Closed [Tall Johnny's Cage Fight] Wandering eye [Raven]

[Logan Storm]

11th of Spring 515 AV

White Rabbit, that's the name he went by. Insulting wasn't it? The rabbit was one of the most common prey a vicious animal could find. They barely fought and spent most of their days running and hiding. If a fighter were ever to go with an alias, White Rabbit would probably never be a first or thirtieth choice. White Tiger or White Lion maybe, but never the little big eared creature.

Even his opponent, who he would be facing today, laughed in Logan's face. "White Rabbit?" His opponent said mockingly. "What are you gonna do, run and hide from me in a hole?"

Logan didn't reply as the cage around him closed, locking him inside with a green Akalak way taller and bigger than himself. His opponent had a mohawk that surprisingly did not rise to normal Akalak standards. The Akalak's eyes were pale blue and showed ridicule and confidence.

His opponent had on black pants and no shirt. Logan wore a similar getup, beige pants and no shirt. His tanned skin was bare for all the world to see. Whenever he moved it was as though his muscles were flexing on their own. However, the main bodypart of Logan that seemed attractive to others, other than his deadlocked eyes, were the six pack of abs that bulged from his stomach.

A finger glided over his raw chest as he went into a fighting stance, his opponent doing the same. The Akalak sized Logan up, still holding that boastful look of confidence. His opponent did a few gestures that meant he wasn't taking Logan seriously, pleasing the crowd by his actions. Logan could tell that this Akalak had established himself in the ring. Whereas Logan was new, his opponent probably had months to gain the crowds favor. They roared his name 'Dead Leaf' and ordered the Akalak to kill Logan brutally.

Dead Leaf fed on the crowds cheers and revved himself up by grunting and flexing at Logan. When Dead Leaf felt he had enough fuel, he charged at White Rabbit, expecting to spear Logan into the horrid metal fence. However, that is not what happened. Instead, Logan sent his calf into the Akalak's head. In under a tick the Akalak was on the ground rubbing his skull while Logan was standing above the brute.

[Raven Nightfoot]

Tall Johnny's Casino Raven had been here a few times before during her extended stay in Sunberth and it had become quickly apparent that it was a place with plenty of money to be made and more importantly, stolen, though getting away with the latter required an amount of skill that she wasn't comfortable admitting that she lacked. However, the young thief returned time and time again, not in hopes of stealing something but rather in the hopes of finding something to steal outside of the casino. It came as no surprise that the casino dealt with those desperate enough to spend their last few coins in hopes of winning big as well as those who came in hopes of increasing their already impressive wealth. Sunberth was above all, a city of opportunity. The beautiful thief slipped through the crowd, amber eyes dancing about from person to person, observing and analysing their belongings in order to decide if they were worth following home or not. While most of the people within the building were barely worth noticing from a thief's perspective, the few that were seemed to be more trouble than they might have been worth, guards following their every move and, given the lawlessness of the city, most would surely have more waiting wherever they called home. A silent sigh escaped her red painted lips as she temporarily gave up on the task of scanning the crowds, the excitement that filled the atmosphere indicating that another of the famous, or infamous, cage fights was about to begin. Curiosity taking over, Raven moved towards the left side of the casino that held the fighter's cage, her tight black leather outfit complete with boots and corset ensuring that she could push past most of the crowd without much intervention as she made her way to the front and gazed down upon the ring and its occupants. The titles White Rabbit and Dead Leaf had been whispered and with a single glance at the fighters she could already tell which was which, 'Dead Leaf' obviously belonging to the green akalak fighter and therefore leaving the unfortunate title of White Rabbit for the other competitor. For some reason or the other, perhaps an unwelcome result of being raised by Syliran Knights, Raven had never liked the idea of cage fights, or rather of senseless violence. A tussle or battle between two people who had a problem with each other? Sure, but beating the snot out of a stranger for the entertainment of those who were too cowardly to do it for themselves, she did not see the point. Though, she supposed her disdain for the events were more because of the likelihood of death or serious injury rather than the concept itself, either way it was still a way for those skilled enough or just simply in need to make coin, something that she'd even considered when her coin had run low. From her vantage point above, Raven's amber gaze fell upon the combatants, Dead Leaf was an akalak, his race summing up the man's appearance, physique and basic attitude, they were born warriors and not the best choice of opponent, which lead her to the second man inside the cage. White Rabbit was visibly human, though his size and body were far more impressive than the average male of their shared race, the strong muscles that bulged beneath his exposed skin were appealing to say the least and the man's face was equally so. It had been a while since she'd spotted a handsome man, something that was apparently exclusive to prostitutes in the lawless city. The fight began, and as attractive as White Rabbit was, Raven couldn't help but feel that the chances of a human with that name, who was clearly unknown to the crowd was more than likely to lose to the large green warrior that seemed to be a regular in Tall Johnny's arena, or at least he seemed to be well liked. After coaxing cheers out of the crowd the akalak dove into action, sprinting towards the handsome human man like a bull but before he could make contact with his attack he had been stopped by a well executed kick from his opponent, a smirk crossing Raven's lips as White Rabbit had already exceeded expectations.

