came across in a low chop for Makenshi's forward leg in an attempt to knock his balance off... there probably wasn't enough power behind the swing to take the leg out from beneath him entirely, but it should have been enough to cause a momentary stumble.

Anson planned to take advantage of that loss of stable footing in the moment it would give him.

"HAA!"

His right elbow cocked out and he slid back his own sword further, tilting in the tip of it and pressing down on top of Makenshi's blade in a swift rolling motion in an attempt to get his own weapon on the inside and push it out to (Makenshi's) left. If he could do it quickly enough, the lack of solid footing would make it extremely difficult for his opponent to resist being turned out, and it would leave his right flank fully exposed when Anson followed up his push with a shove-- Specifically, slamming out with his left foot at a hip, rib, side, or stomach, whatever he could land a good clean shove into to try and knock the opponent flat on his ass.

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Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> -In the event of a block- > > -In the event of a dodge-

But what about neither...?

This wasn't a game that they were playing, where one of them took their turn and then waited while the other acted before they could attack again. This was a battle, and more than that: a duel with swords. When an enemy is skilled enough to evade or parry all of your attacks it makes the importance of pressing the offensive even more significant; a single attack may fail but if it prevents the opponent from escaping the next one it was not a loss at all, but a victory. Such was the case now, with the swift shove having successfully knocked Makenshi onto his back for however brief a time...

It was true that Anson was a paladin and because of that he conducted himself with a code of honor in a battle. If an enemy had no weapon he should not arm himself, if an enemy drops a weapon he should allow that enemy to pick it up again, and if an enemy stumbles and falls he should allow that enemy to stand - but that was chivalry, courtesy, and fair play. If his opponent refused to arm himself but still fought Anson was under no obligation to hold back, if he disarmed an opponent he felt no strong compulsion to undo what he had just achieved, and if he knocked an enemy to the ground he did not feel pangs of guilt for taking advantage of that situation. If Makenshi had slipped in a puddle of water that would be an accident, but what had just happened... that was a tactic. One that he'd never planned on letting go to waste.

"Hnn!"

Just as Makenshi finished his roll into the Gedan Stance he would hear a sharp CLACK! and see that in the brief moment that his eyes had been off of his opponent the paladin had discarded the wooden sheath to the ground, moved his left hand up to grasp the bottom of the hand-and-a-half sword's hilt, and had stepped in to close the gap that was created when Makenshi rolled backwards. He was pressing the offense. No matter how fast Makenshi may have been or how perfectly executed his recovery was, there would still be a moment there for a split second; when he settled into that crouched, knee-down stance and his momentum was at a zero point between being pushed backwards and trying to lunge forward; that he would have no choice but to stop moving completely.

That was the point that Anson aimed for as he stepped in hard with his right leg and brought the sword down in a diagonal chop from right to left; turning his entire body into the motion from his hips to his shoulders to put as much speed behind that blade as he could in one motion--

The angle was low enough that he was aiming for the shoulder again to avoid the vitals as best he could and there was enough power behind the swing that even if Makenshi was wearing chain beneath his clothing it should have been able to fracture bone. The drawback would be the amount of time it would take to regain his center of balance after that kind of swing, but if Makenshi tried to attack now he'd just be rushing into the path of the bastard sword. He wouldn't be that reckless...

...would he?

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(( Hope that all made sense. I didn't respond to the attack that was made for reasons that should be obvious. If it continues, I'll handle it in the next post. ))

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> He would drop his left arm but would continue to rush forward, the bastard sword cutting some of the fabric on his flak jacket as he moved forward, cringing in pain from the blow, and would use his right arm, while moving forward, with ninja-to in hand, to parry the weapon off his shoulder, push further forward, and would attempt a stab at his opponents lower body, hoping not to kill him, but wound him enough to stop him from battling. > > *"AHH!!"*

As the two fighters rushed in at each other and then ultimately separated once again when Makenshi leaped away to the side and Anson stumbled forward onto his front leg, blows were exchanged in a way that was far less clean and glamorous than someone would see in a samurai flick on the silver screen. Anson's blow landed first, crushing down on Makenshi's left arm with the sound of a crack and a thud when the blade failed to cut cleanly through the thick fabric of the flak jacket. Makenshi's stab came a moment later, thrusting low for any region of exposed flesh that he could find and then escaping quickly to the side before he was caught by a retaliatory strike.

