[IC] Auron Vs Meats (Digizel & Vordak)

[Vordak]

Underneath the ancient pines, where their burly roots lie burrowed in the snow, stands a figure of short stature yet outstanding physicue. Dark green armor, a hefty falchion resting on his shoulder and an intimidating posture - all showed that he were a feirce warrior, ready for a challenge.

Meats waited unmoving, lazily watching shadows crawl over the ground, as the sun slowly sunk towards the horizon. Its rays were bright and the clouds did not tamper with them today, even the thick darkness of the woods was a bit lighter than usual. That was good for him, as he would see his opponent coming, and the opponent would see him: the demon liked a fair fight and rarely favored ambushes. As if an ambush would ever bring him satisfacion.

[Digizel]

A shadow passed over Bruth Lake, aiming itself directly toward the shadowed forest. This would make a perfect battleground. And with all of the dampening snow around, he probably wouldn't have to be cautious...he could be as liberal with his fire attacks as he wanted to. A humanoid, crimson- and black-scaled dragon soared through the skies, making his way toward the pine forest that was to serve as his training grounds of choice. The lake was frozen over, the cliff was appealing for flight practice...as was the forest itself.

As he approached the line of pine trees that marked the entrance to the forest itself, the fire dragon straightened himself out in the air, coming down for a landing just in front of two particularly large trees. his feet touched ground neatly and he smirked slightly to himself. Across the dragon's back, a great sword could be seen, strapped onto his back by a belt that stretched diagonally around his chest and back. It would be a simple matter to withdraw the blade if he needed it. He would simply have to flick open a latch with his claws and pull it out...and he could do this at just a moment's notice. And he was sure that it was going to come in handy for the struggle to come.

Auron had made his way through the trees for a short while before coming across a figure with impressive physique. Based on first impressions, he would have to say that this warrior was one that he would need to be cautious with. There was definitely more to him than what met the eye. His own eyes narrowed at the figure and his armor, looking him up and down. So, this was the one. Right where they had intended to meet and do battle. And this opponent seemed quite ready to fight...there could be no doubt.

"So, are you the one?" he muttered bitterly. "The one who cuts down indiscriminately simply because he is ordered to do so? The one who shows no mercy, even to the weak and defenseless?" He did not reach for his weapon...not yet, at least. But if this was the monster that he had been looking for, he would need to draw his weapon of choice quickly, lest he risk being caught unarmed.

[Vordak]

A simple nod was his answer.

Meats did not deny that he had done awful things, led by his undying loyalty. He had brought suffering and death feeling little remorse afterwards, carrying out the most questionable of tasks with little doubt. Yet there was a reason to this all. Now burning bright, a flame kindled long ago, it gave him the strength to carry on and belive it were all for the best. His master - not some god to him, but just a person with intelligence of the finest standarts - upon summoning him, did not test his swordsmanship first; no, instead, he said that he'd like to talk with Meats, tell him of their ambitous goals, and about the stern and lofty ideology dictating them. Hope and some sort of uncanny determination, born through strong desire, drove those people to think of something remarkable indeed: the demon saw meaning in those words, promises of prosperty, peace and a brighter future.

Then, he was presented with the harsh reality. It was a bloodied path, filled with hardships, striving and guilt: one had to prove that they were right to be accepted, and in this wild, untamed world, a hefty sword sometimes spoke better than anything else. On many occasions, the demon had thought the ideas he served could be flawed; the empire which brewed them - evil, but always found proof that it were not that way. Today, he would be tested once again.

Snapping out of his memories, Meats threw the sword off his shoulder and stepped forwads, a cloud of snowflakes puffing from underneath his feet. Assuming the Ox stance, right foot leading and both hands now on his blade's grip, he slowly advanced, decrasing the distance between them and giving Auron time to prepare. All high and noble bullshit aside, he just really liked a hearty fight where both opponents were on equal footing, and only true skill and power determined the winner.

