Craig
Lily Halloran, having one item quantified as a specialized weapon (her crossbow), may pick up to one more weapon from the arsenal of the Regni Medeas. Alternatively, Daniel may sacrifice his arsenal to pick one weapon provided by staff, allowing both him and Lily Halloran to equip one enchanted weapon total.

**Lily Halloran** Is chosen to start the duel via coin-flip.
Gladys
*After being set down in front of his arena, Dan decided that he wouldn't need to see the physician, given that he hadn't sustained any serious injuries as of recent. At least to his knowledge, anyway. He slid his 1911s into their respective holsters, shifting the weight of his rifle on his back and finally entering the arena. There were weapons offered to him, but he refused, preferring the ease of mid-to-long range combat with his own weapons, along with the protection his own armor offered. If he needed to, he had his knife on his belt, but his plan was to keep his opponent at a distance for as long as he could and send a good amount of shots downrange.*

*He looked his opponent up and down, a robed female with a notably unique color palette in her long hair, eyeing the spear and bow they chose as their weapons. Her assumption was correct - He didn't plan on going down easily. With his armor, and his weapons of choice, he felt fairly confident in himself, but he made sure not to let this make him too arrogant. There was always still the possibility of failure, and he had to be ready for it.*

```
"Agreed. If ya win, be sure t' enjoy it. Nothin' better than the feeling'a winnin' a good fight. Good luck to ya."
```

*This last remark came as an arrow soared through the air to his shoulder, striking his armor and making a metallic "Twang!" Sound as it whizzed off to the side. It took him aback, as his eyes widened slightly and he took a step back. He turned back, glaring at his assailant, before quickly drawing his two pistols and raising the right one up. No time was wasted as muzzle flash and gasses erupted from the barrel.*

**BANG, BANG!** 

*Two shots, with two .45 FMJ's spiraling their way out of the barrel and into the air towards Lily. As soon as he fired, he sidestepped, trying to move into a blind-spot to fire more bullets. Whether or not she would dodge, he was unsure, but if he was going to win, a rain of bullet hell seemed to be his best option. Brute force and blind luck.*
William
Hearing his reply, she *Did* Feel a bit bad that she resorted to such a surprise attack of all things, but she wanted to gauge how her opponent would react...

And react he did.

She saw fiercity flare in his expression as any warmth from her words and his faded, and prepared to move as he retaliated, firing off two shots with his twin ranged weapons.

She was prepared for such a reaction however, she was not *Quite* Ready for how fast the bullets flew and barely managed to lurch to the left as they whizzed by, mere inches from her right ear.

In the absence of encounters with it, she had become somewhat unfamiliar with facing off against assailants with weapons of steel, not since the pirates of her world had she had to deal with it, and then at least she had took them by surprise.

The element of surprise would not work here, her arrow fired bounced off his armor nay a scratch.

She had to think of another plan, fast.

As he sidestepped, trying to no doubt flank her where she wouldn't expect it, she would employ another perhaps "Dirty" Move.

The bow still in hand, she aimed for where she expected his right leg would be, and regardless of if he moved or not, what she'd do next would be unchanged.

Keeping the position long enough for him to surely assume she was planning to cripple him, she shifted her aim upwards.

She'd try to cripple him alright, just in a different way.

As fast as she could, she brought her aim upwards, ** And loosened an arrow at the barrel of the gun in his right hand.**
Gladys
*The fight was on for real now. As he kept moving forward, he took into note the seemingly unprepared reaction to the velocity at which his bullets traveled. A slight grin crossed his face, as he figured his plan was right.*

*Catch off guard, rain Hell.*

*It was possible, but judging by her apparent combat prowess and her proficiency with the weapon of choice, it wouldn't be easy. There was an uncommon thought sitting in the back of Dan's mind, the thought that he wasn't at all sure what the outcome of this duel would be. So be it.*

*As his opponent kept her aim fixated on him, Dan needed to be ready for anything. The look in her eyes gave her an air of mischief, and something told him she wasn't planning on fighting completely fair. That was alright with him; he could match that energy.*

*Time to react. An arrow, approaching his hand. It was a small target, but the arrow seemed to be flying true. All he had time to do was wrench his arm upwards, taking his hand out of danger. Though, despite this, the arrow found its way to another target as it grazed his hip, before hitting the inside of his coat and clattering to the ground.*

*The arrow had made its mark, with a cut on his hip a few inches long now beginning to seep blood into his white shirt. The mercenary gritted his teeth, but blocked out the pain in order to keep himself in the fight. He'd felt worse, that was for sure, but it wouldn't do to underestimate it either.*

*Now, it was his turn. He pulled his hand back down from the raised position he left it in, fixing his aim back onto his target before ringing off another 3 shots. However, the bullets came from somewhere different entirely, hip-fired from the pistol in his left hand, rather than the one he had raised.*
William
A weapon missed, but still her arrow had struck as she saw him wince in pain as he raised his arm so that her attack met his hip instead. 

