"Axes and swords," Acacia helpfully answers towards Audric, raking nails down the front of her throat as she slinks into the general stands themselves. She'd slipped in with others undoubtedly curious about the event, bowing respectfully towards Kima just before she passed on a bit beyond the duo. "Swords always get caught on axes and there's some jaw-dropping disarming that upsets bets, rights? Just before it goes the other way?"
"Oh, it'll give him a rush of adrenaline! That's great for a fight." She drops down beside Audric, sitting a bit more primly. Which isn't hard to do when the person beside you is a slouched sellsword captain. "And it will be with swords and axes today, not fists." She jerks her thumb towards Acacia when she answers before her, which then turns into a thumbs up. At something Edain says, Kima twists her body in order to give a reply.
Victus is only left standing around on the field by himself with nothing to do for a few awkward minutes before Viviana comes jogging out of the fighter's pit in her black leathers, hood pushed back to expose her face as she waves to the crowd and does a lap around the arena. Finally she comes to a stop before Edain's seating and steps up to where he sits, holding out a hand. "Care to let me fight with a token of your favor your Grace?" She asks him with an easy grin.
Tehom arrives.
"Fantastic," Audric says as he's answered in stereo. He has to stifle a laugh when Victus asks for a favor, and quickly tugs out a flask, taking a drink before offering it to Kima and Acacia in turn.
(OOC) Victus says: Viviana asked for a favor. Not Victus!
(OOC) Victus says: <.<
(OOC) Audric says: Oh dammit
(OOC) Viviana says: Don't believe him.
(OOC) Audric says: This is what I get for skimming OH WELL LAUGHIN ANYWAY
(OOC) Kima says: Yeah, that would be especially hilarious, though.
(OOC) Audric says: I thought Victus was bein' a shit and it totally fit in my head
"It doesn't look as if he has any weapon but that, your Grace," Acacia interjects herself into the next conversation then, settling a row or two and to the left of Edain. Leaning forward, she braces an elbow upon her thigh, "She hasn't, at least. She's been using her twin swords, not her House one. Perhaps it's merely to start the match?"
Viviana has joined the Field.
"Rather, the other twin sword," Acacia corrects.
To be fair, Edain was really not expecting that and it takes him a few moments to compose a response, "Of course Lady Viviana, I hope that it brings you luck. Sadly I have no kerchief, or token to give you, but I can ovver something that might aid you if your finnd yourself disarmed." And that said he unlashes the dagger girded at his belt and offers it to Viviana.
"I always thought Lord Victus' axe was won another way though," Acacia admits, ever talkative.
Victus stands where he is as Viviana does her glory rounds, outwardly calm and relaxed, at ease in a his martial posture. His dark eyes follow her movements beneath the shadow of his helm, and there is the suggestion of a wry and crooked smile ghosting the corner of his mouth. He says nothing, though, just waits in stoic patience as she asks for the favor from Edain.
Viviana accepts the dagger from Edain and bows. "Thank you your Grace, I'll be sure to return it soon." She promises, reaching down to tuck the dagger into her boot as she jogs back down the stairs to the field, tugging up her hood as she reaches the field and drawing her rubicund sword with her left hand before tossing it into her right. She offers Victus a sweeping bow before straightening. "When you're ready then my lord."
Viviana wields Daybreak's Edge.
"Been ready for a while," comes Victus' gruff and laconic response. He doesn't return the bow, just cranes his neck once and then takes a couple of steps backwards to separate the distance between them. He makes no comment at her choice of weapon, and if he's surprised he doesn't show it. A few testing swings of his axe sends it humming through the air, and then he nods. The sign to start.
Victus rolls 39 to attack, Viviana rolls 40 to defend.
Victus rolled 33 damage against Viviana's 43 mitigation.
Viviana rolls 26 to attack, Victus rolls 19 to defend.
Viviana rolled 29 damage against Victus's 50 mitigation.
Victus rolls 55 to attack, Viviana rolls 63 to defend.
Victus rolled 9 damage against Viviana's 70 mitigation.
Viviana rolls 15 to attack, Victus rolls 37 to defend.
A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Acacia before departing.
Viviana rolls 43 to attack, Victus rolls 25 to defend.
