Duel:Desparrow v Shishi, Match 1 of the 2016 Frostmaw Tournament

Duelists: Desparrow vs Shishi
Duel: Traditional 3 rounds with final defense, 15 minute posting limit
Stakes: Auto-hit to the winner
Judges: Ayras, Diryon, and Pilar

Shallow Cave

The cave is small but secure as no wind or snow seems to drift into the sheltered area. You can see various bones and half eaten frozen limbs of different animals and creatures littering the cave floor. Clearly this cave does not only serve one creature but many in a time of need, when the winds become too strong, or simply when one is in need of a rest.

Balgruuf steps forward, his hands jesticulating up and down in the air in indication. It seems the crowd is wise, and as the various spectators and gamblers begin to quiet down, the aged being takes a stance at the center of the fighting pit. The mouth piece is a towering man, an elder frost giant whose hair and beard have turned a stark shade of blue-tinged white. His voice is growling and severe as he booms out to those present, "Welcome to the first round of the Titans of Winter Tournament! Here we gather in the Shallow Cave to watch two noble warriors do battle." Once the signal to begin is given, the crowd steps back out of the way to allow both combatants to do their worst, and Balgruuf fades into the jumble of frost giants collected at one end of the fighting area. Good luck to both Shishi and Desparrow!

Desparrow took a long, deep breath before regarding his opponent with a smile. He wore today for battle light fur armor over the entirety of his body, to grant him freedom of movement. Raising his hands into the air he began to vent pure ether from his body out of his pores. Reacting to his will it released from him in ribbons curling upwards and coalescing into a single growing sphere that pulsated with an opalescent light towards the ceiling. A few muttered words and the sphere begins to give off an increasing amount of heat before it burst into a flaming nova. As more magic vented Des' engorged flesh appeared to lose some of its bulk and he became more lithe, as his spell swelled. Clenching a single fist and then splaying his hand towards his sphere it burst into fifteen separate orbs which moved around the ceiling creating a ring around them. Whispering more commands he wove a secondary spell in only ten of them, runes appearing to orbit the flaming balls. Grasping his hand and enforcing his will on the remaining five they dove in towards Shishi but would only land in a pentagram at his feet. Opening his fist with silent command they burst into an encompassing, swirling pyre that intensified with such heat that would whisk cloth, flesh and bone off the physical realm of the living. When the vampire decided to move, the runes would activate and each of the remaining ten orbs would fire off two projectiles each, the sphere of origin decreasing in size with each release but then would remain hovering in the air for a final assault.

Shishi sends a wave towards his children in the crowd as he and his opponent are announced. They are the reason he's up here in the cold in the first place, one of them surely forging his signature to sign up. Speaking of the cold, the vampire is dressed against it but not much else, Wolf fur lines a blue, hooded cloak that drapes loosely over his lean, vampiric body. The assassin watches the display of magical force from his opponent through eyes that change shade from their usual oceanic blue to a kind of glowing crimson, though the glowing nature might be lost in the light show being put on. A hand is raised up above the assassin's head to shield his view from the oncoming first volley and his face from the accompanying heat. In the swirling mass of flame that rises from the ground the so called Blue Demon is lost from view for a moment and what emerges from the fire is something much different than what went in. The cloak is gone, reduced to ash and the vampire's limbs are replaced, no, covered by animated shadow, likely originating from inside the disintegrated fur lined covering. The darkness has taken solid form in an imitation of an octopus's tentacles, large and long enough to raise the vampire off the ground so that his head is nearly touching the low ceiling of the cave. What skin is visible shows some burns and charred skin, and he's clearly lost an eyebrow to the initial onslaught. With an incredibly long stride for such a cramped space the tentacles propel Shishi forward, clinging to ceiling and ground alike while remaining black appendages flop to and fro to swat at the oncoming balls of flame while the distance between the two combatants is closed. Once within tentacles' reach the assassin is thrown into a graceful pirouette that has two of the thick, suctioned limbs swinging with great force towards the midsection of Desparrow

Desparrow watches his opponent get engulfed in fire but doesn't allow himself to smile. Already he had a second spell in the works, muttering words that would affirm the shape his magic would take form of. A thin mist spewed from his back and faintly appeared to form wings. Commanding the ether to shape the wings out of air itself, creating a current that offered propulsion in whatever direction the lycanthrope focused on. As his opponent neared he braced himself, raising his arms to block the oncoming blow only to find himself thrown across the cave. He felt pain surge like a quake through his body before centering on one of his arms, where he felt one of the bones give until he landed with a slam against the wall, the only reason the damage having not been more severe was the cushioning the condensed air gave him. Letting the lame left arm hang loosely at his side with his right he commanded the remaining ten orbs to strike out and they did, changing shape before firing towards Shishi as long, thin lances that danced through the room aiming for key points on the body. Two would go for his knees, two for the elbows, one for his chest while the remaining would wrap and entangle the tentacles before on command exploding in hopes of banishing the shadows in raging fire while the other five lances were sent with intent to cripple shisih's body entirely.