How had he known? Perhaps she gave too much away, deliberated too lo-

**BANG BANG BANG**

Pain shot up her left shoulder.

His other weapon. 

Why didn't she account for his *Other* Weapon?

Throwing herself to the right, she gnashed her teeth to try and block out the pain.

```
"This isn't working, Lily."

```
Floriama said, irritated.

```
"I know!"

``` 

She had accidently yelled it in her pain, loud enough that her opponent might have heard. Maybe it'd confuse him momentarily at least.

She had to change tactics, get closer, disarm him. She'd never last trying though...

Not normally at least.

If the physician wasn't able to re-energize her, assuming she won this, she'd be throwing her biggest strength away earlier, but so be it.


Gnashing her teeth even more , her Soul manifested in an aura of green-red that surrounded her entire being briefly. She felt every sense sharpen, the area around her drew outwards, the smell of gunpowder strengthened, she could see the individual fibers that made up her clothes if she looked. The bullet in her shoulder fell off as her wound closed.

Getting to her feet, her face tensed in a contortion of what could either be seen as rage or pain. Her eyes snapped shut.

*And then she screamed*.

``VROOM ``


If anyone was close enough to touch her, a burst of energy would knock them backwards, any attacks, ranged or otherwise would be repelled but not redirected.

With her hands full, no staff formed, instead over the metal of the spear, tangles of wood twisted up and around its shaft until at the sides of the tip became adorned two sharp sticks of wood, essentially making any strike 3-pronged.

Her eyes snapped open, and where once they were green. They were now red.

With a loud warcry, she ran in a half-circle 30 mph maneuver towards Dan, and in her rage, she aimed critical.

When about 5 feet away, she, with her enhanced strength aimed the spear turned trident *Directly at his chest*. It's speed would be increased in her state, not its power, but if it struck, he would feel as if a big wood log from a tree had suddenly slammed into him.
Gladys
***Success.***

*One of his bullets found their way into Lily's left shoulder, with her throwing herself to the right and gritting her teeth in pain. Dan didn't waste time celebrating his victory, instead making an attempt to move himself to the side to catch her off guard before she had a chance to react.*

*That is, before an outward wave of energy burst into the air, causing him to stumble back, before catching himself and bracing. He crossed his arms in front of his face, before lowering them to observe the figure that now stood in front of him.*

*Piercing red eyes looked back, with twisted vines of wood having wrapped themself around her weapon, now creating a 3-pronged trident. The sound of a hearty war-cry shook the air, and before Dan knew it, his opponent charged, with the trident scoring a heavy hit right into the armor plate over his chest. It likely wouldn't pierce it, but nonetheless, the hit was like a cannonball directly to the chest, and would leave a huge bruise, as well as cracking a few ribs.*

***Airborne.*** 

*Dan was hurled backward, landing on his back, before rolling backwards and sliding along the floor of the arena, coming to a stop several yards away. The heavy hit caused him to cough blood onto the ground, before he wiped it from his lips. After taking a few seconds to catch his breath, he rolled to the side and pushed himself off the ground and up to his feet. The sharp pain from his cracked ribs made his breathing shallow, but he pushed himself to stay in the fight, allowing the adrenaline to surge throughout his body.*

*Dan cracked his neck, still taking deep breaths, observing his opponent. This definitely wouldn't be easy now, but he chose to save his more powerful weapon as a last resort. For now, he needed to get close, either land a hard physical hit or get close enough to guarantee all of his shots hit their mark. He wasn't a skilled gunman for nothing.*

*When he sufficiently caught his breath, he suddenly, swiftly, rushed forward. He pushed his speed to the test as he angled himself, aiming to rhino-charge directly into her with his shoulder armor aimed forward. As long as he could get close, he could switch his attack and let off a volley of bullets from his pistols.*
William
As the brutal throw struck Dan's chestpiece, sending the gunman backwards, Lily quickly retrieved the trident where it lay from the blow.

In her frenzied state, she wasn't perhaps as tactical, but her higher functions were still very much intact. She glared daggers at her opponent as she watched him wipe the blood (god, she could *Smell* The blood) from his mouth, roll away, and then get to his feet.

```
"Well, you have his number now."

```

Floriama spoke inside her head, but her voice was muffled in Lily's current state, all her senses sharpened and focused on her foe.

She studied him, waiting for his next move, his next attack. It would likely be the guns, and that'd give her the chance to disar—

He suddenly charged towards her in a shoulder tackle maneuver, no doubt to take her off-balance.

*Fool.*

In her heightened state, she reacted quicker than she perhaps otherwise would have, and as he came barreling towards her, she pivoted sideways.

Within 5 seconds of him nearing, she leaned backwards and stuck out her right foot. 

She was intending to trip him, and whether she succeeded or not, she'd follow up with a tossing motion with the trident, intending to vault him with her enhanced strength behind him, hopefully disorienting him long enough for her to strike.
Gladys
*As Dan saw the movement, and the motion of a foot sticking out, he narrowed his eyebrows, slowing his momentum slightly to give himself an even longer window to react. Though, he didn't try to completely stop.* 

*A thought crossed his head, admiring the tenacity of using such a simple yet effective move. He had to admit, if he hadn't gotten such an opportunistic window of time, he likely would have fallen for it.*

*He was within 5 seconds...*

*5 seconds to react. Luckily, to a skilled veteran, this was plenty of time. When he was close, almost seeming as if he would fall for it, he pushed off his feet, launching himself to the right with the hopes of crashing straight into her.* 

*He figured he would go down as well, but perhaps the combined weight of himself and his gear landing atop her would stun her, thus giving him the upper hand. Only one way to find out.* 

*No holding back now.*
William
Unluckily for Dan, the feint would not quite work.

Lily had already been prepared to vault him over her and so as he pivoted to the right instead of meeting her head-on, she merely shifted the direction of her arms at the last second, and as he threw himself forwards, she would catch him underside with the shaft (still spiked with wood) of the trident, and with her enhanced strength pushed him upwards and then threw him backwards in one, mostly fluid, motion.

Due to the angle, she *Did* Stagger as he was above her and she too would fall backwards as he was thrown behind her.

*Perhaps this would still work though*.

He would be a foot away from where she lay, and she would *Seem* To be knocked prone, vulnerable.

Really, she was just waiting for the precise moment.

*Were he to try and get up, she'd suddenly spring into action, her left hand still on her trident, and then she'd strike, jabbing his left foot (or whichever one was closest to her) with it. *

*If he were to try and fire from his position without getting up, at the sound of his guns beginning to click, she'd roll to her right and then get to her feet.*
Gladys
*He was lifted head over heals, landing on his back again with a thud before pushing forward and tac-rolling onto his knees. A sharp pain permeated his side, but he shut it out of his mind, not letting it hinder him. After quickly spinning himself around, he slid his pistols into his holsters and swung his rifle around to his hands.*

***Click.***

*Without missing a beat, and with a newfound boost of mostly impatience, he would let off a volley of bullets, 15 out of his 30 round magazine to be precise.* 

*The 5.56x45mm FMJ's spiraled through the air, in a fan motion from the left, over Lily herself, and then to the right of her position. His intent was to hit her regardless of which direction she moved. If she did manage to move, he would attempt to trace her movement, and follow up with more shots from the rifle.*

*His mind was set in the battle, with quite literally nothing else occupying it besides his next move in the fight. This way, he could be more accurate, and more responsive. He was already more beat up than he wanted to be, and he intended to end this as soon as he could.*
William
As she heard the sound of Dan's gun click, Lily rolled to the right, the first volley of 5 missed her, and as she raised the trident to block, as she continued to roll towards Dan's position, 3 bullets would ping off her trident, snapping off the spikes and hitting the shaft beneath, and 5 would miss.

Two would meet their mark however, Lily's vision intensified, the shock pushing her rage back as blood seeped from her right side where the bullets struck, nearly next to one another. She screamed in what was pain and then anger.

It had knocked her out of focus, but only for a moment. The pain intensified her rage as it intensified. She had to end this quickly, a few more well-aimed shots and she was done for.