Viviana rolled 42 damage against Victus's 15 mitigation.
Victus rolls 42 to attack, Viviana rolls 48 to defend.
Victus rolled 24 damage against Viviana's 59 mitigation.
Viviana slowly starts to circle Victus, eyes watching him intently from under that hood, as the two approach her blade flicks out. Several testing feints sent out and sending sparks from his breastplate with a screech of metal even as he lands his own blow in response. She backs up and then steps in again, a few quick attacks unable to get through Victus' guard as he lands another glancing blow on her armor. The Southern warrior skips backwards, a faint scowl on her face at how the fight is progressing so far. She gives ground for a few seconds and then rushes in in a blitz of flashing steel, the rose gold of her rapier blurring as she strikes at Victus over and over again, high, high, low, right, left, duck, slash, right, right, high, high and then as his axe drives sparks from one of her reinforced bracers her blade screeches as it slips into a gap in his shoulder armor, a spray of blurt shooting out into the field before Viviana is quickly backpedalling, her chest rising and falling as she breathes hard from the furious exchange.
Alrec arrives.
Alrec has joined the General Seating.
Calandra has left the game.
Victus is quick for a big man, and wields the axe with proficiency. He's aggressive in his tactics, too, and doesn't back down from Viviana's circling, moving to press his own advantage every time he seens an opportunity. For all he gets are glancing blows. If that leaves him frustrated, though, it doesn't show. His eyes are open, his expression closed with focus. There's a grunt when she finds her way through his own defenses, finally, but no more for it. Whatever pain is registered is hidden away, ignored for the time being.
Viviana rolls 23 to attack, Victus rolls 16 to defend.
Viviana rolled 48 damage against Victus's 20 mitigation.
Victus rolls 59 to attack, Viviana rolls 43 to defend.
Victus rolled 34 damage against Viviana's 41 mitigation.
Viviana rolls 37 to attack, Victus rolls 15 to defend.
Viviana rolled 20 damage against Victus's 52 mitigation.
Victus rolls 38 to attack, Viviana rolls 62 to defend.
Victus rolls 33 to attack, Viviana rolls 51 to defend.
Viviana rolls 35 to attack, Victus rolls 20 to defend.
Viviana rolled 22 damage against Victus's 40 mitigation.
A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Acacia before departing.
Niccolo arrives.
Viviana rolls 37 to attack, Victus rolls 11 to defend.
Viviana rolled 48 damage against Victus's 8 mitigation.
Victus rolls 27 to attack, Viviana rolls 34 to defend.
Victus rolled 28 damage against Viviana's 54 mitigation.
A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Niccolo before departing.
A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Acacia before departing.
As Victus comes back on Viviana starts to circle again, keeping herself always on his now wounded side as they engage in a flash of blades once more. She almost immediately finds another gap in his defenses, his armor betraying him and letting her blade cut through with another flash of sparks as she draws more blood, this time from his thigh. She can be seen grinning under her hood now, reveling in the fight as the crimson drips from the tip of her sword. She keeps circling the heavily armored man, never letting him get his fresh side to her as she darts in an out, trying to let fatigue and blood loss win the battle for her as she wears him down, but she takes her share of punishment in return, sparks fly as the blade clips her bracers or thuds into her jacket or bustier, often driving the wind from the woman although she's never there long enough for the blows to cut through her armor. As another of Victus' blows to her shoulder glances off she thrusts hard, the point of her blade pressing into the shoulder of Victus' plate for just a second before it punches right the way through, bloody tip appearing suddenly out the other side of his back before she yanks it free and dances back once more, leaving the man bleeding from both shoulders now as she pushes her hood back off her head and grins, eyes alight as she flicks more of the blood from her blade.
Niccolo has joined the General Seating.
The amount of licks her sword puts through Victus' armor is leaving a mark, draining him of his energy even more than the fatigue of wearing the great big plates of metal that provide only half as much protection as her own leather outfit. He grunts with exertion, dark eyes fixed with what is now undeniable frustrated intensity as every time he lands a blow he fails to penetrate. Still, he fights in silence. He fights without real expression on his scarred features. His earlier quickness becomes more of a lumbering advance, less able to protect himself even sa he seeks to land something true.
