[HH 1v1] Morsels (Shik + Abbi)

[medigel]

It had been a while since he had stopped by the gray little place: it was his most convenient spot for a fight, and Shik was starting to look upon it more fondly than most. It wasn't his favorite terrain, no--the fog and interior made for confusing, less than controlled battles--but there was a unique appeal to causing havoc in a no man's land, even if the gray just made him want to paint it all red.

Having spent time with Shaheen post-Wonderland, he found it in him again to return even jollier than ever. Nothing had put the horseman in such a good mood as the mark of Destruction on his hand, though currently both were wrapped with bandages and reinforced with leather bracers. Perhaps again he could stalk some prey? Maybe even bring back something to eat for them both; he did so want to get Shaheen a souvenir of some sort, as merely marking his victims wasn't quite enough anymore.

(Although Kat's enraged face was still quite a prize.)

AyeAvast

 

[AyeAvast]

The first time she'd been assigned patrol duty in the Haunted House had also been the first time she'd been granted honest help on the Island, a courtesy extended to a first timer out of extreme kindness. The second time she'd been assigned patrol duty, she was not so lucky.
Though she tried very hard to walk through the portal with her head held high in an attempt to exude confidence, Abbi was certain even her faking it wasn't going to mean she would make it. She had been smart enough to change out of the cute red shirt she'd originally put on (just because it had a cute bow that tied on the front didn't negate the fact it was a red shirt) before she rushed back and out to the grey house, her fingers hurried in their movements to realign her scarf and coat and stockings. It was all nervous actions meant to occupy her mind with the mundane and avoid the thought of what could happen today.

She'd been attacked by two Halloweeners once, and only made it out thanks to Kat.
Ripley had suffered horrible scars and hurts because of this place.
Nevada had died here.

Any strength the teen had gleaned from the comforting words of her weapon drained from her as she stepped through the front door. Gray greeted her, leeched floorboards and papered walls stretched out in impossible angles and Abbi could not seem to grasp the well of accomplishment she had discovered in the pit with Stormy and the others.
"Its just a house." She said out loud, craning her head back to look up, curious to know if she could spy a colorless chandelier. "How can it be this terrible?"

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

She could avoid the red shirt, but Abbi's flaming red hair made her an easy target to find, even without the thinking aloud to help him locate her. His target appeared nervous already: they never learned. Shik was still outside, but windows were hardly an obstruction.

Feeling generous, rather than throw himself through it, he summoned his weapon to do the work for him and threw it, the dagger spinning once before breaking through the glass an embedding itself in the wall next to the hunter. He wanted to see just how spooked this one could get.


HP: 50
Damage: derp
 

[AyeAvast]

Maybe there was a chandelier high, high above her that she just couldn't see. It was easier to pretend there was one, for whatever reason, probably because it meant that this house was something she expected. That was silly to think because Halloween was the exact opposite of everything Abbi knew, which was also a comfort, but also meant she had conflicting ideas about the house and know she had confused herself.
She huffed, frustrated to have worked herself into a mental conundrum like that. Two steps were taken forward before she turned in a circle and then decided to wander in a fuller circle, Viveca happy to grumble encouraging phrases like Don't stand still, ye big baby or The more frightened ye are, the worst it'll be. Exceptionally helpful.

The sound of shattering glass was enough to prompt a scream, but the additional woosh of a sharp object barely whizzing past her face really made her go all over spooked. There were a number of phrases that followed the realization she had almost had her nose lopped off (all very creative in their avoidance of anything foul) before Abbi whirled around to look out the window.
"YO! Kocoum, that was mega rude, dude!" Her hands shook, but she still grabbed the dagger from the wall and haphazardly tossed it back through the window toward its original owner.
...Which meant he now had his weapon closer and her's wasn't even summoned. Good job, Abbi.

HP: 40/40
DMG: 3  

[medigel]

The rest of the window exploded into sharp fragments as he burst his way in, snickering as he caught his weapon. It was certainly not the . . . smartest entrance, but what were glass shards to him now? With a hard flap of his wings, Shik sent some tumbling like rain towards her, smirking.

"Rude," he echoed, feigning thought. "My. Lessons in manners from cattle. And a lone, little one at that." He made a show of licking his lips. "Wandered away from the herd, have we?"

