Light Me Up (Lurcano v. Keira)

[Keira Priest]

Theme

Smoke drifted from between pursed lips, cigarette perched at the corner, drifting about her face in a haze that half obscured her face from view. Nothing more than idle thoughts and the music that began playing througout the arena in a slow crescendo accompanied her as she stood there, almost dangerously calm. It was hard to obtain the same adrenaline rush from combat when the entirety of her life was comprised of a series of similar battles.

Once again this was a bare-knuckle match, with restrictions placed on any conscious use of the Force. There wasn't much Keira could do in way of the precognitions granted her by the energy field, and she didn't think her most recent opponent would discriminate. Much. It wasn't like she could regulate them anyhow. Besides, if he'd agreed to fight her, then chances were he was already aware she was something similar to a Jedi. Apparently she was viewed as nothing more than a unique challenge.

Come to think of it, there wasn't much she knew about who she was fighting, beyond the fact that he was a member of the Ravens, and a relatively new one at that. He must have been something of a brawler at that, but beyond this her knowledge was null. That would likely be remedied within the next few seconds.

It's always barehanded. And it's always with me. Practice, I guess. It was true that while she was a decent hand-to-hand combatant, her skill in that area could use work. This was one way to solve that, though in a rather unorthodox manner.

Hopefully he wasn't expecting anything too easy.

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Lurcano took a breath before entering the fighting arena. As he moved into the light, he saw the woman that he was supposed to be dueling. He had posted a notice on the fight club board, looking for a challenge. She had been the first to accept his offer. He knew little about his opponent other then her name which had been in the post which accepted his offer. He knew she was the woman who had been captured and kidnapped by the Primeval which had instigated the Red Ravens ensuing conflict and bounty on all members of the members of the Primeval. He also knew she was a Dark Jedi, which had annoyed him to no end. He knew that outside of the fight in this arena which he'd tailored so it was specifically in his favor, he wouldn't have much a chance in a fight to the death. That annoyed him to no end. Both her gender, and her powers in the force were points of annoyance to Lurcano, and he would be sure to make her suffer for it. Music was playing in the arena, obviously chosen by his combatant. Music or no, it made no matter to him. It was all the same either way. He removed his leather jerkin, and his boots. He would only be wearing a pair of tight combat shorts. He entered the ring and looked at Keira.

Lurcano Car'dann: "Alright then, let's start right away. Just to go over the fight once more, anything goes. You can even use the force to augment some of your natural abilities such as strength, speed, stamina, and reaction time; but nothing that will degrade my own. You fine with these rules? As for what you can wear...well. I hope you've come appropriately dressed. Anything that doesn't give obvious protection is fine."

Lurcano rotated his neck slightly, feeling it crack in a few places. This would be fun.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Making a point to study what she was wearing, which was nothing more than a pair of loose shorts and a sleeveless shirt to match, Keira merely shrugged. "It works for me if it works for you." A similar outfit had been donned for her previous match of similar constraints, and it had served well enough. In live combat she didn't wear much more in terms of armor, and theoretically this would be something of an easier challenge. Theoretically being the key word.

At the very least he was concise and straight to the point, neatly and quickly outlining his expectations of how the fight would progress. Limitations were always placed on Force use in fights like this, so it didn't come as much of a surprise or a hindrance. Even on the battlefield she didn't rely on the energy field beyond a heightened danger sense, utilizing the telekinetic abilities granted only to supplement her own acrobatics, most times. That would be little issue.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you're taking me for an easy mark." She raised an eyebrow with a half-smile, taking her cigarette between index and middle finger, blowing a cloud of smoke into the deathly still air. "That's not quite the case. I'm not going to go and overestimate my own skill just yet, but I don't rely on the Force as much as you seem to think. It's a nice trick, sure. But this is going to be a fair fight, yeah?" That last rhetorical inquiry was a bit pointed.

