Ghoul versus Warhorse. (Lorenor versus Bloodrose)

[Mutant_Lorenor]

So, many moons after his battle with that accursed Teddy Bear, Lorenor prepared himself for duty. He sat in the center of the combat arena listening to the Scara Brae Knights as they discussed Lorenor's battle with his unusual sorts of opponents. Was Lorenor really a warrior? They weren't sure. Lorenor didn't act like one. As he sat in the center of the dirty, well worn combat circle, Lorenor breathed in and out in well controlled breaths. He followed the training of the Monks of Ai'bron. He was trying to still his mind from the recent battle against Sasorick.

He would have to wait now. That was one of the things that the Immortal hated to do, wait. Patience was ill in his nature but he was learning to control the demon called impatience. Outside the single warehouse, the night crawled onwards. Lights signaled that the warehouse had occupants and a single chain-link fence surrounded the entire structure. It was a large building owned by the Scara Brae Knights and used as a resupply despot.

Lorenor had stumbled upon it when he'd run from his battle with Joshua Cronen. Stories from the Scara Brae's Pagoda district quickly spread through the commonwealths like wild fire. The Dajas Pagoda was a place to fight skilled warriors and many of them boasted strange powers. One of the strangest was the ghoul named Lorenor who commanded a form of Necromancy of sorts. In the center of the warehouse was where the ghoul currently sat. The warehouse was well lit by archaic globes adding an artificial hue to the weight of the darkness, giving a sort of bleak contrast to the warriors gathered in the warehouse.

Currently, there was talk of a previous battle in the warehouse. The Scara Brae Knights witnessed the small, animated, Teddy Bear named Sasorick in conflict against the ghoul. The battle, at first viewed as a joke, quickly turned into a blood bath. In the end, Lorenor had cleanly sliced the Teddy Bear in half and left him humiliated. The images of the battle entered the ghoul's mind as he thought about the events.

The Dajas Pagoda was turning out to be a bad investment. He wasn't getting any of the fame or the prestige he longed for. Nor the money he was promised by the Scara Brae Knight that initially found him sneaking around the warehouse like a stray dog. The Knights saw some clear potential within the ghoul as a warrior, but Lorenor wasn't sure what that potential was.

After sometime of rest, he knew that the moment came once again to do battle before the Knights of Scara Brae. Lorenor eagerly awaited his next opponent with his chest expanding and contracting with each deep breath that he took. It was only a matter of time before someone answered the call to battle...

[Bloodrose]

Retirement from a life of selling his sword to the highest bidder, fighting for coin alone, should have been the sort of change Teric needed. In retirement he could enjoy all of the things that he had missed out on during a few decades of campaigning. Things like friends and family, a home, and the feelings of comfort that arose when no one was looking to kill you. Of course, when one has no family, no real friends, no home, and a laundry list of people with ancient grudges to hold, retirement doesn't really seem so wonderful...

No, the Dajas Pagoda was more what Teric needed. Retirement hadn't provided the change in his life he was looking for, so maybe now the Pagoda and its warriors would provide that change for him. Here he would be fighting again, but this time he would be doing so for himself, and not for someone else.

Just another fight. Teric reassured himself, alleviating some of the growing tension in his belly. The iron-shod ring of his boots off the cobblestones around the lonely warehouse was unnecessarily loud in the calm night air, heralding the old warrior's approach. You've been in fights before, old dog. His thoughts added supportively, So why get so worked up over this particular bout? Just go in there and do what you do best...

"Teric Bloodrose?" A nameless face questioned at the warehouse door. Several men in long cloaks, their hoods pulled low against the cool night air, stood around the door at various levels of ease. A couple stood to attention to deal with Teric in a business like fashion, while most watched on interestedly or didn't move at all. A short nod from Teric and the man added, "We've been expecting you."

The door swung open with a bang and Teric was ushered inside. The warehouse was mostly empty, and dark in every corner, but the center of the building was well illuminated by several glowing orbs hanging from the ceiling. Such lighting seemed strangely out of place in an old warehouse, but that wasn't any of Teric's concern. He was more focused on the ugly ghoul sitting quietly in the middle of a clearly defined circle. The light drifting down on his opponent cast deep shadows across the thing's face and body, but a well trained eye could still make out the scarred face, devoid of a nose, and the gray flesh. Teric had fought the undead before, so the man's (if you could call it that) appearance really didn't surprise the old warrior. In fact, he had chosen Lorenor specifically from the combatants the Pagoda had offered him.

He wouldn't feel bad about putting another of the undead back in their grave...

"Lorenor V'halkulus." Teric greeted with a nod as the cloaked men fell back into the shadows, leaving the two alone. The old warrior stepped confidently into the combat circle, pushing away the nervous worms gnawing at his belly. If you're not afraid, you're already dead. The old adage that had become Teric's favorite bit of inspiration ran though his head as he shifted the cane concealing his weapon to his left hand...

I wonder if he's afraid at all? The old warrior mused, eyeing the ghoul with a cool expression. After all, he is already dead...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Slowly but surely a scent, and a distinct feeling of danger filled the small warrior's gut. He knew what both intrusions meant now, that his opponent was steadily approaching. Opening his eyes, glowing streams of energy flowed out from the inner sockets. There were no eyeballs present. These were the markings of N'Jal. A dark Thayne known as the Spider Queen in some cultures, rested in an astral prison many miles above Althanas' orbit. Safely hidden away from the populace through years of forgotten stories and myths. Ages of desecration by the Inquisition and those that feared the Dark Mother, rightly so.

Lorenor was a relic of the past. An ancient creature that refused death and the promise of its release. Thinking about his situation now, Lorenor heard something he hadn't expected. A powerful voice called out from the darkness instead of the jokes he'd been fighting of late. At last a match. A real freaking match. Lorenor sensed a radiance of power coming from his opponent and this brought a smile to the ghoul's scarred lips. Standing up slowly, the creature rose to meet his opponent with a proper greeting.