[Digizel]

Auron's gaze did not falter from the creature standing before him. He maintained his focused attention on his opponent and knew that no words were to be spoken. Whether his inhuman adversary was able to speak or not, he was not certain...but clearly, words would be meaningless here and now. He had received the answer that he had been looking for, that this was the opponent that he had challenged, and that he was ready to show him the truth path of the sword.

The dragon observed Meats' assumption of the Ox stance, bladed raised high and pointed toward him. The distance was closing slowly...and he needed to prepare himself. He reached behind him and quickly grasped the hilt of his own large blade. He unlocked the latch that kept the blade in place with one of his claws and he withdrew the blade from its belted resting place. The sword's familiar weight in his hands, he lifted it over his shoulder, keeping a firm grasp on the hilt that was large enough for two hands...but he only needed one to keep it and keep it balanced.

Auron was well-versed in the classic, standard stances of swordplay. However, he was not a traveler and a sellsword for no reason. After enough practice, he had developed his own, unique sword style. He raised his weapon up, holding the hilt down in front of his waist and tilted slightly to the side. He followed now specific or pre-known stances...he wielded his own blade as he himself desired to wield it. This way, he felt as though he were not limiting himself to what other great swordsmen have developed. He would never stand out the way he wanted to using the styles of previous masters. That was why he had originally set out...and now would be the perfect chance to test his training; to pit his new style against the well-distinguished swordplay styles. If he could win this, then he would prove himself.

He stood and waited...waited for his opponent to inch closer. He was starting to gamble with this...he needed to wait as long as he dared before he struck. The closer his opponent became, the easier he would be to strike. However, at the same time, the closer he was, the easier it was to be struck. He needed to be on guard...and watch his enemy's every movement. He was ready...this fight was now underway.

...But who was to make the first move?

[Vordak]

"Interesting, interesting indeed. It seems like he follows a diffrent school of swordsmanship; perhaps, one best suited for his draconic strength,"- thought Meats, observing Auron's stance. It provided a good amount of protection to his upper body, and this definetly put his high guard at a disadvantage, as most horizontal attacks, which would be hard to dodge, but not block, could be performed only from above. Vertical slashes were also out of consideration - with dominiant reach and such a convinient stance, Auron's counter would be first to land, no matter what.

But Meats still had an ace up his sleeve. Shifting his left hand towards the pommel, and gripping the blade with his right - that would put it closer to the center of weight, granting a greater amount of control over his sword - he dashed towards Auron, leaving wide tracks in the puffy snow and breaking through the low-hanging branches; little more than 5 feet were left between them when Meats dropped his arms and pushed the blade's tip towards the dragon's stomach, denying him of sufficient leverage to bat Iginbo away with his own sword: parrying with the part above the crossguard simply wouldn't yeild enough energy. In his turn, Meats would have a modicum of control even in midst of an attack, able to quickly deflect a counter and then riposte with another stab.

Impaling someone on a falchion was no hard feat for his strength, inhuman power pushing even its rounded tip deep into flesh. An inch at least, no joking matter. But truth be siad, that wasn't the demon's only goal.

[Digizel]

Auron continued studying his opponent's movements carefully as the figure continued to approach him, blade raised. He had to commend him for keeping to his stance, despite the disadvantageous position it landed him in. He was at least confident enough to stick to his guns...he had to respect him for that at least. He thought that he had just about all of his basics covered with this position...he would be fine. However, this unusual opponent made a, perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, a rather unusual and unorthodox move. His eyes widened slightly as he saw Meats not swing his sword the way it was...but instead allowed one of his hands to shift closer to its pommel...but also reached his other arm to actually grasp the blade. This was not something a normal swordsman would do...and for a moment, it caught him off-guard.

Auron quickly worked out that he wouldn't be able to parry this like he could any normal stab, so he instead decided to choose the typical sidestep evasion. As the blade drove toward his midsection, he waited until the last minute before pulling his entire body to the left. The blade of Meats' sword scraped up slightly against the scales on his side, but he was unharmed. Now that he was to his opponent's right side, he clenched the hilt of his blade tightly and quickly swung it around in a semi-circle. The large blade of the Dragon's Claw aimed to slip roughly an inch or so underneath Meats' own Iginbo in an attempt to slash the blade of the sword up against Meats' midsection. Due to the indestructible nature of his blade, he had no qualms with using it to test the durability and strength of other objects...in this case, the very armor that Meats wore. He needed to test and see just how well it could hold up against his Dragon's Claw. If it could not penetrate or leave visible progress, he would have to figure out where he could aim his strikes.