No more words were spoken, and instead she busied herself extinguishing her cigarette with her thumb and forefinger, taking a bit of extra care in setting the remains to the edge of the arena, turning to again face her opponent. Absently she flexed her fingers, vaguely wondering if her cybernetic left arm would be any issue. He hadn't mentioned it, so she assumed not.

Her feet shifted slightly, shoulder-width apart. "C'mon, you know what they say about keeping a lady waiting..."

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Lurcano looked at the woman, and just chuckled; shaking his head. 'Wow, she's actually pretty likeable. That won't stop me from caving her head into the ground, but still. He chuckled at her last comment, and shrugged his shoulders. She was definitely right about that last bit. He began to approach her, sinking his butt down low and taking small and measured steps. He center of gravity mirrored his form and he kept his arms out in front of him. He closed the gap between them quickly, though he stayed out of reach. He waved in and out, studying the girl. He measured her frame, her weight, and where she might do him some damage. Suddenly, he leaped forward; and attempted to grab the woman by the midsection, pick her up and throw her onto the ground once more. If he was able to get close enough to grab her, he would slam her into him as hard as he could, so that he was almost bear hugging her. While he lifted her and attempted to throw her onto the ground, his left leg would attempt to tangle her legs to increase the chances of him getting her onto the ground. If he succeeded on getting her onto the ground; he would all his weight on her, and attempt to grab her by her hair, and literally slam her head into the arena ground.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

If there was one thing he had going for him so far, it was speed. It was one of the things Keira took advantage of as well, exploiting it at every chance in most combat situations. The same strategy didn't tend to work so well when her opponent did the same, but acrobatics were still an extra trick up her sleeve, and one that didn't necessarily require the Force to harness. It would allow her to at the very least have some kind of maneuverability on him, and sometimes all she needed was that split second afforded.

Before the smoke from her cigarette had even had the chance to dissipate from the air he was already moving towards her, which in response to she moved backwards, paying careful attention to how close she was to the edge of the arena. That was a mistake made once in a previous fight, and one she wouldn't make again if there was anything to be done in the way of preventing it. She wouldn't allow this fight to end so easily.

Shifting to the side she considered her next move, briefly entertaining the idea of simply throwing him across the arena with the Force and ending it there. It was against the rules put in place, and she wouldn't actually do it, but it was still an amusing thought nonetheless. Just his reaction would be worth that little excursion.

That would have to wait until later, unfortunately. For the moment she was interested in playing fair, whether it was for better or worse. So she stepped forward, spinning into a kick with her left leg, using that same momentum for a quick snap with her right fist, not wasting energy with either movement, keeping them quick and concise. If she couldn't win, she would do her best not to make it easy for him.

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Lurcano let out a grunt as the kick was sent flying towards him. He felt the full force of the kick in his rib cage and all the air went out from him. He shook his head groaning slightly, and a thought flashed into his mind. 'That's going to leave a mark.' He proceeded to bring down his arm and catch the leg before it could snap back. He held onto it for dear life as Kiera's punch glanced off his shoulder. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins and he ignored the pain that the punch and the kick caused in his body. He watched her as she bounced on one foot, trying to stay up. Then an instant later, he uppercut the leg he was holding on to and simultaneously attempted to sweep the leg she was bouncing on. If it was successful, she'd land on her back. Hard. Assuming his technique worked, he would throw himself on top of her, attempting to pin her down with his weight. He would then grab for her hair and try to slam her head against the ground as hard as he could, hoping to cause a head injury that would be enough to incapacitate her.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

There was no way to gracefully take that fall, but Keira attempted it, at least. Credit had to be given for her not using the Force to cushion the landing, and she didn't, instead breaking the fall with a bit of creative maneuvering. Despite this, there were bruises already forming that she would feel even more in the morning. Being sore was preferable to broken bones or any other trauma, both of which she'd experienced at some point and wasn't keen on doing so again.