He'd learned much about etiquette and protocol from his time in the Dajas Pagoda. Nodding carefully in return to the warrior, the ghoul thought carefully about a response. A long minute passed whilst the ghoul prepared a formal reply. "The Knights whispered your name to me. Teric Bloodrose. It is an honor and a privilege to do battle with you before the Knights of Scara Brae. Let us make this a good showing for them."

Lorenor said calmly. I've been waiting for this. Maybe he is the one to get me out of this cursed contract with the Pagoda. I have to be on my guard, he smells of many battles. The warrior before him had a scent of blood and death. He behaves like a mercenary might. Strange. He'd expected many things, but a warrior in his ripe old age was not one of them at all. Despite that, he knew not to underestimate any opponent. The older Monks of Ai'bron were a dangerous lot. Perhaps this warrior had many secrets to his form.

Lorenor held his sword in his right hand by the scabbard. Pulling John Mattis' sword out of the scabbard with a distinct ringing sound of Plynt, the warrior moved in a combat stance. He wasted no time going into the maneuver. His form was fluid, flawless. His short size wasn't weighted down by any sort of heavy armor that was visible. Instead, the warrior opted to wear simple black leather, and a Vlince cloak. A metal glove of some sort, his right hand, seemed to be the only physical armor on his person. Lorenor looked down to the Aegis Device for a brief second and then returned his gaze to his foe. Lorenor was searching for his opponent's eyes so he could stare deeply into them.

The ghoul was prepared for battle.

"Let us begin then."

[Bloodrose]

He certainly doesn't speak like the typical ghoul. Teric noted as Lorenor offered up his response. The undead's voice was polite and refined, indicating a level of intelligence beyond that of the simple grave-dodgers wandering graveyards all over Althanas. The undead's eyes, as well, set him apart from the run-of-the-mill corpses that Teric was accustomed to dealing with. Maybe the people at the Pagoda weren't lying when they said Lorenor would offer me a challenge...

The old warrior's eyes picked over his opponent's every move as Lorenor unsheathed his weapon and settled into a combat stance. The ghoul's body moved fluidly, unencumbered by heavy arms or armor. That was both a blessing and a curse, as heavy armor would have rendered Teric's rapier-thin blade useless, but would have also slowed the Pagoda Warrior down. The ease and apparent skill in Lorenor's movements only added to the old warrior's growing sense that this fight was shaping up into more of a battle...

"Yes, let's." Teric replied. His tone was cold and curt, befitting a man addressing a foe. As he spoke, Teric shrugged off the heavy coat that he wore everywhere he went. If Lorenor shaped up to be the quick and nimble opponent he was shaping up to be, the old warrior would want as few encumbrances as possible weighing him down. He folded the coat in half and set in carefully outside the combat circle before turning to face his ghoulish opponent head on.

For a second he locked gazes with the combat ready warrior, testing his gaze against the energies glowing in the empty hallows of Lorenor's skull. I wonder if they see the same as a man's eyes... Teric pondered, already thinking a few steps ahead...

Raising his cane in his left hand, Teric gripped the weapon upside down and with both fists, much like one would grip a large claymore or a katana. Rather than unsheathe the cleverly hidden blade, Teric held the cane as if it were his weapon, making sure his right hand was firmly wrapped around the bottom of the handle.

Lunging forward, Teric swung the cane up over his left shoulder like a bat, and as he rapidly closed the short distance between the two, he swung the cane across his body from left to right, aiming for the short ghoul's neck.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

And so it began. Writing itself, the story of blood and carnage began to ink its own pages with sanguine fluids. Lorenor hungered for the destruction that would soon unfold. He was fed up with the weirdos all coming his way. Looking to test his strength against a worth-while opponent, Lorenor thought back to his fight with Joshua Cronen. That had been a battle. Lorenor thought to himself hoping for a repeat of the situation with this man Teric. He knew not to underestimate any foe from past experience and training with the Monks of Ai'bron.

So when his opponent walked up to him, the ghoul was ready. Combat stance locked and in position, Lorenor's thigh muscles knotted with tension. He was ready to spring like a serpent at a moment's notice. This was the culmination of all of his current training, the here and now. His opponent made the first move, unafraid.

Good, he has balls. He took the first strike. Let's see what I can do here to react and keep him on his toes. He has a mysterious aura about his person, I'm going to have to be extra careful. That damned skeleton was full of surprises. Thinking back on his battle with Krugor, the reanimated skeleton had shocked Lorenor with many powers. Even causing a serious injury to the ghoul's leg. A metal bolt now lurked to keep his femur fuzed.

All at once, his opponent attack with a surprising amount of skill. Lorenor reacted at the last possible moment by quickly sending his sword in an attempt to intercept the incoming weapon. Keeping his gaze forward, the ghoul made every attempt possible to hide his emotions. He wore a poker face as he moved his weapon with every ounce of skill he could muster. His growing swordplay talents were being refined with each battle that the ghoul had.

As he grew more and more accustomed to John Mattis' longsword, the ghoul kept on experimenting with tactics and strategies. He wanted to stay on top of every opponent that the Pagoda offered him. After all, he was promised fame and fortune. "When this hour is through, they shall sing stories and tell tales of this glorious war." Lorenor said to nobody in particular. The seconds passed as he waited to see if his sword intercepted the warrior's weapon...

[Bloodrose]

"And it will be of my praises they sing!" Teric retorted to a bold shout, literally bellowing into his opponent's face as the two clashed. His cane came swinging around as the ghoul's sword darted up to deflect it away. Such a defensive maneuver was perfectly expected, and perfectly executed. One by one the steps of the dance began to fall in line with the piper's tune, and Teric played the next few notes as carefully and as expertly as he could...

