[Rumble in the Jungle -- RL with Dion -- Goma, Congo]

[dogsof_war]

The run down barracks wasn't much to look at with its gray streaked walls and chipping paint, but it was secluded and the locals kept their distance. There was no door, but a knee high sheet of plywood was placed across the bottom of the frame. The constant noise of yips and growls had long since become background noise for Ares as he lay sprawled

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[amerimnos]

Tracking down the location of his half-brother hadn't been exceptionally difficult. It was the only thing that kept Dionysus' grim smile from turning into a dark scowl, as he hadn't looked forward to putting supreme effort into finding Ares. Just attempting to get fair retribution for the lions killed because of his foolish actions

[dogsof_war]

Grunting, Ares rolled out of the way a second too late to avoid any injury. An angry red scratch stood out on his side, but he wasn't going to complain if that was all the injury he received, even if he should have been able to dodge it. Hitting the floor, Ares snatched up the machete and rolled onto his feet, remaining in a crouched position.

His hold on the blade tightened even as the slightly wild look faded from his eyes. It was just Dionysus. Frowning, the war god eased himself up from his crouch, eyeing his half brother suspiciously. A knife? Quirking a brow, Ares nudged one of the pups away with his foot, not wanting the creature in the way.

"Hm, you couldn't even face me like a man, could you princess?"

[amerimnos]

A number of angry curses were held back by nothing but sheer willpower, and Dionysus lurched back to his feet at the sudden move. Of course it wasn't going to be easy. He was deluding himself again.

Hn. That'd make it interesting, right? At least Ares underestimated his physical abilities.

"I'm not stupid," the god replied sharply, his features contorting into more of a scowl.

"Nor do I wish to fight honorably against you. I'd like at least a semblance of a chance to gut you," he added, sounding dryly amused.

[dogsof_war]

"I expected nothing honorable from you," Ares muttered, cutting Dionysus a sharp look. There was a tug on his jeans and Ares looked down to find an energetic pup staring back. He'd need to move this outside.

"You plan to gut me with a butter knife?" Ares gestured with his free hand, casting the machete to the ground in favor of grabbing his spear. "Fine."

Not pausing to wait, Ares headed toward the door and stepped outside. This shouldn't take too long, and then he could return to his nap.

[amerimnos]

For once in his life, Dionysus found a dog useful. He hadn't expected any sort of assistance from such a being, but hey, it'd work. It'd work just fine. As long as they got outside and onto uncovered earth, things might just flow smoothly. All he needed were a few suitable vines.

"Anything works as long as the conditions are in my favor," the god said with a shrug. He followed Ares quietly, making sure to stay several steps behind so he could anticipate any cheap shots that his half-brother might attempt to make.

[dogsof_war]

"You're fighting me, dear sister, nothing is in your favor." Twirling the spear in his hands, Ares pivoted on his heel and arched a brow. The ground was mostly dirt, but he knew what the other could do with plants. It didn't worry him, but it might prove annoying.

"I trust you won't take too much of my time," he mocked, stabbing at the air with his spear halfheartedly before moving into an actual attack.

[amerimnos]

"I would like this to be quick," Dionysus agreed, a slow smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at the spear, clearly unimpressed with what he saw.

"And those aren't very good at cutting through plant matter." His mind raced. The possibilities were nigh endless. Ares disliked being bound, for starters, and his beloved plants were excellent at doing just that. They had already started to sprout around Dionysus' feet.

The god twisted away from the attack; as he did so, dozens of ivy vines, thicker and stronger than anything that would grow naturally, exploded from the ground to ensnare Ares.

[dogsof_war]

Ares growled, throwing his left arm up to block, managing to keep his right hand and weapon free of plants. They snaked around his ankles, however, triggering vague flashes of memory. Laughter, weakness, a dull pain that threaded through his muscles.

Snarling fiercely, Ares twisted his arm about and pulled the vines taunt before slashing at them with the spear tip. When that failed to cut them all he gave a sharp tug, satisfied when vines began to snap. There was no caging an angered god for long.

