Anger welled up in Azrael. Not for being defeated but for this fight. How PATHETIC. It wasn't a fun fight, and he was losing. He was going to lose and there hadn't been a single moment in which he'd felt like he was fighting a worthy opponent.

The blows were hitting, but they didn't sting. His own blows were missing and she danced far out of the way. He had joined this competition to have good fights and so few of these fights had been WORTHY.

He roared, frustrated, furious, and exploded upwards as Relic rained blows on his again, lashing out with a close fist to slam her away with the force he could muster. Juuuust enough force to not get him disqualified.

@Relic

ROUND 5/5

ATTEMPT: just hitting hard
DEFENSE: large
INJURIES: bruises probably, on the ground

[Origin Cave]

Character: Azrael Age: +5 (84 Cycles) Magic Level: +7 (Transcendent Master) ROUND 1 Attempt: +9 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +10 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +3 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +2 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +11 Penalties: - Total: 47

Character: Relic Age: +5 (48 Cycles) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler) ROUND 1 Attempt: +4 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +20 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +15 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +19 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +11 Penalties: - Total: 77

WINNER: Relic

A fist shot out her way, and it was like a hurdle to a horse. Relic wasn't capable of much grace, but she cleared the limb with ease and plenty of room to spare.

Absurdly, this might've been her easiest fight yet.

"Hey. Uh. Good fighting!" Maybe she should just leave it, actually. There was no way a few nice words would alleviate the sting of that loss - it might even make it worse. But what the hell was Relic supposed to do then? Nothing?

(Probably.)

@Azrael

The words only ignited something furious in Azrael as he climbed back to his feet, eyes blazing with anger as he regarded the hyena. His pride was wounded. No, no it was far worse then wounded. Shattered, obliterated. This may have been the single worst way for these fights to end. If he had been in a good fight with a worthy opponent, and he had lost, he would not have been made. But he had barely hit her. He had barely done anything.

And there she stood, awkward, the victor, the...FUCK.

HOW DARE SHE EMBARRASS HIM LIKE THIS! WHY DID HE SEEK TO DEMEAN HIMSELF BY HOLDING BACK HIS OWN POWER!! HE WOULD NOT LET THIS REST, NO, HE WAS AZRAEL AND HE WOULD NOT BE DEFEATED!!!

He pointed a claw at her, lips curled, perhaps the angriest the demon had ever looked in his life. So angry that heat began to billow from his insides and burn out his eyes, his chest, the pads of his hands as they pointed in her direction. "You may have cheated your way to victory in a false and phony combat, but I will not accept defeat until we have gone head to head with our powers in FULL. One cycle from now...HERE. To the DEATH. Do not even THINK to run from it or I will find you and you will WISH you had taken the fight!"

@Relic

It had come to the final match, disappointed that Azrael had, ugh, won the fight against the one gembound it wanted him to lose against. It came to see him win and be angry because he had been winning so hard the entire time. But perhaps the last one...it would finally see him fail.

And it did. Oh, there was nothing that excited Helion more then seeing Azrael embaressed like this. Barely able to even hit his opponent, frusterated and flustered and throwing a tantrum, oh it was magnificent!!

Helion snickered - perhaps the first time it had ever visually or audibly showed joy in its entire life - and looked to Relic, marking her down as someone to thank later. Thank as in, perhaps think twice about being violent against her. It was the least it could do for giving it such a tasty show.

Until the fight was properly over, Helion leaned its head back in its not-so-shadowy corner, listening to Azrael's furious, pride-shattered voice booming through the forum, imagining that it had been the one to bring him to such agonies.

Okay. Accepting that offer would mean there was a high chance she would actually die. Like, for real. The chrysalis might not even save her from this guy if she got completely smushed, and he did seem to want 'small stain on the floor' levels of obliteration.

So the reasonable answer is clear as crystal. Don't take the fucking offer. He's probably bluffing about being able to hunt you down, these caves are big. You could join a group if you're really worried, safety in numbers. You could join the Forge even, you already have something of a rapport. There are so many ways out of it. All you have to do is just say-

"Screw it. sure."

Oh my fucking god.

Relic turned to leave the arena and claim her hard-won prize.

exit

He snarled as she turned, waiting for her to leave the arena before he, too, stormed away. He was looking forward to that fight - it had been a very very long time since he had fought to the death. He would reclaim his pride in that.

*exit

Apparently, Audland was in the habit of fooling around with this hyena lineage. Well, it wasn't supposed to be about her—not at first. He had initially come here for the opposition; the one who had beaten him to get here. Azrael was his name. Audland was torn between the brand of petty that would deign to remember it and the brand that was determined to forget. While he chewed on this dilemma (and some delicious yummy popped corns), he would have the misfortune of witnessing something quite interesting to Audland's sensibilities.

The pettiness pendulum snapped in two. The hyena actually triumphed in their combat, and the great and terrible Azrael... had a public meltdown? Audland almost boomed with laughter—only to have it be stunted by the challenge—and then! The ACCEPTANCE?!? So sudden! So immediate! So... nonchalant! Was she that confident? Or was she just that alright with signing her entire life away? There was no way. Audland was dumbfounded, for once it his life. His jaw sat slack with a slight, upturned quirk at one end; the only sign that he was actually enjoying all of this.

Well. Guess he'd just have to be back to see if any of them actually meant any of it.

- exit -