As Lorenor's blade met Teric's cane to deflect it, the old warrior's right hand turned the head of the cane deftly. There was a clink!, and then Teric pulled his two fists apart, flashing out the thin steel blade concealed inside the cane. The oak scabbard in his left fist met Lorenor's blade, cracking and splintering the black-lacquered item as it collided with the much stronger blade. The steel blade in Teric's right fist came around in a vicious arc, slashing down and around towards the ghoul's left knee...

All of it happened in such a dizzying burst of speed, fueled by a trigger-rush of adrenaline that accompanied the start of battle. Although distinctly aware of the rapid pace of the movements around him, everything Teric viewed was seen as though time was slowed. Every muscle in his body was constantly sounding off, saturating his brain with an acute awareness of his being. Every sense rode the adrenaline waves into the sky, heightening his senses. Experienced warriors could use that battle-sense, that time-slowed sense of everything, to keep better track of their opponent's movements...

Wish I could remember how to do that... A voice mused in the back of the warrior's mind. It would make things so much simpler...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor was surprised by the weapon's transformation for a brief moment. He then put his mind back on the battle feeling the movement of the sword more than actually seeing it. The ghoul heard a satisfying clank of the two weapons as his sword broke the oak of the cane apart. He quickly used his forward momentum to leap backwards a few paces to evade the incoming attack at his knee. From previous experience, the small warrior knew he needed to keep his leg intact in order to complete these battles.

He'd moved quickly out of range of the attack keeping his gaze locked on the person of his opponent. Great another wannabi demon slayer. Just what I need now. Hey its better than the riff-raff I have been getting lately. The ghoul thought himself as he prepared himself for the battle. The old man moves like water. I'll have to be faster than him if I am to survive this.

Thinking about proper plans and strategies, Lorenor saw the skill inherent in the man's use of his weapon. He wanted this to last. He wasn't eager to end this battle at all. Taking up his sword in both of his hands once again, the small warrior moved fluidly into his normal combat position. He kept his sword level with his center. The light of the warehouse shining strangely off of the masterwork metal of Plynt. Lorenor was proud of his weapon.

He'd gone through great lengths to acquire it from John Mattis. The ghoul waited a few moments before attacking the old man again. He did that out of respect more than anything else. He didn't want the old man's strength to fade too fast. Moving quickly, the agile warrior brought his weapon up in a rotating maneuver, and then, at the end of the rotation slashed downward towards the old man's lower abdomanilis region. He hoped to claim first blood with the maneuver...

[Bloodrose]

Darn! Teric thought as his blade whipped through the air where Lorenor's leg had been just a split-second before. The speed and agility with which the ghoul retreated to a safe distance only impressed upon the old mercenary the impending difficulty of their fight. It seemed they both relied heavily on dexterity, rather than strength, and that was going to make for an interesting battle. That usually works. Teric's thoughts continued. Seems I'm going to have to pull a few more tricks out of my sleeve...

Lorenor resumed his battle-stance gracefully, holding his heavier sword level. Teric had already taken into account that a straight up sword fight between the two was out of the question; Lorenor's heavy blade would simply knock aside or break Teric's thinner, lighter blade. The cane sword was designed for slashing, not for dueling, and Teric didn't relish the idea of standing toe-to-toe with his better armed opponent. After all, he was already holding the shattered remnants of one item that stood in the way of that blade...

A moment's hesitation, or waiting, or whatever it was that Lorenor was doing, and then it was the ghoul's turn to play the piper. From level the blade spun and came around in a downward slash, aimed at Teric's abdomen. Back the old warrior danced, his steps in time with Lorenor's advance as the blade came around, continuing the deadly dance the two were engaged in. Backpedalling didn't quite take Teric completely out of harm's way, but past experience lent the warrior enough insight to angle his abdomen into the strike. The sharp crash of metal striking metal rang through the warehouse as the tip of the ghoul's blade dinged off the lower portion of Teric's breastplate; denting the belly of the armor and scoring open a small hole.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Teric shouted as he shifted his feet, recovering from the slight blow. Almost immediately he countered with a sword slash of his own, aiming to whip his thin blade across the ghoul's face as Lorenor followed through with his strike.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

The force of the impact was satisfying. Lorenor's weapon caused a dent in the warrior's armor. Moving with the movements of the warrior, the ghoul started to step back but was caught off guard as the old warrior took a swipe at his face. Barely, Lorenor managed to cover enough distance that the attack proved to be a non-lethal one. Still, a neat incision of the flesh appeared in a slightly downward arc from the zygomatic region on the left side of his face. Black blood streaked out from where Teric's blade impacted his face and the ghoul appeared stunned for a moment.

Pain seared his face for a brief moment causing the ghoul flinch. He returned his gaze to normal as the blood poured freely down his face. Narrowing his eyes now, Lorenor nodded towards the old warrior casually. "Not bad, you've drawn first blood old one. But I'll make you pay for that." The ghoul taunted preparing himself for the next phase of the dance.

The two warriors complemented one another quite well. Quickly, the ghoul was gaining a vast amount of respect for the old one. He wondered just how many battles that the warrior had been through. As he wondered this the idea came to his head very quickly and he acted upon it with fluid grace. The grace of a trained swordsman.

Covering the few steps between himself and Teric, Lorenor flowed across the ground with his attack at the read. He rotated his weapon once more, a move meant to confuse the enemy, and launched his attack towards his opponent with a quick and powerful thrust. He put considerable weight and speed behind the attack aiming it directly at Teric's pectoralis region. He was attacking from left to right. The purpose of his attack, was to cause dents in all the right places of the man's armor and render it useless to the battle. He hoped something would connect with the man.

[Bloodrose]

Outwardly, the ghoul took the stinging wound across his face in stride, shaking it off easily while at the same time stinging back with a boastful, arrogant remark. Lorenor's words, however, fell away from Teric's ears like the braying taunts of a child. 'Sticks and stone will break my bones, but words will never hurt me...' The old warrior thought, slightly amused that he should think of that particular saying. I'm only in trouble if Lorenor actually decides to start employing something other than his words...

