Duel:Hildegarde v Quintessa, Match 3 of the 2021 Titans of Winter Tournament
Duelists: Queen of War, Hildegarde vs Quintessa the hexer Duel: Traditional 3 rounds with final defense, 20 minute posting limit. Stakes: Standard, autohit delivered by winner with allowance for final reply. Judges: Caltarok, Odhranos and Kasyr.
Walled Courtyard
Passing through the impressive North Gate or standing upon the threshold of Frostmaw Fort, the courtyard sprawls out before you, securely fenced in by the mighty wall. High above upon the wall, soldiers march and sentries stand guard, ever watchful of Frostmaw city's borders and those that move throughout the fort. With the knowledge that sharped eyed archers oversee activity, one can move through the courtyard upon a stone-paved pathway, each piece handcarved with intricate, tribal designs beloved of Frostmawians. Bordering the path are grounds that should be nothing more than packed earth and snow, yet it appears to be a lawn of finely trimmed grass, of all things. How is such a thing growing in these harsh climes? Whatever the sorcery behind it, grass dominates this courtyard, a rare splash of color so far North, and dotted with statues of various famous warriors of lore. Lining the pathway are lengthy, tiered constructs of stone and ice: benches, you realize, cunningly wrought to provide seating for races of any height. Southward lies the gates to depart this area, well-guarded to prevent the ill-intentioned from fleeing. While northward looms Frostmaw Fort, a behemoth construct of stone, wood, and ice, riddled with battlements, towers, and a myriad of deadly defenses. As if the walls, mounted, giant crossbows, and guards were not daunting enough, to the east and west lie the courtyards of the Titan Sentinels, their earthen and frozen heads visible over the walls. The City of War seems to have earned its title.
Quintessa begins to slowly stretch to limber up before her fight, her elastic, velour catsuit flexible enough to allow her full freedom of movement as she bends down to touch one foot and then the next, fingers tracing the runes carved in her boots that allowed for shadow-jumping. As the hexblade moves on to her next pose, both hands above her head, the magical fur-lined cloak she wears rides up to expose the changeling’s alchemy belt, flashing her opponent and the people gathered her mithril tools and side arms along with an assortment of mystical concoctions in vials and glass bottles, as well as the unsung weapon- the Jubaku no Kijo, on her left hip. Finishing her warmup, Quintessa readjusts her belt and katana before pulling her tinted goggles over her mismatched eyes, obscuring where she was truly looking before turning to face her opponent. “Greetings, your highness.” Quintessa says with a dramatic bow, “Shall we give the people here a good show?” The sinister grin on the young hexblade’s face, all sharp teeth, betrayed that this changeling had something a little more than entertainment in mind for today.
Hildegarde had exited the fort sometime earlier, waiting in the courtyard to meet her contender. She had heard about Quintessa – a magic user from Vailkrin – but she didn’t know much else. With Quintessa stretching in the yard, the Queen of War notes her movements and observes her for a short time. Mithril was clocked with a little smile; her weapons were made of mithril too – twinses! Yet something was quite amiss with Quintessa, something wretched about her and unholy that made the little hairs on the back of Hildegarde’s neck stand on edge. “M’lady,” the knight countered politely, offering a flourished bow to her opponent, “aye, let us put on a show for the good people here!” she said it with optimistic enthusiasm which was rather the opposite of Quintessa’s sinister intent. “Good fortune to you, m’lady,” she offered with a dip of her head before giving a quick roll of the neck and shoulders, flexing her fingers around the shaft of her halberd – ready for combat.