As she was nearly to his right, Lily, still on the ground, in one fluid motion leapt upwards, trident-spear raised. She'd feint the still spike-tipped spear towards his neck only to then swiftly redirect it hard into his right shoulder blade. Were he to be caught off guard, she would then follow this with a right hook of steel to his face, attempting to stagger him.
Gladys
*A snarl crossed Daniel's face as most of his assumed death volley would miss their mark, but the light of the moment came when 2 well placed pierced the flesh of her right side.*

*She's stunned. Now's your chance. Don't miss it.*

*Before he made his move, Dan took a deep breath, this time looking down the sight of his rifle. In the moment in which she was stunned, the moment she stopped to scream in pain, he sent another 3 shots out of the barrel towards her midsection.*

***BANG, BANG, BANG!***

*Whether the shots would hit their mark, Daniel wouldn't know, because the only thing on his mind now was the body approaching him from above and the spear now quickly descending towards his neck.*

*Gotta move. Now.*

*He slouched the right side of his body, allowing it to fall towards the arena floor before pushing off of his left foot and launching himself away from the attack. As he did so, instead of running, he twisted his body back to the direction he had come from, and, yet again, another two shots echoed as he aimed for her stomach.*

***BANG, BANG!***
William
She wouldn't have been there long enough for the 3 shots to hit, they'd fly past her as she rolled to towards him.

She swung downwards aiming for his shoulder.

*MISS*

But she wasn't expecting a stationary target anyway.

 As the start of her swing arced downwards, and he began to push himself backwards, she used his momentum to instead stab the trident into his upper left thigh, twisting it if she made contact and then ripping it out. She would roll away again behind him to anticipate anymore fired bullets, and in an attempt to ambush him. 

*If he turned around to face her, she'd be ready, and the second he would, she'd swing the trident to smash into his rifle in an attempt to even disorient or even disarm if possible.*
Gladys
*Fuck.*

*His shots had yet again missed their mark, cracking through the air and striking the arena wall behind where Lily had just moved from.*

*Luckily for him, his dodge was successful, and the trident missed his shoulder by a few mere inches.*

*Unluckily for him, it would not miss his thigh, with the head of the spear piercing the flesh 3.5 or so inches deep. This was about all Daniel was expecting.*

*But that wouldn't be all he got. The blade of the spear twisted in his thigh and was torn violently out of the flesh, eliciting a roar of pain from the mercenary.*

*Dan allowed Lily to roll herself behind him, looking down at his thigh where the spear had torn the flesh. Blood poured from the open wound, staining his pants a deep red and drawing a slightly shaky breath from his lungs.*

*He stood where he had been struck, not quite knowing where to look next. He figured if he turned around, she'd already be ready, given that she just scored a hit, and would follow up with another attack. He knew that kind of adrenaline. Though, if he stayed facing away, she would almost inevitably strike from behind. He hoped just staying in place would at least confuse her a bit.*

*Time to switch it up again. He quickly swung his rifle back, letting it rest in its place across his back, before drawing his right pistol. Additionally, he slowly pulled his knife from the sheath on the front of his belt, trying to hide the fact that he had it in his left hand. That way, he was prepared for close or medium range.*

*He ran his limits through his head, knowing that this leg wound would restrict his movement greatly. Although, maybe he didn't need to move as much as he thought. If he just let her get close... He could try and counter.*

```
"Y'know, yer one of th' better fights I've had in a while. Whichever way this goes, jus' know yer held in a high regard."
```

*If he heard Lily start moving behind him, he would immediately turn and stab as hard as he could at her midsection. If nothing happened, then... Nothing happened. Dan likely wouldn't turn around, as he anticipated that Lily would be prepared if he did so. He figured he would take his chances with an ambush.*
William
While she wasn't the type to usually relish in the pain of others, in her more frenzied state, a bit of a twisted smile grew on her face as she watched her blows meet their marks, her foe yelling in pain as she twisted the trident in his thigh.

Now she just had to wait for his counterattack. He'd turn around, allowing her to gut him and end this hopefully. 

........

What.

What was he doing. 

He had rearmed himself, his rifle re-holstered, a pistol in his right hand, but then

Why was he just...*Standing there*? 

Maybe he was winded, this could possibly serve as an opening, an opportunity.

He suddenly spoke, and while she might have said something in response, as she had done at the start , the remark while not dignified with a reply, still made her momentarily nod, even if he could not see it. Dignity was still within her raging heart, after all.