Of course, this all depended on whether or not he would even be able to slip his attack through as planned....

[Vordak]

Exellent, simply exellent. Meats loved when his tactics worked, and this time, he had achived superb results. His swift and unwavering offense forced Auron not to just change his stance, but try to counter when it were obvious that his target had the opportunity to parry. Seems like the lad was quite startled - a warrior with enough wit to playingly put the enemy's stance to waste wouldn't try to do so in clear mind.

The moment his opponent sidestepped, Meats aborted the stab, and when Auron's sword came flying to his stomach, the demon took it onto Iginbo's grip: as it were priorly mentioned, he had a good amount of control over the sword, able to pull it into a vertical position fast enough. They clashed, a mighty tremor sent jolting through his hands, and Meats, gauging the dragonkin's strength by the power of this collision, loosened his arms' muscle, absorbing the strike's energy to keep his weapon safe and sound. Throughout the lunge, and succeeding parry, his chest was turned forwards, thus, the blade's flat now pressing against it, together with his right hand. From this position, he pushed off the parried sword with his whole body, slightly leaning towards the ground - a preparation for his riposte. Pushing off with his left foot, Meats threw it in front of himself, getting another 3 feet closer; twisting the balde, his forearms crossing, his torso suddenly threw itself backwards and twisted towards Auron, the blade following in a deadly arc aimed to its prey's chest.

Ending his strike - given that there was nothing to answer to - the demon would switch his hands and defiantly assume the Ox stance once again.

[Digizel]

The Dragon Claws' blade struck nothing but the blade of the demon's own sword, stopping him just short of his target. This annoyed Auron, as this not only stopped his attack, but he wouldn't be any the wiser as to how sturdy the enemy's armor was. But what surprised him even more was Meats' speed and reaction time. He had taken note that Meats had stopped his stab immediately after he had sidestepped, giving him enough time to bring it up and block as needed. He pressed his blade up against his opponent's with much of his strength. With the blades locked, and the indestructible nature of his own weapon , he felt that he had the advantage here. If he could overpower his foe and send him reeling, he could take the chance to deliver a strong blow.

Unfortunately for Auron, however, that plan did not work out very well. As it turned out, Meats' blade was pressed up against his chest...and this gave him all the leverage he needed. And soon, it was turned against him. when Meats lurched his body forward, Auron had to back off; he knew that he wasn't keeping him at bay well enough. He was successfully thrown back. He had no time to recover, however; Meats was already bringing the blade around at him again. However, he was able to recover quickly enough to raise his blade once more. Thanks to this, he was able to hold his sword upward with his right arm holding it in the opposing weapon's path. He quickly braced it with his other arm, however, hopefully ensuring that he could stop the blade's strike. He had been taken by surprise once...if it happened again, he might not be able to help block it the next time.

Instead of trying to counterattack with his own blade, he maintained his grip and the sword was kept in its position, trying to keep the deadly blade from coming any nearer to his body. Instead, he switched all of his weight onto his back foot, trying to leave himself with enough force to keep him from falling, and brought his nearest foot upward and into the air. He aimed a single kick upward, toward Meats' midsection body armor once again. His attack would have quite a bit of force behind it, so with any luck it may be able to force an opening for him to strike with his blade again. As his body moved fluidly in his attempt to slam his foot into Meats' stomach, his tail came into use. It planted itself on the ground, allowing Auron to instinctively use it as a method of maintaining his balance should something go wrong on the front. This would all be done the moment Iginbo's blade met the the Dragon Claw's...and if it worked, Auron could potentially show this demon what real strength was!