Round One:
Quintessa inhales slowly, steadying herself as she stands up straight, her hands raising slowly in preparation for the somatic components of some dark spell. "Tywyllwch yn fy mhrynu..." From the moment she starts to speak the unholy aura of Quintessa expands, her words echoing across the walled courtyard from the changeling as the air shifts into a stale, dead state. Her maleficent energies were sucking the life force from the very atmosphere, Quintessa's pale digits twisting into claws as she quickly utters these strange phrases. The still air pulses once as she continues her mystical gestures, continuing to complete her incantation. "Tywyllwch ewch â mi!" Shouting these final words the warlock fully evokes the Black Tides, her aura shifting into a thick, black, midnight cloud of shadows that wraps around her like a protective shroud. With this enchantment Quintessa hopes to make it difficult to locate her, or at the very least troublesome to land a successful attack. Stories of the might of her opponent Hildegarde were plentiful, and the changeling knew that she could not withstand the full brunt of her fury. Choosing instead to rely on her gile, speed, and agility, the unarmored spellcaster reaches for the hilt of her blade as she moves into a sprint to meet the silver dragon head on, her cloak of shadows covering the battlefield in a wicked shade. Quintessa wants to land something devastating right at the start of this match, and wants to render her foe helpless especially because of her status as a Queen. The hexblade's magic is fueled by this envious rage, reverberating within her aura as her shadow spells attempt to swallow Hildegarde as well. Like a dome it sweeps high and like a wolf Quintessa sweeps low, freeing her blade into a drawing strike aimed to slice into her midsection, the momentum of the Jubaku no Kijo's ghroundium core enough to dent plate armor just as easily as a steel warhammer would. Alone this strike had the potential to be deadly, but true to her deceptive nature what was obvious about her movements were a ruse. As shift hands move to draw her sword her lips part to shout as she strikes, as a Sylvan samurai warcry, but what comes next is her true attack. From Quintessa's mouth comes a Wail of the Banshee spell, emitting a terrible, soul-chilling scream right next to Hildegarde to directly attack her fortitude with sonic-based death magic. The ghostly wail tears through the stagnant air, Quintessa’s necrotic energies spreading out further like a visual manifestation of the horrific sound.
Hildegarde would not stand still and wait for a magical attack. Hildegarde has fought many magic wielders in her time and she knew that standing still to await the conjuration of a magic attack was to simply wait for death, therefore she wasted no time when she saw that Quintessa had inhaled and began to slowly raise her hands. With the first movement of her hand, Hildegarde withdraws her short-sword from its sheathe and begins her charge towards the nimble hexblade. Dead air is no new thing to a creature such as Hildegarde, whose book is so drenched in red – therefore the change in air is not off putting, though it does serve as a warning that Quintessa’s spell is gaining momentum and will soon take hold. When Quintessa’s spell is finally uttered and the darkness begins to spread, Hildegarde throws herself to her knees and slides upon the dewy grass as she brings down the lion-headed pommel of Oathkeeper with a pronounced and ominous droning noise. As the blackness envelopes both fighters, Hildegarde loses sight of her opponent as she hops back up onto her feet: halberd and short-sword held at the ready as her ears listen for an incoming attack. The short-sword seems to vibrate in her hand, the point of the blade held down toward the earth. With a twitch of her sensitive ears, the Queen can hear Quintessa’s approach in the darkness which prompts her to flick the blade and take a rapid backstep as her body arches back and her feet dance backwards to gain distance as Quintessa rapidly comes towards her. The flick of Hildegarde’s blade however was not a simple stylistic flourish, it served a purpose. Oathkeeper was blessed by Kirien’s kiss and held some terramantic qualities. With the flick of the blade acting as the signal, the earth of the courtyard waved and warbled around the Queen of War to send her opponent off balance and evade her would be heinous katana attack. Sound, however, cannot be impacted by the movement of earth and Quintessa’s banshee scream echoes throughout the courtyard and rings through Hildegarde’s ears. “Argh!” the dragon queen roars with agony as her ears ring and warble with pain. That bastard wail would haunt her dreams, that was a fact. Yet if Hildegarde could endure the flames of the wizard Svilfon, she could endure the banshee wail for a time. Locking onto the sound, the Silver snarled lowly as she pointed her short-sword down and flicked it through the dewy grass to summon a column of earth towards Quintessa which Hildegarde would be following swiftly behind in a bid to reach the unholy being and cut her in twain with a mighty swing of her halberd.
