Duel:Khitt v Gorehilt, Match 6 of the 2022 Vailkrin Tournament
Duel: Traditional 3 rounds with final defense, 20 minute posting limit. Stakes: Auto-hit to the winner plus loser has to buy expensive whiskey for the winner. Judges: Meri, Quintessa, Kanna
Dark Arena
The arena is filled with various corpses, both dead and undead alike. Several zombies seem to be carrying the corpses out of the arena, returning them to the masters they served. Many bodies here look disfigured and ill, clearly abominations constructed by necromancers to serve in the gladiator-like battles held here in the arena. Several of the other bodies though are completely normal, those of which were likely living participants that did not succeed in winning their matches. A battle must have recently gone on here, as the crowds of people step out of the entrance of the area. To the south is the way out, while to the north is a path leading to the back of the arena, and the castle beyond that.
Pre-duel Banter and Introduction
Quintessa is here to host the event tonight, currently seated in the commentary box next to Kanna. As people get seated, the Countess rises to begin the ceremony, a hand placed upon the podium to project her voice. “Ladies, gentlemen, and all those that lie betwixt, I am Quintessa of Castle Blackwell and I am proud to present to you all the second match of round two. Things are certainly ramping up aren’t they? After that last match it'll be tricky to keep up with the danger factor- but fear not; In Vailkrin we never run short of ideas to kill you. Now, without further ado… Kanna, if you will?” Quintessa stands to the side to allow the bardess to take over.
Leoxander didn’t necessarily want to be back in Vailkrin so soon, but he couldn’t miss the contest between Gorehilt and Khitt. At least, he assumed from rumor it would be Khitt against the half orc. Having suffered a bit of real sleep for the first time in a few days, Lorevelle wasn’t given the option to walk on her own two feet. The pirate walked alongside Mahri with the petite book keeper, probably still bundled in layers, attached to his back for the ride. Once Mahri stepped ahead to find their seats, only then would he let Lora’ slide from that piggyback position, a hand touching lightly against her spine to guide her to sit beside the she-wolf while he settled at her opposite side. She wasn’t likely to get cold between the two, but he had that elderberry medicine in his pocket just in case the coughing started back up. With the silver eyed woman’s treatment to the Mouse the night before, it wasn’t as much of a concern. The same couldn’t be said about whatever Quintessa had in store that day, and the look from blue eyes through blonde in her direction was not a friendly or pleasant one.
Kanna rises from the stands to greet the guests, wearing a Rynvalian gown with colors bisected down the middle in support of each fighters. A soft jade green on one side with jasmines embroidered for the beautiful Gualonian swamps, and an electrifying deep purple on the other that flickers as if it were made of fire. "On this end of the arena, we have a well-seasoned fighter that's a fan favorite. You know him, you love him, let me hear you shout for GOREHILT!"
Shishi arrives right on time with Orange and Yellow in tow. The twins flank their father, Arius scanning the crowd for people he knows that he can wave to, and for someone taking bets on tonight's fight. Leralynn is even more covered up than usual in a long sleeve shirt and dark pants with her enoki cloak accessory that has been modified to include a dark hood that he has drawn up over her head. A single large braid of blonde hair cascades out of the hood over her left shoulder, exposing her identity if the pair of dual headed humanoid skeletons trailing her don't already...
Leoxander spared Mahri’s ears the shrill whistle he would have produced from a bite of fingers and a curl of tongue as Gorehilt was announced, but he did give a half arsed clap of work-worn hands before slouching forward to brace the weight of his shoulders on arms draped over the tops of his legs. He cast a glance toward Shi and his twins and might have been wondering what he might steal from Orange in the way of snacks, but he hadn’t had much of an appetite lately.
Gorehilt goes through his usual routine of stretches and forms, putting his body and his weapon through the paces. The half-orc is dressed in his usual armor, and he bears his ordinary arms, a pair of spiked gauntlets and a shiny spear. A dull spear? A black spear? The longer you look at it, the harder it is to tell, almost as though the spear wants to shy away from your attention. As his name is called, the half-orc hops up from a lunge, gives his limbs a loosening shake, and trots out into the ring.
Kanna say, "And on this end, it's the Shadowfire Stunner from Vailkrin's very own Necromancer's Guild, making their fighting debut here tonight, let me hear you give a big Vailkrinese scream for KHITT!"
