View source for WMAT B2 Jericho Hawke vs. The Masked Knight

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/13
|Location=WMAT Arena - Northern Mountains
|Synopsis=Jericho Hawke faces off against the Masked Knight (Lucatiel), who appears to have brought a sword to a gunfight.
|Thanks=To Jericho Hawke, for being a fantastic opponent, and Vinyl Scratch, for being a fantastic announcer!
|Cast of Characters=66, 78, 270
|Tinyplot=WMAT 2014
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Its one thing when a pony wants to commentate for the WMAT. Its a whole different story when they bring in a ton of DJ'ing equipment, music, some turn tables, and even a frog! yes a frog. No its not Wubby but hey, missed the little guy, so she found herself a new frog! It likes to jam, much as the DJ does. "Alriiiiiiiiiight! Welcome to the next battle in the WORLD. MARTIAL. ARTS. TOURNAMENT! Lets get our competitors into the ring and get this party started!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Well it seems that once again Jericho has found himself out on the field of combat for the World Martial Arts Tournament. Not that he expected any less. Making it to the second round was something he had expected to do since the very begining, and it was here that he expected the battles would become a lot more dificult. The cowboy has ridden in on his horse, left Challenger at the staging area, and gathered his weapons up under his duster.<br /><br />     His loadout was remarkably similar to his last fight, as he was once again facing off against a melee centric Elite. Not that he wasn't a capable melee fighter in his own right, but sometimes you just want to have a nice gunfight. Once he was in position in the center of the arena, he looked around, glancing up to the crowd that had gathered, and tipping his hat to them, while waiting for his opponent.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  Here in the Northern Mountains lies another arena for the great martial arts competition. Higher up than the others, the air here is crisp and clean, so cold it burns the lungs.<br /><br />  The 'ring' in question is an alpine meadow, perched high bewteen peaks. There isn't a formal line, but the sheer cliffs and the treacherous footing are delineation enough.<br /><br />  Jericho's opponent is already here, and one has to wonder how long they've been here, leaning against the trunk of a tree with arms folded and head downturned.<br /><br />  The Masked Knight is an enigmatic figure that nobody seems to know too much about; the only real facts are that they are incredibly quick on their feet, deadly with a sword in hand, and a skillful combatant with both rapier and cavalry greatsword. Also they have a horse, but they appear to have left the destrier behind today. Lastly, it seems the Masked Knight is actually a woman; her hair is long and braided, hanging to the small of her back.<br /><br />  Nobody's seen her face; it's hidden by the brim of that magnificently broad-brimmed, plumed hat. Her features are hidden by a brazen mask in the guise of an unsmiling, neatly-bearded man, almost sinister in the cast of its features.<br /><br />  She simply... waits there, empty-handed, arms folded, to all appearances patient as the hills.<br /><br />  Not until he'd tipped his hat to the crowd does she finally push off from the rough bark of the tree, hidden by pine needles and shadow. She strides out to a respectable distance, sweeping forward in a flourishing bow. The gesture is obviously one of respect.<br /><br />  But she doesn't say a word.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "Looks like Jericho is the first to enter the arena! The cowboy doesn't enter with a whole lotta fanfare or anything like that. Someone get down there and throw a tumbleweed around! It'd totally set the tone for this big show down at not-quite-noon! With the sun not-quite-so-high in the not-quite-midday sky! Oh! There's his opponent! I didn't notice them here! The Masked Knight was here waiting in the arena the whole time! No flash or flare! BOO I WANT MORE LASERS!" The mic suddenly cuts off for a moment, then, "Aaaaanyway, lets get to the fight!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    With his opponent having seemed to appear out of nowhere, Jericho finds himself mometarily surprised. He does his best to not let it show. Has she been there the whole time? He? Jericho is 99% sure that the Masked Knight is a female. But no way to be sure. The cowboy shrugs a bit at the thought, and then looks at his opponent. "I'm guessin' you ain't really the witty banter type, so if you want we can just go ahead and throw down."<br /><br />    This time Jericho wants to be sure that he gets off the first shot, and he puts his quickdraw skills to work, duster barely moving off of his right hip before he draws the revolver from there, firing from the hip as he brings the weapon up towards his opponent. This time he'd rather have the element of surprise.