He still did nothing.

If he was still healthy enough to speak clearly, he was likely still healthy enough to give her a fight. She saw a minor shift in his movement, but not what he was doing with his back turned to her.

Think... Tactical...

She wouldn't rush in blindly, but he was probably still expecting her to make the first move in this lull in combat.

Suddenly, she lurched forwards, straight at him, seemingly, but then just as suddenly, she would roll to her right. 

Pain shot up her side again as the bullet wounds met the floor, but she had been correct, as the sudden jab at her had swished by the left side of her head and then out of range entirely.

*If his next move was to fire at her, she'd throw the trident at him again, aiming for his right arm. *

*If he was to try and rush her with the knife, then she'd very much get an opening, and she'd let him come and then stab him in the chest with the trident.*

Now to the right of her foe, she waited for his next move.

**Ready.**
Gladys
*Damnit. Another missed hit. Though, at this point he'd sort of come to expect that.*

*Seems his opponent was picking up on the tactical mindset of the battle, something Dan had noticed from her now more calculated moves. He had respect for it.*

*He watched as she rolled to the side, his knife missing it's mark - A wasted attack it seemed, as he had failed to perceive the sudden movement before it happened. Dan cursed himself for not being better prepared, but he still took into account just how formidable his opponent was. Wasted confidence wouldn't do him any good now.*

*She had known what she was doing, rolling like that, and would likely be prepared to defend against his weapons. Although, he did seem to notice that her wounds were giving her trouble, such were his own. His leg pulsed, with sharp pangs of pain hitting him every so often, though the blood had slowed down. He knew one of them would tire out eventually, and he was determined for it not to be him.*

*Dan stood steadfast. Rushing would do no good. He had turned to face her, though instead of firing or rushing, he simply held his ground. He left his gun arm at his side and his knife up and at the ready. He knew from earlier in their battle that his extended magazine had at least 16 shots left - There likely wouldn't be an opportunity to reload anytime soon, so he had to make them count.*

*At the very least, he hoped to bring the battle to a standoff to give him time to think of a better plan. At the most, he'd be ready if she became impatient and instead decided to attack him. If she did rush, instead of attacking immediately, he would wait for her to get close, see what she did, and attack then. He wanted to lessen the chance of her dodging, if possible. Thought-driven and methodical attacks were a necessity now, as he saw no point in attacking blindly and risking a lethal injury.* 

*Dan glared at his opponent through his sunglasses, ferocity in his eyes, his teeth gritted in a snarl.*
William
Standoff.

The two foes faced one another, both preparing for the other to break their staredown. 

Lily's trident was gripped tightly in her right hand.

The trident. She had been using the trident only, all this time.

She still had the taken bow, and her own crossbow. She had been so focused on striking fatally with her main weapon, that she hadn't even used her others since her first attack.

The bow stood ready at her side, and her crossbow was still slung on her back.

She made no moves to grab either of them.

Not yet at least.

**The silence would be broken.**

Lily ran, 27 mph, straight at Dan, trident held aloft, it would seem she would indeed be allowing a vulnerability for her foe to shoot her down.

But it was not so.

As she was within 2 ft of him, she'd suddenly slam her trident down into the ground, and use it as a springboard to propel herself *Over*Dan.

Airborne, she dropped the trident and instead grabbed her bow.

**CRASH**

She slammed into the ground, *Hard*, a quite painful move. But pain would not stop her plan, as from her prone position a foot away, with her enhanced strength and reflexes, she'd set loose 3 emerald arrows from her bow.

The first was aimed at where Dan was, and the second and third were aimed to the left and right of Dan, in case he were to try to evade in either direction.
Gladys
*It was bound to happen eventually. Something Dan had been acutely aware of, the possibility that she might use her own sidearms, the bow and handheld counterpart. He just hadn't expected it now, of all times.*

*He had originally put both his arms up, crossing them tightly across his chest to block the incoming attack.*

*But the full-frontal assault never hit. As Lily propelled herself into the air, Dan looked up, watching the blur fly over his head, before the crash of her landing sounded behind him.*

*The "TWANG!" Of three arrows being released from a tightened bowstring rung in his ears, with him freezing in place. Instinctually, he flung the front left and right pieces of his jacket outward. Though, this wasn't because he knew where the arrows were, rather he thought it would be smart to use his coat as a makeshift shield, given the Kevlar woven into the seams. So, he flung the sides out to get more protection coverage.*