That thought of course wasn't prophetic, simply insightful, as Teric's opponent launched straight into a second attack. Just as graceful as the first, with all the speed and ease one might expect from an experienced swordsman, lunging for Teric's chest in a powerful thrust.

Rather than take the blow directly, a foolish choice by any standard, Teric attempted to sidestep the thrust and get his chest away from the seeking point of the blade. He moved to his left, but again the old warrior's reaction time was a little slower than the ghoul's, and the green metal blade skimmed off the front of the breastplate as Teric turned his torso to the right during his evasion. I can only keep dodging him for so long. He thought miserably as he freed his left hand, dropping the broken remnants of his cane-scabbard to the ground. Like it or not, he's a bit faster than I am, and that blade of his is going to find its mark sooner or later; breastplate or no breastplate...

Setting his feet firmly, Teric snatched out with his free left hand for the thick black dreadlocks Lorenor might have called hair. Given the short proximity between the two, it wasn't entirely inconceivable for Teric to grab the ghoul's hair, give it a swift yank, and pull his opponent's head down. By sticking his left leg in close to Lorenor's feet, it might even be possible to trip the ghoul if he got a good enough pull on his hair, and send the Pagoda warrior to the ground...

Time to fight dirty. Teric thought. Never a bad option when your life is on the line...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor got a piece of the armor. Albeit a small piece of course, but a piece nonetheless. Once he was done with his maneuver, the ghoul quickly moved back into stance just in time to fall victim to something quite unexpected. He'd been caught completely off guard by the warrior's dirty tactic. Hey! I wasn't expecting that! The old coot's full of surprises--

He managed to think just as he was knocked firmly to the ground with a nonchalant thud. The ghoul was knocked clean off his feet by the much more powerful warrior. Teric easily had a tons of weight on the much smaller warrior. Dust rose upwards from the ground as the ghoul rolled immediately towards his right. His head hurting from the harsh impact against the ground beneath him. Wasn't expecting something like that so soon. He's fighting dirty now, I'll have to be extra careful.

Lorenor grabbed his hair for a moment and pushed it upward so it flowed in the air for the briefest of seconds and then flowed back down upon his lower back. The ghoul returned his gaze towards Terics' position. There was a grin on his face now. "All right old man, I'll give you that one. I wasn't expecting it. You'll find I've got a few of those tricks of my own." The ghoul said , escalating his voice a few notches.

He moved back into his fighting stance and prepared his next maneuver. As he planned, he acted, attempting to keep the old warrior off his toes. He was trying to shift the momentum of this battle to his favor. Covering the ground from his former position, he lunged forward suddenly with all the speed that the undead could muster. Once he was a few paces away from Teric's front side, the ghoul suddenly leaped to the air. He jumped forward and controlled his leap so that at the zenith of his jump, he arched downward with a potent leaping kick straight to the armored chest of that crazy old man...

Lorenor was taking a huge risk and hoped that it would pay off.

[Bloodrose]

That was easier than expected... Teric thought, thoroughly elated. While the size difference between the two combatants might have played a part in his dirty little knock-down, Teric was more impressed at just how well his body was holding up under the circumstances. More than a half century's worth of injuries and normal wear-and-tear on a man's body could really add up into a lot, and it was assuring to see that his speed and strength, despite his years, could still compete. I suppose I shouldn't be overly surprised. His thoughts added, After all, I did well enough against Viral, and Lorenor is certainly a more predictable foe than that bastard...

Just thinking about his battle in the Citadel with that shape changing mutant sent a shiver down Teric's spine. He hadn't taken part in such a hard fought and dangerous battle in a while, with most of the danger resulting from Viral's apparent ability to mimic anyone he touched. It wasn't really fair to say Teric had won had that battle, but more fair to say that Viral lost it for himself. Just like he had lost his mind...

Lorenor regained his feet quickly. Getting tossed bodily to the ground was little more than an inconvenience for the ghoul, it seemed, much like everything else Teric had accomplished thus far. The old warrior might have the upper hand, but neither Pagoda warrior nor challenger had managed to accomplish much in the way of meaningful damage. It was still an even battle, with each side waiting for the other to break or slip up. More taunts from the ghoul, and then he was moving again, lunging forward in another direct attack.

If there was one thing Teric could give Lorenor credit for, it was that the ghoul liked to mix up his strategy. Despite three headlong charges, the Pagoda warrior utilized three different attacks each time. The first had been the simple slash, followed by a simple thrust. Fully expecting another swordplay maneuver from the ghoul, Teric didn't see the flying leg kick coming until it was too late. Lorenor was in the air, leg fully extended in flight, before the old warrior had time to rethink his defense.

Too late...

Lorenor's kick hit Teric square in the chest, and although his breastplate absorbed the blow itself, the force of the kick propelled the old warrior backwards across the hard-packed combat circle. All Teric could do was reel his arms to maintain his balance, but that didn't help when the back of his heel caught the edge of the circle and sent him sprawling on his ass.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Finally! Something meaningful connected against his opponent. He hadn't thought of utilizing his basic martial skills up until that point in the fight and it had paid off in spades. After he'd connected with the maneuver, the ghoul continued his forward dive and landed silently on the ground. His movement kicked up a little bit of the dirt on the well-trodden combat circle. Despite his successful attack, Lorenor knew he couldn't celebrate yet. He is underestimating me when I still have cards I can play...he thought to himself as he rose up from his position on the ground.

Staring at his opponent, now laying on the ground nearby to his current position, the ghoul took a few steps over to Teric. His weapon still in hand. The ghoul knew that his foe may have a hard time recovering from the huge blow against his chest so he decided it was time to take advantage of the chaos he'd caused. Rotating the weapon as he moved, the ghoul placed both of his hands on the hilt of his sword. Taking careful aim, Lorenor knew just what to do next.