Meri screams extra loud for Khitt.
Khitti || Khitt was just out of sight on his side of the arena as the announcer(s) did what they needed to. This was absolutely his element and just like usual during his bare-knuckle boxing matches, he took the few moments to warm up for the match. The witch pulled off his suit coat, and threw it up to his wife Annette who sat in the stands above him, trying hard to contain her drooling and fangirling over her husband as he braided his hair, then tended to the rest of his outfit. The sleeves to his dark purple button-up shirt were rolled up just above his elbows and the new black leather fingerless gloves Khitti had looted from the Gloom slipped onto his hands. Metal plates etched with runes were fixed to the back of the hands and long the back of the knuckles. Khitt threw punches at the air then when he was ready, pretending like it was a punching bag, his booted feet constantly on the move. When his name was called, Khitt grabbed a shot glass of whiskey that was being held by one of the arena attendants, downed it, then moved out towards the middle of the arena and threw his fists up into the air. The gesture was met with fangirl screams from Annette and the plenty of fans from his matches in Craughmoyle that had gathered to see him fight, helping to fill the stands even more than usual. He couldn’t help but grin at the screams, but the look was soon replaced by one of concentration as he set his sights on Gorehilt finally. He’d offer the half-orc a nod in acknowledgement, then checked to make sure his gloves were on tight enough.
Lita made it back to Vailkrin against the wishes of others. She'd wanted to watch Gorehilt's fight in the arena. She's dressed in loose black cotton slacks and a white tee shirt that's too big for her frame, habds shoved into the pockets of her suede olive green overcoat. She's still barefoot. She claps for Gorehilt when his name is announced and finds a seat on the other side of Mahri. She'll wait 'til after the match to check on Lora but she reaches behind the she-wolf to scratch a brief if not friendly greeting at Lora's shoulder.
Mesdoram shouts indifferently at both combatants. Not nice things either.
Quintessa || Saorsa joins them to serve as referee from her own, protected booth in the stands, her hand placed upon her podium. “Before we begin, have you both discussed any wagers, stakes, or special rules for this bout? If not we will default to standard rules (20 min post limit, autohit awarded to winner). Have the duelists agreed on who will be attacking first? If not, the hosts may decide for you. Judges please keep in contact with us during this match, if three judges have not been selected yet I will appoint people to fill the remaining slots.”
Khitti said, "Stakes, in addition to the usual standard, is whomever loses buys the winner a barrel of the best whiskey from the distillery in Sage Forest. I don't care who goes first."
Kanna does some math on her fingers. That's some expensive whiskey.
Gorehilt said, "I agree with those stakes. Since Khitti doesn't care, I'll go first."
Quintessa || “If both duelists agree to and understand the rules, say ‘Ready,’ and the environmental hazard shall be introduced.”
Gorehilt said, "Ready."
Khitti said, "Ready."
Environmental Challenge
Kanna opens her arms wide as the arena and spectator stands are flooded with thousands, if not millions of EXTRA HAIRY INVISIBLE SP-- just kidding.
23:20:02Kanna || From the sidelines, criss-crossing lines of magic encircle the arena to protect the onlookers from what is about to come. Overhead, a swirling black mass of clouds forms, thundering and roiling as it builds in intensity. "For today's environmental hazard, may we present the Cenrili Typhoon!" A crack of lightning reaches down to the spot directly between the two contestants, and the storm clouds part to unleash the deluge of rain. There is a silent few moments as the rain falls, but curiously, the water does not drain into the ground below. Instead, the water rises at an alarming pace. "If you haven't caught on yet, you have about three minutes before this arena fills up over your heads completely, both with seawater and your new friends. We aren't quite so cruel to let you drown, however, your new friends wouldn't like that one bit!" On cue, gelatinous creatures fall from the skies into the waters that are now ankle-deep for both contestants. At the same time, a very thick patch of slippery rock rises between the two, creating a hill ten feet long and five feet high at it's peak, with barely enough room for both Khitt and Gorehilt to stand side-by-side on it. The gelatinous creatures rise to the top of the water, revealing highly venemous jellyfish. The creatures float on top of the surface before disappearing into the murky depths below. One curious and likely very intoxicated attendee on the sidelines does not heed the warnings and reaches through the safety barrier to touch one of the beautiful creatures. One touch of the delicate chiffon tentacles forces him to recoil with an anguished scream, ripping his now torn leather glove off to show his hand. The poor drunk's fingers swell to be three times their normal size, and staff quickly descend on the man to get him to the healers. By this point, the waters are knee-deep and rapidly rising. Satisfied that she need not explain further, Kanna calls over the thunderous storm, "Let the games begin!"
