[IC] NoW: LeeRoy vs. Melonhead Rnd 2.

[LeeRoy]

From the comfort of his private chambers he was mystically deposited into a gorgeous purple landscape, a vast stretching locale where the sands and surf brushed across his shoes. The beautiful scenery was greatly offset by the unsettling color, this was definitely not a main sequence star. Or worse, the atmosphere was filled with toxic gases like Neptune. Not problematic for someone who doesn't exactly need to breathe, but toxic atmospheres would kill his opponent before he got the chance to. Which wouldn't be fair at all. With a testing inhale, Shin checked to see if the air tasted strange, to his surprise it was just normal air. A relief, to be sure, if the terrain killed his opponent than there would be no fun to be had.

Another offsetting feature was how heavy he suddenly felt, it was as though his clothes were training weights, his weapon tugged sharply on his belt loop. An uneducated man would think that he's being pulled on by some magical force, and they wouldn't be too far off. Gravity here was stronger than earth, judging how much stronger would be a chore left for a scientist not an assasin. The shift in his weight was unsettling, had they seen his previous victory as too swift and sent him to a place where he would be forced to move slower?

Maybe it was just happenstance, and his accusations of unfairness were just conjecture, but there was a definite problem in this much heavier atmosphere.

As he stood there, scanning the horizon for his opponent he grew increasingly uncomfortable in his significantly heavier clothes. Shin groaned and began to unbutton his vest and undershirt, they were tugging on him too much and they would only serve as a distraction. After a few moments of working he removed most of his outfit. Starting with the vest and long-sleeve undershirt, then his belt, then socks and shoes. Leaving his pants on because they didn't hinder his legs as much as the rest. He left his mask on, despite it being the heaviest piece.

Once he had disrobed and folded his clothes in a neat pile on a nearby boulder, Shin turned back around and stretched a bit. Still scanning the area for his new foe. "Where is my competition, eh skeleton man?" Shin muttered under his breath, assuming that they could hear everything he spoke. The assassin didn't want a repeat of last time, where he just stood around for a few minutes.

[MelonHead]

“Oof.” Metz shoulders sagged and his knees shook as the intense gravitational force of his new surroundings almost floored him. His eyes widened in alarm, unintentionally taking in the terrain and finding it odd beyond belief, yet somehow eerily familiar. His body was still in a strange state of limbo, tired, yet somehow finding itself perfectly restored, and the oddness of that feeling gave him the required strength to hold himself up as he stood there, his pale angular face drawn back and worried. The vest and under layer over and under his green jumper were weighing him down, but he was unwilling to remove either item, relying instead on his athleticism and naturally strong bones to sustain his weight until he had to do anything particularly strenuous. He seemed at first glance to be alone as he stood there, once again fully equipped with pistol, knife and vials, his feet sinking into the sand of the lake’s edge. Spreading out before him almost as far as his eye could see was a strange coloured mass of water, and with that thought he slowly grew aware of what was causing his unease, everything around him was of an unnatural hue.

“This place…” He muttered “Is beautiful.”

He was breathing, if with a little more difficulty than usual, so wherever he was the necessities were the same. Still, gravity was stronger in the place he had found himself, and that could be evidence of further oddities that could inconvenience him and his fragile biology. For a moment he considered drinking mana, hanging the consequences, and clearing the air around him to ensure his safety. However, the forces of fairplay he had seen at work thus far suggested to him that while he may be disadvantaged, it would be unlikely that his surroundings would outright end his life, which was not part of what seemed to be Skallagrim’s plan. What Metz had not been able to take advantage of however, was the opportunity to see his enemy’s skills and abilities, as he had been taken up with repairing the damage done to his arm. It was a disadvantage he was unaware of.

Though Metz was not yet in the water, he was essentially on the edge, and the fumes were entering his lungs with each breath. He looked around, and with no evidence of any opponent as of yet, he began to walk with the lake on his right hand side, essentially circling the water-mass clockwise. It was only a matter of time, or so he assumed. More violence, but the ends justified the means, oh yes indeed.

