Geiger and Seo star in... The Negotiations

[avidelmv2]

Geiger held tight to the reigns of the rooster, steering it hard towards the way of the upcoming inn. Its interest lie more in the slack jawed locals, who Geiger himself had yet avoided eye contact with by way of rolling his eyes way up to his brow. The incorrigible fowl went out of its way to peck at baskets of freshly harvest produce being carried to village locales, and otherwise just being too close for human comfort. This wasn't Geiger's first time being in Atzintli. As a desert civilization with a relatively strong pirate presence, there was always traffic his family could exploit for their financial or reputational gain. What's more, there was Zarzara Island just 20 miles up the stream, with exotic wines for personal and private tasting or importing into their bars. Between the Queendom and Zarzara, he knew he always had a place to enjoy the perks of his family's under-the-table dealings. Well, he used to at least.

"We don't got time for this, feathers. Yah!" Geiger whipped the reigns against the chickens back, causing it to yodel and buck before shooting off in a direction other than what he had planned.

They were back on track soon with the help of a bag of grain he kept for situations just like this. All he had to do was sprinkle some of it ahead, and voila - the rooster would go like a moth to the flame! He continued to dust the road ahead, breathing in deep to calm and bite back his mounting frustrations. Ommmm... Zen, zen. His meditation was interrupted when the rooster ran into something ahead of them. Their own panicked clucking was what startled him out of his blissful trance, but it was just in time. Finally, the inn! Geiger sighed hard, some of the tension of the day leaving his body, and reached forward to open the door for them.

"Goooooooood morning, ladies and gents!" A room of hard faced brigands, mouths stuffed with meat or grog, looked back at him. Drinks were spat out and others choked on their dinner while he sauntered forward, smiling hard despite the nervous sweat already forming on his brow. His confident strut was cut short when the chicken veered off its path to the counter to approach someone's table. The sitters leapt away, but had to dive back in when the rooster started hovering over their plates and mugs. "No, no, stop! You can't do that!" Geiger was right there with the patrons, urging the rooster to back away while he spread more grain behind them from the bag he had. "Hey, stop, who's gonna clean that up!?" Geiger flinched, meeting the gaze of the inn owner as they leaned over the bar to shout at him. He plastered his smile back on and swept his hair back with his other hand, putting on the air of charm.

"Hey, sorry about that, boss! I was just rolling through to put some money down for anyone who wants to do a little work for me. I figure the hard working gents here wouldn't miss out on an opportunity like that, right? So if you're between jobs, come to me. We can talk rates, draft a contract-" He turned back to the commotion happening right beside him when curses started being thrown around. Without his intervention, it had climaxed with the chicken flipping the whole table against the two patrons fighting back for their food. Their drinks splashed back in their faces and on some of the pirates around them, and if there weren't eyes on him when he entered, they were all on him now. And they all wanted murder. Before Geiger started to say anything, the owner of the inn was back to stammering at him.

"Look, this is an inn, not some recruitment agency. If you're looking for a sell-sword, go to the arena, there's plenty there. But get out of my inn before you cause any more trouble!" The chicken had already decided to do that for them, turning to stomp out the door while Geiger threw a bag of Belli to the counter. "Hey, thanks boss! Here's some cash for the table, and the food, a-and the info, and... Hey, just spend the rest on something nice for you and the-"

The door closed in his face before he could get out the rest of his words.

---

Geiger tried to get the rooster settled in a seat as best a giant chicken could. While it stepped over already seated spectators and struggled to recognize the difference between a seat that was already full and what was empty, he turned his gaze out to the full breadth of the stadium. Excited conversation buzzed in the air. Patrons lamenting their fortunes or misfortunes in the last round of better, or wistfully dreaming that they could be as impressive as even half the fighters they'd seen today. All he thought was how unfortunate that the arena had to be so busy when he visited. Spectators were bunched shoulder to shoulder in the rafters, and that meant the chicken would be caught on all sides by rowdy and uncomfortable citizens. How bad would it be once this next match started? Well, he didn't want to think about it. He kept the rooster docile with a feedbag strapped around their head, and they seemed content to eat their hearts fill for now. 