Valrae arrives slightly closer to on time than typical for the witch. She’s made herself an oversized tunic shirt with Khitt’s name and the words “is number ONE” painted underneath it. Her golden hair is pinned up in a messy bun on the top of her head, her soft cotton pants tucked into well worn, tall leather boots. There were no less than ten openly armed Cenrili guards trailing behind her, one unlucky one tasked with carrying her oversized pink bag. She stops to grab herself a beer and popcorn before she plops herself into the stands, waving at familiar faces as she passes them by.
Lita said to Mahri, "Healing. That stunt you pulled the end of our match was harsh." It's a compliment. "Xiem might not be happy if he knows I trekked back up here so soon, so you're my excuse." She leans sideways against Mahri's shoulder with a grin. "How about you? Still kickin'? How's the new tattoo look?"
Leoxander followed Lita’s passing to Mahri’s other side with his eyes, that sidelong look fixed upon the vampire a moment with a brief down and back glance that took in her new look for the day. Whatever Lora had packed away in case of ‘emergency’ had been drained by the pirate over the last couple days, so he just had to sit there with no bad habit to indulge in until he found a reason to start swearing again. For now, Leo’s low voice would be heard somewhere in the blend of cheers. “Le’s go, Spike.”
Mesdoram wonders if he is the intoxicated attendee this time... maybe a few more whiskeys could help.
Kanna covers the speaking runes to ask Quintessa, "I thought the Harmless Hopping Jellyfish were blue, those are pink?"
Quintessa said to Kanna, "It’s probably some mutation or something- nothing to worry about. It’s fine."
Quintessa said, "...unless they have deadly neurotoxin."
Shishi whistles at the hazard as it is added to the field. Meanwhile Yellow lets out a "Gwah~ Jellies... Cool." He would have said that about any animal that would have been added, honestly. Orange just puffs her cheeks out, barely visibly under her hood, thinking that she is happy this wasn't the modification to the arena for her next fight.
Mahri looks up as the typhoon forms, almost wishing this had been their hazard rather than silver and dragon's blood. Heaving a sigh that made her back ache, Mahri glances over at Lita, "Very cheery. Thanks." Absently she touched the spot the smiley face resided. "You didn't do too bad yourself. Who do you fight next?"
Kanna is still for about five seconds as the words sink in. "Oh, then that would mean we checked the box for the Harmful Hazardous Jellyfish on the aquarium checkout form." For a moment, that seems to be it. Then, without warning, Kanna stands and races down to the steps to find and assist the tournament Healers.
Mesdoram said to Magik, "Welcome to the party, pal! (His drunken words are so incoherent, you caught none of that)"
Magik said to Mesdoram, "I'll kill you where you stand."
Meri gives Magik a good snug and then whispers conspiratorially, "Do you think the drow is trying to poison us? He's being very generous with that whiskey."
Magik said to Meri, "Probably."
Valrae said to Magik, "I don't know how long he'll be standing. You might have to kill him wherever he uh... Falls."
Meri said to Valrae, "No way, I will help pick him back up just so Magik can kill him where he stands."
Magik said to Valrae, "*following Meri's comment* And then I'll kill him again."
Valrae nods at Meri, shoving popcorn into her mouth. "Good plan,"
The Duel
23:38:10Gorehilt waits for Kanna's announcement with anxious anticipation, cracking his knuckles inside his gauntlets one at a time and bouncing lightly from foot to foot. He hasn't forgotten the fearsome hazards of last match, and he'd already promised himself not to be caught off guard, whatever the tournament staff might throw at him this time. The thounder makes the hair stand up down his neck, the rain gives him goosebumps, and his feet are moving the moment the land begins to rise. As if he needed an excuse to run faster, the introduction of jelly monsters spurs him on, and he uses his spear to vault the last few strides onto the rain-slicked island in the center of the field. Rather than climbing up to the center, however, Gorehilt employs his armor spikes for traction, carefully working his way around the edge of the little hill to cut off Khitty from the safety of land. "So that's how they do things here, is it?" Reading the clear parallels between this fight and the last, Gorehilt wastes no time spearing a jellyfish. "Catch!" The half-orc whips his spear, flicking the jelly at Khitt like a venemous booger. The blade whistles as he slashes the air on a backswing, setting up a threatening periphery on Khitti's side of the rock. Stepping carefully, he'll inch his way around just above the waterline, keeping himself between his opponent and safety, and making sure to hog all the best footholds. Tongue out in concentration, he skewers another jellyfish and flicks it up out of the water again, trying his darnedest to splat one right on Khitti's face. "Shove off! Rock's taken!"