A second later Anson's left knee hit the ground with an impact, as did his left hand, and his head hung down slightly in that crouched position. He didn't make a sound, no shout or moan or even a gasp for air as he crouched there with a stern expression and beads of salt water running down the sides of his face from his wet hair. Nothing at all that would give away the fact that he had the tip of a ninja-to several inches deep in his left thigh... aside from the fact that there was a ninja-to several inches deep in his left thigh.

After a second passed his left hand pulled back and grabbed at the short blade's handle, gripping it tightly and pulling it outward to jerk the red-stained blade out before falling back onto his hand again with a sharp gasp for air.

It wasn't as if he was immune to pain or anything like that. As a paladin he had a strict code that he followed and there were many things under that code that he was not allowed. Pain was not one of them. He was definitely allowed pain.

"Heavenly Father protect us, Heavenly Father save us, it is in your Light we are whole, it is in your grace we find peace, it is in your wisdom we are redeemed, it is-"

He wouldn't let Makenshi out of his sight for very long, and it was only a second or so that he spent looking at himself and looking at the ground before his head turned to the side and he watched the other fighter grabbing for something and injecting himself in the neck with something that he didn't know was a pain reliever. On the other hand, Anson took a few slow, deep breaths as the water soaking his clothes made the dark color of the blood spread even faster down his leg than it would have otherwise. He braced his right forearm against his forward leg and pushed himself back up, turning so that he was facing Makenshi again but standing with the majority of his weight upon the right side. A leg injury would definitely cut down on his options. He could heal it, but that would all depend on how much time he had and he had wasted so much of it already just getting back on his feet. No doubt Makenshi was already thinking of what his next move would be and Anson--

Clunk.

--threw the bloody ninja-to to the ground at Makenshi's feet and then moved both hands again to the hilt of his own sword, which was held in front of him with the tip pressed into the wooden ring surface to provide balance until he managed to swallow the pain in his leg. His left hand rested on the pommel and with a twist he hooked his thumb through the slack of the rosary around his wrist and began to rub the segments of chain through his fingers.

"You dropped this..." said the boy matter-of-factly even though his voice was a little unsteady, as if he were out of breath even though the fight until now had only lasted a few moments. "Pick it up... and... we'll continue."

Truthfully, his first thought had been to throw it into the sea so that Makenshi couldn't use it again; but something about that thought just didn't seem to feel right and even though it was a far more stupid move for him to return the weapon to its owner it felt so much more right once he had done it. Right now he was facing an unarmed man and, though he likely wore other weapons that he could draw, the way that Makenshi had parted with his blade was not Anson's doing. The advantage wasn't something that he had earned, and though a situation like this may have its place on the battlefield this was a duel and that meant that the rules were different.... at least, as far as Anson's honor was concerned.

"Falis protect his faithful and guide me to follow the Light. Falis give me the strength to do what is right and may Eternal Light empower my hand that I may cleanse the world..."

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(( I understand completely. I have quite a bit going on myself right now and really shouldn't be spending as much time as I am sitting around when there are things to be done. ))

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> "Forgive me.."

And me.

Anson only waited as long as it took Makenshi to pick up his weapon again and return to his feet. The moment that he dropped his foot back into the Kasumi stance of Kenjutsu was the moment that the young paladin's honor no longer bound him to hold back.

Makenshi was aware of it just as much as Anson was; that their battle would be won or lost on aggressiveness. Standing idly by and waiting for the opponent to make the next move would only lead to defeat, and to avoid that it meant pressing the attack even if it meant driving the enemy into a corner with a relentless assault. Anson couldn't afford to give Makenshi any more time than he already had, if he let the other fighter slip away the difference in their mobility would create a gap that he might not be able to make up again.

