[IC] Black Mountain Tourney: Guzman vs Gonad

[Doc Doctor]

@DJAtomika
Gonad stroked his long beard with a heavy right hand, nodding sagely as he hopped over the narrow side of the stream and walked up to Guzman much like how a kindly professor approaches his podium. The hulking man seemed not to even have his guard up. His free arm hung easily by his side. Were Gonad to have approached even the most feeble of children in this way, surely would the child have no fear. There was no aggression or discontent in the barbarian's single eye, no fire of competitiveness or secret lust for blood. He was just a big fellow that knew apples were apples and oranges were oranges, and that men could choose to die as enemies or as brothers.

"Bwuh! Taller than Gonad be Tall Man! Not often seen such has Gonad. Remind Gonad of kin in North, does Tall man! Hrah! Contest this be though, so battle first we will and speak later of cold winds and warm mead!"

[DJAtomika]

@Doc Doctor

"And it is not often that a barbarian manages to string a whole sentence together."

King Galliard stood his ground at the other end of the forest clearing. His sword was gripped tightly in his hand, his kite shield strapped firmly to the other. Only moments earlier had he and the smelly barbarian stumbled into the same clearing together. Almost instantly a barrier had sprung up around the place, sealing the two inside. It was clear what its intentions were.

Two entered. One left.

"But yes, fight we must. And fight we shall."

He swung his sword around just to remember its weight. Gallant Duty was its name. Light blue runes were carved into its blade, magical yes, but words of wisdom and guidance, not runes of magic. He stood his ground, determined to see the fight through to the last.

"Come then, barbarian. Face me. Today we will fight like true men."

[Doc Doctor]

"Hrah! Then if ready be Tall Man, BEGIN!!"

Each forearm of the barbarian was encircled with a massively thick bracer, the nearly fluorescent blue metal as polished as a mirror. No sword nor axe nor shield adorned the brute's bear-like body. Unarmed? No. Not at all. Gonad slowly brought his empty hands up, as if meaning to calm an angry woman. With a caliginous cracking sound, he flexed his fingers. They were hairy, thick, and gnarled. Blood was caked beneath each fingernail. It was like Bruce Lee had gotten nasty with a gorilla who wasn't on the pill. Gonad loomed upon King Gaillard, attempting to cross the distance between them in an instant with smooth, phantom strides. He didn't move like any modern man. Every motion of his ripping body seemed to flow effortlessly into the next, as if the vast frame bore its very own separate consciousness. It was almost like a trick of the eyes. The barbarian would be trying to get as close as possible, right up to the shield in not stopped.

[DJAtomika]

@Doc Doctor

"Always ready."

The King readied himself as the barbarian charged at him. Strange how smooth he seemed to run, but barbarians were barbarians; ruffians through and through. Guzman expected no less.

With feet spread shoulder width apart, he advanced slow and steady, one foot after the other. He held his shield in front of him, right in his middle, sword low and loose, ready for a confrontation.

The charging mass of muscle was fast, he gave him that. But did he have a head full of smarts to compliment that?

He'd have to see.

[Doc Doctor]

@DJAtomika
Gonad would arrive. He'd slow before King Galliard, right fist clenching so tight that his knuckles whitened. A punch? Gonad stepped in with a heavy right foot. He was hunched now, compact like a machine, like a peek-a-boo boxer. Trying to sidestep him wouldn't work, his control was too steady and his timing so off-kilter. He was like an endless brick wall. If the King kept his shield braced before himself in anticipation of a direct attack, he'd find that it wouldn't be a fist which connected with it. It would be the big man's right forearm. Gonad would have pulled his punch to brace himself against the kiteshield. If this occured, then Galliard would bear witness to something else. A sight that had been the harbinger of the end for many warriors before him. Those blocky, scarred fingers curling around the inner rim of his shield, like iron bands. The sheer strength of the barbarian's grip could be felt through the shield just like how one could feel heat being transferred through a doorknob being blowtorched at the other end.

The monstrous bruiser was a tidal wave of billowing black smoke, sleek, suffocating, and unrelenting. The Emperor would be able to know immediately and with little doubt that this foe would not take one single step in retreat.

[DJAtomika]

@Doc Doctor

King Gallant allowed himself a step backward to compensate for the charging barbarian. His arm was cocked back for a punch. Or was it a grab? He was unsure. All that he knew was that he couldn't let any of those attacks connect directly with him.

He halted in his backward retreat and stood firm as the barbarian approached. As that meaty right mitt came in towards him, he sidestepped to the left (Gonad's right) and raised his shield so the incoming forearm strike met it square in the center. A loud crash issued forth as flesh met carefully crafted wood and iron.

The King twisted his body to the right (Gonad's left) slightly to allow that strike to pass on by, while simultaneously bringing his sword to bear. His right arm went low, just underneath his shield, while he took step forward to get inside the barbarian's guard. His wrist angled upward and he pushed, stabbing his sword at Gonad's torso. His sword was aimed just below the warrior's massive pectoral muscles.

Impossible to dodge? Maybe not. He expected the barbarian to. He was like no other ruffian warrior he'd faced before.

[Doc Doctor]

@DJAtomika
Gonad had seen the basics so many times. He knew all the options of an opponent limited to a single effective weapon in close combat. Sometimes he had to think in a fight, but only once in a blue moon. Right now he was on automatic, wondering where his pot of food had gone. Gonad's forearms were guarded by those bracers. When it met the shield, there would be no smack of flesh. When the King tried to twist his body to deflect the force, he'd find the might of the barbarian's grip not only preventing this, but outright jerking his shield in the opposite direction.

Were he still to thrust with his blade, then with a quick sway the spare fist of Gonad would have tipped past his own chin, putting his left bracer in the perfect position to then swing outwards and direct the stab off to Galliard's right. As this occurred Gonad would take another step forwards, aiming to plant his left boot directly atop the King's right whilst trying to peel his shield away. They would be virtually face to face if this happened.

[DJAtomika]

@Doc Doctor As soon he felt the barbarian grab his shield, he knew he'd made a mistake. But it could turn out in his favour.

Once the barbarian started pulling his shield out of the way, he used his thumb and gently rubbed the sapphire ring on his index finger. Immediately the gem began to glow as the ice magic within gathered strength. A second later, his fist aimed at the barbarian in passing, the ring would fire a burst of extremely cold ice magics at his opponent. It would feel like the fluids in his flesh and blood were freezing if the frost blast connected.

And as he ignited his magic ring, he raised his sword arm above his head and cut down diagonally to his left (Gonad's right).

[Doc Doctor]

@DJAtomika

The icy wind cascaded against Gonad's body, deeply chilling him. He was surprised, snapped right out of his thoughts. They had ice magic in his homeworld, but rarely did the Northmen use it. It probably wouldn't be long at all before the freezing power of the ring began causing serious damage. Regardless, he was a berserker. Pain meant nothing to him, and there was a little time left to return the favor. Things were vastly different at this range. Gonad's range.

Without missing a beat Gonad's left hand shot out, like a piston. It wouldn't be to cave in Galliard's face, no. The barbarian had decided to instead suddenly grab the Emperor's right arm as the sword was raised up over his head, just below the elbow. At this range, against this barbarian, blades were obsolete. Gonad was two-hundred pounds heavier, and all of it was effective muscle. An advantage equalling in mass at least two thirds of King Galliard's body weight.
Gonad was a one trick pony. He had no forged weapons, little armor, no skill in magic, and his reach could never extend further than his finger tips. In the realm of physical unarmed combat, however, even the gods dared not to trespass in his presence.

If he succeeded in restricting the King's arm in place, then with bare flesh cracking from the cold, Gonad would launch his first true attack of the battle. His bushy eyebrows furrowed into a stern scowl as he cocked his head back. A headbutt!? His forehead was creased with scars and as hard as a rock. No doubt dental plans in the barbarian's homeland included Gonad insurance. Then came the left knee instead.

Not a headbutt, a knee. The broad, bony kneecap came scorching up like an inverted sledgehammer, set to impact Guzman's unprotected right flank with enough cataclysmic impetus to crack his lower ribs like birch sticks and pulverize his liver like a chunk of beef beneath a meat hammer. There was even an audible "whoosh" as the blow came, the air itself fleeing before the awful might. Obscene wads of engorged muscle strained and rippled from within his thighs and calves, as if fighting to escape the flesh that bound them. Gonad wasn't merely attacking with the strength of his muscles, but also with the raw force of will that they kept chained within him. This was a man that held nothing back, one that lived and breathed with each motion. Nothing but the knee of Gonad existed, and it was a fierce, cruel deity.

[DJAtomika]

@Doc Doctor His ice ring slowly stopped glowing as the magics within recharged.

The barbarian's right shot up to meet his sword arm. Instead of chopping straight down as he had planned, he opted for something more unorthodox.

He diverted his entire sword arm to his left, avoiding the man's outstretched grabby hand entirely as he shifted his sword downward. He widened his stance as his sword went past his shield, down past his waist.

With a step back, he pulled slightly free of the barbarian's grip on his shield, as well as diverting his sword into the path of his oncoming knee attack.

His blade would greet the incoming leg just beneath the knee, the force behind the swing not enough to sever it, but enough to cut deeply.

[Doc Doctor]

@DJAtomika

Gonad's skill had layers. Beneath each coverlet of lethality was another obstacle, another trap obscured by the rushing smoke. He could have grabbed for a place higher on Galliard's arm, for the forearm or the wrist, but Gonad knew below the elbow was best. He had enjoyed years of practice manhandling enemies with those catchers mitt-sized hands, and knew well the mechanics of the human body. Motion was always slowest, most predictable at the point of origin. That way if an opponent tried to shift a limb, one could still adjust to grab it by reaching just a little ways more towards, say, the bicep. That part was rooted to the shoulder, its range of movement was far more limited. Gonad wouldn't have launched his destructive knee unless he had succeeded in securing his opponent, to prevent them from moving away or defending. Why attempt an attack that was not guaranteed? Gonad relied not on luck or chance. When he struck, it was with the certainty that whatever was on the receiving end would be in for a very, very bad day. He would keep the power in check for a wee bit longer. Just long enough to drop the aim of his grab to seize upon the Emperor's bicep as he tried to move his arm away.

The fingers were penetrating and powerful, capable of badly bruising whatever flesh and muscle they caught. Forget catchers mitts, they were bear traps. Gonad would pace neatly with the King were he to try and retreat. Taking a step back was giving ground, the beginning of the end where Gonad was concerned. Sometimes foes even tried running backwards when confronted with the bestial warrior, but it was more natural to advance and he had no trouble giving pursuit. Were the bicep to be grabbed and the slash momentarily stopped, then Gonad would slide his left leg backwards before releasing the monstrous knee he had been keeping under wraps. Frost had settled on his body hair, two thin trickles of blood just now making their way down from his chest. The ice magic was nasty stuff, but plenty more would be required before the hulking berserker was damaged enough to relinquish his onslaught.

[DJAtomika]

@Doc Doctor Without a moment to regain composure, he found himself within reach yet again. The barbarian's hand was still grabbing for his shifting sword arm. So he angled his elbow outward and responded in kind.

With a step inward this time, the King met Gonad chest to chest with all his might in an attempt to make him stumble. His right elbow swerved against the barbarian's forearm, using his momentum to swat the grabby hand away.

Since his shield arm was still technically being grabbed, he knew his fist was still aimed at the barbarian. His thumb brushed gently over the ruby ring on his ring finger and the gem flared into life as the fire magic within was called forth.

In such close proximity, it was hard to miss, but Guzman made it harder by pushing his shield hand into Gonad's right side just before the ruby ring issued forth a searing burst of flame.

If he were to die, they'd die together.

[Doc Doctor]

@DJAtomika

To some warriors, a fight could be a blur of emotion, over before they knew it. Gonad saw things as they happened though, in perfect clarity. He was a watcher. That single eye burned steady and calm. By moving even closer to the mythical grappler, King Galliard would have all but signed his death warrant. Gonad let go of the shield. He stopped grabbing for the sword arm. He let the Emperor enter his embrace. There was no unbalancing this grandmaster of close combat, his center of gravity was absolute. The barbarian's arms moved like twin serpents of lightning, the right surging to lock the shield arm against the body in a bear hug and the left set to loop over the sword arm to inescapably trap it in Gonad's armpit.

