the Rift


Rescue, Party of One [Psyche, Challenge]

Kri the Resolute Posts: 243
Hidden Account
Mare :: Pegasus :: 14.3hh :: 10 Buff: NUMB
Boom Boom!
#1
WE WERE STRONG.
we stayed bright as lightning. we sang loud as thunder.
we moved ever forward.</style>

I am angry.

A given? Perhaps. Still, that does not quell the fire burning within my chest as I fly north, riding on the waves of wind calmly. The travel would make me weary if I pushed myself in a hurry toward the Basin, but a gentle glide was nothing. Besides, I would find no flying targets in the land known as the Aurora Basin today. After all, their queen was a racist. Apparently, she was also a lying bitch. Am I angry? You're damn right I am.

Part of this fury is not any fault of Psyche's, in her defense, though the seed of the problem is a skeleton in her closet. Today, I was going to label them one by one, drag her sorry ass through the snow, make her squeal for mercy. If she thinks that her numbers and her hatred can save her, that fucking coward is sadly mistaken. I am Kri the Resolute. I am victorious. I will send her straight to hell. If she believes that she can pose a threat to my kin and stand innocently on the edge of the Basin, she is terribly mistaken. Let me show her what I think of malicious lies.

The travel takes much of the vehemence from my body, the air growing cold as I fly north, taking small stops along the way to maintain my strength. I am angry, but I am far from an idiot. Perhaps, flying straight into the lion's den and challenging their Queen was stupid. Hell, I did not care anymore. Let her sins be brought to light. I will lose nothing from this fight except the murderous rage which I felt every time I thought about prisoners being held within the ice kingdom. Athena, and who else? What other of my family is that fucking bitch hiding?

Since I can no longer simply take her for her word, I will have to pry the truth from her foul lipped mouth.

The line of the mountains marks that my journey is almost over, and I descend, finding myself in the north, where the day begins to touch the eastern horizon in the announcement of daybreak. I land upon the tundra terrain, bringing myself to the edge of their homeland, the steppe behind me. "Psyche!" I bellow, my voice swelling as I send the wind after it. "You have much to answer for with your blood!" Wake up, darling. It's about to get violent.
""

[ Kri is challenging for the release of Throat prisoners held in the Throat, and also to kick some unicorn booty for breaching neutrality.

Buffs: Swift & Aim ]
KRI the RESOLUTE</style>
MY FRIENDS, I'M ONLY FLESH AND BONE, BUT I WON'T LET YOU DIE ALONE.</style>

image by ANGEL!

Psyche the DarkEmpress Posts: 380
Deceased
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.3 hh :: 8 (ages in Orangemoon) Buff: ENDURE
RayoDeSoleil
#2
Psyche</style></style>
 


The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.



”Psyche!” the call echoes off the mountains and into the valley. ”You have much to answer for with your blood!”

They had been stalking the night, the Dark Empress and her king. The summons rang on the dawn air, and the pair exchanged a look, a few hasty parting words, and then she was on her way to her borders. An errant, almost rueful thought entered the dark cranium, hidden behind cold amber orbs: I wish there were a way to keep those filthy skyrats out. Unfortunately, it would seem that only brute force would be able to accomplish that.

Her mood, so uncharacteristically cheerful only moments before, had soured drastically in the minutes since the challenge. Who was this feather-brain to demand her presence, to call for her blood? Who did she think she was, to come traipsing into the Lady’s territory as though there would be no consequences, no repercussions? As she neared the pass that led to the Steppe, her blood began to boil, fury coursing through her veins.

The Resolute had courage, it would seem. Of course, to enter the northern lands, on the opposite end of the world from the nice, warm desert, was brave in and of itself, but to come with the understanding that a fight would ensue on the opponent’s turf – well, that was simply bordering on stupidity. To be honest, the jackal couldn’t really hold Kri’s presence against her. After all, it was the Basin that had broken the uneasy neutrality between the herds - hell, Psyche herself had encouraged her followers to go after at least one of the Throat’s members (though it was only to be expected, really, after he deserted their cause so dramatically). But the fact that Kri had actually expected the shade to honor their agreement only spoke more of her lacking intelligence.

These realizations only added fuel to the fire as Psyche came to a halt before her challenger, leaving several yards between them. She held her weight evenly balanced, prepared to leap into combat at any moment, knowing that even if she had the desire to avoid this particular battle (which she most certainly did not), that it was inevitable. ”Why, Kri, darling, what a pleasant surprise!” she greeted the smaller mare in a tone that suggested that it was anything but. ”As much as I hate to disappoint you, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who is it that calls for my blood this time?” A cascading laugh fell from her lips like poison. ”But let’s simply skip the arguing, shall we? After all, you will simply call me a liar, I will deny it, and it will be positively droll. If it is blood you want, then it is blood you will get.” By the end, her voice had dropped to a hiss, a cold, malicious glint in her eyes.

