ATT: 3rd Bracket: Azrael Blackfire vs Marilee Glasser

[Pig Boy]

Vincent Steinitz vs Azrael Blackfire

The third bracket had arrived, the Semi-Finals, through which the tested and tried fighters of Vincent and Azrael would be testing their might against one another. Their speed, their tactics, and their tricks. However, as Azrael arrived at the next ring, he'd find his opponent absent, apparently having gone for a lavatory break in the middle of the tournament. Ilaren seemed impatient, crossing her arms and wondering where the challenger might be.

The crowd began rumbling on their side of the arena, and there was an air of confusion and scrutiny levied as Vincent was taking his time in getting back. During this time, Azrael would have plenty of time to warm up and refresh and recuperate his energy. As well, his supporters, who'd come with him to the tournament, were cheering him on as he conducted his own preparations. He'd heard how Vincent's opponent had been defeated, that a few hard hits in the beginning hadn't quite taken him down, but that he came back in the late match to overcome Marilee Glasser.

The extra time to recuperate and revive his motivation would doubtless give Azrael an extra edge in the fight to come, whatever may be happening with Vincent's non-entrance.

!	Message from: Pig Boy
	Okay, five days from Azrael's first post, I will make my next post. Given Vincent's excursion, I'm asking that he post after Azrael's introduction to the fight. Vincent is not there yet. He spent a lot of time in the galleries, so he might not be back in time if he doesn't do so quick. No guarantees you'll get back in time.

[Azrael]

120 Ashan 724

Azrael was more relieved than confused about where his opponent was. He had moved from the positively groin tormenting match with Avelza to the next without stopping between to do anything. He bounced around on his feet like a boxer and threw a few punches into the air, almost entirely just to entertain the cheering crowd. Who would have guessed that someone marked by Syroa would have made it this far in the tournament? Especially given the circumstances surrounding the last one. He was enjoying the crowd and their jubilation but he could only enjoy it for so long. Most of the fun in these tournaments was the interactions with the people he was fighting.

It was hard to have a conversation with a crowd- hahahahahaha! No it wasn't. Only a poor showman would believe that. However the All-Tavern's Tournament boasted a crowd larger than any simple tavern he'd been brawling in before. It was more difficult to maintain a conversation with a crowd in an arena such as this... but maybe the crowd wasn't who he should have been talking to? After a decent few moments of warming up and trying to rally his fans and friends to his side, Azrael began to look around as if trying to find his opponent. Was he to battle a ghost and he hadn't been informed? Could they compete? Wasn't someone eliminated for cheating with a ghost? Haha. Cheating with a ghost.

Azrael noticed Ilaren seeming to grow impatient up in the box. Fair enough. She'd had to save the announcer who got to drunk and now she had to fulfill his duty. Unfair. It was impulsive and childish but in the grand scheme of his life he was sure that he would do far worse. Also, given he was Edasha's son he had plenty of time to make bigger mistakes than the one that followed.

"I'm getting restless too! Wanna go a few rounds while we're waiting? Or get a few rounds? I'm up for either." Azrael directed the question towards Ilaren who seemed like she was getting bored. He misinterpreted the difference between bored and impatient. He was also fairly certain she could level him with a flick of her finger. He didn't mind. It might have been fun to get leveled by Ilaren. The tree would fix him before the fight right?

A moment later Azrael looked around at the crowd to see if he'd said something socially inappropriate, he didn't really care if it was, he was just curious what they'd think.

[Netzach Embersoul]

In the Audience

Netzach put down a few nels on Vincent winning, the same nels he earned out of Vivian's fight. He hadn't seen this Azrael fight before, so he didn't know how Vincent would compare. But Netzach did promise to bet on Vincent, if only to himself. For once Netzach wasn't betting to win, not that he really stood to lose anything as this was just the same money he got out of gambling last time anyway.

As he entered the audience, he felt a certain restlessness amongst the crowd, even beyond the way they normally behaved when the fight was right around the corner.
Turning to one side, he saw what he assumed was Vincent's opponent, Azrael.
He seemed well built, and from the way he bounced around and tossed punches he looked like he knew what he was doing. Or at least knew how to act like he knew what he was doing. Netzach knew he bloody well couldn't tell the difference.

He turned his head and scanned the rest of the ring, even the audience and practically everywhere else he thought a competitor might be.
Vincent... was nowhere to be seen?

Ohhhhh. The grumbling of the crowd began to make sense.

"Well there is nothing more to do. Coming too early before the fight is better than being late. I can wait for Vincent to come back."