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  Although the knight's head tilts, visible in the slant of that broad-brimmed hat, she (he?) says nothing in response. Perhaps they have no voice, or perhaps they simply choose not to speak. Maybe they have some kind of weird cultural taboo about speaking on the battlefield! Or maybe there's a stranger, more fanciful reason for their silence. Who knows?<br /><br />  Apparently the Masked Knight is observant. No sooner has Jericho reached for his revolver than she's moving, spinning away from the bullet with the grace of a dancer, the blue waistcloth hanging from her belt whirling. In the same motion she whips her rapier from its scabbard, and she's lunging forward with surprising speed despite that leather armour; the blade flashes silver in the weak alpine sun, aiming straight for Jericho's gun hand.<br /><br />  This close, though, he can see that she is, at least, probably human. The bullet had managed to snick past the sleeve of her sword arm, shredding a thin line through the fine silk shirt; leaving a weal of blood in its wake. Looks like the cowboy gets first blood.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"AAAND this fight is underway! Jericho starts like any proper cowboy should and quickdraws and throws a shot out at the knight! Seems like it wings her but catches more armor than anything else! How will the knight deal with it? By stabbing, apparently! Insane speed! She's all over Jericho in a heartbeat, trying to show him just how that weapon works!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    The cowboy might have gotten first blood, but the fencer got a better hit. The rapier strikes home on Jericho's side, slicing a line of red into his side, under his duster, and jabbing out of the back. He spins away from her quickly, his second revolver coming into play as well. So far in this tournament he's had to go toe to toe with both combatants, and as such has been trying to come up with good ways to keep his guns in play at close range.<br /><br />    The best tactic so far seems to be staying constantly on the move and firing shots when the chances present themselves. One of those chances presents itself at the end of his turn away from her, as his left gun comes around to angle at her. He's turning his head a little bit, just enough to aim out of his good eye, as he fires the shot.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  Although she tries to evade, the firearms are too close to evade. The Masked Knight doesn't seem to move any faster than a normal human, though she certainly seems to be disciplined and well-trained. Not enough to avoid injury in this case, though. Once more, the bullet rips through the sleeve, clipping her over the shoulder, though this time she visibly flinches in pain.<br /><br />  Far be it for her to pass up an opportunity, though. As Jericho spins away from her, she lashes out with a leather boot, trying to trip him up at the ankle, even as she slams her rapier back into its scabbard at her hip. Regardless of whether she succeeds or fails, her gauntleted hand snaps out to try and seize that leather duster with, if she can get it, a grip like iron; from there, she snaps a knee up to try and catch him in the stomach (or lower; apparently she has no qualms about fighting dirty). Finally, she'll attempt a last parting blow; a vicious right hook to the jaw if, she can get away with it, before disengaging.<br /><br />  Ouch?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Looks like Jericho isn't gonna slow down just cause the Knight got a stab in on him! Looks like Jericho isn't afraid to get into some gunplay at close range! Another shot is sent toward the Knight! Looks like it hit a bit better than the last one! The knight isn't about to let Jericho get distance, though. She tries to trip him! Tsk! So much for her sword, now its turning into a brawl!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    It would seem that Jericho hadn't expected this thing to devolve into a fistfight. When she trips him and then grabs his duster to haul him back, he takes the knee full on and winds up down on the ground, on his own knees for a moment, the air knocked out of him. The blow to his head knocks him all the way down to the ground, and knocks off his hat from the force. Dazed, he takes in a deep breath of dust and dirt on the ground, trying to regain his composure.<br /><br />    His revolvers get slotted back into their holsters, and he rolls over on the ground, before he twists his body around, spinning on his upper back and kicking his legs out, trying to take her legs out from under her with a sweep kick, continue the rolling motion and wind up on top of her, coming down with both elbows to try to strike her in any unarmored areas. Jericho might not be able to compete with her sword, but when it comes to up close and personal brawls, well, cowboys tend to excel at that sort of thing. And he was a cowboy before he became an assassin.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  While she had expected retaliation, she hadn't quite expected retaliation in exactly the same manner she had attacked in.