Once seated, Geiger read down the list of headliners while the arena was prepped for the next match, looking out for ferocious sounding names. He found exactly what he was looking for in one that was so long, it wrapped back onto itself in its bracket. "'Pitch-Black Fire Chain Born of Wrath Purges the Unworthy', huh... Now THAT'S the kind of guy who knocks teeth out of mouths." He hailed down a bookie to ask the odds on said fighter while the announcers prepared to take the stage and introduce the next bracket.

---

Post Count: 1

[pepsi]

-- SEO #1 //

"Come on, can't I just announce you as 'Black Chain' or something like that?"

"... Do it, and I'll make the show as boring as that name."

"Look, man, that is your problem. I don't own the ring, I just announce names. You'll have to bring that up to Mr. Zancuso."

"Then call me 'Wrath'. At least it's accurate."

"Okay, okay... 'Wrath', yeah? 'Black Chain' sounds better I think."

"Do whatever the @%#} you want."

The incoherent noise from the crowd increased tenfold when the announcer appeared on stage. A Den Den Mushi microphone in his hand, he yelled: "Get ready for the next battle!"; the crowd exploded with cheers, many of them raising their fistfuls of money up in the air as if they could be multiplied by the air of the room alone. The ring had eight sides, and at two opposite corners were painted a red circle and a blue circle respectively.
"In the blue corner, clocking in at a hefty 120 kilograms and a height of two meters and a half... Alexander Larsson, the strongest kick this side of the world!" Right as his name was being announced, an athletic figure hopped onto the stage; his proportions clearly hinted at Longleg heritage. His bright green hair, gathered in a bun at the back of the head, and a matching green-silver-black attire were his most iconic features. Alexander kicked the air in front of himself a few times, showing off his speed to the audience, before strutting back to his corner painted in blue. The crowd cheered wildly at his appearance, chanting his name in a rythmic fashion.
"And in the red corner, with a weight of 115 kilograms and above the meter-eighty of stature... Seo Chan-Yeol, 'Black Chain'!" Seo appeared on stage wearing a loose fitting hooded robe. A pair of terrifying horns poked out from under the hoodie, and on his back he looked like he was carrying a gigantic backpack of sorts. The crowd had a totally opposite reaction to Seo than it had Alexander. Was this guy going to fight carrying an entire backpack? Was he going to remove the robe, or not? Suddenly it became clear why the odds were so much in favour of Alexander - something around 7 to 1, which made betting on Seo very attractive but also quite risky.

The announcer took the time to see if Seo was going to remove his garments before the fight, but after a few seconds of him simply standing in his corner he decided he simply did not care enough. After the regular countdown, the announcer simply declared:

"Fight!"

With the speed of lightning, Alexander's right foot almost teleported to Seo's face. The impact was gnarly, and the hooded Seo was launched back towards the rope of the octagonal ring. Half the crowd cheered, the other booed; Alexander's assault did not stop there. The half-longleg stepped into Seo's personal space, delivering a devastating knee to the stomach; Seo coiled from the impact, or perhaps from the pain, and did not quite respond.

"Come on! People expect a match, not a stomp!" Alexander said, with a smug and mocking tone. One more knee to the stomach drove the point home.

"... He didn't call me with the right name. No show."
Alexander stopped for a moment. "What?" he asked, unsure if he'd heard his opponent right. "A stomp is all these people are gonna get."
Seo's stomach was met with the third knee in a row. "You can't be serious? You're upset because they spelled your name wrong? Why don't you just yield, then?"

"You think I'm going to lose this fight? I'm just waiting."
"Waiting for what, you damn weirdo?..."
"I'm waiting for you to make me angry."

-- NAME // Seo Chan-Yeol

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[avidelmv2]

"7-to-1 odds!? On a guy like that!?" The bookie taking Geiger's bet flinched as the rooster bellowed and smashed into the kiosk separating them. "I don't advise on bets, sir, just take them." Geiger didn't catch the dry impatience in their answer, busy as he was with tightening the feedbag around the roosters face. Meanwhile, he balanced the prospects of Seo's bracket with its dangers. The money he'd left to the inn keep had been a sizable chunk of his coffers, something he regretted not taking the moment to properly count, but he could make up that and more with just one good bet. This bet right here. It would be enough to provide transport and supplies, and make whatever sell-sword he bought a very happy man. But the financial devastation a bad bet would wreak was just as severe. It would be safer to bet down the middle, and take whatever winnings to get some cheap muscle and a cheaper route of passage.

