A Hard Sell [Finished]

[lauto]

Lauto's face was suddenly full of a very sticky substance. The Deku Bubble would seem to dissolve quickly but as Dekethorn knew its nigh-invisible film would spread and slow down the Zora's physical movements. It was no doubt a great means to creating escapes. Unfortunately for "Dekma" Lauto didn't need to move to do what he did next.

Dekethorn had to get in right to the salesman's chest to reach the bottle he was holding against it. As the exile came so close however the space around Lauto would be filled with surging blue energy, an electrical discharge that would shock the little guy hard if he was caught in it and leave him slightly stunned.

"To attack men in my line of business you usually don't want to give obvious warnings like that right before you strike," the veteran merchant advised angrily, wiping his face with his free hand as the electricity surged around him.

[Erik]

Dekethorn threw back his hand and staggered as he winced in pain from the shock. Zora energy fields were not something Dekethorn was expecting.

"Well, wasn't that shocking." Dekethorn stated, fully aware of the awful pun. "However, that shock field won't last forever, and when I'm not even close to being finished here yet." Dekethorn then began to fire nuts at Lauto's hand holding the bottle, trying to be irritating and painful enough for Lauto to drop the bottle.

"More fun than any Deku merchant that's for sure." he proclaimed between shots.

[lauto]

Last forever it would not. In fact the electrical field had already died out, leaving naught but the smell of ozone in its wake. What would last, however, was Lauto's new angry mood.

"You think you can steal from MY store!?" the Zora demanded. He couldn't move to fast but he could do one thing in self-defence. The social butterfly threw up his right foot and, hooking it under the edge of his table, kicked up and flipped it over. The contents were spilled onto the rocky ground(Lauto's wares were all plenty durable. he worked in harsh conditions, after all). Dekethorn's nuts would crack against the white-covered board instead of the salesman, which would also then proceed to fall down over toward the Deku himself, threatening to pin him down.

It was only when Lauto tried to walk forward after his stand that he looked down at his body in shock. He'd notice then that he wasn't really able to move as quickly as he ought to be.

[Erik]

Dekethorn had to give the merchant some credit, he was putting up a strong fight. He was even willing to flip his own table at the deku to block shots. Then the table fell on him, not enough to pin him down permanently, but Dekethorn had to quickly wriggle out. It took a moment, but he managed it without a terrible amount of difficulty.

"Grrrr, why can't you just fold like all the other merchants? You have to make this difficult, don't you?" Dekethorn then resumed pelting Lauto with nuts, and with little regard for whether or not he hit one of Lauto's valuables. This had become more personal once it required effort.

[lauto]

During the time it took Dekethorn to squirm out from under Lauto's stand the Zora could have normally gotten close enough to touch the little thief. Slowed down by this invisible muck, however, he was still out of reach. Taking this into account the salesman produced a Wooden Shield from inside the back of his coat during that period instead and held it in front of himself to ward off the Deku's incoming nut barrage. The impacts slowed his pace little as he pressed forward still, over his own fallen table and wares.

"You think I'm just a merchant?" Lauto asked with mockery and humour in his voice. Behind the shield he slipped his right hand into the coat again. "A foolish mistake! You can't sell to adventurers on their journeys without going on an adventure yourself!"

After the last nut he'd heard spit hit the shield Lauto lowered it just long enough to whip his arm at Dekethorn and throw one handful of three hard Deccu Nuts at the exile. It was time to fight fire with fire and fight nuts with nuts.

[Erik]

Dekethorn should have known he needed to take this more seriously, but it was Dekethorn, and he just wanted a little fun. And some stuff.

But he knew even a wooden shield like that would be enough to defend against his nuts, then he had to contend with the salesman's nuts as well. After shrugging off any damage from the salesman's nuts, he fired another deku bubble at Lauto. However, this one was Dekethorn's specialty, the acid bubble. Not only was it sticky, it was corrosive. After that was complete, he resumed his nut barrage.

[lauto]

Lauto didn't like the sizzling sound that came after the splash against his shield. He liked it even less when the next nuts that landed on it caused the frame to warp unexpectedly.

'That little sprout has ruined my merchandise!' the Zora realized with anger as he tossed the barrier aside, hoping to save it further ruination. In his knee-jerk haste, however, the salesman opened himself up to several nuts, one of which struck him clean between the eyes. Lauto fell clean off his feet, landing on his back next to his own fallen table.

"Please, not the Blue Fire," the merchant mumbled as he squirmed on the ground. He was holding the glowing bottle to his chest again with both hands, having pulled in back out after he fell down.

