Tru Grit’s Fight Pits: Entry Test (Pt. 2)- Get Pucked

--- Joshua ---

The hero in front of him laughed. “Ha! Would you believe in a decade you’re the first one to say that?”

“What can I say, I’m original.” He shrugged before grabbing his power and flowing directly in front of Puck, hoping to get a surprise hit in.

“Not as much as you think.” The Card Cast told him, easily swaying out of the strike before delivering a knee to his stomach.

(Yeah, technically you’re a sequel.)

(Not the time!)

Powering through the blow he threw out a toonified back hand, hoping that the suddenly oversized limb would throw the hero off.

“Well, maybe a little.” Puck corrected himself, once more swaying out of the blows strike his feet skating on the ground as if it were covered in ice. “Shapeshifting is a rarity with you Madness types.”

The hero threw a glowing card at him and not quite sure what it would do, he dove out of the way, possibly overreacting as he flowed to the otherside of the arena. Something he was more than fine with when the card exploded as it hit the ground behind him.

“Bringing out the fireworks a bit early?” He couldn’t help but point out, stalling as he tried to figure out if the explosion was merely concussive or if it had some dangerous (to me at least) heat to it.

“Supposed to put ya through your paces kid, if that was enough to shake ya ya ain’t making it very far in this fight.” Puck explained, continuing to shuffle his cards as he had been throughout that brief exchange.

Narrowing his eyes at the deck he reached out with his Madness Field hoping to make the hero fumble his deck, while throwing out the hopefully distracting line of, “Dude, I thought you were going to help me impress the girl.”

“I am, after all the longer you last the cooler you’ll look.” Puck assured him.

“The cooler I’ll look as you kick my ass?” He scoffed, giving his Madness Field a twist before once more using Ink Flow to rush the hero.

“Don’t worry, the cooler I look, the cooler you’ll look by association.” The Card Caster promised, his eyes narrowing as rather than countering he clapped his deck. “At least if any of your plans work.”

He held back a growl as he felt his Madness Field forced away from the deck, (something I didn’t even know could happen!)

“That said, you seem to have an interest in my cards so how about I deal you a proper hand.” Puck made a quick movement with his fingers that ended with three cards being thrown at Joshua.

“Aren’t I supposed to get five cards in poker?” He couldn’t help but snark as he used a short range flow to avoid the cards, feeling something from the mundane looking cards as they cut through the strands of ink still in the air.

“What’s this? A Texan who’s never played hold ‘em?” Puck asked, with faux shock.

“If that was the flop then where was my hand?” He argued, being more than familiar with a number of card games Chris would host at the Crossing. “You shorted me one if you dealt them earlier.”

Puck laughed, growing a smile. “Really? Well then-” The hero disappeared in a flash of light.

He felt something crawl across his mind from behind him, and was half turned as Puck seemingly drew a blue card from Joshua’s coat. “You sure this ain’t your card.”

The card began to spark as static filled the air and reacting more on instinct than intention he flowed backwards, out of range of the Card Caster’s spell.

(So he can teleport… good to know…)

“Oh, not your card?” Puck frowned, canceling whatever spell he’d been casting as he flipped the card across his fingers.

“No, pretty sure I had the Jack of Hearts.” He told the hero, rubbing some ink onto his hand.

He ink flowed behind the Card Caster, his hand mid-swipe as he tried to tag the hero, only for his fingers to claw through the air as the man ducked beneath Joshua’s hand before kicking out with his leg in a sweep that took him off his feet.

Once more moving more on instinct rather than any sort of skill, his hands shot out before he could hit the ground allowing him to pull off a backflipping handspring back to his feet.

Rather than letting his own surprise at this maneuver show, he instead dusted off his coat and gave the hero a look. “I thought we were playing live hold ‘em, not sweeps?”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“It can be both.” Puck smirked. “That said, it is time for the Turn.”

The hero threw out another card, one that he noticed wasn’t glowing as he easily sidestepped it.

“No fancy card tricks on that one?” He frowned in mock disappointment.

“Trick is on the redraw.” Puck explained, just as he felt something cut his bicep. “Though its got a few of those.”

His eyes shot up as the card came back for a third go at him before he ink flowed a fair bit away from the card’s path. Something that did next to nothing as the card merely adjusted its trajectory once more to follow him.

(Are you seriously going to run from a playing card?)

He narrowed his eyes as the card flew at him before swiping at the air with a toonified hand snatching it out of the air. And while the card still bit into his hand for a moment he felt that it was significantly better than if he’d had to dodge it once more.

Shrinking his hand back down to size he had an idea before throwing the card back at the Card Caster. An act that he realized was actually very awkward as the card went wide of his target, “You know that’s not how that works.” at least until Puck worked his magic and had it return to his hand rather than winding up who knows where.