It was decided in the next moment, before the bell rang to begin the next fight. "Give me 10,000 Belli on Pitch-Black Fire Chain Born of Wrath Purges the Unworthy!"


Geiger was back to his seat before the introductions began. He joined in on the cheering like a good spectator, exercising his faith in Seo by crying extra-hard against Alexander. He was a truly inspiring sight for the other tournament-goers in his court, impassioned tears streamed down his face as Seo stepped into the ring. A true super fan! He had to be, with all the money he bet on this dark horse. The rooster, just plain startled by each start from the crowd, yodeled alongside them. The fighters took their corners, and the referee called them to attention - the fight opened with an explosive start, though not the kind Geiger was hoping for. "What!?" He cried out, the rooster howling with him, as Seo was immediately backed into the corner by a ferocious combo. "Get up, Black Chain! Give him what's for!" His cheers blended into the crowds own as they jeered the losing fighter. Somewhere between his lack of attentiveness in keeping the rooster fed and the rumble from the crowd, Geiger found himself being dragged out of his seat and through the aisles by the startled fowl. He grabbed the reins tight, struggling to pull it to a halt, when an idea came to him.

The rooster barreled down the aisles until the duo struck the stands' outer barrier overlooking the ring, pulled roughly by its harness around the perimeter until it and Geiger were standing over Seo's corner. Geiger slapped the feedbag over the roosters beak and tied it tight as could be as he leaned over into the open air over the ring. "Black Chain baby- can I call you Black Chain? What are you DOING!? You've gotta throw those hands, man, people've got money riding on this!"

---

Post Count: 2

[pepsi]

-- SEO #2 //

Alexander's fourth knee met Seo's open palm in place of his stomach. Almost instinctively, Seo's fingers clawed around Alexander's flesh and dug into it. "Get the..." almost effortlessly, Seo launched a vicious elbow right into Alexander's sternum. "... HELL outta my face!!" A quick motion, and Seo's leg swept Alexander off the ground.

The situation saw Alexander recovering from that sweeping hit, as Seo took a gander over to the crowd. That was when he noticed the absolute screamer that loomed over the ring. He looked weird enough to stand out, even among the crowd of random people coming from all corners of the world.

And in that moment his brain caught up with the crowd's cheers. "Alexander" mixed in with "Black Chain", and the fact that neither of those words were his actual name was absolutely infuriating. "You there!" he screamed, pointing directly at the weird man sitting on top of a - was that a gigantic chicken? - "@#§% you!"

"Call me Wrath! WRATH!! I worked so hard to find my n- ARGH!!!"

Seo felt excruciating pain in his back all a sudden. He yelled in pain, as he got launched towards the ring's ropes. Alexander had taken the opportunity to get up and hit Seo with a dropkick in the back. Only...
Seo was hiding something under that hooded robe; not a backpack, for certain, but something far different. Kind of a weak spot, considering his anatomy, and kind of a shameful part of himself. And Alexander, the not-so-great, struck him right there.

Seo stumbled and fell forwards, ending up hunched over the second rope of the ring. The crowd cheered, as long time patrons knew exactly where the match was going. That was a wrap, for sure - it was time for Alexander's signature move, the show-stopper.

Beaten up, berated, and hit right where it hurts, Seo felt that fire build up in his gut. That familiar feeling, that he learned how to unleash without remorse, his blessing and his curse.

Alexander took a running start, and launched himself in the middle between second and third rope; pivoting off of the ropes, he rotated his body one-hundred-eighty degrees as his legs swung right into Seo's face.

"OH!!" yelled the announcer. "It's the Six-Six-Six! Alexander's signature move! Nobody has ever recovered from this explosive attack!"

-- NAME // Seo Chan-Yeol

-- TECHS USED // None.