"They sell for hundreds... can't afford to lose..." he mumbled, apparently dizzy from the blow to the head and the fall.

[Erik]

Dekethorn, realizing his acid bubble had worked perfectly, approached Lauto, his swagger reminiscent of when he took control of his village. He moved on top of Lauto, snickering.

"Not just the blue fire, fishy. I want all the good stuff." He fired another nut at Lauto's head before barking more orders.

Fish it out, now! I won't ask again." He readied for his other ability, to fire rapid fire multiple nuts, but didn't do it immediately, he wanted a chance for Lauto to get his valuables out of his coat.

[lauto]

Oh he was going to get the good stuff all right.

Lauto grit this teeth and bore another nut to the head, but mixed in with the crack of the nut breaking on him was the sound of a pop as well. The pop of a lid, in fact. Lauto's grit teeth turned quickly into a cunning smirk as he now held an empty glass bottle in one hand and its stopper in another. The Blue Fire you ask? Spreading over the Zora's fallen form, of course. Lauto hadn't lied about the stuff, either: It really did make you feel refreshed and restore your energy.

Said energy was immediately funneled into another blast of the Zora's special Electric Field. After going through the trouble of luring the Deku right on top of him and taking some nuts in compensation the shrewd salesman was quite confident in his ability catch the overconfident little whelp with another stunning electric blast. If he was successful Dekethorn would once again find whatever action he tried to take right after stalled by temporary paralysis, which Lauto figured should limit the amount of immediate retaliation.

[Erik]

Dekethorn was ready to fire all the nuts he had right at Lauto when he felt another zap and shot backwards onto the ground 10 feet away. Afterwards he attempted to immediately hop up and fire all he had, but with the paralysis he found himself laboring incredibly hard just to maintain the strength to pull himself up.

"You...you...I'll kill you for this!" However, Dekethorn didn't have the energy to fulfill that threat. At least not until he was back to full strength, which would take some time. In the meantime he waited, waited for the next move the Zora would make, though with his temper that wouldn't last long.

[lauto]

Lauto cursed that the Deku was so light he went flying away every time it got zapped, otherwise he could get a hold on the annoying little thing.

"You just cost me 300 Rupees!" Lauto said with equal anger, though he was still wearing that satisfied smirk below his fake mustache. The salesman was picking himself up and scooping up another of his items from the wares scattered on the ground as he went. The traveler pulled out a small Recovery Heart from his coat as well with his left hand and promptly absorbed its healing magic. Tricking "Dekma" had been fun but it had sure given him a headache. The item's ability to dull the pain of his bumps was greatly appreciated. "If anyone's dying here today it's you!"

Not satisfied at all yet by the amount of pain he'd caused this troublemaker Lauto pulled back the stray arrow he had picked up. Throwing it like a dart the Zora sent it at the vile plant's current spot.

[Erik]

Dekethorn had recovered enough of his strength to fire one Deku nut. This nut pinged off the arrow and both flew away, falling harmlessly to the ground a few feet away.

Dekethorn's eyes widened afterward and he smiled a Deku smile. 300 Rupees huh? Let's see what else I can bleed from you." Dekethorn had half a mind to walk away already. 300 Rupees of damage was pretty good for a day's haul, since to Dekethorn depriving people of what they had was enough. However, his small frame had room for more. He prepped another deku bubble. He wanted an acid bubble, but he was too tired and needed more time, so a regular bubble would have to do.

[lauto]

The Zora laughed at Dekethorn's comment. A real laugh, though only one. The charmer was still fighting off a tiny terrorist, after all. He couldn't afford to get caught up in chuckling, no matter how amusing the Deku's comment was. Lauto's demeanor did change, though. It was as if the short sentence, probably meant as a taunt, had just drained the Zora of his anger.

"You don't even realize what you're doing for me, do you?" Lauto asked with a new grin instead of his old smirk. The Zora grabbed the leg of the stand lying on the ground next to him and lifted it up. Holding the table across in front of him with both hands grasping two opposite legs the merchant charged.

"Fine by me!"

Despite still being slowed down by that bothersome bubble from before Lauto was still determined to reach Dekethorn. The freshly cheered-up salesman held the table before him like a new shield and prepared to ward off incoming fire as he approached as quickly as he possibly could.

[Erik]

Dekethorn knew the best strategy would be to take cover and fire from there, especially against a tower shield like what was moving in on him. But he was going to stand his ground, like the impulsive deku bastard he was. He fired nuts repeatedly, even to the point of activating burst fire for extra pop, then bracing for impact. He was small so this would be a terrible idea, but Dekethorn knew nothing other than to be in battle now. He couldn't lose, not to a merchant. He had confidence in his ability to win out in the end, he was the future deku king after all.