<br /><br />  The Masked Knight goes down with a huff of breath, the wind knocked out of her as she's thrown tot he ground by the force of having her own feet kicked out from under her. Thanks to that, Jericho has no trouble rolling on top of her -- despite the armour, she is perhaps surprisingly light; that alone suggests that the Masked Knight is indeed most likely a woman.<br /><br />  One that fights like a devil when cornered, apparently. Although she takes the strikes with another huff of breath, this time out of pain, she's quick to lash out with a gauntleted fist, snapping a weighted leather fist straight for the side of Jericho's jaw in another one of those vicious right hooks.<br /><br />  At the same time she's reaching for something at her belt with her left hand. The rasp of steel and leather makes it clear what it is, half a second before the Masked Knight attempts to slam an arming dagger into the general vicinity of Jericho's whatever. She's not aiming for anything specific so much as whatever presents itself as an opportunistic target.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "These two just aren't gonna let up! After the knight turns to street tactics, Jericho decides its time to do the same! A quick sweep before trying to put those elbows where it counts! Uh oh, looks like we got a ground fight going on! The knight tries to introduce her fist to his head- She pulls a dagger! This could be bad for the cowboy!" Seems Vinyl is digging the fight. "I'd drop some beats for this but they won't let me hook my tech up! So lame!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Getting hit by this lady is like getting kicked by a horse. It hurts like hell and you wanna make sure you avoid it whenever you can. Unfortunately for Jericho because of the position he has found himself in, avoiding it isn't an option. He takes the blow to the head, dazed from it, and as he attempts to fall back, he gets the blade jammed up into his side. A cry of pain from him, because getting stabbed hurts like hell. Of course, he's an Assassin. He's been stabbed before. That doesn't make this situation any less bad for him.<br /><br />    He breaks contact with her, pulling himself off of the blade and stumbling back a few steps from her in order to put some distance between them. In order to make sure that she doesn't fill that distance between them with another charge with that rapier, he grabs something off of his belt and throws it in that direction. That something turns out to be a set of three throwing knives, thrown in an arc to make sure she can't just dodge to the side.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  While she's clearly a knight of some stripe or another, it seems that this one isn't afraid to fight dirty if she thinks it might buy her some kind of advantage. Where most knights are raised on ideals of chivalry and courtly manners, etiquette and altruism, this one was raised in the dusty, poverty-stricken roads of Mirrah. Survival is just as important to her.<br /><br />  It's kind of a tough habit to break.<br /><br />  When Jericho he pulls away from her, she clutches her knife, trying to twist it on its way out of the wound, even as he wrenches himself away.<br /><br />  Nope. Definitely not afraid to play dirty.<br /><br />  Rather than try to dodge, since she can already see that they're thrown in an arc, the Masked Knight apparently chooses to turn her shoulder, trying to let her armour absorb some of the impact. One of them sinks itself into the pauldron, harmlessly. Another buries itself in the leather cuirass, tearing at some of that pretty gold tracing. The third, unfortunately, manages to snake its way past the armour, burying itself nearly to the hilt in her forearm, pinning silk sleeve to skin.<br /><br />  "Ngh--!" This time she does cry out -- so she's not mute after all. It's a woman's voice, albeit low and hard.<br /><br />  She's in motion immediately, though, reaching up and yanking the blade out, ignoring the upwelling of blood, or the arc sent spattering across the alpine meadow. She simply advances on him with that same speed from earlier, and this time she tries to get in close, wtih every intent to slam that knife into the shoulder of his gun-hand. To that end, she reaches out to try and seize him by the front of his duster again, the better to pin him in place long enough to return his weapon to him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "Called it! Jericho just got stabbed! Its not enough to keep the bronco bus-wait. Who wrote this? I'm not saying that! GET OUTTA HERE!" Ahem. "Looks like Jericho isn't gonna stay down from just being stabbed though! Jericho backs off and covers his retreat with a flurry of thrown knives! The knight turns and tries to tank them! Looks like one got in deep, though. Now she's rushing toward Jericho, before trying to return his weapon to him! With interest! The price is BLOOD! ...man this material is awful. Ugh."