Lessons in Victimology: The Red Death versus The Summoner

Out of Character:

This arena uses Market Square, at the center of the Bazaar, there are no shops, no dropped items, and no loose cobblestones available for use. Market Square is 30 x 30 in size. Permission to bunny both characters as neccessary throughout the thread has been granted by me, as I own both characters as is well known by now.

It was a clear day, and a cold wind was blowing. Destrudo had recently finished making his first challenger of the pagoda suffer, but really, it wasn't satisfying, there was no challenge from Zaith Tenimi.

It was because of this that Destrudo was walking the markets, a few days later. He was hoping that someone with more skill than Zaith would see him and decide to challenge Destrudo's standing. It was by pure luck that he ran into an old Acquaintance of his from the citadel, Brother Onox.

"ONOX! What are you doing out here, finally come to fight me?" He asked the old man. Brother onox looked almost identical to Destrudo, except for his white hair, grey eyes, and slight differences in the jaw line. The man could have been his father, but he wasn't. Brother Onox was in fact an Aibrone monk, but what he was doing out in Scara Brae was a mystery to Destrudo.

"No, not me. I brought another to fight you, a worthy challenger named Irene Saaustu. Her name's much longer than that, but it doesn't bear repeating. I have the challenge slip, if you want it. Either way, she's on her way. I just wanted to deliver the message personally." Onox said.

"I don't want it, but, a girl? I'm fighting a woman? Fine, I guess it's only right I fight her hear in the Bazaar, that's all women are good for anyway is shopping and having children." Destrudo said.

"Heh, I know a number of women who would kill you for that remark. You have a lot to learn." Brother Onox said.

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As Irene approached the markets, she would inevitably make her way to Market Square, and as she did, it emptied. Normally a busy bustling place of business, today it would be the seen of battle. First she would step into the Market, and a ring of twenty monks would line the outer edges of the market, Brother Onox among them. Word had already spread of the unusual new warrior, and his peculiar choice of public fighting venues. Gambling already started, some beating on Destrudo, some beating on the unknown challenger.

In the ring all by herself, the crowd silenced at the approach of Destrudo, as he left a nearby shop.

Step...step...step...step...
His heavy steps echoed in the silence.

"Such a brave woman to challenge a man to a fight. I'll give you a chance to flee back to the kitchen where you belong. Give it up, you can't beat me, no one can beat The Red Death." Destrudo said with a note of rising danger in his voice. But he knew she wouldn't give up, and so he adjusted his stance for fighting, wondering what sort of challenge the unusual woman would bring him.

"Then, come on, monster, come get me." Destrudo challenged.

With those words, he rushed in to punch Irene in the face, and knock her out.

Irene was sailing to Scara Brae on the advise of a monk. A tall monk who introduced himself as Brother Onox approached her after the battle.

She remembered well his words.
"If you think you proved anything serious to anyone important by playing with a fairy, your wrong. If you want to prove you truly deserve what you have, if you really think you have the strength, you should sail to Scara Brae and challenge The Dajas Pagoda. The Warriors there will give you a through test. While I have confidence in them all, you should challenge one I know personally, their newest warrior, Destrudo. Out of all the Heirarchs, he will provide you with the greatest challenge." Onox said.

To her surprise, he vanished right after he said those words, just like that.

She wasn't taking him seriously, thinking he was just another monk with some peark of wisdom to ignore, but vanishing like that, maybe he was a messenger of the gods.
That was what inspired her to go to Scara Brae, and challenge Destrudo, it was why she was here now. To her surprise, there he was again, he really had to be a messenger of the gods, waiting for her at the pagoda.

"Your challenge is preparing himself. Perhaps you should walk the city until he's ready. I advise touring the Bazaar." Onox said.
She nodded, and after paying her last one hundred for the entry fee, headed out into the city. She wandered the bazaar for perhaps an hour, when suddenly she found herself surrounded by monks. Fear knotted in her stomach. She wasn't expecting this, perhaps one to take her back to the pagoda when it was time, but not twenty of them, and there was Onox again! Watching, as though in judgement. Then she began to understand, as the crowd made bets on wheter or not she would defeat the Warrior. Then she saw Destrudo.

