Nero vs. Mardowlin & Koronoe

Mardowlin:

Back in the Coliseum once more was Nero; this time he was facing an opponent with a beast under his tutelage. This man’s name was Mardowlin. He was rather slim, wielding a large blade, and his pet was named Koronoe. This pet was a large, four-legged creature that looked to be a cross between a lion and a dog. Nero had entered the coliseum once more, with a still impressive record that read more wins than losses, and gone through with all of the introductory stuff. His opponent’s victory record showed four victories and three defeats, which was by itself quite impressive. However, the Fanalis was intent on adding another loss to his opponent’s record, and adding a victory to his own.

This was Nero’s first match since his defeat at the hands of the much larger Fanalis warrior. That was the fight which prompted his sensei, Ishiguro, to take him under his wing. He was hopeful that his master was watching in the stands somewhere; he knew that the old man was an aficionado for combat sports, and was eager to show him how much he had improved. Hopefully Ishiguro would be able to sense this improvement. His chance to show off to his master would come, as the battle began.

Immediately, Mardowlin beckoned for his pet Koronoe to rush Nero; jaws wide open, the creature grasped Nero’s leg in its mouth and began to shake violently; Nero felt this sensation but was able to brush it off. The Fanalis used his other leg to stomp on the beast’s head- he did not use enough force to completely subdue the beast; rather, he was able to get it to loosen its jaws. A simple kicking motion of the leg caught in the Komainu’s grasp was able to remove the beast.  At this point, Mardowlin moved in, aiming to support his pet. He probably assumed that the two on one assault would prove intimidating to the Fanalis; however, he would be proven wrong in due time. Koronoe then swiped at his opponent using its claws; Nero dodged this motion with a fluid step to the side. Mardowlin slashed diagonally at Nero with his blade; the Fanalis saw this move coming and took a step back, avoiding the damage that would have been dealt. As this occurred, Mardowlin commanded Koronoe to rush Nero’s leg from behind, while he aimed a downward strike with his sword (utilizing his Dicing Trickster maneuver.) Nero saw Koronoe attempt to attack from behind, and kicked the beast backwards; however, he was caught in the shoulder by Mardowlin’s blade. The sword cut deep enough to get through some of Nero’s deltoid muscles but did not even nick the bone. The Fanalis smirked.

Oh, come on. You’ll have to try harder than that. Didn’t even tickle.

Mardowlin drew his blade back; Koronoe came towards Nero again, prompting the Fanalis to leap upwards; as the beast was directly below him he stomped downwards with both feet at full strength, rendering the Komainu unable to participate further in the battle. (Basic attack dealt A-tier damage due to the Fanalis boost.)  

Nero stepped off of battered lion-dog and kicked its body to the side. Now the battle was between two men, a swordsman and a brawler. The red-haired fighter eyed his opponent, who was clearly somewhat shaken at the defeat of his pet. Mardowlin’s eyes widened; he dashed in, attempting to light his opponent up with a flurry of slashes. Nero simply smiled; this man was not too skilled with his sword- either that or Nero was able to withstand the damage caused. The gash in his shoulder from the point of impact earlier oozed blood, but Nero knew he could bandage the wound later on and heal it rather quickly. He was nicked a few times by Mardowlin’s blade, but was able to push past the pain. The Fanalis decided he would toy with his opponent some; he threw a feint punch, to which his opponent attempted a parry, bringing up his sword in a defensive gesture. This was met with a hearty laugh.

Fooled ya, brother.

As soon as Mardowlin let down his sword, Nero kicked the man’s abdomen hard. He doubled over in pain. Nero then grabbed the man by his hair and lifted him to his feet once more, before striking him with two knockout blows to the face. Bloodied, Mardowlin fell to the ground in a heap, before being ruled unable to compete further.

Following this, Nero raised his arms to the roar of the crowd. His legs were bloodied, as the consequences of the beast’s jaws began to kick in. The wound in his shoulder still bled as well; he hoped medical attention would solve these physical issues. He also hoped that Ishiguro saw him; he had become a much more confident fighter, and he knew that this was a result of the old sensei’s teachings. As of now Nero’s record was 5-1; he hoped to add more wins to his belt in the coming days.

ooc: