Relic didn't plan on winning the tournament. It'd be nice, and she did want it, but she hadn't trained at all. This was her training. If she screwed it up, that was fine by her. But she'd been here for quite a few cycles now, and she'd seen a whole lot. There was a chance, and she liked that chance.
It'd be nice to fight something not ten feet tall and made of stone.
Relic was vaguely aware of the size and shape of her opponent. Only a little larger, but not doubt stronger. She'd been allowed to keep her armour, which would even the odds a little bit - even more if she passed onto the second bracket. She'd spotted some formidable looking Valkhounds in the crowd.
But we'll take on step at a time. She assumed a defensive stance as she waited for Rajani to show, keen on starting as soon as possible.
Let's get to the fun bit.
ROUND 0/5
ATTEMPT: Bracing for impact in advance!
DEFENSE: Armour along spine, enchanted helmet, crouched down to protect the soft bits
INJURIES: None
@Rajani
He walked into the area slowly, calm and patient as he always was. He had gotten his wounds from the dungeon checked on and worked on, so despite the lingering pull on his shoulders, the wounds didn't effect him as they did when he first got them.
This was wrestling, not a full on fight, so he left behind his weapons, though he did raise an eyebrow when he saw his opponent wearing armor. Pathetic. He thought but didn't say anything, figuring if they thought they needed the armor to beat him, then regardless of what happened, he won in his mind, because at least he fought fair.
He simply nodded as he came to a halt, slowly lowering himself, bracing for impact and spreading out his legs for better balance. His claws unsheathed, ready to attack and defend himself when needed. His eyes narrowed and his head lowered protecting his vitals while his tail whipped behind him for better balance. He would let them go first, since they seemed to need all the help they could get.
feel free to attack first!
@Relic
ROUND 0/5
ATTEMPT: -
DEFENSE: low to the ground, legs spread, claws out, neck and eyes protected
INJURIES: -
In Relic's defense, the armor was REALLY hard to take off.
It didn't seem like they'd get along well. She could feel his high-and-mighty judgement - though she wasn't exactly clear on what caused it. Her armor felt like more of a part of her than an accessory. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the... floor. Or wherever he happened to sleep.
But he let Relic have the first shot, which was polite of him at least.
Exploiting the height difference, Relic charged forward suddenly, hoping to crash into his legs and take them out from underneath him. She wouldn't have to worry about protecting the back of her neck or spine - no matter his jaw strength, it'd be hard for him to get a grip. That, and lethal injury was off the table.
But she wasn't quite fast enough to get there in time.
ROUND 1/5
ATTEMPT: Slamming into his legs
DEFENSE: Armour along spine, enchanted helmet, crouched down to protect the soft bits
INJURIES: None
@Rajani
He watched them closely, all judgement or mild amusement gone from his features, he was now focused, honed in on the one thing that was important. The fight itself.
He watched his opponent's legs, noticing the moment they tensed and she rushed forward, pushing off of the ground himself to dodge to the right, causing them to miss the attack completely. However, he hoped that would give him the opening to rush forward, pushing off of his tensed back legs to aim to slam his shoulder directly into their side, keeping his body slightly higher and aiming to use their already lowered stance to quite literately slam them into the ground. He kept his legs spread and his knees bent ensuring his balance was kept even as his tail lashed to help him maneuver around.
However he kept his jaws parted and his head lowered to protect his throat just in case they were able to right themselves just in time.
ROUND 1/5
ATTEMPT: aiming to slam her into the ground from the side
DEFENSE: spread stance for balance, jaws open and head lowered to protect throat
INJURIES: none currently
@Relic
Looks like both of them were out of practice. Maybe they'd get along after all.
While Relic blundered clearly, she had ample opportunity to make up for the missteps. She saw black and white flash past her and she whirled to meet where Rajani had attempted to flank her. She found herself looking up at him as he shot for a pin, like being underneath a crashing wave -
Not that she knew what that looked like yet. But she saw a solution. She rose to her haunches too, launching herself upward in a headbutt. Her head curled backward, hoping to make contact with his jaw or throat - anything that'd make Rajani falter in his offense.
ROUND 2/5
ATTEMPT: Headbutting the underside of his neck/head as he goes for the body slam
DEFENSE: Armour along spine, enchanted helmet, crouched down to protect the soft bits
INJURIES: None
@Rajani
She seemed just as hardheaded as he was, perhaps there was more to her than he originally thought.
He had his jaws parted to protect his throat and he was certainly glad that he did when she came upwards and headbutted him directly in the jaw. That hurt like a bitch and he let out a deep growl of pain but that didn't stop his forward momentum.
He continued to try and slam on top of her, however instead of just trying to pin her down, he would aim to now wrap his body around her like a cat catching their prey, trying to wrap his front arms around them and sink his front claws into them, though careful not to do too much damage but trying to keep them pinned.
The momentum would pull them both down together if he was able to grab her, making him land on his side and he hoped it didn't end poorly for him in doing so.
ROUND 2/5
ATTEMPT: list attempts
DEFENSE: spread stance for balance, jaws open and head lowered to protect throat
INJURIES: sore jaw
@Relic
Steel made contact with bone and taut skin - Relic felt the impact reverberate through the metal with some satisfaction, knowing she'd hit him square in the jaw. A solid blow.
But Rajani wasn't backing off yet.
So instead of pushing up, she let him initiate the tackle, pulling them both down to the dirt. But as she felt herself begin to topple, she pushed into him with her shoulder plate as hard as possible, hoping to wind him and get free of the pin.
@Rajani
ROUND 3/5
ATTEMPT: Shoving him into the ground
DEFENSE: Armour along spine, enchanted helmet, crouched down to protect the soft bits
INJURIES: minor cuts around the base of her neck
She was a rather slippery little shit, that was for sure. He was able to pull them to the ground, felt his claws sink slightly into the sections around their armor, but she was quick to pull away, making him grunt as their shoulder rammed into his chest, making him lose his air for a moment, gasping softly, but not before he kicked back at them.
He kicked his back legs, claws out as he tried to scratch at her lower body that didn't have the armor, trying to shove them away while also doing some damage in the process.
ROUND 3/5
ATTEMPT: kicking at her underside/legs
DEFENSE: jaws open and head lowered to protect throat
INJURIES: sore jaw, sore chest
@Relic
Finally, she'd gotten a little bit of time and space to do what she liked, a brief moment without claws scratching against her torso. Relic took a moment to breath in Orion's dusty air as she turned back toward Rajani.
No teeth allowed, which was a little limiting. She'd manage. She lunged again, hoping her paws would slam into Rajani's underside as she half jumped, half skipped on top of and over his body.
ROUND 4/5
ATTEMPT: Punch to the stomach. but with her legs
DEFENSE: Armour along spine, enchanted helmet, crouched down to protect the soft bits
INJURIES: minor cuts around the base of her neck
@Rajani
Well that didn't really go the way he had hoped, his attack doing absolutely fucking nothing. Well damn, now he was just in a bad position.
Sure enough, they capitalized on his failure and he knew it was coming, but that didin't mean he could do a damn thing about it. He grunted as the force and the claws rammed directly into his stomach, but he wasn't going to back down just yet. No, despite it all, he was having fun still, though he would never say it outloud obviously.
Instead of pulling away from the attack, he once again tried to wrap his limbs around them and twist his body, aiming to pull them down and switch their positions, hoping to get the upper hand this time.
ROUND 4/5
ATTEMPT: twist to pin them under instead
DEFENSE: jaws open and head lowered to protect throat
INJURIES: sore jaw, sore chest, cuts on stomach
@Relic