Smash & Sass vs Mountain [Page 2]

"Burn this into your memories kids. The battle where Rance **** up another loser named Anse... Antsome or --" Perplexed, the father raised up a brochure on the HoH fight roster. "**Huh? Guy? Heh, more like "Gay!" Rance is gonna slice apart this gay Guy, snrk. Burn it into your memories, kids. High level combat like this is once in a lifetime.**"

"Dad, didn't you say that about Rance versus Moonblade?"

The father raised his hand menacingly to his daughter's flinching face, as a warning. "Shut the **** UP! We don't talk about that. We.... I bet Rance would win in a minute flat and that fairy ran for four hours, that was your college tuition missy. Think you're so smart. Not without college you aren't."

themightyjello Wrote:

> [ 1 :: Draw ]

Naw, Rance wasn't about that life. He hated waiting around. The hunk of muscle and manliness that stood before him drew his weapon, holding it like a champion, and that was enough of an answer to his challenge for Rance to take action. Moments after their meeting, and totally not many days of waiting for a reply, Rance would see fit to answer the opposing fighter in kind. Already worlds more exciting than his bout with Moonfade or whatever. In reply, Rance would take a step back and reposition his grip on his weapon. Holding it at arm's length looked badass, showed his strength and ability to balance the weight of the blade with his body and arm without flinching, but provided literally nothing of any combat usefulness. It was an unspoken brag, and it seemed his opponent had accepted it with a battle pose of his own. That being the case, it was time to get down to business.

With the step back, Rance spun the blade around in his grip with a slight flourish in order to bring the weapon up in front of him, now actually placing the weapon between himself and his opponent in a way that would properly threaten the distance between them. He was excited, wanted to see what abilities this guy had up his sleeve. He'd heard that this tournament was a gathering of some of the most skilled warriors across the world, and he was eager to see what this "Mountain" had in store for him. He'd never met a wall he couldn't break through, and he didn't give a s**t about winning or losing. All he was in this for was the challenge and the fight. The mage from before was a chore, it was boring, it was an insult to his prowess, but...perhaps this big, loud, well-built warrior before him would give him the challenge he sought.

With his weapon now firmly grasped in both hands, Rance would charge forward, headlong into the fray, and aim to swing horizontally from right to left in a small angle. If unblocked it might cut through the target from side to hip. Did he think this attack would hit it's mark? ******** no. That wasn't the expectation. What he wanted was to see how his enemy reacted. Was he just brawn and no brains? Was he secretly faster than his size would suggest? Would he meet his blade in a clash to size him up? Rance didn't know, and that unknown was what he lived for. Overcoming the unknown, proving his ability, meeting the challenge, THAT was what combat was in a place like this.

Maybe this guy would understand better than his previous foe.

[1]

Vaguely homoerotic narration aside... as soon as Anson got ready to close the gap between them Rance changed his stance --

Ryugi Kazamaru Wrote:

> With the step back, Rance spun the blade around in his grip with a slight flourish in order to bring the weapon up in front of him, now actually placing the weapon between himself and his opponent in a way that would properly threaten the distance between them.

show spoilerhide spoiler

-- and came rushing in --

Ryugi Kazamaru Wrote:

> With his weapon now firmly grasped in both hands, Rance would charge forward, headlong into the fray, and aim to swing horizontally from right to left in a small angle.

-- so rather than thinking about how to close the distance between them, the masked man instead needed to react to that distance suddenly closing on its own.

He already had his sword held across his front, but hadn't raised it up to his chest yet so it was held at about the level of his belt buckle; and so as Rance stepped in with his hasty cross-slash the man of Mountain stepped forward as well, bringing his weight down on his right foot as he planted it between the two of them and snapped his sheathed sword to his left -- the tip coming down and the hilt coming up in a vertical block, with just a few inches of gleaming but battle-scarred steel peeking out from the top edge of the scabbard as the two blades caught each other on edge with a dull thunk. There was no ringing of steel, because the blade wouldn't be able to vibrate while still held firmly in its sheath, and by catching the horizontal swing just past the guard it was the sturdiest part of the blade in case the weapon coming at him had a lot more heft than it looked from afar.

