Too... SLOW! its mind (ironically) raced as it tried to scramble up to its feet. The very prospect of it was foolish, absolutely no space given to just get up and take another stab at it. Vargas wasn't like all of the stupid little Gembound it'd beaten down with relative ease. He knew better than to just let it stand back up and keep biting, than to face it head-on.

As the first hit landed, the orthoclase twisted, recoiling harshly at the blow and instinctively snapping out. A sharp whine erupted unbidden on impact, and it snapped its jaws shut to stifle the next few. It continued to try and wrench one arm underneath itself, to shuffle onto its stomach and get away.

That wasn't as drastic, though, as Alpha's magic lashing out, scarcely controlled in its rather blind panic. It felt maybe an inkling of self-defense, but then there was nothing. Shuffling away and futilely snapping in the vague direction of Vargas was, basically, all it could do for the moment.

Round: 3/5
Attempt: Ward Vargas off with some extra spikes nvm lol
Defense: ... glass spikes
Injuries: Severely cracked exoskeleton on left side and somewhat cracked on the right

@Vargas

Well, this was... not going well. Vargas leapt back, circling, his agility and smooth, sinuous muscles once again on full display.

"Get up!" he demanded, harshly failure, it's failing me and what would she think, if she saw this-? no- "Use your magic, if you have to!" -unaware that it had tried, tried and failed, and perhaps that was for the best.

The Overseer snarled, switching direction with a sleekly serpentine motion, head lowering as if tensing for impact. Memories and realizations were sparking through him, his hope for this one--his pride--falling rapidly into grim despair. If this was all he had to show for his efforts-...

...Perhaps a little motivation was in order. Or a little truth.

"GET UP AND FIGHT. You will improve this clumsy nonsense, or I will destroy you myself!" Not-... now, of course; he didn't mean now. But if this one turned out to be this useless all the time, he'd have to see it remade, and this iteration destroyed.

They would not pin this failure on him-!

Round: 4/5
Attempt: Circle back, out of reach
Defense: n/a
Injuries: n/a

@Orthoclase-Alpha

"Get up!" "Use your magic, if you have to!"

I'm trying, it hissed internally, shuffling until its back hit the wall. It shoved against it, wedging one meaty foot underneath itself while pushing up on the others.

"GET UP AND FIGHT. You will improve this clumsy nonsense, or I will destroy you myself!"

"I'm TRYING!" Alpha strained, the sound more of a throaty growl than substantial words. It huffed once as it managed to get footing underneath itself, quills flaring out as it saw Vargas, prowling about, eyes harsh. Backed into a corner, the orthoclase was getting hasty, impulsive - daresay, furious. "You," it barked, "you -" It recoiled, mane rattling louder than its words. No - no, it can't just talk back -

"Nothing in this helps me fight! Everything in these caves are little and stupid - and fights head-on! I don't know how to fight something big," it shrieked, entire body shaking. Glowing eyes narrowed, vision blurring with the closest approximation of desperate, vehement crying. Alpha pressed, stuttering forwards a few steps and wasting precious time, "I don't want to be destroyed. I'm not done yet! I'll show you."

Magic had failed it before, but it reached out to it again, for one last hurrah, something to prove. Suddenly, what was just a spar was life-or-death to the orthoclase, and it was desperate to survive. Even as plates on its right-facing exoskeleton groaned against the motion, broken pieces hanging in places where they shouldn't be, Alpha charged forwards, banking on the flow of wind to be on its side. Its jaw hung open slightly, fixing on grabbing some part of the Overseer and fastening hard with its teeth.

Round: 4/5
Attempt: Charge to bite the fuck outta Vargas
Defense: Nah bro, it's Hail Mary time
Injuries: Severely cracked exoskeleton on left side and somewhat cracked on the right

@Vargas

Well, he'd angered it, and that was something. If he could get it to actually fight, and fight well, it would not be difficult to rein it back in later, to teach it control. Assuming, of course, it had any skill whatsoever.

Alpha charged for him, and Vargas, calculating, rushed in to meet it, all size and speed. Teeth fastened in his forelimb, by the elbow, but Vargas crashed onward, aiming to bowl Alpha over directly onto its own back with their combined momentum. It was a nasty hit, either way, and he felt the jarring impact through all his body. That is also good, he thought, distractedly, past the sensation of jaws closing in flesh and the tangle of their violent limbs.

He kept his jaws facing downward--no portion of his throat exposed--and readied himself to look for an opening.

Round: 5/5
Attempt: Bowl Alpha over/get onto him
Defense: n/a
Injuries: teethies in his arm

Teeth latched on, but Alpha was forced up and up until it was on its hindmost legs and couldn't bear the weight anymore. It clenched its jaw harder, rows of teeth catching on the Overseer's thick hide as he drove it onto its back.

Extending out its claws - and its entire frontmost limbs - it tried to grab that forearm, keep a grip on it and find more leverage to abruptly throw the entirety of its body weight back and loosen in some form of a piledriving motion. More plating cracked on its back from the impact regardless, but the orthoclase really hoped that had been a strategic and quick enough move to at least throw Vargas off-balance - maybe even completely away.

Round: 5/10
Attempt: Piledriver (but not exactly with perfect form)
Defense: n/a
Injuries: Severely cracked exoskeleton on left side (and back) and somewhat cracked on the right

@Vargas

All was thrashing struggle beneath him, weight, flailing, and a thrill of combat. But fear was in Vargas, too, and it wasn't fear of this child: it was fear of this child's failure, and what that might mean for him. His voice was a guttural roar, savage, as he struggled to keep Alpha brutally pinned--the teeth tore at his arm, and he snarled.

