Anasi Ashanti vs. Bast - Battle of the Gods

[BlackAkuma]

Had Bast taken a harder hit before? Yes. She could say that with a reasonable degree of confidence.

Had she taken a harder hit from someone Anansi’s size? No. She could say that with an absolute degree of confidence.

Though he wasn’t the first fast, agile opponent she had taken on, he was already turning out to be the most troublesome. Most of the time, the quick types were withdrawn, careful, and fearful of what she could do, and she fought accordingly. This man didn’t strike her as an idiot - he had to know that a single good punch would utterly obliterate him, but he kept coming in, kept risking it all. She wasn’t sure if he was brave or a fool.

It was impressive, though; she would grant him that. If she’d been in the audience, she might have been cheering on the handsome young daredevil herself. But she was on the receiving end, instead - markedly less pleasant. She needed to get up, need to press her offense, needed to be anywhere but this damn corner.

She started to push her way up, when the sound of Cersei’s shrieking caught her attention, finally cutting through the haze the fog created. ”-out! He’s getting into position, look out!”

Bast followed Cersei’s pointing finger just in time to see Anansi careering her way, flying her way at an impossible speed from an equally impossible distance. He might not have much weight, but it hardly mattered - with all that momentum and gravity behind, he might as well have been a cannonball. Anansi crashed hard into her back and sent her rolling away, a path that took her under the ropes, off the apron, and flopping down, face down, on the floor.

[king6y]

Good new, his gamble paid dividends. Bad news, it really hurt coming down too. Feeling the mat rattle beneath him, Anansi felt all his breath forced out of him as he landed on his back. His cheeks puffing with air as his head ringed with pain, the spider huffed as he leaned against the ropes. Hoping to catch his breath as he couldn't help but cringe at Bast's spill. Cause if he felt like he was in pain from that fall, he couldn't imagine how much more pain Bast was in from falling to the outside. The throbbing in his back was plenty enough to tell him gravity played no favorites. Even to him, which is so disappointing, he'd love to make friends with gravity.

But for now, he had to settle for bothering from time to time. Although for what trick he had next, he hoped gravity would give him a little pass. "urgh, up I go!" Anansi groaned, leaning over the ropes at the sight of the fallen giant, the spider couldn't help but feel proud. He managed not to get trampled, he managed to cut Bast down to one knee, then laid her down flat. And now, he got her out the ring. So yeah, you could say he's feeling himself.

Although maybe a bit too much, because if his last high risk move paid dividends, maybe this one would too. So in a hop to the canvas, Anansi looked back at Bast with hopeful eyes, waiting to see the heavy weight start returning to her feet, he would jump to the middle rope, and attempt to pull off a moonsault. Taking one more gamble against the lioness.

[BlackAkuma]

Bast liked to think of herself as a patient woman - she had to be, with Cersei as her sister. Life in Somalia had taught her to takes things at a slower pace, to wait for days, even weeks, when she needed something, and that had paid off in the long run. Her body and skills were the result of long, diligent, arduous work and strict discipline, a regimen that she was proud of, and those ethics had served her well in the ring.

But she wouldn’t lie - even her patience had limits, and they were being pushed. This was a new experience, and an increasingly irritating one.

It wasn’t often that Bast found herself outside of the ring, and even less often that she was forced there by someone’s attack. She fell to her knees, wincing, but gritted her teeth and powered through the pain - as swift and relentless as Anansi’s offense was, it was nothing she couldn't power through. She just had to keep holding on, wait for the right opportunity. Speaking of…

Bast looked up to see him flying towards, soaring in an arch as he executed a perfect moonsault. His form was flawless, she would give him that, but it also worked against him and made it easy enough to guess his trajectory. She stepped to the side as he descended, reached up, and caught him on the shoulder as easily as if he were a child, only needed to take a step back before she had his momentum under control

Secured. Finally. With Anansi in her clutches, she took a few steps back in preparation for a running powerslam, ready to change the entire dynamic of the match in a single move.

[king6y]

Sadly for the little trickster, that was one gamble too many.

