Welcome to Gaia! ::

A refreshed Ganyma walked through the Four Fronds woods with purpose. It had been many weeks since his tribulations in the forest, and even though he still bristled at the thought he had gained a sense of self-confidence. He was healthy, clean, well-fed. Even as an unknown in the Alternian League of Gladiaterrors, Ganyma was at peace and happy. He had a purpose. He had corresponded this much with Luxara in his time staying in Four Fronds. His letters were all short but enthusiastic, filled with his cryptic handwriting and blotchy pictures (he never could figure out how to not smear the ink with his palm). Luxara had remained safe, and so had he. Well - plus or minus a few scrapes and runs through the forest. He'd made this very clear to her, but with emphasis and lots of underlines let her know that he was alright. Tonight was the night he'd prove it. They'd catch up, maybe work out a bit or spar (she'd always shown interest in learning his fighting moves), and hang out. No strings attached, no fear, no complications.

Finding Luxara's hive was an easy task now for Ganyma; he'd been there a number of times and even though it was non-descript (as trees are in the woods) his method of memorizing patterns and directions never failed him. By the look of him, Ganyma was ready for a fight. He had donned his push gloves and his wrists were wrapped from his recent fight, and the remnants of Ganyma's fear of hunters had him looking behind him at every yard. But, truth be told, it was a rest day. He wouldn't be fighting criminals or hunters today.

As the troll neared the hive, his features brightened. Being in the thick of the wilderness made civilization or even friendly trolls seem farther away. Having Luxara nearby was comforting. He stood at her tree and announced his presence.

"Luxara! You home?" He called. He wandered around the back of the hive, looking into the canopy and back down into the bushes to see if she was hiding somewhere. Ganyma opened his stance. "No ambushes, now -- if we're gonna scrimmage today I want a fair fight!"

He smiled and jokingly smacked his fist into his palm for effect.

Ganyma tracked Luxara as she hopped from limb to limb. She was spry and bubbly as ever; a great sign, as far as the tealblood was concerned. He put his hands on his hips and grinned. “Good to see you, too, kiddo,” he laughed.

Ganyma walked toward her and opened his arms wide to give her a welcoming hug. He closed in, embracing her and giving her a short couple of swings before placing her down again. “It’s always good to see you. N’ yeah, I think I’ll let my hair grow for now. Don’t wanna change the look too much since gettin’ known in the ring. Probably don’t wanna let it get too long though. Some fighters play dirty n’ grab it.”

He tossed his hair playfully and gave it a quick comb-through with his fingers. “Well, ‘fore we catch up I think we can get some trainin’ out of the way,” He mused. Hanging out and having a feelings jam seemed much more effective after the other classic Alternian activity of brawling – it was the obvious choice for any friendly troll.

“We usin’ weapons?” Ganyma didn’t want to have to say he wasn’t in the mood to get impaled or shot again in the woods, but since he’d brought his gloves he figured he’d ask. “I ain’t gonna stick ya or anything.” He raised his hands to throw a few quick air-punches, and booped Luxara in the nose. “Gotta set some rules before we get sweaty and grr, yeah?”

“That’s right,” Ganyma nodded. He was in a new stage of life now – a fresh start. It was rejuvenating. He grinned and stepped back to watch her load her crossbow and examined the results with an expectant look.

“Huh!” Ganyma took a step towards the tree, examining the mutant-hue with a funny look. It was fortunate that the color couldn’t be mistaken for the average troll’s blood, but even so the unsettling feeling of blood in the woods drifted through him. He felt the bark of the tree and deemed that it hadn’t made much of a mark other than a slight impact impression, the equivalent of bruising most likely. He turned back around with his hands on his hips and gave her a firm nod. “Sounds good to me! Alright Luxxy…”

He took a hop back, next to the tree. Ganyma lowered his stance and bent his knees, extending his arms at the ready. “You ready for some of this?”

"Alright!" Cheered Ganyma. He hustled around, watching Luxara closely. There was nothing he could do at long range, so getting near her was the only question in his mind. If she scampered into the trees, well -- Ganyma hadn't thought that far ahead yet. He'd think of something when that happened. She said she wanted to learn wrestling moves after all!

"Let's see how long you can keep me away--ack!" Ganyma wasn't able to avoid the painful paint bolt that shot at his torso. He twisted away in time for it to glance off, but left a surefire yellow smear where it hit. He hissed through his teeth and kept his charge towards Luxara, aiming to disrupt her aim with a well-placed elbow.


16/20
Def style A power 3/3
Off style B trinket
+1 DMG

Ganyma does 3 damage!

13/20
Def style A power 2/3
Off style B trinket
+1 DMG

Luxara was quick. With her small stature, it made getting a hold of her rather tough, not to mention her adaptability and knowledge of the terrain. Ganyma wasn't quick enough to catch her before she sidled along his side, but he was able to predict her quick tap to his back. He tensed his muscles automatically, feeling them group up as the blow nearly cut through his skin and sent an electric jolt through hip. He yelped in pain. That was sure to leave a bruise later.

"Uhh--" He didn't have much time to respond to her comment, and instead put his mind to a swift counter-attack.

In retaliation, Ganyma gritted his teeth and whipped around. With a whoop of confident energy he set out to grab Luxara by her thin middle and hoist her up, threatening to toss her back down. "'Eeeeyy!" Roared Ganyma theatrically. He'd picked up some rather gaudy tricks as a Gladiaterror in training!

Ganyma did 7 damage!

9/20
Def style A power 1/3
Off style B trinket
+1 DMG

SPLOT -- "Yeowtch!" The spray of the paint bolt hit him square in the temple, sending his vision into a blurry mess. Ganyma definitely had to spar against more ranged partners; this was incredibly difficult, even for a trained fighter. The bright yellow paint spattered and smeared across his vision, and while Ganyma tried to close the gap between himself and Luxara it was no use.

Precious seconds wasted. The tealblood wiped away the paint and focused on her next move instead of making an offensive one, alternating squinting his eyes to try and get rid of some of the swimming that was obscuring his sight. He locked onto her at last, and finally managed to close the distance. Not before taking a couple of rounds in the chest though.

It occurred to Ganyma that if she was using actual crossbow bolts, he would probably be dead. Luxara's time spent hunting was not time wasted. He was impressed, but horrified. Mentally, he noted down the great need to train in his agility.

Ganyma does 0 damage :'(

9/20
Def style A power 1/3
Off style B trinket
+1 DMG

"Ah, it's alright!" Ganyma hollered out. He couldn't really see, but sportsmanship was sportsmanship. After a short moment he regained his bearings. There she was. "Don't give away your position!" He chided, ever the coach.

Ganyma rounded the tree and pulled Luxara across the ground by the boots. It was a bizarre way to wrangle, but if he played his cards right he'd be able to put her in a submission hold in no time flat. At this angle, positioning her crossbow would be incredibly difficult.

Ganyma does 4 damage!