The morning was just barely beginning to show on the eastern horizon; had the shade waited any longer, she would have been blinded by the sun’s light. Muscles bunched and then she lunged, a tense coil contracting upon itself only to spring violently free. She tucked her cranium, her maw almost touching her chest as she attempted to dart to Kri’s left, aiming her crooked, lethal horn for the mare’s left wing near the shoulder. With any luck, it would stab through muscles and tendons, and she could toss her head free, ripping blood and skin and flesh with it. It would be oh-so-much easier to win this battle if the skyrat couldn’t fly. There was something demonic in the jackal’s orbs now, and she realized that she was smiling.

"Talk talk talk."

[W/C | 622]
[1/4 Attack] [0/2 magic]
[Attack: Lunged towards Kri’s left wing, aiming for the muscles that attach it to the shoulder, hoping to disable the wing.]
[Defense: None.]

Image Credits
[Image: psycheicon.png]

Please feel free to tag me in all replies!
Use of force and/or magic (with the exception of death) is allowed at all times.

Kri the Resolute Posts: 243
Hidden Account
Mare :: Pegasus :: 14.3hh :: 10 Buff: NUMB
Boom Boom!
#3
WE WERE STRONG.
we stayed bright as lightning. we sang loud as thunder.
we moved ever forward.</style>

The build up of waiting before the battle is always a let down. After the rush of words from my mouth, I stand alone in this frigid land, finding the blood in my veins cooling despite the boiling sensation in my mind. I am reminded of the chill of the Orangemoon mornings, especially up north, as fog drifts from my nostrils. I take steady breaths, body tensed and alert, blue eyes scanning the directions while my ears flicker, waiting, listening. I let out a snort of frustration, finding that Psyche's fat ass is taking time to travel I did not want wasted, only to see her prim figure rise from the depths of the mountain shielded land, all of the anxious energy in my limbs building up until I felt too tightly wound. Her presence became a temporary shield against my forward movement, words that fall upon deaf ears spilling from her forked tongue and poisoned lips.

I spit forward, a projectile of my own saliva hurtling toward her before my words attempt to cut through her own statements. "Lying thief," I say, my voice deadly low and masculine, especially when compared to the feminine stroke of her own voice.

The power of her presence nor her words could no longer contain the energy pumping through my body, and as I draw a breath through my lungs, my legs push forward off my hind end, plummeting forward and beginning to eat up the distance between us before the stupid bitch even stops blabbering. I had heard enough of her poisoned words for my life time. Before her lithe and tall body even begins to move forward, my strides have begun, our gap closing. The ring of battle in my ears come as the reverberations of my own beating heart in my chest. I draw forward, running slightly right to come about Psyche's left side, seeing her neck curl as my hooves tear into the hard earth.

I knew all too well that horns were but swords magically fused to the head of otherwise normal equines. I had witnessed during the invasion of the Edge the horrible wounds they could induce. I am not nearly foolish enough to allow Psyche to spear me so easily in the shoulder and risk my ability to fly. Surely, Onni would be able to artfully fix whatever damage, but I would not risk my ability to fly just to aid the growing ego of this psychotic bitch.

To escape my fate, I throw my front end heavily to the right and down, quickly redistributing my weight moments before our shoulders would have passed, my back end being lifted up and left. I swing my hooves violently out toward the down-turned head of Psyche seeking to tear into my flesh, aiming for a solid kick about her left ear or upper neck. Her horn swings through open air, robbed of the target she sought by my swift movements, though she may be able to tear minor cuts on my legs or my hip should my aim be true. Flaring my wings out as I buck to aid in the maintenance of my balance with the sudden tossing of my figure in unfamiliar terrain, as well as to keep them clear of the spear on Psyche's head, I attempt to smack my large chocolate left wing down along the top her ass quickly before drawing it back up and hopefully out of the way of vengeful hooves, a powerful slap, as if I were a man grabbing at a nice piece of flesh.

Psyche's likely nothing but a common tramp anyway; she won't mind my advances, even if I am just a stupid featherbrain in her eyes.
""

[ WC: 639; 1/4; 0/2. ]
KRI the RESOLUTE</style>
MY FRIENDS, I'M ONLY FLESH AND BONE, BUT I WON'T LET YOU DIE ALONE.</style>

image by ANGEL!

Psyche the DarkEmpress Posts: 380
Deceased
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.3 hh :: 8 (ages in Orangemoon) Buff: ENDURE
RayoDeSoleil
#4
Psyche</style></style>
 


The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.



