Uriel eyed the puppet thing that walked into the ring and started to announce the results of the fight. It, or she rather, held out a ticket for Uriel to take if she wanted to claim her winnings. ”I’m going to keep fighting.” The angel stated flatly eyeing the puppet thing as it turned back to announce her decision to the crowd and the crowd cheered and started to place their bets.

Uriel sneered as she went to her corner and leaned back, she wasn’t out of breath, she had hardly broken a sweat on the first fight. Uriel felt someone tap her on the foot and she glanced down to see one of the puppets offering her some water. “No charge.” It wobbled. Uriel eyed it then shrugged and accepted the water and sniffed it, smelled clean and it was cool her mouth as she drank it, ya, it was safe.

As the crowd cheered walking into the ring across from Uriel was an elf about as tall as Uriel was, and about the same build. Uriel eyed him as he threw a few punches into the air for the crowd to look at, he was fast, Uriel could tell, he’d match her speed for sure. He was likely smarter than the normal brute given that he wasn’t as large as some of the other fighters so he either fought smart or dirty, or both. Uriel smiled to herself, this one would be fun.

The bell rang and they stepped towards each other, hands up covering their faces. The ensuing exchange of punches was a blur between them. They were matched for speed it seemed, each one blocked whatever was thrown at them and threw back in equal measure what they blocked. Uriel had one clear advantage at the moment; reach. Her arms and legs were longer, what made him almost the same height as the archangel was his torso, it wasn’t a lot of reach but it was there nonetheless.

After a what seemed like longer but was only maybe twenty seconds, Uriel decided to change things up. After blocking another blow with her left arm, she moved quickly and grabbed his right wrist and twisted, that caught him off guard, but that only lasted a moment as Uriel planted three strong punches into his stomach. He got his wrist free of her grip and as he was backing away to catch his breath Uriel kicked him in the face.

That sent him reeling back, much to the crowds delight, or the part of it was that was betting on her anyway. Uriel had to give him some credit he didn’t go down, but his nose was a blood mess and cocked to one side, and now he looked angry.

The archangel grinned and raised her hands up again, ready for him.

"Quite the impressive fighter," Qadim complimented as he snapped his fingers for one of the puppets. "A refill on the wine and a report on the elf, if you would," he demanded, getting a bow in return before the puppet would take off.

"There is no need for the report," another sponsor up top stated as another elf approached him. "That is my student: Kodath Streap. An arrogant boy that I entered in here to improve his tactics, yet he always feels like he needs his opponent to prove themselves before actually pulling it off."

"Oh? Would it be rude to ask about it?"

"As long as you do not tell others about it." Qadim chuckled at the notion before digging some coin out of his pocket before handing it over: a silence fee. "A wise man. Good. After all, it is a style of martial art that masters would send assassins after both student and master if ever spread outside of the Elvish bloodline."

As Kodath backed off to recover from the blow, he chuckled and said to Uriel, "You may actually make things fun," as he adjusted his footing, wiping the blood from his nose before working on rolling his shoulders. His new stance was… strange. It was as if he simply stood there, guard completely down as he tried to mend himself from the collection of blows. The bell had not rang for a break, so why did he drop his guard so heavily?

"Carromeleg, the silent assassin. It employs being able to read the opponent's actions and counter attacking in a fluid motion, and the early bits he was able to get a good hint on her style. The body is always ready to act even if it seems like it."

"Interesting. I bet two masters facing each other would be quite the showdown."

"Hardly. Many people just get bored seeing two elves stare each other down before the other simply surrenders, but that is exactly what it means: reading, judging, and reacting."

Uriel watched Kodath as he spoke and got into a new ready stance, one that looked like he had his guard down. Uriel’s eyes narrowed, what was he planning? He hadn’t given up and no bell was rung for a break, so this had to be some kind ruse. But what kind of trap was he planning? Well, only one way to find out then! Uriel raised her hands again and approached feinting a left hook into a right hook. Her eyes widened a bit as he read her intent and caught her right wrist and twisted. In reaction Uriel followed the motion so her wrist wasn’t out of place and she did hit struck her three times in the chest and gut before she was able to wrench her arm free and take a few paces back.