That was why what he was doing wasn't cruel... it was necessary.

He stepped forward on his strong leg before Makenshi had a chance to; while he was still drawing the kunai from the thigh pouch; and the tip of the bastard sword which was pressed into the wood dragged a few centimeters as the movement put it behind the paladin's body now. Another step forward with the wounded leg and it came back to the position of a Tail Guard Stance with the sword held back beside his body even as small wisps of light began to coalesce and gather around the blade like fireflies. "...of darkness." With a final small movement of his lips the boy finished speaking the words of his recitation and those small wisps flared up into something far grander just an instant before the sword came sweeping forward in a rising strike that should have been a few inches too short to connect with Makenshi if he was still standing where he had been when he took up the Kasumi Stance.

There was no grand shout or thundering kiai to accompany the attack when it came, only a deafening FWOOSH like the sound of a waterfall springing into existence inches from where they stood when, in the wake of the swing, the nimbus of light that had surrounded Anson's sword erupted into a crashing wave of pure brilliance that shot up from the ground and forward at Makenshi - following the path that the sword had taken but wider, larger, and blasting forward as it did so.

If Makenshi was enveloped by the Cascade of Light it would hit him like a wave of scalding water. Not burning, but searing his skin and clothing with an instantaneous flash of heat while at the same time slamming into him with enough force to lift a man off of his feet.

"Lend me your brilliance, Eternal Light!"

The paladin pushed forward. If his recitation had succeeded then Makenshi would have been thrown back another ten feet and there would be that much more distance to cover with slow, steady steps until he reached his opponent again. If it hadn't, it meant that Anson had already lost the game of mobility.

He raised the sword up in front of him as he advanced, oriented vertically along his center as a ward and holding the hilt with both hands.

This was no time to ease up or show weakness.

Quote: Wrote:

> Name: Cascade of Light > Type: Holy, Good, Light > Required: V, F > Requires a weapon in hand to empower with holy energy. Requires recitation of "may Eternal Light empower my hand that I may cleanse the world of darkness". > Optional: A > Draw back the weapon in order to gather more light around it (delay). > Effect: The weapon is wreathed in holy light that can be flung off of the weapon in a wave of light and energy that sweeps across a small area with significant knockback and mild force damage (optional - adds searing damage to the light). > Required level - 2

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Use: Cascade of Light [ 4.00.0.50.3.50 ]

(( I saw that post right when I was about to go to bed and I was all like "No. No. Don't do it. Don't read that post. You won't get to sleep for another hour. Don't do it man!" so I didn't do it. I surprised myself, because normally I do it.

...today's episode was brought to you by the letter E.

Also, gas fire lulz. That really amuses me more than it should, mostly due to the timing. ))

Anson would have been pleased that his attack worked as well as he had hoped it to if he had any time to spare with self-satisfaction; but Makenshi had been too quick to recover his footing the last two times he'd hit the ground for Anson to think he had bought himself any real time to form a plan, and so it was all that he could do to press forward and give the opponent as little time as he could. If he ever let Makenshi get his feet solidly under him again Anson knew that he would have trouble keeping up with the other fighter, and it was for that reason that he was doing everything he could think of to drive his opponent back to the edge of the ring.

Eight feet back from the center. Seven to ten to the side from there. Another ten feet back just now. If the ring was 45 feet square and they had started fighting near the center it meant that he'd already managed to force Makenshi within six feet of the water and that meant Anson had finally put that man's back against a wall.

"That your enemies may tremble."

The boy slid his left hand down an inch, off the end of the sword's pommel and pulled on the rosary chain around his wrist with his fingertips; drawing the four-pointed star that hung at the end of the chain into his hand and then hobbled forward another step. He was limping on that left leg but still able to stand with it despite the different flavors of pain that were mixing around every time he moved it. He wouldn't have to worry about how much he was bleeding as long as the fight didn't last much longer, and considering how far they had come in just about one minute there wasn't much chance of that.