HP: 47
Damage: still derp
 

[AyeAvast]

"Hey!" She called back, both hands flying up to protect herself from the falling shards and finding the thick of her blade protecting her face. "I'm a Virgo, thankyouverymuch!" There was comfort in sass, confidence in being quippy and Abbi was fine with overlooking the obvious leap in consistency to make the joke work.
A good push against the blade sent her weapon spinning against her palm, easy to keep the momentum going with a upward nudge here and there until her fingers snapped around the pole and it stood at attention. She and Viveca had discussed this.
Halloween was a threat, but individually not enough to get all flustered over.
Horsemen were to be eradicated if at all possible.

"You're like... A horse, right? So you would know what a herd looks like, yeah?" The laugh is forced, but its the best she's got when she is fighting the urge to run so hard. They told her the job was to patrol, to fight what she could, destroy if at all possible, and get out if it got rough.
And, if past experiences were any indication, rough was a long way off.
"Gosh, you guys all look so stupid... Why are your wings on your butt?"

HP: 40/40
DMG: ha ha  

[medigel]

He sighed quite openly; her battle banter needed work if the worst one she could come up with wasbuttwings. As if he hadn't heard that (quite incorrect) assessment before at all. He was starting to miss the Sun hunter: for all her sass, at least she knew when she was had. This one was mooing and grunting with far more importance than her stature could possibly have.

So they were getting overconfident during the horsemen's rest, were they?

"I would," Shik said idly. "And I would also know that the weak always get separated, thinking themselves capable. A very grave mistake, whelp."

But oh did he look so delighted.

The dagger was gone instant, the next the horseman--all replaced by bulky, blurred, brown fur as the bear charged with a roar, surprisingly fast despite his bulk. The glass couldn't break his shields; he barely felt them p***k his thick pads as he bullrushed her into the wall.

HP: 47
Damage: 7
 

[AyeAvast]

Standing around attempting to look confident was not working for Abbi, so she reverted back to her favorite pasttime: fidgeting.
First she scuttled to the right, then to the left, then back and forth until she forgot she probably looked like one of those overly animated game sprites who just wouldn't stop. The fact that the Horseman was just staring, and sneering it seemed, was not helping at all.
"What's that say about you, hot shot?" Oohhh snap, son! He was totally alone so oh what then?
Was this trash talking? Was this right?

About to try another insult, this one way better than the others she'd tried, Abbi really only got in an inhale before she let it go in a very loud squeak.
Now there was a bear.
Like a big bear. A really, giant, huge bear...

She only had time to scream before the wall collided with her back and all the air burst from her lungs. Both hands grappled against her blade, Viveca snarling in her mind as if to match the monster that trapped her. She was little, sure, but she wasn't going down without a fight.
"Not fair, fur butt!" Abbi wheezed in a voice made harsh by the scratch of air lost, legs wildly kicking in attempt to get purchase against the animal that pinned her. "I thought you were a horse!" Being shoved against a wall really had done a number to her witty banter. But there was just enough leverage, thank glob for a pole-armed weapon, to shove the lilac blade against what she hoped was vital parts and continue to push. The worry that gripped her throat tight could be funneled, at least in part, to save herself from this situation that was so frightening.

HP: 33/40
DMG: 6  

[medigel]

The scythe weapon was a bothersome thorn in his side to speak, but nothing could dull the initial satisfaction he had from her wriggling against him. Ah~ He had missed this. Normally they were averaged sized things if not long-legged, but there was a particular joy in having something so petite futilely try to escape his grasp. For a moment, he could have corner and actual, overgrown rabbit.

Shik wondered if they tasted just the same.

"A predator knows where to locate its prey," he replied in a gruff tone, a large paw swiping at the limbs carrying such a nuisance of a weapon in order to try and dislodge it. The grizzly pressed his muzzle closer, teeth flashing and hot breath foul. "Trembling, nervous little thing that you are, you are fit for a snack only. But it will be good enough." The quiet anxiety had been rolling off her like a delicious perfume.

