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Unlike Kursha, Zeffer's intention had not been to submerge the greenblood, but to continue the brutal assault he'd already started. Using the water to his advantage hadn't even crossed his mind, and he didn't even seem to care about the possible hazard of using his weapons in such a setting. He snarled as he flailed his baton, intent on getting another solid shot in, and landed several weak hits against Kursha's soaked jacket and horns instead. Unfortunately, the muck was thicker in some areas than others, and as Kursha fell, Zeffer went down too, grappling desperately as he lost his footing and flopped to his side. As his free hand sunk into the mire, it prevented him from righting himself as quickly as he might have. That was all it took for the tables to turn again...

Kursha seized his opportunity, and Zeffer let out a roar of agonized rage that was swiftly cut off, once his head was shoved into the murky water. The knee grinding into his back was enough to make him see stars, and he froze up for a moment, body stiff as a board, hands bracing into the mud in an attempt to push himself back up. It wasn't going to end this way. He whipped back in a blind attempt to deliver another hit, but his efforts were quickly foiled as Kursha lashed out with his foot. When Zeffer lost his grip on the weapon, his thrashing began anew, and he screamed into the mud as he attempted to buck Kursha off. Normally it wouldn't have been a very difficult task; the greenblood was smaller and lighter, but between the mud and the copious amount of injuries he had sustained, Zeffer was having a ******** of a time getting loose.

It didn't take long for the blueblood to expel the air in his lungs. In moments, his thrashing had gained the frantic desperation of a trapped beast, and he twisted himself this way and that, trying without success to find purchase in the mud. Bracing his feet, he tried to buck upwards again, to no avail. A growing lightheadedness suddenly gripped his thinkpan, an almost dizzy feeling that threatened to overcome his rage, even with the blood pounding in his ears. His thoughts swam, touching on his friends, the ones who were counting on him. Akko...Maneki.

Zeffer grit his teeth. He'd be damned if he let a sniveling traitor like Kursha be the one to end his life. Without thinking, he pulled his arms in before shoving himself up, every muscle straining as he enacted a colossal effort to free himself. His arms locked, his back arched...and then, something bizarre happened. A loud crackling noise sounded, and all at once the blueblood felt a strange tingling ripple through his body, something he couldn't fathom, and immediately blamed on lack of oxygen. In his submerged state, he failed to see the sparks of angry electricity that had begun to dance across his form. The world began to spin, and his body shook beneath the strain of his efforts. In an instant, the energy flowed into the greenblood, delivering a shock more powerful than his batons could ever muster.

20/40
+1 dmg (adult)
+1 dmg military weps
offensive b artifact: 0/1
agility B power: 1/1-1=0/1 (rolled for power this turn)
Defensive style B: Nullify 1 hit per battle (4/4) (forgot i had this woops)

zeffer does 0 damage

Stay down. Stay down, stay down, just a little longer! Fists clenched and heart pounding, Lorata counted the seconds as Kursha kept Zeffer's head under. How long could a land dweller last without gills? She couldn't remember anyone ever telling her, and it had never occurred to her to care before now, but it couldn't have been much longer than this. She was too terrified to wonder what would come next if it wasn't enough, because that sound the captain had made when he'd last been hit had been- But no, land dwellers were useless in the water, and this would be enough. Just a little more and they'd win!

The adult pushed upwards with a sudden renewal of strength and the seadweller gasped despite herself. Okay, that was fine, he'd still be weak and the Captain just had to finish him off with...Ah! She glanced to the side quickly, to make sure the kid was still down enough to not try and run, and then she burst into motion. Kursha's gun had gone down right about- There was a loud crack suddenly and she paused to look back to the fighting. Not even a moment later there was a snapped order, and she dove for dry land as electricity crackled across the swamp water.