Glaring sharply, Ares moved away from the vegetation, clearly not pleased at the ploy. Rushing Dionysus, Ares struck out with his leg, ready to follow soon after with the spear.

[amerimnos]

It was an opening. A dangerous one, thanks to his inability to trap Ares completely, but an opening nonetheless. Dionysus darted forward; he slashed downwards across the other god's face, though he couldn't be sure if contact was made. The plants were breaking, and he needed to move.

He managed to evade the kick by a hair's breath, but the spear bit sharply into his flesh. No matter. It stung, but not badly enough. Dionysus bit back the urge to wince as he raised the knife once more, intent on jabbing it into Ares's side while they remained in close proximity.

[dogsof_war]

The glint of silver forced Ares to move on instinct, jerking his head back to avoid another injury. Ares frowned, the sour expression remaining even when his spear made contact. Gritting his teeth, Ares refused to move as the dagger hit his rib. It was a shallow cut, and it gave him the opportunity he needed.

Ares reached out to clamp his free hand on Dion's wrist that still held the dagger, twisting to knee the other in the gut. The move left Ares unbalanced, and he allowed himself to fall backward, hoping to pull Dion down and use the momentum to throw the other off and get back to his feet before Dion recovered.

[amerimnos]

The sudden impact knocked all the air out of Dionysus' body. He was in no shape to resist being pulled to the ground. What he did feel the need to resist, however, was being thrown off; it had occurred to the god that his half-brother would have a difficult time implementing the spear under such conditions.

Before he could be tossed aside, Dion curled one hand around the other's throat and reared his fist back. He let it fly into Ares' face, the knife forgotten off to the side.

[dogsof_war]

A half voiced curse escaped Ares' lips as he threw a punch of his own. All finesse and fighting style in the world couldn't prevent scuffle from regressing to animalistic thrashing and sucker punches.

Ares rocked to the side, trying to reverse their positions on the ground. If he could only get off his back...

[amerimnos]

The grip that Dionysus had on the other's throat tightened briefly, and he made a point of raking his nails harshly across bare skin. It'd probably earn more mockery, but he could handle it.

A surprised yelp managed to escape when he hit the ground. He didn't have even close to half of the muscle mass that Ares sported, so winding up pinned would be bad.

Unless...

He didn't stop struggling, but it didn't matter. Dionysus carefully kept anything other than irritation off of his face, hoping desperately that his plan would work out.

[dogsof_war]

A soft chuckle hung on the air, as Ares moved to pin Dion. The spear tip settled just below the sternum and angled upward. Grinning, Ares leaned his weight forward onto the spear so it plunged into Dion's flesh.

His free hand was braced on the other god's shoulder, holding him firmly in place. Snorting, he twisted the spear. He deserved much worse for the vine tactic earlier.

[amerimnos]

Fuck. FUCK. When had the spear returned into play? Dionysus should have known that something along those lines would have occurred, but....it hurt. A lot. He made no noise, though. Ares wouldn't get that much satisfaction.

The god's eyes narrowed, and, for only the briefest of moments, seemed to flash. Within seconds, a large creature composed primarily of swirling shadows appeared off to the side. The jaguar crouched, teeth glittering dangerously in the dim light; while not completely tangible, it carried enough form to do a little bit of damage. Before Ares could do anything else, it leaped at him.

He didn't want it to do anything more than distract his half-brother. Dionysus needed a chance to get up and--hopefully--get away. He was in over his head.

[dogsof_war]

There was a very distinct reason that Ares hated cats, and this could have been part of it. Hissing through his teeth, Ares attempted to pry the cat from him, more concerned with finishing off Dion than he was with some stupid half illusion.

A deep bark sparked a grin to form on Ares face. From the corner of his eye he could spot the large white form of Tendaji bounding nearer. The stout form of Aikia and the spindly Daedalus short behind.