Round Two:
Quintessa was not at all concerned when Hildegarde began her charge, it being part of her plan to bring the fight to her anyway, so when the knight closes the gap with a short-sword in hand Quintessa quickly wraps up her spell and commences the combination of attacks. Darkness was the changeling’s ally and she’d use this ally to its fullest extent, but darkness alone was not enough to hide her approach. Closing in to press her attack Quintessa grimaces as she loses balance, knowing that choosing to take on a knight directly would be a gambit that might not pay off, but being taken aback by the use of terramancy completely. The pillar of earth connects with her chest, nearly knocking the wind from the eerie girl as she is forced away, the darkness that concealed her dispelled as her concentration falters. Skidding to a halt, this left Quintessa open for an attack from Hildegarde’s halberd, something she needed to avoid if she wanted to come out on top. Keeping her weapon controlled with both hands, the hexblade regains her footing with her sword held mid in a long point guard to parry an attack from her halberd, wincing at the pain of such quick movements so soon after sustaining a blow. She knows she only has precious few seconds to continue her assault before Hildegarde closes in again, so she acts with haste- literally. "Ar frys!" Expelling the remaining air she had in her lungs, Quintessa calls the words of a haste spell, allowing her to move and act more quickly than normal, a boon the changeling desperately needed at a time like this. Now buffed, the hexblade moves in for the offensive, katana brought upwards as if a wand to command her next barrage of spells. Sparks jump all along the ground around her as the air becomes thick with static electricity, the young spellcaster sucking in a ragged breath of air as she fights against the pain of her injuries. "Mellt..." Quintessa begins in a shaky voice, an electric enchantment forming at the tip of her katana as a chaotic sphere of warbling magic. "Uwchgwyrfai!" The changeling shouts, bringing her blade down as hard as she can as her evocation finally takes form, the blade twisting around quickly once more in an attempt to crash down upon Hildegarde like a bolt of lightning. This is one of Quintessa's time tested spells, chasing the conductive properties of metallic arms and armor with a crescendo of lightning, however she was more injured from the column of rock than she was giving her foe credit for. Just as Quintessa carried through the arc of her downward swing, dark blade primed to slice into the silver dragon's cranium the exact moment the spell went off, Quintessa falters, a slight wince being all that was needed to foil Quintessa's magic. The spell erupts chaotically into a electrifying explosion as she fails to concentrate properly, a deafening crack of thunder echoing throughout the courtyard as the waves of sonic force cast Quintessa backwards like a rag-doll, radiating outwards to batter against the courtyard walls as she hits the ground hard, dazed and prone from the backfire of her own magic. Iintahquohae spontaneously appears beside Kasyr, and moves to yank the cigarette in his hand away from him. "Stop that. It'll make your clothes stink."
Hildegarde was not bloodthirsty, but it did feel quite good to make contact with her opponent after that barrage of sound. Revenge was not her way, but vindication was a sweet nectar that was difficult for anyone to resist. As Hildegarde’s halberd swing is parried, she already begins to twist her body using the momentum of her swing and Quintessa’s parry with the fully intent of completing a deadly pirouette that will reduce Quintessa to ribbon. Fortunately for Quintessa, her rapid spell of haste has whisked her to safety. Hildegarde’s turns with a huff of breath, frost pluming from her nostrils and lips as she seeks out her opponent. Again, Hildegarde will not wait for the completion of Quintessa’s spell so when the katana lifts above her head and the static electricity begins to fill the air there is no time to waste in moving in for the kill. With a few quick steps towards Quintessa and an aggressive roar aimed squarely for the face of the changeling, the knight levels her halberd – holding it firm in one hand and gripped with two fingers from her other hand – horizontally to jerk this against Quintessa’s stomach in a bid to rob the air from her lungs and dispel her magical workings. But Hildegarde’s attack was two pronged: the roar was a clever disguise of saurian breath, that which was native to Hildegarde’s species – a paralytic concoction meant to render her foes still and unmoving. In nature, this would be when the dragon would then feast on its prey as the infamous wildlife research Dorvid Addenborough has noted. Hildegarde was a knowledgeable and well experienced combatant, she knew to reclaim ground after going in close, particularly against an unknown combatant who might seek an advantage. Regardless of the success of her halberd strike, the knight would dance backwards. If Quintessa’s spell still took effect, the lingering paralytic gas from Hildegarde’s earlier roar would strike a spark within the air and combust with terrific and wondrous effect within the courtyard.