While she was knocked off her feet, that was as far as she would allow his overpowering her to transcend without some resistance on her part. As he grabbed for her hair she shot out a knee towards his stomach and an elbow towards his throat, relying on the fact that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on both and simultaneously avoid them. Either he would keep hold of her and suffer the hits, or otherwise attempt to dodge. It was a gamble, but one she was willing to take.

Despite the dire circumstances she flashed a grim smile, twisting beneath him in an attempt to shift the weight balance enough to throw him off of her with momentum and nothing more. This was a different sort of brawl than she was used to, more hands-on than most, and definitely more of a challenge. But it wasn't the first time she'd been severely outmatched.

"You like to do things the hard way, don't you?"

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Lurcano grunted as he flew straight into the knee that the woman had thrown out. He felt all the air rush out of his lungs, and he resisted the urge to curl up in pain and groan. Despite this, he landed upon her writhing form, and he attempted to stay on top for dear life.

His efforts were in vain as she managed to turn him onto his side to get him off balance using her momentum. Upon having his hip touch the ground, Lurcano would quickly move away from her, and push himself back onto his feet. He bent over ever so slightly, trying to catch his breath.

Despite his attempts to hide him being winded, the Jedi Knight would be able to notice damage her knee had done. Despite this, a smile broke out on his face and he chuckled. Ignoring the pain that came from the bruise that was enveloping on his abdomen.

Lurcano Car'dann: "You know it girly. Maybe after this, I can show you how hard I can get."

Lurcano chuckled at his own poorly constructed innuendo before approaching her again. He would move forward and attempt to throw out a few jabs for spacing. If they connected they wouldn't do much damage short of causing some pain, but using your face to block them was not the most ideal strategy.

He waited for her to make some sort of move as he continued to keep his guard up. 'Definitely, someone I might have to watch in the future.' He thought to himself as his eyes studied her figure, not only watching her for the fight, but perhaps for any fun that might follow after or in the future. Lurcano would not be adverse to an idea such as that.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Of course he had to go and flirt with her. Of course. It just wouldn't be the same otherwise. This was beginning to remind her more and more of her encounter with Sage Bane. His commentary had been just as full of similar comments, though his were more frequent than the single one made so far. It was a game Keira had played before, returning the innuendos with just as sarcastic comments of her own, not bothering to appear as the bigger person. There wasn't a point in it. Common courtesy would only be dealt as it was received.

Seemingly effortlessly she twisted to her feet, pausing to take stock of the bruises that were blossoming on her back, already sensitive within seconds. The pain helped to keep her grounded, and the first lesson of her Gen'Dai mentor flashed briefly through her mind. Pain is power. Not such a firm believer in the philosophy herself, she still found it useful at times when she needed to push herself past her limits, or just when some kind of extra motivation was necessary. This was one of those occasions, and as his fists came flying towards her she just managed to dodge, one of them managing to just glance off of the side of her face, bruising slightly despite it not making full contact.

"Cute. Because I haven't heard something like that before. Try and come up with some original material. It makes for more amusement, at the end of the day." She rolled her eyes, once more taking up a balanced stance, watching him as he studied her in return, something in his gaze telling of his observations extending past just what was necessary for the fight. It only refreshed her resolve to win this and show that once again she wasn't one to be underestimated in the least. Some had made that mistake, and she made sure they only made it once.

Light on her feet she darted towards him, striking out with a flurry of fists directed at his midsection that were meant to do nothing more than distract, the real threat coming from the low sweep kick that immediately followed. If successful it would knock him off of his feet, leaving him open for any further attacks that would come on her part. If not, well, she was always prepared, and trusted in her own instinct and ability to protect herself in a combat scenario.

"What are you, just another funtihruo that expects every girl to jump in bed with him?"

Spoiler

Translator I'm using, she's speaking Old Corellian.

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Keira Ticon: "What are you, just another funtihruo that expects every girl to jump in bed with him?"