He was planning on paying the old man back for two-fold reasons. One was the burning cut along the side of his face, and the other was that dirty trick not too long ago. I hadn't been expecting that from someone like you old man. I'll have to make sure to repay the favor. Lorenor prepared for a proverbial kick to the man's person while he was down.

Taking advantage of the momentary sign of weakness, Lorenor attacked with a simple use of the blade in his hands. Once well withing range, the ghoul thrusted downward, once again, attacking the abodmanilis region of the old warrior's body. He attacked on a different side of the armor than the one he'd already tore open. He didn't care if the old man evaded or not, he just wanted a piece of that armor. Lorenor was already successfully tearing holes through the plating anyway. Its only a matter of time before I expose soft stuff and can shed blood. The ghoul would make a meal out of the old warhorse yet.

[Bloodrose]

On your back was the very last place a fighter wanted to be in the midst of a battle. Teric knew this, Lorenor most likely knew it, and indeed any self-respecting dueler in the history of armed combat should know that laying flat on your back is a most disadvantageous position to be in. Such a position cuts your field of vision, limits your movements, and makes you a prime target...

Lorenor dove on his golden opportunity like a vulture to the corpse, bearing down on Teric with lethal intent. His blade was hungry, and its thirst for the old warrior's blood had not yet been whet. Laying there on the hard dirt outside the combat circle, Teric was immediately thankful to have removed his heavy coat before beginning. The thick, long garment would have slowed him considerably as he rolled to his left, out from under Lorenor's downward strike. The dull chink! of metal biting the dirt next to him was uncomfortably close, but Teric rolled one more time before scrambling to his knee.

"Close." The old warrior whistled through clenched teeth. He wasn't really addressing Lorenor, but speaking out loud more for his own benefit. A few heart-beats of fear had dewed the old man's brow with sweat, and his fine black clothes were covered with a powder of dirt and dust. There was no time to wipe himself down, or to further reflect on how close to death he might have just come. Instead, there was only time to react, and to try and bring the momentum back in his direction.

As he rose back to his feet, Teric's arm swung back, and then forward in a brilliant display of strength and speed. The thin steel blade gripped tightly in his right hand whipped through the air with a low hum, and an almost invisible arc slashed out from the blade along its diagonal, right shoulder-to-left hip, path. Teric hadn't rolled that far, so Lorenor might get a kick out of the Slash as he recovered from his miss...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

The Plynt sword bounced off the ground as he hit nothing but earth. Close indeed. He thought to himself as he rotated his weapon and recovered his combat stance quickly. Observing the old man casually, he wondered what the warrior had planned next. All of these rookies were filled with nothing but flash and cheap tricks. They weren't refined warriors. And just as suddenly, the old man released a technique that Lorenor hadn't quite prepared for...

Air singing with danger, the ghoul reacted without thinking. His hand immediately went to the Aegis Bracer as he activated the power of the symbiotic artifact. Lorenor felt a surge of archaic forces pulse from his his hand all across his body. Instantly, the air around his hand solidified as magical forces materialized. Lorenor brought up the mystical wall as a barrier between himself and the old warrior's attack.

Lorenor called up a weak barrier as he didn't want to use his full energies right away against the old man. In one fell moment, the slash technique impacted visibly and audibly against Lorenor's Aegis Shield. He didn't know what sort of bizarre forces were that the old man summoned upon him, but he didn't want to find either. A thunderclap of energy resonated through the air sending off a shockwave of force that knocked the ghoul back several paces. His feet left skid marks in the dirt.

He felt his dreadlocks flow in the air for a moment at the sudden burst of force and kinetic energy. A bright and colorful explosion suddenly filled the air with crackling energy. Several sparks of the glowing energy flowed towards Lorenor and singed the ghoul right through his leather clothing. In this fashion, several holes appeared in his garments along with scorching wounds where sparkling energy touched them.

Touched with archaic residue now, the air crackled with heat. Lorenor kept his metallic hand up in the air for a moment as it shimmered with power. He sighed thankful for the artifact now since he knew it had just saved his life, no doubt. He vaguely recalled the injury he'd sustained against the skeleton warrior, Krugor. Lorenor recovered himself as the archaic breeze died down and he focused his attention back to the moment at hand.

As soon as the slash technique impacted 'gainst the ghoul's shields, the mystical barrier faded away into nothing. Covering the ground quickly from his last position to just a few paces before the old warrior, Lorenor was through playing games. That's it old man, no more playing around! Time to die! He lunged forward once again, and twisted his body into an arching thrust forward towards the man's chest. He hoped to clip something serious this time and catch him off guard. There was no rotation, only a sudden, purposeful attack.

[Bloodrose]

Well that was interesting... Teric watched and took careful note of the shimmering barrier that sprang to life between Lorenor and the destructive wave that sought to maim him. The mysterious forces that comprised the barrier shuddered under the shockwave of Teric's technique, and as Lorenor was propelled backwards dispelled into a rainbow of bright energy shards that blew past the ghoul like a wind.

"Now it's on." The old warrior muttered under his breath. "Now all the secrets start to come into play..."

I wonder if they see the same as a man's eyes...

The thought sprang unbidden into Teric's mind as Lorenor reacted to the previous onslaught with gusto. There was no fanciful twirling of his sword this time, and no mocking threats that rang hallow in the shadowed corners of the warehouse. The ghoul's latest attack was straight, unadulterated violence, pure and simple.

Did Lorenor keep getting faster with each attack, reflective of his blade's growing thirst to score blood? Or was Teric just getting slower as his old body lost its vigor, little by little? Teric's free hand came up as he made a wild dash to sidestep the astonishingly quick thrust aimed at his chest. The thrust missed its intended target, but again the old warrior was just a split-second to slow, and Lorenor's blade bit into the flesh under Teric's left arm. The vlince shirt might have spared him the worst of it had the blade just slid under his arm and ran across the fabric, but instead the point poked through and gouged a chunk into Teric's triceps.