[LeeRoy]

Turning his head back and forth across the water's edge seemed to work out perfectly, there was a figure a few hundred feet away from him. There was water between them, and diving in was not going to happen any time soon. Swimming here might be suicide, as your paddles might not overcome the force of gravity pulling you to the bottom. Water pressure would also prove to be another huge problem, you'd die of being crushed before you drowned. Not a pleasant end, and maybe exactly how he'd kill his foe. With a sluggish first step, Shin began walking along the edge of the water as well. Withdrawing his weapon from his belt loop and letting his arm hang with it, testing the weight by swinging it back and forth.

Not too much deviation from the norm, he was adjusting fairly quickly to the difference in weight. It wasn't the first time that he'd been weighed down, he commonly trains with weights on his body. Nothing about this situation was too difficult to handle, aside from the wide sweeping motion he was forced to walk in. If he didn't spread his weight out evenly he would sink into the sand, an unfortunate side effect of being this heavy.

Not knowing the effects of the water, but knowing that wet sand holds less weight, Shin walked a solid five feed away from the water's edge at all times as he made his way towards the mage. He was definitely not the dogman, that was for sure. No tail or elongated face, so he was human. No wings or black cloak either, so this was the mage from the battle that ended so abruptly. He had only caught a glimpse of his ability, a single spell. Lighting. Which was bad news if he was incredibly competent in lightning magic. Lightning moves faster than he does, it also moves faster than he can see. There was no way he could counter it, except pressing the assault as hard as he possibly could before the lighting could hit him.

I can deal with lightning mages though, unless they can project it from their whole bodies. Learn how they cast it the first time, and then predict when they're going to cast it again. Watch for hand movements, eye motions, and other bodily tells. Magic is powerful, I've seen it first hand. But predictable, to say the least. Already planning his victory, Shin was closing fast on Metz. They would be face to mask very shortly, and the battle would begin again. As the distance grew ever shorter, the assassin gained a visible bounce to his step. An excited little pop with every step.

Bloodlust boiled inside of him, with one kill under his belt today he was looking to have a second. What a day, what a lovely day.

[MelonHead]

Metz’ was not forced to walk for long before he was face to face with his new foe, some distance up ahead of him following the bank of the lake. They were destined to meet, and to fight, the sand beneath them waiting patiently, hungering for their blood. Metz hadn’t been able to spot him across the expanse of the lake, with only ordinary eye-sight and the strange hues more than capable of disguising his enemy, though now without that distorting influence Metz could investigate his foe. He seemed to have removed his clothing, perhaps a wise course considering the added weight of any equipment in this place, though Metz’ clothes were functional so he had greater cause to retain them. However he had retained his mask, an interesting affection, or perhaps more, Metz was not one to discount something as what it seemed on the surface. What couldn’t escape his attention however was the vicious looking weapon at his side, something to be avoided in close contact if he could help it.

How much distance separated them was of obvious interest to Metz, he estimated it at one hundred feet as each step caused him to slip and sink uncomfortably far into the sand. He knew that gravity was still fighting him, as he had chosen to walk on the wet sand as it resisted his footsteps more significantly, yet he still found himself sinking into the ground. Still, it was a minor inconvenience, and as he continued to breathe those fumes he was experiencing a degree of their effects. His steps became somehow lighter, and he began to perceive his surroundings in an increasingly unusual fashion. He continued regardless, he was willing to ignore the experiences, judging them something more likely to be a part of the Arena rather than something affecting him personally.

“Alright, come a little closer my masked friend and I’ll give you something to think about.” He muttered, counting the steps separating them, at fifty feet he’d quickly down a vial of pure mana.

[LeeRoy]

With a huge gap between them he eyed the man up and down, trotting rather quickly towards him. That hundred feet quickly snapped to seventy-five and then fifty, it seemed that Shin was moving just fine in the increased gravity. Even without breathing in the fumes of the water he was well trained enough to know how to adapt to extra weight, his ability to move was only marginally reduced. Especially without the excess weight of his clothing. Once he reached the halfway point, he noted a vial in the man's hand. As the assassin continued his run he watched him down this vial.

He watched him down the vial and hammer a nail in his coffin.