Mesdoram 's balance is perfect... his drunken sways are choreographed perfectly with the might Cenrili Typhoon. The drow has much on his empty mind today and abandons his best friends for more companies to spread merry with.
Magik boos the half-orc. Super loud. Not without covering Meri's ears first. Mag's very passionate about being anti-orc and he'll let Gorehilt and everyone else know.
Meri winks to Valrae after nodding in agreement with Magik.
Meri appreciates Magik, she would rather not go deaf at a young(-ish) age.
Leoxander might have mentioned that Orange wouldn’t feel that way if she’d taken a lightning bolt to the backside if she had spoken her opinions out loud, but as it was the familiar sight of the artificial sky had him studying the storm and instinctively wrapping an arm around Loravelle’s shoulders. “I don’ suppose they’d get much of sport out’a this if they weren’t.” In other words, thank you Ms. Obvious. He tears his attention from the fight long enough to look toward Magik, Meri, and the man that ever seemed to be hovering around them like a fly on fruit.
Lita catches Lora's greeting but doesn't reply, distracted by the sudden wrath of lightning and water going on in the arena. And jellyfish? She makes a face at that. Even with the silver and dragons blood, she preferred her feet on solid ground. "No idea." She says honestly to Mahri. "But the way these environmental factors are going..." she shakes her head a bit, eyes glued to the arena. She fishes in her coat pocket for a minute, finding a few odds and ends before an old flask is dug up. She opens it, sniffing the contents. Still whiskey. She leans back a bit, stretching with a slight wince to nudge the flask against the back of Leo's shoulder. Seeing as he was empty handed.
Lita finds popcorn and throws it at Magik as he boos Gorehilt. Rude.
Meri offers a subtle nod to Leo when he notices him looking the direction of MerMag and their drow 'friend.' The couple very much seem to enjoy hating on him. Why? Harder to tell.
Leoxander looked Lita's way at the nudge and after a moment he took the flask from her, sniffing it as well but not out of lack of trust. He still hadn't really had an opportunity to speak with her since Frostmaw but another bell wouldn't hurt. Taking a long drink and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he hoarded it a few minutes for one more to follow before he secured the lid and handed it back with a slight nod.
Lita figures alcohol goes a long way for the beginnings of an apology and she takes the flask back from the pirate to pocket once more.
Mahri would have intercepted that pass if her reflexes were back up to par. She'll settle for an arched brow, expectant look at Lita. "Where's mine?"
Magik gets hit with the popcorn right on his temple as he whispers to Meri. He also thinks whoever threw that might is just as rude for not rooting for Khitt.
23:55:58Khitti || Khitt basked in the rain as the thunder and lightning boomed and cracked overhead, that grin from earlier returning. Until the jellyfish was whipped in his direction anyway. He managed to avoid the first one with an almost too late shadowstep out of the way. Shadow-ice patches built up under his feet as he ran along the rising water, lifting him to the surface, as shadowstepped yet again to position himself behind Gorehilt for only mere seconds, long enough to summon up shadowfire on both fists and give the half-orc a one-two punch to his back before teleporting away again. But the second teleport failed him as Gorehilt is successful in his jelly-flicking. It hit him with its bulbous body, launching Khitt up into the air like a kid in a balloon castle. Of course, what goes up, must come down, and Khitt was well enough out of it at the moment that his descent left him to fall right splat on top of another jellyfish, this one giving him a proper warning shock with a tentacle to get him the hell off. The twilight witch screamed and shadowstepped off back into the water, his back on fire from the venom. It was clear that Khitt didn’t need the rock though, as he summoned up a board of ice beneath his feet and surfed his way around the jellies, while trying to keep an eye on Gorehilt for his next attack.