[Vordak]

With a heavy "thwang!" Iginbo crashed into Auron's sword, nearly breaking through the hastily put up defense. Feet buried in the snow up to the ankle, body tensed and twisted, Meats prepared to carry on with his onslaught and exploit the opening, when he was met a trick none less keen than his own. Skilled enough to similtaneously block and kick his assailant in the gut, this dragonkin were quite the tough nut.

Auron's foot hit hard, but it was met with some of equal might. The constructors of Meats' physical shell knew that he would have no need for any internal organs, so the hollows were filled up with a tremendous amount of muscle, and when he flexed his abdomen, it become solid as a brick wall. And that was exactly what Meats met the dragon's kick with - hopefuly, it would break him a few bones.
Unfortunately, even with such badassery involved, there was still one thing left to consider: this kick lifed his petty 70 kg up into the air and threw him a good half a dozen feet away from Auron. Sure, he had managed to land on his feet and keep his grip on the sword, but now the guy was out of his reach. Meats cussed to himself - losing such a great opportunity angered him - and sheltered himself underneath one of the pines. Changing his approach, the demon would wait for Auron to strike first, and here, the dark green of his armor would blend nicely with both the shadows and the pine itself. Now, instead of the Ox stance, he chose the Plow, right foot leading, his grip left just as it was.

[Digizel]

Auron's counterattack worked exactly as planned...well, more or less. There were a couple of snags, but it served the purpose it was supposed to. However, when he had kicked, it felt as though he had kicked not a suit of armor, but an entire iron wall. Luckily, however, it was not as immovable as an iron wall. If Meats' body didn't give way to his kick and get thrown backward, he might've ended up breaking something. But as it was, he was mostly fine. However he made a mental note never to deliver a blow directly to this demon's gut unless he absolutely needed to gain some distance. He had to remember that this demon did not share his own weakness. A blow to the gut was not going to stop Meats like it would him. He was lucky to escape with just a sore foot. If Meats had been any heavier than he had been, things might be drastically different now.

Auron did not dwell on these thoughts for long. Instead, he readied his sword, bringing it down to his side. He had just knocked his opponent back, possibly throwing him for a loop. He would need to press the advantage while he still had it. If he could cross the distance quickly enough, maybe he could use his blade to deliver a more powerful, more damaging strike. So, ignoring the dull pain in his foot, he rushed forward, blade still held down at his side. However, by the time he crossed even half the distance he needed to, Meats had managed to pull himself out from the open...instead choosing to hide in the shadows of the night in the foliage around them. This caused him to halt his advance immediately and ready himself. To him, it was as though the demon had simply disappeared into thin air. It was obvious what he was doing...but now that his eyes were not locked onto his target, he was at great risk here....

"Tch...." Auron muttered in disgust. "You would hide like a coward rather than fight me face-to-face?" He slowly and cautiously stepped forward, nearing the spot Meats had disappeared from with every step. He quickly returned his sword to its original position, hilt down and blade raised upward. "Show yourself!" he challenged as he approached the spot, taking a look around to try to spot wherever Meats was hiding amongst the foliage; looked for any sign of movement.

[Vordak]

The ploy worked better than expected, concealing him whole, as if he were never here. Meats merely wanted to throw off his opoonent's aim, but the sprawling branches and sharp contrast between glistening snow and cold shadow had yeilded together a far greater result. He could probably finish this fight this very moment, first pouncing from his cover to cripple Auron's unprotected legs and then finishing him off with a brutal strike to the head. But even if he fancied mischief and witty tricks, that didn't mean he'd like to deviate from the honorous clash of swords. No, he liked a good challenge, tipping the oods in his favor only when it wouldn't break the battle's flow. That was why he revealed himself, pushing aside the heavy branch above with his sword, letting whatever small amounts of sun that pierced through the foilage light up his silvery mask.

Upon being noticed, he would wait for a while, tempting Auron into attacking first. Not a single muscle would move, Meats standing still and quiet, as if mocking the dragonkin for demanding his opponent to show. Not keen on waiting long though, Meats had a plan in case if Auron wouldn't show any initiative. Now, that he were out of hiding, a strike to the legs wouldn't pay no more, the chance of being met by a counter too high. Instead, taking on a bull rush approach, he would try to smack the Dragon claw aside and body slam Auron in the chest.