Round Three:
Quintessa growls from her position on the ground, quickly rolling to her knees with katana in hand to keep her eyes on Hildegarde. She could not allow an enemy as dangerous as a silver dragon the chance to capitalize on the situation further. After taking another blow to her already aching midsection a sounding crack making even breathing a painful experience, she takes in a slow, shaky breath again. Quintessa has no choice but to decide to cash in on one other trick she has up her sleeves as she pulls up a layer of cloth in an attempt to protect her from the saurian’s paralytic breath. Quintessa was a huge fan of Dorvid Addenborough, so she knew this would only have limited effect in protecting her- she needed to escape quickly if she was to recover. The runes on her boots glow a faint purple as the warlock evokes the Black Tides once more, a puddle of black icor pooling around Quintessa as the border between this realm and the shadow realm blended and became connected. Her crumpled form sinks into this shadowy bridge, pulling Quintessa into the Shadow Realm before promptly spitting her back out behind Hildegarde just outside of the range of her poisonous gas. The little bit that Quintessa had inhaled was already starting to counter the speed gained from her earlier spell. Before Hildegarde notices the changeling has escaped out of her grasp, she unravels the green cording covering the Ya-te-veo wood handle of her sword and touches her flesh to it, allowing her weapon to absorb Quintessa’s maleficent energies without the need of verbal components. After the hits the spellcaster has taken, she knows she couldn’t rely on speaking properly for the remainder of this fight. As the Jubaku no Kijo sucks the mana from Quintessa’s body, it begins to glow a dark purple, the unhallowed aura turning into a curse on the katana’s ebony blade. This was Quintessa’s final gambit- pouring the last of her natural blackmagic into her next attack until she could regain her breath. And then she charges, still slowed by her painful inhaling the hexblade moves as fast as she could to deliver her cursed attack in the form of a downward strike, carrying the full momentum of her swords heavy core.
Hildegarde ’s paralytic gas had collided with Quintessa’s explosive electric attack, combusting in the courtyard as the changeling sank away into the Shadow Realm. The force of the combustive blast was enough to send Hildegarde a distance across the courtyard, falling onto her back upon the grass and out of Quintessa’s immediate reach given that she had popped up behind her from the Shadow Realm. Scrambling up to her feet, the knight assumes a ready stance and searches the courtyard for a sign of Quintessa. Locking onto her opponent, the dragon levels a stare at her as she swiftly assesses the situation. There is magic at work here, but what exactly she can’t tell – she isn’t a spell-worker. She doesn’t have the ability to tell exactly what Quintessa is doing but she doesn’t charge this time, no, she conserves her energy now as the duel reaches its climax. Shifting her stance, the knight anchors herself in the courtyard and readies herself for whatever might be coming from the changeling. When Quintessa commences her charge, Hildegarde stands ready. Her breathing is calm and her demeanour is determined; she is immovable right now. As Quintessa reaches her and commences her downward strike, Hildegarde brings up her halberd – causing a clash of metal, a screech and spark – and arcs it to the left in a seamless movement. Any mortal man would quake under the force of Quintessa’s weapon, but Hildegarde is a dragon and her strength will always outmatch any mortal man in combat. The defensive action taken to deflect the blade, the knight can feel a tremor in her arm from the force of Quintessa’s strike. With a defiant snarl, the knight slams her claw-tipped gauntleted hand towards Quintessa’s neck with the intent to latch on. As the gauntlet approaches, Quintessa will undoubtedly feel the arcana negating effect it brings with it and therefore will know immediately that if it makes contact with her, she will be cut off from her magic as long as it remains in contact with her and therefore she must make the choice of repelling from the gauntlet or trying to square up in combat to the Queen of War.