[Logan Storm]

There were boo's from the crowd now. Apparently they did not like the way Logan just knocked a giant Akalak down. An incredible feet itself, but now the Akalak was pissed, the crowd along with him. Dead Leaf punched the ground then jumped up, placing a shadow over Logan again. This creature was large, with even larger muscles than White Rabbit's. If Logan wasn't skilled the way he was now, trained by an even tougher man whose hits were far worse than the Akalak's, then he would not have stepped up to Dead Leaf or even look in this mans eyes.

But he did step up to Dead Leaf and he was looking this giant intimidating creature in the eyes. In this case, the White Rabbit was standing in front of a giant tiger and telling it that he was not afraid.

The Akalak sprung into the air in an attempt to deliver a high jump kick with the right of his leg. Logan stepped to the side and delivered a kick of his own to the rib of his foe. Once in mid air, the Akalak was once again sprawled on the floor, holding his rib cage with intensity. Once again the crowd boo'd, but Logan thought he could hear a few cheers within the undoubted yell of hatred. If he was actually enjoying the attention, Logan would prance about like a cock in a cage for these people.

However, he didn't enjoy the attention. In fact, the only reason he was in the arena was to let off steam. He had been having bad days, even worse nights. His job required him to handle people constantly, and each person he met only tended to make him angrier than the last. He had come to the cage fight because he knew that warriors would be here, people who knew how to take a punch and keep punches coming. When he was asked to pick an opponent he chose the Akalak because, out of the choices, he knew this Akalak would be the biggest trouble to deal with.

Dead Leaf stood straight again, this time a little slow to stand. He was holding the ribs Logan had attacked, and his breathing was unstable. Logan was surprised to see that this man could still stand. An attack to the ribs caused vital injuries, sometimes broken bones, but this Akalak stood ready to fight again. This told Logan that holding back was no longer the only option.

Dead Leaf charged towards White Rabbit with a lot slower pace than before. White Rabbit couldn't stop the Akalak this time. Logan was speared to the nearest metal fence, his back met the cage and its unforgiving form. It nearly cut through his skin. Logan could hear his own scream of pain, and he was beginning to taste metal in his mouth that he could not distinguish between blood and saliva. The Akalak backed away, giving Logan breathing room, but he wasn't done.

The giant brute sent a right punch to White Rabbit. Logan did not even put up the strength to guard himself. He turned his stomach and dodged to the right. The Akalak made a grunt of pain as his knuckles viciously met the cage. A little drop of Akalak blood fell on Logan's shoulder as the brutes fist retracted.

