Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
Etruria Fame: 2
Sacae Fame: -1
|
Post by Wyatt on Sept 15, 2012 21:36:21 GMT -6
Wyatt had been watching the first few fights patiently, before his finally arrived. He'd been sitting there watching the fights, and then the announcer in their area had called for him. Now he stood by the south entrance door, feeling his heart about to beat right out of his chest.
So this was it, eh? Mana was right to get so anxious. This was nerve wracking...it might be all of Bern out there!
But then the loud bellowing of the first round announcer cut over the shouts of the crowd.
"And our next fight is a battle of endurance! From the south gate, we have Wyatt the Volcano!" He called. At hearing the name he was given, Wyatt nearly did a double take. That...was a coincidence? He hoped at least...how could anyone except Elias and Ralph know? He was practically shoved out of the waiting area, into the bright light of the arena. He adjusted to sudden light for a moment, but the eruption of noise from the crowd served to distract him. He eyed the stands, and nearly lost his nerve.
Thousands....maybe tens of thousands of people...all watching him... Yeah, no pressure.
"And from the North Gate! Greil the Ilian Glacier!" He called, and now Wyatt had to chuckle at the name at least. Fire and Ice...someone had a sense of humor.
He wasn't laughing when he saw his opponent, a hulking mass of steel taking to the field. He seemed to be so heavy that his steps indented into the ground, how the hell did he move in that?!
Without waiting for any instruction, Wyatt pulled out his Steel Axe and raised his shield. The armored knight raised an axe of his own, and Wyatt arched an eyebrow. With that much armor there was no way he'd be very mobile with that...so how could he possibly fight with it?
"Fight till surrender or defeat! Then, begin!" The announcer called, and the fight was on.
...
...
And nothing happened. Wyatt stood there, observing his opponent, and the armored knight did the same. After half a minute, Wyatt saw his hand move back, eying him oddly. With surprising speed, the axe came flying towards him, spinning through the air slowly. He thought about blocking, but with that speed it was foolish, and jumped out of the way, watching as the axe embedded itself into the dirt. Awesome, he had disarmed himself!
Before he could be too sure of his victory, he heard a metallic sound...a chain! The knight yanked on a chain he had been hiding, and the axe pulled itself from the ground, whipping around and running against Wyatt's shield as he pulled it back into his hand. Thankfully he did have the shield, otherwise this fight may have ended before it started!
|
|
|
Post by Valcrist on Sept 15, 2012 22:52:38 GMT -6
Oh it's Wyatt's battle! He had been looking forward to this. He stood with his back to the wall, eyes looking at the battle below. Wyatt had a clear advantage here, he was fighting his natural prey. Heavily armored and slow, the time it takes for him to recall his weapon after striking was natural dead time. To wield an Axe like Wyatt took great strength, he could easily harm the man even through his metal hide. He was a blacksmith as well, he knew the natural weak spots in a suit of armor such as that, and to be a blacksmith took great physical strength, something Valcrist knew first hand.
Of course, it wouldn't be that simple. It's never simple, is it? There would be some twist, but if there wasn't... it seems like Wyatt had this one in the bag. He had greater mobility and the strength to fight the armored colossus, Valcrist would have be in serious trouble. Quick swordsman lose to armored knights, armored knights lose to powerful axemen, and powerful axemen lose to quick swordsmen. It was a natural rock paper scissors situation, but sheer advantage is never enough. It took determination, skill, even the strongest knight could be destroyed by a skilled swordsman. Even the swiftest blade is not guaranteed a win against men like Wyatt.
"Go get him Wyatt!" The Lost Swordsman smirked underneath his mask. He couldn't wait to see how this fight panned out.
|
|
Aurek
Soldier
I hate the undead just a little more than I hate the living.