Final Defense:
Quintessa winces as the claws of Hildegarde’s gauntlet pierce the unarmored flesh of her neck, but the true horror of her situation becomes apparent when she feels the magic drain from her body like the blood from her neck. “No-” Quintessa manages to let out in a raspy voice, one hand still locked on her sword as another hand moves up to clench the gauntlet that the changeling recognized as what was sapping her of her power. Robbed of her spoken magic, and now robbed of her natural magic, Quintessa felt dwarfed in the might of the dragon but she was not ready to submit just yet. Like a wild animal trying to escape a trap, Quintessa’s adrenaline pushes her to perform a self-harming act to wrench herself free of the anti-magic grasp. Pale flesh tears away from the girls neck as metal separates from skin, causing a crimson flood to spill out upon the ground between them as she pushes away in pure desperation. Knowing that she has other ways of finishing this fight, the hexblade abandons her katana once she feels she’s loose enough, spinning low to sprinkle her blood in a circle and both hands give a final tug against the clenched fist. Like a dancer the changeling spins around Hildegarde to take her flank, pulling the hood of her cloak up to provide her the benefit of invisibility as she sneaks further back. Slow steps are taken back as she cups the grizzly wound on her neck, her other hand reaching down at her alchemy belt for something- anything that would turn the tides. A clever potion or one of her mithril tools perhaps? Whoever was able to act next would likely be the one who came out on top, Quintessa only hoped her globe of invisibility would be enough to hide her long enough while she planned her next final move
Winner: Quintessa
Auto Hit and Response:
Quintessa stood completely still, regaining her composure for a moment as the sanguineous fluid pouring from her neck began to slow thanks to the false-life spell Quintessa implemented while she waited, letting Hildegarde search for her in vain. If the hexblade would have been spotted it would be over for her, she knew it, so she waits until the perfect chance before she drops her cloak of invisibility and moves in to strike like a venomous snake or hunting spider. Blood still staining her form, Quintessa manifests behind Hildegarde like before, a crimson hand holding a small, glass vial that contains the ability needed to win this fight. She quaffs the potion and swallows the concoction, the syrupy liquid gifting the changeling with fire breath temporary. “I’m here,” her raspy voice speaks, trying to gain the knight’s attention before she exhaled a massive plume of red-dragon fire upon her to force the silver into submission. Fire beats ice after all. That was the main lesson Quintessa learned about silver dragons before coming here, might as well put that knowledge to use. Once Hildegarde called out to yield or was incapatitated, Quintessa would turn off the heat. She just wanted to win- she had no reason to be cruel to Hildegarde, so the Queen would be offered mercy others never got to witness. “Well fought,” Quintessa forces out, barely able to remain standing, “But I’ve got my sights on the Blue Demon this year. Not even you can stop me.”
Hildegarde is taken by surprise by Quintessa and vainly attempts to shield herself from the pure fire that threatens to consume her. Dragonfire was no joke and Hildegarde had no love for fire, that much was true. Her face was already somewhat ruined by it and she intended to keep her life in order to see to Frostmaw’s continued stability. “Enough!” the dragon roared, accepting defeat at the hands of the changeling. When Quintessa confirms that the fight was well fought, the Queen would only nod in agreement as the steam rose from her armour.