There isn't much that Shin knows about magic and potions, as he has always avoided witchcraft. It's an art created by the weak to stand up to the strong, and it was cowardly as well. What he did know of was drugs and steroids. If this man was drinking this vial in the middle of a tournament, it was likely a performance enhancer. Another cowardly tool, just like magic.

Perfect.

What does it enhance? Does it make him stronger? Faster? Maybe it makes his spells stronger? Maybe he needs it to cast spells? Analyzing every little possibility, Shin began to swing himself back and forth into a serpentine. Sharp sidesteps and unpredictable placements of his feet, keeping himself from running in a straight line as well as keeping himself moving.

Though he was darting around rapidly, still closing the distance, Shin's singular eye was still locked on Metz. From his foe's head to his foe's toes, the assassin's eye ran him up and down like a scanner. Every single detail about his visage was taken in one by one.

Very thin, facial hair, oddly colored eyes, scarred though not particularly grizzly. Pale and gaunt are weak traits, poor genetics at work. His armor is addled with holes and looked dingy, poor quality. Likely made by hand. Normal pants and boots, though maybe hiding underarmor. A knife on his chest, a gun at his waist, and a backpack.

But lo and behold, there it was. Shin's inner monologue was halted sharply when he saw more of those vials on his belt. Four total. Limitations abound in this tournament.

Behind the iron case of his mask, a malicious smile ran from ear to ear. "You have a short supply, don't you?!" The assassin teased, there were so many weaknesses on his foe that were visible even from a distance. There was such an uproar of laughter inside of his own head, maybe this man didn't even know how to fight. This would be so much fun!

[MelonHead]

Metz helped himself to a drink, and then he got to work.

With mana flushing his system he charged forward, quickly surpassing human limits as he rushed his foe, his hand weaving as he closed the distance between the two of them with little difficulty, cutting his opponent’s observations short, unless he was willing to waste precious time looking at Metz equipment as the Mage charged towards him seemingly at the max speed he himself was capable of.

Due to both of them choosing to run at the other, the gap could be closed in a pittance of time. Shin was likely a dangerous hand to hand fighter, but was he so capable that he could avoid the strikes of a man his equal in speed and strength? As Metz ran towards him he drew his pistol with his right and and with his left he weaved a bolt, preparing two powerful ranged attacks, ready for him to release when he was confident they could not be avoided.

[LeeRoy]

Weaving handsigns and drawing a gun, long ranged combatant who's risking closing the gap so that he won't miss. Clever but reckless, considering the threat that Shin poses in close quarters. Rocking his right hand slightly he swung the chain into his left hand and dipped his torso forward, reducing some of the drag on himself. Keeping himself lower to the ground and continuing in a serpentine would ruin the potential accuracy of Metz' abilities, unless he too had the ability to read movements and judge their destination before they reached it. To compensate for this potential issue, the serpentine's jagged and unpredictable movements would suffice.

Now, what kind of spell is it? No visible hints or cues, so weaving might not actually have an effect. The only thing that he had seen before this bout was a lighting spell. Not too much to go on, and it was an ominous thought. If his lightning magic is too powerful, I won't be able to beat him up close or from afar. Powers like those are dangerous because they really can't be avoided.

Deciding to play it safe for the first quarter of this fight, Shin continued to move in the direction of Metz. Instead of heading straight towards him, like an idiot, Shin began to drift towards Metz' right hand side. Keeping the sporadic movements up with every step, and making sure to keep a close eye on the slight movements of his foe.

There were only a dozen or so feet between them, so Metz was certain to notice Shin's eye never once leaving his body. Training on his face now and jerking from his eyes down to his hands, the movements of the eye are unnatural and swift. Like a bird of prey combined with a machine of war. Setting up his offensive was more important than immediately going on the offensive.