What happened next would be very similar to the initial plan; the cross-guard on Anson's sword would twist to catch Rance's blade, but this time it would be above the blade and not below it, with Anson's left hand clutching the scabbard about six inches below where Rance's sword had connected... and then his step forward with his right would be followed by a push off with his left. Assuming Rance still had any forward momentum, then Anson would be trying to meet him halfway and if not then it would look much more like a lunge; but Rance had a good 3 inches of height on the newly-burly young man and that put him in a prime position to be taking an ironclad forehead to the bridge of his nose as Anson attempted to plow straight into him while dragging his blocking blade in along the length of Rance's sword to keep the mercenary from moving it in any direction other than far out of his way.

As soon as he got in close and planted that left foot somewhere outside of Rance's right leg, Anson would snap his right hand down and his left up to drive the wooden scabbard up under Rance's right arm; trying to get his clenched fist in behind the swordsman's shoulder and then shove him hard while using that leverage to lift the man's right side off the ground and send his weight toppling back over his only standing leg.

It was hardly swordplay. But this was hardly the time or place for something like that. This guy could be a titan, a wizard, or a figment of his imagination and there was no way for him to know until they traded a few blows. He wasn't going to spend any time playing it safe right now, and he'd spent enough time fighting against opponents far stronger than himself to know the type of tactics to use to throw your own weight around.

[ 2 :: Time to Sumo ]

show spoilerhide spoilerSpirit Energy: 35%

+5% Unaspected regeneration

= 40%

Bonded: Soul of the Fury

-- Furious Strength bonus: +140% base strength

Aspected: Unaspected

Passive Abilities: Righteous Fury (fury, minor), Furious Strength (fury, major)

Active Abilities: None

themightyjello Wrote:

> It was hardly swordplay. But this was hardly the time or place for something like that. This guy could be a titan, a wizard, or a figment of his imagination and there was no way for him to know until they traded a few blows. He wasn't going to spend any time playing it safe right now, and he'd spent enough time fighting against opponents far stronger than himself to know the type of tactics to use to throw your own weight around.

There was a heavy thud as Rance's blow was caught. It wasn't a clash, but it was still impressive. And by the way his stance was shifting to intercept and deal with the weight of the blow, he wasn't a total amateur either. This guy knew a thing or two, and by the look of it, running away was not his style. Adrenaline spiked and Rance's eyes dilated at the thrill of a proper challenge.

From the point of impact, the young man would feel quite a bit of heft. Rance's full strength had not been placed behind the blow, as such things were seldom the case in a proper sword-fight. Such strikes meant too much recovery time, too much lag, and while Rance was an armored juggernaut, he was not completely dense to the mechanics of his own weapon. However, he had swung with the intent of hitting with the end third of the blade near the weapon's point of percussion for maximum striking power on the blow, such as it was. Rance's weapon did not wobble much due to its hefty size and construction, however to have it be utterly unbending would have meant the weapon was likely to shatter from the full brunt of its own mass and the shock it would undergo with each hit, or impart all of that force into the hands, wrists, and arms of the wielder. Neither of these were positive outcomes. Either way, the mighty blade struck home with a good bit of heft simply by virtue of its mass, and its velocity being halted so suddenly. Whether or not it would serve to knock the young man off balance was up in the air, however, it seemed that his enemy had taken the blow well and must have dissipated some of the striking force into his leg and body, else he'd have been shunted sideways.

With Rance pitching and his opponent catching, hurr hurr homo-eroticism, he wasted no time in reacting as best he could. So, he wanted to get close? Alright. Rance could swing with that. With his weapon still firmly grasped in his left hand, Rance would let go with his right, and slide his fingers and palm down the weapon, allowing his foe to roll it, but with Rance controlling the yaw of the blade. The end result would be that when his opponent went to close the distance even further, the weapon would be held between them, flat sides facing both Rance and Anson, a solid metal slab acting as a barrier to the man from Mountain's advance. Rance's arms were out, bent at the elbows, and his legs were braced, able to halt the young man's advance as he attempted to butt heads. Of course, Rance's own options to continue the advance would be awfully stifled by this turn of events, and he certainly wasn't going to get into a headbutting contest when his opponent had some kind of metallic mask on their face. However, Rance DID use his own muscle to counter the pushing advance, a true sumo situation, again halting the motion of both men of might. It wasn't exciting, but it WAS posturing, and between a clash of strength, that was still important. Rance grinned, now able to look at his opponent more clearly.