Grunting for breath she looked to Kodath as he came at her now on the offensive. In the trading of blows that followed Uriel came out of it with a black eye and a few more bruises around her torso. But she didn’t seem to care as she grinned to Kodath, he was a slippery one, he had only taken one hit that whole time. ~Fine, time to change tactics then. Time to improvise.~ Uriel thought as she set herself into a new stance as well, one that had Kodath looking curious.

They came in close again to each other and started to trade blows, each blocking everything the other threw out. Uriel started to work more kicks in and Kodath was able to shift from them, or take them and not allow them to stop him. Uriel went to throw a kick, it was a feint, and she threw a left cross, also a feint. Kodath was confused for a moment, moving as if to block an incoming right fist, but instead his attention caught by a shifting of white feathers as Uriel moved her wing. She didn’t move it at him, not did she try and hit him with it, she just shifted it enough to catch his attention.

That was enough. He moved his attention to that and Uriel’s right hand snapped out. Kodath realized what had happened and went to adjust but it was too late, Uriel had her right hand around his throat and lifted him up off the mat. Before he could react and kick her Uriel got her left hand on his pants and using both arms slammed him on his back onto the mat. She had gone from boxing to wrestling, and it seemed he hadn’t expected her to be trained in both.

Before he was up the archangel hauled him up, while he spluttered for breath, and drove a few punches into his gut again to drive out what breath he had, seemed she had found a way to keep him controlled. With Kodath doubled over still Uriel swung his left arm over her shoulders and got under his right shoulder with her head. Both hands holding him she proved her strength by hauling him up over her head and hand him held vertical, but his head the way it was positioned it was clear she was protecting it, not wanting to cause any lasting physical harm.

After a moment she opened her wings to get them as flat as she could and fell back. The resulting slam echoed as Kodath’s body took the brunt of the impact, Uriel doing her best to protect his head and neck from injury. Her wings took the impact for her so Kodath took the worst of it all. Uriel got back to her feet after rolling away from him and eyed him. To his credit he struggled to his feet, shoving the puppet ref away while it checked on him. Tough bastard.

Uriel allowed him to collect himself as he came at her with what he had left Uriel went to kick him in the head with her left leg. He caught it, but at the moment Uriel twisted and jumped bringing her right foot up to kick him in the side of the head while she twisted in the air. Kodath dropped and Uriel continued her motion into a fluid motion to get back to her.

”WINNER BY KNOCK OUT! The puppet ref called coming over to raise Uriel’s hand. Ok, that fight had clearly taken something out of her. ”DO YOU WISH TO KEEP FIGHTING? OR TAKE YOUR WINNINGS AND LEAVE?” The puppet asked.

”I’ll keep fighting.” Uriel said, she could get one more fight out she thought before she’d need a break. Her face had a nasty bruise forming and she could feel more bruises forming around her torso but she’d manage. She went to her corner for a break and water while she waited for Kodath to be removed from the ring and her next opponent to step in.

And step in he did. Uriel watched as a stocky dwarf stepped into the ring. Uriel towered over him, but she was guessing that he was, in fact, stronger than she was. He sauntered over to looked up at her and she moved to the middle of the ring again. ”I will break you.” He spoke in a level tone as the bell rang.

Uriel shrugged, sure, he could try. They traded blows, getting a feeling of each others’ fighting style before committing to one attack or another. Uriel got a few blows in before him, and then he got a few in as well. His punches were strong and she wanted to avoid taking any more than she had to. However after a moments when he did get another hit in Uriel felt something, odd. She felt some of her stamina drain from her when his skin touched hers during the punch. She shook it off for now she was tired after all.

However a bit later he got another strike in and she felt the same thing, it was subtle but she was noticing it. He was using magic! He had to be! But Uriel wasn’t familiar enough with this world to know what he might be doing to cheat like he was. She had to wonder; was she the only one that sensed this happening? If she called him on cheating would anyone believe her? If she did retaliate for his cheating and no one believed her, well, that wouldn’t probably end too well for her, she had to guess.

"To think they would bring one of them out already," Qadim chuckled as he sipped his wine, knowing full well what her small opponent was. After all, he was a piece that the arena made themselves: domino breakers. Despite what Uriel was thinking, they did follow the rules. However, they were known to use a loophole in one form or another. Sure, because of this, they would never really be able to advance through the ranks, but they were there to guard to king, not take it. If it was the other way around, then there was a good chance they would all flood the top of the ranks.

Still, it was not without its merits, as they were made sure to not be impossible to beat. However, familiars to the arena would be able to note the difference in the betting odds to tell when one arrived. Should she win, her gain would be quite the jump. If not, then she would probably find herself asleep until next morning due to her opponent, Gnormed. After all, he was not using magic himself, but enchanted artifacts on his cuffs that reacted to the magically-inked tattoos that decorated his hands. Whenever it would make contact with any living entity, it would steal away their stamina.

"You said you would be strong enough to be a Knight," Qadim chuckled as the monocle reflected the angel's image as he stared at her, raising her glass. "This would be your chance to prove it."

[OOC: Peacock form.]

Loopholes

Jayou was a relatively interesting place in Revaliir during its heyday. Full of secret codes and arenas and houses trying to cheat their customers, the city of water was the gambling capital of the world: a glowering beacon of depravity and greed that wore a pretty, wooden veneer to fool all surface dwellers. It was certainly a place of many faces, especially when considering the leadership differences separated by a thin layer earth: above and below ground.

The law kept most events in check on the surface, passing the town off as little more than a primary vacation spot with gambling amenities. But any gambler worth their salt – or perhaps simply those with a little too much curiosity – knew that the real action in Jayou was hidden in the seedy corners of boats and caverns where crime families ruled with iron fists and gold filled coffers. Few things terrified those hidden overlords, given the amount of power that they wielded in their hovels; but, around the time Uriel took to the arena, there was one entity that was beginning to make these families step lightly.

My daughter, Lucina, had a gambling problem as I already mentioned before; but, despite my reservations about her pursuing that profession, I will admit that she was very good at it. Jayou was like a natural beacon to her because of her insane luck, and, at first, the residents were happy to have her. ‘Here’s an easy mark with daddy’s money,’ they thought, at least until she started to win… a lot. Actually, there was one point where a couple casinos paid her not to participate, but those were the honorable ones. The dishonorable, the gambling halls that resided away from the prying eyes of law enforcement, tried to cheat her instead; and it was the fate of those people that gave her the growing name “Scourge of Jayou.”

This was not a name that was well known among the populace, but it was known enough among the ship owners and gambling hall masters that many of them had informed their staff to watch out for her; or, more specifically, “a blindfolded, floating woman of exotic, animal features guarded by a redheaded Amazonian wearing spectacles.” That’s why the staff aboard the S.S. Savanna took notice of Lucina and Eri without delay once they showed up on the high paying seats underneath where Qadim and the other VIPs were, and also why there was suddenly a frenzy behind the scenes once their arrival became known.

That incident took place around the time that Gnormed entered the ring against Uriel. Lucina hung over the guardrail after being shown to her comfy seat; acting like a giddy school girl trying to get a better view of her first ever live event - even though the blindfold that she wore made that quite impossible. Minerva, diligent as always, stood at attention behind her, guarding the young girl’s peacock feathered behind like an overprotective parent whilst a small flame elemental warmed up a kettle of tea for them on the table in front of her. For the most part, they were just observing and hadn’t placed any bets yet, but the workers had their orders all the same.

Like clockwork, the same man who had showed these two women to their booth went upstairs as soon as he was done settling them in. He came straight up behind the captain and whispered into his ear the news in a hurried, hushed tone.

“Sir, we might have a problem.”

“What is it?”

“The ‘scourge’ is here in the arena. I don’t know how she and her attendant got down here, but I just showed a blindfolded, floating woman of exotic features and a stern, tall woman with red hair and wearing spectacles to their booth. They’re below us in the premium seats watching the fight right now.”

Up until that point, the captain had maintained a relatively carefree expression; trying to put on airs for his guests, no doubt. But the color in his face drained as soon as his employee described what he had seen.

“What?! I thought she only played cards! Oh sod it… just our luck!”

“What should we do, sir?” Still talking in whispers, the owner lamented while using a hand to cover his mouth.

“Tell Gnormed to stop using his artifacts, and switch my bet to the angel. If we play this right, we can still come out on top, but I don’t want to end up like my cousin and lose my boat in case that ticking time bomb thinks we’re cheating. Understand?”

Nodding, the staff member replied, “Understood,” and then took his leave. The rules of the game had changed then, and the loophole that the arena had been abusing up until that point had temporarily become a liability. And the funniest part of all was that all Lucina had to do to affect that change was show up.