"hurgh! oh no..." Was the first word that left Anansi's mouth the moment he felt the boulders for shoulders Bast had hit his gut. Driving out the air he just regained a moment ago all he saw was a sweat-stained tarp, some steel steps, and the powerful body of Bast underneath him. Ready to do God knows what to him very soon. Blanching to a pale brown, the little spider gave out a totally calm and collected chuckle as he started kicking and thrashing in Bast's iron grip. Trying his best to slip free, or at least just maybe wiggle a bit out of her arms. But with his thrashing, unfortunately for him, he was locked tight in the lioness' claws. Now, seeing himself flung over her shoulder like a rag, Anansi's scarlet eyes turned to saucers the moment Bast took a step back. Leaving his mind to whirl with a cacophony of oh no. The more she got ready to do a power slam. Which one, would already hurt thanks to Bast's overwhelming size and power, but two, he on the outside. With even less protection from a world of pain.

"U-uh, how 'bout we get back in the ring and I'll do it there! I promise!" Anansi said rapidly, still trying his best to escape the hold. Shifting and wiggling in her arms like a scared child, kicking and pleading with their parents to let them off the hook. But at one look at Bast, that leeway was far from coming. So, the two paths for the spider were simple: Escape, or be Flattened. And for Anansi, the choice was obvious. So, once again, the spider tried his damndest to break free from the lioness' claws, thrashing with whatever force his weight could carry as he attempted to slip out the back of Bast's arm. And if that was successful, he would shoot out his hands to grip the mighty shoulders he was just on, and hope to pull Bast down with him into a backstabber. Hoping to ram his knees in her back as he raced back inside the ring.

[BlackAkuma]

Fucking finally.

Cersei let out a calming sigh as she watched from around the corner, seeing her sister pluck the little idiot out of the sky with relative ease. It was always the same with these flashy types - they danced around and tried to be cute, but they had no answer for the sort of power her sister could bring, never could stand against such an overwhelming force. Ultimately, it always caught up with them, and the same fate was about to befall Anansi. The Hammer of Africa would drive him into the floor like a stubborn nail.

”Bast!” She slapped the apron for emphasis. ”Crush him!”

She had the picture in her head, which made for a pleasant scene. Much to her chagrin, however, said crushing would have to wait, as Anansi proved to be an even slippier foe than she could have dreamed. Bast struggled to keep hold of him as he twisted about, but he slipped free before she could lower the boom. And that wasn’t all.

She couldn't see the look on her sister’s face as he caught her with the backstabber, but she could only imagine it was one of sheer shock, as he pulled her back, brought her feet off the ground, and drove his knees into her ribs, using all her weight against her. She cried out, fell forward, and went to her knees, hissing from the pain, all while the referee started up a count. ”1!”

Far from an ideal situation. Cersei found herself gnawing on her nails without even thinking about it, a childhood habit that resurfaced whenever things grew truly dire.

[king6y]

Now in the "safety" of the squared circle with disheveled dreads and a nervous smirk carved on his face, the spider was sure of one thing.

"Gotta pick and choose those." He chuckled, deciding to rest in a corner to catch his breath while the Ref counted down.

"2!" Anansi knew that Bast wasn't out for the count yet. Even if that weight of hers was used to his advantage, feeling all of that weight, and being nearly squashed under all that power was a cold splash of water to Anansi. That high of doing move after move faded real quick the moment he felt Bast's shoulder in his gut. So while he awaited for Bast to get back up, Anansi knew he had to dance again. Cause if he didn't, he'd be one messed up spider.

So, of Bast went on the attack again, Anansi would attempt to slip between the ropes and use them as a "wall" to avoid Bast's attacks. Hoping to maybe the up the lioness once again.

[BlackAkuma]

Bast could hear the referee calling out, counting up, higher and higher. She wasn’t unconscious, despite what Cersei seemed to think..

”Wake up! Sister, wake up!”

…but she was stunned, surprised that someone so small could give her such an incredible hassle. This was turning into her most one-sided match in LAW by no small margin, and considering the depth of wrestlers that she had faced so far, that said a great deal. She remembered the tales of Anansi, how he’d used his wits and wiles to confound the other gods and make a mockery of them, but she didn’t think that the man would live up the name this well.

”3!”