Netzach said to himself, slightly proud of his perceived self control.

Yet as the trills passed, Netzach began to feel more and more nervous. If Vincent didn't make it, then he forfeits, right? What about Netzach's bet?

His leg started shaking up and down restlessly, hammering staccato against the floor. Suddenly he didn't feel so okay with the prospect of losing his bet anymore. Not like this at least.

He looked up and saw Azrael... challenging Illaren to a fight?
Netzach tried to strain his ears to pick up what was being said, sitting a little bit closer to hear Azrael.

"By the Immortals... Vincent this fight is gonna be easy. He's trying to get himself killed. Just get back here quick"

[Pig Boy]

Azrael Blackfire vs Marilee Glasser

Ilaren looked abjectly bored and unimpressed by Azrael's comments. "You couldn't possibly keep up, Smallfry." She said, unsmiling. Then she drank from her flask, and added, "Edasha might not like one of her precious children getting their faces knocked in three different ways, besides." Ilaren was rarely known to speak low or whisper, so it happened that everyone in the Arena was treated to that bit of information, that Azrael was the child of Edasha. For better or worse. At any rate, it might give a lift to the fame he was earning in Rharne.

Another minute elapsed, and Ilaren was out of patience. "Bring in Marilee Glasser, Vincent has left the brawling pit for too long, we need to get on with this." Ilaren shouted, and Marilee, who was healed up from the Brawling Tree, was ready to go.

She arrived at the fighting circle with Azrael, and saluted him, then fell into a striker's fighting stance, her hands ready to deal out the quick punishment she was known for.

"Fight!" Ilaren shouted, and then returned to her box seating in a flash of lightning.

Marilee Glasser didn't take much time, but came barrelling forward aiming a punch for the center of Azrael's face. Her other hand was cocked and ready to deliver punishment should he dodge or block the first blow, to finish the fight.

!	Message from: Pig Boy
	Will post again in five days, please have your posts in before that time. Attempted actions only please, no assuming success or failure of either combatant. I will decide the result of your actions next round. Also Netzach, if you'd like to change your bet to Marilee or Azrael you have the opportunity now. Just assume the re-assessment occurs before the fight commences

[Azrael]

120 Ashan 724

Ilaren's response prompted a grin and a wide shrug from Azrael who may have been more than alright with her knocking his face in three different ways. Azrael did notice that she only referenced the challenge, not the request to go get a few rounds. A woman of action. He liked that. Eh, maybe he just liked powerful people. They were always more fun to watch work.

Wait, did she call him Smallfry? He thought to adjust his height for that reason alone but stopped himself. Did that mean they were on a nickname basis? Ohhhh.... hm... he didn't have one for her yet but- OH! HEY! Azrael's eyes widened a fraction but his cocky smile never slipped when Ilaren outed him as the son of Edasha in front of the entire All Tavern's Tournament audience. He liked attention but that was a little too much attention and now all of his friends knew. Then again, his mother was one of the cool immortals wasn't she? She wasn't like the big spider lady or the bug one. Yeah. People ought to like Edasha.

He gave a small bow to the whole audience as if Ilaren announcing his parentage had been a sort of introduction- but also because when he got nervous he defaulted to being a bit more theatric. He didn't get nervous often but with Ilaren's Decree he couldn't just toss the feeling out. "I wouldn't say I'm precious- well I am, but not to her." Azrael was talking more to himself than Ilaren now as he went back to warming up for whatever fight was coming next. He kept going back and forth on his feet to keep his blood moving and he threw a few more swings into the air.

Ilaren finally made the call for Marilee Glasser to be brought in but Azrael wasn't too concerned. She was the one who hit people really hard right? He'd been hit quite unpleasantly in his last match so he was sure this would be fine. Besides, she'd lost her last match hadn't she? Wait... what if she fought harder because she was getting a second chance? As the thought crossed his mind, Azrael seemed to visibly slow down in his warm up routine.

Marilee arrived and saluted him so he gave her a casual wave back. It would have been rude to salute her right? He'd have looked like he was imitating her. Yeah. A wave was the right way to go there. Marilee dropped into a fighting stance Azrael was unfamiliar with but he could figure out the biggest threats pretty quickly. Her hands were up and ready but her feet seemed rooted. She wouldn't be kicking... unless he was wrong. No. She was the one punch girl wasn't she?

'Fight!'

Marilee barreled towards him and Azrael began to taunt her, "So I heard- whoa!"

