Duel:Calen v Naeaftas, Match 6 of the 2015 Frostmaw Tournament

Duelists: Calen vs. Naeaftas. 
Duel: Traditional 3 posts each, with final defense. 15 minute posting limit. 
Stakes: 5000 gold. Autohit post. Advancement in the Titans of Winter Tournament 2015. 
Judges: Hildegarde, Rayala & Leone

Ancient Black Dragon's Den

Hildegarde announced, “Welcome to the sixth match of the annual Titans of Winter tournament! Today we find ourselves inside the Ancient Black Dragon’s Den, nestled away in the mountain ranges of Xalious. A place even the bravest of adventurers would think twice before entering, the cave is dark. Though the treasure of the dragon’s hoard will glimmer and give light, it is dark enough that the black dragon whelps will be hard to see. Trod on them or tread too closely and you might find yourself to be their next meal or at least have acid spat in your direction. Be warned, warriors, stir the nest too much and you will incur their wrath! Fight well, warriors! Best of luck to Calen and Naeaftas… let the battle begin!”

Calen , very stealthily and with as little noise as possible, did approach the place listed as the next dueling location, weapons in hand. Once the interior has been breached, he did halt so that the locations of those inside could be determined, their life energy appraised so that Naeaftas could be singled out. Without a word then the guardian of Frostmaw first kicks off the boots being worn before then sprinting toward the paladin, warhammer kept low at his right side. Once the gap is then closed to less than two ffeet, the weapon in question is swung, the blunt side aimed to strike at the feline's left shin. Whether or not this attack connected, the undead individual was following it up quickly, the mace in his left hand aimed to strike at his opponent's right wrist unless blocked as well, meaning to keep Naeaftas focused on the current strike and not the next, for allowing any chance to use holy magic would prove quite unpleasant for the life-deprived male.

Naeaftas had been waiting in the den, eager to face off against the undead soldier called Calen. Ever since their first meeting, the holy knight had yearned to observe the undead’s combat style, hoping that the two of them would become friends after a friendly spar. The cave was dark, but the sharp eyes of the catfolk could see in dim light as though it were bright as day. As Calen rushed in, weapons at the ready, Naeaftas prepared himself to counterattack. Knowing from his last fight that the joints were his weak spots, he quickly dropped to a crouch, using his shield to absorb the force of the warhammer. Having lowered himself, the gray-furred paladin ducked his head to avoid the mace’s blow, but caught a glancing hit from its edge. Gritting his sharp teeth, Naeaftas swung up with his own warhammer to hopefully catch Calen’s left side. Speaking an incantation in Feline, the head of the Cat Lord’s blessed weapon heated up immensely. On a hit, his opponent would be hit by flaring holy fire, as well as a barrage of pure radiance that would undoubtedly serve as quite the setback to an undead creature such as the Frostmawian soldier. Such a burst of light was sure to stir the whelps, but the elderly feline could handle them, if need be. Enchanted adamantine could not easily be harmed by acid, and he had trained long ago to deal with a fight which involved multiple targets, whether they were teamed up against him or all brawling with one another.

Calen really did hope that he could keep Naeaftas defending, even if this goal proved to be an impossible task, thanks to the paladin's keen night vision. This unknown trait ensured he'd be left off-balance for a moment, though this is all that's necessary for the holy magicks wielded by his opponent to be utilised thanks to both the shield block and the subsequent pain as his side is struck, leaving flesh torn and bones cracked. Recovering in silence since he didn't want the whelps pinpointing his location, the fire is thus able to connect as well, leaving the unarmoured man breaking that vow and crying out, due to experiencing true agony as every part of his body touched is burned. A full minute is needed then to rein in the sensations as the grey-haired male struggled just to remain standing and battle the shock creeping up, all while the warhammer is dropped to rid himself of the weight. Managing at last to do that, partially anyway, the undead being at last then broke the one big rule he'd made for himself, using the anthesis of the magick that had harmed him, despite the lingering burns making such a practice risky. Manipulating the shadows, the dark mage did use them, making them tangible and shaping them into a pack of shadowy wolves as they rose from the floor and wall. Once these were made, they would rush as one, meaning just to provide a momentary window for Calen to attack again with the mace still wielded.

Naeaftas took the minute granted him by the successful hit to arm himself with another holy ward, speaking a prayer to the Cat Lord and holding up his shield. As he did so, a barrier of light sprung up around him, which would provide supplemental protection from subsequent attacks from Calen. The mace, however, would ignore this barrier, catching the paladin off-guard and causing pain to blossom throughout his right arm. As the wolves began to fill the den, the aged warrior let loose a low hiss. He had never liked such creatures, even if these particular specimens were only figments of the darkness. Regardless, there was little time for him to worry about shadow-wolves. His opponent was closing in, and a solution was in order. Channeling the divinity of the goddess who granted him power, Naeaftas held up his warhammer and cast his holy nimbus, an aura of pure light that would shine out from him and harm anything caught within one hundred and twenty feet of him. Calen could stay inside the aura, but he would receive a blast of radiant damage every few seconds for a full minute.

Calen remained very focused on again trying to keep Naeaftas from using holy magick, even if that hadn't gone so well before owing to a lack of being fully knowledgeable about felines. This intent was less compared to the first time he'd rushed in though, and so there was an alertness for the slightest sign of danger, which proved to be partially beneficial. Alas, the damage already done to him was slowing down physical responses, which wasn't helped by the realisation the whelps were getting closer. One problem at a time however was all Calen could focus on, and so as the warhammer is raised, he's back-tracking, meaning to get away before more damage is done. He fails of course, and before safety is reached, the undead individual is reduced to staggering, finally being forced to one knee. While there wasn't much energy left for him to do anything drastic, much less stand without a good few minutes rest, he could still attack.. sort of. This desperate tactic involved using more shadows, this time directly beneath Naeaftas, are called upon, shaped into chains this time, meant to bring the paladin to the ground hard enough to inflict some sort of wound. Whether that succeeded though was less of a concern to Calen though, since it was mostly a distraction, more than anything.

Naeaftas had been about to charge, having seen Calen drop to a knee. This would have been the perfect time to go rushing in, hammer at the ready… were it not for the chains of darkness grasping at his legs. Joints locked as the bonds solidified, and the paladin came tumbling down, casting his armaments aside so as not to risk further injury. The fall alone was painful, even through the full plate the paladin wore. They had damaged each other; that much was certain. The impact jarred the catfolk badly, eliciting a yowl of pain (a swear in Feline, if any listening could understand it) as his concentration broke. Naeaftas picked himself up slowly, resting on one knee; a pose that almost mirrored that of his opponent. Until the chains were broken, he could do very little to stave off the advancing of the whelps, but the divine fighter would worry about that if and when he finished things with Calen.

Winner: Calen

Calen remained kneeling, working on getting back to being able to stand. Once he has, after what felt like a long time, he at last managed to stand without falling over. Staggering over to Naeaftas, he then, with the mace still held through all that, would very lightly tap against the plate armour, on Naeaftas' right shoulder. After that, even if he was barely able to keep upright himself, an arm is stretched out, hopefully to ensure they could both escape the black dragon whelps with all their limbs intact, nothing said right now.