As for now, he stood, dull sunlight cutting just his broad shoulders and silvery mask out of the bluish shadow.

[Digizel]

Auron waited patiently for a few moments, keeping his eyes open to his surroundings as well as he could. If he scanned the area surrounding him carefully enough, perhaps he could discover parts of the greenery that was out of place...something that would surely signify the location of his verdant-clad foe. Unfortunately, however, that was a risky move; paying too much attention to one spot would leave him blind in another. And with an opponent as skilled with the sword, along with the level of power and amount of muscle to go with it as this demon was, as well as his surprisingly impressive reaction time...leaving himself open from any angle was out of the question. So instead, he would have to wait for his opponent to make a move first. Hopefully, he would be able to react quickly enough to counter whatever move the cowardly Meats would make next.

If there was anything he was expecting, however, it was not for the armored demon to show himself. He caught a flash of motion from his right side, and so he turned on the spot and readied to parry an attack with the Dragon Claw...but what he saw was only the silver mask of his opponent's body, still sitting motionless. It did not take Auron long to figure out what this was about. The thought caused a smirk to cross his lips. So, perhaps this demon was not as cowardly as he had expected to find. This demon could have easily tried to rush him and attempt to perform a sneak attack from the shadows. Instead, he almost seemed to be daring him to strike at him...

This was going to be a lot more fun than he expected.

But even so, all Auron did was turn around and face his opponent. "You're brave for fighting me head-on," he said with a smirk. "But let's see if that won't come back to bite you on the tail." He then brought his sword up and readied it once again, bracing himself for his opponent's next move. He would be better off forcing his opponent to make the next move and sticking to his counterattacks for now. It was better to fight on his own terms...not his opponent's.

That thought alone, unfortunately, was not enough to prepare him for his foe's next attack.

Auron had not expected this demon swordsman to utilize such a reckless tactic...and as a result, the ensuing bull rush move that suddenly came charging toward him caught him by surprise. His eyes widened and he desperately brought his massive blade around, trying to slash it at the incoming foe, driven solely by instinct. Unfortunately for him, however, Meats was prepared for that as the demon smacked the Dragon Claw from the dull side of the blade, sending his arm to the side. This sudden, unexpected motion almost drew the blade out of his arms, and he was only barely able to keep a firm grip on it. However, he did not have long to think on it...he felt Meats' full, armored, muscular body slam up against his chest.

"GURGH...!" he grunted in pain, getting slammed powerfully backward. The crimson dragon was forced backward by the impact, stopping only as his back collided directly with the nearest tree that was directly behind him. His back slammed up against the trunk of the pine tree, but not before crashing through a bush of low-hanging pine needles. But he did not have time to simply stand here and recover. He shook his head and desperately tried to raise his sword, trying to clear his mind and focus on his foe once again. There was no telling how this demon was planning to follow his attack up....

[Vordak]

...Taunting his opponent, Meats got taunted himself. For such a zeal and vigorous warrior, this were like pouring kerosine into flame, a malevolent urge flowing through his body and throbbing in the bones. His shoulders tensed, giving him a beastly hunch, and seconds later, he shot off towards the dragonkin, indeed, very much like a raging bull. Auron got what he asked for, and the reaction was so intense he couldn't stand up to it, thrown back like a ragdoll.

The demon were satisfied, his agressive tactic impeccably supressing the opponent's skill. But for victory, the pressure should only raise, leaving no time to lose. Quickly regaining his balance, he charged at Auron again, hoping that rammed straight into the chest, he wouldn't recover quick. Meats had only been bothered by his damaged shoulder pad, which were slightly torn during the body slam - but the dragonkin could actualy feel pain.

