Galleon swam lazily into the pit of the forum, her form a bulge in the sand. She was not Last Legs' passenger today, she was without the need of its aid. She could, once again, swim in the forum of Orion, and all the good and bad memories flowed back at the thought. She'd gone in far enough. Galleon twisted her fins vertically to slow herself, then breached. She snorted heavily, sending out a spray of sand and air. More combat. Galleon pulled her heavy front on top of the sand. She swished her tail in excitement. Every spar was a treat Galleon shamelessly indulged in. They let her see so many fighting styles--see how personality and size affected each style of combat. The reward at the end of this competition would be just as exciting. That would be a rare fighting style indeed. She just had to get through this opponent. Galleon sat, eager, as she waited to exchange greetings with her sparring partner.

@Khavur

Khavur had already been standing in the ring, swaying subtly like an oak in the wind, waiting for Galleon's arrival. It was without word or gusto.

As soon as the opponent's head breached the surface, Khavur's analysis of the enemy begun. First of all, land swimming. Khavur had never seen such a concept before. Secondly, large head. Big mouth. Probably wise to avoid that. Big body to accompany it. Large fins likely for directing motion—what happens if those get lost? A train of thought for another time, and most likely another place. This wasn't a deathmatch after all, and Khavur would be wise to remind himself of that. Probably about the same height and size as he was. This exterior of the creature looked tough as rock, though perhaps not impossible for a monster with claws like himself to breach.

But that was the question, wasn't it? If this is not a deathmatch, then what is the aim? How much violence is appropriate? Khavur would obviously have to reign himself in, as would his opponent—but by how much? The perfect amount of violence to win. When it came to bigger battles like this, that was a balance they all sought to strike. And what was the win condition, exactly? And how could Khavur get there, with his limited space and tools?

Someone so similar in build to him would be difficult to wear down. How to make it admit defeat? Or perhaps, since there was a judge, it was more about demonstrating ability and style. Khavur certainly had ability to show.

Breathe. He needed to relax. His panicked scrambling around mere moments before the match had started had gotten out most of his excess adrenaline. He needed to focus now. The first move was his. What move to make?

She had the ground, the subterranean part Khavur had no way of reaching, and he had the sky. If both of them ran in such opposite directions, the match would be uninteresting to watch. Another factor to keep in mind. But staying on the ground would inevitably lead to her taking the advantage. In a normal scrap—as in, say she was secretly Ordered and Khavur was not—they likely wouldn't even fight each other unless they had no other choice.

So then, best plan of attack to keep him in the lead? He would have to stay airborne as much as he could maintain, and search for a weak point opportunistically from the sky.

Battle plan in mind, Khavur bowed to her wordlessly in solemn greeting. Unfortunately for Galleon, Khavur wasn't always much fun. Then, the giant tangle of limbs and heads would move, steadily at first, then breaking into a run. A charge. At a certain point, his large wings would begin to beat, and Khavur would attempt to launch himself over Galleon's head and into the sky, clinging to the nearest wall of the arena. Granted his ability to make it up there and land, Khavur would cling to whatever hand holds were available in the stone and reorient himself, setting up for an attack from the sky next round.

Round: 1/5

Attempt: fly over Galleon to cling to a wall she hopefully can't reach

Defense: armored hide, quills

Injuries: N/A

@Galleon

Galleon hadn't expected to see her opponent--Khavur, she recalled--already in when she entered. He was massive. A two headed, winged beast practically overflowing with limbs and claws. Galleon recalled his presence at a prior deathmatch, though they'd never fought, and she could recall little else. Now, though, he was before her. In the flesh. She'd have plenty to learn now. The first she noted was his silence. Galleon had expected someone like him to be louder. Not this still silence. She'd expected a few exchanged words when she'd entered. A bit of banter, a polite exchange of good luck. But she found her opponent unreadable. Watching her. Focused, thinking, sizing her up, likely. It reminded her of Labradorite somewhat. Khavur moved for the first time, he begun to bow. She tilted her head.

"One of few words, huh?" She barely got out the 'huh' before Khavur sprung into action.

He began a walk, rapidly turning into a charge. Air left her in a surprised hiss. Instinctively she dove, snapping her dorsal fin shut, curling her tail, preparing to launch herself into him and match a charge with a charge. She listened to the rapidly approaching thuds, tensing further as she prepared to launch into him. But then with the thuds came a new sensation.

The sand at the surface was scattered by something lighter, wider than Khavur's footfalls. It brought to mind the way she felt eyehooks leave the surface. Her gears turned. Her mind caught up. A feint! She forced herself down in a short dive. It was messy and obvious, but she had little time to think. She had a scant seconds to think where he would launch from. Truthfully, she guessed. Galleon sprang up with a hard swing of her tail, hoping some part of her would catch him, throwing off his launch.

"Smart!" She said.


"When I speak"
When I think

ROUND 1/?

#100%

ATTEMPT: Slam him down
DEFENSE: N/A
INJURIES: none

@Khavur

When Galleon had called him a creature of few words, Khavur responded with a thoughtful expression and a curt, ”Not usually.” He just didn’t know what to say. And, he was not really here for conversation.

Smart! She had called him, while foiling him perfectly. Her tail slammed into him like a club and knocked him right out of the air. Khavur stifled a grunt. Flight, it seemed, was too obvious. And yet, every second his feet touched the floor, he remained on her turf. Her advantage.

What if his feet were on something else? Where else was there for him to go? The walls were off limits so long as he was in range of her tail. But backing up to try the same thing would likely lead to an uninteresting chase. What else was an available surface?

…Wait.

Galleon might have seen his head twisting around as he attempted to shake himself off and get back up. Then, they would land… on her.

First, of course, he still had to get out of reach. Khavur would quickly try to reorient himself and trundle out of her reach as fast as he could manage, on foot.

Round: 2/5

Attempt: get out of range

Defense: armored hide, quills

Injuries: impact with galleon’s tail and the floor

@Galleon

Galleon felt the satisfying impact of her tail against torso. She was a creature of weight though. She fell hard, crashing into the sand with a heavy whump. She was satisfied, hearing Khavur crash as she did. She rolled her fins, preparing to swing herself off. She glanced at him. Heavy legs landed on her. Khavurs. She snorted sand from her vents like a compressed squeaky toy. Before she could think to thrash, the valkhound was off again. Galleon rolled over.

She growled low, a heavy grinding click. He was ..sprinting away from her? Khavur was planning something. He'd been planning something this whole time. She didn't know what that "not usually" he'd said earlier meant, and she wouldn't pretend that she could prophesize whatever he was planning on doing. Galleon wasnt the sharpest spade in the sandbox, but whatever it was he wanted distance for, Galleon knew she couldn't let him get the advantage.

With a few heavy fin strokes, Galleon submerged herself. She wouldn't make it easy to shake her off. She snapped her fin open and gave chase, following the vibrations of Khavur's footsteps. A straight shot was Galleon's element, and she kept near the surface, exhaling hard to keep up her momentum. As his footsteps went from ahead to aside her, she porpoised, interspersing her dives and breaches with a taunt.

"Last I heard, you're supposed to fight each other in a wrestling match!" Galleon said, voice cutting out and in as she breached.

"When I speak"
When I think

ROUND 2/?

#90%

ATTEMPT: keep up with Khavur
DEFENSE: list defenses
INJURIES: impact into floor :(

@Khavur

[Origin Cave]

Khavur has forfeit the competition. Galleon will proceed to the next match.

@Galleon