Time slowed, as it so often does in battle.

Of course the Resolute would meet her charge - she had expected as much. After all, the skyrat was renowned for her prowess as a fighter, lending even more to the Lady's concept of her as a brawny, brainless idiot. The ground was hard under her hooves as the beats echoed off the rocks at her back, the firm footing it provided acting as an advantage for her opponent. Kri was ready for the Empress' horn as it sliced toward her shoulder; realizing her miss and feeling a stab of disappointment, for her bloodlust was not yet sated, Psyche continued the motion, pulling her head sharply up and to the right. The kick was fast, but not quite fast enough; the skyrat's smaller stature allowed the sharp jerk of the shade's head to evade the buck, and then the legs were gone and out of her reach. Perhaps, if the lesser had met her target, the Dark Empress would have been able to do some damage, but between her hasty dodge and the pure speed of the flying hooves, there simply hadn't been time.

A weight slammed into her rear end and she snorted angrily; reflexively, her hind legs whipped upwards and left. To be truthful, her fury did not inspire any particular aim, but she hoped the direction of her kick would be towards the skyrat's shoulder. This time, though, it was not only an attempt to disable the limb, but also a hope for revenge. More than anything, the fae was furious that the Resolute had been allowed to strike the first blow - and with one of those disgusting wings. Later, she would have a nice bruise across her rump, the kind that would make her think twice about taking on a male suitor (if she had had any). For now, though, the adrenaline pumping through her system warded off the majority of the pain.

The world was turning red; her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears. How dare this bitch come into her land and demand some skewed form of justice? How dare this inferior hornless waltz through the lands acting as though she were some god? The shadow-mare's anger grew, pulsing from somewhere deep within and spreading through her limbs in a rush, moving without giving her actions a thought, acting on pure instinct. If this feather brain thought that she could use the hard ground to her advantage, she would soon learn that two could play at that game. Within a few seconds of her back hooves landing, the Dark Empress took a step forward before rocking back on her haunches and wheeling again toward the skyrat. Using this momentum, she propelled herself in what she thought to be the direction of Kri's left hindquarter. Again, she lowered her horn to drive into flesh, hoping to stab through muscle and sinew before tearing her jagged horn up. Such a wound would not be irreparable, much to the shadow-mare's dismay, but it would at the very least be disabling.

"Talk talk talk."

[W/C | 513]
[2/4 Attack] [0/2 magic]
[Defense: Jerks head up and right to avoid Kri's kick; feeling the wing across her rump, kicks out in the direction of the retreating limb.]
[Attack: Turns on the spot and uses this momentum to push off, aiming her lowered horn in the direction of Kri's left flank.]

Image Credits
[Image: psycheicon.png]

Please feel free to tag me in all replies!
Use of force and/or magic (with the exception of death) is allowed at all times.

Kri the Resolute Posts: 243
Hidden Account
Mare :: Pegasus :: 14.3hh :: 10 Buff: NUMB
Boom Boom!
#5
WE WERE STRONG.
we stayed bright as lightning. we sang loud as thunder.
we moved ever forward.</style>

The anger I felt in my skull soon evaporating as I realize that Psyche the DarkEmpress is not a fighter. She may be able to throw blows, but she was ill-equipped to fight with one such as myself. I was raised as a warrior; I would die as one. When it comes to fisticuffs and violence, the snake of a leader is outmatched. Let us hope her lying, sleazy spirit carries her in this battle, lest I topple her skinny ass and trample it with my small, grey hooves. A grin pulls across my burly features, for while my hooves had missed the fleeing crown of the black bitch, my wing prevails. Down it slaps, clapping on her rump with a resounding thud that reverberates up my feathered limb, quickly retreating as a laugh of triumph sneaks past my lips. I continue to move forward as soon as my hind limbs are placed back on the earth, but I am not quite fast enough to leave unscathed.

Her hooves flash as well, much as I had anticipated with the swift retreat of my wing already planned. The shoulder, long since distanced from her horn, is out of reach of her flailing, ill-aimed hooves, but the bitter end of her kick lands upon my barrel a few inches behind the shoulder. The collision is swift, the full extension of her legs occurring just precious moments before, sparing me of critical damage, yet the down-stroke is just as alarming to my glee. The thud of her hooves kicks out the last note of my laugh, almost like I choke on my own tongue. I regain my breath quickly, but the hooves will leave a sizable bruise above my ribs, which I just know will piss me off for the rest of this fight.

It does not matter; I hit her first. Nee, ner, nee, ner, nee.

