[1v1] USS Birthday Dream -- West x Herryk

[bipolar bee]

Herryk held one of the posters he'd created clutched between two beefy, monstrous fists. It looked pretty good to him, and he'd already plastered them all over the dorms. He was hoping that someone would bite and call him up, but so far nobody had.

No, nobody had called Herryk for a spar. It was a terrible thing and it saddened the draugr. He was big and muscular, and Herryk could understand how that might frighten the other students off. Despite all that, there was a threat looming, and Herryk wanted to grow much, much stronger than he was so that when the time came, he was more prepared than he had been on the field trip -- and during what had happened just days past.

With a dejected sigh, Herryk taped the flyer to the door of the Gym, crossed his arms over his chest, and outright pouted. This wasn't working out like he'd planned, not at all.  

[Smerdle]

West didn't know who this Herryk was, only that it seemed he referred to himself in the third person and wanted to fight. Or maybe, West thought as he strode over to the gym, someone else had made the sign in his stead. The demon smiled just thinking about it. That would have been the best practical joke ever. He'd have to remember to try it on someone sometime.

His smile faltered a bit as he rounded one of the last corners and peered down the hall. West half expected to see some faker in a red cloak lurking around, but instead he caught sight of a very large, very unclothed boil gripping... ah... one of the posters.

"You Herryk?" he asked. "Or areya jus' th'guy who's framin' 'im? Either way I'll fight ya." Since he was here already and all.  

[bipolar bee]

Herryk brightened considerably at the sight of the red-haired boil that approached. Did he have a poster? No, no... it didn't look like it. Herryk's face fell. That was a shame. However, when the boil called him by name? A blissful expression flickered across Herryk's face.

"Did Red see Herryk's poster? Herryk worked very hard on his posters." He beamed at the boil. "Herryk is looking for fights, yes," the draugr smiled brightly. "But... first, did Red like the posters? Where did Red see the poster?" Herryk held out the blue paper he clutched in his hand. "Does Red think that Herryk should add a picture?"  

[Smerdle]

Red. He shook his head slightly at the (hopefully) soon to be temporary nickname this Herryk had bestowed on him. Savior had called him that, or at least that was what he assumed she had been doing. She might have been referring to the color of anything from an apple to the blood she had seen trickle out of his broken body to their gym teacher... But enough of that unpleasantness!

"Yeah, I saw 'em. Outside th'demon dorms. Think y'put enough up?" It was a rhetorical question, but one that West thought this particular boil might actually answer. "An' sure. Adda picture if y'want. All punchin' inta th'camera an' s**t." He doubted it would make much of a difference.

His grin returned as he held out a hand to the gargantuan boil. "West. Not Red." Judging by the size of the kid, this fight was going to be epic.  

[bipolar bee]

"West."

Herryk liked the sound of that.

"Weeeest."

It flowed from the tongue nicely.

"West. Well. Herryk wants to punch things." He shot a fist forward as if to illustrate his desires. The beefy fist came dangerously close to West, but Herryk continued with a genuine smile. The fist spread, and Herryk clasped West's in his own, offering a firm -- very firm -- shake.

"Punching into the camera," Herryk looked thoughtful as he strolled into the gym. He didn't really pay attention to whether or not West was following. The draugr just kind of assumed he would. "West, this is a fine idea."  

[Smerdle]

West stared.

What was even--

He leaned back slightly as the boil's hand swung toward him, but once his own was engulfed by Herryk's his smile returned. "Yeah, let's. Punch things." He slowly followed the draugr into the gym, wondering if this kid was the type to just turn around and start smacking the crap out of an adversary. At least West felt safe in the assumption that Herryk would be kind of slow? Maybe? Judging by his handshake, it would only make sense to be concerned when he looked to be caught by one of the undead's fists.

Still, if there was one thing his ongoing battling with Levi had taught him it was not to judge opponents by their appearances.

"The picture'll look 'specially convincin' after I've smacked y'round a bit," he replied with a smirk.  

[bipolar bee]

Herryk wasn't sure what West meant by that, exactly, but if it meant that his posters would look better, well, Herryk wasn't going to fight with that. And West also wanted to punch things, too, which was excellent.

Making his way to the middle of the gym, Herryk quietly started taking off his boots. He felt like he got a better grip when he fought barefoot. He was also probably mildly inexperienced in battle, which also might explain why he'd never won a spar yet. It didn't seem to phase the draugr, though. Herryk kept coming back for more. It was the only way to grow stronger. The only way to protect those that he cared about.

Methodically unfastening his furred cape, Herryk carefully set it next to his boots before turning to West with an overly-cocky grin plastered on his face.