A tall imposing man with a glowing red outline, she wasn't quite afraid of anyone before, but she was terrified of Destrudo, he seemed so powerful, and imposing. Plus why did he glow like that? She swallowed her fear and tried to put on a courageous face.

As Destrudo spoke, anger quickly blossomed in the place of fear, Her, belonging in the kitchen? Was he insinuating that men were somehow, superior? That a woman couldn't fight? The only thing unsettling was the fact that he called himself The Red Death, but that was ignored in place of indignation at the insult handed to her.
"Screw you and whatever hole you crawled out of! I think I'll carve a pound of flesh from you for women everywhere. Sexiest pig, I'll show you I can't fight!" She shouted at Destrudo.

Then he dared call her a monster. Normally, it would hurt to be called a monster. But angry as she was, it only made her angrier.

He came charging in, a fist fighter. Good, she wouldn't have to summon right off.

She ducked his blow and swiped at him with her claws, aiming for his face.

Destrudo couldn't help but be amused by the multi-colored woman's indignation. She reminded him of a clown. She was so odd looking, that it was hard for him to take her seriously. She'd have to do something amazing like summon a monster that was actually intimidating, or something.

He saw her claws coming for his face. He knew she'd dodge and try something stupid. He wasn't surprised that she'd use claws for fighting, she was a monster after all, and not a real person. He moved his head slightly back, enough that her claws missed him. He was taller than her anyway. He grabbed her arm in one hand, and in the other grabbed her by the throat. He picked her up and slammed her down on the cobblestone.

He didn't raise her too much, he didn't want to kill her, not right away anyways. But he did raise her to just above his waist when he slammed her.

Destrudo bent over and picked her up, setting her on her feet.
Not another damn massacre

He hurled her accross the arena, hoping for something to happen. Magic, a weapon, some skill, something!

Destruo got his wish. As Irene was sent across the Arena, pain shot across her sore stiff back from being slammed into the ground. He was clearly knowledgeable about fighting with his fist. She turned and glared at him, while Destrudo only smiled.

Irene's wings spread wide and erect as she slowly raised her arms towards the sky, levitating only an inch or two off the ground. She wavered and disappeared, as a natural thunderstorm spread across the sky. A Bolt of Lightning struck the ground, even as a fierce wind began to blow, leaving behind Hromagh's seal. Destrudo stepped back a pace or two, and brought his arm up slightly not knowing what to expect.
Hromagh's seal began to turn and spin, and as it did, lines radiated forth from it, forming other symbols and seals. Lightning flickered again, and thunder rolled. The first few drops of rain spattered down on the ground. It almost seemed as if the growing and swelling mound on the ground was caused by the rain.

"What in the name of the gods is going on here?" Destrudo demanded.

Yet no one answered, instead, the mound burst open, punctuated by a particularly loud roll of thunder, revealing Grath, Irene's Minotaur summons. Grath grabbed his axe as he stood up, and stepped out of the hole. One quick flash, of either lightning or magic, it was difficult to tell which, and the ground was as it was before the summons. As the pace of the rain picked up, Irene stepped out from behind Grath.

"Now boy, we'll see if you think women are still inferior." Irene said with a low throaty growl.
Grath and Destrudo stepped toe to toe, and Destrudo realized, at long last, he was in for a real fight. As tall as Destrudo was, Grath was taller, being a full twelve feet tall to destrudo's seven feet. The toe circled each other, sizing each other up, and then without warning, or any ceremony of any kind, Grath hefted his axe, and swung like he intended to chop a sapling down with a single blow.

Destrudo dodged the mighty ace blow just in time.
"Thank the gods, a real challenge." he snorted as punched Grath in the chest. His hand bounced off the chainmail in pain, and Grath grinned. He brought his axe around for another blow. Destrudo backpedaled quickly to avoid being struck, his mind racing to try and find an advantage, or a weakness.

He decided to try the back of the knees, and rushed back in, his legs coming around on the outside to kick at least one of his knees out.

