Duel:Ixiel v Redovian
Location
In front of Kelay Tavern
Judges
Rheven (m), Kirien, Derry
Outcome
Redovian wins, split decision (2-1)
The Stakes
Redovian wins = gets wraithen-virus cure Ixiel wins = Redovian is changed into a wraith
The Duel
Redovian stands before the wraithen avian known as Ixiel for the second time in combat, the slave of the timelord looked upon without the disdain and hatred he once held for such a creature of darkness. Instead of the malice he had, there is pity, almost a caring gleam to those nightblue eyes, for there once was a man where darkness now stands, and if it was within the power of the paladin, he would absolve the wraith of his sins and restore the avian that it now lost to the world. But, the templar was not here for salvation this day, no, today the chosen champion of cyris was here for retribution. As the exchange of words between the two opposites ends with the wraith's hiss, Redovian draws forth the massive zanbato the was forged within the temple of cyris just two days prior. The impressive blade, once freed from the sheath that is its home, meets the light of the afternoon sun, holy fire erupts from the hilt to the tip, coating the mighty blade in the powerful blessing of divine magic. His left foot propels him forth into a sprint now, free hand going to grab at the handle of a simple axe, which is thrown with careless aim towards the wraith, to draw his attention and open up his defenses. Within a mere five feet away from his opponent now, the templar leaps into the air, flaming bade brought forth in a sweeping arc to slice the wraith in twine from groin to left shoulder, holy fire adding a dangerous element to an otherwise deadly attack. The wraith, surely able to avoid the thrown axe from earlier, would have but a moments time to react to the paladin' assault, the leap an attempt to ensure his flight-able opponent does not think the sky shall offer salvation from Redovian's wrath this day.
Ixiel watches with burning intensity the motions of the paladin, especially the drawing of said holy blade that pierces the gaze of the wraith with hideous effects. The light temporarily blinds the creature of the darkness, hands stretching up before his cruel visage in reaction to its sudden presence. Such a thing, however, causes the wraith to entirely miss the opportunity to dodge the flailed axe. Luckily, with such carelessness shown by the paladin at this simple attack, the weapon strikes the wraith upon his left shoulder, flinging him backwards much to his distaste. Ironically, this attack saves Ixiel from certain demise as he is quite well away from the main assault of Redovian. Slow to rise as his right handed fingers clasp onto the axe, freeing it as well as some of the creature’s vitae, the malicious figure stands there, attention fully directed towards the paladin now, unwavering in its devious intent. Tossing the crude weapon to the side, Ixiel begins to rush towards the human, each step causing his body to phase further and further from view, cloaking itself to the naked eye. As the entire form of the wraith disappears, he leaps, aided by a solitary, silent “whump” of his wings that propel the creature above Redovian. The creature quickly emits a blackened flame about his body as he reaches the apex of his leap. Retaliating against the holy warrior now licks a dark inferno the outlines the path of the cloaked one, stretching from the tip of the paladin’s head until the back of his heels, where Ixiel rolls upon the ground to lessen its impact upon his fragile form. At the same time, the acidic blood of the wraith leaks freely from his open wound, drawing a pop and sizzle as it interacts with the earth beneath its feet.
Redovian shows not outward signs of emotion as his opening attack misses its mark, for any seasoned warrior knows such straightforward attacks never being an end to a skilled foe. And once the paladin comes back down to meet the earth, the dark inferno of the wraith is unleashed, as Ixiel himself seems to phase from view. Such power awakens the aura that is the guardian spirit that serves the paladin. As the dark magic ravages the landscape, light erupts from the sacred medallion that hangs about the templar's neck, shrouding him in a protective barrier. But even the guardian spirit is not fast enough, as Ixiel's dark magic manages to penetrate the divine shield, and ravage the crusader before the holy power reaches it climax. Not wearing armor, Redovian's left side is burnt terribly, a agonizing scream echoes thought Kelay as the man is brought down by the wraith's assault. The smell of charred flesh wafts through the immediate area, it sickening presence able to turn any mortal's stomach. But, utilizing the mighty blade he still clings to to rise, Redovian continues on with this dance of death, knowing the penalty of failure and the price of victory. His breath comes heavy, but he manages to press on, calling upon the divine power by offering a prayer to his god. Cyris answers his champion in kind, as a collective sphere of holy light appears above the templar, which quickly transforms into seven swords made from pure divine magic. These constructs are then sent forth by command of the paladin, to impale the wraith and riddle his tainted form with the power of holy magic. The pain caused from his wounds bring the crusader to a knee once more, using such potent magic taxes his strength tremendously. Redovian watches as Ixiel is beset upon by the holy constructs, hoping to see the wraith brought down by the power of the light.
