Final Fantasy XIV: Tower's Shadow

Resurgence of Hope

Having made contact with the butt of Admes's rifle and closing the gap between himself and the Allagan, Stryker thought of what would be the best way to fight against someone like this maniac. For starters, he knew that keeping the gap between them open for too long could only prove detrimental to Stryker's offense, and this realization made him resort to doing what he usually did when he went into fights without a plan: forcing his opponent into a state where they couldn't adapt to how he fought. However, Admes was smart, and made sure to come prepared for anything that Stryker could dish out, regardless of how much he knew about the fighting Gridanian. Ducking and weaving away from his fists, the monk noticed how little of an effort Admes actually made to fight back, obviously looking to bait him into something. So, to counteract this, he switched styles; stomping a foot onto the ground and bending his knees, Stryker entered a far eastern inspired low stance known as raptor form, which would allow him more balance on his feet and a larger reactionary window to defend against oncoming attacks. His fists began to glow a bright orange, the Aether both around and inside of him being constantly manipulated to his will. Admes lunged forward and fired off three shots from his firearm, all of them being stricken out of the air as the Allagan continued his onslaught.

He's fighting too passively for me to ignore. All I need to do is find a pattern and the right form.

Stryker thought to himself, clashing with Admes once again as he went for a high kick to the left side of his head. The kick was blocked which gave Admes a window to counter, but this window was immediately shut closed as Stryker shifted his weight from his left foot to his right, jumping into the air and getting a clean spinning heel kick right on the side of his chin. He then used the momentum that he gathered from his spin to do a full front flip right in front of Admes, bringing his elbow down on top of his forearm which made an attempt to block the oncoming strike. The Allagan soon realized that he couldn't stay this close. It was dangerous being near Stryker already, but knowing his devotion to Gridania and his willingness to fight Admes while Revenant's Toll was in shambles made him all the more challenging to combat. For once, Admes underestimated someone.

Bastards using my bursts of momentum against me….Smarter than he looks, I'll give him that. But for how long can he make this momentum his own?

Admes thought in return, using his right forearm to block more oncoming elbows and knees that would have easily stunned him if any of them hit. Landing back on the ground and sliding his foot back yet again, Stryker lunged for the man and went for a hard left elbow strike that could easily break through Admes's defenses. However, Admes already had his gun up and ready to block yet again, thinking about using the opportunity that presented itself after the blocked strike to maybe get his own hit in as well. 

That was his first mistake.

Stryker feinted the elbow strike that caught Admes off guard, using his misplaced defense to throw a hard knee strike right into his chest, knocking the wind right out of the man and essentially stunning him on his feet.

"You should know your opponent before it comes back to bite you, kid!"

Stryker brought one hand above his head and another out in front of himself, stomping a foot onto the ground to promptly change forms from raptor into a more offensive format-coeurl. He struck Admes once, then twice, then a third time in the chest with swift fists and fast chops that could easily incapacitate the average person in not even 5 strikes. However, this was when Stryker noticed something off yet again. He was beating Admes far too easily. The man seemed to stop fighting back entirely instead of waiting to take pot shots, taking the hits and taking the time to assess how Stryker fought when he was on the receiving end of the monk's hits. What the hell was his plan here? 

That was when Stryker got sent flying.

As soon as he hesitated for even a moment, Stryker was sent crashing into a wall by a pillar of debris that shot out from his right, only seeing the faint sight of Admes swiping his left hand across to cause the pillar to jut out in the first place. Allagan blood. Right.