"W-what-? How did he do that?" Could those batons get as powerful as that? For a second, she stared at Kursha, waiting for an answer, and then she realized why he was edging closer. Right, the gun! He wouldn't find it quickly enough if he started from there! Scurrying over to where she'd seen it fall, she hesitated a moment at how wet the muck was and then reached in. It took a little fishing-- oh no, had she gotten the location wrong? she couldn't have-- and then her fingers closed around the barrel.

She pulled so hard that when it came free of the mud it sent her sprawling. Lighting up, she twisted to find Kursha again and lifted the weapon. "Captain! Here!"

MeduMa, meanwhile, hesitated near the blueblood, heads lifted as high above the water as her height above the ground would allow. They were poised to continue the attack once Zeffer started towards Kursha, especially now that Lorata was in the same area, but most of her agreed the surge of energy that had come from him was worrisome. A couple of heads considered whether that worry meant they should attack sooner, in case he had some other unknown abilities that could be thrown towards her charge. One of these lashed out to snap a bite at Zeffer's arm without waiting for the collective's decision.

Katanari

Kamileunaire

[+] Kursha Vidari

Health: 9
Eagle Eyes: 1
Agility B Trinket: 1/1

As Lorata held the rifle high, any misgivings Kursha previously had about the seadweller evaporated. In that moment, he felt nothing but gratitude. Her cry had not gone unnoticed though. Zeffer stood poised between Kursha and Lorata, and hearing her call, the blueblood had turned on her. The seadweller's lusus came rushing to her defence, but Zeffer batted the heads aside, and lunged towards the young troll. He had a clear shot—with the lusus dazed, nothing stood in his way.

But he had forgotten what stood behind him.

“Oh, no you don't...!” Kursha hissed, gaining on the blueblood. As waterlogged as it was, the gun was likely useless. Even so, there way no way he would give Zeffer the pleasure of beating him to it. Hell, on the off chance the thing still worked he could not risk Zeffer getting ahold of it. The prospect of his own gun being held to his head seemed too real.

Racing up from behind, Kursha carried all his momentum into a sweeping kick, aimed right at the bright blue target painted on Zeffer's back. The impact resonated through the steel toe of Kursha's boot all the way up his leg. He staggered back, balance lost. As he scrambled, water splashing up around his knees, it seemed as though he might fall. Then, he found his centre again.

“Big mistake, turning your back on me,” Kursha snarled, darting around the blueblood. He just needed to get his rifle, get it working, and somehow he could salvage this.

[+] Kursha Vidari

Health: 9
Eagle Eyes: 1
Agility B Trinket: 1/1

As Zeffer grabbed on to the barrel of the rifle, Kursha knocked Lorata aside, taking hold of the gun's stock. No sooner had he done so than a baton came racing towards his head. Charge or no charge, with Zeffer's swinging power the weapon was still formidable. A good enough hit could crack his skull. His instincts prompted him to release the gun in order to avoid the blow but that would never happen. Not after he had just gotten it back.

Sacrificing his footing, Kursha swung backwards, taking the rifle with him. The baton whistled an inch his nose with a rush of air. Then he was falling. The rifle slipped out of Zeffer's grip and the stock met Kursha's shoulder. Arms adjusting automatically, the muzzle of the weapon drifted upwards and the sight found the blueblood's head. He fired before he hit the ground.

There was a hollow click.

The sound made Kursha's blood run cold. With a crash, he landed in the reeds. He had known that it might not work. He had known that some the water might have seeped in to the gunpowder. He had known, but he had hoped otherwise. Look where that left him. Cursing, Kursha swung his legs out towards Zeffer's ankles, hoping to knock the blueblood off balance. He could still win this. He just needed a moment to recover his footing and then he could bash Zeffer's brains in.

[+] Kursha Vidari

Health: 4
Eagle Eyes: [Active]
Agility B Trinket: 1/1

A boot slammed into his chest as he started to rise, knocking him flat onto his back. All the air went out of his lungs. He skull smashed into the ground. With a snarl Kursha tried to sit up, but the heel digging into his ribs pinned him well into the mud. The blueblood's laughter rang in his ears. The sound sent a chill through Kursha, and dread gripped his pump biscuit. He had no weapon and he was at his enemy's mercy.

