Litmus Test (CONQUEST)

His sudden attack was quickly met with a quick, both clashing. The impact felt good, the pushback was limited to him retracting his hand as it would not go any further. Sufficed to say, they were both pretty evenly matched. Maybe there was a chance for something good to happen.

That confidence Ruby exuded, however, watered down his hopes for a good battle. He had never enjoyed boastful people, instead preferring those who gave all they had with humility. Although the act of killing was natural and not one to be ashamed of, there was little sense in mocking the prey and playing it off as a joke. That very concept was one of the first that was ingrained in a young Dosu’s mind, and one he still cannot ignore to this day. Even if this fighting is for sport and not actually claiming someone’s life, that very notion came to the forefront once he was ready to fight.

“You talk too much. Just lay your life on the line for me, I won’t ask for anything else.”

He frowned a little, figuring it wouldn’t be so easy to get her to cooperate, given what little he had seen of her seemed to point in the opposite direction. The kind to revel in bloodsports and although he understood the thrill that came with the hunt, she ought to have a little more control one her wants and desires and she wanted to last in the real world.

What she said about his power did surprise him a little. What exactly did she mean by that? As far as he was aware, he was always giving it his all, always going full throttle! She had to be playing mind games on him. He wouldn’t give her the pleasure of throwing him off-balance with words alone. In contrast to his more expressive tone of earlier, Dosu had gotten a lot calmer and focused, and as Ruby tried to talk once more, the Heran seized the occasion, going for a front kick straight to her guts. In the hope that she would have the air knocked out of her, he would then try and slip past her, throwing a karate chop to her cervical spine.

His interest in a casual battle quickly became a fight or survival for him. His mind was wired in such a way that no confrontations exist solely for enjoyment alone. Sparring was an entire thing apart, focused on the betterment of both parties. What participants of Battle Island practiced was somewhere between the two, in a strange space that Dosu thought he understood, but actually didn’t. Rather, it was that his body had been formatted in such a way that he instinctively attacked to incapacitate and kill instead of just injuring. Banter didn’t exist where he was from and those with a loud mouth often found themselves drawing their last breath sooner than the rest.

“Then you best be careful not to bite your own tongue.”

A solid advice as he moved to strike, only for his attack to be promptly evaded. There was something odd in the rhythm Ruby displayed, moving far too easily for what would have been a surprise attack. A testament to her strength, he believed, as few would be able to avoid his attacks so effortlessly. The follow-up attack he had prepared was stopped midway, expecting a retaliation from her that never came. Instead, she seemed hellbent on playing her mind games. What good would there be in telling him that he couldn’t figure out his own strength? Still, it irked him to hear those words from her, basically being politely mocked. He had heard that talk before, from fellow clansmen and family alike, but it always sounded the same to him. Just total gibberish.

“As if I’d need any of that. They always talk about cultivating your energy, learning how to sense and feel those around. Then they bring out their petty tricks and fireworks show. Fuck all of that. I don’t need all of that sorcery bullshit. I am a hunter and I only need to use my fists to put you down.”

Cute or not, it meant nothing to him. His flawed vision of his own strength had never been a problem in the past, why would it become one now? Certainly not after some rando coming out of the woodworks came to tell him otherwise. He dropped his stance standing before her with arms wide open. An invitation, as clear as day.

“Show me how apart we are. But you better not miss your shot, *bleep*.”

Was he talking out of his ass once again? Perhaps he was a fool, and a huge one at that. Yet, he remained as confident as ever, the contradiction between his self-assuredness and the reality sure to instill a little doubt in anyone.

“They’ll land. They always do.”

He said it without any trace of ego backing his claim. It was experience that taught him that persistence always overcame obstacles. In the end, they all tired out, became slower as the Heran pressed on. Now, offering her a chance of a lifetime, Dosu held himself straight, arms wide open as he waited for her to strike. An opportunity that she would not miss.

The entire maneuver was almost faster than he could react. He saw it coming, though even if he had tried to dodge it, there was no guarantee that he would even succeed. The knee smashed against his eye, the feeling of his orbital bone cracking sending a surge of electricity down his spine. Flesh tearing at his brow quickly covered part of his face alongside the swelling. The impact was so fierce that the Heran was sent flying a few meters backwards, landing with a huge thud on his back.

As he fell, his power would drastically change once more, doubling from its previous value. Almost as quickly as he fell back, he got himself back up with renewed vigor, unfazed by his injury. There was something strange about it, almost as if he was more reactive than before. Without even considering what had happened, Dosu rushed towards Ruby, doing a barrage of attacks of his own. Punches and kicks, aimed at various vital points on her body.

His power began to fluctuate once more, this time at values that were worlds apart. Each time that he would attempt to land a strike, his energy would skyrocket, before immediately falling back. This repeated for as many times as he would try and attack her, oblivious to his own strength. It was adrenaline that was governing his body at this time, feeding his muscles with surges of power that he had no control of. While in this erratic state, his mind remained sharp and focused, however, culminating into a strange combination.

In the midst of his rush attack, he would try to grab Ruby by her hair, swinging her overboard into the water. Following her, he would dive as well, attempting to push her against the hull of the ship, resuming with his onslaught. The savagery he displayed mixed with accurate precision would be overwhelming to many foes and with one last front kick to her gut, even against the friction of the water, the impact would be such that it would send her through the hull of the ship, through several floors and back on the deck. If any of this were to succeed, Dosu would meet up with her, somewhere where he could catch his breath, before his power stabilized itself once more.