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Post by The Rising Dragon on Apr 8, 2011 13:28:24 GMT -5
The bandit huffed for air as the blow struck, but he quickly recovered and brought his elbow up, trying to slam it down on Joe's back.
As the two struggled, one of the bandits trying to subdue Krystal soon caught notice of the fight. "Boss!" he shouted, turning away from his battle to try and assist him.
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Post by Evil McBadGuy on Apr 8, 2011 15:28:01 GMT -5
Bad move. With a crack to the head, said bandit was promptly knocked unconscious, leaving only one other for Krystal to play with. She had to keep him busy, lest Joe should get into too much trouble.
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Post by Steinerman on Apr 8, 2011 17:37:23 GMT -5
A grunt and a muffled "Thank you" was all that Joe could spare for Krystal's move.
The big leader was resilient, and was giving easily as good as he got. The elbow-blow delivered to Joe's back had been a hammer-hard hit, causing stars to dance in his vision for a moment. But he continued, putting all of his energy into a solid kick to the other man's shin.
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Apr 10, 2011 18:06:16 GMT -5
The blow struck the leader's leg out from under him, dropping him down to one knee with an uttered curse. His hand shot out to grab at Joe's arm, trying to incapacitate him and ready his counterattack.
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Post by Steinerman on Apr 10, 2011 20:11:37 GMT -5
The bandit grabbed hold of Joe's arm, obviously hoping to disable him long enough to ensure a game-changing blow while Joe was off-balance. Realizing he wouldn't be able to break the hold in time, Joe instead thrust all of his weight forward and down, into the man's grab. Hoping that by doing so, he'd force the man off his shaky balance and to a prone position, while at the same time Joe would grab for the blade he'd dropped mere moments before and bring it up for a finishing blow.
In theory, if Joe performed the move correctly, it would end up with him on top of the other man, in a good position to deal damage. Of course, Joe had rarely known a fight to diligently follow theory. All he could do was attempt to stack the odds in his favor and roll the dice.
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Apr 11, 2011 18:37:53 GMT -5
Down they fell, the bandit muttering a curse his folded leg was bent back painfully, his other kicking out from under him. Seeing Joe dart for the nearest blade--coincidentally, his own loaded blade rifle--he knew he was in trouble and his other hand flailed to grab something to attack with.
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Post by Steinerman on Apr 11, 2011 18:59:50 GMT -5
Success! Finally something had gone right for Joe, the move had worked almost exactly as planned. Though the bandit had the sense to reach out for some sort of weapon at least, he hopefully wouldn't have time. Joe's body ached from the bruises along it as he stretched his arm out to its maximum length to grab for the blade rifle. He hissed in pain as his hand found the barrel, and also the blade, slicing a shallow gashing into his palm.
But with practice born of years of combat training, he pushed past the pain and found the hilt of the blade. Once his grip was firm he brought it around, fully intending to press the blade against the leader's neck, hopefully that would put a stop to the fight.
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Apr 11, 2011 19:04:43 GMT -5
The bandit leader's hand wrapped around the hilt of Joe's discarded sword, and he almost grinned as he secured his grip on it--then froze as he felt the bloodied blade rifle's cold edge press against his neck. It seemed the kid had won the match, and the man sneered.
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Post by Steinerman on Apr 11, 2011 19:12:29 GMT -5
Joe breathed a sigh of relief, casting a sidelong glance at his own blade, now in the bandit's hand. That had been close. Another second and a piece of steel could have been at his throat, rather than the bandit.
"Now," he said, breathing heavily from the fight. "Are you going to play nice and not try to stop us from leaving? Or am I going to have to kill you?" He questioned, his tone hard.
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Apr 11, 2011 19:24:45 GMT -5
"You know you're never getting out of here alive," the bandit snarled. "Even if you kill me, the others will tear you and your little girlfriends apart."
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Post by Steinerman on Apr 11, 2011 19:35:21 GMT -5
Joe frowned at the man, "You're not making this easy." He growled in annoyance. "Even with all the reasons I have to want you dead, I just gave you an out. Let us go, and live."
He pressed the blade rifle a little harder, enough to just barely bite the skin of the bandit's neck. "And you're spitting in my face. Brilliant survival plan. Give me your word that you'll let me and my nieces go, with our gear and the book, and you live to rob another day. Simple as that." He stated with finality. Letting the alternative go unsaid, though his eyes glittered with a cold brilliance, he was obviously nearing the end of his patience.
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Apr 11, 2011 19:43:09 GMT -5
"... fine," the bandit leader eventually spat out, eyes smoldering with rage.
He glanced over at the other bandit, the one that hadn't been knocked out by the girl in armor. "Thaddeus," he called out. "Stop. Let them go."
"Boss?" the other man said, his blade, pressed against Krystal's shield.
"You heard me," the leader replied, his voice harder. "Let them go."
Grunting, the man disengaged, backing away from the woman, keeping his sword held between them warily.
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Post by Evil McBadGuy on Apr 11, 2011 21:17:30 GMT -5
No one could see it, but a small smirk had formed under the woman's' helmet. She backed off from the bandit she was fighting, be sure not to loosen the grip on her shield just yet. As another plus, it seemed that magic seal placed on her a while ago was finally starting to wear off, though it wasn't totally gone. "Shall we be on our way?"
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Post by Steinerman on Apr 11, 2011 21:38:38 GMT -5
Joe nodded with relief, "I think that would be a good idea." He agreed. Slowly standing and backing away from the leader. In a corner of the room he spied his pack, the book he'd been sent to retrieve sat upon the leader's desk as well, alongside his pistol. He quickly gathered up all the items, and joined Krystal at the door.
He turned and brandished the blade rifle he still held, "I'll hang onto this until we get out of the mine. Just making sure you have one less gun to shoot me in the back with. Kindly don't try anything funny, or I promise it will go badly for you." He said with more bravado than he really felt. It may not have been the best idea to leave the bandit alive, but Joe honestly just wanted to get Laramie and Zandara, and get out of the mine with as little bloodshed as possible.
He turned back to Krystal and whispered, "my partner...contacted me, I suppose you could say. She's a telepath. She's one floor below us, not far from here. Let's pick her and the other woman up and get out of here. I'm sick of this gloomy dungeon."
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Post by Evil McBadGuy on Apr 11, 2011 21:48:27 GMT -5
"I'm with ya." Krystal whispered right back. Had her magic been fully revived yet, she could simply burrow the two down, but alas... "Let's get a move on, huh bud?" Secretly though, the armor-clad girl had a second plan in mind. One her superiors, and probably partners, wouldn't like too much. Still, saving Joe and his friends came first. With this in mind, she began to pick up her pace through the deep corridors.
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