I pound onward, hooves cutting down into the hard soil of the tundra, readying myself for lift-off as my wings unfurl. Truly, before Psyche completes her pivot, the wind which remains with me always has lifted me upward, and I glace behind me only to see the lurching figure of Psyche taking a stab at my former position, but only getting to chase my tail. I resist a laugh, thinking her foolish. Who does she think she is fighting? Such ground-bound thinking. I expected nothing more.

My wings, however, are already weary from the flight to the Basin and coupled with the recent injury to my limbs, I know that my flights must be succinct. I begin to curve back around, with Psyche positioned on the ground like a sitting duck. Since she is already using her horn to her advantage, fighting with little else, I feel no remorse about showing her the beauty of wings.

I attempt to come around to Psyche's left, folding my wings close to my side as I aim to crash my extended forelegs into the top, midsection of her barrel. She is lighter of build, so perhaps I can knock her over with brute force. I did not want my feathered limbs within range of that nasty knife, so I cannot extend them as I normally would. A rough landing awaited me, but it is nothing that I cannot handle.
""

[ WC: 550; 2/4; 0/2. ]
KRI the RESOLUTE</style>
MY FRIENDS, I'M ONLY FLESH AND BONE, BUT I WON'T LET YOU DIE ALONE.</style>

image by ANGEL!

Psyche the DarkEmpress Posts: 380
Deceased
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.3 hh :: 8 (ages in Orangemoon) Buff: ENDURE
RayoDeSoleil
#6
Psyche</style></style>
 


The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.



Unlike her opponent, the shadow-mare’s anger did not fade to glee in the face of her enemy’s pain. In fact, there was likely little that would cause such a drastic mood shift. She was beyond angry, beyond furious – she was seething. It was no longer a matter of principle, no longer a defense of her land, title, rights – it was pure vengeance that coursed through her veins. It was stupid, to lose her head in such a way in battle, but then she was not known for her tendency to stop and think about such things.

The barely-there impact of her hooves against the skyrat’s side left her wanting even as the choked-off laugh from her opponent brought a sense of satisfaction. The battle had, thus far, been bloodless, merely a matter of dancing around one another, of drawing one another into attack as though in a game of cat and mouse. Of course, it was not so intricate as that; the Empress had not really strategized, but had simply lunged quite literally headfirst into attack after attack, perhaps hoping that her rather rusty skills in battle would magically prevail.

The Resolute prepared to launch herself into the air, and for the first time, there was a moment of calm in which to plan. The Lady of the Basin paused, watching the retreating form of the feather-brain. Perhaps she could not fly, but to attempt to chase her down from above would prove fruitless. The ground beneath her hooves was as familiar to the shade as her own face; she would not have to think through her coming actions. To Kri, she might seem like a sitting duck, but she had a plan. As the other mare began to wheel, the shadow-mare concentrated, reaching into the magic that inhabited a corner of her mind.

The seconds ticked by slowly as she entered the stage of transformation; she watched through gritted teeth as the skyrat banked, building speed and approaching her with her forelegs stretched out, aiming for her back. The shadow-mare began to shrink as she felt her bones crunch together, shortening and changing to match her new body. She dropped in height, and as the transformation completed, she crouched low to the ground. Having expected a unicorn, not a jackal, Kri’s attack passed overhead; as she did so, the shade lunged after her, baring newly sharpened teeth in a predatory smile. Guessing that the hornless would attempt a landing, and hoping that it would slow her, Psyche ran forward, gaining momentum; she leaped, her muscles bunching and releasing, hoping to time her leap with the landing of Kri’s back hooves to avoid being kicked. She aimed to sink her teeth into the skyrat’s left hock, hoping to cause damage to the joint or the surrounding area.

"Talk talk talk."

[W/C | 473]
[3/4 Attack] [1/2 magic]
[Defense: Uses magic to transform; shrinking of body allows her to dodge Kri’s attack.]
[Attack: As Kri passes above, Psyche drops to the ground, then pushes off to run after Kri. Hoping that she intends to land, Psyche leaps for the left hock.]

Image Credits
[Image: psycheicon.png]

Please feel free to tag me in all replies!
Use of force and/or magic (with the exception of death) is allowed at all times.

Kri the Resolute Posts: 243
Hidden Account
Mare :: Pegasus :: 14.3hh :: 10 Buff: NUMB
Boom Boom!
#7
WE WERE STRONG.
we stayed bright as lightning. we sang loud as thunder.
we moved ever forward.</style>

Perhaps the reason I had not feared traveling to the Basin alone lies in the fact that I trusted my skill in battle. A natural rhythm existed between my heart and the din of war, the dance of violent blows, the mix of sweat and blood and desperate cries. I felt it rise in my bones and sooth the anger that had clouded my mind so desperately on the way here. No matter who my opponent was, no matter the danger which lay before me, nothing could alter the fact that I loved fighting. I am a soldier. I am a soldier. I am a soldier, damn it.

