Aryck vs. Alkaiser

[Director Troutman]

Standard tournament fodder, you're fighting in the same location as Dain would normally host the Fighters League, but with a few small changes...

• The 'ring' is an octagon, similar to UFC standards, with canvas matting on the ground to cover the stone. No padding or anything, the perimeter is an eight-foot high close-knit mesh, so no climbing the cage walls.
  
• There is room for spectators, so it's not exactly going to be quiet in here. Bear that in mind.
  
• Fights are ended by submission or knockout, otherwise it goes to the judges after the week is up.
  
• The entire tournament is taking place in a single evening, so no opportunities to rest up. If you're injured, you'd be best to bear in mind you're not going to be 'fine' for the next fight. Also, unless you win VERY quickly, those who progress to the semi's are going to be at least a little tired.
  
• Competitors will be wearing their own clothing, but restrictions mean no weapons (obviously), and nothing that could be considered 'protective' clothing, so no steel-toed boots or whatnot.
  

Fight hard!

[Alkaiser]

The octagon shimmered in black glory under the hot lamps that lit up the arena. It was certainly more orthodox than the fighter's league, which Steve Barzahd had been enjoying for the past month. He had fought on a regular basis for weeks now, and the result was a mid-season form that was enviable by most fighters. His reflexes were in tune, his muscles were on an active schedule, and his mind was enveloped by the ring. This advantage was staggering compared to his opponent, who hadn't been very active in Hircine at all.

Aryck Venn...he was one of the transfers that accompanied Steve from Varron. Back there he had a reputation among the tournament goers as somewhat of a badass, but had become a no-name lately. Steve expected a little bit of rust from his opponent, but wasn't counting on it to give him too much of an edge.

As Alkaiser gets into the ring for his turn, his mind is on his opponent, who may have been doing any number of things during his time in seclusion. Barzahd doesn't want to get caught off guard and be sent packing early, so he decides that it is for the best to assume that Venn had been training this whole time, and had worked his way into beastly physique.

Barzahd ran through his pre-fight regimen, stretching and testing his speed across the ring. He was excited with anticipation to confirm or deny his own suspicions.

[Aryck Venn]

The time had come for Aryck to make his return. It was like a subtle shift in the wind, or perhaps something even less noticeable, but the young fighter had felt it all the same. When he had arrived sometime halfway during the year before, he had not felt it. The Watchers, no matter how domineering they were, were Hircine's problems and not his own. While the Captain and Revelation fought together, and sometimes against each other, to keep the peace of the school, Aryck simply attended. Other than a short fight with Tiao, the tall young man had kept a low profile; something he had always been relatively good at doing. His quiet, observant nature led to such a thing, even if his attire occasionally did not.

All things end in time, however, and so did Aryck's hiding. Perhaps it was a change in time with his old 'friend' Kyukaku's decision to fight for the role of School Captain, or maybe it was simply a new year, and a new chance to prove himself, but either way, he was here, at the first official tournament San Francisco had seen in quite a while.

His opponent would be Steve "Alkaiser" Barzahd, a Varronite whom Aryck knew only vaguely, from reputation. Rumor about town these days was that he had come into a position of power from the student hierarchy, which already spoke volumes about his ability. What Aryck intended to find out tonight was if that ability was realized, or still just potential.

He was already in the ring, waiting for Aryck, and so the young man felt no need to cause him further wait. He slipped back the flap that served as the opening in the mesh, and showed himself to his opponent. Rarely the type to vary in his attire, Aryck was dressed in a pair of loose khaki pants and a white button-down shirt, with the bottom three and top two buttons left undone for mobility's sake. Unseen underneath his shirt was a simple black tank top.

"Greetings," he said plainly to Alkaiser, standing plainly in a sort of non-stance, hands ready at his sides. "We may begin when you're ready."

[Alkaiser]

And there he was. Aryck, in as few words as possible, said made his arrival known and called for the beginning of the fight. No nonsense. It made Alkaiser smile for a moment as he raised his fists to show that he was ready. "Good."

Steve wasn't about to show his opponent that he was anything less than a machine tonite. His rebuttal of few words was a cold and unnerving one, not out of spite, but out of trickery. Intimidation, no matter how insignificant, would always play a role. "Hmmm...he's pretty skinny for a fighter..."[/i] Steve thinks to himself, becoming a little un-intimidated himself.

With a bolt of quickness, Alkaiser started in motion. Making a beeline straight for his opponent, Steve is soon within range. He cocks back his left fist, while simultaneously throwing his right in a straight punch that would serve as his gage for Venn's speed. The punch was aimed right at Aryck's nose, the middle of the face, meaning that it would require the most motion to dodge no matter which way he chose to do so. Aryck was once renowned for his prowess in the ring, and even though his hands were at his sides Alkaiser kept his eyes open. He wanted to be as cautious as possible.