Shishi exhales, a pointless action for a vampire maybe, as he watches the mage impact with the cave wall. The shadowy tentacles given form by the assassin's family's curse begin to shed away from his limbs in time to catch the flaming lances sent towards his joints as well as occupy the fires sent to entangle the darkness itself. This left quite a number still of the conjured projectiles that the vampire will have to deal with on his own. Again he seeks to close the distance between the caster and himself, this time on foot in a mad dash that turns into a series of rolls and dives and sees lances of fire digging into the ground, the cave walls, and Shishi himself, one in his right bicep and one below his lowest right rib. He stumbles forward and then is propelled even further by the explosion of the lances tangled with the shadows he had left behind. The burst of flame assists the vampire in a way he's accustomed to look for; the light of the explosion behind him casts the shadow of his body largely against the cave wall occupied by the mage. That shadow wastes no time in coming to life and taking physical form as hundreds of tiny scorpions and mandibled centipedes and the like that go crawling for Desparrow to fulfill the cries of the shadowy voices filling The Blue Demon's head. 'Bite. Rip. Tear.' all the while Shishi advances, slowly now with the lances burning into his body, fangs bared, looking to do the same.

Desparrow was sluggish to get up after that first attack the vampire had delivered. It was only in time to see the vampire coming his way and feel the crawling of hundred of legs on him that he was able to get his bearing once more. Then the burning came as the insects ripped through his armor in no time to get to the flesh beneath while also take the easy route of gouging their mandibles, claws and stingers into the unprotected parts. The release of blood accompanied the howl that ripped through the air of the cavern but this only served to feed his animalistic nature and on command the air at his back enshrouded the male before flashing into a flame that washed over his own body to wipe away the shadows in the bright light but also leave him covered in burns across his hands, neck, face, legs, anywhere it was possible even inside his ears and nose. Anger seethed as a bit more of the wolf came out, adrenaline surging to bat away the majority of the disorientating pain that would disallow further retaliation. Wind picked up in the forms of his wings once more and he lifted off the ground only to dart around the room picking up velocity while his hands wreathed in lightning and from the entrance he made for the vampire only to stop feet away and slam his hands together releasing a thunderous clap that released a shockwave that would throw most men aside accompanied by the wrathful web of lightning that arced from his hands to wrap, constrict and reduce the vampire to nothing from the inside out.

Shishi stops in his tracks, the assassin's fanged approach haulting when the other man takes to the air inside the shallow cave. Again the vampire is left watching while what's left of the shadows inside the small cavern drift towards him, some eating away at the remainder of the two lances in his side and arm, eventually leaving wounds that have been burned closed by the very weapons that opened them. The thunderclap sends the cursed assassin and the darkness that he had gathered flying towards the entrance of the cave and clear outside of it where he slides to a cold stop in the ice and snow. Lightning follows him out. Electricity proves too quick for the feeble attempt at a dodge the assassin puts together in the form of a roll in the white powder and he's left twitching and convulsing for a moment or two before steam or smoke can be seen rising from his chest, more burns now visible on his flesh to any that brave the cold to see where Shishi has landed. He'd like to stay there in the whiteout, but the shadows have a more fun idea. They coil around him, lift him to his feet, in his head they even egg him on, 'Punch em!' and with that Shishi is flung back into the cave more violently than he had been cast out. His body somersaulting and twisting wildly, but perfectly so that a balled fist can swing around with ferocious momentum towards Desparrow's magic flinging nose...

Desparrow hovered over the ground after watching Shishi get sent out of the cavern, the air that made up his wings draining his energy steadily to continue controlling the current of pressurized wind that allowed him this feat. He sat there with a bittersweet grin, blood seeping from his wounds and he had only screwed up the busted bone in his arm even worse by exposing it to the rushed movements that were required of battle. Adrenaline had barely started to ease off his body and where it did was replaced with only a pulsing pain. It was a surprise however to see the vampire come in like a cannon had fired him and in response Des lifted up his final arm but it was not enough, barely able to redirect Shishi's blow to Des' jaw though before it could do too much damage a repulsive force was given and although Shishi would have felt victory in the form of the jaw giving under the force of his blow he merely managed to bruise and send the lycanthrope careening towards the back of the cave with perhaps a satisfactory disorientating slam before Des' spell deactivated and he collapsed to the floor on his stomach and remained there motionless for a good time. The lycan chose this position for a bit, allowing the situation to come back to him before getting back up to deal with his wounds.

Winner: Desparrow

Desparrow gets up to his feet, left arm looking even more lifeless than before. Some of the minor wounds had already begun to seal over as his regenerative factor kicked in. A pained smile was given to his opponent. "It was a good fight. You have some real good moves, haven't had a challenge like that in a long time. I'd like to do it again. In fact, you'd be a great sparring partner." with that he held out his hand and hopefully Shishi would take it.

Shishi is kind of like a mangled mass of arms and legs and shadows on the floor of the cave. He peeks around his own shoulder at the mage while untangling himself from himself and sits up with knees bent a 45 degree angles. His left hand and a wisp of Shadow are raised to accept the gesture, the dark entity floating away harmlessly in synchronization with the return of Shishi's natural, Blue eye color. "Aye. Sparring maybe not though. My face. You know? I need this thing." He says waving a hand over his charred, single eyebrow-sporting visage.