Regardless of his enemy's state though, he would attack the moment he got into range. Choosing the fastest possible strike, he would firmly plant his leading foot into the snow and then transfer all the gained momentum into a fierce shove, his torso jolting at Auron jogether with his arms. But was it Auron that he was trying to shove? No. It were his blade, Iginbo, which he would slam, aiming for the chest, and catch his opponent between its tip and the pine, as if they were a hammer and an anvil. It would suprise Meats if this didn't hit, as it were an incredibly fast and far from evident attack, one also easy to maneouver through a vertical parry or transfer into a stab that would sail over a horizontal block.

This was his chance.

[Digizel]

Auron struggled where he stood. A quick flash in the moonlight told him that Meats was already coming forth with a new attack. But he had no time! His body was still jarred from the impact of the full-body tackle and he needed a moment longer to recover completely. He forced his arm up and around, but he knew that it was pointless to attempt to parry this incoming attack. The demon had the superior leverage and control over his weapon. He would be able to adjust his strike as he needed to in order to counter anything that the dragon could do. It would be virtually impossible to parry with a sword.

However, Auron had one aspect about him that his opponent did not have. One that could be utilized quite effectively. He moved the tail that was currently laying limply behind him and pressed it against the tree with all of the strength it could muster. His lengthy tail was a big part of his body's ability to keep him balanced and it was mostly muscle. By smashing it up against the tree, he caused his body to force itself to move. In specific, he was able to get his lower body to move slightly to the side, throwing his balance off. But instead of fighting to correct himself, he allowed himself to fall, sinking to fall onto his right knee, just narrowly avoiding the sharp blade as it passed him by. Hopefully, this would give him enough chance to recover completely and get away to properly fight back.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck him and caused him to growl in retaliation. He glanced back at the blade of the demon's sword...and saw that it had struck him after all. While it wasn't a serious wound, the sword pinned his wing to the tree, blade easily piercing straight through the unprotected membrane. His wing now had a hole with a size equivalent to that of Meats' impressive blade and the pain he felt from the impact was just as sharp as Iginbo, causing him to flinch in pain. To make matters worse, as long as Iginbo's blade was embedded in the trunk of the pine, he was stuck there unless he wanted to tear his wing even further to escape. He had a very limited range here...and if he ended up losing his own sword as well, he would have a very difficult time coming back from this.

[Vordak]

Meats had indeed forgot that he were fighting no mere human, but a dragonkin, and now, that this had robbed him of a strike when victory was so close, he wouldn't let that happen anymore. Suprisingly, the same could be said about his opponent as well, the demon's sword piercing Auron's wing and pinning him to the tree behind. Iginbo sunk deep into its wood, nothing but a thin membrane between the pine and sword, denying Meats the opportunity to slash again. However, that didn't bother him in the slightest, his next attack already barreling towards the trapped dragonkin's face.

The moment he saw Auron drop towards the ground and out of the stab's way, another course of action had sprung into his mind: throwing only part of the gained momentum to impale his opponent's wing, Meats shifted it downwards and slung his right knee with all his might. The falchion's grip could now support his weight, allowing him more freedom in movement, so he didn't hesitate, and put all the force he could muster behind this uprising slam, targeting the jaw in a reckless hit-or-miss strike. His calm calculativeness were now slowly giving into to the mischievous flame which called to wreck havoc and wicked doom in battle. It left his mind on the verge of a crazed, mind-numbing rage, fed by tossing his foe with the might of a roaring wave, feeling the impact echo through his body. It was POWER aching to be released and that excited him immensly. Starting from this point, the battle would either near its end, Auron's minute weakness bringing him defeat, or rapidly escalate, the dragonkin retaliating and rising to fight the furious Meats.

Meanwhile, he would be in quite the clinch - at such a close distance, the Dragon Claw would be a sword to unwieldy and long to strike or defend with properly, while the punctured wing would cut down his chances of a succesful dodge. Even his ability to control and summon fire would be of no use here - severe burns would do nothing to stop the demon, who were impervious to pain. Meats had gained an advatage, and he would press on with it until the opponent were crushed.