[Aryck Venn]

Much to Aryck's pleasure, the fight started quickly enough. From what information the lanky Junior had been privy to, this Steve Barzahd was somewhat of a motormouth; he loved to talk both in and out of the ring. Whether or not his newfound silence had anything to do with the opponent he now faced, Aryck neither knew, nor cared. All that mattered was the fight at hand; the motives weren't important.

All that mattered was the victory.

Alkaiser rushed in headlong, a none-too-subtle tactic that would have amused Aryck, were he not participating. He made no motion at first; however, he tensed his legs slightly, preparing for the attack. His opponent came to bear, telegraphing a left fist, but firing a right. It was a well-aimed, accurate punch; however, Alkaiser likely didn't factor one direction into account.

As the fist came forward, Aryck leaned backward, displaying but a small fraction of his flexibility as he pulled his head and upper body away from the punch, only bringing his right leg slightly back so as to not lose his balance if pressured further. As he leaned, his arms raised up, his left arm swinging up to knock Alkaiser's arm off course further by striking his palm into the younger student's outstretched elbow.

Quickly following this motion, Aryck would step forward with his left leg, and then bring his right arm up to bear, using the lowered stance brought about by his widely-stretched legs to strike out with the back of his right knuckles into Alkaiser's now-unprotected left ribs, and, upon contact, would quickly hop back a foot or so, bringing his feet back together in a much tighter fashion than it would be during the attack.

[Alkaiser]

Aryck naturally didn't try to eat Alkaiser's hand, and instead backed away from it like a toddler declining to 'open up the hanger so the airplane can come in for a landing'. There was never much nutritional value to getting bludgeoned in the face, so Steve didn't take it too personally. Venn probably just assumed the worst of Barzahd's strategy, which was something that had been increasing in frequency since his name became more known. Apparently being outspoken and calculating at the same time was somewhat of a contradiction in the minds of most people.

It was at that point that Aryck smacked Steve's elbow. It was perhaps a minor setback at best, as Steve probably could have used it to follow up soon enough. Instead he just pulls the right arm back to his body, not resisting the motion but instead channeling it in a circular motion so as to not affect the left side of his body. Now the arm stays stationary to block if he needed it.

As the opposing fighter leaned away with the top part of his body, it was hard to deny that he brought a sort of elegant look to fighting. This ballroom dancing wasn't going to cut it, however, as Alkaiser swiftly began the true attack that he was prepared for. When leaning back, Aryck's torso would have to stretch so that his head could make the dodge while his base remained strong and stationary. Normally, Venn would have the option to pull back even further, but Steve's early match charge meant that his opponent didn't even have the chance to really get off of his side of the octagon. It didn't help his case that in the same motion he chose to raise his arms toward his face, only making Steve's diversion that much better. As soon as Barzahd saw this shift, he sent his cocked back left fist rocketing downward at Venn's exposed lower stomach. Here he had the potential to deliver sharp pain as well as debilitating damage because of the placement of the body's organs.

This was part of Barzahd's style. Offense and defense didn't mean anything to him, but they did to his opponents. When they expected him to do one thing, he did another, no matter how imprudently out of place each one was. That was how he kept them off balance, not physically, but mentally.

Should Aryck still continue with whatever it was that he was planning, Alkaiser believes that it won't have much potential for damage with his own attack taking the wind out of his opponent's sails. Should Alkaiser succeed, however, he will probably just drop back into the center of the ring and re-evaluate the situation, considering the fact that his follow-up with the right hand was thwarted before the left even met it's target.

[Aryck Venn]

Aryck hadn't expected Alkaiser to bother to use his prepared left fist, and as such, was a little surprised to see it shoot down towards his stomach. However, at the point of attack, his right arm had yet to be used for his planned attack, and as such, was easily able to swing back downwards, covering the short distance in very little time to strike the top of Steve's wrist with his open palm.

He would, of course, not end his move there, however. Once the fist had gone out of the way of its intended target, Aryck's palm, which had been riding the blow since the initial strike, would close suddenly, clinching Steve's wrist in what would likely be a stronger grip than Alkaiser would expect, thanks to Aryck's training in Kung Fu and the accompanying finger excercises. Simultaneously, Aryck would torque himself to the right, using his left hand to give an open-handed shove into Alkaiser's shoulder, accompanying the torque and grab to, if all went according to plan, sling Alkaiser bodily into the cage wall they were both near to.

[Alkaiser]

(OOC: Not entirely sure how slapping my hand down further would make me miss a downward target, but in the interest of flow I won't make much of it. Also, I'm assuming that you're shoving my left shoulder, seeing as how you would get no leverage and would have to bypass my blocking arm to get to my right. If that's incorrect, please let me know.)

Aryck was technically sound. Steve was thoroughly convinced of this. His improvisational skills weren't bad, either. To be able to grip that hand while fundamentally off balance was a feat in itself. His biggest error was in gripping Barzahd at all, however, and now he was going to pay for it.