[MelonHead]

Metz was not gifted with the immense ocular gifts of his opponent, but what he did have was a naturally uncanny gift of perception that some ordinary Torm (or humans even) sometimes have. It’s this trait that sometimes creates immense marksmen, but in Metz’ case it made him an exceptionally dangerous mage to contend, as he could launch projectiles and be confident his target would not be escaping him. That was not to say that he could necessarily negate his opponent’s erratic yet skilful weaving and hit him regardless, but it did give him a certain advantage that his foe may not be aware he had. However, when considering the affect mana had on the Mage when imbibed, namely increasing his physical capabilities to beyond thrice what he was usually capable of by his estimation, it made the man’s movements ultimately in vain. Metz could keep up with him, and he could hit him, accurately even, at the speed he could maintain. Hell, he’d just been fighting an opponent far faster than this to his own perception only a few moments prior, so this was a noticeable downgrade to his mind. Still, he gave the man credit as he charged to meet him, tracing his diagnol trajectory as he weaved a bolt. Metz would not have liked to face him in a fair fight.

Due to their speed, Metz was not confident his spell would be ready and unleash its desired effect in time, and so he mimicked his opponent’s movements and darted rightward somewhat, setting them further apart as they closed on each other. He was dangerously close to being slowed down by the edge of the water, but avoided it narrowly, noting that his foe had taken the better ground, but had also risked slowing himself by running through loose sand. It was an interesting comparison, or so he thought, as he raised the pistol in his right hand and levelled it, using it to test his foe and slow him. He fired on the move, aiming for his opponent’s mid-section and compensating for his low stature, aiming for roughly central, judging how effectively he could avoid the 9mm round or if he would need to avoid it at all. They were under ten feet from each other when he fired his shot, though the distance was actually increasing somewhat as they parted rather than heading straight for eachother.

Creepy bastard, Metz thought to himself, catching the singular eye of his masked foe glaring at him unnaturally.

[LeeRoy]

Mirroring my movements, eh? Well, you're standing by water and I'm on land. Wet sand moves more than dry sand, you can't keep up.

Malicious thoughts ran through his head, but while he was running he didn't have the time to actually speak. With his eye tracing every movement that Metz made, it's only logical that he watched Metz raise his arm to fire off a shot. It was leading on him, impressive. This man was a phenomenal marksman to say the least, but it wasn't enough. As the arm was raised and ready to drop death upon him, Shin's right leg ceased its movement by burying his toes in the sand. By pulling back on his core muscles and throwing his weight backwards, Shin stopped dead in his tracks and reversed his momentum. This movement tossed Shin backwards a few feet and out of harm's way, just before the shot would have ripped through his abdomen.

After reversing himself he had pulled his toes from the sand so the backwards momentum could allow him to jump backwards. A problem emerged rather quickly in his mind, as he hadn't thought about the gravity of the situation. It would normally have been an effortless movement, and totally fluid, allowing him to follow up with an immediate closing of the gap between the two. However, the delay from the increased weight had thrown him off too much to follow through.

Compensating for the delay, Shin brought his right arm backwards with all of the momentum from his backwards leap and threw his left arm forwards. Twisting himself in place and releasing the weight from his Kusarigama. Letting it fly from his hand in a wide outwards arc. It would serve as a zoning tool, to keep Metz from immediately coming into melee proximity with him. By forcing him to evade the chain, otherwise it would wrap itself around his body in whatever location that it struck. This was a useful double ended spear attack that was commonly employed with this particular weapon. It gave both a defensive and offensive utility to the chain. With the weight loose and Shin out of harm's way for now, he excitedly awaited his opponent's response.

[MelonHead]

And there it was, the expected dodge that could very well cost him.

Metz had no sooner shot with his pistol than with a nonchalant flick thrown it over his right shoulder, causing it to arc gracefully in the air. Then, as his foe reduced his momentum, surprisingly to Metz quite significantly, he completed his spell and drew both his hands together palm forward. With a sharp grin the Mage launched his prepared bolt, looking the incoming chain straight in the face as a three forked burst of lightning shot powerfully from his prepared hands straight at his foe’s centre as he jumped, leaving him unable to utilize his speed and dodge either way as his feet had unfortunately left the ground. The area of effect was not unduly wide, with the forks covering perhaps five feet across, but it was more than enough.