"You got a wild look in your eyes. I can already tell this is going to be fun." He spoke as he worked to keep the heap of muscle from getting closer. "You got a nice sword there, guy. Know how to use it? Or we gonna just keep staring at one another like idiots?" Of course, Rance wasn't gonna let his opponent just catch him talking. Though he was speaking his mind, he was actively working to counter the motions of his opponent, giving just enough, and pushing back in turn to keep them locked in this position, at least until one of them decided to change strategies.

[3]

If there was any distance between the two would-be fighters, Ryke was happy to close it as she marched right on up to Cypher.

Quote: Wrote:

> " .....Are you coming on to me?"

”Wait what-”

Ryke balked, but only for a moment. She wasn’t so often taken aback by such questions these days as in the past but it was still a little jarring at first;

" I mean, if you are that's fine, I'm ok with women taller than me, but we should probably see how we feel after fighting right? Then you can beat me all you want."

Ryke stared back, only slightly puzzled, but took notice of the sudden appearance of his leg coverings. Guess that meant this thing was about to start officially. ”Alright romeo,” she started, freeing the bat from her belt and pointed at it directly at him, prodding him in the chest. ”Less flirting, more fighting.” if there was no resistance or further reaction from him she followed through from jabbing to swinging up.

”So think fast!”

[1]

show spoilerhide spoilerBaseball Bat - 34 inches and 31 oz of aluminum and a** whooping, it's Ryke's signature bat, decorated with the black and white checkered flag of the Aekea Bugbears of her hometown. The bat, formerly used as is without any modification, has seen an upgrade this year. Covering approximately three quarters of the head of the bat are steel nut & bolt studs, spaced evenly apart to evenly spread the force across the had but also providing much more of an impact upon hitting an opponent.

Custom gBuds: Ryke improved on an existing design for her own personal uses. These devices fit around the ear, with an internal piece akin to wireless earbuds or your typical bluetooth, they were designed to be less bulky while still being functional and would be no bigger than most modern hearing aids. Their non-combative function allows them to wirelessly connect to her portable music player (her gPod) and stream her music of choice. They have a secondary function of protecting her ears from extreme sound/noise. After a certain decibel they kick in and dampen incoming sound to avoid damage to the inner ears/ear drum. Additional status effects are reduced by half but not eliminated.

gPod: A small, black, portable music player that fits nicely in her pockets and connects wirelessly to her custom gBuds to play her tunes. The device is protected by a shock absorbing reinforced case to guard against impact and is resistant to extreme temperatures much like the goggles, but can last up to 10 minutes before damage becomes evident unlike the goggles. The gPod’s secondary function, besides playing music, is to interface with the HUD inside the goggles. Having the GUI/interface built into the gPod is not ideal but she’s still working out the finer details of her new tech. This allows track information to also show up on the HUD while in use.

Blast Goggles - A pretty resilient pair of goggles that serve her well inside the garage as well as out. They fit over and across the eyes and provide protection from the elements, such as wind, dust and debris. The polycarbonate lenses are strong, shatter-proof, fog reducing and provide 99.9% UVA/B/C protection.

HUD Display: Normally the HUD provides information useful to her occupation, as they were designed to assist her in the garage but have been tweaked to offer assistance in the ring. The HUD has different features. First, they work in conjunction with her gBuds and will display track information for what is currently playing on the gPod. Non-combative function.

gPod Display

Playlist:https://open.spotify.com/user/1271405120/playlist/2eXwhWENVYIXWCOyraJbP6?si=pA3xbmwQT8OP-kZaG4rvsQ

Currently Playing: https://open.spotify.com/track/64Hrna39Gj1c15KHTFfxhq?si=b-Mceyg0QsafQ_-py-TzDw

Eternal Dirge Wrote:

(( And I have no legitimate excuses for why this reply took so long other than "s**t came up" but it wasn't up enough that I wouldn't have had 30 minutes to reply. I just did you a disservice, and that's very unprofessional of me. ))

Ryugi Kazamaru Wrote:

> Though, really, it was more like a push to split them apart, and was not likely to do much damage at all.