Mesdoram shakes his head at himself. "No, she would never go for that." The drunken man begins to argue loudly with himself - they both make good points.
Lita hands the flask over to Mahri with an apologetic grin. "You're right, I'm sorry Your Majesty."
Mahri snorts, a half smile turning up a corner of her mouth and takes the flask for a drink. "As you should be, peasant."
Mahri gives her attention back to the fight. What if Lita was going to fight one of these two? Who would she rather see the vampire go against. The witch or the warrior. It's a toss up, really.
Lita mumbles something under her breath about how that smiley face could just as easily have been her name. But she'll cough a little to clear her throat when Mahri probably gives her a look.
Shishi 's daughter actually only has a couple different snacks today for someone to attempt to steal; some popped corn and little donuts, neither of which she's touched at all. The girl is transfixed on the fight, more specifically the magic that Khitt is throwing around.
Lita should be paying more attention to the arena. But she's better at winging things that making plans. She won't be too thrilled to go toe-to-toe with whatever magic Khitt has though. Where the heck did they get ice from anyway?
Mesdoram stumbles around a bit and shouts obscenities towards the combatants. "Worthless garbage! Fight me!!" With that, he finds himself near Mahri, Leo, and Lora whom he's had little to no interaction with besides Leo. "You three!! What is the score?" Not waiting long for an answer, he turns back to the duel eagerly waiting for half-orc Gorehilt to smite Khitt with a comical-size boulder... or whatever orcs hit people with.
Kanna returns to her seat, her complexion ashen. "There's enough antivenom for both of them. I hope."
Quintessa gives Kanna a curious look. "So? Is it neurotoxin? How venomous are they?"
00:14:58Gorehilt has to employ his spear briefly as a walking stick, catching himself against the force of two buffeting blows against his backplate, metal ringing noisily as his boots crunch and squeak against the slick wet rocks. He catches himself, overcompensates, and falls backward on his tukus. His pride and his butt bruised, the half orc carefully pushes himself back to his feet and climbs a couple paces higher up the rock. "Oh come on," the orc taunts, beating his chest. "You mom and I been going steady, every weekend behind the Hanging Corpse. The first time, she charged me five silver. Now I get a frequent shopper's discount. I'd tell you what she likes to call me, but the refs might fine me for vulgar language. Instead, I'll just ask you, because I'm genuinely curious, how'd a hot mama like her have such an ugly kid?" Gorehilt taunts, doing his best to get the better of Khitti's emotions. Will he succeed in goading him back to the rock? Can Gore troll him? Will Khitti take the bait? "Oh yeah," his smile twists, and he dons his very best schoolyard bully smirk, "by the way, you punch like a lil' sissy girl." Too low? Not for Gorehilt. He clearly aims to enrage his opponent and unsettle Khitti's psyche.
Kanna whispers gravely. "More venomous than Magik's mother, I'm afraid."
Magik said to Kanna, "Hey!"
00:30:44Khitti || Khitt snorted at Gorehilt’s verbal attack. “Oh? What does her skeleton call you, bro? Should I bring her back from the dead so she can rip your heart out like she did with the first Sound of Sirens’ drummer? Come ooooon, bro. You can’t rattle me.” He continued to surf around as they exchanged verbal blows, but came to a halt once Khitt’s fighting was insulted. Narrator: He was definitely rattled. There was a split second of a glare before Khitt jumped up off of the ice-board and shadowstepped into the air. In much the same way as he and Khitti did during concerts, he propelled himself up into the storm, the electricity in the air raising the hair along his arms and neck. And then he fell. But instead of a descent down into the usual crowdsurfing, violent purple shadowflames exploded from the bottoms of his feet, forcing the redhead back down to the waterlogged arena, his aim set straight for Gorehilt. And just when it seemed like he’d go to punch him in the face, long braided tendrils of shadows leapt from Khitt’s fingers and soared through the air to latch onto anywhere they could on the orc. At the last second, Khitt veered to the right a little, the fire in his boots dying out as he dived down beneath the temporary depths, with the intent on dragging Gorehilt down with him and the jellyfish.