The lack of calm displayed by the queen of the Basin tells me she is anything but.

As I soar through the air, the chill of an Orangemoon morning settles in around my frame, cradling my body and bringing attention briefly to the sweat which begins to form along my sides. The bruise, fresh from the keen impact of hooves, stings, but the chill of the north, despite the discomfort it brings to me, is refreshing to the wound. By the time I am banking down to aim my hooves at Psyche, the joy I felt, the exhilaration which is paired with battle has lightened my heart but strengthened my determination. I am fearless, but she should fear me. I have come with steady purpose, and I would not leave here until I received what I came here to win. Athena, my precious sister, would no longer stand in chains here.

My hooves sink but not fast enough to catch up with the retreating black form of Psyche. In confusion, my dark blue eyes glance downward at the floor, a most disturbing sight. The figure of the proud unicorn melts and turns into one I do not recognize - a cur. I have to resist a laugh as I think to myself... so, she really is a bitch. I realize all too soon, however, that this would alter my plans. I had prepared mentally for a messy landing, so why not bring it in with blood, aye?

I flap my wings the moment I notice her chasing my heels, locking my slope of descent, trying to keep parallel with the earth before sinking violently downward. I was close, far too close, to keep entirely out of the reach of the fucking jackal, but it was of no matter. My wings flare out sideways, catching the air, slowing my pace, altering my trajectory more. My front end slides upward in attention, but my back end is far from coming to such an abrupt stop, throwing itself forward, back hooves skidding uncomfortably on the hard floor for a moment before I tuck my hind end swings away from the grasp of the bitch. Not everything is out of her reach, though, as small jaws clamp tightly upon my golden tail for a brilliant moment before the weight of my body sends my back end back down toward the earth, its momentum spent.

I follow through with the movement, throwing my weight downward toward my back hooves which extend in a kick, aiming for the dog who is busy tearing out long strands of blonde, annoying stings ringing up the flesh of my tail. I do not care if she gets her skull crush in, I just wanted to be freed from her grasp. My hooves attempt to push off, their speed and violent toss hopefully enough to deter her from trying to take a bite out of my hocks, a graceful arc as my wings fold and my front end lurching forward, front hooves slamming with harsh shudders onto the ground as I attempt to peel away from the short little mutt.
""

[ WC: 628; 3/4; 0/2. ]
KRI the RESOLUTE</style>
MY FRIENDS, I'M ONLY FLESH AND BONE, BUT I WON'T LET YOU DIE ALONE.</style>

image by ANGEL!

Psyche the DarkEmpress Posts: 380
Deceased
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.3 hh :: 8 (ages in Orangemoon) Buff: ENDURE
RayoDeSoleil
#8
Psyche</style></style>
 


The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.



The confusion on the skyrat’s face was satisfying, although the immediately following expression of amusement was not. A low growl built in the jackal’s throat as she recognized the probable cause of the Resolute’s grin. Perhaps the shade was a bitch; in fact, she would agree to that statement rather eagerly. She didn’t exactly gain her status with flowers and rainbows, after all – no, she had fought her way to the top, same as Kri. Maybe she was a bit more of a verbal fighter than a physical one, but she had risen all the same. It was time that the feather-brain treated her with some respect.

Fear was not the predominant emotion that swept through the Empress – no, instead it was a skewed righteousness that fueled her onward. The Sultana had come to her lands, demanding things that were not rightfully hers, and so the Lady of the Basin would defend them. This was about more than just prisoners, about more than lies – this was about many moons of pent-up fury and distaste. The hornless had, after all, held her prisoner before – did she think that the shade had forgotten?

She most definitely had not.

Sharp teeth closed on flesh, and although it was not the intended target to which she clung stubbornly, it was something. It would seem that although Kri had gotten the first hit, it had been the Dark Empress that had drawn the first blood. The moment of glee is brought short by the abrupt shift of weight; her body slammed awkwardly against the skyrat’s buttocks before the upward kick sent her flying. Because of her proximity to Kri’s body, she was saved the worst of the kick, instead being simply displaced by the mare’s hocks. A snarl left her muzzle as she was catapulted into the air, snapping at the tail that she had held so firmly only moments before. It was, however, out of her reach by then, and she found herself flailing through midair.

The ground rushed up quickly – too quickly – and the shade attempted to right herself in order to land on her feet. Her front paws met the ground and bent, absorbing the impact, but her hind legs met the hard earth in a very jarring stop, sending a burst of pain through her tail and up her spine, resonating in the bruise that the feather-brain had created earlier. As she crouched low to the ground again, a snarl burst forth, for the adrenaline of battle was beginning to wear off, leaving the apparently deep bruising of her backside aching.