Posts: 122
Profession: Santa
|
Post by Aurek on Sept 16, 2012 13:43:40 GMT -6
"A glacier against a volcano, huh? Aurek said to no one in particular. "I feel as though a volcano would beat a glacier unless that glacier was huge. And it certainly looks that way." The heavily armored man didn't seem to have an obvious weakness other than slow movement. And the fact he could throw the axe and retract it seemed to negate that fault. Aurek could not figure out how the Volcano was going to win. "I guess it will just be a war of attrition." He settled in to watch and learn. After all, he had never seen serious combat like this.
|
|
|
Post by Tuatara 'Tut' Yamen on Sept 16, 2012 20:53:59 GMT -6
Aww, they're both axemen, Tuatara thought, not happy. I hate axemen, always think their so tough and cool. Thats why I always pants them. He chuckled to himself. Where is Aeros, this is no fun. All these fights, a dragon would lighten the mood. Now who to vote-
"GO VOLCANO CAUSE ITS A SIMILAR TO THE COLOR TO MY HAIR!" Tuatara yelled at Wyatt. That'll get one of them. Where's Clair? I need to get Bob from her, my vulnerary is in there. Plus because of her I had to hire a guy to carry all my outfits. They're all exactly the same, that way no one will know the difference. He turned to look at the guy behind him.
"Looking good Zach," Tuatara said, giving the man a thumbs up. He gave one back which caused him to drop all the clothes the had hanging off his back. "Your doing great!"
|
|
|
Post by Mana on Sept 16, 2012 22:34:49 GMT -6
Mana cheered for her friend from the stand. Wyatt wouldn't lose, she believed it. His opponent might be a walking fortress with an axe that could attack from distance, but those armor probably wouldn't be able to hold against Wyatt's axe. The blacksmith also knew many things about armor so he would probably find one or two weak points. "Don't you dare to lose, Wyatt! You can't lose before our match!" Mana was one of the loudest of Wyatt's supporters. She had gained some attention from the other spectators because of her enthusiastic cheering.
"Go get him, Wyatt!" A voice of a man beside her showed his genuine support for Wyatt. Mana felt something familiar in that man's voice but couldn't put her finger on it. Most of his body was covered, only a small portion of his face could be seen behind that mask. She eyed him curiously for a moment before she looked at the battle again. "Nah, no way I know him. He felt familiar, though."
"Don't just play defensive. Attack him! You aren't going to win anything if you don't attack first!" She continued supporting her friend.
|
|
Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
Etruria Fame: 2
Sacae Fame: -1
|
Post by Wyatt on Sept 17, 2012 1:00:04 GMT -6
Wyatt could barely hear anything over the roars from the crowd, but he tried to remain focused on the fight itself. Ok, so this guy had range...and armor. But there was no way he had any mobility, and as such his offensive strength probably suffered. His defensive strength would be something else entirely, but he should be able to overcome it if he found an opening.
Wyatt stayed back, watching and waiting. He didn't want to close in too early, he needed to be at range for his plan. His baiting worked, and the knight threw his axe out again, trying to whip it around to cut at him. Wyatt sprang into action, closing enough distance to move him away from the axe itself, as he swung down with his steel axe. The crash of metal shattering metal was obvious, as the axe fell to the dirt, it's chain severed. Wyatt didn't pause, and turned to run in at the knight in the moment of distraction.
Before he realized what was happening, the knight dropped the chain and seemed to pull a lance from out of nowhere. It was...built into his armor?! Wyatt had thought it was just decoration! He tried to veer off from his attack, but his speed was too great to be changed easily. The lance slipped past his shield, grazing his left arm and leaving a long gash. Wyatt managed to get out of lance range, but now he felt the strength leaving his arm. No way would he be able to use the shield with a wounded arm, it would buckle on the first solid hit.
A small trail of blood dusted the sand as Wyatt cursed, sheathing his axe for a moment as he reached for his true tool. The huge war maul that he lived by, though he still kept his shield in his left hand, at least for appearences.
"First blood to the Glacier! Is he going to put out the volcano?" Came the announcer's roar.