*The left and right arrows did what he was expecting them to do - Tore the top layer of fabric on his coat, and, due to the elasticity of the open air rather than his body behind the coat, and the material it was made of, bounced off to the sides. The middle arrow, however, he had failed to account for in his last minute defense move. He wouldn't have been able to dodge it either way, though he still swore to himself silently.*

*The tip of the middle arrow hit his coat, however, with the rigidness of his body, the arrow stabbed through the material and pierced his back. The arrow pierced a couple inches deep, enough for it to stick out of Daniel's back. The hit elicited a shout of pain, with Dan quickly turning around and looking to where the sound of the bow came from.*

*Once he had a rough idea, he kicked his booted foot sideways, sweep-kicking and hoping to catch her while prone.*

*He hoped if he could stun her there, then he could hit her with something else before she had the chance to get up off the floor.*
William
*One.*

*Two.*

*Three.*

As all 3 arrows fired, Lily saw that only one met their mark, she had expected that though, expected he'd move, but perhaps not that any of the shots would land. 

Reacting to his kick, she tumbled backwards, the kick would still land however, the tip of his boot striking her chin, causing her to exhale sharply from the pain and she laid sprawled out on the floor.

But only for a moment.

Forcing herself to move, as he'd likely try to fire upon her with the opportunity his kick gave, she'd roll to the right, towards where her trident lay. On the first movement, as she had the bow against her stomach on the floor, she'd ready it, and then she would fire it once she was facing front again, aiming at Dan's collarbone.

It'd likely miss, but it would hopefully allow her a distraction to get to her trident which was still about half a foot out of reach, and at least recover it for future use.
Gladys
*The arrow shot at his collarbone would almost miss, but not quite entirely. The arrow had originally hit his shoulder armor, as he had already began moving towards her.*

*Though, once the arrow bounced, it bounced just passed his neck, with the tip of the arrow slicing about a quarter of an inch into the flesh. A roughly 2 inch clean cut formed there, with blood seeping down his neck.*

*He didn't let this stop him, however. Giving up a position of opportunity such as this was not the first thing on his mind, nor his safety really.*

*Gotta get on the assault. He needed to follow up on his kick as soon as possible.*

*As he moved towards Lily, he dropped to his knees, using the metal of the knee pads to cushion the fall.*

***SSKKKKHHHHH!***

*As he dropped down, sparks flew and the sound of metal scraping on the ground grated the air, as he used the steel knee pads to slide across the arena floor to where Lily was positioned.*

*On approach, he reeled his fist back, with the hard handle of his knife clutched in his fingers.*

*Then, with the extra weight gripped tightly in his hand, he propelled his fist forward in a clean jab, aiming right for Lily's face.*
William
Not bothering to check if the arrow hit or not, Lily continued towards where her trident lay. It was right as she had her hands around it, it still resting on the ground, that she heard the sound.

The sharp scrape of metal, getting closer and closer.

*Let him come.*

Her back was still turned, her hands still on the trident where it was embedded in the ground. It could be pulled out easily, but to her opponent, it would *Appear* That she was having difficulty with dislodging it.

Yes,

Let him think that. That she was open.

As he advanced upon her, close enough that the screech of metal was deafening, she suddenly twisted around and with both hands on the trident, she struck, thrusting the trident towards his chest.

*Blood dripped down her right cheek* — he had narrowly missed stabbing her directly due to her head being tilted to the left as she struck, but the blow still grazed. She growled and regardless of whether her blow had struck or not, she'd take a few steps backwards.

She'd just have to keep attacking... Keep atta—

A wave of fatigue would suddenly hit her, forcing her to her knees.

The pain from all her wounds would come sharper momentarily, the intensity greater.

The adrenaline wearing off.