[avidelmv2]

The upset of the crowd was eclipsed by Geiger's own roaring cheers, and the clucking of a startled rooster. In just a few moves, Seo reversed the flow of this game of physical chess. Geiger would have wondered where all of this strength came from if he weren't focused entirely on his winnings just around the corner, now wishing he'd bet more. He was even able to ignore this rebuking from his hero. At this pace, he would call them whatever they wanted. But their thoughts were cut brief with thunderous punctuation, the impact of a sucker punch delivered to Seo's back. The rogue, Alexander, dropped Wrath with a drop kick to the back! And wait, just that? After the beating he had been delivering earlier, which Wrath seemed to shake off just fine? "Is this fight RIGGED!?" Geiger sputtered between tears, pulling at his carefully slicked 'do.

The momentum swung back in Alexander's favor as Seo sprawled between the ropes, and the crowd found their voice again too. It was Geiger's turn to fight to be heard over them, crying into cupped hands as Alexander rushed forward to deliver the finishing blow. "Wrath, look out, behind you! O-Or in front? What the HELL!?"

---

Post Count: 3

[pepsi]

-- SEO #3 //

"Here it is!" the announced bellowed, "the Six-Six-Six!"

Seo's head dangled off the ring, and he only had time to crane his neck upwards. A pair of knees came swinging into his field of view, and his vision flashed white on impact.

"OHH!!! It's over, it's over!" The announcer yelled, following the booming cheers of the crowd. Half of them were already celebrating their victory, as obvious as the odds made it seem. Seo flew right back to the center of the ring, landing on his back and sliding across the mat for half a meter.

His hooded robe opened up and slid off his head. Alexander hopped on the ring's ropes by one of the corners, flexing towards the crowd; "Yeah!" he roared, "That's right! I win again!"
The announcer started counting down for Seo. "Nine! Eight! Seven!..."

Seo and Nora stood across from each other. That sparring match had left him exhausted and gasping for air. "I'll be damned, Nora..." he said, in between deep breaths, "I know I asked you for training, but I didn't expect this."
Nora performed a sweeping motion of her hand, producing a ribbon of molten glass in her hand's wake. The glass hardened into a tubular string, which subsequently broke down into a series of interlocking rings. A glass chain.
"We're not even half done, alita negra. Toss your chain aside" Nora ordered, wrapping the glass chain around her arm, "I'll show you the basics of hand-to-hand." "No fair!" Seo replied, "you copied my chain and you wanna use it against me?"
Nora nodded. "Yeah. I don't care. Fights ain't fair." Seo gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran towards Nora. "RRRAHH!!!"

"Three! Two! One!..."

Seo slowly sat up on the ring. His hood didn't follow all the way up, instead slipping off his shoulders and falling back to the ring. "Impossible! Nobody ever got up from that move!" the announcer yelled into the mic, "will Black Chain break the mold?"
Seo had sharp, forward-pointing horns, which miraculously didn't pierce Alexander's knees. "That- those count as weapons, right? They're against the rules!" Alexander yelled, turning to the announcer. The announcer shrugged; he wasn't aware of any issues with Seo's horns.

Seo threw an obvious, telegraphed punch in Nora's direction. Nora stepped to the side, avoiding his attack by a wide margin. "You waste so much energy!" she wrapped her chain around Seo's overextended arm, pulling him forward and around in a loop; Seo tripped on her leg, and tumbled down, ending up at the same place he started. "What good is your strength if your opponent knows exactly how to avoid it?"

Seo's back, the cover of his robe gone, was finally exposed for everybody to see. His black wings spread apart, as if they were stretching. Was he a devil? Or a fallen angel?
"What the..." the announcer murmured, away from the microphone.

"Instead of throwing everything you have at the opponent, you have to learn to refine it..."

In one fluid motion, Seo kicked his legs up and sprang into a standing position. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was absolutely furious.

"Waste no energy. Channel the rage at max efficiency."

He dashed forwards into Alexander's personal space; he crouched, fluidly, his legs storing unfathomable amounts of energy to release in the next attack.
With the collaboration of his entire body, from feet to knees to hips to shoulders, he threw a punch right into Alexander's gut. The man had no time to see it coming, and no time to dodge away.

"And for the love of what's holy, don't yell. Waste nothing, not even your breath."