[Digizel]

Auron had already put all of his attention into avoiding the deadly blade of Meats' falchion. He had just barely managed to avoid that blow...and he had no way to prepare for his opponent's next attack. It was already all he could do to avoid that brush with death. The next blow was not something he could have ever expected. He was helpless as he felt the demon's knee get slammed powerfully up against his jaw. He let out a loud growl of pain as the blow connected. He was slammed backward again, with his entire body getting thrown up against the trunk of the pine tree behind him once again. His head had been forced upward, leaving his chest and neck fully exposed for just the briefest of moments. He was also thrown off of his knee and onto his rear end, his tail sticking out beneath his body as he was leaned up against the tree.

Auron was stunned; his head was swimming after the powerful bashing. Thankfully, the attack did not hit his skull. If it had, he would be in an even wore situation than he already was. On top of this, he knew that Meats was far too close-range for his sword to use. It was much too large to swing and cause any worthwhile damage and it was too wide and long to pull off a proper stab. Until his wing was freed from the trunk of the tree, there would be no more use in his sword. Although at the same time, he could not drop the weapon; if he did, his opponent could pick it up and use it against him. That was definitely not something that he wanted to happen. So instead, he needed to work with the sword in hand, despite it being mostly useless to him now.

Regardless, Auron knew that he needed to keep fighting. If he did not, he would be overwhelmed by his opponent's attacks and would eventually be knocked completely unconscious. And so, he quickly tried to climb back to his feet and switched his tactics. As long as he was pinned to this tree, he would have to resort to his close combat skills, rather than his swordsmanship. As soon as he was back on his feet, he brought his left arm, the one that was not clutching his sword, and swung it with surprising ferocity for one whose body had been partially pierced. He launched the attack, aiming the physical punch directly at the side of Meats' face, hoping the force of the blow would force his opponent back. If he could get him to back off, he might be able to grab the sword that was pinning his wing and pull it out himself, thus not only freeing him but disarming his opponent as well...and he would then be able to turn this entire thing around.

[Vordak]

With a loud thud, his knee rammed the helpless dragonkin's head into the tree, and then immediately sprung backwrds, Meats regaining stable footing once again. His foe growled in pain; he, if able, would growl in glee. Not suffering, but dominance and power were what he enjoyed, victory in a wild clash of feral might was his goal. To succumb and retaliate; despair and rejoice; maim and be maimed, all for a champion's glory. He were now driven by the fiery desire of demon kin, his attacks becoming increasingly swift and savage. This called for a change in arms, and as soon as he were standing firmly on his two feet, Meat's released Iginbo, swapping it for his dagger, while Auron heaved himself upright, preparing to strike.

Slighty crounching, hunched, and meancingly brandishing the slick, glossy dagger in his right hand, Meats were free to dodge, and when his opponent lunged, trying to drive him away, the demon simply ducked underneath, pressing even closer to the ground. "Quite a stubborn lad, eh?," - thought Meats, amused by Auron's resilance, and just as the swing zipped by, sprung towards him, attempting to close distance and wrap his arm behind the dragonkin's neck: this were part of a vicous knife technique, aimed to immobilize the target and leave it open to a series of gutting stabs. If Auron were catious, he could try to push his assilant away; if not, he would be pressed into the pine once more, this time, unable to use even his arms, Meats bringing himself too close to squeeze another punch in. Then, he would be repeatedly stabbed in the stomach and between the ribs, a total of four times before the demon would release him.

[Digizel]

Once his fist had landed against nothing but air, Auron knew that he was in trouble. His opponent was now even closer to him than before, meaning that most of his previous options were now lost to him, at least temporarily. If he didn't act immediately, he was going to really be in for some serious pain. He had watched as his foe released his grip on the sword that was embedded firmly in the tree and reach for a new weapon. He couldn't help but smirk slightly. He had released his grip on the weapon pinning him to the tree. If he could just get out of this, he could get back into the fight with ease. He observed his opponent's motions and caught on to what was about to happen. In a desperate attempt to prevent his own immobilization, he reached his opposite arm upward, this one still wielding the Dragon's Claw, and brought up upward toward the inside of the demon's elbow. He slammed his arm into the crook of Meats' own and just like that was able to stop him from wrapping his arm around him.