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Thankfully for Jericho he is able to maneuver himself out of the way of that blade strike this time, mostly. The grip on his duster is looser than she would like and he manages to turn himself away from her as she stabs forward with the blade. He turns further and shifts forward, letting her take the duster off of him and revealing the arsenal that he has been carrying under it. A long gun, a shotgun, the two revolvers, and two bandoliers of ammo, as well as several sticks of dynamite and more than enough blades to supply an army squad.<br /><br />    He can't help but grin a little bit, "Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" He says, as he jumps back away from her, opting to go for the long gun. The Winchester is pulled from it's drop scabbard and the lever is cranked forward, loading one of those .44-40 rounds into the chamber, before he raises it up to his shoulder and fires off a shot at her from still relatively close range.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  That's a lot of weaponry. If Jericho could see her face, the Masked Knight would actually look pretty well impressed by his level of preparation. He looks like he's got roughly enough weaponry to take out a small army all by his lonesome.<br /><br />  ...wait a minute, why is he carrying dynamite--<br /><br />  Oh hello suddenly there is a rifle being fired on her from what is very nearly point blank range. The gun thunders, and the Masked Knight is snapped off her feet by the force of the blow, sent sprawling in the thin alpine grass with another hoarse cry of pain. It thankfully looks to have missed vital, burying itself into her left shoulder and making a red ruin of her sleeve and part of her pauldron. Even if it's not vital, though, it still /hurts like hell/.<br /><br />  The woman's hand clutches and unclutches reflexively as she crab-scuttles away, whipping the rapier out of its scabbard with her right hand. Her posture suggests that yessir, she's in a great deal of pain right now, enough so that it takes her a moment to compose herself and lurch back to her feet.<br /><br />  So she does the only thing that really comes to mind.<br /><br />  Suddenly Jericho is gonna have a faceful of fencing-sword if he doesn't move right-quick on the double; the blade whipping this way and that, a flurry of blows that are, considering her level of pain, a little impressive.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "Whoa! Looks like this cowboy comes packing heat! His duster is off and he has a veritable ARSENAL hidden away in that jacket! Now he's taking a rifle and setting it loose on the knight! Its going to be hard to dodge that at that range! She takes the shot but presses on. She's going to reintroduce that rapier to Jericho!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    The flurry of blade strikes to the cowboy makes him back off, attempting to defend with the rifle as best he can. At this close range he'll need to figure out a good way to fend her off. Well what the hell, he's got it, why not use it? After taking a particularly bad blow to the chest, which penetrates the leather armor there, he pushes away, drops the rifle back into it's scabbard, and then grabs two weapons off of his belt. A Bowie knife and a tomahawk, "My turn, lady."<br /><br />    Moving towards her, Jericho returns the favor with his own flurry of steel. The tomahawk and the knife flash as he slashes and stabs, attempting to hook her foot with the tomahawk and take her off of her feet again, and then drop onto her with both blades first.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  Well, well. It looks as though the tomcat has claws of his own, as he draws an axe and a knife from his belt. Considering the things that he could have elected to use, those are relatively harmless, for a given value of harmless. Well. It's better than a blast of dynamite to the face, anyway.<br /><br />  Doesn't make it much more pleasant, though.<br /><br />  This close, it's obvious that the battle is beginning to wear on the enigmatic lady knight. No doubt Jericho can hear her breath sawing in and out, though it carries an oddly hollow echo to it, thanks to the mask.<br /><br />  Hooked from below, the Masked Knight finds herself yanked off her feet once more, landing hard. She's still got her own knife, still slick with Jericho's blood; it's a paltry defense, but it's still a defense. Although she tries to parry the Bowie knife with her solid iron misericordi, its blade is by far shorter than the combat knife. She can only turn a few blows aside, forced to simply tank the rest of them.<br /><br />  Her teeth grit behind her mask, and while she doesn't say a word, she does snarl in frustration and pain when the tomahawk buries itself in her shoulder; the one that had already been punched into by rifle-shot.<br /><br />  It's when he slices down with the tomahawk again that she reaches up to seize him by the wrist with fingers that could well be steel cables; anger and pain lending her a sudden reserve of strength.