Though the fatigue passed and her wounds decreased in the intensity of their pain, she knew this was a sign. A sign that this battle had to end soon or else she'd be rendered too weak to even stand.
Gladys
*He had been hit in his front plate with the trident, causing him to fall backwards and his knees to slide out underneath him. Pain shot through his already injured ribs, with him coughing some blood onto his chest.* 

*Dan landed on his back with a thud, with his coat mostly protecting him from scraping his back. He inhaled sharply through his nose, blowing the air out through his mouth. That way, his airways stayed open.*

*His legs had straightened, laying him on his back on the arena floor. He quickly rolled, pushed off the ground with his hands, and got to his feet, breathing heavily. Then, something in his view became quite apparent.*

*An opening.*

*As soon as the realization hit him that Lily was on her knees, injured and vulnerable... He wasted no time launching into another attack.* 

*Sharp pains hit his leg as he propelled himself forward, causing him to faulter slightly, but he kept pushing. He couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.*

*Time to try and end this.*

*As he approached Lily, in her knelt position, he lifted his bad leg, using his good one to push the other's momentum forward.*

*A push kick came directly for Lily's chest, with Dan aiming to knock her backwards, and hopefully either knock the wind out of her or even crack a few of her ribs as well.*

*Whatever happened, he readied his pistol to prepare for if his original plan failed.*

*This needs to end.*

*For the first time in the battle, it seemed the two of them were thinking the same thing.*

*As he prepared to follow her movements in the direction she went in, two crossbow bolts flew towards the air towards him.*

*On the move again, the attacks wouldn't hit quite where they were intended to.* 

*For one of those, this would be a good thing, as the bolt hit his jacket sleeve and flew to the side.*

*The other bolt, aimed at his chest, was not so good, hitting downward of where intended. It sunk deep into his bad leg, close to his waist, further worsening the pain.*

*A war-cry of pain and anger bellowed from his lungs, as frustration welled up in his body.*

*Adrenaline flowed through his veins, with that and shock being the only things keeping him on his feet, though he faltered slightly.*

*He used the time following the attack to catch his breath. Pain permeated his entire body, but still, be it stubbornness or resilience, he was determined to stay in this fight.*

*As the blur of her rolling caught his eye, he followed it in his vision, tracking her to where she would end up.*

*Dan stared her down, turning his body to face her and approaching swiftly. Not quite charging, but more-so speed-walking towards her, pistol gripped tightly in his hand.*

*The stomping of his boots came closer.*

*Blood dripped from his nose, trailed down his chin, stained through his clothes, dripped onto the arena floor.*

*His knuckles were white with the grip he held on his weapons.*

*There was a violent look in his eyes.*

*A look that said he intended to end this.*

*Now.*
William
*Time to end this.*

Strength was fading, it would be now or likely never. 

As her opponent approached swiftly, angrily, bloodstained, she screamed.

A very loud, pain-filled scream, louder than any other that might be heard even miles on, as she charged at Dan, regardless of her bad leg, the rage of her warrior spirit filling her as she went all in.

About halfway to where he was, as his muzzles would likely flash to gun her down, she would push off her feet and dive at him, shaft of the trident in her hands held like a two-handed staff, she would try to use it and slam into him, hopefully knocking him prone beneath her.

If this succeeded (it *Had to*, it *Must*), while above him, pinning him to the ground with the trident, she would waste no time in following up not with further trident stabs, but rapid fire pummels of steel to his face with her fists, nonstop blows until either he got lucky and shot her down, or she knocked him out, ending this either way.

*Give up.*
Gladys
*That assumption was correct; As the war-cry reverberated in the arena, and an enraged warrior charged him down, Dan pulled his pistol upward almost instantly.*

*He let forth a war-cry of his own, a hoarse roar of anger and frustration. The pain of his wounds, the endurance of his determination, the violence engrained into his mind, the rage burning in his body.*

*As she lunged, he used her airtime to his advantage. Dan tracked her body with his pistol sights, held his breath, aimed center mass for the best chance of hits, and shot 3 times as fast as he could.*

***BANG, BANG, BANG!!!!***

*Dan hoped his shots would be enough to cause her attack to fail. He was confident in his aim, being at almost point blank range with a large target becoming larger by the second. Though, just in case...*

*With his other hand, he held his knife outward, thrusting it forward as she continued to fall, intending to plunge it deep into her chest using the momentum of her descent.*

*He knew this was the end of the fight. Sure of it, even. Even if his shots somehow missed, there was no way for her to move herself in the air. Surely she would fall upon his knife.*

*Regardless, she would land on top of him either way, whether she fell defeated or not, likely knocking him down.*

*This is it.*

*I have to win.*

***I HAVE TO WIN.***
William
Her attack was not carried out unimpeded.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*TWANGG*


As he had shot when she had the spear held in front of her, his cente-rmass bullets would impact it. The metal would bend from the impact, but it had taken the shots. At the speed she was going, the impact of the shells did not hinder her.