"Come on, then!"  

[Smerdle]

It had been difficult to convince himself it was necessary, but West had very recently taken to closely watching the denizens of Halloween, Amityville in particular, to see how they moved, especially in battle. This... he had never fought anyone who prefaced a fight by removing a whole bunch of perfectly good articles of clothing. If he had thought the boil was nearly naked before, well, he had been wrong.

West waited a good distance away, now at least 45% sure this was all some sort of prank.  

[Smerdle]

When Herryk urged him forward, West shrugged slightly and advanced on the boil, pulling his fist back to strike when he was close enough. He resisted the urge to try to wave at any hidden cameras in the vicinity. If this was a joke, he supposed he'd just have to put his best face forward for now, then find out who had the master recording, melt it down, and pour it up their a**.

He punched Herryk in the hip... since it was right there... and hopped back in an attempt to stay out of the boil's reach. Hrm. It was a lousy shot, but at least it was something.

HP: 40
Damage: 2  

[bipolar bee]

Ouch. Herryk rubbed his hip where West had socked him. That had hurt... kind of. Herryk had been expecting more, in all honesty.

He was actually a little disappointed.

Lashing out with a big, bare foot, Herryk aimed for West's hip. Eye for an eye... erm... hip for a hip?

"West, Herryk was hoping that this would actually be a good spar. Is West holding back? He should not be afraid. Herryk has been punched many times." He slapped his abs with a hand, the sound reverberating throughout the gym.

"Do not be afraid to hit Herryk!"

HP: 28
Damage: 1  

[Smerdle]

Holding back?

West coughed into his hand, the hand he had just punched the hell out of Herryk with. Okay, fine, the hit had sucked, but he had been trying to be all agile and s**t. Obviously that was not the way to go here. Obviously all of his carefully amassed training was about to go right out the window.

He took a step back, trying to gauge how he was going to punch the 'holding back' out of this kid's face.

Ah. Yes, those.

The demon still hated his wings as much as he had the day he had stepped on campus. They were all pale and fluffy and... they looked like his mom's wings. It was undignified. But he had to admit they had their uses.

"I'm not afraid'a nothin'," he muttered. His wings unfurled silently and he beat them as quickly as he could, rising to a position from which he could kick Herryk in the jaw. And then he did.

HP: 39
Damage: 8  

[bipolar bee]

Ouch. Double ouch. Triple ouch.

Herryk was expecting a punch. Herryk was not expecting fluffy wings. Maybe West wouldn't have landed such a hit if he'd unfurled big leathery demonic wings. Maybe Herryk would have expected a demon to have that particular flavor of appendage.

Fluff? Not so much.

It took Herryk a few seconds to regroup after reeling from that beast of an attack. He was seeing double for a long time, watching West with an incredulous, dazed expression. The draugr stumbled back a few feet, narrowed his eyes, and socked West in the lower back.

HP: 20
Damage: 4
Fear: Battle Cry -- Hit.
First dice:
1-2: miss
3-4: hit
add remaining dice for dmg  

[Smerdle]

A half-maniacal, half-surprised laugh bubbled from West's throat as his kick turned into the most epic kick he had ever delivered.

"How'sat fer scared!" he trilled, flapping just enough to keep himself aloft. At least until Herryk punched him in the back and he dropped to the gym floor like a stone, his wings disappearing with the familiar displacement of air that made his ears pop.

West briefly growled under his breath as he got back up, rubbing at the small of his back. He inhaled sharply, raised his foot and stomped on Herryk's bare one with the heel of his fancy boot.

HP: 35
Damage: 4  

[bipolar bee]

The draugr was growing weaker after West landed hit after hit after hit. He was still standing relatively strong, though, and he found great satisfaction in watching the demon hit the ground.

"Herryk is not scared." Owwww, that stomp had hurt.

"Herryk needs this fight. Herryk needs to grow stronger. Herryk needs to protect his home and those he cares about."

That being said, Herryk threw a sloppy punch, his fist glancing off of West's shoulder.

"Does West not have someone he cares for? A family? A ghoul?"

HP: 16
Damage: 1  

[Smerdle]

West countered Herryk's punch with an irritating, but ultimately ineffectual jab of his own, then he was off again, backing away and waiting to see what would happen next. He was thrown a bit off guard when the boil began to speak, and his words only disturbed West more.

"I protect me," he spat, the words coming out before he could think about them too hard. "If you happen t'be standin' behind me when I'm protectin' m'self, then good fer you."

It wasn't true.

"An' I guess there're a couple people I'd jump in front of," he muttered. "If y'wanna get better so bad, then c'mon!"

HP: 34
Damage: 1