She closed the distance quicker than Azrael could think of a witty comment but he'd been warming up while he was waiting and he was ready. He'd attempt to dodge backwards and to the shoulder side of the arm Marilee threw the punch with each time she threw one because he was very aware that she had two hands and they probably hit like bricks. Moving backwards should create space and moving to the side of the arm she punched with should make a follow up more difficult to land. One, in theory, would force her to come towards him and the other should make it easier to him to avoid being hit. He wouldn't try to block her strikes and would only parry her arms aside if he absolutely needed to do so to avoid being hit.

If he found an opening he would try to sweep her leg and take the fight to the ground. If he couldn't find a flaw in her footing to exploit, he would try to hit her with a back-fist before she found a way around his dodging.

[Netzach Embersoul]

In the Audience

Netzach joined the throng of people rushing to the bookies to change their bets.
As he reached the book-keeper, his mind raced. What was that Illaren said about Edasha? Was she speaking figuratively, like he's a follower of Edasha? Or literally a child of an Immortal.
Don't children of immortals usually have some... powers and such? Wouldn't that be a really big advantage? Then again, Illaren wouldn't allow someone to use their powers in a fist fight. But still, wouldn't the body of a child of an Immortal be immensely powerful?
On the other hand, giving a quick glance at the list of rounds, Marilee Glasser had lost to Vincent, so she was at least weaker than Vincent.

He furrowed his brows for a trill and then nodded.
"Yeah... this seems right."
He put his bet on Azrael, thinking that the man had won more fights than Marilee did. Not to mention, Azrael might have some special traits inherent in his body. Maybe his muscles were inherently stronger because of the divine blood in his veins. Netzach didn't know.

Rushing back to the audience, the fight was already underway. Marilee on the offensive, and Azrael dodging, possibly looking for an opening to initiate a counterattack of his own.

Netzach quickly scrambled to his seat, biting his knuckle. Suddenly, the bet didn't seem so unimportant. The fight felt intense, forcing Netzach to watch with bated breath.
Netzach was certain before that Vivian Shiryu would be the champion, but if Azrael won this fight, the final match would be between the Child of Edasha and the Commander of the Lightning Knights.

He watched with rapt attention as Azrael made his play...

[Vincent Steinitz]

Vincent raced back to the arena, but a hand grabbed him and pulled him to avoid the crowd rushing to the bookies.

“What the-? “ Vincent protested as he was pulled, still high on Thunder; he turned around to take a swing but stopped when he saw that familiar bandana. “Crow, what the fuck?”

Crow didn’t reply but pulled Vincent farther from the rushing crowd of people. Crow let go of his grip after a safe distance away. “That chick on the other bracket is a Lightning Knight Commander.”

“So? It’s not like we are doing anything illeg-” Vincent argued but stopped mid-way. “Ah you heard about that?”

Crow ruffled Vincent’s hair as he nodded. “Who knows if that chick had the same gift as the professor……..” He took out the rest of the vials and handed them to Vincent. “Besides, getting all chummy with the authorities ain’t gonna help you in the long run. This………” he spread his arms wide, “……is good enough, you’ve got your name out there. Semifinalist.”

Vincent shrugged and grabbed the remaining vials of Thunder. “Yeah, don’t want history to repeat itself. Afterall, we are in the presence of the city’s patron. It’ll probably gonna be more then just a trip to an underground cell.”

The two made their way back to the bookies. Vincent placed his bet on the Lightning Knight Commander, Vivian. While Crow placed another bet on the Lightning Knight Commander and Vincent’s opponent, Azrael.

“Hope that guy could figure out her weak point. She really packed a mean punch.” Vincent exclaimed as he pushed through the crowd and found an empty seat beside an unassuming fellow.

“That girl packed quite a punch, but that’s all.” He talked to himself as he glanced at Netzach. “So, between me and him, who did you bet on?” he asked.

► Show Spoiler

Crow bet 2 WP on Azrael and 3 WP bet on Vivian. Vincent bet 5 WP on Vivian. Both bets (10 WP) will be deducted from Vincent's WP as they are pooling their money

[Pig Boy]

Azrael Blackfire vs Marilee Glasser

Spectators:

As Netzach and Vincent took to their seats and stands above the arena below, they'd notice an unusually large volume of servers, hawking homebrew alcoholic drinks and similar signature wines and beers and spirits. Judging by the fanciful names of them. Blind Audrae, Deaf Victor, Randy Zana, and so on. They were nothing that was served in any self respecting tavern that they'd frequented, anyway.

!	Message from: Pig Boy
	Vincent, you didn't place a bet, is that correct? I notice that Crow did but Vincent didn't. Unless Crow and he are pooling money/resources?

