#and then he'd be rewarded for his struggling and hard work with some good luck near the end

[ultfan]

@kotaerukoto replied to this post: what would komaeda playing a nuzlocke be like

obviously all his strongest/decent pokemon would die off and he would have a terrible, terrible setup but somehow manage to get to the elite four via insanely good plotting and strategy to combat his terrible circumstances. then, at the very end, he would get really lucky with his opponents moves not hitting and getting some damn good crits in, then manage to beat the champion with one last pokemon with 0pp on all his moves and barely surviving the recoil from struggle.

[waterforlorn]

Brawl it out post Thread01.

Nico

It took him some time and some nudges in the right direction but they finally found the arena. And Nico... Wasn't feeling completely pessimistic. Just... Resolute. His work had been cut out for him. And now he had to do it. So... "I take it you won't lemme dual wield in my first blind lesson to become a Jedi?" He joked lighly tightening his grip on his mace and paying attention to his other senses. Trying to figure out where Lev was... He lunged, and swung. Twice.

uno: 2d20kl1 (3, 1) + 7 Total: 8

dos: 2d20kl1 (1, 14) + 7 Total: 8

Lev

maybe he'd let nico suffer a bit more than he had to on his way to the arena, but that was his reward for dealing with his sorry ass for the next... well, days. possibly after, too. he planned to bring that dumbass home alive. "hit me with one an' we can talk 'bout two." fair offer, if you asked him. when nico lunged at him, lev lifted nico's missing mace in a counter. come on, can't be that hard, can it?

Result: 1d20 (13) + 5 Total: 18

Result: 1d6 (6) +3 Total: 9

Nico

Two bad misses. It was a marvel he didn't swing hard enough to have his maces go flying out of his hands. And because he didn't see that coming Haha pun intended... That swing hit him harder than it should have. But he wasn't about to give up so he tried again.

uno: 2d20kl1 (1, 16) + 7 Total: 8

dos: 2d20kl1 (7, 7) + 7 Total: 14

attack 2: 1d6 (4) + 3 Total: 7

Lev

lev might’ve flipped if nico hit instantly, because nobody could be that lucky on their first try. but he missed, as he’d expected & lev gave him a little smack in response. he could beat him up, send him flying, but that’d defeat the purpose of their training. the next hit was … a good try. he actually got him. lev let his feet run across the floor, letting his boots create noise for nico to follow. ”not bad.” left & right, even when he came for him in a quick lunge, he made sure to make some noise at least. slow steps, it was a learning curve after all.

Result: 1d20 (13) + 5 Total: 18

Result: 1d6 (4) + 3 Total: 7

Nico

Nico didn't have much time to celebrate the fact that he had landed a hit on Lev. Sure it was sheer luck. And no matter how his senses seemed to have sharpened when his sight was taken, he still had to learn how to navigate the world using other senses than sight. And he was trully appreciative of Lev actually making noise as he moved so Nico could try and follow, mace first.

uno: 2d20kl1 (3, 6) + 7 Total: 10

dos: 2d20kl1 (15, 12) + 7 Total: 19

Result: 1d6 (3) + 3 Total: 6

Lev

not too shabby, actually. he'd assumed their enemies wouldn't attempt to silence their steps, so if they got nico to practice his hearing & calculating where to head to meet the enemy halfway - or something like that, they got him on a pretty decent starting point. the hit actually made him struggle for a moment, but he was quick on his feet again, moving faster this time around to see if he could track that, too, as he went for another swing.

Result: 1d20 (15) + 5 Total: 20

Result: 1d6 (2) + 3 Total: 5

Nico

It was a good thing that he had already rationalized this situation even before Lev found him. He wouldn't be comiserating in his own impulsivity. But there was also the fact that he had a prove to point. He could start anew in the eve of an important battle and find a way to make it work. And so should Lev... So... yeah. Two points to prove to a very stubborn son of Poseidon. He was thriving. Time to swing again.

uno: 2d20kl1 (12, 11) + 4 Total: 15

dos: 2d20kl1 (19, 17) + 4 Total: 21

Result: 2d6 (3, 3) + 8 Total: 14

Lev

nico was doing better than he thought, but then again, lev gave him clear indicators where to hit & he was fighting with a weapon he'd never used before. so nico's disadvantage.. was not really that, but even if lev wanted to kick his ass, he knew that he shouldn't & that that wasn't the point of this. nico came at him again & he was actually doing fine at tracing his footsteps. when he was done, lev dashed towards him, aiming at him with the maze & hoping to follow up with a fist.

Result: 1d20 (16) + 5 Total: 21

for the fist: 1d20 (8) + 5 Total: 13

for the mace: 1d6 (5) + 3 Total: 8 + 4 (fist)

Nico

Maybe it was just sheer dumb luck that he was landing those hits on Lev but he honestly hoped that lady Tyche wouldn't abandon him when the time came and he could be of use for the team. He wouldn't mind training to increase his chances. He knew his time window was narrow but he would learn a new trick nonethless. And on his mace go, swinging at the soldier.

uno: 2d20kl1 (19, 3) + 4 Total: 7

dos: 2d20kl1 (15, 9) + 4 Total: 13

Result: 1d6 (3) + 4 Total: 7

Lev

lev dodged the first hit, but the second was timed just right to graze him. he swung his mace in his hand, letting its weight rest against his palm. "not bad. here we go again." he dashed towards nico, swinging his mace & finishing with a fist.

Result: 1d20 (18) + 5 Total: 23

for the fist: 1d20 (6) + 5 Total: 11

mace smack: 1d6 (4) + 3 Total: 7

Nico

"You know... It sort of feels so wrong to be hit by my own maces. Don't you have a single ounce of shame, Red?" He couldn't help but taunt the son of Poseidon. No it was not the healthiest coping mechanism to becoming blind but... At least Lev was indulging his smack talking. And it definitely helped lessen the blow. On his ego, especially. And so he went at it again with his mace.

Result: 2d20kl1 (18, 16) + 7 Total: 23

Result: 2d20kl1 (6, 14) + 7 Total: 13

Result: 2d6 (1, 4) + 4 Total: 9

Lev

"you call that gettin' hit? i'm barely swingin'. wouldn't wanna slice up your pretty face." lev all but huffed with a little chuckle as a finish. he was planning to use the little time they had & if need be... he'd have to just keep an extra eye on nico during the fight with heracles. should.. be fine. strength in numbers & all. right? yeah, they were gonna be fine. "brace." & he went at him again straight, mace & fist.

mace: 1d20 (18) + 5 Total: 23

fist: 1d20 (16) + 5 Total: 21

for the mace + 4 for the fist: 1d6 (6) + 3 Total: 9

Nico

Gods he missed this kind of dry humor. Too bad it was only sort of achieved by shared life experiences. And probably age. He was feeling confident yes. But this was the arena he had learned to fight with these very maces in the summer camp he basically spent his summers in growing up. It was a controlled situation. "Not the face. The rough edges are the one thing nice about me." He shot back before following up with his own barrage of attacks.

uno: 2d20kl1 (18, 18) + 3 Total: 21

dos: 2d20kl1 (11, 10) + 3 Total: 13

fucking Avrae fucking up with me: 2d6 (3, 1) + 4 Total: 8

Lev

"rough edges? pffht, your dumb face's as smooth as a baby's bottom. ever seen battle before? doubt it." lev chuckled, swinging his one mace experimentally. did feel enjoyable, though he still preferred his spear. they made blocking easier, but he was quick on his feet in returning the favor.

mace: 1d20 (5) + 5 Total: 10

fist: 1d20 (17) + 5 Total: 22

Total: 4

Nico

"Now, now, grumpy, I see no reason for you to disregard the beard so rudely." He chuckled and managed to dodge the swing but was caught by Lev's mean hook. Again. If that was Lev with his off hand, he couldn't wait until he was better used to the new armor and the needed stance to wield the spear. "Please. I've faced monsters that would make your battalion go crying to their moms." He swung again.

Result: 2d20kl1 (15, 18) + 3 Total: 18

I keep forgetting the proficiency: 2d20kl1 (18, 19) + 7 Total: 25

Result: 2d6 (6, 6) + 4 Total: 16

Lev

"i'll comment on the beard when you grow up, brat." he didn't think nico would be able to doge that one, but had to admit he was doing quite well. maybe they would both survive that fight after all. he ran at him again, determined to finish him off. he promised him that ass-kicking after all.

pls avrae mace me up: 1d20 (9) + 5 Total: 14

fist: 1d20 (8) + 5

Result: 1d6 (6) + 7 Total: 13

Nico

"No one ever told you it was rude to insult blind people? They can't see you to flip you off properly." He retorted but his voice sounded anything but offended. There was a whole different thrill in a life or death situation. So, he could make use of this time with the son of Poseidon. And show Lev that he wasn't taking this lightly. So he just lunged forward. And finished with a punch. Just to give the old man a taste of his own medicine

uno: 2d20kl1 (16, 5) + 7 Total: 12

dos: 2d20kl1 (17, 15) + 7 Total: 22

although it does feel wrong to add profeciency to a punch: 2d20kl1 (6, 2) + 7 Total: 9

Result: 1d6 (6) + 4 Total: 10

Lev

that actually surprised him. nico was adjusting quickly, which was good. lev had tried to give him pointers & took a few hits to see just how good nico's chances were...not big. but they'd still try.

Lev lost sparring.

Nico

If this little experiment was anything to go by... Lady Tyche either was smiling at him or... Just gave him a pinch of dumb luck out of pity. He wouldn't complain though. His first strike hit nothing. And the punch clearly was off by a whole mile. Lev was an experienced fighter. Shouldn't Nico have a harder time getting him? He Swung the second time and had the satisfaction of feeling his mace making contact with a body and too bad he didn't have his sight right now. He really wished he could see the look on Lev's face right now. "You know... There was no positive outcome for you here. Either a joke about you going to the camps of punishment because you took advantage of a blind man... Or a joke about how you got your ass handed over to you by a blind man... Now... Will you please believe me when I say that there's nothing wrong with the armor. You just need more training. Stubborn shit.