<br /><br />  And then she attempts to sink that blade straight to the hilt in Jericho's shoulder; the better to disable the tomahawk-wielding hand with. Several times, actually. Whether or not she finds meaningful purchase with the blade, she'll yank it back and attempt to slam it into him again and again, evidently not content until she sees that arm rendered useless.<br /><br />  You learn something new every day, see. And the Masked Knight has learned that tomahawks are a right royal pain in the arse.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "And here comes Jericho! He's gonna prove that the knight isn't the only one with some close range weapons! He's going nuts with the chops and stabs! Steel is flashing everywhere! Will the knight be able to keep up with this onslaught?! She tries to counter by jamming her own weapon into Jericho's shoulder! She clearly doesn't like that tomahawk! Can she put a stop to it???<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Tomahawks are pretty much a pain in the ass. Jericho's glad he learned how to use one from his Master, because time and time again it's come in incredibly handy. Right now, though, the handiest thing for him would not be getting his arm severed by that blade. He twists and shifts to evade blows, managing to do a good job of it until the blade digs into the inside of his arm. He yells out from the sudden sharp pain, and decides that it's time she let him go.<br /><br />    He manages to free his arm and get away from the blade, but is soon moving right back in. This time, however. No tomahawk and bowie knife. This time he's going to get much more personal. There's that ever so familiar snikt sound of an assassin's hidden blades, as Jericho extends his, and moves to drop down onto his opponent with the blades out.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  The knight manages a grunt as she's uncerimoniously landed on once more, and then a hiss of pain as the hidden blade bites into the arms she brings up to defend herself. She jerks her arm away, fine silk bloodied and torn, a spatter of blood sent flying at the sudden movement.<br /><br />  The whole 'being pinned down' thing has got to go.<br /><br />  Abruptly recoiling in a premeditated attempt to get Jericho to founder at her sudden lack of resistance, the Masked Knight then lashes out with that fist again, trying to bash the side of his head. At the same time, she attempts to slam an elbow into his ribs, and then wrench herself sideways with the intent of rolling both of them over -- the better to pin /him/ down, or at least get herself back up to her feet. Her strength is impressive; and it must be coming with a bit of a second wind.<br /><br />  He might hear her snarling and hissing in pain and effort, though. She's not slowing down quite yet, but that second wind isn't going to last forever...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "Seems like Jericho managed to keep that blade from immobilizing his arm! Its probably a good thing since now, whoa, where'd that blade come from?! He goes to stab her with the thing and scores a clean hit! Still, it looks like the knight is going back to more streetwise styles, trying to catch the cowboy with anything she can! This fight seems like its neck and neck!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    For being a sword fighter, she is remarkably skilled at ground fighting. Jericho is caught off guard by her sudden resistance, the blow to his head allows her to roll him over onto his back and get on top. Not a good position to be in. He's bleeding from the side of his head now, and probably have a concussion to boot. He'll be fine, assuming he doesn't do anything like go to sleep or close his eyes for the forseeable future. As be scrambles to get out from under her, he tries to find a good way to make her get off. <br /><br />    Another thrust upwards with those hidden blades might do the trick, if he can manage to hit home with them again, he might be able to use his strength, combined with her lighter frame, to throw her off of him, even from his position on the ground.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  At some point that magnificent hat had been knocked off, probably mid-roll, revealing golden-blonde hair pulled back into that braid. The mask stays right where it is, though, and seems to be fastened by way of a buckled leather strap. Apparently this woman has some kind of desire, or need, to hide her face from the outside world; she doesn't seemt o care so much about losing the hat, though. She'll go back and retrieve it later, and hope it doesn't get too battered in the course of this scuffle.<br /><br />  Right now her attention is focused on more important things, like sticking the pointy end of a knife into Mister Cowboy here before he has a chance to teach her the virtues of a good tomahawk by way of practical demonstration.<br /><br />  His strategy is a good one, but it seems like she had expected him to attack and try to gain the upper hand again. She resists, digging her knees into his sides, and twisting her arm to take the hidden blade rather than give up the advantage of straddling her opponent -- it hurts like a bitch, judging by the low snarl that issues from behind the mask; for the blades sink deep into her arm, and one of them meets resistance that can only suggest that he'd found bone. It's not her knife hand, thankfully, or she would have been in a bad position.<br /><br />  Then again, this isn't a whole lot better. She's bloody from Jericho's weapons biting deep, and she can feel her strength fading. She's smaller and lighter than the cowboy. And for reasons entirely unrelated to two combatants engaging in a bloody street-fight, her head is pounding in a way that threatens to make her vision swim in time to the pounding of her pulse.<br /><br />  If she doesn't end this soon, her body's going to end it for her.<br /><br />  Yanking her arm away from him again, mostly to free it of the blades that have bitten into it, the Masked Knight simply throws all of her weight forward, trying to slam an arm down right over Jericho's throat. Her intent here seems to be not to immobilise him; just to /choke/ him. Seems she doesn't much intend to play around any more.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "Tables! Turned! Now the knight has Jericho on the ground, but the cowboy is doing his best to try and get out of this spot! Another shot from those blades he got out of NO WHERE is sent the knight's way! Uh oh! Looks like the knight is just gonna try and keep Jericho from breathing! He'll have to do something to breka free!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Well if she's not playing around anymore, then Jericho would have to wonder what she considers being serious. He's already battered and beaten and now she's trying to choke him out. Thankfully for him an arm across the throat is not the most effective type of choke in the world. That isn't to say it's ineffective, because it's not. Coupled with the concussion, he is already feeling the world around him start to go dark. But he can't let himself go down, not yet. <br /><br />    His eyes go wide as he tries to force himself to stay awake, and he pulls his knees up against his chest, getting them under her, shifting his weight until his feet are at her stomach. Then it happens. There's a flash of light around him, the spectral form of a bull glowing around the cowboy, before he kicks his legs upward, focusing his special powers into his legs and kicking up at her with strength far beyond anything a normal human could ever hope to muster.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  For the lady knight, not playing around seems to involve trying to actively kill her opponent. After all, problematic opponents are no longer problems when they're dead, are they? Or, you know, close enough to dead. She wouldn't spurn the hosts of the tournament by actually killing her opponent... but there is a deadly earnestness to her motions, and a killing aura in the gleam of those eyes beneath the mask.<br /><br />  When it becomes clear that trying to choke out her opponent isn't working that well, the Masked Knight draws back, one hand trying to keep Jericho pinned, the other fumbling for her knife to pin him in a more literal sense.<br /><br />  Before she has the opportunity to, he finds his own second wind, planting his boots into her stomach and kicking her with the approximate force of a bulldozer. Sent sprawling and rolling with a great huff of breath as the air is abruptly knocked out of her, and something important cracking in a disheartening way, the woman rolls several times and seems to remain still for an instant.<br /><br />  Is she down?<br /><br />  After what seems like a small eternity, the Masked Knight stirs, groaning.<br /><br />  ...Nope! Not done yet.<br /><br />  With great deliberation, she plants her hands on the ground, pushing herself up from her painful sprawl; it takes some struggling, but she finds her feet, staggering as she reaches up over her shoulder and pulls down a weapon she hasn't yet brought to bear in this fight.<br /><br />  The sword she unsheaths looks like it belongs in somebody a lot bigger than her. With hard angles and little in the way of elegance in its clean lines, the Mirrah Greatsword is obviously not something meant for delicate fencing. Which is probably why she whirls it in her grip, one-handed, using the momentum to swing it around and seize it in a two-handed grip.<br /><br />  And then she lunges for Jericho, swinging it with all the strength she can muster for his side, attempting to let the momentum carry her; and let the blade bite as deeply as she can let it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"This is getting nuts! Jericho is trying to break free from the Knight's grip but isn't finding much luck! At this rate he might just pass out! He's putting all his chips down though into this kick! I Dunno how well he got her though! Wait, yes! she goes flying and hits the ground hard. It looks like she may beeeeeee..." TENSION. "NO!" She's managing to get up! She's pulling out a HUGE sword and is swinging it ONE HANDED at Jericho! How is she doing this in her state?!