"TSUH!"

imgur.com/K1jiQWy

The sound of broken ribs filled the arena, sending a shiver down the spine of the first few rows of onlookers. Alexander was shoved backwards by the force of the punch, slamming his back against the same corner he was just done celebrating on.
The victim of Wrath's raging punch deflated, resting his broken body on the lowest ropes on either side. "He..." the announcer stuttered, "he's out! Alexander is out! An outstanding recovery from Black Chain!". The man started his countdown, knowing damn well the match was over.

-- NAME // Seo Chan-Yeol

-- TECHS USED // None.

[avidelmv2]

The crowd reached another peak at Seo's supposed defeat, while Geiger was reaching a cold-out-the-fridge low. A 10,000 Belli bid was no small amount of change that needed to be made up, but more than that, he felt so betrayed by the man he was beginning to admire. That name, that scowl, and those abs - were they all just for show? "Damn you, Wrath!" Geiger anguished, a torrent of tears and snot dribbling down his chin. He choked back the cry he wanted to let out, hiding despairing eyes behind the back of his hand. "Stiff upper lip, Geiger... This is just the way of the world. The fate of the underdog." The thought gagged him, almost releasing the emotion he worked so hard to dam. "Damn you, Wrath! I never want to see your face again! You... You hack!" Wiping the products of his sorrow into his hand, and that in the plumage of the chicken, Geiger straightened his gaze to be ready to stand and head back to the betting booth for another ill-advised wager. The whooping of the announcer were what stopped him, bringing his attention back to the scene in the fighting pit.

"WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATH!" Geiger wailed into the open air, half-hanging over the railing of the gallery. This tension in the air was a force that everyone could feel, the omniscient narrator telling that the show was reaching its climax, and sure to end spectacularly. Geiger was reaching like he could seize it and take flight with. "Get up, Wrath! Do it for me, Wrath! Do it for the underdog! Your battle is my battle! Our battle! Kick his SORRY-"

The sound of Seo's fist colliding with Alexander's floating ribs was the startling punctuation mark that succeeded the fight. An outcome come much sooner than ever expected, that couldn't be imagined by anything but the wildest dreamers... Which was why Geiger, now, was some tens of thousands richer. In the silence that Seo's devilish might created, Geiger's last sorrowful tear fell, replaced by a deluge of salty joy he and his fowl steed cried to the heavens.

"I'M SO PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAID!"

"BA-KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!"

---

Post Count: 4

[pepsi]

-- SEO #4 //

Paramedics rushed to the middle of the ring to drag Alexander foaming at the mouth away. Seo hopped down from the ring after giving a brief bow to the audience, just to spite them, really; he sincerely hoped most of them had lost their money. The cheers and noise gradually faded away and his steps on the cold hard floor became the only sound as he moved away from the ring area and into the dressing rooms.

Seo opened his locker, pulling out what little he could consider to be his belongings. A coat, a bag full of random stuff including personal hygiene products, all wrapped around with a dark shiny chain. He sighed. He knew what was coming.

It didn't take long for Vince, the owner of the fighting ring, to kick down his door. "What the hell have you done to my best fighter, Chan-Yeol?!" he yelled, making Seo's skin crawl from annoyance. "Any medical bills will be deducted from your cashout on this. And you better hope it covers them all, because if it doesn't, I'm suing you!" he threatened, waving his index at the half-Lunarian.

Seo walked right past his accusatory finger. "Honestly? I'm tired of this already. I thought it would be a better alternative to my usual gig" he explained. "I was wrong. Just keep that damn money, I don't want anything to do with this place anymore." "You come back here-"
The door to the dressing room closed behind Seo's back with a slam before Vince could finish.

In truth, he didn't want to break anyone's bones. Seo was always the type that did not know how to control his strength. He learned how to focus his rage down to a laser beam, but said laser beam would still be strong enough to melt everything down on its path. It was always the same issue: he could shape himself however he wanted, but he would always be hard to contain.

He walked down the main corridor, and then outside to feel the fresh air of the night. He still had some money left over from his last job, but soon even that would run out; he mentally kicked himself for not accepting any money at all from Vince, and cursed his own rash decisions. His dark wings tucked under the hoodie once more, he produced a pack of cigarettes from his bag and put it into his mouth; with a flick of his thumb, the cigarette was lit.

At least he still had his party tricks.

-- NAME // Seo Chan-Yeol

-- TECHS USED // None.