HP: 41
Damage: 6

AyeAvast

 

[AyeAvast]

"Horses are not predators!" Abbi shouted, hating that it turned into a whimper a second later when claws snickered against her shield. It didn't matter that he was a bear right now, what mattered was that she was trapped and kind of needed to not be. Especially when the snout opened to reveal sharp, pointed teeth that were awfully close to her skin.
Maybe instead of a red shirt, she should have changed into a red hood...

The mention of trembling makes Abbi realize she is veritably shaking with her fear, of which Viveca has reminded her only makes this worse. The weapon is far too busy shouting about not being dropped, of which the teenager is doing her very best despite the clatter of claws against the shield on her hands, and offers no tips or pointers on how to defeat bears. Or on how to stop being so frightened.
But a foot manages to catch on some fur and Abbi sees the opportunity for what it is.
Her leg squeezes in and kicks out, colliding with more fur and then something mostly solid underneath. Again she kicks, whining that its not more effective.
"I'll give you the worst case of indigestion ever if you try and eat me!" Really, its the best she's got at the moment.

HP: 27/40
DMG: 5

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

The talking was a lost cause. Not only did this one not have very witty riparte, but it insisted on being a stickler for details. Annoying and bothersome. Hell, it was barely putting up a fight. This was what he got for picking on the easily spooked, he supposed dimly: a good scream, but not a good fight.

The hunter's kicks were ignored as the bear roared again, shoving his pinned target against the wall again. Shik's jaws snapped around her arm, the taste of flesh sweet and desirable--and how irksome it was that they were all encased in a shield that stopped him from stripping the meat off this instant! Still, he leered as he suddenly pulled his weight back and tossed her towards the glass, his teeth grating against that shield as they reluctantly let her go.

Horses were not predators. Horsemen, however, were.

HP: 36
Damage: 7
 

[AyeAvast]

After she'd said the line about indigestion, Abbi thought of at least three far more clever things to have said, and two that were rather funny. They would go unused now, but oh how could she could be wistful over her lost moment of coolness later on.
With a heel shoved against the fur, another shove came from the monster that made her leg ache dangerously. Suddenly frantic she tried to shove her elbow against his face and only succeeded in offering it to him. Teeth closed down around the limb (how small it looked compared to all those rows of teeth, how tiny and fragile it appeared) and even if there was only the dull sensation sharp pressure, the teenager still screamed as though it hurt very badly.

For a quick moment the blade of her scythe found purchase on the creature, but it was not acted upon quick enough before the room spun. She knew she should have found a point of reference, but it happened so quickly that by the time the thought filtered through, Abbi was in the air. Both hands scrambled against her weapon uselessly until the ground rose up, another force to rip the air she'd only just recovered from her lungs.
A tiny squeak left her as the girl marveled at her body that bounced up into the air, congratulating herself on the amount of air she got, before she crashed back down.

Glass crunched everywhere, stuck to her skin where the shield was weakening and cut up her coat and stockings.
"You're... You're not so tough." The girl choked out as she scrambled to her feet, slipping on the glass but managing to right herself. One heel of her hand scrubbed at her face then shook itself of glass. "I've fought scarier."

HP: 20/40
DMG: 2  

[medigel]

I've fought scarier.

The bear took its time turning towards her, his normally cautious attitude about keeping his back to an opponent gone with the wind. This one wasn't an opponent at all, but prey. Thin, small, far too talkative prey. They really did enjoy pretending to be in charge, even though by now it was laughable. There was nothing but disdain and hunger in the animal's beady eyes as he stalked towards her, exerting his Fear.

His fur seemed to crack and light up like embers, suddenly erupting into a blaze around his forelimbs' claws. With each pawstep, sparks flew and hissed, and the brighter Shik became, the hotter it grew and the faster his pace. And then, far too soon, the bear was at a full rush again, a blazing inferno with bright eyes that were like fire themselves, amber and burning and fixated on her with every intent on doing more than just ending her life, fangs bared and gleaming. More than a man, less than an animal. For one long, long moment the hunger consumed Shik, fueled by his irritation and by the sample taste of her arm.

His jaws opened again and snapped on whatever he could get of her, his claws scrabbling madly to keep her pinned as they crashed together. He would carve his way through her insufferably thick head and took great joy in doing it the only way he knew how: violently.