*Nice try, but too la—*

He had known better, as she was nearly to him, she saw the knife. She couldn't twist out of the way. This would be it for sure.

There was but one thing she could do.

Within few seconds to spare before impact, she pushed against the forces propelling her *Just* Enough that she could lower her arms slightly downward, enough that when she slammed into her foe , the knife and trident would meet. 

*CRASH*

Impact.

The trident would hit Dan, smashing against his hand wielding the knife. If he was too slow to react and held it aloft , the force would likely cause his arm holding it to either knock it out of his grip or a self-inflicted plunge into himself... Hopefully.

Regardless, she didn't wait for him to regain his bearings.

If the knife *Wasn't* Out of his hands, she would smash her foot (whichever was closest) into the hand that held the knife.

And then would come the strikes as she brought her left fist down to pummel in his face, intent on knocking him out. On finishing this.

Strikes of steel, the weight of wrath and anger and pain behind each and every single one.

One. 

Then two. 

Then three. 

Fall.

*Fall.*

**FAL-**

Her vision began to swim and blur then, the strikes would keep coming, 2 more, but weaker as the energy to fight began to fade, and eventually she would succumb to exhaustion.

She didn't know if she had him beat or not, as all fell to darkness.
Gladys
*Man that spear was tough. And her skill with it was impressive - Blocking bullets like that was something he could outright respect.*

*As the two of them impacted, the clash of metal on metal rang in Dan's ears. His grip loosened.*

*He let the knife be flung from his hand, as it clattered to the floor on the arena behind him.*

*The two of them went down to the floor.*

*And then the punches.*

*One punch landed.*

*Searing hot pain shot through his head.*

*He swung his hand up, slamming his own fist into her arm to make her second punch miss.*

*His head moved to the side, narrowly avoiding the third punch and fourth punches, though one clipped his cheekbone.*

*The fifth and final hit landed on his nose, with a crunch being heard and blood spewing out onto his lips.*

*His head hit the arena floor. His vision went black...*

*...*

*...*

***Get up.***

***I have to get up.***

*...*

*...*

*His vision returned.*

*His head pounded. Everything was blurry.*

*But the punches had stopped. A heavy weight had fallen on his body.*

*Had he done it?*

*His body ached, and as the adrenaline wore off, the pain of his wounds hit him hard. He winced, acutely aware of the object in his back. But... He was awake.*

*As his vision gradually became clearer, the unconscious body of his opponent, fallen upon him, came back into his view.*

*He laid his head back on the floor, looking up at the sky, before carefully rolling Lily off of him. Though, he didn't get up yet. His adrenaline wearing off had caused a great deal of pain, and he was very fatigued, so he stayed on the ground.*

*He was still covered almost head to toe in blood.*

*But he was awake.*

*Which meant...*
Craig
```
"'Twas nobly fought."```

The Royal Guard folded her arms. Her antennae shift as she stands tall, her thousand-faceted pure-black eyes shimmering in the light of the stage. Before her, two combatants ride the line of consciousness and unconsciousness, their vision in a blur, revolving, as all the world and stage around fades to black — unable to capture the sight of the hundreds with their eyes upon the battle. 

*`"It has always disturbed me..."`*

The Royal Physician squinted, averting his visage, both arms folded behind his back.

```
"Hmm?"```

*`"...Humanity's unabated propensity to create such efficient tools of murder."`*

```
"...Mm..."
"I suppose so. But... Such is the balance of this world at work."```

The mana that permeated the arena beneath them shimmers, the runelets carved into its surface glittering alight, momentarily, as a light shines, and —
﻿
 ***"THE WINNER OF THIS DUEL IS DECIDED!"***

The Royal Physician appeared before them in the blinking of an eye — or perhaps his arrival was much longer in coming and merely the victor's perception of reality was hazed, time accelerated in a near-unconscious stupor — as the avian, black-feathered form of the well-dressed Medei manifest before him. With a subtle motion of his clawed fingers, mana began to suffuse all the surrounding environment and both Daniel's and Lily's bodies together, a regenerative flux soothing their wounds and halting the worsening of what injuries ailed them. Particularly, any cuts or penetration wounds would begin quickly to close up, as the pain rapidly subsided, and their consciousnesses were returned to them.

 ***"AND ITS VICTOR IS: DANIEL SMITH!"***