Leoxander leaned in to finally murmur a response to Lora, now that he wasn’t having makeshift projectiles aimed his way. “He could fix a bit more on the whole ‘fightin’’ part of it but that added bit with the man o’wars doesn’t give him a lot of room to gallop. Tryin’ to get under the redhead’s skin, I’d guess, but I don’t see Khitt bitin’ that bait.”
Mahri 's just watching the fight, half listening to Leo and Lora and a lot of stealing that flask from Lita.
00:50:38Gorehilt burns with elated glee. That's right, bring it in. Grinning ear-to-ear, Gorehilt ascends to the rock's apex and drops his stance. Heart racing with the thrill of having scored the cruelest touch, one upon the heart, he waits with burning breath and rapidly climbing endorphins. Eyes wide, he watches Khitti's ascent. His orcish blood races with the thrill of an impending melee. "Wait for it," he breathes to himself. The light of Khitti's fires grow brighter and closer against the dark clouds. Gorehilt braces. "Wait for it." Gorehilt can feel the individual raindrops on his skin, can see slow around him as his adrenaline spikes. "Come on," the edges of his vision throb red as the punch rocks back. Alive and thrumming, deep in his visceral, martial element, Gorehilt's muscles finally tick. "And pivot," Gorehilt steps out, twisting away from the blow, tearing the slick metal of his rainsoaked armor from the grasping tips of the tendrils, whipping his spear around himself with a forceful spin that aims to come down against Khitti's back and turn the meteoric momentum against the shadow boxer. It's a pivot, his blade following the natural motion of Khitti's descent, closing down toward the small of his back. His taunt has earned him an opportunity, and now Gorehilt plans to cash in. When Khitti goes down into the water, Gorehilt figures he can hold him there. If he can, the dirty-talking, dirty-fighting knight will pin his opponent beneath the water and keep him trapped without air... and in very treacherous company.
01:02:58Khitti || Khitt’s plan was foolproof. Totally seamless. Except, it wasn’t, and he quickly realized this as he’s thrust down into the water by Gorehilt’s spear. He struggled and struggled against it, water seemingly entering his lungs and drowning the poor boxer. His body slowly floated downward into the water, the darkness of the stormy tides pulling him down. Or so it seemed. All that struggling was really Khitt fighting with a jellyfish beneath the water, trying to ensnare it within his shadow tendrils. He succeeded, but not without another bout of venom on the jelly’s side of things, Khitt’s legs practically on fire, as if he’d left those shadow flames going. But all that pain wasn’t for naught as he pulled the jelly with all the combined might of his own muscle and the magic that made up the tendrils themselves, slingshotting it up into Gorehilt’s face. The instant it’s loosed, Khitt shadowstepped to the other side of the rock Gorehilt had claimed for GoreLandia and clung to the side, gasping for air, his lungs now just as on fire as the rest of his body.
Lita lets out a loud whistle in cheer for Gorehilt. If she knew it, she'd start a chant of whatever drunken shanty served as GoreLandia's anthem.
01:16:56Gorehilt steps forward, spear in hands, trying to keep pressure on Khitti, advancing the pin. He figures he'll just push right through his opponent until he feels the blade scrape bottom. Well, the best laid plains of mice and half-men, as the ancient proverb goes. The jellyfish abruptly erupts from the water. Gorehilt gasps. Adrenaline throbbing in his veins, blood throbbing in his airs, the knight can only watch in slow-mo as the jelly flies up majectically out of the water and right toward his face, gliding on strands of shadow. His brain does the only thing he can thing of. Gore lets go of his spear with one hand, reaches up, and catches it in his fist with a soft, anticlimactic squish. "Ah. Ah dang." The pain of anticipation clouds Gorehilt's face before the pain of, uh, PAIN further contorts his features. Too late, his already swollen hand drops the jellyfish on the rocks. Gore staggers back and falls, again, on his but, but this time he does't notice. He's just kind of staring up in glazed horror. From the bottom of his heart, and he really means it, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!"
After Duel/Wrap-up
Quintessa said, "Elazul’s Bite, what a duel. Please give the judges a few moments to discuss this and make up our minds."
Leoxander stood up from his seat among the Mouse, the Alpha and Ace, approaching the edge of the stands with arms folding over his chest as he searched between Khitt and Gorehilt’s position, a slight wince afforded for the half-orc’s loud scream. He glanced back toward the three women and murmured. “So whose got enough strength to drag his ass out’a there after this?” The question was redundant. He knew they were all still recovering for some reason or another and the task would fall to him. It was unfortunate, the location of that last sting, and Gore’ just better be glad there was a proper medic somewhere, rather than the remedy sailors had to resort to in the middle of the ocean.