There was no time to change back, although she questioned now the intelligence of the shift. Should she attempt to regain her former shape and size, Kri would be on her in an instant, pummeling her into the ground with sharp hooves. But if she attacked now, she had a heightened risk of injury. Well, you know what they say: go big or go home. And since the shade was already home, it seemed just as fitting for her to take a risk. She took off in a lope around her opponent, looking for an opening. Hoping to find herself on the mare’s right side, she lunged. This time, she attempted to remain low to the ground, to better dodge any kicks sent her way; when she judged herself to hopefully be out of the danger zone, she launched herself into the air, paws extended and teeth bared, hoping to catch a portion of the right wing or shoulder. Should she hit, her claws and teeth might rip the skin to shreds; if she missed, she would have to get away quickly to avoid a very quick demise.

"Talk talk talk."

[W/C | 626]
[4/4 Attack] [2/2 magic]
[Defense: Tries to land on her feet after she is thrown; back end makes a hard landing, leaving her backside aching.]
[Attack: Attempts to run to the right of Kri, slinking low before leaping for her right shoulder.]

Image Credits
[Image: psycheicon.png]

Please feel free to tag me in all replies!
Use of force and/or magic (with the exception of death) is allowed at all times.

Kri the Resolute Posts: 243
Hidden Account
Mare :: Pegasus :: 14.3hh :: 10 Buff: NUMB
Boom Boom!
#9
WE WERE STRONG.
we stayed bright as lightning. we sang loud as thunder.
we moved ever forward.</style>

I do not respect those who lie, steal, and cheat to gather what they hold dear. I am an honest soul, though maybe equally detestable at times for my quick temper. Still, no excuse hides the ugliness of a lie, and that is what I see across the face of my enemy now. Be she a unicorn garbed in black, or some small cur, it would not hide the impure soul and vile heart in her chest, peering out from glaring eyes fueled with insanity and rage. Respect? Who has respect for a coward who relies on the indirect means of accomplishment? Brandish your strength, throw it against me, and I will consider you worthy. A weasel is just a weasel. A warrior fights with a heart of gold.

I feel my hocks connect with a small, skeletal frame on their descent. Almost as though this was a comedy, I literally punt the mutt from the ground, my head turning backward as my hooves plow onto the earth to see her small figure sailing through the air before colliding on the earth below. I can hear the cartoonish croon of a dog in my head, but I cannot be certain whether Psyche made any noise or if I am just enjoying myself too much. Whatever the case, I hope it fucking hurt. A smug look of victory as my front end plunges forward rests on my lips; the bruise from hooves much more violent in their intent stinging as I do so, a reminder that I am not out of the clear yet. I am uncertain why the queen of the Basin has disadvantaged herself so by placing her body in such a weak position.

Until, of course, I remember that with smaller, lither sizes comes more speed. Despite the increased speed my training has granted me, the bitch is still quick to recover from her jarring landing. I could outrun her in this state, after all, if I so choose. It is a rare occurrence for my legs to be longer than that of my opponent, but I am not used to basking in the glory of longer strides. For now, I maintain an even canter that slows, allowing the dog to catch up to me, almost as if tempting her to try. Off she runs on a suicide mission toward my side as I begin to slow with the wear of battle. Her figure comes up on my right side, and I watch her movements carefully, her back end coiling as if in preparation for a leap. By her recent attacks, I am guessing she will likely aim for my wing joint, wishing to disable my flight and leave me vulnerable to her cronies to destroy once their lazy asses woke up.

Quickly, I push off on my front end and throw my shoulder right, not trying to evade her attack but cut it off at the source. As her jaws open, they come to land upon my right shoulder which I am pushing out toward her, hoping to jar her mouth upon impact. With the closed distance, the teeth are spread too wide to get a good grip on my thick musculature, leaving the savage teeth to only cause superficial tears, cutting pain with light trickles of blood, but hardly anything to put my war-tank of a body out for service. Limbs with paws and claws also are kept from the bulk of their injury, flailing about on my barrel and upper right foreleg, causing no pain, but some minimal discomfort and also humorous amusement to see her flailing thus. With my own jaws, I reach my nape inward toward my shoulder and bite out at her head quickly, trying to grasp on her skull or delicate ears before she can fall away from me. Should my attack land, I would pull her free of my shoulder, regardless of the excess damage it might cause, and toss her back toward the hellhole of the Basin where she belongs.

Bitch.
""

[ WC: 672; 4/4; 0/2.