The Akalak struck again, this time trying to deliver a hay maker. With the same swiftness he has had throughout this fight, Logan ducked and allowed the punch to move past him. When White Rabbit stood, he lunged a knee at his opponent, attacking that same bruised rib.

The Akalak stammered back and threw a punch. White Rabbit dodged and punched the rib. The Akalak stammered again and tried to kick White Rabbit. He dodged the kick and delivered two punched to the ribs. Once again, the Akalak stammered.

Dead Leaf leaned against the cage now, White Rabbit right in front of his face. Logan didn't even look like he had lost breath. He held a serious look on his face that had not left since the match began. The Akalak didn't seem to like that look.

The brute got angry and started to attack Logan wildly. Punch after punch with no connection. It appeared that this large creature had lost all will to win the match and was just swinging just to swing. Logan dodged every attack then stretched his leg to deliver an impressive spin kick to the Akalak's face. The once proud warrior was now down on the floor, again.

Logan scanned the room, watching the once distinguished boo's mix in with cheers. The crowds were literally tossing money at the wagers, changing last minute bets. He could hear some people raging in their seats, ordering Dead Leaf to get up. But as he looked over the room, the crowd began to quiet down, which was very odd since mouths still moved excitedly and some people were still nagging at the Akalak. Maybe the world was starting to quiet down because Logan wasn't conscious of it. What he was conscious of was someone else.

A woman to be precise, off in the distance. She had night hair that covered amber eyes. Her corset and leather pants hung tight to her body, doing her justice in showing the beauty of her curves. As Logan stared at her, he couldn't help getting a feeling that only a man would get with a sexy woman who stood naked in front of him. He got the feeling of want, of an un-quenching need to take this woman by the waste and show her passionate love that she had never experienced. And even though she wasn't naked in front of him, nor he doubt that she may ever be, Logan wanted her now. The more he stared at her, the more his want became a need.

The Akalak made a coughing sound. Logan turned his head to see Dead Leaf leaning against the cage, trying to hold himself up. Logan looked towards the girl with the darkened hair once last time, then walked back to the Akalak. Walking turned to running and running turned to jumping as White Rabbit punctured Dead Leafs jaw with his knee. The Akalak fell over and stayed on the ground this time. When he noticed that Dead leafs eyes were closed, he knew that the fight was over.

ChangedChanged the ending. NOW there is no deaths and no broken bones. Not so violent now eh?

[Raven Nightfoot]

Raven continued to watch the fight between White Rabbit and Dead Leaf as it grew in intensity, the handsome human quickly proving to the audience that he wouldn't be beaten as easily as they originally thought. The crowd didn't seem to be very elated about his surprise talent, which was understandable since the majority of them had probably bet on the larger more renowned akalak fighter, thinking it to be easy money. That of course was exactly what people like Tall Johnny planned for, create what appeared to be an obvious choice only to reveal that it wasn't so at all, or at least that was how Raven saw it. White Rabbit seemed to be smart enough not to rely on his muscular body, instead using the far better tactic of avoiding attacks and exploiting the openings that were created, though it wasn't so much a smart tactic as an obvious one for anyone with even a bit of common sense when it came to hand to hand combat. The very fact that he seemed to have this knowledge that Dead Leaf was clearly lacking, a common complex when it came to men of a naturally larger stature, was a clear indicator of who had the upper hand. The fight was enjoyable, each of the handsome man's moves were well chosen and well executed, though still drawing a nonchalant shrug from the female thief's shoulders, "I could take him.". As Raven saw it, White Rabbit was skilled at combat but her own skills were bolstered by the intimacy she had with her body, an intimacy that had granted her with impressive agility, which had proven to be a formidable advantage time and time again. But, of course, there was no way of truly knowing what the outcome of a fight between the two of them would be without actually engaging in one, something of which she had little interest in doing. So, for the foreseeable future, her confidence would allow her to proclaim herself the superior combatant. It wasn't long before the body of the fight had passed and it was arriving at it's conclusion, with Dead Leaf using the cage for support while holding his side in pain and White Rabbit readying himself for the finishing blow. Using the moment of respite granted by his staggered opponent, the handsome muscular fighter allowed his eyes to roam the audience until finally arriving at the vivid amber irises of her own. They shared their gazes for a brief moment though it certainly felt longer to her, the brown pools of his eyes only serving to emphasise his other attractive features. She allowed a lustful and teasing lip bite to play at her features, a small symbol that she'd acknowledged his attractive appearance, something that was clearly mutual given the way he was looking back at her. Soon enough, their private moment had ended as White Rabbit's opponent coughed, drawing his attention, when his gaze returned she would not be there to meet it, having turned on her heel and walked away. "So the rabbit overcomes the leaf, how fitting." she said to herself as she drifted toward the games end of the casino. It was already clear what the outcome of the fight would be and Raven had little reason to stay and watch the obvious, she had more important things to attend to after all as her hand dipped into a nearby oaf's pocket and relieved the oversized coat wearing bafoon of a small bag of coin.

