As he slipped by, her foot came down on some of his precious tail feathers. They pulled out with a painful snap, but Gertrude kept going. He blinked the tears out of his eyes that came from the pain. The air seemed to shift, and Gertrude could feel the magic. He didn't use magic, so he could feel others' magic pulling at his very core. Gertrude unfurled his wings and tried to catch onto one of the gusts of wind. He hoped they would carry him up and out of the way of the magic attack and put him in a good position to attack from. "Blah"

Nemesis felt the heat wash over her body, a familiar warmth that burned just under her skin becoming the same outside her tough hide. She welcomed it. She reveled in it-- but he had escaped her grasp with just a few tail feathers missing. And she hated that.

With a roar, she tried to turn and then charge, hoping to swipe at him with the horns on her face before he flew too high out of reach. "What's ammatter, pwetty bird?! SCARED?!!" She screeched, her flesh smoldering with the stink of scorched skin and peach fuzz. Suffice to say, she was in her element.

{ FIGHT STATISTICS }
GERTRUDE V. NEMESIS
ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN

{ ATTEMPT }

~ hit him with her horns before he gets out of reach

{ DEFENSES }

~ use tail to guard wounded flank

{ INJURIES }

~ prior injuries;;

• sore body, recovering from fight with fisher

~ current injuries;;

• bloody brow
  
• slash across lower ribs (near stomach)
  
• light burns across skin

@Gertrude

She roared. She was angry. Gertrude would have smiled if he didn't have a beak. Just knowing he was getting under skin was good. He had swooped up on the winds, but as he did, she ran up, one of her forehead spikes puncturing his right side, then cutting him as he was knocked to the side. She asked him if he was scared. He would have laughed. He did laugh. His wings unfurled. She had knocked him to the side of her face. With a few powerful flaps, he could use his head gem to cut her neck. He wasn't creative, just determined, "You wish! I'm just waiting-" his wings unfurled as he fell in line with his opponent's throat, "- for my OPPORTUNITY!" "Blah"

Gertrude laughed. He was a fool-- more so than her esteemed leaders. Louie had been a fool, one who wielded a powerful weapon and then let it loose without so much as sicing it on someone. Nemesis had known fools her whole life-- and most of them were men. There was the occasional, fool hearty but quick witted women. Nemesis was still loyal to Fang simply because she was intelligent and didn't push any of the wrong buttons.

But damn. Gertrude took the cake. He tried to cut under her neck and she threw her head down, trying to throw him to the ground. She tried to stab him into the earth with her horns, and failing that, she tried to stomp a foot on him. Anything to get him pinned down right where she wanted.

She would be happy to break all of his pathetic, birdy bones.

{ FIGHT STATISTICS }
GERTRUDE V. NEMESIS
ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN

{ ATTEMPT }

~ pin him down with horns or foot

{ DEFENSES }

~ use tail to guard wounded flank

{ INJURIES }

~ prior injuries;;

• sore body, recovering from fight with fisher

~ current injuries;;

• bloody brow
  
• slash across lower ribs (near stomach)
  
• light burns across skin

@Gertrude

She threw her head down at just the right time and, without his tail feathers, it was hard to control his flight. He drove downwards, but was unable to pull himself back up before his beak drilled into the ground. His whole body jolted with the force. Quickly he had tried to right himself. He was under her again, and that only meant one thing, "- MY OPPORTUNITY!" he shouted again. Aiming to get a running start, Gertrude sought to use the ground as leverage in combination with his wings to now use his head gem to cut down Nemesis's body length wise. It was risky, but it just might work. "Blah"

But the bird wriggled out of her grip once again. Anger broiled under her skin and she huffed, groaning with pain as Gertrude dove under her again. She threw her tail wildly, hoping to hit him as he came out from under her-- surely he wouldn't stay down there where she could step on him?

Regardless, she stomped her feet, trying to stumble out of the way. Hot, sticky blood was dripping from her wounds and she wasn't liking how many cuts he was putting on her. He kept going for such dangerous shots and succeeding though-- and she didn't like it one bit.

{ FIGHT STATISTICS }
GERTRUDE V. NEMESIS
ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN

{ ATTEMPT }

~ TAIL SLAP on ya way out!

{ DEFENSES }

~ stomping feet

{ INJURIES }

~ prior injuries;;

• sore body, recovering from fight with fisher

~ current injuries;;

• bloody brow
  
• slash across lower ribs (near stomach)
  
• light burns across skin
  
• scratch down belly

@Gertrude

He cut her, but only slightly. Gertrude was still wobbly from his face hitting the ground. He didn't move fast enough, and when she flicked her tail, gertrude was flicked up with it. It whacked him across his chest and tumbled him out behind her. Bingo. Gertrude aimed to run and jump, using his half-gemmed beak to slice her tail right off! It would serve her right! "Blah"

She felt her tail hit the bird-- but he didn't fly off like she expected. No. (Well, he had, but he had come back just as quickly, which she wasn't expecting.) Instead, she felt a prick-- a burning, stinging pain shoot up her spine. He was biting her!! He was biting her tail!

Oooh, that was the last straw. With a roar, she slammed her tail into the ground as hard as she could, letting out a blood curling shout. It would alert her family, the rest of the Merrymen, and it would spell the end of the bird in a heartbeat.

"GET OUT OF MY HOME NOW! I'LL KILL YOU!" And as her tail hit the ground, whether it hurt Gertrude or not, she turned her massive body around and got ready to deliver her final blow, if he dared stick around.

{ FIGHT STATISTICS }
GERTRUDE V. NEMESIS
ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN

{ ATTEMPT }

~ POUND INTO THE GROUND

{ DEFENSES }

~ nyah

{ INJURIES }

~ prior injuries;;

• sore body, recovering from fight with fisher

~ current injuries;;

• bloody brow
  
• slash across lower ribs (near stomach)
  
• light burns across skin
  
• scratch down belly
  
• tail wound

@Gertrude

[Origin Cave]

Character: Gertrude Age: +7 (7 Cycle) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler Level) ROUND 1 Attempt: +11 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +13 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +8 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +19 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +1 Penalties: - ROUND 6 Attempt: +10 Penalties: - ROUND 7 Attempt: +11 Penalties: - Total: 83

Character: Nemesis Age: +8 (8 Cycle) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler Level) ROUND 1 Attempt: +19 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +18 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +18 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +11 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +4 Penalties: - ROUND 6 Attempt: +15 Penalties: - ROUND 7 Attempt: +10 Penalties: - Total: 106

WINNER: NEMESIS

Gertrude knew he needed tome to recuperate. He didn't know how to fight fire... yet. He was slammed into the ground, but quickly flew back up. The thing had yelled at him to go. Fine, fine, he would go, but oh, he WOULD return, "I am on my way out! You are not even worth my time! Seeing as you have to use magic in a duel against me, it appears that, by default, I have already won!"

He flew over the... thing, aiming to defecate on her head. She deserved it, just as that dragon did. He squawked overhead, "Next time, I won't go easy on you! Kraaak!"

@nemesis