"AND THAT IS WHY WE FIGHT! You will learn, or you will die!"

He dropped his own head, twisted to still protect his neck, and went for a rending bite of his own. Vargas' jaws were strong, but his teeth, though small, were hooked; more like the bloodied raking of a shark's rows of fangs than any form of crushing bite. He wasn't sure if Alpha had any vulnerable points, but he drove down blindly, biting savagely nonetheless.

His head tore up, teeth framed by their toxic fire. "WOULD THIS BE HOW YOU WOULD DIE, THEN? Complaining that you know nothing, on your back, helpless?"

Provoking, to be sure--but deliberately so. Perhaps fury would lend Alpha the ferocity to survive. To improve.

Vargas didn't know, but for both their sakes, he hoped so.

Round: 6/10
Attempt: A nasty bite
Defense: n/a
Injuries: teethies in his arm

@Orthoclase-Alpha

Vargas roared, the sound bass and deafening in its head. It was straddled, trapped by lanky limbs and gnashing teeth. What exoskeleton remained mostly intact was on its torso and stomach, the former presently being raked and compromised by hooked fangs. It twisted straight, relinquishing its hold on his elbow to try - and fail to - fend off the assault with its own teeth.

The Overseer lifted his head, bellowing, calling it helpless. Alpha, still childish in its exasperation, hissed, spitting, "NO!" Consider it provoked.

It dropped its elbows, drawing in its hindmost legs and bucking sharply. The orthoclase swung them downwards slightly, so that in the event of actual impact, they might rake downwards for added offense. Anything to get Vargas off and away.

Round: 6/10
Attempt: Kick Vargas in the nards stomach
Defense: n/a
Injuries: Severely cracked exoskeleton on left side (and back) and somewhat cracked on the right Just a whole bunch of smashed and bitten-ass exoskeleton, to be honest

@Vargas

Well, Alpha had by now at least learned the lesson of superior weight. Namely, don't get thrown down if you won't be able to get back up. It wasn't fair to keep it pinned; there was no way, even with its helpless thrashing, that it would throw Vargas free on its own. Its limbs and claws flailed ineffectually at him, with no space to gain momentum to actually do damage or throw him free.

The Overseer gave it a last, short backhand and leapt clear, not waiting to see if it would hit--the fangs were free from his arm, now, at least. Acidic green dripped down his hide, and he backed rapidly away-scuttling like a spider, to square off with the child.

"Come, then," he demanded; "give me a reason to spare you. Prove that you are worth more alive. Prove it!"

Six eyes fastened on the flailing Alpha, watching it closely, to see what it might do next.

Round: 7/10
Attempt: Short backhand slap
Defense: n/a
Injuries: teethies in his arm

Alpha's head snapped to the side painfully from the sheer force of the slap, acidic eyes screwing shut. The Overseer's shadow left, leaving it to flop onto its side and struggle back to its feet, yet again. Stupid, it chided itself, quills starting to droop from exertion. It panted where it stood, stalking forwards a few steps before coming at a frantic impasse.

It really didn't know anything but brute force and head-on assault. Vargas had it outmatched in speed and strategy.

The orthoclase did know that it wouldn't be able to get in close fast enough to not end up knocked onto its back or side, and the bruising down its left flank was reminder enough not to try that again. Aqua-green bled down its legs, spurting with every cycle of its admittedly odd circulatory system.

Glassy magic'd betrayed it once, but it reached for it nonetheless. The gem on its chest buzzed, thrumming against its neck in one last desperate grab. It was convinced that this was its last chance, the last shot it had at proving it had some bit of worth, and Alpha's anger was giving way to frenzied, rash decisions. This one was to cast something that might cause real and proper damage.

The magic sputtered, miniscule points of glass sprouting from the sand. It dredged them out, crystalline and sharp pieces floating in the air for a moment before being thrown forwards, directly at Vargas without care for where they landed. The whole kit and caboodle was accompanied by a furious "rrRAGH - !" and toss of the head on Alpha's part.

Round: 7/10
Attempt: Can't charge good so, time to throw knives.
Defense: n/a
Injuries: Just a whole bunch of smashed and bitten-ass exoskeleton

@Vargas

Vargas grunted, backing up rapidly, squinting and flinching as the knife-like glass blades came at him. They were forming a barrier, of sorts (and a very pointy one) so that charging Alpha from the other side was not a good option--and the child was approaching him, rapidly, the glass spiking for him.

The Overseer stumbled back, lifting a forearm and twisting his head away to ward the worst of it. It was not terrible damage, but he could feel the sharp slashes of pain, the sudden spikes of hot blood bubbling forth, dribbling toxic-green down his skin-...

...But secretly, he was pleased: even as he scrambled back, nearly falling over his own hind legs.

"GOOD!" he bellowed--and then gagged, and plucked a piece of glass from where it'd slashed into his open mouth. ...Best, perhaps, to leave the advice until after there was no longer swirling death battering at him.

He considered, briefly, trying to seize hold of Alpha's blood, to turn its body away. But such magic was difficult, and required concentration--concentration the Overseer didn't have, right now. He growled and turned his mind--still scrabbling back, still shielding himself rather uselessly with one raised arm--toward his fangs, instead.

Time to prepare a little paralysis; and he could, once it was ready, once the glass-storm had died down, use it.

Round: 8/10
Attempt: Prepare paralytic venom
Defense: n/a
Injuries: arm bitten, glass wounds

@Orthoclase-Alpha