Viviana rolls 32 to attack, Victus rolls -2 to defend.
Viviana rolled 41 damage against Victus's 29 mitigation.
Victus rolls 26 to attack, Viviana rolls 30 to defend.
Victus rolled 35 damage against Viviana's 20 mitigation.
Viviana rolls 19 to attack, Victus rolls -46 to defend.
Viviana rolled 59 damage against Victus's 9 mitigation.
Victus rolls 46 to attack, Viviana rolls 26 to defend.
Victus rolled 73 damage against Viviana's 52 mitigation.
Victus rolls 32 to attack, Viviana rolls 20 to defend.
Victus rolled 45 damage against Viviana's 22 mitigation.
Viviana rolls 26 to attack, Victus rolls -19 to defend.
Viviana rolled 76 damage against Victus's 7 mitigation.
Victus falls unconscious.
Viviana's guard noticeably relaxes as she approaches Victus once more, seeming confident of her victory now over the wounded man, and indeed her blade finds another hole in his armor but the great warrior's return is not lacking in power, for all his blood loss. With a hiss the woman leaks back, a line of red across her thigh where the Thraxian's axe cut through her armor and drew blood. She scowls, seeming almost angry as she comes in again, the two exchanging an angry flurry of flashing steel, defense seemingly almost all but forgetten as she puts her blade through Victus' thigh, and takes a wound in return, then takes a third as she charges into him, her blade punching through his breastplate and burrying itself in the man's stomach as she drives the great wounded warrior over onto his back as the blood loss and many wounds finally robs him of consciousness.
Kima is overheard praising Victus for: For defeating Prince Fergus to advance against the Sword of Setarco. Though he couldn't best her, he still fought well.
Edain is overheard praising Victus for: For fighting with dedication and honor. Gloria would be proud.
Audric is overheard praising Victus for: Let it never be said that I don't appreciate a good axe-man. I've always said I was something only two letters off!
Edain is overheard praising Viviana for: Speed, technical precision and discipline, truly a fighter worthy of victory and advancement in the Decathalon.
Kima gets to her feet, in order to cheer both competitors along with the rest of the crowd.
Calandra has entered the game.
Victus goes down in the end, the axe slipping from his fingers as unconsciousness rolls him up and wraps itself around him. He just wasn't fast enough to keep up with the Sword of Setarco, and even when he landed blows, the angles she took combined with the effectiveness of that deceptively light armor, leaving them almost every one a glancing blow. He doesn't move. Instead there's the rush of his guardsmen to gather up their lord and see to his care while Viviana gets the roar of the crowd.
Alrec is overheard praising Viviana for: I guess the end of a fight is what really matters, which what I saw was a show of effective ruthlesness.
Ida is overheard praising Victus for: Exceptional fighting!
Viviana stands back up and with noticeable effort pulls her sword free of Victus' side, she thrusts the bloody weapon up into the air with a wince as the crowd applauds and beckons for a messenger as she quickly wipes her blade off and resheathes it, making her way towards the stairs as she climbs them with a noticeable limp and offers Edain's dagger back to him. "Thank you your Grace."
Niccolo is overheard praising Victus for: A true warrior, even in defeat.
Calandra arrives just in time for the finale, it seems. She lingers by the aisle near the benches, bursting into appreciative applause for the competitors as the battle comes to a close. "How thrilling," she murmurs, fingers lifting to clasp against her heart.
(OOC) Kima says: Audric, lol.
A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Viviana before departing.
Edain comes down to the edge of the stands as Vivian offers him back his dagger and bows to her, "Thank you for asking for my favor, I would say that I hope it brought you luck, but then I would feel I was being disrepsectful of your skill. Let me just say that you fought with honor, and I am proud you carried my favor into battle."
Kima continues to find reasons to laugh, lowering her head, shoulders bobbing with mirth. "Moofing," she repeats, a hand over her eyes. "I had never known the Oathlands possessed such dangerous creatures." She gives Audric a nudge with her elbow. "Put that down on the list with the unicorns and the trolls."
"I... I see, your grace," Audric says, managing to keep a straight face. "When my travels next take me to the Oathlands, I'll be sure to keep a wary eye out." He looks over at Kima, nodding solemnly.