Strength of a Small Family (Hunt/Closed)

MUSE

Taking in a deep breath again, Gawain proceeded further into the brilliant forest, however, with his rather tiny companion this time. Once more, the boy only took the little one along out of the dog's desire to protect his owner; whenever the dog saw his owner dress up in his armor, adjusting his sword to its belt, the little dog knew that his owner was going out to fight, so Gawain's pet always accompanied him everywhere when he wore his armor. Nonetheless, even if Gawain focused more intensely than he would alone, there was still the danger of his pet being hurt, or worse. In the very least, the boy had to adapt to whatever situation was thrown at him by the Creatures of Grimm. He was a warrior still, no matter how caring he was.

Standing in the middle of a decently-sized clearing, Gawain crouched down to his little dog who stayed by his side throughout their entire walk. The dog quickly noticed into their trip, though, that situations were going to be more intense than their last walk through the greener forest, so he stayed silent and simply listened and watched for his owner's life and his own.

Dog:

Click clack click, the sound the two large pincers of the Deathstalker was making. The large and rarer Grimm roamed in the forest in search of a prey, something easy to kill to liven up the day a little. The giant scorpion crushed the trees that were in its way, making a lot of noise that would attract anyone that would hear it. The Grimm sensed something after a while of walking, something alive was close... they were two, but one was so small that it was hard to smell from where the beast was. The Deathstalker approached slowly, ramming even more trees in its wake, seemingly in an attempt to create a new clearing in the forest. Even though it was using the trees as cover, the Grimm was still pretty noticeable both by its size and also as it stopped right before the clearing and stood there waiting. Click clack click, the sound the two large pincers would make while chopping this Huntsman down.

Gently petting his wary dog, smiling at the little one as well for a moment, Gawain calmly stood from his spot and glanced heavily on his surroundings. With the forests sounds growing louder and more intense, the boy assumed the anomaly was due to his and his pet's presence. Clearly, the irregularity in the forest's calm and serene nature must have been the work of some large Grimm, and the boy was already planning ahead to figure out how to combat the enemy. With hands preparing to draw his sword, Gawain circled around in his spot, keeping an open mind on what type of Grimm he had to fight. Ursa, Beowulf, Deathstalker, King Taijitu, all of them were viable options given the abrupt sounds echoing throughout the forest, until the boy finally saw it.

After just a single rotation, Gawain locked eyes with the red-eyed beast, drawing his sword and readying himself in his stance: right leg behind the left, shoulder-width apart with his sword in front of him, hands kept low and angled upwards. Breathing calmly, focusing his eyes on the creature, Gawain waited for the first strike from the Deathstalker, a notoriously deadly Creature of Grimm. With few available striking points to uutilize, Gawain had to make the best of any counterattack he would initiate. As for the little dog, he started barking fiercely, nevertheless cutely to a common person; Gawain thought it was in the very least nice to have such a protective pet, but, in the end, he had to protect them both.

"Clickedy Clack, Clickedy Clack, Clickedy Clickedy Clack. Clickedy Clack, Clickedy Clack, Click Clack Clunk," The beast's claws let out the rhythmic sounds of shell on shell as it scuttled forth through the forest, scanning the horizon for prey in it's domain.

Upon finding the boy and beast it came to a sudden stop, claws stretched out on either side of the pair and tail dangling dangerously from above. The golden orb almost seemed to throb as the Grimm identified the duo.

The left claw let out slow rhythmic clips, as if to draw his attention. The golden orb above them continued to throb as it began to sway lightly. The beast's left claw remind silent and still. Would he anticipate a blow from the clicking hand? The drop down pierce from the stinger? Or was he dreading the claw in it's solitary silence?

Swing, Click, Swing, Click, Swing, Click Click Click, Swing, Click, Swing Swing, Click, Swing Click Swing, Click.

Sudenly, out of nowhere, the beast's clicking claw (in it's open state) rushed toward the pair. Digging into the earth as it gild to launch the pair far. The beast then brought the silent claw up to it's eyes, prepared to block incoming assaults.