Gonad was no perfect fighter, he had flaws to be sure. This was his territory though, the sphere of the wrestler. He knew exactly what to do, his body knew what to do. He had no need to think about how to handle such a situation, one that was likely far less common for Galliard, even if he did often tangle with rough Northerners back home. Every day of his life Gonad had devoted to his art. All in all, the point would be a simple one. The King's chances of keeping up in this situation would be like a fencer that had taken several BJJ classes trying to wrestle a professional mixed martial artist in the octagon.

A split second after they bumped chests, Gonad would have another bump prepared for his friend. A headbutt, done proper. It was like a sudden sneeze, his head snapping forwards with outrageous ferocity. It was virtually unpredictable, at near point blank with little wind up. If all went accordingly, the unyielding forehead would thunder into Guzman's face with more than enough pepper to put out the lights, sinking him into the unthinking oblivion of unconsciousness. Even if it landed, Gonad would immediately launch three more just to make sure.

Perhaps the fire ring would stop a normal man in his tracks, even kill him. It would be no instant death for the berserker. Were he to be set alight, and were his opponent rendered fully lost in dreamland, then Gonad would complete the finale with a massive flaming belly to belly suplex, his lone eye a narrowed ember of demonic wrath, body arching steeply backwards whilst on the tips of his toes to fatally smash Galliard's cranium into the ground so hard that when next he was revived, it would be with a reflexive gasp of shock.

[DJAtomika]

@Doc Doctor The barbarian's head crashed into his. Sound rang about his ears as he saw stars. The flames from his ring engulfed his opponent as he struggled to regain control.

The man had him in a bear hug. A tight one. But both his arms were free. He knew only one move to do.

As he was lifted from the ground he readied his sword and angled the blade against the barbarian's back. Without a thought for himself, he drove the blade straight into him and through himself. The pain from impaling himself on his own sword was nothing compared to what he'd experienced before.

Swiftly his right thumb rubbed the pearl ring on his index finger. He withdrew the sword immediately as the healing magic within the pearl went to town on his body. His head cracked into the stone as regenerative magics filled him, repairing the damage done within seconds of impact.

His ice ring fully charged again, he used his last few seconds of movement to rub it, pressing his ring right against the side of the barbarian's head. The next blast of frost would end the battle, one way or another.

[Doc Doctor]

@DJAtomika

Gonad had known the possibility of getting stabbed existed. That was why he felt it best to soften his opponent up before the suplex. It would be silly to try and pull a wrestling finisher on someone that had a sword near your back, but it was of little concern for a number of reasons. First and foremost were the headbutts. It would not just be a single one that Galliard had to worry about, but a total of four, each one virtually a knockout. Gonad's weapon was his very body, and Guzman was at the full mercy of it. Held in place and with nowhere for the energy to escape but into his skull, the King's brain would have probably been rattled into the night at the first impact, strength draining as the edges of unconsciousness seeped into his vision, black and red dots filling his sight and body feeling like it had become limp, hot jelly. Then three more of the same in short order. Even the ring of healing would be hard pressed to keep up, and without a doubt Galliard did not have seconds left for it to fully heal the damage done by even the first two blows. Of course it had not even been activated during the headbutts in the first place, so pretty much any chance of salvaging the situation was lost. The ring couldn't repair instant death, which a quarter ton suplex at the hands of the Lord of the Rising Sun embodied.
His ordeal wouldn't be a matter of stabbing Gonad in the back so much as it was to futilely stay awake. He probably wouldn't have the sense or strength left to even think about trying a stab.

Even if the Emperor had enough wit and vinegar left to try the stab, driving it into Gonad's back would be nearly impossible without the ability to move his bicep a single inch, and with the incredibly broad torso of the barbarian also cutting off a great deal of maneuverability with which to drive home his blade. Gonad was not just shorter but vastly more stout, built like a chimney. All the leverage that Galliard had would be purely from moving his forearm about the rounded bulk of that densely muscled back, which would be no easy thing to slip a blade through under such circumstances. If he had more time and less Gonad in his face, then things would be different. He'd be able to eventually work his gladius in with favorable circumstances, but these right now were anything but. It would be already awkward to get it past those slabs of firm meat and through the ribs all the way without having the added problem of being on the verge of passing out from multiple concussions. The moment he was out the blade would surely drop from from his hand, and then it would be suplex time.

As for the ice ring against the head, Gonad had not at all intended for Galliard to have his left arm free. He'd have bear hugged it to his opponent's side during the chest bump.