Quintessa said, "We’ve come to a conclusion!"
Quintessa said, "After a tough fight our winner is… Kanna, would you grace us with the answer please?"
Kanna rises from her seat and claps her hands together. With a simultaneous clap of thunder to quell the crowd for their attention, the bardess leans into the speaking runes. "Friends, foes, and all fighters that lie between, this was an amazing, if not downright entertaining duel to watch, but there can only be one winner tonight. Put your hands together for KHITT! And be sure to give plenty of commiserations for Gorehilt and his wallet, may it rest in peace when they go get their drinks. Please come backstage for some antivenom and celebratory ale.
Lita stands, clapping for both contestants. It was a dang good fight all around.
Gorehilt said to Khitti, "AAAAAAHHHH well done, would fight again anytime, thanks for the great duel AAAAAAAAHHHH"
Valrae stands and screams really, really loud for Khitt. The guard closest to her covers his ears.
Lita said to Leoxander, "How about you get that one," nodding to the arena and Gorehilt, "and we'll uh, between the three of us get each other.""
Loravelle , even if she weren't sick, would still be too weak to actually be much help. That didn't mean that she wouldn't try. With her fever broken, she even starts to get up to try lending a hand too if Leo wanted the help, but something tells her she'll either be tugged back down into her seat or pushed back down. Either way, she hopes both Gorehilt and Khitt are alright down there. Particularly Gorehilt. Mostly not due to bias for orcs and Gualon-folk. She just can't imagine the sort of pain he must be in and winces at his screams.
Quintessa gave 5000 gold to Gorehilt.
Quintessa gave 5000 gold to Khitti.
Mahri eyes Leo and huffs a breath. But, she'll agree with Lita. "We can get Mouse back just fine between us." Herself and Lita that is. Even know the both of them are much stronger than Lora. Sorry, kiddo.
Leoxander murmured in response to Lita’s suggestion. “Yeah…” Arms fell and one hand slipped to retrieve something out of his pocket before he sought to descend whatever stairs there might be or hop the barrier onto the arena grounds as that water, hopefully, started to drain away, perhaps leaving a scattering of still, translucent blops on the damp ground if it did. He waited until there was some sort of path to the half orc with a glance and a slight nod in Khitt’s direction, should he catch it, but sought to help the screaming warrior at least get out of there if he was having trouble seeing passed the blinding pain.
Khitti || After taking a much needed breather thanks to nearly drowning, Khitt pulled himself up onto the rock that Gorehilt was having himself a lovely pain-induced nap on. “Hey buddy, c’mere.” Khitt was a total bro. He’d help Gorehilt up to a standing position. He even dusted his new punching buddy off a bit. “You did good, kid. I gotta tell ya. You really pissed me off. But, I’ve got someone better to introduce you to than my mother. He’s Craughmoyle’s current reigning bare-knuckle boxing champion.” He paused for a moment, letting things sink in, then smirked. “It’s -me-.” The smirk faded as he pulled his right arm back, his elbow bent at the necessary 90 degree angle, and swung as hard as he could. All four knuckles would connect with the side of Gorehilt’s head, leaving the half-orc to finally realize why Khitt Herzegler’s name was constantly in the sports page of all the papers in Lithrydel: It was Khitt’s monster of a right hook that had an unbeaten knockout record. “You lemme know when you’re ready for our whiskey date, kid.” He’d let the poor half-orc keep that rock he so desperately wanted during the match, as Khitt summoned up an ice-board again and went to find his wife… and the healers.
Leoxander winced from the sidelines for that final strike.
Valrae winces as Khitt throws that last punch. She cheers one more time before letting her men escort her back to her carriage and the long ride back home to Cenril.
Gorehilt gets K.O.'d good and proper. He sees stars and planets and stuff. Tiny angels and devils spin around his cranium and he is, quite mercifully, rendered unconscious. Well, if he was going to get punched out, at least it took a haymaker from a league champ. All in all, if Gore had to lose, he wouldn't want to lose other way. Sweet dreams, greenskin.