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> In his left hand a small flame would begin to rise. At the moment it was barely a few inches dancing around his hand. At a distance, and in the sunlight, it probably wasnt even noticable at all. Unless of course his opponent, like most opponents, was sensitive to energy movement. At the same time this was occurring he would extend the claws in his fingertips (being that he was a humanoid fox creature) known as a kitsune.

The paladin wouldn't be able to tell that the kitsune was conjuring up a small flame in his hand if it was too small for him to see - the reason being that even though he could detect certain kinds of energy, his abilities focused on countering demons, devils, and undead. As a youkai, kitsune were more closely related to spirits than demons and so unless it was particularly evil fire he likely wouldn't have noticed it at all until Makenshi drew out the bottle of liquid as well... and then it would be too late for the both of them.

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> At this low angle, with his left arm bent close to his body he would then reach for a water bottle on his chest pocket. It didnt require much strength to do so. Then he would attempt to leap forward from the ground at a slowly oncoming Anson, us his claws to stab into the bottle while crushing it at the same time so that the liquid would burst. He would do this while flicking his left arm as best he could so that the liquid would splash all over Anson's body. Why? Because his hand was on fire. Why was this significant? Because the liquid was gasoline.

"At. Your. GLORY."

When Makenshi leaped forward Anson dropped down; falling quickly onto his left knee again in a swift crouch and tilting his sword at an angle in front of him defensively in response to the opponent's own raised weapon and pressed his left hand flat to the ground with the four-pointed star beneath it.

And then he was showered in fire.

Almost instantly following the completion of his recitation a light grew up from the ground around them like it was a circle drawn around the two fighters, centered upon the paladin. It existed for only the briefest of moments before it was replaced by a column of intensely bright light that shot up into the sky from beneath them and enveloped both the young paladin and the kitsune who was leaping at him. Unlike the last ritual that Anson had performed this one had no physical component - Makenshi would not be knocked out of the air or anything like that because there was no force behind the blindingly bright light; only an intense burning sensation as the holy energy washed over him and seared at his body and flesh as if he were on fire but not, because the pain and the burns were not coming from heat but instead were the result of pure divine energy.

"AAH!"

Although he would not be the only one. Though Anson was immune to his own ability he was not immune to being set on fire, and so even though the column of light swallowed them both so that not even the spectators could see either of the fighters anymore they could still hear the sudden, painful cry of the young man as the splash of burning gasoline washed over his right arm, his back, and the side of his face - catching fire the instant it was released from that bottle like a firebomb but not burning away completely; there was enough substance left of it to soak into his clothes so that the water he was already drenched with did little to stop the flame from continuing to burn him.

Quote: Wrote:

> Name: Searing Radiance > Type: Holy, Light > Required: V, F, A > Requires a focus held in the hand. Requires that a hand be placed flat upon the ground. Requires recitation of "lend me your brilliance Eternal Light, that your enemies may tremble at your glory". > Optional: - > Effect: Radiant light erupts from the ground within a 10' radius from the caster, lasting for 15 seconds (3 posts). This light blinds any creature caught in the effect except the caster for 5 seconds (1 post) after the effect ends or the creature moves out of the affected area, including any creatures that move into the affected area after the casting. While inside of the effect any object or creature designated as a target by the caster is subject to searing holy damage. > Requires level - 3

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Use: Searing Radiance Distracted: 2x cost Active: Searing Radiance 1/3 [ 3.50.2.00.1.50 ]

(( My... my Quote Box! eek How could you do this to me, Quote Box!? I thought we had something special! crying ))

Makenshi should have been glad that what he was dealing with was not in fact one of Siegfried Ecstuffuan's holy attacks, because if it had been then that uncomfortable burning sensation would have been shortly followed by an acute case of suplex and the narrator would advise that he consult a doctor immediately about the condition.