MUSE

Every single motion the beast made simply taunted the boy, from the clacking of one claw to the dead silent of the other, the simple, slow, daunting sway of its stinger threatened the boy's very existence. But, Gawain wasn't afraid of what was ahead; he stared down at the very eyes of his opponent, unwilling to lose, unwilling to bend, unwilling to back down, unwilling to turn tail and run. Every fiber of his existence told him to stand and fight, and so, he did with a vigor never before held. His injuries, his encounters, they all reminded him of the future he desired, the goals he wanted to surpass, and that encounter, then and there, would be yet another forbearing reminder.

As the three waited in their spots, Gawain's entire focus directed itself on the beast, ignoring the growls and barks from the companion by the boy's side. The two of them were going to fight together, but for Gawain, he needed a strategy, a tactic; he couldn't simply go in slashing away at the Grimm. So the boy thought, pacing his mind for everything he knew on the Grimm, what it was, what it was doing, and how to proceed, Death Stalker, almost fully armored, large in size. Three directions of attack, above, right, and left. Landing on top of it is a risky but viable strategy; its uncovered spots are more visible that way. Still, approaching first is a tactic best left aside here; evading and countering is the best way to go. Loosening his stance, the boy withdrew his sword, at an upward angle, to his right side as he waited for the first maneuver by the Grimm; the weight of the metal was noticeable, but he'd have to bear it no matter what. Surviving and succeeding were more than enough cause to herald that.

As the Death Stalker made its first move, crawling towards him like a train chugging its way across the countryside, Gawain with his companion following straight after, growing to a considerable size to meet the threat, dashed straight towards the Grimm. With one claw clearly ready for an attack, the other one shut, either for defense or a smash, and the stinger ready to strike, Gawain aimed straight for the wide-open claw.

With the earth shattering below the rhythmic pincer, Gawain kicked horizontally towards the right side of the Grimm, aiming to dodge the claw while his companion continued forward into the Grimm, headbutting into the closed claw. With the attention drawn towards the grown animal, the boy made one more approach towards the open side of the Grimm, drawing his sword overhead and down upon the uncovered appendage, hopefully damaging the black beast in the very least and dissuading any attempt to attack the dog while he retreated, allowing his owner to take precedence in the battle.

Health and Aura/Equipment/Attacks:

Dog's Health and Aura/Attacks:

It seemed like the pair would be more trouble some than the massive scorpion first thought. They went for a chain attack that seemed to serve both as a defensive maneuver and an attack opportunity as the furry ball deflected the shut claw before the boy could come and strike. However, there was a flaw to the tactic: the pincers of the Grimm are incredibly hardy which means that near no damage was made to it by the headbutting dog and because of its small size compared to the creature, with a simple swing of its claw smashed the dog away as it made contact with the appendage. Although the dog did manage to distract the Deathstalker long enough for the boy's strike to be successful, causing it to shriek in what seemed like pain before it spun on itself to smash the hunter with the backside of its claw before thrusting its stinger at the boy, trying to impale him with it while protecting its face with its claws in front of it, opened to see through but placed so only a thrust form his sword could reach its eyes but would have to be in between its opened claws.

With a blink of the eye after the coordinated attack, the young Huntsman found himself caught in the consequence of his attack. Smacked aside like his companion, Gawain dragged his feet against the blue grass with his sword trailing after him, slowing his faltering motion. The actual impact of the claw did little damage to the boy but left him without a breath for a moment; the collision of the claw against the armor and then the chest was enough to do so, however, only for a moment.

Inhaling and exhaling for a quick breath, Gawain drew his sword from the ground with his right hand, feeling his weight transfer to his right side. With the upcoming attack from the Grimm's stinger, he had little time to dodge left, right, forward, or backward, so he decided on blocking the incoming attack instead. Raising his sword over him while supporting the end of the blade with his left hand, he felt the impact of the stinger against metal. The collision was enough to push him back ever so slightly, but Gawain refused to budge from his spot; he refused to lose in that encounter no matter what.