[Logan Storm]

The crowd went crazy. Everywhere Logan turned there was an uproar of upheaval approval and disapproval. Some fights were even beginning to start on the outside. Not everyone believed that a small human could defeat an Akalak, and some even claimed this fight to be staged. However, the fight wasn't staged and a small human just gave an Akalak a run for his money. Trained by a monk of Nyka, who he murdered, Logan was raised to know what it took to win a fight; and he found sweet satisfaction in showing his knowledge to everyone else.

The crowds reaction, however, was not what Logan was looking for specifically. His eyes moved to that one spot where he had spotted a universal goddess. Like a ghost, she dissapeared. Of course, he knew that she was gone. The last time he looked her way he found the same empty spot he was watching now. His head turned slightly and he saw that goddesses fine back body heading away from the direction he was in.

Now he traced his eyes to where he last saw her, and saw only a group of people leaving the building. The cage was opened and some people walked in to carry out the sleeping Akalak. Among those people was a man who walked up to Logan and handed him a fancy looking chess.

"Congratulations," the man said. "Keep this up, White Rabbit, and you will earn more." The man patted Logan's shoulder, gave him an encouraged smile, then left to help deal with Logan's unconscious opponent.

Logan's eyes watched their struggle, but his mind was somewhere else. Specifically back to that moment when he had been oozing with un-tamable lust. How could he have allowed himself to become that weak at the sight of one woman and lose control of his focus? Not only did he lose focus, but he practically held up a sign to the woman who he stared at and said that he wanted her. From the look in her eyes, he knew that she thought the same. And yet, she had turned and left without looking back as if that moment was nothing and Logan was just a passing squirrel one would feel excited about then forget later. Maybe he was just being stupid, but that woman had given him hot rage in replacement of wistful lust.

Now, he was hurt, hurt and pissed. He felt like he had proposed to the woman and she turned him down by walking away. The woman had effected his emotions greatly, and he would never have any female do that to him again.

For The GraderI want Logan's cage money amount to be decided by the grader based on their thoughts on Logan's performance. How much does he deserve?

[Sayana]

Before I can proceed... Hello Logan and Raven, Both your CSs do not have up to date ledgers that include the Spring 515 AV seasonal expenses. Raven, you may need Fall 514 and Winter 514 expenses depending on which seasons you were active in. For common living expenses, this would be 135 gm for a season and for poor this would be 45 gm. As a grader, I cannot grade your thread until these are updated. If you are having monetary issues due to the lack of a ST (or for other reasons), I'd suggest selling your house (500gm). You'll need to pay some sort of tavern fee (in addition to seasonal expenses) wherever you happen to be but you'll be able to get by. Do consider getting a job and doing job threads. When you have updated your ledger with the seasonal expenses, I'll happily award you grades. Just PM me and I'll put them up (I'll put them up individually as CSs are updated). Sayana