Steve was an established Sambo fighter, and grappling was his domain. In this case, though, it was his lesser Judo knowledge which would point out the exploitable weakness here. When Venn decided to shove Barzahd's shoulder, he would simply begin one of his quick turns with the motion. This would have been the perfect opportunity for a hip throw, but with the cage right there the even easier option was just to drive his lanky opponent into the walls instead of himself. At this point, Aryck's grip, as well as his body, were working against him. His high center of gravity and lower physical weight made such a maneuver all too easy, and it would happen fast. In a sport where he was prone to flipping 350lb. professional eaters, moving the 150+ pound Aryck would be like a feather on an air-craft carrier.

The point was this: If Aryck was going to win, it probably wouldn't be from inside. His reach and his body-type screamed 'striker', and going against that just plain wasn't smart. With both of Aryck's arms tied up by his own move, he would either be forced to distance himself properly by disengaging, or accept even more punishment.

If Steve's move succeeded and Aryck chose the latter, Barzahd would then use the cage's recoil to swing Venn over his shoulder and to the ground, where he would proceed with his ground game. If Aryck got away and managed to disengage, Barzahd would have to start all over again, looking out for the slugger that he knew Aryck had been suppressing inside himself thus far.

[Aryck Venn]

Aryck, if he had the time, would have marvelled at Alkaiser's speed and reaction time. It seemed that, thus far, Aryck could not so much as make a move without his opponent acting faster, giving him time only to improvise a quick retort. And now, it seemed, he would be thrown into the cage.

Luck was, however, on Aryck's side. Alkaiser, for all his ability, was still not particularly heavy, and Aryck was not particularly far from the cage wall. As such, when the younger student sent Aryck bodily into the cage, following quickly thereafter, the taller fighter only found a sort of squashing discomfort for the moment, which registered on his face with a sort of unpleasant scowl before quickly resorting back to his usual neutral gaze.

It was at this point where Aryck would be back in a position to do something. With Alkaiser's back turned to him as Aryck rebounded off the cage, the young grappler prepared a shoulder toss; however, it still remained that the only thing connecting these two fighters at the moment was Aryck's hand holding on to Alkaiser's wrist. All he had to do was let go and the entire move would be squandered. Naturally, Aryck decided to do more than just let go.

As Steve would lean forward for his toss, Aryck, carefully predicting the right moment, would release his grip, as if waking suddenly from a stunned state, and Alkaiser, unless his reactions were sharper than the keenest blade, would continue forward, his forward momentum likely causing him to either step or stumble in that direction. As he did so, Aryck would to his right and slightly forward, and as soon as his right foot touched the ground, would swing his left foot up and over Alkaiser's back in a roundhouse kick aimed at, seemingly, the air above his body. Once over the younger fighter's head, however, Aryck would hold the kick only a fraction of a second before dropping his heel down in a hard axe kick towards the back of Alkaiser's neck.

With his positioning still mostly behind the red-headed warrior, it would be difficult for Alkaiser to see Aryck doing anything at all; furthermore, due to the positioning of the two, it would take nothing short of a complete guess to know exactly what move the taller fighter was doing at the moment.

[Alkaiser]

Alkaiser's motive was realized, as Aryck soon let go of Steve's arm when faced with the threat of being thrown to the ground. The risk that Barzahd took in his choice of moves was also coming true, however. As if he were rolling over the would-have-been-thrown body of his opponent, Steve tucks his head and does a forward somersault to get the distance he now required to begin another assault on his opponent.

Venn, electing not to simply idle and allow Steve some free separation, apparently went for a kick, which was felt midway through the roll that Alkaiser was performing. It would rain down upon him halfway through, connecting with the back of Steve's leg, which was now in a position above his head due to his inversion. The spot wasn't a very vulnerable one, but Steve definitely felt the powerful strike. Wincing a bit at the shot of pain, he knew that there would eventually be a thick bruise at the spot, but for now adrenaline was nullifying most of the sting. "That'll suck next round..." he thinks to himself, presumptuously.

Barzahd is soon out of the roll and back onto his feet. His eyes take a moment to focus, in which he raises his guard and takes a good deep breath. Not wanting to surrender control to the pace of the fight, Steve darts back in toward his opponent seconds later.

By the time Steve gets in close, he is already in motion. The top half of his body pivots, winding back his right fist greatly. He grunts loudly, seemingly in frustration. His true motive is nothing more than an elaborate feint, however, playing his own emotions as a front. As his right arm cocks back, Steve's left swings underhandedly for his opponent's chest, an often-overlooked target for it's lack of vulnerability. The chest is a heavily fortified part of the body, and therefore is seldom guarded, or at least seldom guarded well. He targets the center of the torso, hoping to go straight down the middle of any defense that Aryck might raise. His hand, formed in the shape of a claw, would attempt to grasp at the frivolously casual button-up shirt that Venn had chosen to wear to the fight.

If successful, Alkaiser could do any number of things with the grip of the shirt. It mostly depended on which targets Venn decided to block, and which he left open.

[Director Troutman]

After deliberations, of which there was many, a trio of judges have voted that Aryck will progress to the next round. Very close effort, though. We based Arycks victory on the technical play of his moves against a very strong effort from Alkaiser, which were impressive in their own right.

Good round, you two.