Okay it was about time to start getting -- oh, no, wait, it wasn't at all. This unknown guy with a big, sharp piece of metal and enough muscle to make it seem like a broomstick seemed like the type that was best to avoid middle distance with; that place between a slugfest and wizards shooting laser eyes at each other while bragging about whose power level was higher. The goal had been to bring the fight into close quarters where that slab of metal would have been too cumbersome to use, but the moment Anson tried to step in around the steel wall he was rebuffed with a sudden shove that was followed by a boot that sent him reeling back.

For a moment the left gauntlet grabbed for the boot, the hand sliding along the back of the calf and the ankle but not able to hold a solid grip before the young swordsman faltered back a step, and then took another two deliberately for good measure just in case the mercenary was going to attempt to follow up that shove with a swing of his own.

The unsheathed sword came up, held under the guard by his right hand and up above his left shoulder with the tip of the blade aimed outward and down as if pointing at the belt buckle of the man in front of him. The left arm went up with he elbow cocked out wide and the hand resting lightly on the pommel of the sword, loosely gripping the lower end of the hilt for stability.

"You talk a lot."

As soon as his stance set after the back-step the Mountain man stepped forward again; unless Rance himself had made a move to close the distance the first step would be doing just that, and the second that followed would bring him into range just as his sword started to move -- the hand on the pomel pivoting the weapon around where his right held it as his stance, his arms, and his body all raised up a few inches mid-step and the sword tip that had been pointing out and downward did a 180 degree turn... if, in his eyes, there had been a circle drawn around Rance the sword tip would have quickly traveled counterclockwise from the 4 o'clock position to the 10 o'clock position... and just in time for his second step to bring him close enough that the quick movement of the blade lined it up with Rance's right shoulder. His weight coming down from the step-in would be put into his raised arms coming down at that moment as well, bringing the hand-and-a-half sword back across in a straight path along that 10-to-4 angle. The last quarter of the blade's length would be what passed through the space Rance was occupying, the part of the blade with the most weight and momentum behind it.

[ 4 :: A New Beginning ]

show spoilerhide spoilerSpirit Energy: 45%

+5% Unaspected regeneration

= 50%

Bonded: Soul of the Fury

-- Furious Strength bonus: +150% base strength

Aspected: Unaspected

Passive Abilities: Righteous Fury (fury, minor), Furious Strength (fury, major)

Active Abilities: None

"Haven't been checked her since that mess in Durem, but I'd swear it's the electron-"

Anson, suddenly outnumbered three-to-one by gear heads, made a break for it into the mists, where not long after challenges could be heard echoing. Frowning, Rayner lowered the hood, finishing up some tweaking and checks inside of it and listened to see if he could pick up on the rest of the other team. "Sounds like we're nearly out of time, I'll letcha take a quick listen-" he said as he climbed into the driver's seat, digging out the keys and putting them in carefully, foot on the break, and twisted- a false start. He frowned, gave it one more go- and the engine growled to life, radio turning itself back on even as some shapes came out of the mist. "Well damn, that di-"

Something slammed on the front of the truck, bucking him up and forward into an airbag bursting from his wheel, slamming him into his seat again as the truck settled from the impact. Stunned, Rayner pawed at it for a moment until he got enough of his senses back from the whiplash, the airbag suddenly deflating rapidly with a hiss. Tumbling out onto the ground and stumbling away from the car drunkenly, the scarred man shoved a knife back into the sheath at his belt, catching his balance while he listened to voices closing in, for the moment unsure if they were rivals or the dead, easing himself up and blinking, only to find himself gawking at what appeared to be a surfboard in less than great shape impaling his engine block, car making ugly dying sounds as a staticy advertisement hummed on the indifferent radio.

"....da ********]

Jaw tightening, he put a hand on his sword and cast around at the strangers closed in out of the mists, one nearby with Ryke, feeling about ready to avenge his fallen comrade. Err, vehicle.