Ixiel rises to his feet after the roll over Redovian has come to a stop. Turning quickly to view the mayhem, grey lifeless eyes are under attack once again, this time from the cruel orb that appears over the top of the paladin. Raising his right hand, as his left hangs by his side, dripping with the blackened blood of the creature, Ixiel temporarily blinds his own vision on purpose to escape the light. Now at the mercy of the seven swords of sacred serendipity, the wraith allows his wings to beat feverishly in an attempt to propel his battered frame skyward. Bending knees aid in his plight for flight, forcing the avian into the air with break-neck fierceness. Six of the seven tear through the air beneath the darkling, the seventh striking the bare right foot of the creature. A hideous, eardrum-breaking howl loosens itself from the beast as the holy blessed sword tears through his foot with little effort stopping it. Hovering now, as the creature is clearly hobbled, bleeding profusely from foot and shoulder alike, the wraith raises both of his arms, right slightly higher than his left. Both begin to set themselves alight with the darkest of flames present in this makeshift battlefield. Then, the fires begin to snake out from the dark arts mage, creeping their way slowly towards Redovian like an ominous fog overtaking the area. Then, without so much a flickering of a warning, the inferno releases itself from the wraith and sprint towards the paladin like two separate black dragons lunging forward for their needed feast of flesh. Circling about their prey, the maelstrom of pitch-black hues hunt, as if beings of their own will, until they furiously lash out at the paladin of Cyris, hoping to do much more damage than what has been brought upon the human so far.
Redovian watches as he rises by sheer force of will to his feet once more, the seared flash upon his side now having gone numb, as the nerve endings have been killed off, leaving naught but charred flesh and a terrible throbbing pain in its wake. The shriek of the wraith causes the human to cringe, the unholy wail quite potent in of itself. But as the power of darkness is once more sent forth in a fiery display of malice and cruelty, the paladin seems lost. Indeed, the area about the man is set ablaze, the paladin defencless it seems to stop, and the twin dragons rises up after they coil around, and slam down with all their unholy fury to devour the man where he stands.During this perilous time the paladin's eyes close as he begins to pray to Cyris for strength. The glowing medallion he wears glows with divine power, as the god of freedom and independence answers his devout follower once more. The aura about Redovian grows, pushing back the darkness, and even in the afternoon light, causes the battlefield that is Kelay Way to become illuminated far more than the norm. With the crusader as the epicenter of this, those present would see a miraculous sight, as the guardian spirit that protects the man can be seen. Shrouded in the light, and a truly beautiful sight to behold, the spirit seems to guide the man's actions once again. The templar's faith holds off the flames for now, as he raises up the mighty blade he carries once more, his voice seeming to be amplified by powers far beyond his own. " Foul servant of evil! I banish you back to the darkness in which you came!" And with this, the paladin unleashes all the power he possesses upon Ixiel, a ray of divine light penetrating the dark flames the surround the paladin to fly forth toward Ixiel. If the wraith is hit by this attack, his very essence will be the target. Salvation is what is offered, by grace of the divine. If the wraith is unwilling to release his darkness, he will suffer terribly for his sin, as the holy light beset upon him seeks to baptize the wraith, and drive out the darkness that has consumed his soul. With this done, the flames that seek Redovian out find him, the templar's legs the first to bet set on fire, another terrible scream erupting forth from the man. Faith in his god is what keeps the paladin standing, hope that the attack he sent forth will cause either his foe to fall, or at least the flames to cease as surly Ixiel will need his full attention to deal with what comes for him now.
Ixiel shrieks at the awesome power afforded this paladin by his god. In response, the darkness swallows the wraith, causing him to cloak once more upon the skyline of Hollow, hovering there as he continues to bleed out of foot and shoulder. Reacting to the forthcoming purification assault, the avian seems to fly directly towards it rather than running in fear. Why? Well, the answer soon begins to appear within this deadly play. Shrouded in the blackness of the corruption that is his very being, Ixiel gains further speed towards the oncoming holy spell as droplets of his tainted, acidic blood litter the familiar footpath below. Colliding squarely with the paladin’s spell, the flesh of the wraith is almost completely torched and ripped from his body, resulting in a truly horrific throb of pain that encompasses his entire being. Riddled with insanity as his dark sins are assaulted by the purification of his soul, the creature barrels onward like a phoenix, his body releasing its toxic blood with unprecedented fury. Rather than any fancy assault upon Redovian, Ixiel goes for the flying tackle, his pestilent life being the blade of choice. A frightening squelch of delight, or pain, unleashes its fury from the remnants of the wraith’s lips as the very creature’s being continues to be assaulted, as is, hopefully, the human’s body with the lethal blood draining from the creature’s battered form.
Redovian is in a living hell, as the dark flames sent forth by the wraith do the work they were created for, the paladin's screams drowned out by the cry of the wraith and the roar of flames. But as the wraith enters the light, the flames die out, leaving the man standing there in the wake of such an attack. His left side useless, his legs burnt and almost unable to sustain him, Redovian is almost unable to mount a defense as Ixiel unleashes another assault. The blackened earth that surrounds the paladin leaves a layer of ash that coats the ground, which rises up as a strong breeze sweeps through the area, creating a momentary veil between the two opponents. Allowing only the howl of his foe to be the warning of what is coming. Utilizing what strength he has left, the templar grasps that handle of his sizable blade with his right hand, as his left seems utterly useless. The sight of the wraith diving right into the holy light causes crusader to hope for the best, but expect the worst. And so the worst comes into realization, as Ixiel's horrific from erupts from the light a foul sight, and heading right for the champion of the light. With his strength taxed far beyond the norm, and his body burnt by the forces of darkness unleashed by the servant of the timelord, Redovian can only think of one final thing. Gripping the hilt of his blade tighter, the paladin readies himself as the wraith comes, and be it for victory or defeat, he braces himself for the tackle with what strength his faith offers. Either he would fall this day, or Ixiel would. The man mutters. " Cyris!" Just as Ixiel and his form collide.