Bast stood up and moved forward, looking to attack once again, only for her foe to make his way into the ring and create separation. A canny move and the temptation to rush into the ring was a strong one, but Bast resisted. Instead, she stood up, cracked her neck, and took in deep breaths as she waited for the count to rise. When it reached six, she made her way around the corner, keeping a close eye on Anansi as she moved, mindful of his every move.

She needed to approach this with patience. She needed a plan. Rushing him again would only yield the same results.

When the count reached eight, she took a step back, then dashed in under the ropes and popped to her feet with her guard up. She was still feeling his assault to a good degree, but her mind was steadier and she’d regained some of her resolve. She could do this.

[king6y]

The moment the referee reached 6, even Anansi was looking over the apron like, okay...I know I ain't knock you out. But even as that was true, the referee got to a three count and he was just sitting there. Watching and waiting for the slumbering lioness to raise back up. But maybe he was lucky, maybe that backstabber did more damage than he thought. His mind supplied, but the more his scarlet eyes looked over the apron, a shock of white bobbed into sight. Which one, yay, he was right. But two, oh no, she's back.

Chuckling to himself as he waved his break goodbye, Anansi bent over with his hands on his knees, awaiting the return of the lioness as the referee got to an 8. Almost ready to count her out before finally, Bast was back on the hunt.

"Heheh, Awwwe and here I was hopin' my charm would let me win~." The spider winked, "So, you ready for our next dance, darling?"

Not waiting for an answer, Anansi left his corner and bounced around the waiting lioness. Bouncing and dancing in his groove as he tried to think of what to do. Bast looked clearer than ever, so an upfront attack wouldn't work. Maybe a high risk move? No, he can't risk that, he just got caught...he could dance sure, and maybe Bast wasn't at a hundred percent, but risking a battle of attrition wasn't a good look.

So, in the end, Anansi went with what he does best, stay to the ropes and see if he can make a web.

"Come on darlin', show me somethin'!" He teased, hoping Bast would take the bait as he stayed near the ropes. If she did, Anansi would attempt to try and use them to dodge Bast's attack, and go for a chop block behind her knee. Hoping to keep whittling down the giant.

[BlackAkuma]

To the surprise of no one, Bast didn’t wink back.

It wasn’t that she didn’t find him charming - she did. In another setting, something more relaxed, she might have even been able to laugh with him, have a fun time, maybe even invite him over for some fun. She actually preferred men around his size. The bigger ones tended to have too much ego, in her experience, thought they were going to ‘tame her’, then ran away when she turned out to be more than they could handle. Guys like Anansi tended to be more fun.

But that was outside of the ring. Here, she was focused. Here, she was going to win.

She moved in after him as he egged her on, but she didn’t commit to anything serious - instead, she lashed out with a right cross. It would’ve hurt if it hit, but she figured he would dodge it, and sure enough, that was precisely what happened. He was gone before she could even pull it back, and before she turned about to find him, he slammed into the back of her knee.

A good move. Precise, well-timed. It was enough to bring down to a single foot, but not enough to keep her there. Knowing she needed to strike while he was close, she fought through the pain and swung her arm out behind her, trying to catch him with a backhand to the face, hoping to land her first real hit of the match.

[king6y]

Pain. That was the only word that fit what Anansi just received. Pure, unbridled searing pain that clipped the front of his face. Burning like hot coals as he staggered back, falling on his back foot with a raised guard as the world rang in his ear. Crescendoing to a muffled cry, Anansi got the confirmation he needed. The lioness' claws indeed hit its mark. And boy was it powerful!

"Urgh!" Anansi grunted as he tried to dash away, keeping to the ropes while his mind trued to reboot itself.

'That was bad, really bad...' His mind groaned as he tried to keep himself away from Bast. He knew one hit from her would've been bad, but a clip hurting this much?! Oh he was certainly in for it now. Because knowing Bast, he doubted she'd give him time to recover after finally hitting her mark.

"Ok, let's get the cobwebs out." Anansi muttered, "I can still dance."

And so in an attempt to regain his footing, Anansi went to dance around the ring once again. Hoping to stay out of Bast's range as he approached a turnbuckle. If he Bast went to approach him, Anansi would then try to slip through the ropes and into the apron. Hoping to live another day by ducking and dodging with the ropes as a wall.