She had been forced to take a defence stance against the dwarf, making sure that his fists didn’t actually hit her. Whatever had been draining her stamina only seemed to be working when he actually struck her with his fists that were covered. Unaware as to the potential drama unfolding in the audience Uriel caught the dwarf looking distracted for a moment, as he seemed to glance behind her. A moment later he caught her in the side with a left hook but she didn’t feel the affect like she had before. She grinned down to him and he glanced up at her as he realized she knew what he had been doing, at least in part.

Instantly Uriel pushed past another punch her threw and put him on the defensive with a series of fast jabs and kicks. Kicks that she had didn’t have to aim as high as normal to be above the belt, which meant she was able to kick faster and use her long legs to keep him back. In a few moments she had him bleeding from the nose and lip and on the back foot. Rage was clear on the archangel’s face, but she wasn’t out of control with her actions.

Gnormed staggered back and Uriel followed up knocking him twice more in the head and when he spun Uriel went to finish this. She got her right arm around his neck and used her left hand to help lock in the headlock before she stood up right and hauled him up with her off his feet. He tried to break her grip but wasn’t able to and Uriel held him as tight as she could. A few moments later the dwarf’s eyes rolled back as he fell unconscious from her choke hold and she dropped him in a heap at her feet.

”WINNER BY TOTAL KNOCK OUT!” The puppet ref called and held Uriel’s hand up again, which she pulled away and went to her corner. Drinking some water Uriel figured she had one left in her before would be too tired to go on, but if they tried anything again like they had with the dwarf she’d give them a larger problem to deal with.

”I’ll go again.” Uriel told the puppet ref when it asked if she was going to fight again. One more, she had one more in her. She looked around the place and spotted Qadim in the crowd, but she only glared for a moment before moving her attention around. She spotted Lucina and Minerva, but not knowing them paid them no mind at all for now. For the moment Uriel leaned against the post in her corner while the dwarf was removed from the ring and waited for her next opponent.

An eyebrow raised at how quickly the tide turned. Too fast for anyone else to process and change their tickets, that was for sure, but suddenly the trick was discarded… No, more like disabled. Did his relics hold a secret cost to their use and the limit was reached, or was there an upper hand that had to force their hand away from their tool? No matter the call, Uriel took that window to push hard. Makes sense. After all, if they were to become active again, she would certainly be going under.

"She is yours, correct?" a gentle voice spoke out, yet enough to cause a jump from the orc, before getting a smile upon his face.

"That is right," was his simple response.

"Powerful, adaptive, quick, and lucky to boot. I do like her," the voice chuckled. "She seems willing to do one more. You would mind–"

"Do as you wish," Qadim said, "and make sure she gives a good show." The chuckle filled the space once more before footsteps echoed away. Only when she was out of earshot did he release a nervous breath and wiped his brow.

The delay between rounds was certainly much longer than it was before, which could only be a blessing in disguise for Uriel to recover herself. However, when it was time again, a new announcer stepped into the ring: one that grew the crowd into quite the frenzy. Murmurs echoed of the champion coming forth were quick as another angel began to walk down the challenger runway. Her wings were much smaller than Uriel's, but the radiant skin told enough of what she was. However, she still stood out from other angels with her feathers, as the edged were trimmed with a bright blue. Her outfit was also not shy in terms of revealing her assets, leaving plenty for the imagination to run wild while still being kept decent enough.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" she declared out, her voice booming over the rest as she placed a crystal at her throat, "I am glad to see that our  establishment runs just as wild as ever. After all, it is not every day we get a newcomer able to trample through so many fierce foes, holding dominance over our beloved arena!" The crowd grew wild, and she simply let them roll through before continuing once more. "Honestly, I say this fine lass here deserves a better challenge so I, your champion, have decided to honor her with a RANK UP MATCH!" The crowd again grew in a rowdy excitement, as if this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. "Now then, we have over here in our blue corner, the angel who has claimed victory above all, URIEL!!!" Her arm outstretched over as if to tell her to get ready.

"And over here in our red corner, standing tall at 6'5" (horns not included), we have Ekemon, the TRAIN!!!" Footsteps easily overpowered the crowd's cheer as a wide tiefling came charging down the lane, preferring to leap over the ropes instead of sliding through, followed up by 2 smacks of the mat with his tail before bellowing out a wail.

"Now then: BEGIN!"