Azrael:

"Every Immortal holds their creations as precious." Ilaren said with a smirk, "We just have our own ways of showing it." She shrugged, and with that returned to her stand.

Then the fight was on, just like that, with Azrael feeling perhaps a tad flatfooted for being outed.

Marliee came forward with force in her first punch. Azrael could almost feel it, though he almost outright ran from his opponent at first, ableit backpedaling more than running. Still the force dedicated to the first punch was palpable, which would've made most everyone glad not to be occupying the space where it swerved through.

However Marilee was being more judicious in her use of force now, and didn't attack yet until she had a clear shot at Azrael. She pursued him, and his backpedaling almost had him backed against the arena walls. There were jeers and boos coming from over them, as many failed to sight the fight below due to the angle that was being deprived of their eyes. Then, Marilee struck, taking a quick step forward and shooting her straight punch for Azrael's face. However he ducked as planned, and just about felt the force of her punch displacing the air, narrowly missing him.

He did the sweep of her leg, and her dedication to the force of that attack stuck her feet solidly. It was enough to crack against her ankle, and cause a sprain as she fell to the ground.

Now he had his hands full with a furious boxer woman, who still retained some power. It was his play to do with as he wished, however...

!	Message from: Pig Boy
	Sorry about the delay. Will post again in five days, please have your posts in before that time. Attempted actions only please, no assuming success or failure of either combatant.

[Pig Boy]

Azrael Blackfire vs Marilee Glasser

!	Message from: Pig Boy
	Hey, for those placing bets, if you want to get any WP gains from that, you'll want to spend actual WP with a note in those entries to your WP ledger that lists who you're betting on. Obviously since earlier rounds are already concluded we can't have you do that retroactively, so this'll be a going forward thing, with flavor nels being betted before.

[Vincent Steinitz]

Vincent recoiled reflectively as Marilee launched her first strike, “Damn. Glad I’m not the one down there with her. It felt like getting hit by a charging horse,” He exclaimed and chuckled as Azrael backpedaled, “Yeah, I should’ve done that too.” He sighed

As the fight unfolded in the arena, Vincent felt the familiar feeling of Thunder surging through his body. Staying focused while on Thunder in a crowded and noisy area took more work. It was much easier for him to focus when he was there in the arena. After a few moments, Vincent noticed an influx of servers serving alcoholic drinks, beers, wines, and spirits. He nudged Crow to get his attention and motioned at the influx of servers. “Look like they are breaking out the good stuffs for the finals.” He chuckled.

Crow stole a glance at the servers, shook his head, and turned his attention back to the fight,
“You go on ahead. I’ve drank several bottles already during the earlier rounds.” Crow replied as he fixed his bandana. “Got that strange tingling feeling in my gut.” Crow mumbled.

“What?” Vincent leaned his head closer

Crow looked at Vincent and shook his head, “I've got enough, you go on ahead,” Crow replied, raising his tone slightly.

“Alright, suit yourself.” Vincent turned around and purposefully bumped into the person behind him. He quickly assessed where the person kept their money and pinched a piece of nel from their pocket. “Sorry,” Vincent apologized as he palmed the coin between his fingers and raised his hands apologetically, with the coin facing away from the person.

After that brief encounter, Vincent approached a server and asked for a glass of water. He took a sip while walking around the arena, inching closer to the side where Vivian’s fight was. Vincent felt a change of atmosphere between the audience stands on his side and the audience stands on the Lightning Commander’s side. Pausing momentarily to observe the people in his surroundings and the servers. One of the female servers caught his attention; something about her interested him. Is it because she looked like an honest, hard-working girl from a good family? As someone used to say, the opposite attracts. Vincent followed her, trying to catch up and before he knew it, he was in the middle of the audience stands on the Lightning Commander’s side of the arena.

“Ah shit,” he mumbled as he stepped back and bumped into her. Vincent quickly turned around, apologized, and grabbed a bottle from the tray she was carrying without even looking at what the bottle was. Wiggling his way to an empty spot, he continued watching the fight. A sense of uneasiness overcame him. Was he overthinking stuff, or was it the drug talking? It was strange for the guy who could outdrink his whole Yari mercenary company to turn down the offer of free drinks. Vincent turned his attention to the audience. Sure, the fight was exciting, and the stakes were relatively high for him, but seeing his mentor’s reaction didn’t sit quite right with him. It was as if it was the calm before the storm. But then, it could be nothing and just the paranoia that people working in their line of work did.