Fortunately for Metz, at least arguably so, the effect of the two handed bolt was to blast him backwards as well, taking him out of harm’s way as he allowed his limbs to trail and flew backwards. However, the end result of his action was to hurtle him straight into the lake behind him, a good ten feet from the shore. It was to his advantage though, as he had felt when facing the wolf, he thought it unlikely his rough looking foe could dodge the lightning bolt, which would gain him at least a few moments as his foe shook off the effects, if he could at all. It wasn’t as effective as being hit by an actual lightning bolt, but even when impacting Shin’s scarred body it could likely cause a gruesome flesh wound and terrible burns, as well as likely launching him back at least as far as Metz himself had flown.

Metz however was dealing with his current predicament as he arced less than gracefully down into the water. Almost the moment he had unleashed his bolt he prepared another spell, quickly working out round about where he would land as he prepared a circle, he splashed into the lake and promptly disappeared from sight, still weaving.

[LeeRoy]

That bolt struck his chest like the kick of a mule, and through some grace of god his feet hadn't quite touched the ground as it slammed into him. Turning him into a living projectile was much preferable to being grounded while struck by lightning.

With the force packed into the spell, it sent him careening off and to the left of his leap a good half dozen yards. Screaming in a combination of embarrassment, anger, and pain all in unison. Which is not a good way to feel, I'll tell you that much.

Like being tased with a handheld taser while also holding onto an electric fence, it caused his body to seize up and forced him to scream. Every muscle from his head to his toes contracted inwards and curled him up like a dead spider. The sound of leather being squeezed might have been heard, were it not for the other sounds of lightning and pain. It shot through him in less than a second and dissipated out of his body just as quickly as it had struck, leaving him in piercing agony but with nothing more than second degree superficial burns running across his midriff. Which was none to pleasant to say the least.

Within a few seconds of being struck by lightning, Shin slapped to the ground and got a mask full of sand. (Not literally, he just landed facedown in the sand.) If he weren't in a life or death situation he would have just laid there in his shame and wallowed in the sand for a little while. That is, however, not the case.

Shakily he forced his body to unclench and stretch again, pressing his knees and palms to the sand and shoving himself back to his feet. Nearly toppling backwards after righting himself. With both of his arms just hanging limply at his side he looked indignantly towards the water. Hollering his frustrations to the disrupted and shaky water. "I'd say you're just as much an asshole as LeeRoy, if you try that again."

[MelonHead]

As it happened, Metz burst out from the surface of the water on one knee, rising a good two feet into the open air riding a four foot wide pillar of earth. He arrived in time to catch his now standing opponent berating him, obviously injured but not badly so, and the Mage’s answering grin was purely vicious. It was in part a subterfuge however, Metz was burning through his Mana and he hadn’t managed to deal the wounds he had been expecting, it was a worrying state of affairs. His saturated clothes were heavy across his body, weighing him down even more to the point where he could no longer be confident of outrunning his foe. He sighed, breathing in deeply, growing lightheaded as if he had inhaled tobacco fumes rather than ordinary air. The area around him took on an oddly vibrant hue as he shook himself, remaining low and concealing his actions as he began to weave with his left hand. His foe had chosen to remain stationary for as long as he’d been watching him, if he remained thus for but a second longer a red circle would form around him, possibly signalling it was already too late.

“Strange, you didn’t seem like an amateur at first. Did you bribe your way to this stage of the tournament?” Metz called to him across the water, the language barrier overcome by the Dreamer’s strange realm as they wished for combatants to be able to converse, perhaps to heighten their amusement. His insult was petty, but there was an inkling that his foe had a heightened sense of self –worth, perhaps enough that he would pause to answer the Mage’s jibe, perhaps not.

[LeeRoy]

Drawing his left arm up once again he grasped the chain and lowered the blade in his right,letting it move behind his body as he took a few leaping steps forwards. With an insult like that, Shin couldn't let him go unpunished. Not a chance in hell would someone call him an amateur and get away with it. "Lightning is faster than people can move, you rat bastard!"

With the two quicker steps giving him a momentum boost, Shin dipped himself lower to the ground and let the weight of the Kusarigama's blade touch the ground. Leaving behind a small indent in the sand as he moved towards the pillar of earth. Now there were two sorts of magic that he had demonstrated, earth and lightning. An odd combination that wouldn't make sense on its own, so Shin figured he must be able to manipulate all of the elements, which meant there might be a real big problem if he was the sort with divine magic.

