Festive Fights: Part II

A knight looms in the arena.

The Tournament continues as Doc and Réalta are pitted against one another.  Gwendolyn confronts a figure from her past.  A threat looms on the horizon.

## Plot:

The episode opens as the arena is being reset for the next round of combatants.  Réalta and Doc learn that they will be up against one another in the next match.  Hearing that there will be an hour break, Réalta and Gwendolyn head over to the Armorer’s workshop so Gwendolyn can pick up her upgraded armor and so that Réalta can get her chassis polished before the semifinals.  The Armorer’s Apprentice is tasked with polishing Réalta, much to his chagrin.  Réalta and Gwendolyn attempt to tip him a copious amount, but the Armor walks by and takes all but one of the coins.  A few minutes of hijinks ensues as the duo unsuccessfully attempt to surreptitiously tip the Armorer’s Apprentice again.  By the end of the shenanigans, the Dreamers have made a lifelong enemy of the Armorer’s Apprentice.

Back at the arena, Doc and Réalta find themselves squaring off against one another.  Doc gets first pick of weapons and choses to have them both fight barehanded for the first bout.  Réalta decides that her grapple shot, as a part of her arm, is fair game in the battle.  Doc however casually catches and redirects the harpoon as it approaches him,  then closes the distance to land a first strike against Réalta.  Réalta retaliates by activating her Advanced Combat mode and coating one of her fists in the energy of an overcharged weapon, enabling her to hit faster and harder.  Doc tries to bring her down with a flurry of blows, but Réalta ducks out of the way of the last strike and lands a solid punch to Doc’s gut to win the bout.

The second round, Réalta picks dual scimitars and a shield as her weapons.  Doc enters the ring once again unarmed and unarmored.  The two dive into frantic combat once again, each trying to outmaneuver the other.  Réalta takes an early lead, but when she overextends herself to attempt to finish Doc off, he nimbly dodges out of the way of all three sword strikes and lays into her with a powerful flurry that drops her to one knee, winning him the second bout.

During the fight, Gwendolyn sees her ex-husband in the crowd, and immediately starts ordering extra alcohol. Saoirse is confused and not paying attention to anything other than the ‘display’ booth she is set up about

For the final round, the combatants are told to use the favored weapons of Lord Bheatha to battle, a net and a trident. The third round is the longest, with each combatant nimbly dodging net tosses and hurling Tridents back and forth.  Réalta activates Advanced Combat mode once more.  Her Inhibition Field springs into place, slowing Doc’s movements.  However, Doc scores two solid trident hits on her anyway.  Réalta, frustrated by Doc batting her thrown weapons aside, dives in to direct melee with him and scores a strike as well.  The two dance around one another, with Réalta’s movement jets kicking up a cloud of dust as they spin through the battle.  Réalta’s speed helps her to avoid Doc’s next two strikes, and then she dives in to finish him off, landing one strike, but narrowly missing the final one.

Just as Doc prepares to retaliate a horn sounds in the distance, and cries of alarm rise among the guardsmen.  The Atlanti are here.  The Battle stalls out as panic sets in and combatants begin running for the walls.

The Dreamers are forced to take quick stock of their options as Lord Bheatha asks them what they can each contribute to the war efforts, as it seems that as of this afternoon, the city is under siege.