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    Well that sword manages to find deep purchase in Jericho's side, digging in deep, slashing right through the leather and finding some of those precious internal organs of his. He coughs and spatters blood everywhere, but doesn't look like he's dead yet. It's getting close, though. Those hidden blades retract, and Jericho realizes that he has to finish this fight soon, or she'll finish it for him.<br /><br />    Out of nowhere, the Assassin starts to laugh, "Now I got you...Right where I want you.." He says, looking up at her, as blood runs down his chin from the corners of his mouth. He has her where he wants her, when he also has her blade sticking out of his side? The injuries must be getting to him. Well at least you would think so, until his left hand moves down to grab the blade, and try to hold it in place. Yes, it'll cut his hand open. That's the least of his worries right now.<br /><br />    His right hand moves up, and grabs something from his back. As he wheels it around to the side, everyone can see what it is. A sawed off, lever action 1887 shotgun. He flips it around as he brings it up, cocking it, and then levels it one handed at the Masked Knight, "Hasta luego, chica." He figures this works, or he's done for. So he squeezes the trigger.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>  Although she has herself braced against one leg to throw all the momentum she can into that single crushing blow, it's not nearly enough to take the cowboy down. He might hear her frustrated huff of breath behind the mask, but as before, she doesn't speak.<br /><br />  The masked face tilts, very slightly, when he says he has her where he wants her. How exactly is that supposed to work? She just ripped a hole in him that should have been lethal, and he considers it an advantageous position to be in? And--<br /><br />  Oh. Shit.<br /><br />  Her gaze drops like a stone as he grasps the greatsword in hand, even at the risk of laying that hand open. A rivulet of blood snakes along the blade where its keen edge bites into his hand, but that doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent.<br /><br />  Disappointing.<br /><br />  Her head tilts the other way, very faintly, as that shotgun is brought back around.<br /><br />  Oh.<br /><br />  Well, shit.<br /><br />  Although she drops her greatsword and tries to twist out of the way, the shotgun blast takes her in the stomach, knocking her back with all the force of a kicking warhorse. She doesn't even have time to cry out, punched backward and into the trunk of a tree.<br /><br />  Bark splinters; the Masked Knight abruptly lurches to the ground as gravity reasserts itself.<br /><br />  She doesn't get up this time, but the masked face lifts, if only slightly. One hand trembles as it rises, gloved fingers deftly unbuckling the mask's bindings... but she doesn't take it off. She only lifts it enough to bare the lower half of her face -- that delicate chin and those lips definitely belong to a woman, though marred for the moment by the blood that tracks from the corner of her mouth. And there's a strange shadow near the left side of her face, right on the edge, though that could perhaps be nothing more than a shadow from the upraised mask.<br /><br />  Her arm falls as she slumps in on herself, exhaling in a long, agonised hiss.<br /><br />  "I... yield--"<br /><br />  Her voice is low and uncharacteristically hard, for a woman's, and taut with pain. She can't even finish her sentence, head dropping to cough; spitting blood. Panting, she simply tilts to one side and lets herself fall, curling up as though to protect her various (and many) wounds.<br /><br />  "Well... fought..." The admission is a quiet rasp, perhaps easily missed. "I am honoured... to have... lost to you..."<br /><br />  Oh God, her everything hurts.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:78|Vinyl Scratch (78)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    "WOW! Jericho just got CLEAVED and he's laughing about it! I think those medics need to get ready! He's getting punch drunk! It looks like he has a plan though, he actually takes HOLD of the knight's huge sword and pulls out.. Oh man, its a shotgun! And he has her at point blank range! What will she do?! He aims, he fires! That's it! The knight is yeilding! JERICHO WINS!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Jericho Hawke (270)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>    After she gets blasted away by the shotgun, Jericho takes advantage of this time to fall over in a heap on his back. When she surrenders, he nods, and gives her a thumbs up, "Ye-yeah. It could have gone either way...Next year I might not be so lucky, huh?" He says, giving her a smile, at least as best as he can manage. He thinks maybe everything doesn't hurt. One of his pinkies is probably okay. Maybe.<br> <br>


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