Grath frowned as his axe missed. This man might be more interesting to fight than he first thought. He squinted through the rain and realized the glowing aberration was coming back for more. Grath felt a kick to the back of his knee, the pressure forcing him to go down on that knee. Holding his axe in his left he punched Destrudo in the face, and felt satisfaction as he felt his fist find flesh.

Destrudo seemed to be taking it all in stride, or so Grath thought. Grath could see Destrudo frowning as he pinched his nose shut for a moment, holding his head in pain.

"Heh, what's the matter little man? Not used to being hit back?" Grath asked. He couldn't really blame the man for the extended reaction to being hit, Grath was stronger than the average man. However his enhanced strength came from his summoner's spiritual strength, and Irene's spirit was strong indeed.

Grath stood and walked over to Destrudo. Hanging his axe at his side, he let his fists fly for a one two punch. Since his opponent fought bare handed, Grath would accommodate him to make things more interesting, and simply knock him around with his bare hands.

Gods that thing was strong! The realization that Destrudo was out matched in strength was not lost on Destrudo. Well, there was more than one way to skin a cat.

Destrudo grinned at the Minotaur. If his theory was right, and if Irene was killed, then the Minotaur would leave. He noticed the first blow coming, but got hit by the second square in the chest. Destrudo staggered back, choking and coughing. Regaining his breath as he moved he decided to dart around the Minotaur and stab Irene in the chest. To that end her pulled his dagger from it's place in his belt, and as he got close, brought the blade flying down towards his target's heart.

As Destrudo darted around the larger slower Grath, the minotaur struggled to keep up. Suddenly his heart leaped into his throat, as he saw Destrudo's Dagger go flying for Irene, he failed to protect her!

Irene had been standing there thinking, she didn't really do much after Grath arrived, she just stood around like a bystander. Maybe she could take a more proactive role in battle after he came.

Then Destrudo came flying around Irene, having figured out what she hoped no one ever would, that she was Grath's weakness. Defeat the summoner, defeat the summons. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as his dagger was whipped out of his belt, and brought flying towards her heart. Her pulse raced in fear. Maybe it was the warrior blood of her many and varied ancestors in her veins, maybe it was the blood of dwarfs, or demons, both very tough species yeilding powerful warriors, that pumped in her veins, she didn't know, but instinct she didn't know she had took over, as her hands reached up, and caught his hand.

Grath picked up and threw Destrudo across the arena, as time seemed to pick up it's normal pace again.

Destrudo was pleasantly surprised when Irene caught his hand. He thought she was just a pretender playing with spirits. Maybe there was some substance to this creature he fought.

Grath throwing him accross the arena though had been a bad surprise. He wasn't expecting to be grabbed by the midsection and tossed like a ragdoll.

He rolled with the throw, and slowly, and shakily, got to his feet. An idea struck him, and smiling, he suddenly knew how to win the fight. By now, the ground was slick with rain. This was going to hurt, but too much if he did it right.

He noticed Irene hiding behind Grath, letting him take the brunt of the action, yet there was just enough room for a halfling to slide through his legs. If destrudo slid at the right moment, he could get through.

So he did, Destrudo charged Grath, and at the last moment, dropped into a slide, feet first, assisted by the slipperyness of the rain. Grath grabbed for Destrudo, but missed, Destrudo's fist shot up, catching Irene in a sensitive area.

Grath realized the mistake had been all his, when Destrudo slid through. His stance had been to wide. So his growl of anger was not at Destrudo, but at himself. Irene's cry of pain at getting punched in an area she was not usually hit in made him even angrier.

Grath dropped his axe as he turned, getting down on all fours to gore Destrudo to death with his horns.

Destrudo realized there was a massive rampaging Minotaur chasing him down horns first and got to his feet as quickly as he could and took off running. He was fast, but not fast enough, to keep from being gored in the ass.

SHIT! That was the one thought that kept repeating through Destrudo's mind over and over as he rand from Grath. He was glad he had long legs, he could take longer strides, and run fast enough to keep Grath out of him.

He needed something to give him some breathing room to work here, and so almost breathless, he made on more lap on the outskirts of the arena, and turned for Irene, and like a coward, hid behind the skirts of her robe. This action brought chuckles from the crowd.

Grath himself skidded to a halt, and Irene turned quickly to face Destrudo.