HP: 34
Damage: 15
 

[AyeAvast]

Both hands wrapped tighter around the staff of her scythe in attempt to provide herself with comfort, but only found a familiar shock against her palm. Glass has gotten between her and her weapon, something Viveca is none too pleased about and vehemently scolds the girl for. It is background noise compared to the thud of heavy paws against the floorboards of a grey, grey house.
Hadn't she told Ripley how dangerous the Horsemen were when he'd gotten hurt? Why had she wanted him to listen if she didn't bother with her own warning? They were dangerous, they were the worst...
{ Ain't none of it matters if we both die! }
We. Not me, not you. We.

A spark within the fur catches her attention, sparks her interest over the insinuation of what her ghost is implying. Surprise mingles with curiosity, for that all looks familiar to what weapons when charged do, only it is on the creature itself and not funneled.
The threat that barrels toward her is a minor disturbance as Abbi pieces the puzzle together. She is caught in the light of what is attacking, caught in the headlights so to speak, her mind detached for a moment as she thinks of how Halloween must have its own sort of attacks that stay with the weapons when they are rematerialized and re-purposed.
Feet step ball changed in attempt to get away, but weren't fast enough so that the girl swung up with her weapon and found her opposite arm open for the taking.

It was the removal of her feet from the floor that really worried her, the girl opening her mouth for a good gasp before the scream as she was lifted up and back down. Her heels shifted up, one tried to find the floor and crunched under her body, while the other turned up and pushed into what she hoped was the stomach or the heart or something sensitive of the bear that pinned her. An awful noise like a scream and a grunt and a sound of shattering glass left her as she smashed against the ground, teeth clattering against a shield that is cracking under Abbi's gaze. She looks at the bear, at the scythe she has pushed between them, at the teeth that crunch against her arm.
Calm is not the word for what she experiences, for there is a scurrying in her stomach that is scared of her defenses that are so weak, that she knows are about to break. Frightened cannot describe it either, for she sees the girl she was in the cave and knows a simple stretch of her mind will bring her back in this trying moment. But it is something in the middle, something that frustrates and bothers Viveca into turning quiet in her hurried whispers to fix this. It is something mixed, something that makes Abbi scream until she is hoarse because it hurts, but makes her push and kick and twist her weapon in desperation.
Maybe it is survival or self preservation, but she does not think so highly of herself.

HP: 5/40
DMG: 5  

[medigel]

The shrieks are what remind him, briefly, of who he is. The scythe clatters painfully against his teeth, its hunter-magic sapping Fear from him--and yet he held on nevertheless: the momentary discomfort was worth knowing it was in his grasp. As the fire began to die down around him, Shik struggled against the weapon, tossing his head to and fro with growls until at last he dislodged the scythe from its grasp and tossed the loathsome thing away. He was well aware that they could simply resummon like horsemen could, but it wouldn't matter. She was finished as far as he was concerned.

It was all a matter of how to finish it. Shik found himself in possession of a secret streak for the dramatic after all, especially when it came to battles he won.

Spitting out blood at the hunter, the bear began to shift back into the horseman's usual form, wings flared and grin animalistic. The ursine features never quite left him even when like this. The weight of his body kept her pinned down, legs pinning hers at the knees, one hand digging its claws into one of her arms. "Wasted potential," he thought aloud, clearly talking to himself rather than addressing the hunter as his hand grasped at something in the air: gray fog lifted from the Haunted House floor and materialized into a sword, cold and corporeal despite its wispy form, several distortion crystals winking from its hilt. "Such wasted potential. I'd rather cut your tongue out if all you can offer me is babbling nonsense."

The sword came down suddenly, breaking her shield in one go and cutting a little deeper into her clothes. Shik refrained from causing major damage just yet, instead gently sliding the edge of it towards her neck like he was teasing her, still grinning toothily.

"But you'll be quiet, won't you? That is, unless you think your miserable little life is now forfeit like a proper warrior? Because I'm feeling generous today and won't kill you if you shut up. A lesson cannot be learned if you die so quickly."

HP: 29
Damage: 6 (bonus from insanity sword)

AyeAvast

who would have guessed he would fail roll at the wrong moment not me no sir