Nero vs. Rocky

Nero Regis was a fighter. It was in his DNA. His race, the Fanalis, were born with enhanced physical prowess, making them imposing foes in hand-to-hand battles. It was a fortunate coincidence that he was a native of Reim, the grand kingdom in which the great Coliseum was located. The man with crimson hair was introduced to the coliseum when he was a youngster of just eight or nine, and the rush he got from watching the competitors doing battle was inexplicable. It was this rush that addicted him to the idea of one day becoming a gladiator, a fighter for fortune and glory in the grand arena, who would defeat daunting foes in front of thousands of adoring fans. Training followed this initial dream, which conditioned Nero’s body to be able to dish out and take in pain, a quality without which in his opinion no man could be considered a true warrior. In the years leading up to the present, tragedy and desire motivated him to participate in his first coliseum fight, which he won. Following this, he became a semi-regular competitor in minor league battles, winning some and losing some- however, he had not really made a name for himself yet. Today was the day he would participate in a match which would potentially begin to change that.

He stood in the tunnel which led to the ring, heart pounding. He knew who he would be facing- the match would surely be a challenge. His hands, which had balled into fists, came unfurled- he checked the steel bracers which adorned his forearms, a superfluous motion at this point (seeing as though he had looked them over several times before.) The crowd roared outside the tunnel, a sound which accentuated the fluttering butterflies inside the Fanalis’ stomach. He was unsure if he was ready for such a battle- but then, conviction flooded his mind. He knew he was ready. It was time to turn his anxiety into excitement at the opportunity to make his name known throughout the land.

After all, he was experiencing something some people may never be able to experience. That alone was worth being proud of.

He began to walk into the ring. As soon as the light hit him, so did the scene; thousands of people were chanting and cheering in the stands, roaring in excitement over what was to come. The ovular arena was much bigger than he remembered, at 150 meters in length and 70 meters in width. In the distance, he could see the silhouette of the man who he would be facing; moreover, he saw the silhouette of that man’s weapon- a long pole, the end of which was a large spiked ball. A morningstar, perhaps? The slightest bit of fear was shoved downwards and repressed, replaced by anticipation. An announcer’s voice boomed, as he introduced the contestants in the match.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, of all ages and creeds! Welcome to the great Reim Coliseum! Today, I have been granted the great honor of introducing you all to this great match! Allow me to announce the competitors…”

Nero cracked his knuckles and shook out his body, loosening his muscles. He was ready now- at least, more ready than he’d ever be.

“On your left…. A young man with a head of Crimson, Born and Raised in Reim, His name… NERO REGIS!!”

The crowd cheered, some people even chanted his name. It felt nice to be in the spotlight.

“And on your right, a Coliseum Regular! The BRUTAL BARBARIAN from the WESTERN FRONT, the MAN-KILLER, His name… ROCKY!!!!!”

For a second, Nero wondered if “Rocky” was a nickname, and if this man had a surname. These concerns were largely irrelevant, especially in the forefront of a battle. His heart began to pound, and he felt a rush of adrenaline coming on- he walked towards the center of the ring, where he would meet his opponent. Once he reached the central portion of the ring and faced his foe he took note of a size difference. Rocky was at least a foot taller than Nero, and girthier. Up close, however, the most intimidating thing about him was his Morningstar- the weapon was big, to say the least. Nero’s body was more toned and slim, still possessing muscle. Right now, he wore loose pants, but was not wearing a shirt; he had upon him his bracers, and a silver necklace which could not be used for combative purposes.

LET THIS BATTLE…… (The announcer paused here- in reality it lasted for about 2 seconds, but Nero processed it to amount more to a minute or two-) BEGIN!!!

No sooner than the announcement had been made, Rocky launched into an attack. He violently swung his fist towards Nero at 20m/s to inflict a Painful Blow. This attack took Nero by surprise; he barely had enough time to jump 2m out of the way. The strike glanced off of the left side of his abdomen, and he felt great pain shoot through the area- there would definitely be some serious bruising in this area. Luckily,
he was hit on the left and not the right, where his liver was located. He was right to be fearful of this opponent, for he was no joke. However, he had no intention of dying during this battle. Nero moved away from Rocky, running with his enhanced Fanalis speed. The big man gave chase; while Nero prepared to either mount a counterattack or leap, bending his knees slightly, Rocky began to spin his morningstar around in a circle, becoming a Starry Whirlwind. Nero moved somewhat, dodging the attack by leaping backwards, and was marginally successful. He had gotten far enough back that the ball part of the weapon would not directly strike him; however, one of the spikes just grazed through his right upper thigh in his escape attempt, ripping through his flesh. Nero bit his lip, trying to draw away the searing pain by causing pain elsewhere, as well as stifling a cry of pain. However, he had other things to worry about at the time.

“DON’T RUN AWAY FROM ME, BOY! I AM ROCKY, THE MAN KILLER! GRRRRRRAH!”

A pain in the ass with a knack for screaming his own praises. Nero would have to act fast to get this guy to shut the hell up. Upon landing, he stood; a pain ran through his right leg, but he was still able to move, for the morningstar had dug through some muscle but had not reached the bone. He stood tall as Rocky approached. Once he was within striking distance, Rocky began to lift his morningstar above his head, preparing to use his Ground Pound move. Right before Rocky swung the great weapon downwards, Nero used his Flow Step to dash just 1m out of the way diagonally, ending his movement just behind the big man. The foot which pushed off of the ground, doing most of the movement, was the left foot, as his right leg was injured slightly. Rocky’s morningstar smashed into the coliseum floor. Before he could turn around, Nero, who had repositioned himself to be right behind Rocky, leapt upwards, wrapped his arm around Rocky’s meaty neck, and pulled downwards, using his Obelisk Slam to smash the opponent into the ground onto his back. Once downed, Rocky stirred somewhat; however, to combat this, Nero used a simple technique- He leapt upwards, and stomped down on the chest of Rocky with both feet, using his Opprimo Minor ability. The big man stopped moving after that. The announcer’s voice rang out the winner- Nero Regis, the Fanalis from Reim, and the spectators in the coliseum cheered. Triumphant but injured, Nero raised his fists to the sky, and walked out through the tunnel from which he entered.

[OOC: Both Obelisk Slam and Opprimo Minor deal B-tier damage, because of Nero’s Fanalis Strength. 2x B-tier damage = 1 A-tier = Rocky loses.]