Divine magic is a terrifying thing to witness, something that Shin was not willing to witness twice in an eternal lifetime. So keeping him from casting magic was the only real answer.

Not even noticing that his quick leaps had put him out of harm's way, Shin began to close the distance between them as fast as he could. Throwing himself into a serpentine once again, allowing his blade to drag a little bit more through the sand. By twisting his wrist ever so slightly, he started to catch sand on the side of the blade as he moved.

Trailing his singular eye on where he had last seen Metz, he gambled on his foe being unable to outrun his attack while soaked.

Just before reaching the water's edge, Shin slid his right foot forwards and halted his movement. Allowing his right arm to sling forward, adding in a bit of his own muscle fueled momentum to the mix, he released the bladed end of the Kusarigama from his hand. With the sand covering the blade, it released a wave of particles that would quickly settle once thrown. However, they would serve as a visual distraction from the weapon itself.

While it wasn't a deadly attack, it was a painful one. The bladed edge points away from the end that was thrown at Metz, but it was still a metal blade that would hurt like hell if it struck a fleshy bit.

It was meant to keep Metz in the water, prevent him from getting on ground and having any sort of mobility. Which would force his opponent to exhaust himself before he could offer up a real fight.

[MelonHead]

Metz sighed as his opponent carried out his frontal charge, abandoning his weaving and allowing the mana to return to his body as he quickly calculated a plan of action. His weapon, so far as he had seen, was evidently capable of some form of limited range that could allow him to pose a danger even from land. Metz movements were limited on his rocky perch, so he had to think of a way to protect himself while remaining offensively capable, or he could be worn down in short order. His opponent had given him just the opening he needed, with such an obvious offensive being his only realistic option. Time was on Metz’ side, time to prepare himself, to bunch his muscles, the weapon left his foe’s hand and hurtled towards him, but it was not a weapon designed for throwing. It carried too much weight, especially here, and its aerodynamics left much to be desired, especially as it had somehow gathered half the beach on its journey.

Metz leapt, his right hand drawing the knife from across his chest, arcing it up and into the path of the offending weapon as he moved his body away from it, deflecting the blade before it could cause him undue harm it shot past his right arm, cutting a neat groove along his forearm that immediately began to bleed. Metz gritted his teeth, it was of no moment, a paltry injury. His momentum carried him forward and his left hand seized the chain, allowing him some control of his foe’s weapon as he allowed his weight to carry him off the rocky perch, kicking off to force himself forward in a rough approximation of a leap. He flew towards his foe, yanking the chain towards him to throw his foe off balance, hurtling towards him with a knife at the ready, reverse grip and high, while his left arm trailed under his right clutching the chain. Ten feet was not a significant distance, especially to Metz with mana burning through his veins. Surprise was his weapon here, though he could not quite outmatch his foe physically, he would certainly surprise him with his sudden seizure of his weapon and the unexpected physical assault. Metz erratic style was certainly to his favour, especially as the man had likely come to expect the opposite from the Mage after watching his previous fight.

Metz would probably land on top of the man, his weight crushing as his knife plunged down behind his left shoulder blade and into his tough flesh, though the likelihood that the man would be unbalanced even by Metz surprise manoeuvre was questionable, so the reality of the situation was bound to be far more desperate.

[LeeRoy]

With such an extended offensive being his only option, time was on his side as well. Time enough to watch Metz's every movement. And while Metz would have the element of surprise by seizing the chain, he wouldn't have the ability to act upon it. The man grabbed the chain of his weapon, and pulled it towards him. An excellent strategy, and commendable thinking. This man was an excellent fighter, using spontaneity to keep the tide of battle in his favor.

However.

With no emotional ties to the weapon in his hands, nor any fear that the weapon won't return to him after the battle is done. Shin released the chain in his hand as Metz yanked on it. With his footing already squared from halting his momentum, and his right hand already extended, Shin had the exact stance needed to deliver a crushing blow on Metz with no hope of his foe escaping.

