Henry and the NMX armour were briefly circling each other as though they were two caged animals trying to figure out who got the last scrap of meat in the bowl; evaluating each other as a storm brewed between them both. To Henry, the custom paint job could mean that the Brain Slave inside this Ripper had some degree of self-actualisation, perhaps signifying martial prowess or dumb luck and feeling the need to boast about it - with a paintjob.
The Brain Slave inside the Ripper was watching Henry. This wasn't one of the common Aggressor or Hostile armours, and the only damage it'd taken so far was scratch damage from debris, perhaps friendly fire and dust storms. Then there was the way the Nepleslian held himself when he was facing down: Less like a grunt who held his rifle like a second dick and more like a calculated man. He was putting it away and letting activating the condensed fusion cutter - Nepleslia's answer to the Aether blade.
This was all communicated with a pair of glances between the two combatants. Then they converged, blades up. Both combatants knew that their respective blades would never yield for any substance, and it became a fight less about crossing and parrying their respective blades, but dodging and manipulating each other.
Henry had weight on his side compared to the Ripper, and he was able to make strikes at the Ripper's higher centre of gravity, making higher strikes to make it move and dance, hoping to feint it and overbalance to create an opening where he could stab it through the chest.
However, the Ripper had ideas of its own. Henry's VOID was a much bigger target compared to the smaller Ripper, and it was able to leap and hop around Henry, who was turning and twisting to avoid its strikes with footwork and measured counter-feints.
After some unsuccessful altercations, the Ripper swung its Zesuaium-lined buckler at Henry in a sudden backhand sweep, causing him to back step and be put on the defensive. It then thrust its Zesuaium blade upwards to impale Henry as he was clamouring backwards, who twisted to avoid it, but didn't anticipate the buckler to make a return forearm swing, smacking him in the back of the head and knocking Henry down by the surprise of it.
Henry twirled as he fell to land on his back, and on the backs of the mortars. He could see the Ripper leaning in to move forward, but Henry made a sudden cut-and-thrust with his fusion blade, and used the VOID's thrusters to put him back on his feet and started moving forwards to continue his cutting and thrusting offensive.
In the heat of the fight, the Ripper crossed blades with Henry. The condensed fusion against the Zesuaium held against each other in a sea of sparks eating away at the condensed fusion before Henry kneed the Ripper and pushed it away with a slap of his spare hand, not willing for his blade to give against it.
This wasn't just a crunchie Ripper that lived and died on impulses. This one had the power of clarity and a wicked paintjob to show for it. "YOU FIGHT WELL FOR A NEPLESLIAN." It knew that if Henry cut him down, two more of his brothers would take his place.
A compliment. Quaint, Henry thought as he decided not to return the compliment with words, rather a flurry of increasingly violent and frantic attacks, apparently without rhythm or rhyme. However, Henry kept ducking under counters and sidestepping parries and ripostes from the better-armed Ripper.
And then the Ripper swept one of its legs into Henry's in an attempt to try and trip him up in mid step - but the sheer weight of Henry's armour meant that the Ripper was the one to trip up. In the process, Henry fell over too, and the two combatants were now on the ground to fight it out.
Henry couldn't grapple the Ripper, though. The thing's outer armour was covered in sharp edges and that meant turning his hands into mince meat. He had to create an opening as the Ripper raised its blades to try and decapitate the marine. It knew that the head was the important part of the assembly.
The Nepleslian marine did what they did best when they were outmatched: They cheated. The gatling laser cannons on his hips bent upwards and started firing into the Ripper's field of vision, temporarily blinding it in a flurry of red bolts as six shield drones drifted out from behind Henry and slammed into the Ripper to further knock it off balance.
And then Henry made a decisive thrust into the armour's mouth and ran it straight through. However, he'd missed the Brain Slave pilot inside - those things were located closer to the heavily armoured midsection.
"A FINE BLOW, BUT NO DOUGH NUT."
Though, Henry's attack had made a difference. Its vision was now flickering in and out of blindness. Henry was unsure of the inner workings of the Ripper in its entirety, but he knew that he'd knocked something out. Was it trying to throw Henry off guard by macho'ing up to conceal injury?
Henry went on the offensive and found himself parried and slammed by the flat of the Ripper's other blade in the midsection. Even the edges cut into the armour and left deep gashes and paint scratches. It then went on the offensive and started countering Henry more and more.