Instead, amidst a whole lot of screaming and burning that was going on, the two of them somehow managed to continue their fight... Makenshi leaping forward blindly towards his opponent's last known position with a downward thrust that should have been easy for Anson to parry considering the defensive posture of his own weapon and the fact that he was not blinded by his own ability. Should have been... if not for the fact that he was on fire.

No doubt the panicked screaming of 'I'm on fire' from the young man was giving away his position.

He wouldn't have time to freak out about it for long though; Makenshi was wasting no time in pressing the attack and Anson, distracted as he was, managed to pull his attention away from the flames with barely enough time to raise his already angled sword defensively to try and block the strike as it came down. It would work... to an extent. The sword came up held horizontally across to try and intercept the strike, but a guard like that won't work against a thrusting attack like the scorpion tail type one that Makenshi was using; instead the sword missed Makenshi's weapon completely and impacted against the underside of the kitsune's forearm as the strike came down over Anson's left shoulder, cutting shallowly into the skin and muscle on his back and tearing a long hole in that soaked-and-burned Hawaiian shirt that the boy was wearing.

Judging by what had happened earlier it wasn't likely that the blade's edge would be able to cut through the thick jacket that Makenshi was wearing but it would hold back the arm for a moment until, pushing up with his right leg and throwing his left hand out to grasp the blade of his own sword on the other side of Makenshi's arm, Anson pushed himself back to a stand and from there pushed up on the blade and on Makenshi's arm to raise it up high, completely oblivious to the--

Blazing Impact (sorry I stole your quote box) Wrote:

> Name:Blazing Impact > Type: Fire > Required: First ignition, Hands, Feet (few inches of fire) (lol sorry I'm biting) > Optional: - > Effect: The users fists or feet become enveloped in flames that increase movement speed (slightly), strength (due to increased speed), and added burning damage after impact of a kick or punch. If used in a kick (blazing kick) the user is capable of running slightly faster.

--that slammed into his right side clumsily in the short distance between them. The claws on that left hand carved bloodied streaks through Anson's right side without resistance; shredding through the already burned shirt that provided no protection at all and adding bleeding lacerations to what were already third degree burns.

If Anson had any breath left in his lungs after crying out when the fire took him, he would have used it there. ...on the plus side, the scraps of un-burned cloth that would catch on the kitsune's fingers towards the end of the swipe were enough to tear through the flimsy remnants of his gasoline-soaked shirt and peel them away from his already burned body... So, yay. No more being on fire (not that it would have lasted more than another few seconds).

The pain from that newest injury was enough to make him stumble; falling forward a few short inches with a staggered step only to steady himself an instant later, pressing against Makenshi's own arm for support with the sword that he was leaning into it with. He couldn't just keep standing here - he couldn't afford to stop attacking now and get overwhelmed by the opponent's pace - he had to do something to take back the momentum before the kitsune struck again...

'I can't breathe... need some room to-'

With a swift movement Anson moved his left hand from where he was gripping the blade of his sword and instead grabbed onto the back of Makenshi's sleeve with a tight fist; just as he relieved the pressure that he was putting on that arm with the sword and thrust forward suddenly with his right hand to swing the heavy end of the bastard sword's pommel right at the bridge of Makenshi's nose just as he finally took a deep breath of hot air.

'*-think!*'

From there Anson stumbled forward again, shoving his right shoulder into the kitsune's chest and forcing in his sword underneath Makenshi's armpit to try and prevent him from swinging around the ninja-to freely; and in that moment his left hand went for the small sheath affixed to the underside of his right bracer and grasped the hilt of a small dagger that was strapped there.

He pulled it free, dropped his left hand low, and--started humming.