“I’m aware but I feel it’s cheating if anyone other than the dealer holds the community cards.” He shrugged, sticking to the theme of his banter even as he cautiously watched Puck flip the card across his fingers.

The hero watched him for a moment before smirking. “You know what I’ll give you this one. For your dignity at the very least.”

He held back a manic grin as the Card Caster shuffled the tagged card back into the deck. (Alright, not as good as tagging him myself but hopefully that’ll do something for me.)

To test his theory out he once more flowed towards Puck, swiping out with his hand in a blow he was sure would miss as he exited the black, the tag already moving before him. Which is why instead, he twirled his wrist and threw his Ink Whip out at the tag held by the hero.

Being so close and already mid-dodge, the hero was unable to avoid his follow-up as the black line of ink connected with the man’s shirt.

Knowing this was his chance he quickly pulled Puck towards him before toonifying his hand to hopefully land a powerful blow to the hero; who dropped to his knees and used the pull to skid beneath Josh’s blow and stand behind him where the Card Caster twirled another blue card out of his deck before slashing out with it.

A stinging wave of water cut into his back and sent him stumbling forward with a force that he was just barely able to keep from sending him to the ground.

At least until the boot kicked his ass, sending him crashing into the freshly made mud.

“Oof, the river does not look like it’ll help your hand, friend.” Puck mocked with faux sympathy as Josh wiped the mud from his face.

“Maybe…” He admitted, as he began flexing his Madness field, purposely keeping it from latching onto the hero just yet. “But I think I can still make this hand work for me.”

He kicked his legs into the air before flowing as he brought them down, bringing him into a crouch behind Puck as his feet hit the ground. He lashed out with his arm as he stood, letting the line of his whip give the blow a bit more threat than he could manage on his own given the awkward angle.

The moment Puck avoided the upper slash he twisted his arm and brought it down for a follow-up on the other side of the Card Caster forcing the hero to take another step back the moment his foot impacted the mud.

He released his grip on his Madness Field and let it rush the hero’s footing causing the man to slip on the mud in a graceless and stumbling maneuver that was the exact opposite of the agility thus far demonstrated by the Card Caster. “Whoa!”

Seeing Puck’s glowing eyes widen to comical proportions -(An odd but fun interaction.)- Joshua flexed his wrist to turn his Ink Whip into a knife and rushed forward.

The hero barely managed to avoid Josh’s first strike, though at the price of making his slipping and sliding worsen to a notable degree.

A hastily drawn card blocked his second strike despite being sent flying as the hero started to fall on his back.

Not hesitating he flipped his knife around before bringing it down in a one handed stab that would drive itself ever deeper as the hero’s back slammed into the ground.

Or rather that’s what it would’ve done if Puck didn’t vanish in a flash of light.

Instead he found himself driving the knife into the dirt, before ripping it free with a growl.

“Phew. Not going to lie, almost had me there.” Puck told him letting out a breath of relief as the hero stood off to the side with his hands on hips as he nodded to himself.

“What can I say, had a better hand than you thought.” He shrugged, putting on a smile as he forced down his annoyance upon catching sight of (the audience watching) behind his opponent. “Shame my four of a kind didn’t beat your straight flush.” (Down a toilet!)

“Don’t worry about it.” Puck smirked, his eyes flashing. “After all, you’re doing really well for someone who’s not a Mask.”

“If I was a Mask I’d be wearing one.” He pointed out, framing his face with his fingers while completely neglecting to say what happened when he was caught on camera.

“Point.” Puck admitted. “Though that does make me wonder where you learned how to fight?”

“I like dangerous women.”

Puck froze and for a moment there was no sound from around them before, “Pfft, ha-ha-ha! Kid… you are something else… heh… Tell me, what do you know about dangerous women?”

He laughed, “Heh, I know… plenty…”

(Zylah snarled and raised her heel giving him just a brief moment to consider the fact that, (this is going to hurt) before pain and darkness filled his awareness.)

((“Oh, no. You failed your stealth check.”) The GM noted.

“I what now?” He blinked.

The rat king suddenly screeched while pointing its scepter at him, causing two clouds of pixels to swarm through the air before coalescing into a pair of giant rats running straight for him.)

(“Ah, done so soon? Ya couldn’t keep it up just a bit longer?” TPK pouted as she pulled her hammer back. “I guess you really were all talk.”)

(“Gah, if you’re not going to do anything then stay out of the way!” Cameron told him as she shoved him away and staggered to her feet.)

He stared at his hands in idle horror before looking up to the hero. “Do… Do I have stockholm syndrome?”

Puck’s laughter trailed off and another silence surrounded them, this one increasingly awkward.

“Maybe?”