Event | Landfall | Bresilyk | Countryside

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and all!
Date: December 3 - 11, 2013
Location: Bresilyk countryside (landfall)
Situation: Tu Vishan makes landfall at the winterbound republic of Bresilyk!
Warnings/Rating: Please include warnings in comment subject lines

OOC Post | Approved Items | Special Gifts
Aihsohlow | Phorezton | Markutte | Countryside

The countryside is layered with snow that is up to four meters deep, all fallen within the past two months as a cold season falls upon the country. There are numerous roads in between towns and small, domed minesteads and each road is oddly clear of snow and ice. Closer inspection reveals that the surfaces are heated by some technology buried beneath the black surfaces. Occasional construction crews can be seen tearing up or laying down new surfacing over a web of thick, coated wires that presumably provide the heat. Snow is often found sculpted near crossroads, taking artistic shape in anything from beautifully arched sculptures to recreations of local fauna.

Wildlife can be spotted here and there, with a large herd of antlered beasts making their way across the snowy grounds. Webbing between their toes (yes, toes) allows each of the large, white animals to traverse upon the snow-tops with barely a print left in their wake. Hunting parties can be seen chasing after the fringes of this herd while wearing some sort of hovering harness and it is evident that the beasts are a primary source of meat for the people. Birds flit back and forth, a few predatory mammals can be spied at the edges of the icebound forests, and there are a variety of serpentine pets kept by residents fortunate to live in the warmer domed towns.

Speaking of towns, the three within the barrier's reach are spaced roughly twenty kilometres away from one another, forming a triangle of commerce that sustains each. Aihsohlow represents the southernmost town, Phorezton the northernmost, and Markutte the northeastern one. There are a variety of small minesteads in between that would greet travellers, but only reluctantly allow them into their homes. Stories abound of troubles outside the domes and they are not apt to invite said troubles inside.

Roadways | Minesteads | Other

Comments

[oyaji]

"D'oh ho hoo!" Now this was starting to get good. He still had no idea why he wanted to push his partner over the edge, but it still got him what he wanted. Kotetsu just hoped he didn't regret waking up a sleeping best. Still, he wasn't going to let Barnaby notice any trepidation from him. he would meet this challenge head on and then some!

"So the cute lil' Bunny's gonna come play in the snow with the big ol' Tiger, huh?" Just to rub it in further, the Hero brough his hands up to his head like a pair of floppy bunny ears.

[baniichan]

"Is that what you want?" he asked, crouching down low enough to start packing a ball of snow between his gloved hands. As Barnaby moved, his eyes remained pinned on Kotetsu, not willing to let his partner out of his sight for even a second.

"This is your last chance to bow out, old man. I won't go easy on you."

[oyaji]

"Tche! I've a whole lifetime's worth of experience on you. Do your worst, lil' Bunny!" Hell, he would even give the guy the first shot! The first one to throw was usually the one who lost. If you fired too soon, you left yourself vulnerable to attack later. He'd have Barnaby pinned on the ground, face buried in the snow in no time.

[baniichan]

Lifetime of "experience" or no, Barnaby was a fast learner, and the better tactician to boot. At least no one could say he didn't warn the poor fool.

Without another word, he hurled the freshly-made snowball at an alarming speed, making sure to aim right for his partner's stupidly smug face.

[oyaji]

Psht amateur move. Kotetsu squatted down and out of the trajectory zone before scrambling to the edge of the road for his own pile of snow. It wasn't perfectly round--He didn't have the time for that--but as long as it was packed densely it would do the job.

Still perched on the balls of his feet, the older man hurled the glob of snow like a pitcher on the mound. Unlike his poor partner, he aimed for the torso. It was a bigger target and more likely to take the hit. Sure, it didn't sting as much, but you had to work the body some, get the guy to slow down before walloping him with the finisher. It was boxing 101!

[baniichan]

The moment the malformed snowball struck his torso, sending bits of snow everywhere, Barnaby realized that Kotetsu likely aimed to make this a long fight. There was no way he wouldn't have at least tried to make a more deadly shot, otherwise.

The strategy wasn't necessarily a bad one, although he wasn't sure how his partner intended to win when Barnaby was also considerably younger. After all, even with endurance being Kotetsu's only strong point, Barnaby's stamina wasn't anything to sneeze at.

Well, no matter. Barnaby intended to finish as quick as possible anyway. After scooping up another ball of snow, Barnaby began to quickly move toward Kotetsu -- not quite a run, but faster than a normal walk -- as he packed it between his hands.

[oyaji]

"Uh oh..." Kotetsu immediately took to moving away from Barnaby's advancements. He wouldn't let himself become a bumbling target for his partner to hit! After a few quick strides in another direction, he began putting his bobbing and weaving skills to good use. If you didn't have a good target, then you didn't have a good shot. Kotetsu's head waggled back and forth, up and down, as he serpentined across the road to keep out of Barnaby's line of fire.

Ha, he'd love to see the man just try and catch him.

[baniichan]

Unfortunately for Kotetsu, Barnaby was a patient man. As soon as his partner bobbed across the road like a drunken chicken, the blond stopped on his side of the road to kneel down. With one snowball already made, he carefully placed that one down in order to quickly make another one, and then another.

[oyaji]

"D'ah! You cheater!" That was not how this worked! Kotetsu stopped for a second to swipe a long leg through the snow, flinging it toward Barnaby. All he could hope for was the destruction or loss of snowballs in the slight downpour.

Then, he rushed forward toward his partner, ready to tackle him to the ground or dodge a new flurry of attacks. Barnaby may be all legs, but Kotetsu was all shoulders and arms. If he could get in the blond's personal space quick enough, he could pick him up and take him down to the ground into a snow drift behind them.

