[open;] if the dust in my pocket were silver or gold

[bravers]

WHO: Cloud Strife and your character! (Hopefully.)
WHAT: A few of the dive bars in Cadens are favourites of lower-ranking members of the military for multiple reasons. Some examples of which are a "don't ask, don't tell" ethos, cheap drinks, and more recently? Gambling. Tournaments are held infrequently at a few back-alley bars within the capital, with the prize pot going to the victor. Seeking funds, Cloud has decided to participate.
WHEN: End of October!
WHERE: Cadens
WARNINGS: Poor depictions of violence, probably.

NOTES: I wasn't going to do a tournament is actually happening right now tag but if you want your character to participate, PM me! I'll put one up!

Comments

[bravers]

"Keep thinking that."

He's... full of bravado, but Goro's right in a lot of ways. The alleyway is tight- tight enough for him, if he really wanted, to extend his upper arms and touch each wall. The dirt pathway between them is mostly viable purchase- though the fights beforehand (most notably close to the walls) is slippery with old blood, brain matter, vomit, and who knew what else.

Winning's still a possibility, if only in Cloud's mind. It's a dogged one- stubborn to leave- but thankfully (for him) a strategy of survival isn't absent. It mostly revolves around not allowing Goro a chance to get hold of him. Small strikes. Nothing flashy. Getting clear. Another one. Getting clear.

It's endurance more than power. And-

The crowd, heckler and all, by now have moved up two flights of stairs onto balconies which, more than likely, were designed for drying clothes, but repurposed by an enterprising bar owner to serve as viewing platforms. Cloud's only really aware of the fact the match should be underway by a shout from above- of Just get on with it! and a glass shattering, thrown from above, at the wall behind him.

He inhales.
And he turns the scimitar in his hand.

How long has it been since he used anything singlehanded?

Just fucking fiiiiight!

Another glass.

[fourarmedandangerous]

The glass is sailing through the air. Goro lowers himself into an attack position. The angry onlooker yells. Power building in his legs. The glass shatters on the ground.

Goro leaps.

From where he stands at the end of the alley, the Shokan suddenly propels himself forward into the air, raising all four fists as he does so to bring them down on Cloud as hammerblows. Apparently, he doesn't intend for this to be a very long fight.

The saving grace is that he doesn't have the clearance to put his full amount of power into the jump, constrained as he is by the tight confines of the alley, but it's still going to hurt if even one of his fists manages to connect.

[bravers]

As impressive borderline horrifying as Goro's leap is, fortunately, it does not connect. While Goro indeed has the edge on Cloud in terms of bulk, that very fact in itself has a slight disadvantage. His form, the sheer amount of weight he carries around with him means that movements like that are telegraphed. And at the leap, instead of obeying his instinct (anyone's instinct) to flee backward, Cloud moves forward in a small dash.

It's tight. Of course it's tight- even with the power Goro should have in his legs, his weight alone should ensure the leap isn't going to get him that far off the ground- but he succeeds, mostly, in evading the attack and getting behind him with a roll. And then, instantly, he uses his position to aim a vicious kick to the back of one of the Shokan's knees.

Goro might then notice something.

By appearance, Cloud is a lean man. Scrawny even- with some muscle, sure. But nothing remarkable. But the force in which the blow should strike the back of his joint- should it even land at all- should be significant. It should feel less like a blow by one man- more like a blow by twenty. And that, given the fact that the blonde gives no indication of such strength, no feasible sign of it- might be surprising.

Cloud, himself, doesn't know if it's enough to stagger him. Hell- what was enough to dislocate a human's knee from the off might mean nothing to someone like Goro. He'd fought monsters, but never anything like this before. So regardless, he's not greedy. He doesn't linger afterward- doesn't chance more attacks- instead darting right back.

To boos, of course. Some abuse is thrown, in more glasses, and jeers from a crowd expecting blood, and quickly.

[fourarmedandangerous]

As the kick connects, for the first time that night, Goro feels pain, and actually stumbles as he lands, not connecting with Cloud. He doesn't fall, but the stumble is noticeable after the other fighter failed to do anything to him other than attract Goro's attention. He grunts, and then swings back around, and nods at Cloud.

"First blood. I give you points for that." He acknowledges, beginning to advance, farther into the alley. "I knew you were more than human. Good. Then we shall do this properly...as warriors."

And then he charges. He brings up his lower arms in defensive positions to block anymore incoming attacks to his center of mass. But his upper arms are ready for an attack. A downward strike from the left, a right hook from the other. This time he leaves nowhere for Cloud to move other than to retreat, or attempt to face the attack. Goro accepts that sword will bloody him, since Cloud can put some power behind the swing, but Shokan skin is tough. And a fight where he doesn't bleed is hardly a fight at all.

[bravers]

That's the left leg.

It didn't do much. But the monster of a man clearly felt it, so concentrating on it with future opportunities wouldn't be useless. He can make it into something- and it's a start. All he needed was a start, and he got one. He just has to stay focused, and-

Goro's talking again.
His eyes narrow- tellingly- at the insinuation he's not human- and although, clearly, it wasn't intended as a taunt, he's taking it as one. And it affects him.

"Shut the-"

Massive mistake. He's open - so much so that Goro's subsequent charge is undodgable. All he can do is attempt to defend, and being righthanded, Goro's left- the downward strike- is met with the sword. Using both arms, Cloud attempts to hold the sword, blade up, to meet Goro's fist- but again, he's open.

The right hook- from a hand easily as big as his head- lands. And the force of both blows is massive. The sword bends against Goro's left fist. Perhaps striking the sharpened blade bloodies him, but the sword, by far, comes off worse. It in itself buckles- resembling a boomerang at the impact, being forced out of his hands, and clattering on the ground.

He would be pissed. Because selling that thing at the end of this was about the only way he was thinking he'd be sure of some money- but Goro's right hook is far more of a pressing concern. Especially as it lands.

The force of it is enough to knock him sideways- smashing his body against the side of the alleyway's filthy brick wall- shuddering it, and the balcony connected to it, and even leaving a series of long cracks.

He slumps to the ground, face down, and the audience, of course, think it's over. That blow was enough to break anyone's neck. At the very least, it's enough to shatter every bone at the side of someone's face- and it seems that's the impression the crowd come to as the blonde lies there, motionless.

Is he pretending, or is he really out?

[fourarmedandangerous]

Goro hadn't actually intended to throw Cloud off. In a roundabout, backhanded sort of way, it had been intended as something of a complement. Finally, something here at least resembling a challenge. It actually gets his hopes up for moment, only to be dashed within seconds as Cloud immediately falls under his follow-up assault. The sword does manage to draw some blood, but Shokan hides are tough, and Goro's bled worse than this. Regarding the cut on his arm for a moment, he turns to regard the fallen Cloud with distaste.

"Hrm. Disappointing." He spits. He approaches the prone SOLDIER, examines him for a moment, and then reaches for one of Cloud's arms to pull him up by it. Try to see if he really is out cold (or dead, possibly, given the strength with which he hit the wall)...or quite possibly leave himself open to attack, if Cloud is indeed faking. But if Goro has considered that possibility, he's clearly not worried about it.