Lurcano Car'dann: "Hah, please. With a chest like that, or rather a lack thereof, and that flat ass? It'd be like I was karking a little boy. If you jumped into bed with me, I'd promptly jump out of the nearest window. It all makes sense to me now. When I first heard about you, I wonder how you had gotten your position of Secretary. I mean, Cryax is into boys isn't he? But now I finally understand it, no real difference now is there?

Lurcano smirked at her, and spat a glob of phlegm towards her. As she rushed at him, throwing out her light flurry of fists, Lurcano rushed forward as well. The adrenaline pumping through his veins ignored the pain the punches sent flashing through his body, and quickly grabbed an underhook and an overhook.

As Keira sent her leg racing towards his own, he let her take him down, and as he fell backwards; he attempted to bring her down with him, and upon hitting the ground he would try to roll through with her so that he would land on top of her, still holding on to his overhook and his underhook.

Assuming this succeeded, Lurcano would then attempt to cock his head back and then thrust it forward towards the bottom of her nose. Attempting to break it or cause any kind of damage he might be able to. He clenched his teeth, and moved to headbutt her with the top of his Cranium, and avoided anything and everything above her eyebrows.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

It was times like these Keira wished that it was within the parameters of the fight to use the Force, because just then she would have promptly thrown him across the room, perhaps causing some 'accidental' trauma in the process. Still, she entertained the thought briefly. If she wasn't a fair fighter, that would have been her next move. But, rather unfortunately in this case, she had to play by the rules for once. It was still a tempting course of action. Some people didn't deserve much better. A shame this wasn't live combat.

Once again she was swept off her feet by his next move, but this time she was just slightly more prepared, the landing just fractionally less hard than her first had been. Every little bit helped, after all. Managing to prevent his head from connecting with her nose she still felt every bit of the blow, momentarily stunned from the sheer force of it, having to push herself back into reality, taking another few seconds to completely ground herself. That was something she would definitely feel in the morning.

Not replying to his remarks just yet she instead focused on getting him off of her, sending a hammer fist towards the side of his head and next attempting to throw him off of her with all that she had, which included any previously gathered momentum, a surprising amount of strength given her rather average appearance. As someone who favored one of the lightsaber combat styles that focused on one's ability to execute powerful strikes, Djem So, she was conditioned in that area, if anything.

"If this is how you talk to every girl you meet, it's no wonder that you're still single. It's funny that you assume I give a kark about anything you have to say. It's easy to have a big mouth, but it's a lot harder to back those words up. But it's okay, I understand if you don't have the guts to do it. I've met plenty other cowards in my life." Was it a low blow? Most certainly. Did she care? Not at all.

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Keira Ticon: "If this is how you talk to every girl you meet, it's no wonder that you're still single. It's funny that you assume I give a kark about anything you have to say. It's easy to have a big mouth, but it's a lot harder to back those words up. But it's okay, I understand if you don't have the guts to do it. I've met plenty other cowards in my life."

Lurcano gritted his teeth as the woman spoke. He didn't respond back to what she was saying as he was wholly focused on attacking Keira. He straddled her waist as she continued to buck and move, attempting to throw him off of her. As she did this, Lurcano thought to himself, 'Damn, imagine the jokes I could make about this...'

Despite her attempts, Lurcano was prepared as well. He ignored her attempts at throwing him off, using his weight to his advantage. He began to throw a flurry of fists at her, as she tried to punch him. The fact that she was punching upwards lessened the force behind her strikes so despite being hurt by them, it was not enough to knock him out.

He began to punch her as many times as he could. Letting out a flurry of lefts and rights. His vision blurred as he continued to punch her, hoping she would either give up or be knocked out before her punches did the same to him.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Either she had touched a nerve, or he was less secure in his masculinity than Keira had originally thought. Or it was a combination of both. Regardless, she most certainly didn't appreciate the storm of fists that flew towards her, but she was thankful that his strikes seemed to be fueled by something akin to a righteous anger at what she'd said. That could always be worked to her advantage in the sense that his punches had a margin for error that wasn't typically present when one was calm and calculated in their movements.