The blueblood took hold of the rifle, and Kursha saw a flash between his fingertips and the barrel. Then he felt a warm hum in his own fingers and imagined the subsequent flash of pain. Moving faster than he could have if he had touched a hot stove, Kursha released his grip on the gun. There was a faint zap as his hands left the trigger, and his body still tingled with the residual electricity, but otherwise he was unharmed. He had been spared another nasty shock.

Or not.

The last thing Kursha processed was the arc of blue light bouncing across the steel toe of Zeffer's boot. Then his mind went blank. Teeth clenched and limbs twitching, he seized up beneath the blueblood. His skin shuddered and crawled. The crosshairs in his eyes flickered. Somewhere, in the back of his brain he knew he was experiencing pain. Then he was back, gasping and shaking. That shock had been shorter than the last, but no less intense. He knew could not afford to take a third.

Running off pure instinct, Kursha seized the back of Zeffer's ankle and yanked it towards him with all his strength. For once, the mud served to work in his favour, and the boot slipped easily. Stability lost, Zeffer would topple. But first that meant Kursha bore all his weight. He cringed as his ribs protested against the sudden pressure with a groan. Then he twisted to the side, and Zeffer slid away. He was free, if only for a moment. Sitting up, Kursha lunged towards the blueblood, ramming his elbow into his gut.

[+] Kursha Vidari

Health: 1
Eagle Eyes: 0
Agility B Trinket: [Active]

Kursha reeled as the baton smashed against his wrist, and sparks coursed up his arm. The pain from the burns he had sustained back in the tunnels came back with a vengeance. The scent of burning flesh filled his nose. It made him want to retch. He pulled away just long enough for Zeffer to recover. As the blueblood kicked out at him, Kursha further recoiled, unsteady on his feet.

The shock was mild in comparison to the last two he had received, but the blast of electricity was still enough to jumble his brain. Even as he struggled to maintain balance, he temporarily blacked out, body swaying. The crosshairs in his eyes flickered and distorted, shape uneven. It was only through sheer willpower that he remained standing.

Vision returning, Kursha steadied himself. In the brief moment of respite, Zeffer’s attention shifted. Kursha noticed the glance. It was almost as though he read the blueblood’s mind.

Despite his failing consciousness, Kursha knew he was close. For Zeffer to consider retreat meant that he had reached his limit. He could not remain standing for much longer. To be fair neither could Kursha. But just a little bit more and he would nail the blueblood. Then everything he had done would not be in vain. Damn it, he was going to win this if it killed him.

Without wasting a second more, he lunged for the gun.

[+] Kursha Vidari

Health: 0
Eagle Eyes: 0
Agility B Trinket: 0

By the time Kursha sensed a trap it was too late. The blueblood thrust the rifle into his hands, grinning as he held the other end. As he met Kursha’s eyes, Kursha knew exactly what he was planning. He panicked. Wait just a minute…! Everything seemed to slow down. He needed to let go. If he didn’t, he was done for. The gun was useless anyway. Without it he still stood a chance if he could keep his range. He just needed to…

There was a burst of light and a fierce crack. Kursha seized up, his entire body rigid with electricity. White, hot pain shot through him like molten metal. His throat clenched, and over the harsh buzz of electricity, a shrill whine once more escaped him. There was no room to think, no room to process; just searing, mind-splitting agony. Eventually not even that. The crosshairs in his eyes flickered one last time, then faded.

As the sparks died around Zeffer’s arm, Kursha’s voice dwindled to a whimper. His fingers slipped from the gunstock. With nothing more to support him he fell. He was gone long before he hit the ground.

With a muted splash, Kursha landed facedown in the swamp water. A thin trail of smoke rose off his form. Sparks danced over his skin, popping and snapping. With each jolt of electricity he twitched. Other than that he lay still.