Henry had bought into what it said, making more and more dodges that were too close for comfort and peeling sections of his armour away, despite him firing his gatling laser cannons to try and blind it - the same trick didn't work twice.
Unless someone intervened, this dual bladed NMX armour would eventually wear down his defence and kill him.
The Brain Slave inside the Ripper was watching Henry. This wasn't one of the common Aggressor or Hostile armours, and the only damage it'd taken so far was scratch damage from debris, perhaps friendly fire and dust storms. Then there was the way the Nepleslian held himself when he was facing down: Less like a grunt who held his rifle like a second dick and more like a calculated man. He was putting it away and letting activating the condensed fusion cutter - Nepleslia's answer to the Aether blade.
This was all communicated with a pair of glances between the two combatants. Then they converged, blades up. Both combatants knew that their respective blades would never yield for any substance, and it became a fight less about crossing and parrying their respective blades, but dodging and manipulating each other.
Henry had weight on his side compared to the Ripper, and he was able to make strikes at the Ripper's higher centre of gravity, making higher strikes to make it move and dance, hoping to feint it and overbalance to create an opening where he could stab it through the chest.
However, the Ripper had ideas of its own. Henry's VOID was a much bigger target compared to the smaller Ripper, and it was able to leap and hop around Henry, who was turning and twisting to avoid its strikes with footwork and measured counter-feints.
After some unsuccessful altercations, the Ripper swung its Zesuaium-lined buckler at Henry in a sudden backhand sweep, causing him to back step and be put on the defensive. It then thrust its Zesuaium blade upwards to impale Henry as he was clamouring backwards, who twisted to avoid it, but didn't anticipate the buckler to make a return forearm swing, smacking him in the back of the head and knocking Henry down by the surprise of it.
Henry twirled as he fell to land on his back, and on the backs of the mortars. He could see the Ripper leaning in to move forward, but Henry made a sudden cut-and-thrust with his fusion blade, and used the VOID's thrusters to put him back on his feet and started moving forwards to continue his cutting and thrusting offensive.
In the heat of the fight, the Ripper crossed blades with Henry. The condensed fusion against the Zesuaium held against each other in a sea of sparks eating away at the condensed fusion before Henry kneed the Ripper and pushed it away with a slap of his spare hand, not willing for his blade to give against it.
This wasn't just a crunchie Ripper that lived and died on impulses. This one had the power of clarity and a wicked paintjob to show for it. "YOU FIGHT WELL FOR A NEPLESLIAN." It knew that if Henry cut him down, two more of his brothers would take his place.
A compliment. Quaint, Henry thought as he decided not to return the compliment with words, rather a flurry of increasingly violent and frantic attacks, apparently without rhythm or rhyme. However, Henry kept ducking under counters and sidestepping parries and ripostes from the better-armed Ripper.
And then the Ripper swept one of its legs into Henry's in an attempt to try and trip him up in mid step - but the sheer weight of Henry's armour meant that the Ripper was the one to trip up. In the process, Henry fell over too, and the two combatants were now on the ground to fight it out.
Henry couldn't grapple the Ripper, though. The thing's outer armour was covered in sharp edges and that meant turning his hands into mince meat. He had to create an opening as the Ripper raised its blades to try and decapitate the marine. It knew that the head was the important part of the assembly.
The Nepleslian marine did what they did best when they were outmatched: They cheated. The gatling laser cannons on his hips bent upwards and started firing into the Ripper's field of vision, temporarily blinding it in a flurry of red bolts as six shield drones drifted out from behind Henry and slammed into the Ripper to further knock it off balance.
And then Henry made a decisive thrust into the armour's mouth and ran it straight through. However, he'd missed the Brain Slave pilot inside - those things were located closer to the heavily armoured midsection.
"A FINE BLOW, BUT NO DOUGH NUT."
Though, Henry's attack had made a difference. Its vision was now flickering in and out of blindness. Henry was unsure of the inner workings of the Ripper in its entirety, but he knew that he'd knocked something out. Was it trying to throw Henry off guard by macho'ing up to conceal injury?
Henry went on the offensive and found himself parried and slammed by the flat of the Ripper's other blade in the midsection. Even the edges cut into the armour and left deep gashes and paint scratches. It then went on the offensive and started countering Henry more and more.
Henry had bought into what it said, making more and more dodges that were too close for comfort and peeling sections of his armour away, despite him firing his gatling laser cannons to try and blind it - the same trick didn't work twice.
Unless someone intervened, this dual bladed NMX armour would eventually wear down his defence and kill him.
