juggalo territories are a thing now

[grandhighblood]

who: the ghb + bro strider

what: a little duel between a human and a troll, because of some stupid anger issues between two trolls

when: 6/28

where: the forest on the island

style: third person initially, but doesn't matter

status: closed

When the Summoner had mentioned that a human could do something that not even most subjugglators could do (flash step), the highblood had to admit that his interest was piqued. The desire to go head-to-head with something so squishy as a human wasn't so strong, but the idea of testing their similar abilities against each other was extremely tempting. So it wasn't too surprising when the highblood finally met the guy- not in person, but through an audio post via Darkleer's post- that he brought up the idea of a duel. Mind you, the flash stepping wasn't mentioned, but he figured the whole auspitizing deal worked into it all very nicely. He did want to test Bro, to see if he was even worthy of being in an ashen quadrant with the Grand Highblood (and worth even wasting his time on, unlike Zelda, who was very useful to him).

He isn't late at all. In fact, he's early, just relaxing in the forest. He figures there's a chance for foul play, but he likes to think that he can judge a character quite well. Bro probably won't try to stab him in the back and just accept the duel properly. It's just like the Summoner to come across some smart-ass human and befriend him, but it's also just like him to recognize a worthy opponent when he sees one. As if on cue, he spots a bird in his peripherals, and snorts.

It's a small and timid-looking thing, cocking its head slightly but otherwise remaining perfectly silent. Not the kind of creature that would approach such a beast as the Grand Highblood willingly.

"Yeah, yeah, I motherfucking see you... I know you're all up in that little shit's thinkpan, getting your motherfucking rocks off on this shit."

And although he sneers in the bird's general direction, he ends up chuckling a little and merely continues to wait for Bro's appearance.

Comments

[stridercentric]

By now, Bro's starting to think that maybe he should've stopped and put a little more thought into what was going on before offering to be an auspitice. ...Well, not entirely auspitice, as he doesn't want to consider himself part of any fucked up 'not quite love triangles'. His offer was to be more like a cockblocker, really, but even that's turned out to be more than he'd bargained for.

Yes, he's been interested in the Grand Highblood from the moment the Summoner had mentioned him and yes, he's looking forward to this fight. Still, it just means getting more roped into ridiculous troll romances and who else will suffer if he isn't quite up to the job of keeping the highblood in line? Darkleer, that's who. If he can't put up enough of a fight to impress the grand juggalo douche, there'll be hell to pay on all ends. He's no good at finding good compromises and calming both sides, he can only provide neutral buttkicks.

The Grand Highblood's assumption on foul play is only partly true. While Bro would normally stoop to the level of a swift attack from behind without any hesitation whatsoever, he feels it's not appropriate this time. He's here to show that he's standing his ground. That he's not afraid of the Grand Highblood and he'll face the guy head-on if that's what it takes. So that's what he does.

His katana in one hand and the blade slung back over his shoulder comfortably, he strolls through the forest to meet with the troll. He knows he'll need to move his weapon into a defensive position the moment he sees the Grand Highblood make even the slightest suspicious move, but for now he seems calm and composed. He's not intimidated by the guy's appearance, he's not amused by the situation, he's not frustrated... He's just going to stare blankly ahead, ready to move the second his opponent attacks.

[grandhighblood]

It's a good thing that bro won't need all that much more than just 'neutral buttkicks' to get the job done. Calming the Grand Highblood is a lot easier nowadays than it used to be, what with Vatheon's peaceful disposition. He doesn't hate it, but he does hate the fact that he can't practice his religion properly.

He has his eyes closed for a bit, resting them as he waits, but his ears do pick up approaching footsteps and he can smell that peculiar scent that most humans have. Though it's not strong since his surroundings is all earth and grass, he figures this is a good time to stretch his limbs and prepare for the duel.

As quietly as he can, he gets to his feet and stands. It's a neutral position, not easy to read, as Bro makes himself seen. He mirrors the expression at first: not appearing amused or annoyed, just blank. But it just wouldn't be him if he didn't break the ice first and split his face into a menacing grin. The dim lighting in the dense forest casts a brief dark shadow on him as he moves his body back for a split second, that instant before he flashes out of sight.

Without a word, he flashes back into view. Nothing fancy, but Bro will notice the Grand Highblood is hell of a lot bigger up close and with a monstrous-sized hand reaching for his face.

[stridercentric]

The grin is enough to tip Bro off that the Highblood's about to make his move. The guy doesn't seem to be holding any weapons, though, which makes him wary. He's used to fighting opponents who can block his attacks with their own blades. Sword versus sword, metal versus metal. He knows trolls can work a sylladex too, though, so he fully expects a weapon to pop up in a second's notice.

Except it doesn't. The Grand Highblood flashes out of sight and the next second a huge hand is all up in his face. Bro would utter profanities in surprise if there were time for such things, but alas. Dodging that claw is a little more important.

He flashes down, into a crouching position, then sideways. If the Grand Highblood stands still for too long, he might even make it all the way behind the troll, but he's not banking on it. That's why the blade on his shoulder is already tilting into an offensive position as he moves, ready to counter any more incoming attacks.

ugh sorry it took so long for me to tag this back

[grandhighblood]

The GHB doesn't see the blade in its offensive position when he rushes forward, the speed and momentum making it nearly impossible for him to see out of his peripherals. A normal moving target he could've spotted, sure, but this guy is also flash stepping, he had to remember this. He does grin though at the quick reaction- it's definitely a good start.