Thanks for the great fight, Rayo! :D ]
KRI the RESOLUTE</style>
MY FRIENDS, I'M ONLY FLESH AND BONE, BUT I WON'T LET YOU DIE ALONE.</style>

image by ANGEL!

Psyche the DarkEmpress Posts: 380
Deceased
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.3 hh :: 8 (ages in Orangemoon) Buff: ENDURE
RayoDeSoleil
#10
Psyche</style></style>
 


The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.



Though others would call her a liar and a cheat, the Dark Empress considered herself to be merely intelligent. It was a fool’s errand to hang onto a fruitless neutrality in which each side was eyeing each other from a distance, simply waiting for the other to strike first. Why allow the Throat to thrive, to grow, to gain strength and numbers which might be used against them? Why should she and those she called her own lie down like simple-minded cows, aimlessly following the orders of those inferior to them? No, the entire scenario was a recipe for disaster, and the shadow-mare was not one to court such.

And so while the Resolute may have thought her a lesser being for her actions, she found herself righteously angry. That was, after all, what had fueled the entire battle – well, that and the hatred for such an idiotic creature that would dare challenge the rightful ruler of Helovia. Perhaps they didn’t know it yet, but one day, the shade was determined to rule, and with her rule would come punishments for those who had done wrong – or simply those that she did not like. And Kri was definitely rather high on that list.

Rough pads grated against the firm ground as she leaped for the skyrat’s shoulder. Time seemed to slow, and she found herself unable to change the course of events. Kri’s shoulder approached her far too quickly, and the jackal’s wide-open jaw met it with a vengeance. The force of the blow shoved her mouth open wider, to an uncomfortable – no, a painful angle. She did manage to wound the beast; a freckling of small punctures torn into shallow grooves left the tang of blood in her mouth. Claws on front and back paws scrambled over her barrel, but they were unable to rip the tough skin there. Tough skin would explain a lot about this seemingly-indestructible little mare.

A twist of the skyrat’s nape brought her flat teeth too close for comfort; there was very little room for the jackal to move, pressed against the Resolute as she was. Still, she tried to pull back, to duck her head, to do anything to avoid that motion that would surely pull her to the ground to be trampled. The movement allowed the shade to avoid the mare’s teeth in her ear (thankfully, as she may well have lost it if it had hit) but the sensitive skin of her jaw was not so lucky. There was not enough skin there to offer a hold to her challenger, but it was a painful bite all the same, one that broke the thin skin and nearly scraped bone.

Suddenly the smaller size that had been such an advantage in terms of speed rapidly turned into a liability, which she had expected. The yank away from the opponent’s teeth had twisted her body awkwardly, but she used the momentum of the jerk to propel herself forcefully from the Resolute. It was not as graceful a landing as she might have wanted – instead of regaining her feet, she found herself tumbling in the dirt – and a growl sprouted from her lips, for not only was she rather bruised and bleeding, but her pride was rather inexorably crushed.

"Talk talk talk."

[W/C | 545]
[4/4 Attack] [2/2 magic]
[Closing Defense: Jerks her ear away from Kri’s bite, but receives a rather vicious bite to the jaw under the ear; falls away to tumble unceremoniously through the dirt.]

[OOC | Thanks, Boom! You were excellent (as always)!]

Image Credits
[Image: psycheicon.png]

Please feel free to tag me in all replies!
Use of force and/or magic (with the exception of death) is allowed at all times.

Official Posts: 847
Administrator
Stallion :: Equine :: ::
Official
#11
The Judging team apologizes for any delays. We wanted to ascertain the verdict was fair and accurate.



P s y c h e | K r i
- - - - -
By my verdict PSYCHE is the winner.
Psyche earns 2 VP and prisoners remain in the Basin.

PSYCHE -- post 1 (attack only)

[Realism]
+ 1| Attack: stab towards Kri's left wing.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion.
+ 1| Easy read.
+ 1| Flow.

KRI -- post 1

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: moving to the side to avoid the horn. It's a good thing you mention you'll probably get hit if Psyche doesn't move away from your kick.
0| Attack: kicking towards her head. This is in and of itself a good attack, but with the close quarters, it doesn't seem plausible she'd get her feet up (if anything, she'd just smack into Psyche's legs/barrel and come no further). Since Psyche had been running in to be essentially side-against-side, Kri merely tossing her forefront away would not put enough space between them to let her feet get up.
0| Attack: wing slap to ass. At this point it's likely Psyche has taken/begun to take another stride away from Kri after the buck, meaning she'll be even further away. Kri would have to extend her wing very far backwards, and even then it's unlikely Psyche would still be within reach.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion.
+ 1| Easy read.
+ 1| Flow.