Loravelle is just fine with hanging back with Mahri and Lita. She didn't want to get her hands dirty anyway or risk touching those jellyfish. For all she knew, she might be allergic and somehow get even more sick. After turning to cough, she wonders if she's about to get scooped up for another piggy back ride or if Mah and Lita will let her walk to wherever they're headed after Leo takes care of Gore.
Mahri glances at Lita, nudges her with the point of her elbow and inclines her head towards Lora, "Walk or carry? We can go to the Hanging Corpse. It's not far." Mah's not sure what Leo would think of that, but oh well.
Lita winces at seeing that last blow against Gorehilt's temple. Yikes. She glances at Mahri and then to Lora. "You get one arm I'll get the other? Best of both worlds."
Leoxander finally made his way to the fallen greenskin, side kicking a jellyfish or two out of the way once he got near Gorehilt's prone frame. That little extra touch from Khitt was amusing, helping the man up onto to knock him on his arse again. "Come out'a it, mate." The rogue crouched down and rested his arms over his knees for a moment, glancing toward the spear that had been dropped on the rock now known as Gorelandia. Trying to coax the woozy warrior to open his eyes, Leo would be next in offering a clasp of hand and pulling his weight to his feet and back to try to get Gore' up onto his own plated boots, eventually stooping to pick up the polearm if there wasn't some sort of enchantment-to-the-wielder protection preventing him from retrieving it.
Mahri didn't miss that hit by the way, she's just got other things on her mind. Glancing down into the arena, she made sure Leo had the half-orc in hand. It looked like he was handling things well enough. "Sure," to Lita while she stood, albeit a little slower than she'd have liked. "C'mon Mouse. Let's go."
Loravelle blinks. “The C-Corpse...?” She had a bad experience there once, but it was entirely due to her own stupidity. Visiting Vailkrin entirely alone because she heard there was a library nearby worth visiting. In Lita and Mahri's company, she trusted she'd be safe. “I'd like to walk, please...” She thinks she can handle it. She's pretty tough. Ask Gorehilt. ...Ask him later when he's feeling better.
Gorehilt is kinda woozy, but the orcish blood is strong in this one. Some sort of autonomous post-battle reflex reacts to Leo's guiding hands. Gore woozily gets to his feet, grimaces against the pain, curses a lot, tries to flex his swollen fingers, then curses some more. The pain helps jolt him back to reality, and he's soon standing on his own two feet. The spear, meanwhile, isn't easy to look at, and the first time Leo tries to grab it, the spear might foil the lycan's depth perception or hand-eye coordination. It could take a couple tries to actually put his fingers around it, and it feels awkward and unbalanced in Leoxander's grasp. "Medic." Gorehilt laughs, groans, laughs again. "Seriously, which way." Beside his hand, his face has a lovely knot swelling up that could definitey stand some attention.
Lita gives Mahri a dubious look and then glances back at Lora. "Sure but any sign of trouble and you get carried without complaint, deal?" She'll move to Lora's other side, putting the girl between herself and Mahri so they can help her down the stands and away from the arena.
Leoxander was initially a little confused by and had to glance at his empty hand after two tries before he snatched it quickly like the spear was trying to duck and avoid his grip, but he wasn’t completely unfamiliar with people putting some failsafe on their choice weapons to avoid it being lost or stolen. A firm thump on the back, not too hard mind you, but right about where he’d been punched with his coating of armor and he said. “You don’ need a medic. You need a drink. But we’ll see what we can do to patch you up or hit the healers if it’s that bad.” Handing over the dizzying spear, he kept a hand on the half-orc to make sure he walked forward and didn’t topple that way or backward. Blue eyes raised to see the direction the three dark haired women were heading. “Looks like the ladies’ got their destination in mind. An’ I got somethin’ for you. Shall we?”
Mahri snorts a laugh at Lora's expense, but whatever side Lita takes, she'll take the other. Lora's going to set the pace.
Gorehilt seems a lot surer with his trusty spear in hand, and he employs it as a walking stick. Leo's appeal to machismo works, and the half-orc assents to the suggestion with a sly, if somewhat lopsided, grin. "Now we're talkin. How about a scotch and water, hold the water." With his grit and courage back in hand, he follows, cracks jokes, and continues to make occasional denigrating comments about Khitti's mother. Also. He definitely grabs a bottle of antivenom on his way out. Acting tough will only get you so far, folks.