As he's about to turn around and face Bro again, he doesn't realize that the sword is on the offensive but regardless of that fact, he had been planning on accessing his sylladex. Right on the turn where his beefy hands are hidden in a blind spot, the club (the gigantic blood-stained one) materializes in his hand and swings out in a huge arch, riding on the momentum of his turn.

That's cool!

[stridercentric]

Good, good. Come to papa. Come to- Oh fuck there's a huge club now. Bro's eyes widen a bit in surprise, but he manages to brace himself just in time. His katana's called unbreakable for a reason and he fully expects it to live up to its name. As the club heads straight for Bro's face, he raises the blade to block the attack.

The two weapons meet with a loud clang and while the katana holds firm, Bro's arms not so much. He's always been more nimble than he is strong; brute force is not his thing. He manages to divert the club away from his face, but he needs to get on the move again before the Grand Highblood takes another swing. Maybe if he attacks this big lug from above...

He flashes upwards, raising his sword over his head to bring it down in a vertical arc.

[grandhighblood]

Oho... he blocked the blow. At least, enough to escape from its crushing weight, anyway, and that surprises the GHB a little. The guy looks kinda lanky to him, so it's impressive to see a much skinnier human even throw him off the original path. He snarls, trying to swing the club in the other direction towards Bro in the middle of his precious swing but it proves to be too heavy and abandons the idea.

Bro flashes out of sight and the highblood has a moment of confusion before his gaze shoots up. The club hits the ground with a thud, grass and dirt flying every which way. Hand still on the handle, feet planted firmly on the ground, he raises his free arm and tries to block the strike with the purple-striped armor covering his arm.

[stridercentric]

That block turns out to be successful. It's a little too late for Bro to alter the course of his blade by the time that arm is raised, after all. The katana proves unable to slice through the armor and he has no choice but to raise it back up so he can land properly. He can't stay still for even a second, though. No, not even a fraction of a second. He needs to keep moving, or he just might be dead. Or at least in a hell of a lot of pain.

His feet have barely touched down on solid ground when he flashsteps sideways again. Hell, even now, he might already have moved just a little too late.

[grandhighblood]

The highblood is having a blast now, cackling as the sword clangs down on the guard. With how quickly it moves off, it almost seems like the blade ricochets. His eyes dart around quick, only his instincts guiding him now to react to Bro's escape. He wants to catch him, knock him to the ground, inflict some kind of pain to get his blood really boiling.

He flashsteps too, guessing the direction that Bro might just move in right after Bro moves, hoping that maybe they'll be going the same way. Whether they were or not, he didn't care- he still took a full swing with his club without aiming whatsoever. If it hits Bro, then sweet, but even if he doesn't, there's plenty of trees and brush to crash and knock over.

"Awww, heh heh, runnin' already motherfucker?"

[stridercentric]

Bro hadn't expected the Highblood to just stand still while he moved, but the fact that the troll is moving alongside him is troublesome. Far too troublesome. It's not entirely the same direction, but the Highblood is still close enough to inflict serious pain. Instinctively, Bro moves his sword into a defensive position, but he can't estimate the angle of his opponent's weapon fast enough.

When that club gets swung, he manages to stay out of its path for the most part. However, the tip of it grazes the arm that isn't holding his katana and throws him off-balance. He's forced to turn sideways in the momentum of his flashstep and manages to stop himself from falling to the ground by slinging his unharmed arm around a nearby tree. Another dangerous move, because it stops him dead in his tracks, so he'll just use the close proximity to the tree to his advantage by jumping up into the branches. The Grand Highblood can easily knock the tree over, he knows that, but it gives him time to breathe. He'll perch himself up on one of the highest branches to peer down at the troll, his grazed arm stinging painfully. It's probably bleeding, but he doesn't waste time on confirming that with his own eyes.

"I'm just getting started, motherfucker."

[grandhighblood]

Even if he couldn't see the wound the moment he inflicted it, the highblood could definitely smell that sweet tang of blood. Human blood smells similar in some ways to troll blood: metallic, sharp- but there are also subtle differences that gets his mouth watering. That slight sour after taste he gets on his tongue after getting a whiff is driving him nuts. At least, soon enough it will.

He chuckles lowly, satisfied with at least the small victory. Good to know he isn't losing his touch just yet. The club keeps swinging a bit, crashing through small trees and thudding loudly against the thicker trunks, jostling the leaves and scattering them through the air like snowflakes. Bro happens to be standing a thinner tree, but he purposely leaves it in tact.

"Looks like you're just all up and climbing motherfucking trees all up in here," he says with a huff, grinning and tapping the base of the tree with his club, just enough to send some tremors up its trunk. "Makes a brother wonder if a motherfucking human's got what it all takes to get his wicked damage on to a brother!" He's like a stalking predator, circling the tree to see what Bro will do next.

[stridercentric]

Damn. That ominous chuckling can't be good. Looks like the big bad juggalo's getting off on this. All the more reason not to let him land a second hit. The injury on his arm isn't too bad. Sure, it stings like hell, but he can fight through the pain. No biggie.

He watches as the Highblood starts smashing down the neighboring trees. Clever. Makes it tricky for Bro to jump from branch to branch and circle the troll. Now it's the troll who's circling him. The tremors going up the tree don't faze him too much. He stands firm, staring down at his opponent.

"Don't get your motherfucking panties in a twist, motherfucker. Don't you know all motherfucking good things come to brothers who wait?" He sinks down a little further, pushing his feet back against the branch and... Flash, he's gone. To the tree some good eight feet by the Highblood's side. He won't stick there for long, though. The second he lands, he flashes down to the ground in a sideways angle to try and get behind the Highblood again. His sword's poised in an offensive position, ready to land a horizontal slice.