By accelerating himself forwards from the pillar in a high gravity area, he had thrown a massive amount of weight forwards. With that weight, Metz had also gathered an even greater amount of momentum. Even if he somehow took flight from his leap, overcoming the momentum would be a task that would be so impressive that it would actually leave Shin speechless.

With his altered plan in motion, Shin lowered his right and and drew his left arm backwards sharply. Lashing his left arm out with his fist balled up tightly, timing it just so it would strike Metz in the center of his chest as the two collided. It might dislocate Shin's shoulder, but it would certainly break Metz' sternum.

Shin could pop his shoulder back into place, Metz can't un-break a sternum.

[MelonHead]

Shin evidently had a lot of confidence as he abandoned his weapon to the water, allowing Metz to straighten up as he jumped. His left arm no longer low he could turn his right shoulder in the air to prepare the knife lunge. He had certainly gained a lot of momentum, and a lot of weight, but Shin perhaps had overestimated his own strength if he thought those two factors were in his favour. Metz slammed into his fist, unable to move away from the blow, but Shin had effectively sacrificed himself to the incoming knife lunge, with Metz knife almost sure to plunge down into his neck or back on his left side. The air still left Metz lungs as his knife proof vest and underpadding, not to mention his sopping wet woollen jumper, effectively absorbed the punch and reduced it from what could have otherwise been broken bones, despite the Torm maintaining particularly dense and durability bones. However, Shin had to deal with the added weight and durability of effectively punching body armour moving towards him at high speed, something which could easily break his own bones if he was unlucky.

They would probably collide and tangle with each other, but Metz was incredibly likely to get his knife in his foe, perhaps even twice before they hit the ground. How much damage his Shint could do as he applied its curved edge to an angled down stab that on an ordinary man would pierce a lung was highly questionable. Speed was Metz main advantage, as with a near reckless abandon he could pierce his foe multiple times, coughing as his breath returned to him, the struggle and the adrenaline and mana rushing through him blocking out all else but the need to do his foe harm and for himself to survive.

[LeeRoy]

Three very unpleasant sounds and feelings rolled through Shin in a short second, all three caused by something that he had gambled on Metz not having. underarmor. I predicted this, I had the thought of: 'Maybe he has it.' But I still did this. Gambling has never been my strong suit.

The first sound was the sound of his shoulder popping out of place. Shin's arm, shortly after the initial impact would fall limply to his side.

The second was the sound of a knife entering his shoulder. Blood leaked from the wound and a hot wash of pain rushed up his shoulder and neck.

The final was the sound of metal scraping against his bone. As there are no nerves inside of your bones, this wasn't as painful as it could have been, it was however disgusting and turned his stomach.

If he had both eyes, they would have crossed from the pain. Shin clenched his jaw tigher than he had clenched in a very long time, squinting harshly as he let his left leg get pushed backwards by Metz' tackle. By letting his left leg move backwards and holding his right leg in place, he spun and forced Metz to carry himself forwards. Neglecting to grapple him was a mistake, as his own momentum would carry him forwards all the way to the ground. Unless he had stellar grip and the expectation to fall over, the knife would remain embedded in Shin's shoulder as it would slip from his foe's hand.

Alternately, if Metz could hold onto the knife the outward curve would force it to drag itself from the wound and over his shoulder. Cutting deeply into the flesh as it crossed, letting out a torrent of blood that would stain his entire upper arm and left pectoral. This would be rather impressive, as the wind is surely knocked from Metz and that can be very disorienting for someone without the constitution of a living breathing engine of war.

Either way, Metz would fall and would be open to a follow up. Shin was at an allowance of time as Metz would need time to right himself before moving. Not quite as useful as it would be normally, as the pain of having a knife embedded in your body was horribly inconvenient for keeping your thoughts straight.

If he weren't inconvenienced with a deafening pain, he would have done something a bit flashier and effective. Instead, he was forced to be more direct. Using his spin assisted by Metz' weight, Shin brought his right arm around in a wide overhand haymaker to the approximate location of where Metz' head would be as he fell. Aiming to plant his foe's face into the ground with a swift blow, perhaps stunning him with the blow.