The dagger thrust in fiercely in a fist clenched so tightly around it his knuckles would have shown white if they weren't covered by gauntlets. Just as Makenshi's claws had dug into Anson's right side the paladin's dagger would thrust into the obliques, lower ribs, and the hip on the kitsune's right side while the paladin pushed with as much strength as he could muster to try and force his opponent back a step every time he thrust the knife. All while humming a familiar tune of faith to try and take his mind off of the pain in his body while he fought with his legs wanting to collapse underneath him.

Once, twice, three times, he would eventually lose count if it came down to it. This was a dangerous place for him to be now, but he'd already lost the ability to stand on his own. If he backed away from Makenshi now Anson wasn't sure that he would be able to keep himself from falling so instead he mustered his courage with clenched fists and pushed on with everything that he had left inside.

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Active: Searing Radiance 2/3 [ 1.50.0.1.50 ]

*Zkk!

Zkk!

Zkk!

Zkk!*

The sound of the small dagger impacting the thick fabric of Makenshi's flak jacket but being unable to penetrate it was like a dull backbeat to the boy's humming and the kitsune's howl, but it was almost as if Anson didn't even realize that his knife wasn't inflicting any injuries; or perhaps it was just that he had so few options that he had to stubbornly continue to carve shallow holes in his opponent's clothing.

He trudged forward a half step at a time, leaning in against his opponent and shuffling his feet while throwing out that dagger again and again like his hand wasn't capable of anything else. He would shove and he would push and he would throw those short jabs to the ribs and drive the hunk of metal that was affixed to his right arm into Makenshi's face if that was what it took to get the kitsune to retreat another inch; and he did it all while humming that tune as he tried to block out the feeling of those claws carving shallow trenches in his side, in his back, taking the skin off as they raked across anything that they could reach but not going deep enough to tear into the muscle.

The smell of salt water and char quickly gave way to the coppery scent of blood running down the boy's back, and in response he put his head down into Makenshi's chest and pushed on half a step at a time with the kind of grim determination that would make a person question if he even knew what was going on around him anymore.

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> He would attempt to pull one of the dirtiest tricks in the book...A Mike Tyson.

Until this happened.

The boy woke up in an instant when he felt the kitsune's body move differently, grabbing instead of clawing and pulling and reaching; his right arm slipped out by just a few inches involuntarily when Makenshi stretched out his neck to go in for a bite and for the first time since they had begun this clinch Anson felt... very, very bad.

"Huh... wha? Hwah!?"

They were already too close for him to push away; the kitsune's fangs punctured his already singed right ear in the fabled Mike Tyson maneuver, but that wasn't all. Those fangs scratched and cut at the skin around it as well, leaving a few inches of bloody rake on the boy's cheek and drawing blood from his scalp that tinged the boy's blond hair a few shades darker in that second.

Wide-eyed and panicked, Anson dropped the dagger in his left hand and instead shoved his palm flat into Makenshi's ribs while he wrestled back, trying to shove the other fighter off of him before he got any more of a meal out of this fight. With adrenaline fueled by shock bolstering him he threw out his right elbow into the right side of Makenshi's head and shoved back with all his might to try and separate - pulling his head and upper body down under the reaching claws and even falling back a step as he did. Until now he had been gaining ground but this...

"AAAGH!"

...this was a chunk taken out of his fleebin' ear. Anson pushed, he pulled back, he stretched his head away from Makenshi's reach, and even though he managed to escape those jaws it was not without losing something first. Mike Tyson had struck again.

"You... you... animal!"

He stumbled back another step and then raised his sword - not the blade, but the hilt. His left hand grasped the end of the blade firmly and his right slid down past the crossguard as well; pulling it back to his right side even as he barely managed to catch himself from falling. Drops of blood shaken from his back and shoulders showered on the wood behind him but no one would see, nor would they see the fire in his eyes as the young paladin brought back that sword like a baseball bat and lurched forward again with gritted teeth and blood streaking down the side of his face.

It was called Mord Shalg... the murder stroke. A technique that involved using the heavy pommel of the sword like a club rather than swinging with the blade.