This was supposed to be a fair match, but as time wore on she was beginning to care less and less about it atll. Her cybernetic arm was there for a reason, after all, and it was an unfair advantage she hadn't exploited to its full potential just yet. Perhaps now was the time to do so, if just to create satisfaction that she was able to stand on even ground against an opponent like this. It wasn't the first fistfight she'd been in, but it was certainly one of the most intense.

Putting all of her strength behind it she aimed a right hook towards his jaw, continuing with a strike towards his side, this time using her artificial and exponentially stronger left arm. One way or another she would manage to get him off of her. Whether or not he remained uninjured, or at least with no broken bones, in the process was entirely up to him. But she wasn't about to let him off easy, even less so after the words they'd traded beforehand.

"Are you really that easily angered? I'd say I'm disappointed, but I try not to lie to most people."

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Keira Ticon: "Are you really that easily angered? I'd say I'm disappointed, but I try not to lie to most people."

As Lurcano continued his attempts in punching her lights out, he couldn't help but maintain his constant inner monologue. Despite the fact that all his movements and actions were being done in periods of time less then a second, everything seemed to be at an exaggerated slowness in his mind. Despite this seemingly useful tool in combat, Lurcano was never really able to utilize it in such a way.

He just always attributed it to him being weird as kark, and left it at that. 'Damn, this broad can take a beating. Whatever the kark I might think about this queen, I've got to give her respect. Especially due to the fact that she can probably kick my ass outside of this arena. But that don't mean chit right now. I'm going to make her suffer.'

He right hook was reacted to in much the same way as her other feeble attempts. Lurcano was to adrenaline filled and excited to feel much pain. Yet when her Cybernetic left arm came crashing into his rib cage, Lurcano felt that. Immediately he felt a sensation much akin to the one he'd experienced so many years ago on Nagi, when he'd fallen out of a tree in the fourth grade. 'Did she just break my karking rib?'

This punch was sufficient enough, and Lurcano thought it would be best to distance himself from that crushing left, lest this fight end quickly. He pushed away from her, and moved to stand up. As he rolled away, he aimed a kick towards the general direction of her face. Not expecting much to come of it, but Lurcano was always one to play the odds. Especially when he was wearing steel toed combat boots.

As he stood up, struggling not to wobble he smirked at her and spoke with a confidence that he didn't quite have at the moment.

Lurcano Car'dann: "Had to remind myself you were just a queen for a second there. I'd say sorry about ruining your face but to be honest, anything changing its structure would be an improvement at this point. You had enough, or do you want me to do some real damage? I will smash your karking head against this arena ground right now. We'll have the dregs of the Ravens cleaning that chit off the floor."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Where she would have typically jumped to her feet Keira pushed herself into a standing position, reaching up with her right hand to assess the current extent of her injuries. There were a number of bruises, but that was to be expected. Her lip was split, which was unsurprising, but no bones seemed to be broken. If anything, she had only minorly fractured a bone or two in her face, something that wasn’t an entirely new experience. In her life she’d been injured far worse than this, and had learned to take a punch without complaint. It would be going a bit far to say that matches like this were a regular, but they certainly weren’t uncommon or unwarranted by any means. And the trash-talking was just another part of it. He seemed to enjoy the sound of his own voice too much for his own good.

Shaking her head she smiled grimly, pushing the pain away to the back of her mind, drawing on the Force to reenergize her. How she was feeling physically wasn’t important at the moment. Ending this fight was, and her intent was to come out on top just as much as his was. It wasn’t going to be easy, and she would be feeling the consequences of this the next day, not to mention weeks from now. But if she took solace in anything, it was that he wouldn’t be feeling much better. Adrenaline sufficed as an anesthetic for the moment, but once it wore off, well, it packed a punch just as painful as any fist. She’d been on the receiving end of such enough times to know that perfectly well.

