Let the games begin!

[Skoll]

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Yay, final round! I did my best to make it interesting. Maybe one more reply from each of us? The fight had ended as Skoll had expected it to. Matrix was no match for her mother, despite her quality training, she lacked the single-minded dedication and killer instinct of her mother. Nevertheless, though she lacked the desire and experience to be as good as Twilight, she showed herself to be quite bright in her approach to the battle. Her innovation in fighting patterns, changing things up to turn her mother's familiarity with her abilities into a disadvantage had been very clever. "Good work, keeping your mom on the ropes like that. I think you exceeded everyone's expectations, given Twilight's reputation," he said with a grin, knowing that Matrix couldn't be all that disappointed, having known the outcome ahead of time. She deserved praise, he knew that he couldn't have beaten Gronnor straight out of training anymore than Matrix could defeat Twilight. Twilight vs. Skoll There was applause as the fight reached an end, but that died down as Twilight rounded to face Skoll, looking at him coolly. Skoll met Twilight's gaze evenly. Did she not even want a break? They had made the habit of taking a break in between each round to give every warrior a chance to rest before his or her next fight, but it appeared that Twilight either felt she was ready as she was, or she simply couldn't wait for the final contest to begin. He wasn't sure which, the latter didn't seem very like her, and he knew she had taken some abuse from her daughter...but maybe the damage she had sustained wasn't sufficient to necessitate a pause in fighting? Her blood was up, maybe she wanted to finish this while she was still in rhythm. Flicking his ear as if in a shrug, he stepped into the arena. She knew enough about fighting that she wouldn't deny herself an advantage so carelessly, he expected that she felt ready to go now, and taking a break period would only serve to cool her down, force her to get her momentum back later. Jantus's voice boomed over the river, and the fight began. Twilight moved forward, sharp and eager, obviously she had been waiting for this moment every bit as much as her daughter. The two of them had been the most skilled in the Resistance, but because their joint strength was integral to their battle plans, they had never risked injury fighting one another. Now they could finally test themselves against someone truly worthy of their abilities. Skoll had fought such a battle before, against Gabred, but he didn't know if she ever had. It was invigorating, but the threat of death in a real battle put a dangerous edge on an otherwise exciting experience. She moved with extreme speed, jumping into the air before extending her leg to deliver the impact of her kick. The bronze warrior moved to the side in time to avoid it, but got cuffed in the side of the head as she passed him. A kick went straight into the side of his left knee, as he shot a left hook past her guard and into her cheekbone. Both fighters stepped back, Skoll favoring his knee, Twilight's head slightly tilted to the right, indicative of the pain in the side of her head. He was larger than her by a considerable margin, but her style was less familiar to him than his was to her...certainly she had never fought someone who used his exact style, but the techniques he'd learned from Gronnor weren't as outlandish as those she employed. Furthermore, the moves she used regularly mitigated his size advantage, the kicks she delivered were--for the most part--stronger than his punches, meaning that even though he was the stronger of the two, his blows probably wouldn't be inflicting as much damage. He had more training, he expected, but by what he'd gleaned, she had learned how to battle in the fighting pits of her native pack...or organization, or whatever it was. A monstrous practice, forcing a child to grow up in that environment. Nevertheless, while his training had been excellent, she was one of very few people who had more experience than he did, pitted time and again against enemies day after day, for the amusement of others. Organized violence, and not of the friendly sort they had (mostly) been experiencing here today. She moved forward again, not dedicating to a jump this time, her aggression was more reigned in. The Storm wolf took a stance he'd learned from his teacher, something designed for people with greater reach than he possessed. He used it seldom, he didn't meet people with longer arms than he did very often, but Twilight's legs gave her the reach advantage where her arms would have failed. She came in with a sweeping kick from her right leg, which he countered by moving in, his stance putting his legs in the position to spring forward quickly. Her kick landed higher than she'd planned, but her reflexes were superior to his, and she managed to spring away with her one leg before he could throw his arms around her. They both knew one thing for certain: Samson had almost won the fight with Twilight by forcing her into a situation where her kicks could not save her. She had been more capable than Samson, on a different level altogether, and been able to force him to release her. That wouldn't be the case if Skoll took her to the ground. If he caught her, the fight was over. She skipped back as he pushed forward, trying to salvage his intended move, but she rebuffed him with a kick moving straight out from her body--a kick that some humans had once called a Ti--forcing him away from the point of impact at his abdomen, and successfully killing his hopes of completing the grab. She was a keen woman, and she would recognize the stance the next time he took it. She took another outside kick, aiming higher, but he blocked successfully, and tried to close in. She backpedaled again, but knew the layout of the ring well enough the know that he was hemming her in. He was bigger, so he controlled the gravity of the fight, she had to react to his movements. The privilege of the bigger fighter. She began moving along the edge of the ring, trying to get around him back into the center where she wouldn't have the boundary at her back. He kept on her. Spatial strategy mattered. He wanted to corner her, put her back against something where her maneuvers were more difficult. Skoll moved forward, and she performed the back kick which she had employed against her first opponent. His thigh jolted with the impact. He made to move back, but failed to do so before she could deliver another kick into his left knee, which sent spears of pain