However, he was not done yet. A dagger was likely to come his way immediately afterward. In a desperate attempt to avoid such further injury, he attempted to shove his entire body forward, bellowing a guttural roar as he lunged with all of his might. He winced in pain as his wing was sliced even further by the blade of Iginbo with his sudden movement, but it was of no consequence. It was nothing compared to the stabs he would receive if he did nothing. He brought his entire body forward, dragging his wing along the blade as far as its hilt extended, and attempted to ram his entire body into the demon's. He put all of his strength into this one blow. He needed to get this demon away from him. If he could just shove him backward with all of his might, he could get just enough time to remove the blade from the tree, free his wing without tearing it to shreds, and get back in the fight all at once. Because this was his goal, rather than actual damage, he aimed primarily for the demon's lower body...right at his waist as though he were going for a full-on tackle. If he could just knock his opponent back, or even better to the ground...!

[Vordak]

Too early had Meats rushed in, hoping to deal the finishing blow, and his advance was stopped dead in its tracks, Auron interrupting the grapple. Without the control he intended to gain over his opponent, attacking with such a short weapon would be foolish, no hit guaranteed to land.

However, a demon's fury still remains a force to be reckoned with.

Meats whipped his arm over Auron's and grabbed onto it just beneath the shoulder, his fingertips wedging between the triceps and biceps from the inside; similtaneously, he also loosened his grip on the dagger, and then clasped his hand around the dragonkin's wirst, sandwiching the dagger's grip. Now, his left forearm was pressed into his opponent's elbow, and with the right, he could control amount of pressure put onto the joint; morever, he could halt any attempts to retaliate, Auron unable to bend his arm, and thus, move any closer that Meats would allow him. Upon sucessfuly comlpleting this lock, Meats would execute another, hopping backwards and yanking Auron's shoulder towards himself: this would make its joint vulnerable, and by twisting the whole arm clockwise, he would be able to eventualy dislocate it - that is, if his opponent wouldn't move along. Swiftly, and with uncanny skill, Meats would then perform a throw, using both pressure points to force Auron to the ground, the shoulder joint twisted downwards and elbow pushed forth.

Only during the initiation of the first lock would he be vulnerable, and unless the dragonkin managed to wrech his arm out then, chances were that it would all go smoothly, even the tackle not able to interrupt the demon.

[Digizel]

Auron's eyes widened as he felt Meats' arm get grabbed by the very same arm he had just managed to block. He winced in pain as he felt his opponent grip at one of his arm's pressure points...he had not expected a retaliation like that to come out of nowhere. He struggled in an attempt to force his arm forward and bend it...but he was unsuccessful. He was helplessly caught in the demon's skillful lock. There was nothing he could do from this point. He watched as Meats jumped backward, bringing his arm with him. Unfortunately for him, just as the demon had planned, his arm was now quite vulnerable...and he was helpless as Meats began to rotate his arm, finally successfully dislocating his entire shoulder. His eyes went even wider at the sudden pain that shot through his arm. He may as well have been stabbed by that dagger of his right in his shoulder...it would probably feel much the same. He could not hold back, no matter how much he wanted to. He did not want the demon to have the satisfaction of hearing it...but he could not help himself. His jaw opened all on its own and he let out a loud, clearly pained roar. And even then, his opponent was not finished. Just a few moments later and he was thrown hard onto the ground, with the dislocated shoulder only furthering the pain he felt from the impact.

Auron had succumbed to his opponent's lock and maneuver quite quickly and easily. If it weren't for the shoulder injury, he probably would be swearing at himself for being so weak. And now, here he was...partially at his opponent's mercy. and with the pain he was feeling in his shoulder, he would need to have time to relocate it back into its proper place...but in his current position, he wasn't likely to get the five seconds he would need unless he could somehow muster up enough strength to pull free or kick his opponent back. But for now, he was stuck on the ground at this demon's feet. This was bad enough...he just hoped that the demon was not the type to stomp down on him and make things humiliatingly worse....