“What, you’re going to call it off already?” With an almost exaggerated slowness she cracked her neck with two turns of her head, once more loosening up. “You know, because trying to smash my head in worked so well the first time. If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re starting to respect me just a bit. If I’d known all it would take is a broken rib, I would have done that a while ago.” She wasn’t feeling the greatest herself, but half of the battle was not letting your opponent know just how bad you were hurting. The other was besting them physically, but after the first aspect that came easily. Except in the cases where one’s adversary didn’t know when it was best to shut his mouth. Not that she was doing much better at keeping quiet.

Not in any hurry she studied the flesh and blood knuckles of her right hand, noting that the wrappings she’d deigned to wear on that hand only were beginning to tear and fray, stained crimson, though she wasn’t entirely sure just whose blood it was, not that it mattered. If she kept up this pace the bandages were like to prove useless, and her knuckles would likely split. A small price to pay, in the grand scheme of things. This was a more brutal fight than even she had encountered, regardless of what rules had been put in place beforehand. It didn’t matter that the odds were against her. What mattered was beating them.

“Are you just gonna stand there? C’mon, I’m not impressed yet.”

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Keira Ticon: "You know, because trying to smash my head in worked so well the first time. If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re starting to respect me just a bit. If I’d known all it would take is a broken rib, I would have done that a while ago. Are you just gonna stand there? C’mon, I’m not impressed yet."

Lurcano Car'dann: Lurcano snorted all the mucus from his nose into his mouth, and spat it all out in one big gob of mucus and blood filled phlegm. Not one of his most attractive moments, but he was beyond caring at this points. He chuckled once more, as if resignedly before saying, "Respect? No, not quite. Now if you were a regular broad. Maybe. But you're just a girl who got lucky with their genetics. Don't mean chit, and I'll prove it to you."

Lurcano began to step forward, his hands up in a boxing position. He approached her, and decided he would try to use his superior reach to garner some sort of advancement over her cybernetic arm. He already knew it hit like a truck, and he would have to make sure it stayed well away from his face. He wasn't getting any prettier.

He shot out several quick combos, starting off with a Jab, Uppercut, Right, Right, Jab. He would space his punches out depending on her actions, and he would stay alert in case she attempted to rush him. If she did, the advantage would be all is; but Lurcano wasn't that lucky and she sadly just wasn't that stupid.

In the downtime between punches, he would send out quick kicks meant for her shin. They would do little physical damage, but they would definitely hurt. After a few, one would start to feel the pain and be barely able to put much weight on it. Despite Lurcanos seemingly offensive moves, he was playing more defensive then anything.

If his punches landed, he would move in to capitalize. If only a few hit, he would wait for her to make a move so that he could exploit it.

[member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

There was a wariness in his movements that hadn't been present before, a fact that Keira didn't overlook, though she didn't take too much stock in it either. It had already been proven that he was a strong fighter regardless of what injuries he'd taken in the meantime, and they seemed to have little effect on just what he was capable of anyhow. If they cut down on his stamina, speed or other factors he was certainly doing a good job of hiding it. Something she would have been able to respect, had he not already been past the point of earning any courtesy from her.

At first his strategy seemed simple, and for lack of anything more complex she was momentarily surprised, that lasting mere seconds. It only took one connection of those kicks aimed for her shin for her to wise up and know that distance would be her best strategy. That wouldn't help her to win any fights anytime soon, so a different tactic would have to be implemented. If one had known her long enough, they would have come to the conclusion that she utilized acrobatics whenever it suited her in a combat situation. This was no exception, and it demonstrated rather well just why she chose to employ them.

Without aid of the Force a few attacks were beyond her limit, but there were a few she could manage well enough. Not wasting any time she leapt and spun into a kick directed towards his upper body, though ideally it would connect with his jaw, ending this fight much more quickly. But she knew the chances of that were slim from what she'd witnessed, so she allowed the leftover momentum to distance her from any retaliations on his part, at least for the few seconds that would allow her to center herself and prepare to block or redirect any strikes inevitably coming her way.