PSYCHE -- post 2

[Realism]
- 1| Defense: the kick towards the head. With the close quarters, and the kick not being described as being the furthest Kri can reach, I'd think it'd hit some part of your legs/neck/chest at least even if you jerk your head away, especially since Kri has the "AIM" buff. While it's unlikely Kri would get high enough to hit your head, I definitely think her feet/hocks/lower legs would hit some part of you.
0| Defense: wing to ass. With the distance between them it's likely the only part of Kri's wing to reach her would be the trailing edge, ie the feathers, where there is nothing really solid. And if the leading edge, with the wing bone, hit you, you would've had her feathers covering your back entirely. So the damage just feels a bit too intense in this case.
+ 1| Attack: kicking towards Kri's shoulder.
+ 1| Attack: trying to stab Kri's thigh.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion.
+ 1| Easy read.
+ 1| Flow.

KRI -- post 2

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: kick to the barrel. Good for you you mentioned "up and out of the way" in your previous post, otherwise I would've been all "... where is your wing".
+ 1| Defense: avoiding the horn stab by taking off.
+ 1| Attack: trying to knock Psyche over.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion.
+ 1| Easy read.
+ 1| Flow.

PSYCHE -- post 3

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: shrinking away by using magic!
+ 1| Attack: trying to bite Kri's hock.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion.
+ 1| Easy read.
+ 1| Flow.

KRI -- post 3

[Realism]
- 1| Defense: I'm not quite sure what you're doing to exactly avoid the bite. I get it as you're breaking your airborne front half, but the hind end skids on the ground but at the same time it seems like you're still in the air and rotating around your CoG, but if you had contact with the ground the friction would stop your hind end from flying forward like that, unless it was wet grass and yeah I just.. don't really understand entirely what's up with this move, or why Psyche would miss is completely as I'm not sure where Kri's legs are going.
- 1| Attack: "I follow through with the movement, throwing my weight downward toward my back hooves which extend in a kick..." implies that Kri is landing on her back hooves, so I don't understand how she can kick using them.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion.
0| Easy read: ".. back hooves skidding uncomfortably on the hard floor for a moment before I tuck my hind end swings away from the grasp of the bitch." I just have a really hard time understanding what this really means, and as a result the majority of the movements around this defense has me quite confused.
+ 1| Flow.

PSYCHE -- post 4

[Realism]
- 1| As I read Kri's post, Psyche only grasped the hairy part of Kri's tail, not the tail bone and flesh itself.
+ 1| Defense: scooped up and sent flying by Kri's kick.
+ 1| Attack: trying to bite Kri's right wing joint. Keep in mind that a jackal is a canine, and thus has blunt claws.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion.
+ 1| Easy read.
+ 1| Flow.

KRI -- post 4

[Realism]
+ 1| Counter-attack: shoving shoulder into Psyche's face.
+ 1| Defense: some scratches from the teeth.
+ 1| Attack: bite!

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion.
+ 1| Easy read.
+ 1| Flow.

PSYCHE -- post 5 (defense only)

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: mouth slammed open.
- 1| Defense: not quite sure how she hit your jaw instead of the ear, or if you just mentioned the ear, or what..? still, Psyche is described as rather flailing, and among other things "pull back", so I'm just a bit like.. well maybe. But at the same time I think you stretched it out quite a bit, as a jackal would just drop to the ground and not get stuck on Kri's side.


PSYCHE

[Bonus]
+ 2| Breed.
+ 2| Surroundings.

[Injuries]
0| Nothing of note.

[Creativity]
+ 1| When Psyche transformed into a jackal to avoid Kri's air strike. It was really well done, it kind of amazed me as I understood what she was planning - a very well executed move.

Comments: Great job! This was a very nice fight to read, with very few "wtf?" moments and a lot of depth and neat moves! You have good fighting instincts, and your connection with Psyche is just admirable. The one thing I reacted to, though, was that sometimes your defenses were a bit off, so try to think them through one extra time before you settle on something! And keep in mind to read your opponent's post carefully, to make sure you get the location of where your attacks land correctly. Otherwise you did great, with clearly written attacks, and an overall neat pacing. Thumbs up!

KRI

[Bonus]
+ 2| Breed.
+ 2| Surroundings.

[Injuries]
0| Nothing of note.

[Creativity]
+ 1| Kri. Being Kri. She's just awesome, alright.

Comments: Good fight, as always! Kri is a fantastic read, and aside from the one time where I really did not understand what you were doing you did great. So, remember to wipe your mind before you proof read and ask yourself: "would this make sense to me if I hadn't visualized it when I wrote it?" Just keep up the good work!

TOTAL
Psyche - 72
Kri - 71

Image Credit: dirkjankraan @ Flickr


Forum Jump:


RPGfix Equi-venture