But where was this sudden resurgence of strength coming from at the eleventh hour? Well, Makenshi had made one truly fatal mistake in giving in to his animal instincts - he had Mike Tyson'd a paladin.

Quote: Wrote:

> JUSTICE > [0%]||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||[100%] > 15% Righteous Fury > > Things that Demand Retribution: > - Cheap Shot : +15%

That bite had given him an unexpected second wind and he intended to use it to score a home run, swinging that club-like sword square at Makenshi's chest from where they stood, mere feet from the edge of the wooden platform--

The swing completed with the sword tailed out to the left and held solely in the boy's left hand. His right had left it halfway through and he stood there on wobbly legs posed for a moment as if Anson were the Great Bambino himself. For a moment, just as the intensely bright light that had surrounded them faded and disappeared into nothing but twenty foot circle burned into the wooden platform.

Then, with a half-hearted laugh at himself for what he had just done he fell forward onto his face.

Quote: Wrote:

> Righteous Smite > Cost - 15% > Requirements - Must be a striking attack. > Effect - Anson may make a single physical attack with double (2x) the force that he would normally be able to.

0% +15% -15%

Use: Righteous Smite Active: Searing Radiance 3/3 [ 1.50.0.1.50 ]

(( Man. I spent the whole day doing productive stuff and now I can't remember what I was going to write... stressed ))

From where he lay, face-down on the wood, Anson could clearly hear the sound of the heavy splash that came when Makenshi hit the water, and for a moment after that... he smiled. It hurt to breathe, with his skin as badly burned and lacerated as it was in so many places; each time he inhaled it was a feeling like salt in his wounds and he was already so tired.

It was so much easier just to lay there.

With his shoulder in that condition there was no way that Makenshi would be able to get back onto the platform easily. He'd be out there treading water at least until-

*ONE!!*

A wash of cold water ran under the boy's face, the remnants of the wave caused by Makenshi falling into the water that had washed up over the edge of the wooden platform. The sharp sting of salt in the lacerations that were left on his face made Anson cringe and press his forehead down into the wood, trying to get the burns and wounds on the right side of his face out of the water.

Yet despite how much his body stung and burned he couldn't get the image out of his head of Makenshi floating out there in the water - a shoulder broken and an arm cut, unable to breathe properly because of his broken nose, and that heavy jacket he was wearing acting like an anchor that dragged him down.

*TWO!!*

'...aaaaaawww... Hollyhocks.'

Despite the protesting of his body Anson lifted his arms and reached forward; digging his fingertips as hard as he could into the wood as he pulled himself up an inch at a time. Dragging himself forward by a foot onto his arms and his elbows, legs behind him kicking slowly but not able to must enough power to do more than push against the ground.

*THREE!!*

Pulling himself forward with his left hand by dragging his body behind it, Anson slid on his belly like a snake while his right hand reached out at... nothing. Stretching like he was trying to grasp something that was just beyond his means, the young paladin let his eyes close for a moment and prayed.

"Lend me strength, o Light,"

*FOUR!!*

"that I may use it,"

His hand splashed down into the water and it prompted him to open his eyes again. The edge was right there, and with his elbow hooked over it and his hand pressed against the wood Anson pulled himself up to it, laying on his chest right at the edge where the wood was wet.

*FIVE!!*

That was a far as the effects of Anson's ritual would go. The Searing Radiance that had blinded Makenshi during the final stages of their match would wear off after five seconds of being outside of the light. The whiteness that had covered his vision would fade, and everything that was left would be his own body.

"to do,"

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> His eyesight was only blurry enough to tell that there was an object before him. He reached and felt and it felt like the platform...

The water splashed as Anson thrust in his right hand beneath the swell caused by Makenshi's body as he came to pull himself back up onto the platform; the gauntleted hand grabbing the front of the kitsune's jacket with a clenched fist just as he had grasped onto the wooden platform with his own hand. Anson grabbed onto the wood with his left hand to push his chest up off of it by a few inches, and with one final plea to his god--

"what is right."