"I make my luck. Besides, sometimes that's all you need to win. But I can assure you that luck has very little to do with it." Not in the sense of what had transpired in the arena, at least. Her skills in unarmed combat weren't the best, but they were honed through her own experiences and failures, not through artificial means, however he might have regarded her cybernetic arm. "Rest assured, none of this would have drug on quite so long if this was live combat." The briefest of seconds passed, almost as if in foreboding. "You'd already be dead."

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Keira Ticon: "I make my luck. Besides, sometimes that's all you need to win. But I can assure you that luck has very little to do with it. Rest assured, none of this would have drug on quite so long if this was live combat. You'd already be dead."

Lurcano just grit his teeth and stayed silent. Despite his out ward appearance of being unhindered by his injuries that he had sustained over the course of the fight, he was definitely feeling it. His ribs were constantly pulsating pain waves all across his body and it really sapped his will to fight; as well as put a damper on his punches.

As Keira squared up for her kick, Lurcano immediately backed up, and the kick barely missed his chest by a few inches. The speed at which Lurcano backed up caused him to get knocked off balance. He fell flat on his ass and grimaced, another shot of pain flying through him. He picked himself up, resisting the urge to grimace. Luckily the kick had distanced her from him as well so there was no retaliation which could have possibly ended the fight right then and there.

Breathing hard, Lurcano knew his days were numbered. Along with his superior weight and muscle mass came a lack of conditioning. Muscle tired faster then lean fat, and it was showing. If he didn't end the fight soon, he would lose. And this was simply unacceptable in his mind. 'No way.' -breath- 'No way.'

Lurcano decided he would change up his tactics. He approached Keira, and it would appear as if he was going to keep up his kicks and spaced out punches. Then he would suddenly strike forward, letting out a fury of rights and lefts. He would attempt to drive her back against the edge of the fighting pits, his punches unrelenting. As well as throwing punches, he would throw out a few knees as well; hoping one would catch her. Even if only one of those knees hit, they would be devastating. Lurcano put all his gas into this final assault, one might call it desperate. He left himself completely undefended as he attacked.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

As much as Keira didn't want to admit it, even to herself, that last kick was likely the only assault of that caliber that she'd be able to even attempt, let alone land with some measure of success, for the rest of this match. The best she would be able to accomplish would be blocking, countering or otherwise redirecting anything he threw her way, literally or figuratively. The both of them were reaching their limits, refusing to give in until their opponent did likewise. Tenacity was one thing the two certainly had in common, and it would bring either one or both of their downfalls.

Already she was sore enough, both her face and abdomen bearing signs of this and more, some bruises evident now, others slowly making their appearance. Despite her battered countenance, she was still determined to give him a run for his money. Returning his silence she ground her teeth, refusing to give ground for a long few moments but knowing it would be necessary if she wanted to remain standing for any amount of time. Grudgingly she inched backwards, a few of his punches glancing off of her jaw, though none of them made complete contact.

Her focus was on the strikes coming from his fists, and so she didn't notice his knees shooting towards her until it was one second too late. Only one caught her in the stomach, but it was plenty enough to leave her stunned and winded. She still managed to roll with the momentum of it, even if it did leave her on one knee in an attempt to gather her breath. Coughing, she finally managed to center herself enough that she was capable of breathing evenly, and at the moment that was all she could ask for. The pain was still there, and would linger for quite some time, but it was secondary at this point.

Finally she managed to stand, swaying slightly in one spot. At this point it was nothing short of a wonder that she was able to stay on her feet, let alone take some semblance of a fighting stance, with her feet shoulder width apart and her hands raised loosely in front of her in a balanced stance, neither offensive or defensive in nature. This was a last stand for her, in more ways than one. She wasn't quite so confident of victory as she'd been in the beginning, but she could see that the same went for him as well.

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]