The air whistled through Teric's teeth as he took a sharp intake of breath to deal with the pain lancing down his arm. It stung like the dickens, and the muscles in his arm felt funny, but Teric's mind had been galvanized in the fire of too many battles to let the wound distract his focus. The fingers of his left hand burst open in a flash, followed by the sucking noise of a vacuum collapsing. The failure of a fireball spell the old warrior used as a flashbang burst directly between the two warriors in such close proximity that the flash illuminated the backs of Teric's eyelids and the noise caused his ears to pop.

With Lorenor's sword between his arm and chest, Teric had a pretty good idea where the ghoul would be standing as the flashbang went off, and stabbed blindly in that direction with his thin blade...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor's sword was finally tainted with crimson. The substance flowed to the ground and dripped into the soft layer of dirt covering the ground beneath them both. Lorenor moved himself into position as he'd cut the old man's arm when something strange happened. A loud noise, a sudden burst of chaos, and a bright flash of light erupted afore Lorenor's field of vision. The ghoul screamed in agony as the burst of light flowed all around him, and at this close range there was no way for him to react.

Blindness crept in, rendering his sight useless so he shut his eyes. Any normal man would have been immediately crippled by the loss of his eyes, but the ghoul was no normal man. Falling back on his other, highly acute senses, the ghoul felt his sensory array flare up all around him. Closing his eyes tightly, his sockets stung painfully as he recoiled from the pain. He didn't even have a chance to evade as the sword came right at his shoulder blade.


Lorenor shifted his body weight instinctively, feeling the cold steel approaching his sensory grid. Normally relying on his acute eyesight the ghoul was now depending on all five of his senses. With his eyes closed he could see the vessel of blood before him in red that represented the old man. It was his heat vision, a recent gift provided to him by the darkness and the Queen-Mother N'Jal.

With the sword heading towards Lorenor, the ghoul knew he was in trouble at that point. Then, at the last possible moment, something else happened and the ghoul revealed another secret. The Endless chose to participate in the battle where previously, the symbiotic organism allowed its host to get all pin-cushioned up by the old coot.

A second epidermis suddenly wrapped itself around the outer skin of the ghoul, quickly covering the entirety of his flesh and enveloping him in a layer of a black substance. Lorenor was surprised when the Endless opted to react and then he understood why. The old man struck against his shoulder with a powerful attack causing the ghoul to scream for a moment in agony as steel touched his second skin. A large bruise developed where the thin rapier managed to pierce The Endless and lessen the momentum of Teric's incoming attack. Now, it was Teric's turn. His Rapier licked the flavor blood only this time, it was black blood and it started to flow freely.

Lorenor stepped back a few paces and clutched at his shoulder, angrily. He stared at the old man and hissed. Grabbing his weapon anew, he'd seen everything that the old man had to offer. Lorenor could still play a few more cards if need be. But they could wait. Now he was attempting to kill the old man in a worthy duel. Moving forward once again, Lorenor skillfully brought his sword to bear, and this time, went straight for the old man's neck. He was looking to end this battle now.

[Bloodrose]

When Teric opened his eyes, he wasn't overly enthusiastic about what he saw. His left arm hurt, and blood was dripping from his fingers to form dirty splotches in the dirt as the limb hung by his side. Wisps of smoke leftover from the flashbang technique wafted around in front of his face, stinging his nostrils with the putrid aroma of burning sulfur. Topping everything, and stepping down heavily on the old warrior's confidence, was a still standing Lorenor. Dammit! Was the only thought he could muster. More tricks...

From somewhere, or out of nowhere, the ghoul had summoned a second skin that rippled and flowed over his own like a black ooze. The only satisfying result of Teric's frenzied attack was a black, bloody liquid flowing from the ghoul's shoulder. Lorenor hissed in annoyance, gripping his weapon even tighter and staring death in the old warrior's direction.

And so we're two-for-two in the surprises category. Teric mulled. Slash for Shield, Flash for...Skin, or whatever in the Goddess' name that is... The old warrior was suddenly feeling slightly less comfortable about his chances in this battle. There were no more clever tricks to pull out his sleeves should he need them. He was going to have to rely on straightforward, no-holds-barred melee combat...

A couple of decades ago that thought might not have bothered Teric so much. These days, however, his body wasn't exactly as responsive, or as powerful, as it used to be...

Lorenor stepped in again, swinging at neck height as though Teric were going to stand around and wait to be decapitated. There was no sidestepping or fancy trick this time, just a simple duck. Crouching down was quick enough, aided by the force of gravity, and the ghoul's blade went whizzing overhead. Still crouched, Teric lunged forward to try and use his body battering ram against the ghoul. The old man's head came up when he was close, hoping to maybe knock Lorenor under the chin with the top of his head, and the short steel blade came in for another stab at the ribs...

If all else failed, he could at least tackle Lorenor to the ground and get in close enough to render the Pagoda warrior's sword useless...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Somewhere nearby, a rat made its way towards the feet of a Scara Brae Knight. The form of the rodent sniffed at the foot of the warrior, soliciting a feeling of annoyance from him. The warrior, in turn, unsheathed a sword and quickly took a stab at the rodent. There was a loud shriek as the rodent met an untimely death, and the shriek filled the air.

But Lorenor was oblivious to that. As the ghoul swung and hit nothing but air, he was once again surprised by the old man. And then something else happened, the old man took it to Lorenor. Lorenor could taste the sweat and tension in his mouth as he fought against the old coot. In a moment of desperation, it seemed like, the old man leaped forward and used his body as a battering ram.

At such a close range, even with his level of skills in melee combat, the ghoul wasn't able to react quickly enough. He felt all of the air leave his lungs as the powerful warrior caught Lorenor full on. At the last possible moment, Lorenor reacted by shifting his momentum against the weight of his attacker.