--pulled with all of the Divine Power that surged through him at that moment.

*SIX!!*

The kitsune was pulled straight up out of the water and hauled forcefully up onto the edge of the platform while Anson pushed himself up as well, off of his chest and onto his knees... then his haunches... then, just as the brunt of Makenshi's body had been pulled up onto the platform again Anson fell again; flat on his back with the sound of a wet slosh.

"AAaaaaeeeeEEEghhh~!!" His arms and fingers curled, his back arching halfway in response to the sharp sting of pressure being applied to his cuts and the salt water on the platform soaking into them. But that was all. No struggling against it, no rolling over onto his chest again, his body tensed, twitched, kicked, and then relaxed again as the boy's pained cry trailed off into taking fast, labored breaths.

"Ladies and gentleman!! The Makenshi Hayashi has made it back to the platform!! The fight still continues!!"

Makenshi-Dono Wrote:

> Then someone from the audience spoke.. > > "Hey!! Get up and fight, you ass holes!! He's in the ring again! Get up and hit him!!" > > Another voice.. > > "MAKENSHI!! I came here to watch you die!! If you're not fucking dead I'm comin in there and killin you myself!!" > > And another.. > > "Hey! Hayashi!! Get the hell up!! Come on!! He's just layin there!! Finish him!!" > > And so many more.

"...k-heh... heh..."

'Popular guy.' thought the boy when the crowd began to shout, roaring to see more blood spilled and many of them shouting the kitsune's name in one context or another. Anson moved his right hand, not far, but far enough to know how much his body hated him for making it do such a thing. There was a pouch on his right side that he was reaching for, and with a small movement he pulled it open and dragged out a small plastic bottle between his fingers.

First he would set it down upright on the platform, then with his fingers he would twist off the cap, lay that aside, and grasp it again. He had to struggle but his arm raised enough that he could lift it, pulling it up towards his mouth and tipping back the bottle for-- nothing.

Makenshi's fire that had scorched his right side had melted a hole through the thin plastic bottle and its contents had already spilled out completely. Aside from a few small droplets running across the inside of the bottle it was all gone.

And that was that. He didn't even have enough strength left in him to cast the simplest healing spell and the blessed water that he kept with him was no longer an option to even do something so small as ease the pain he was feeling.

It really was over.

His right arm fell back to the side with a thunk as his metal bracer struck the wood and the half melted bottle rolled away from him. Laying on his back like he was, Anson couldn't see Makenshi without lifting his head... and that wasn't a feat that he was capable of any longer. He could only lay there on his back taking short, sharp breaths because of the stinging pain he was feeling all across his body.

But there was one thing left... just one thing...

Anson closed the fingers in his right hand, and...

Quote: Wrote:

> Name: Divine Power > Type: Holy, Mark > Required: V, F, A > Requires a carried, worn or in-hand focus. Requires raising a hand to the heavens. Requires recitation of "lend me strength, o Light, that I may use it in your service". > Optional: V > Declare a specific purpose for which the Divine Power is required. > Effect: Bolstered by divine power, the caster receives double his natural strength and bolstered endurance and pain resistance for the next 1 minute (5 posts) (optional - the caster's strength is quadrupled and s/he becomes tireless until the completion of a specific, immediate task that may not include extended efforts such as defeating an enemy). > Required level - 3

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Use: Divine Power Distracted: 2x cost [ 1.50.2.00.-0.50 ]

(( Hope you had fun. ))

(( It was definitely fun.

I'm only disappointed that I didn't get to see more of Makenshi's moves with how aggressively my character was pushing. ))

(( I would enjoy it. We kind of took the battle in one direction when there were so many others that it could have gone. It would be fun to see how it played out another way, when the first set of injuries didn't dictate the strategy for the rest of the fight.

That was the first time I used that blinding move so I wasn't sure how people would take it. I'm glad it didn't cause any hate for 'lolhax' or things of that nature.

Well fought. Salute. ))