[baniichan]

It was only cheating because Kotetsu hadn't thought of it first. Thankfully, the snowballs were packed tightly enough that a little extra wasn't going to ruin their shape.

Of course, Kotetsu's sudden dash threw a wrench in his plans, but it wasn't anything Barnaby hadn't considered. As things stood now, he had a few options. Abandon his ammo and retreat, take his ammo while retreating in the hopes that he'd find a suitable opening, or stand his ground and try to dissuade Kotetsu with a few choice snowballs. None of those scenarios sounded ideal. Kotetsu had picked up enough speed that he wasn't going to be knocked off course by some snow. Moreover, retreating would only make aiming more difficult.

So, Barnaby did the next best thing. With one snowball in each hand, he sprinted toward Kotetsu, intent on bringing the fight straight to his partner.

[oyaji]

Oh shit, he really hadn't thought this one out very well. As his partner came toward him, Kotetsu had the instinctive twinge to halt his forward momentum, and that's all it took to bring him tumbling down. His foot twisted reflexively to stall him, which only served to slip him up over the packed snow.

"Wh-Whoa whoa whoa--! D'ah!" The older man went down like a bag of dirt, not but a few feet away from Barnaby. His only saving grace would be if the sudden drop tripped up the blond's own momentum.

[baniichan]

Well, that hadn't taken long. Inwardly pleased at how quickly he'd been able to grab the upper hand, he didn't back down. Of course, the sudden pile of old man on the snow was a surprise, but anyone in his line of work had to have fast reflexes. He managed to slow down enough to stop himself from trampling Kotetsu, and though he could have launched into an attack from where he stood, Barnaby wasn't satisfied with that.

He'd said he'd punish Kotetsu, after all, and he still meant it.

Without another word, Barnaby suddenly dropped to his knees and moved to shove one of his snowballs into his partner's face.

[oyaji]

"Hey, what're you--D'ah!" All of a sudden there was a shock of freezing wet ice all over his face and up his nose. This wasn't how this was supposed to end! He was the one that's been in snowball fights, not his partner! Lying on his back, unable to open his eyes, and just taking it was not his style! He had to do something.

One of his hands that wasn't trying to bat the blond back stretched out behind him to grab a fistful of his own ammunition. Then with a fury, the older man unleashed it across Barnaby in the hopes it would blind him just as spectacularly! If he got him distracted enough to get the man to shift his weight back, he could totally flip him.

[baniichan]

"Nnn--!" The onslaught skewed Barnaby's glasses, dousing his face in another batch of cold snow. Of course, if Kotetsu thought he could win with that, he was sorely mistaken.

Instead, Barnaby reached for Kotetsu's arms in an attempt to thoroughly pin him to the ground. "Hold still, old man!"

[oyaji]

"Never, blondie!" Once Barnaby grabbed a hold of his forearms, he continued to struggle, but it was only a ruse to keep the man's attention on his upper body rather than the subtle sabotage that was being orchestrated below.

Kotetsu waited for a shift in his partner's weight, and when he felt it he took advantage immediately. Hooking his legs behind Barnaby's, he used the angle and his own force against him to flip him to the side. Yeah, he might be old, but he still had plenty of tricks up his sleeves.

[baniichan]

"Hey, what are you--!" Before he could finish his sentence, Kotetsu had dropped Barnaby's shoulder into the cold snow. Sucking in a sharp breath, he realized what his partner intended to do. Well, if he thought Barnaby was just going to sit back and let Kotetsu pin him down, then he was going to be sorely disappointed.

Shifting his leg, Barnaby tried to push back enough to properly straddle Kotetsu.

[oyaji]

"Roll over!" he whined as he wrestled with his partner, his upper body strength beginning to lose the fight against Barnaby's strong legs. It sure as hell was a great contrast on the streets when their team work came into play. Against each other, it was really obnoxious!

So, he would have to go with Plan C. He fought ruthlessly to get one arm freed from the man's grasp. It was only a matter of time until a hand slipped out as he fought with renewed vigor. Barnaby could do all the training he wished, but he was just naturally thicker in the chest and arms. He couldn't lose this one! There was no way Kotetsu was going to let this snow newb get the better of him!

[baniichan]

"You'll have to make me!" Barnaby defiantly shot back. And it looked like Kotetsu was going to take him up on that, if the way he managed to worm one of his arms free was any indicator.

At this point, Barnaby's only options were to either wear the old man down or to try to make an escape. If this were a real combat situation, he probably would have tried to remove himself from any situation where he was at a disadvantage (or used his Hundred Power). But as things were now, he couldn't help but get a strange thrill from rolling around in the snow with his partner.

So he settled on trying to wear him down, and he attempted to grab at Kotetsu's freed arm, his legs still working to turn the tables.

[oyaji]

"Oh I will!" Keeping his free arm away from Barnaby's writhing grip, he scrabbled for a fist full of snow from behind him. Kotetsu held on with all of his might, allowing nothing and no one, especially a blond wintry upstart, to stop his rush forward.

His target: Barnaby's shirt--Well, more precisely, under it. No one was immune to a good shock of frostbite down the front of their shirt. The older man just hoped he could get his hand to his chest before his partner caught him.

[baniichan]

It happened so quickly that Kotetsu succeeded in catching Barnaby off guard -- and shoving a fistful of snow up his shirt.

Oh. Oh, that was cold. Barnaby had never been in a show ball fight before, but he didn't need the experience to know that he hated feeling like someone had just dropped ice onto his stomach.

"Ah--! S-stop that!" he shouted, abruptly curling in on himself so he could clean out his clothes.