Teric held many pounds on the small warrior but that was irrelevant at the moment, he'd already been knocked clean off of his feet. Able to move through the pain, the more experienced Pagoda Warrior used his weapon at the last possible minute. He saw the old warriors' exposed back and sent his blade crashing down to the man's back. He'd shifted his weight against the old man, just so, so that he could move his arm with enough strength to strike at his enemy with a downward thrust. At the range of the perpetual hug of death, Teric might be hard pressed to pull an evasion from out of his behind. Lorenor smiled the whole way down to the ground as he attacked.

[Bloodrose]

A half-second of panic swept over Teric he realized Lorenor wasn't just going to get tackled graciously. The ghoul was still moving around in his arms as the two went crashing to the warehouse floor, and those movements weren't the jerky, flailing movements of a man trying vainly to free himself. It felt more like a calculated shifting of weight, and then an arm swinging around...

"Ah...by the Goddess!" The two of them struck the ground, Lorenor smiling as the older warrior fell on top of him. Had the ghoul not been there to break his fall, the air might have rushed from Teric's lungs on impact, but instead the air went whistling through the warrior's teeth in the opposite direction as Teric sucked in breath. He sat bolt upright, a stinging sensation lancing down his legs, as his left hand shot to his back. Very suddenly Teric regretted the decision to wear the half-body style breastplate that covered his front, but offered no protection for his back. It had been a decision of burden really, as Teric's age hindered his overall strength. Speed was the name of the game now, and the half-body design was lightweight, without sacrificing armor completely.

A man could live a thousand lifetimes, Teric thought, and never forget what it feels like to have cold metal pierce your skin.

It was a decent score for Lorenor, to say the least. Thoughts of how the ghoul could have managed to swing his weapon around in such close confines were dismissed in favor of more pressing issues; how open was the wound? And how bad was the bleeding? The answers to both of those questions would undoubtedly play a key role in determining how much longer this fight went on...and already the prognosis wasn't good.

I'm losing it. He could feel it in his bones, and he didn't need new wounds to tell him that he wasn't going to be keeping up with the ghoul any longer. The undead had the distinct advantage of not suffering from his age, whereas Teric's was rapidly catching up. Their short exchanges of blows and counter-blows felt more like a lengthy and drawn out war, and exertion paired with injuries was only expediting the inevitable.

I have to end this fight right now, while I have a chance. You're no stranger to pain, old man. Fight through it! You don't dress conservatively just because you're old; you do it to hide your scars! You've felt this pain a hundred times before! The pain was just one more old companion, and experience helped Teric push that pain aside as he lifted the short blade up over his head, and reversed his grip so that the blade pointed downwards.

Tackling Lorenor to the ground had opened up what was likely Teric's last hope of landing the blow that would end this fight. He stabbed downwards, already imagining the look on Lorenor's face should he pin the ghoul to the ground through his chest...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Breathing erratically through the pain his chest, some part of the ghoul already expected there to be some kind of follow up attack. Lorenor's chest rose up and down in pain even as he felt the hard cobblestone floor beneath him. A thin cloud of dust was kicked up by the movement of the two warriors. The ghoul's movement was hindered because of the weight of the larger man on top of him, but he could still move his arms. Instinctively, he listened to what The Endless said next.

Shift your body weight for a successful counter of your own. He means to end us. With voices in his head, and some doubt in his heart, the ghoul shifted his weight suddenly towards his right, exposing his sword arm once again. With the shift in momentum once again, despite the pain, Lorenor suddenly thrust his own weapon, tainted with blood, right up at the old man's upper thorax. He aimed straight for the man's heart this time. There was nothing fancy about the attack except the shift in his body weight and the subtle movements.

Lorenor knew that another attack was coming. He did something simple indeed. He placed the hilt of his weapon, after the length of his strike, in conjunction with the incoming attack. Lorenor knew that the Aegis Bracer was in his right hand and made of steel. He knew that the Bracer was made of steel. It would serve with just enough strength to counter the thin rapier being thrust at him. He made sure to counter strike from just above his chest so that he could at once, block the incoming attack, rendering useless, and launch his own attack back.

Lorenor felt the weight of the warehouse against his back now. The old building was strong and powerful, brick for brick, it was a strong structure just like Lorenor was trying to become. A strong house. Laying the foundations for his future career, the ghoul hoped to reach fine old age like this old man. He was trying to bring this battle to an end, it had already cost him much. Blood still flowed from the injury that Teric landed on his chest not too long ago. The wound stung like hornets. But somehow, his desire to end the old man was overwriting all other sense of logic. It had gotten personal now. I will defeat you old man. This won't be another loss or another technicality! Lorenor thought angrily to himself as he swung his sword back at the old man, meeting the old man's attack with one of his own.

[Bloodrose]

Lorenor's blade seemed to grow out of his chest like the dark green stalk of some killer plant. Plynt. A voice in the back of the old warrior's head intoned, finally remembering what the term for the heavy, green-ish metal was. It seemed like an odd thing to remember, given the circumstances, but the fact of the matter is that all sorts of odd things go through a man's mind as his body shuts down...

The blade gripped tightly in the ghoul's fist could at last slake its thirst at least, having punctured enough of the steel breastplate to lodge itself in Teric's ribs. For what it was worth, the breastplate had eventually stopped the blade far short from running the old man through, but the proximity and the force of the jab had punctured the steel chest piece like the point of a can opener through a metal lid. The wound, oddly enough, didn't hurt so much. It feels like someone is sitting on my chest, Teric thought, and whatever is in their back pocket is hurting my ribs...

The pressure of course was Teric's lifeblood filling his chest cavity, restricting his lungs. He was quite literally drowning in his own fluids, and no amount of adrenaline coursing through his veins could keep his muscles moving, or his heart beating.

Where's my sword? He thought, sluggishly. Somehow it had escaped his grasp, and Teric couldn't remember if his last blow had scored true or not. I have to keep... fighting. I have to... keep pressing... forward... Each thought was a bit hazier, and a comforting blackness was creeping in at the edges of his vision. I... challenged the Pagoda... to fight for... myself...

As Teric slumped forward, still kneeling atop his ghoulish opponent, a sudden clarity came with the darkness as his body succumbed and went into shock.

I'll find you. The old warrior thought. Once I regain my strength, I'll find you Lorenor, and I'll show you a real fight...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Kicking the corpse of the rat aside, the Scara Brae Knight re-sheathed his weapon after spinning it once. A Knight Captain named Norris approached the guard and patted him on the shoulder. "It should be over by now don't you think? They've been going at it for a while. Who do you suppose won the thing?" The younger Knight asked. "I'm not sure." Norris replied. "That old man seemed like a serious heap of trouble." Norris shrugged and walked forward towards the center of the ring. He saw the two bloodied warriors and sighed. That Lorenor sure is something else...

Hearing footsteps approaching the ghoul, Lorenor stared up at the ceiling of the warehouse. He noticed the strange patterns in the structure as they criss-crossed the latticework of the old building. His eyes could barely make out the structure of the ceiling as the hanging glow-balls swung on chains back and forth. They moved with a light breeze that flowed into the building from various cracks in the wall. The old man's rapier jutted out of Lorenor's shoulder and had punctured it all the way through, even with the help of The Endless.

Lorenor gasped for air every few moments as he was attempting to regain the wind that had left his lungs. His eyes were going distant now, but weren't completely fading away. Lorenor had lost a lot of blood, but The Endless served to patch his wounds up. Walking towards him was a single Scara Brae Knight, signaling that the match was over. Lorenor pulled on his sword and attempted to remove it from the old warrior's body as he slid backwards.

Taking his sword back into his hand, Lorenor sighed. He felt the rapier being pulled from his body and growled with pain. Looking at Norris, Lorenor looked at him with agony etched on his face. "Did I win? Did I get the bastard?" He asked Norris in a weak voice. The older man ran his hand through his hair as he held the Teric's rapier in hand. "You got him Lorenor, you got him good." There was a respect in the man's voice now. "You fought hard and kept your honor. I'll make sure that he gets properly healed as you do." Lorenor nodded and passed out. Exhaustion reared its ugly head like a raging demon. Norris went over to Teric and handed the old man back his sword.

"Sleep now warrior. We shall be certain you cheat death once again..."

The End.

[Call me J]

Well guys, this was a good battle. Bloodrose is the winner of what was a very close judging. Both of you should be pleased with the way this turned out.

Mutant_Lorenor

Total- 60. Tough luck. On normal days, this thread would have been good enough for a win.

Continuity- 9. You did a really good job of giving me all the right information and nothing unnecessary.

Setting- 5. You can describe setting fine. However, you don’t interact with it. You mention it, and then you ignore it.

Pacing- 6. This battle maybe carried on a bit longer than it needed to, but it’s hard to really control pacing in battles because there are often two competing stories.

Dialogue- 5. The dialogue here was neither particularly good nor bad. Battles are not the place for long speeches, but they are a place for moments of monologue and sometimes, even clever lines. This was a battle where a bit of trash made sense, but it wasn’t so good.

Action- 6. I liked Lorenor’s battle strategy here. It was quite well thought out.

Persona- 7. I could occasionally see cases where Alberdyne’s personality slipped in here, but I’m not sure if this was carlessness or the case that there are similarities between Alberdyne and Lorenor.

Mechanics- 3. There were many problems here. You had issues with verb conjugations and typos. Also, you need to be more careful of how you use punctuation, especially commas. Lastly, be careful that the words you are using mean what you want them to mean. I don’t know if this is because you’re trying to stretch your vocabulary or because you’re just making careless mistakes. If it’s the former, try to use the Thesaurus more often.

Technique- 6. There was nothing all that elaborate, but what you did in here wasn’t bad.

Clarity- 7. This was mostly easy to follow, except when you changed subjects.

Wild Card- 6. Good work, I really like the way you’ve made your own story here.

Bloodrose

Total- 61. Congratulations on your win!

Continuity- 7. Teric didn’t really appear out of nowhere, and you worked in the battle with Viral Kraus pretty well, but I felt you could have done better, especially given what a rich past Teric has compared to most characters. You have 50 years of history from which to draw things, I’d make use of this asset more.

Setting- 5. See Lorenor’s comment.

Pacing- 6. See Lorenor’s comment.

Dialogue- 6. More internal monologue could have really strengthened you here.

Action- 5. There were some important decisions in here that weren’t out of character, but were not explained. For instance, why did Teric want to choose Lorenor for this battle. Explanation would have helped you in the story categories as well.

Persona- 6. Continuity and persona are very intertwined for Teric, to the point that you sometimes mistake continuity for persona. As I noted above, with a character like him, continuity is easy. Don’t neglect persona as a result.

Mechanics- 6. I caught a couple of issues with tenses and capitalization, but they may have been errors of typing instead of errors of thought. Also, the correct idiom is “pay the piper” and not “play the piper.” It comes from the folk tale of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, where the town refused to pay the Pied Piper who had rid their town of rats.

Technique- 5. I really don’t like it when people use a similie or metaphor that doesn’t work in the Althanas context. While you may be using an omniscient narrator, using an analogy such as “like a bat” or “pay the piper” takes away from the ambiance of Althanas.

Clarity- 9. You did a very good job here.

Wild Card- 6


Spoils
Bloodrose receives 1100 EXP and 150 GP
Mutant_Lorenor receives 300 EXP

Though you need to check with Karuka, I believe this makes Bloodrose eligible to take Lorenor’s spot in the Pagoda.

[Witchblade]

EXP and GP added!

Bloodrose welcome to level 1!