cage match: thistle vs clover

[eonsadrift]

WHO: Clover, Thistle, and spectators!
WHERE: Thistle's yard
WHEN: Day 31

Comments

[belltolling]

[ Caster ... is surprisingly solid, especially for someone of her size. so much so that she is tackled but it doesn't get her to the ground; at most she stumbles back a step before .....


she tries to bonk him with her staff. again, at 30% of regular Servant strength which is still very very hard. ]

[survivaltricks]

[oh my god]

[does this mean he's clinging to her like a koala]

[this is so]

[undignified]

[ANYWAY, HE LETS OUT A STARTLED NOISE when she doesn't go down, but still continues to cling, to distract her from being able to cast her buffs on Zenith]

[and then the staff comes cracking down on his head]

[and down HE goes, a bit dazed??]

[dazed, but not completely out of it, thanks to his adrenaline from earlier-- he lashes out from the ground with one foot, trying to hook his foot around her ankle to trip her]

[belltolling]

[ there's a lot of dignity going on here today

he DOES manage to get that foot unsettled though so she goes down with a very indignant yelp. still, she clings to her staff, meaning there's not much she can do with her hands but she CAN try to kick him off ]


You're going to -- regret this -- !!

[survivaltricks]

Am I? I don't feel that regret just yet. . .!

[TRYING TO ROLL AWAY-- she gets a few good kicks in as he goes, though. MORE BRUISES]

[anyway time to pop back onto his feet and summon. . . A GIANT DRAGON to hover over her menacingly. he is breathing heavily though; keeping his Personas manifested like this is a little exhausting]

I can't. . . believe that you tried. . . to blow up our barn.

[belltolling]

So!! Even if your barn blew up a bit -- Lyra and Sonata died!

[ Caster's getting back to her own feet if he's getting away, staff upright, getting some of her distance back -- and casting again, though this time the +atk is self-focused rather than on Zenith.


it seems like buffing and bomb-throwing isn't the only thing she can do, because she's whirring the staff to have it pointing butt-end towards the Persona. a magical laser shoots off from the end of the staff towards it, since she's assuming it's bad news to just ignore that thing. ]

[survivaltricks]

[smart choice!! Lupin grunts in surprise, swiftly recalling Kohryu before the laser beam hits, knowing that the strike would have taken even more out of him had it actually landed. he sucks in a sharp breath and retaliates. . . not with a Persona, but by rushing forward, arcing his dagger at her in an overhead blow that he fully expects her to dodge]

I'm aware!

[belltolling]

So should I just accept that?!

[ Caster yells -- and she is in fact able to step back to dodge that strike, doing a half-jump away, her staff held out in front of her as a way to try to deter him from another melee hit ]

[survivaltricks]

Of course not!

[comes his shouted reply, and although her staff is there, he still whirls around to take another swipe at her with his dagger. the blade hits her staff, stalling there as he takes hin another breath]

I wouldn't expect you to. We wouldn't expect you to. That's why we're here-- to meet you head on!

1/2

[belltolling]

[ oh -- she's a bit surprised at the reply, but ... ]

2/2

[belltolling]

[ it's not an unpleasant one, and she pulls back with her staff, freeing it of the blade ]


Good! Because -- I'm not going to go easy on you!

[ with her grip re-adjusted she aims to swipe at his hand with the larger end of the staff, trying to see if she can knock that blade out of his grip ]

[survivaltricks]

Good! When you. . . care about something-- then you have to be-- willing to fight for it! With all of your heart!

So don't go easy on me-- come at me! With. . . your everything!

[he's gasping for air between each word, and his exhaustion-- plus her extra little sprinkles of luck-- means that she manages to strike his hand pretty solidly. his grip loosens, and the dagger flies from his fingers, landing blade-first into the ground a few feet away]

[he doesn't seem to care though, because now he is grabbing her staff and holding onto it as he rushes at her and tries to ELBOW HER IN THE FACE my god]

[belltolling]

[ MY GOD

again, that lands, but -- it's almost akin to hitting a (magical) brick wall with how little recoil there is. ]


You have to try ... harder than that!


[ she's not above shit-talking, and she's also not above using her fists and her feet. she tries to tug her staff out of his grip but at the same time she's stomping down hard on one of his feet, aiming to unbalance him with both moves ]

[survivaltricks]

[it works! plus, again: he's so tired. so he stumbles, definitely open for any follow up moves she might have]

[belltolling]

[ since he stumbles she's going to follow that up with another swing of her staff, bonking him upside the chin instead of directly on the head again ]

[survivaltricks]

[HE'S GONNA HAVE A CONCUSSION AFTER THIS?? OH MY GOD]

[also the usage of the word "bonk" is killing me]

[EITHER WAY, HE ISN'T DODGING THAT ONE, EITHER. it's enough to bring him down to the ground, right on his knees. and that's where he stays for. . . a few long moments, one hand pressed against his jaw, expression clearly dazed from so many hits to the head]

[belltolling]

[ beware the dreaded bonk



at that point Caster realizes it may be A LITTLE too many hits to the head, unlike Zenith she isn't actually out to murder anyone today, and she just sort of. stands above him ]


... Well! Do you admit defeat?

[survivaltricks]

[CASTER IS TOO KIND. . .]

[he holds up one finger, as if to say-- JUST A MOMENT-- while he reorients himself. the world is swimming. his vision is swimming!1]

[and then he musters up the very last of his SP to summon Satanael to try to bonk HER on the back with a single explosion of curse magic]

[but it's all he's got! whether the attack hits or not, that's the last of what he can do with a near-empty tank]

[belltolling]

[ -- Caster reacts just in time to throw up another barrier; but it's not her strongest one, and even as a Servant she only has a certain amount of magic she can draw on before it seriously begins to strain Zenith so there is some damage done.



she staggers, pulling up another barrier to replace the damaged one just in case, leaning on her staff some -- ]



I HATE HOW COOL THAT WAS


[ guess who still has a compulsory truth effect ]

1/2

[survivaltricks]

[I]

[I?????]

[survivaltricks]

[. . . KIND OF SPRAWLS HIMSELF ON THE GROUND, arms and legs spread to his sides, laughing almost a little maniacally. a little unhinged. a little tired!1]

Thanks for thinking I'm cool. . .!

[belltolling]

It was REALLY cool! I hate it! How dare you...!!!


[ STOMPING THE GROUND A LITTLE. SOMEONE IS COMPETITIVE ]

[survivaltricks]

[sitting up, panting for breath as he does so. he's so tired. he is thoroughly beaten. damn it, everyone was right. he got his ass kicked]

[somehow. . . he doesn't seem to mind]

Hey, don't sell yourself short. You are pretty cool, too.

[belltolling]

[ she wasn't expecting to get complimented how dare he x 2 ]


.................. thank you! But I'm still mad at you!

[survivaltricks]

[SORRY HE IS LIKE THIIIIIS HE ISN'T EVEN TRYING]

[. . . slowly climbing to his feet, dusting himself off]

Yeah. I know.

[breathes out]

. . . if this wasn't enough, come beat us up again tomorrow, okay?

[belltolling]

... alright! I'll see if Zenith was satisfied too, and if not ... we'll be back tomorrow!



[ she says, without consulting Zenith first. but she IS letting him get up ]