Doc Doctor

ALL HOPE IS GONE (Xavier Vs. Auz)

@Xavier Bloodbayne

Xavier's improvised seat suddenly gave way beneath his ass, the corpse turning into streamers of glowing red mist that coiled away in all directions only to fade into nothing.

After several seconds the bloody etheric tendrils reappeared twelve feet to Xavier's right, weaving together to form the shape of...

Auz. That asshole mercenary, grinning like a devil and with his parrying dagger already out, slowly twirling it between his fingers.

"Why, stranger... You look like somebody just walked over your grave."

ALL HOPE IS GONE (Xavier Vs. Auz)

@Xavier Bloodbayne

The moment Xavier started speaking, Auz shoved his parrying dagger into his own gullet. It must have taken tremendous will to complete the follow up, consisting of him then scything the dagger down the right side of his throat, slicing his carotid wide open. Thick blood poured out in heavy gouts. Even more blood spewed out from the warrior's mouth, dressing his entire face in a crimson mask. His very eyeballs, wide and unblinking in their shock, were coated in blood.

Surprise.

After several seconds Auz would stop shivering and jerking. He'd have ended himself, apparently in a last rebellious act to deprive Xavier of the kill. Feisty to the end.

Arena Chat Thread

Keep in mind, I just now Googled "Boring Superman" and got these right off the bat.

















These do not reflect my own opinion.

ALL HOPE IS GONE (Xavier Vs. Auz)

@Xavier Bloodbayne

Auz might have been able to avoid the blow had it come at a speed befitting that of such a large implement. In fact, Auz had been expecting the attack to be slow. Instead, the stone club flew in low and fast, and Auz wasn't ready. It hit him in the legs and knocked them right out from under him, accompanied by a nasty *CRUNCH!*
Auz hit the ground hard, but his left hand was quick to withdraw a parrying dagger from his harness. Panting heavily and not making any attempt to roll away or recover, he looked up at Xavier and spoke, deadpan but with undertones of barely repressed pain in his voice. His legs were probably broken.

"Son of a bitch... That hurt. What the hell are you and where did you come from?"

Arena Chat Thread

@Liaison@MelonHead

I'm afraid none of us can win this debate.

You see...

Harambe has already claimed victory.

Arena Chat Thread

@MelonHead

My point was that skill is a constant that I consider separate from character strengths, and I'm assuming that said direct hits are guaranteed to land and land hard. But eh, why not. Just why the hell not. Anything is possible in our fine Arena and beyond. Whether a character can sneeze away galaxies or struggle to bench a few hundred pounds, either may be taken out by an adversary with a heavy enough lean in firepower, and alternatively either may survive a good while whether by way of boxing skills or force fields. I have my experiences, you have yours.

ALL HOPE IS GONE (Xavier Vs. Auz)

@Xavier Bloodbayne

The attack caught Auz off-guard, him having not at all expected the weapon to be able to change shape so quickly on the fly. Hell, he hadn't expected it to change at all, though perhaps he should have. Still, Auz was a feisty dogged diehard. As he stumbled back he'd let loose his sword with his left hand in order to aim a backpedaling thrust at Xavier's own solar plexus, returning the favor with interest so to speak.

"More likely the crap coming out of your own mouth, I'd say!"

Arena Chat Thread

@MelonHead

Perhaps this is all just conjecture based upon our own personal experiences. For me and from what I've seen, low tier fights end more quickly on the whole. But, go back and read what I said more closely. You're missing the point I'm getting at, nay, skipping entirely over it. If you catch my drift, then mayhaps if you want to, your next post can address what I had actually been typing.

ALL HOPE IS GONE (Xavier Vs. Auz)

@Xavier Bloodbayne

Auz sprang forwards as Xavier strained to free his stone implement, but not to attack immediately; he sought to enter deep within his opponent's guard, intending to plant his right boot betwixt Xavier's own two shoes at about the same time as the stone chunk would have been slung back over Xavier's shoulder. Auz's intent was fairly obvious. He desired to see Xavier attack first, in order to counter said attack from up close so that the difference in speed (Xavier being faster at the moment) wouldn't matter quite so much. At this range, it could be anyone's game. Should Xavier step back and swing his club down, Auz would step sharply after him and with the force garnered from gripping his weapon with both hands, drive the tip down towards the base of Xavier's throat from less than a foot away.

"YOU SMELL!"

Arena Chat Thread

In other words, there's no particular reason why a low tier fight has to end after one or two blows. Maybe you're fighting unarmed, in which case the human body can take a lot of punishment, maybe you're fighting with weapons, in which case you should really have some armour.

@MelonHead

I'd imagine a straight shot to the jaw would take even a trained fighter down if another trained fighter of equal skill delivered it (note how I didn't mention how said opponent would handle the punch, as I'm not actively trying to reason out how one character can evade or alleviate the damage of a punch, which is a whole different matter), in a reasonable roleplay. I'm not talking about pure skill and how it can change the tide of battle. Skill is an assumed constant. That's just one scenario one that I proposed initially. The addition of armor changes the circumstances. Regardless, a blade through a joint can end a fight as quickly as a blow to the jaw. Superhuman characters tend to be able to tank what normally would be lethal otherwise, via enhanced durability or other means.