into his mind. Skoll backed off, enough to give the woman the space she wanted. She didn't greet him with any cocky smile, she was too professional to let her guard down, but they both knew that the tactic she'd attempted was successful. Not only was she free from the trap he'd been pushing her into, but her offensive strategy of weakening his left side was working. She had created a weakness as real as his solar plexus or head in his knee. He now had to keep this difficult-to-protect spot in mind when dodging her attacks. Thus far he'd barely connected with her. He needed a plan, he needed to... No time. The hybrid woman moved forward with great speed, swinging out one leg in a maneuver he'd seen before. The first kick would contact, followed by a devastating second kick coming from the other leg as she finished the revolution of her body. His body moved before he had time to think about the action. His right arm protected him from her first kick, and his body moved in, fouling her spin. His left arm wrapped around her throat, his right around her arm. He would force her down from here, to the ground where he held every advantage in mass and technique... A terrible pain shot through his body as her heel drove into his weakened knee. His strength failed him for just a moment, but it was enough for her to escape. Twisting away from his grasp, breathing heavily, she locked eyes with him. Had she failed to hit him as she had, the fight would have been over right there. Her planning had paid off, but it had still been too close for comfort. Still, she appeared cool as ever, and though she had come very close to losing, he knew that she was still unshaken, at least as far as her ability to fight was concerned. He rose painfully to his feet. His left knee would start failing with one or two more blows. She could tell. Moving cautiously forward, he read her stance. She had shifted her target from his body to his knee. If she could take it out, the fight was hers. Suddenly, her speed increased. Her leg went high. Skoll dodged backward, noting that her foot hadn't quite reached the level of his head. He only had a split second to react to her real plan, which he would have failed to do had he not had it in mind already. Shifting posture, he moved his left leg back, moving her target out of reach of the second kick that came sweeping across, impacting his right calf, just below the knee. Working through a spike of pain as he pushed off with his left foot, he struck the woman in the head. She was too fast for him to grab, so he would strike. Her arms went up in defense, but his next blow went into her stomach, and the third was a hook around her raised arms and into the side of her skull. She countered the fourth, moved back outside the reach of the fifth, and attained a safe distance again. The two stood at odds, breath coming raggedly in and out. The crowd had made encouraging calls through parts of the fight, but now all were quiet. The two were still for a few moments, before Skoll took the offensive. Twilight backed up attempting another spinning kick. The bronze warrior blocked with his right and struck with his left into her calf muscle. When the foot met the ground again, he didn't notice any limp. He had caused damage, but not enough. She leapt back, before moving forward lashing out with her fists. Skoll caught a blow to the chin, not expecting the tactic, but kept his left leg back, preventing her distraction plot from achieving its desired effect. A return salvo of blows rebuffed her before she could choose a different target. Instead of pausing after pushing her back, Skoll pushed the advantage, leading with his right leg each time, driving his opponent back each time with the promise of punishing strikes. Twilight withdrew, further and further, her kicks coming in, but ineffectually as he continued to push her further and further, leaving no time for a solid return attack using one of her more complicated and devastating techniques. Suddenly, she turned, and sped away, toward the edge of the arena. Skoll followed. He hadn't anticipated an all-out retreat, but under duress fighters sometimes had no choice but to plan to fight in a different area, seeking some advantage. She slowed and stopped at the very edge of the arena as he continued, seeking to push her out, or continue the fight with her back against the wall. She stepped up onto the tallest flat stone marking the edge of the arena. It was over in an instant. Before, her round-house hadn't risen high enough to impact his head. That was the problem fighting someone as tall as Skoll, his head was more difficult to attack successully. He had proven to have an extremely solid defense when he focused on it, and the attacks he launched were very potent as well. He could work through pain to an extreme degree, and could employ strategy as easily as she. He had been a good opponent. Nevertheless, the kick she delivered from the atop the boundary rock was seven inches taller than the one she had been able to deliver before. She had been paying attention to her surroundings, had decided that she could use this flat, upraised stone to her advantage. Her heel hit the bronze wolf in the side of his head. Skoll's world went black. The warrior's head jerked violently with the impact, his eyes closed and he collapsed. Knockout. ***** There was no memory of it. His head was dominated by a black fog. It wasn't quite like the time he'd been knocked senseless by Gabred...that had been more severe, but less succinct in its effect...he had felt like was trying to think through pudding or something for a short time after that, but had luckily suffered no permanent brain damage. Skoll didn't know how much time had passed by the time he re-opened his eyes. When color re-entered his world, he saw the faces of Twilight, Jantus, and the medical wolf above him. "Shit." he said after a moment. Jantus got up, and raised his arms. "He's okay!" Applause and hollering came from the crowd, the contest had a winner, and that winner was Twilight Thirteen. Skoll gestured the medic away. He was alright. He wasn't a sore loser, though he did wish the fight had ended in another way. Still, he wanted Twilight to enjoy her victory. Choosing to remain on the ground for a few moments, he looked up at her. "I'm fine," he said casually, "Go let your family congratulate you." He propped himself into a sitting position, hoping that the confirmation of his health would let her enjoy her victory, and let his other friends know he was alright. ~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.

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