[lauto]

Lauto's steps faltered significantly when Dekethorn's rapid fire kicked in, assaulting the Zora more heavily than anything he'd gotten during the fight so far. Still, his plan to charge in with portable cover worked and the feelings of the impacts did seem to confirm, along with his own ears, that "Dekma" was still right in front of him behind his barricade and not running away.

Lauto didn't charge right into the Deku, though. Instead, once he estimated himself close enough, the merchant thrust the table itself forward through the air, his extra force on the upper half ensuring that it would swing down at his opponent from above(The Dekus' ability to float was well-known among merchant circles so cutting off an aerial escape was paramount).

If successful it would pin the little brute under the not-compacted stand for the second time. This time, however, it would also have a Zora jumping through the air after it and coming down to jam his elbow on the upper side to shock anyone caught and press his own weight down on them.

[Erik]

Once again, Dekethorn found himself on the receiving end of a table, this time with the added force of Zora on it. While he managed to evade most of the force of the elbow simply through his own agility and natural maneuverability, he was certainly pinned down by the table. Any attempts he made to wriggle free were completely in vain, it would appear he found himself stuck. Any nuts would just bounce back, and any bubbles would affect him just as much, he had no method of escape, so he could only wait for Lauto to give him the slightest of breathing space to unleash the acid bubble he now prepped within.

[lauto]

"Well, now that we've gotten so close," Lauto began to speak while laying atop his stand. The man's "salesman tone" was back now, as if he and Dekethorn were still discussing his wares and he were attempting to make a sale. "Perhaps I ought to thank you for all of this, Dekma."

Lauto betrayed no sarcasm as he smiled from his awkward position, the bulge of a Deku's body pressing up under the board between them.

"You see, you've probably made me quite a bit of money today," the Zora began to explain. Now that he had the chance Lauto gave in to that chuckle he suppressed earlier before continuing. "Nothing gets adventurers to buy from me more than a good story they can relate to. After this little skirmish I can see a lot of Rupees in my future,"

[Erik]

Dekethorn was beginning to go red with rage. He hated the idea of helping anybody out, let alone a merchant. But at least some people would be skeptical. Still, though, the idea of it all was infuriating.

"I will not be defeated here today!" he barked, aware of how slim that chance was. however, he had to try. There couldn't be any story floating around about how he lost to a merchant. He propped his legs against the table as best he could and tried to push back, getting any sort of room between him and it so he could better began to put pressure against the table.

[lauto]

The Zora-turned-pressure plate could feel Dekethorn's anger and determination to push back. Perfect. Just as Lauto had hoped the little troublemaker wasn't too pleased to hear about any good coming from his actions. The Deku's words earlier had been a hint but now it was almost certain that he was engrossed in causing trouble.

"Maybe not defeated, but you are going to run away!" Lauto taunted, hoping that would make "Dekma" push even harder against the weight on top of him in defiance. Even if not there wasn't a chance to waste, the schemer had to act now.

Lauto grasped the two legs of the stand nearest his head again with his hands, but not until immediately after he had pushed himself up and away hard with his four limbs. The result was the salesman pulling himself to his feet and drawing the table with him. it was back in front like a tower shield as it had been before, literally right in Dekethorn's face if he were facing it still. This time, however, it was the lower side of the shield that would be sent tilting the enemy's way rather than the upper.

Once he was back on his feet Lauto braced with his left foot and used his right to send a swinging kick into the bottom edge of his cover. He followed through with it, hoping that "Dekma" had indeed been pressing so hard into the table's weight that when it suddenly gave he was momentarily off-balance. If so it was a chance for the Zora to effectively slam him with a rising board and punt the little thief clean away, further separating the Deku from his scattered merchandise.

"I've got plenty of Recovery Hearts left in my coat if you think you can outlast that!" the Zora added for intimidation as he attacked. Not being able to actually see Dekethorn meant that Lauto wouldn't know if the plan worked until he felt, or didn't feel, the weight of the plant's body through the kicked board.

[Erik]

Not only did Lauto's plan work, it worked so well that Dekethorn began to tumble down the mountainside, stopping only when a rock got in the way. 30 feet down, Dekethorn slowly climbed to his feet, stumbling around and limping back towards his target before collapsing in a heap after 15 feet. He lay there, motionless for the time being.

Upon closer examination, he was not dead, but didn't have much left in the tank either.