Wyatt just chuckled to himself, and stared over his opponent. This was going to need to end soon. Probably on the next hit, one way or the other.
|
|
Yaen
Swordmaster
Prince of Blades Mad Swordsman
Now let's play the Song of Swords.
Posts: 305
Sacae Fame: 2
Bern Fame: 3
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: Vagabond
Affinity: Thunder
|
Post by Yaen on Sept 17, 2012 8:12:15 GMT -6
Yaen watched in utter fascination. That armored knight, he was, for lack of a better word, interesting. His armor was too thick for him to move around at all, yet he compensated with the sheer outrageousness of his weapons. An axe on a chain? A lance built into his armor? Pure brilliance.
Still, that armor was as much as a curse as it was a blessing. Sure, he had taken out the factor of having to move around, but there was one flaw in his strategy. Normally, it wouldn't even matter, but against Wyatt's maul... "Wyatt! The knee! Take out his knee!" he shouted. That armor was too heavy, there was no way he could regain balance.
|
|
|
Post by Clair Feldsky on Sept 17, 2012 10:34:48 GMT -6
The falcoknight sucked her breath in through her teeth as she saw the lance shoot through the redhead's arm. That was going to hurt his abilities.... She'd been trying to figure how she would approach a fight like this, and was reminded of the battle near the pass out of Ilia she'd had with the giant axeman. There really hadn't been much to do but scramble around avoiding attacks until she'd managed to make or find an opportunity to hit back. Hitting back here would be difficult for her, due to the layers of armor. She could easily outmanuever an opponent like this, but then she'd still have to find a way to find a point she could break through, or a way to use leverage against the monster of a fighter. Wyatt might be able to bypass that problem if he could just get close enough, but that was going to be difficult. Lances were made to hit people at a distance.
"Don't let him hit you again, Wyatt! Don't let him have his way with that weapon!" Easier said than done. Lances were among the most versatile weapons in existence. A long staff to provide reach, with a sharp point on the end. The haft could easily be used to beat away closer threats as well. Their weakness and strength was the leverage they used and could have used against them. A light and quick lancer would be able to shift her position and grip on the weapon to regain control, but something that wouldn't move quickly wouldn't have the same recovery ability.
She rested a hand on the chains separating the fighters from the ring as she watched to see what would happen next.
|
|
Aurek
Soldier
I hate the undead just a little more than I hate the living.
Posts: 122
Profession: Santa
|
Post by Aurek on Sept 17, 2012 14:13:51 GMT -6
Aurek did not feel as though cheering for either fighter at this point. Sure, the shielded one had destroyed the armored guy's ability to use the axe, but the quick appearance of that lance had turned the tides. Aurek was certainly more interested in the fight now that there was a lance user to study, but he couldn't pick up much. He had a slight sense that though the Glacier had drawn first blood, the Volcano was now at an advantage. Aurek continued to watch and wait in silence.
|
|
|
Post by Richter Abend on Sept 17, 2012 23:41:22 GMT -6
Richter watched the match between the Volcano and the Glacier with particular interest. The Ilian had the advantage of having seen Wyatt's combat abilities first hand during the escape from that Etrurian gutter of a town, and now he would get a chance to see what kind of a fighter the boy was without a giant magical fire axe.
"How appropriate," Richter had muttered to himself as he had heard Wyatt's title announced. The disguised rebel commander wondered if the fighter had chosen that name for himself, or if the arena management had done it for him. Either way, it was amusing.
But after the rather slow start, the fight hadn't gone too well for Wyatt. In just a few select blows, the heavily armored Glacier had kept the Volcano off balance and off kilter with a combination of surprise and unconventional weaponry. Wyatt had managed to disable his opponent's axe, but it had turned out to be a very small victory as the knight had quickly pulled out an auxiliary spear with which he managed to stick Wyatt in the arm.
It was a tricky situation to be sure. Normally Richter would advocate a heavy offense, as Wyatt's comparative lack of heavy armor left him at a disadvantage if it came down to a fight of attrition, but the with his wait-and-see tactics, the knight had managed to cover his own weakness while simultaneously hampering the boy's greatest defense.
Crossing his arms across his chest, Richter's brow narrowed with patient observation. This fight would be done soon, and if he had to call it now, he'd give it to the Glacier. The man had the reach to keep Wyatt away, and had more than enough armor to shrug off a misplaced blow or two if the red haired axe fighter got in close. Wyatt would need a potent combination of luck and basic combat instinct if he was to pull this one through.
|
|
|
Post by Valcrist on Sept 18, 2012 2:14:44 GMT -6
He narrowed his eyes, it wasn't as simple as it appeared. Shaming Valcrist, but also making him proud. Winning a battle with no effort is worse then losing. You get nothing out of it, no fun, experience, nothing. This general had many weaknesses, and used unconventional methods to work around them, weapons on chains and spears built into the armor itself. He attacked violently, and didn't allow Wyatt the time to come up with a proper counter attack. Pressured and taking away his strengths, Wyatt was in a bit of a sticky situation.
This wasn't going to be a long match, one would dominate the other soon enough. He felt a bit of himself in Wyatt's actions, that defensive style that relied on finding holes in the other's style and exploiting them. He though about what he would do in this situation, it would be both easier and harder for him. He had even greater speed then Wyatt, and could likely dodge the attacks without too much effort after the initial shock of seeing them... but attacking him was something else entirely. All that armor would be nigh impossible to cut through without great pain, even the weaknesses of the armor didn't mean much, even the joints and shallow areas were armored. It would be a labor, trying to attack him, lacking the sheer strength of the other blacksmith.
He was still pulling for Wyatt though. Call him old fashioned, he stood by his... acquaintances. He was a bit confused at first at his odd choice of weapon, but in an instant the reason hit him like a bolt of lightning. The best weapon against heavy armor was a blunt tool, and what better then a smith's hammer? Wyatt wasn't about to give in, he was going to try and take this guy out THROUGH his armor. "Come on Wyatt! Crush him in his tin can!"
|
|
Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
Etruria Fame: 2
Sacae Fame: -1
|
Post by Wyatt on Sept 18, 2012 8:28:50 GMT -6
Wyatt stalled for a moment, listening to the cheers and cries of the crowd. It was too difficult to make anything out above all of this noise, but he believed his friends were cheering for him. Mana and Clair were in the ready room, Valcrist and Kenshin were in the stands, even Yaen and Richter were here somewhere. No way he was losing in the first round, not like this. He looked up at the knight, his eyes narrowing as he did so.
One, two, three...
The knight stood there, readying his lance for the attack as Wyatt seemed to remain motionless. [blue]"Just give up kid, you can't break me, no matter what toys you have. Come back in a few years and try again, once you've trained more."[/blue] It didn't seem like he was trying to be mean about it, just offering what would normally be sound advice.
Thirteen, fourteen...
[red]"Sorry friend."[/red] Wyatt responded, half distracted. [red]"But I have friends to meet next round, so I am afraid surrender is out of the question."[/red] Twenty-two...twenty-three. All right. [red]"But don't let me stop you from surrendering, you've still got a few years left in you."[/red] He shot back at him.
If the knight was bothered by the comment, he didn't show it. He readied his stance, and pulled up his lance. No way the kid could block with his arm like that, so he just needed to wear him down.
Wyatt no longer gave him the chance for that, and broke into a run towards the man. Huh, foolish. Charging a lance user head on? Well, this would be over shortly. He thrust out his lance, purposely aiming for Wyatt's left side. To his surprise, Wyatt dropped the shield from his hand with a crash, as the lance lightly grazed his waist. Wait...the lance was aimed towards his left pauldron.
Wyatt had taken just the moment before to press his abundant strength into his legs, leaping into the air. He only had one hit, so he had to make it count. To that end, he needed his other hand free from the shield to use his maul. With a roar the hammer fell like a clever, and the resounding crash of metal on metal echoed through the arena like a church bell. The force of them connecting kicked up a cloud of dust from where the knights greaves were pressed deeper into the earth from the force of Wyatt's hit. The knight had blocked the strike, with his arms crossed into an X to intercept it.
The crowd held it's collective breath, thinking the fight over. And then the knight fell to a knee, a stream of blood oozing from the armor of his right arm.
[blue]"Argh...t-the metal..."[/blue] The older knight groaned. A piece of his armor had been bent by the tremendous force, and now cut deep into his own arm.
[red]"There are twenty-three weak spots in your armor, where the plating isn't completely interlinked to allow you some mobility. By your elbows was the easiest one to get access to."[/red] Wyatt said, standing his maul up straight as he looked over the knight on his knees in the dirt. [red]"The armor is a good defense, but it was the best weapon I could ever ask for. You cannot even move your arm without tearing that more. If you continue the fight without getting that metal out, you could do some permanent damage."[/red]
The knight seemed to agree, dropping his spear to the dirt. The announcer's voice was blasted out by the crowd's stunned cheers.
"And the Volcano melts down the Glacier's defenses to take a win!"
Wyatt, for his point, moved back to collect his shield and get his arm looked at. He had more fights to look forward to, and they would only get harder from here.
|
|
Aurek
Soldier
I hate the undead just a little more than I hate the living.
Posts: 122
Profession: Santa
|
Post by Aurek on Sept 18, 2012 16:37:56 GMT -6
In a stunning fashion, the Volcano had blown apart the Glacier. With his explosive power, he had turned the general's armor against himself. The double handed strike would normally have been avoided easily except all that armor had prevented the Glacier from doing anything. It was a brilliant maneuver. Aurek cheered loudly for the excellent show. The fight was over.
The man, Wyatt, if Aurek recalled correctly, seemed to be very good with armor. Aurek looked down at his own, rusting armor and suddenly wished he had something offering more protection. Maybe he could find a blacksmith afterwards.
|
|
|
Post by Clair Feldsky on Sept 18, 2012 21:49:17 GMT -6
The fight was appropriately... exciting at the end. Seeing a heavily armored knight smashed into submission by a hammer was no doubt exactly the sort of thing arena crowds thrived on. To Clair though, the move had seemed reckless.... He was lucky he'd had a sympathetic opponent, who had wanted to avoid simply spearing him through the center. That lance blow had been off center, aimed more at destroying Wyatt's remaining shield abilities than actually ending the fight. Whether Wyatt would have been able to avoid it if it had had killing intent behind it or not was something else, and not relevant anymore. It had been a stunning finish....
She clapped appreciatively, impressed at how the hammer stroke had effectively turned the knight's armor into a cage. If he moved, he would injure himself more, and leave himself even more vulnerable to the strikes of the Volcano.
"Alright.... Well done. Well done!" She kept clapping a bit more as she watched him returning from the battlefield. He'd shown some guts, and he'd managed to keep his own. That would have to be enough.
|
|
|
Post by Richter Abend on Sept 19, 2012 1:57:10 GMT -6
Well done. Very well done. And to think he had pegged Wyatt as the underdog. Just went to show that even for one who had been fighting as long as Richter, there was still insight to be gained.
Richter wasn't exactly sure how the red-head knew so much about armor, but said knowledge had clearly proven useful. With one well placed hammer strike, the boy had turned the knight's greatest asset, his glacier-like defense, into a liability. So much so, in fact, that he had ended the fight without any continued effort.
To be able to pull such a reversal was a great ability to have, but that being said, the comeback was situational. If the opponent hadn't been so heavily armored, or if his strikes had been more carefully aimed, would Wyatt still have been able to seize the day? It was hard to say, since the whole match would have most likely gone completely differently, so for now the Ilian was merely eager to see if Wyatt could repeat his victory in his future matches.
|
|