[MelonHead]

Metz knew how to land, with his knife finding purchase a little less effectively than he had hoped his momentum and weight carried him to the ground immediately in front of Shin. Due to him being unable to effectively dodge the knife thrust, there was no particular reason why Metz would go flying past him at that point as his leap was completed. His forward momentum might have carried him a bit further and seen to it that he fell, if not for the wet sand at his feet which effectively caught him and absorbed that unwanted momentum, as the Mage had calculated in his leap. The Mage was up close and personal with his grotesque foe now, the iron mask a hazard in itself as Metz would have probably driven it into his face immediately if the shoe had been on the other foot. The man pulled back after the knife was driven into him and it came free from the wound with a bloody spurt, Metz own strength fortunately keeping him armed.

Metz rose from his slightly crouching position as the knife came free, having bent his knees to reduce the impact, in time to see a haymaker driving towards him. He grunted at the pain inflicted upon him and quickly lifted his left hand to his head and turned away from the strike. The blow bounced off his raised arm, rattling him regardless, and in response he lashed up at the outstretched arm with his knife, aiming to inflict a disabling cut to the muscle. Then, closing the distance with a forward left step he ducked under the arm and with his knife on the left side of his body jabbed twice at the right of his foe’s upper torso in quick succession, aiming to pierce his vital organs. Luckily for Metz he had only unleashed two spells before this point, because otherwise he’d be out of mana, but he was none-the-less running low. Only the mana was keeping him so solidly in the fight, that and a lifetime of pain and survival.

[LeeRoy]

Not one to put himself in harm's way so easily, Shin quickly threw his weight away from Metz' knife hand. Throwing his right arm back and away to avoid the slash. Moving the entirety of his body out of the way from his foe's assault, keeping him close quarters with only one functional hand was stupid. Knowing that he's a spellcaster meant that he was forced to constantly be on the move anyway. Nothing new, aside from the dangling arm at his side.

Backpedaling at an angle from Metz was a safe bet, there was no offense that he could put up against him if he was unable to use both arms against an armed foe. Plain and simple, this was a bad situation. Even if he tried to go on the offensive, he would be forced to rely on kicks and headbutts, and those would be dangerous if he couldn't do anything about his knife hand.

While he was backpedaling, Shin reached over to his left arm with his right and began pushing upwards and towards his center. It would take a little bit longer while he was on the move, but it wouldn't be difficult.

It was the only thing he could do at a time like this, aside from plan his next move.

[MelonHead]

Metz vision blurred again as he straightened and flipped the knife around in his hand, moving his Shint into a forward grip. If Shin was going to try and keep distance between the two of them then the added range would outweigh the advantages the reverse grip held in power. The edge of his knife curved downwards, making it a useful cutting and thrusting weapon in a pinch, though it was strange that the fight had descended to such a barbaric level. While Shin could probably outrun Metz somewhat due to his lack of encumbering clothes he was still retreating backwards slightly uphill into dry and loose sand. Such a task was difficult at the best of times, where-as Metz could see exactly where he was stepping and was still standing upon wet solid sand. He caught his breath as he pursued his foe, trying to shake off the punches as he attributed them to the oddities effecting his vision.

However, what Metz could not have known was that the water saturating his body was imbuing him for a short while with a strange ability. He had been momentarily gifted with the sight of the Dreamers, and as such he could perceive the effect gravity was having on himself and his opponent. Somehow, this strange perception allowed him to surpass the limitations ever so slightly, unconsciously granting him a small reduction in weight that allowed him to keep up with Shin. He used this now in a surprising burst of speed that saw him run at Shin and duck slightly at the last moment, his left arm rising to head height as his right lashed out with a duo of quick downward pointing jabs at his foe’s lower body below his arm. Metz lead with his left foot and he was aiming for organs, the liver or the kidneys would be a prime target for the knife wielding mage. It was all about speed and ferocity, and the Mage had both in ample measure.

In the eventuality that Shin struck out at him however, Metz was ready, more than capable of plunging his knife into arm or leg if either came his way, making any attack with the body a risky option for his unarmed opponent.