Several feet away from the altercation lie the body of the the Huntsman's accompanying guardian. He slowly rose, however, taking a moment to adjust his body from the bash. Breathing, shaking, and concentrating, the guardian stared down at his target once more. Locked on and ready to attack, the beast dashed and leaped from his spot once in range, aiming for the side of the left claw for an aggressive and violent chomp. He wasn't going to let the engagement end in a loss for the two of them.

With the sudden attack from his companion, Gawain aimed to overpower the stinger, forcing all of his strength into his right arm to knock the stinger back towards his left side. Stepping to the left of the Grimm, Gawain drew his refined sword up by his right side, utilizing both his hands, and sliced horizontally at the tip of the tail before landing with his feet planted on the ground. With the maneuver landing him in front of the left claw of the scorpion, bitten by his accompanying dog, Gawain was somewhat safe, for then at least.

Health and Aura/Equipment/Attacks:

Dog's Health and Aura/Attacks:

With a central and impacting strike completely whiffing, Gawain had to immediately adjust his positioning and ready for his next attack. Taking an immediate hop back, analyzing the given situation, Gawain positioned himself into his combat stance: both hands on the sword, feet shoulder-width apart, and right foot behind the left. Noting the constant flow of the Grimm's body, Gawain decided against going in for an immediate attack; the arbitrary movement of the Grimm made any incoming attack on a crucial point almost a guaranteed failure, considering the creature's bulky figure, and the Grimm could have easily smashed against the swordsman's body in the process. Thus with such analysis made, Gawain was dissuaded from making any further attempt at an attack, for then.

When the bestial movement suddenly ended and the Grimm made its immediate attempt to stop the source of its pain, the sole boy immediately reacted on instinct, this instinct being the desire to protect. Dashing forward, Gawain tossed his left arm out to his side as his body radiated a clear white. At the end of the process, a large Glyph, as tall as he was, appeared just below the Grimm's raised claw, hopefully stopping its acceleration and crushing effect. Nevertheless, with the boy's companion starting to shrink while trapped in between a rock and a hard place, the boy had to act fast before the opposition caught wind of the situation.

Leaping from his spot, Gawain aimed for the head of the Deathstalker. The distance between the two was enough for the jump's success, but landing depended on whether or not there weren't any interruptions. Nevertheless, with the pounce, the boy aimed to land on the body of the Deathstalker before stomping directly onto its left and biggest eye while drawing his sword up with both his hands. If the Grimm started shaking then, then perhaps he'd be in danger, but he simply focused on the task he desired. With his sword raised above his head, held by the hilt up, Gawain drove the blade into the Grimm's right and biggest eye, hoping to break through enough bone and mass to end the creature's existence. The entire process was a gamble, but in a close-range fight, Gawain had to create his own opportunities.

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Dog's Health and Aura/Attacks:

MUSE

With the blade embedded deep in the Grimm's eye, Gawain intended to stay his ground on the beast's back, but with the abrupt rear from the Grimm, surprisingly done given its typing, the young Huntsman flew a considerable distance away, landing on his back. Nevertheless, with the last act of survival the Grimm had, the black beast soon fell, disappearing into nothingness as its kind would do. The sword once embedded into its right eye collapsed to the ground, and the small companion that fought its best fell as well, making a noticeable whine as he connected with the ground. At last, however, the battle was won.

Standing from his fallen spot, Gawain remained still, aiding his lungs in their recovery while examining the situation at hand, even if he knew he already won. With his companion on the ground, unmoved but shaking, the boy made his way through the crushed meadow, only to stop before the little animal. Even though Gawain wasn't harmed severely during the battle, the encounter surely was disastrous for his pet, being his first fight. Picking up his pet into his arms and giving him the congratulations he deserved, Gawain retrieved his sword while he himself received a few licks from the exhausted pet. With a battle won with the two intact, the boy was happy to say the least: the two had coordination in combat, but just having his friend survive made him glad. Having his pet accompany him perhaps was a good idea as long as they survived.

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Dog's Health and Aura/Attacks: