Duel:Javier v Tyler, Chartsend Fighting Championship

Duelists: Javier vs. Tyler.
Duel: Traditional 3 posts each, with final defense. 15 minute posting limit.
Stakes: Autohit post. Advancement in the Chartsend Fighting Championship.
Judges: Eboric, Larwyn and Ariaraine.

Chartsend

Javier Santiago, Knight of Larket, stands ready to meet his next opponent in the first anual tournament in honor of Chartsend's recognition as a kingdom. The man sits atop the chestnut stallion that once belonged to his mentor, is eyes peering out of the mithril visor that adorns is warhelm, fashioned by master blacksmiths to resemble a roaring lion. As Tyler makes is entrance into the chosen field of battle, Javier wastes no time. His feet dig into the sides of the stallion, commanding it to rush forth with startling speed. From a custom fit scabbard that rests upon the right side his saddle, Santiago takes hold of a lance, hefting it into the proper postion, braced within his shoulder with the razor edged-tip pointing straight for the center mass of Tyler's chest. With his stallion galloping at the incredible speed in which its breed is known for, Javier is able to lunge forth his lance with the combined magnitude of the momentum of his forward movement coupled with all the might the Larketian can muster. Indeed it is a straight forward tactic, but if it is to hit, it will hit with enough force to end the match in a single go. And so, within moments Javier opens this match with the full intent of impaling his foe, the knight hellbent on winning this match.

Tyler stood motionless with his arms crossed as the blue ninja awaited the arrival of his next opponent. The sound of hooves tapping against the cobble floor of the garrison caused caramel eyes to rise and face the large knight atop of his steed. Moving to grace the warrior with a nod of greeting and good fortune, Tyler becomes surprised as this pleasantry is cut short due to the sudden blind rush. Slender digits from the ninja's left hand rush to meet an open palm of the right and a phrase is muttered. An audible pop echoing through the guards quarters as the ninja now stands little more than a blur, his figure seeming as if it were rapidly being pulled from left to right against his will. Snapping his right arm back to unleash a steel-bladed kitana from it's sheath with a hiss, Tyler makes his move. Returning the blind rush by charging towards the knight, it would be unclear of the human's precise location. Kitana held low to his side as the man drops to the ground in a slide, he manages to narrowly avoid the assured killshot of the lance and makes a swift slice aimed for the steeds legs in order to dismount the knight and provide a more level playing field. Despite if the blow to the steed was successful or not, the ninja quickly rose back to his feet and the blur would fade as the human began to morph back into one solid figure before turning to face his opponent in a crouched-defensive stance, his left hand gripping tightly at a pouch on his belt.

Javier failed to feel the familiar impact that a lance blow usually carries, and finds it hard to pinpoint the elusive ninja as he uses some sort of magical tactic to move at blinding speeds. For a few moments the knight loses sight of his opponent, but finds him once again when the katana meets the plated armor that adorns his warhorse. Sparks fly as katana meets mithril plating, and the screech of metal on metal being the only thing that preludes the crash that comes following. Buckling due to the blow, the stallion's front legs bend and send rider tumbling head first towards the cobblestones. But, a knight of Larket is trained for such, years having been spent to master mounted combat, and with such comes preparation of forced dismounts. Javier tucks in head first, lessening the impact of his collision to a degree. Though still the sickening sound of bones crunching nearly matches the pain filled protests of the stallion as it tries to recover from the ordeal. Following through with the defensive roll, Javier is quick to his feet once again, right hand going to grab the hilt of his broadsword as he rushes forth to meet Tyler in mortal combat. He covers the distance between the two with impressive speed, aided only by the fact his armor is made of the lightest metal known in the land. The knight lunges forth with a powerful double handed swinging arc, aimed to render Tyler in twine from right shoulder to left hip. This is quickly followed up by the knight using the momentum of his charge to slam his right shoulder with the aim of driving the plated pauldron that protects him into Tyler's chest in the aim of knocking his opponent off his balance, be it an additional blow or not, Tyler faces the ferocity of the man known as the Lion of Larket, and will find that he has his hands more than full.

Tyler moves quickly as Javier collides to the ground below. Knowing that the knight would be fast to his feet and rapidly approaching his left hand fumbles with the pouch for a moment before managing to pull forth five small capsules, though the knight is too close for the ninja to successfully deploy them. Gripping his hilt tightly with both hands, the capsules still clutched in his left palm, he swings to block Javier's attack though the brute force of the much larger human causes a recoil that sends his Kitana flying from his hands and colliding with the cobble below. Shifting his gaze from his disarmed weapon to the knight he is left with no time to dodge the coming blow that launches the man to his back with an "Umph!" Despite having the wind knocked from his lungs, he presses to his feet and tosses the capsules to the ground below and within moments the area is surrounded in a thick fog of smoke that sends guards rushing out of the area. Following the blinding smog would come a series of audible screams of agony that seemed to be coming from woman and children alike as flames began to engulf the garrison. The cries of help were meant to distract the knight as the blue ninja would silently make his approach around the back of the behemoth before charging full force wielding akimbo Kunai in each hand. Digging his right foot into the ground the man lunges towards Javier's back in an attempt to mount the knight and jab one Kunai into the small opening between his neck and breastplate and drive the other into the back left shoulder of the Mithril plate, both of which are rigged with enchantments to offer a concussive blast that would send the man to the ground granting Tyler an upper hand to finish him.

Javier felt slight satisfaction as his shoulder is driven into his opponent, even though his blade is denied finding homage within the tender flesh of its intended target. But before he can find any victory in his success, Tyler unleashes hell. Flames erupt, thick choking smoke bellows forth and clouds his vision. The screams of the innocent, women and children, all come rushing forth to assault his senses in a malign attempt to distract the man. But, this is when the items the man has recently bought in frostmaw come into play. The rings he wears on each hand, fashioned with a rare and precious jewel, seem to light up in responce to the man's current situation. The rings are designed to help fight off distraction, and keep one's mind calm and level in the face of such foul tactics. The knight was going to save such items for the event of meeting the drow known as Kuzial in combat, given his racial abilities. But it seemed the effects of the rings were a godsend for Santiago this day. The realization that women and children were not housed in the garrison, and that the flames, however real they may seem, were not the immediate threat in which the man had to worry about. His opponent was his focus, and it is due to the fact he knows that such concealment can be used both ways, Javier takes to rushing forth just as Tyler unleashes his attack. The blades the ninja uses connect with his platemail, but fail to find their intended targets. But this does not mean the knight is saved from the concussive blasts that the small blades have stored within. Javier is sent flying forward with quite the amount of kinetic force, the man's flight stopped only by a weapin rack that houses the guard's various tool of trade. Landing with another sickening sound of metal and bone meeting cobblestone walkway, Tyler would find his own attack has made him lose sight of his prey. A fact the knight uses to his advantage. Returning to his feet, Javier quickly takes hold of a few of the weapons that lay scattered about. The smoke still clouds the area, but start to fade just as he tosses forth the collective weapons. The clang of spear, sword, shield and mace in various locations hide the impact of leather boots upon stone. The knight has faught is flame and smoke many times before, as such are common place upon the battlefield. It is with this experience that the man rushes forth, having flanked about the last known location of his opponent, to suddenly appear like a wraithen nightmare before Tyler. A powerful, mighty roar escapes the man as he lunges forth to meet his foe, the knight slashing out in a barrage of calculated and precise blows in an attempt to overwhelm the smaller man by using is strength and stamina to his advantage. Each of these slashes and thrusts flawlessly leads into the next, displaying the man's mastery of his favored weapon. Even wit his two blades, Tyler will find little advantage when it comes to the sheer overwhelming ferocity that is unleashed upon him. Unrelenting, seemingly neverending blow after blows rains down upon the ninja, time and time again, key vital spots the aim. The knight wishing to leave his foe battered, beaten and bloody upon the cobblestones of Chartsends Garrison.

Tyler landed with grace after his successful attack and smiled behind the mask that hid his features from view as the loud crash of the weapon rack smashing into pieces is heard. Keeping his head on a swivel the man found himself squinting to see through the smoke in an attempt to find his target once more though this effort was in vein, before the ninja could find a fix on Javier the knight was already upon him once more. Now unarmed, Tyler found himself facing the berserk rage of a well-trained warrior with only his agility and hands to defend himself. As Javier pressed onward with rapid and heavy swings, Tyler found himself ducking, sliding, flipping and rolling away from each blow as he is continuously forced away. Deciding that his only option was to continue fighting back Tyler would make his move. As Javier's great broadsword swung down, Tyler would thrust a punch toward the helm of the man, his hand becoming engulfed in flames as he made the move. When the sword was pulled back for another blow, the man would offer a kick as he dodged also accompanied by an infernal fire. This would repeat as Tyler found little in the ways of actually making contact with the skin of his opponent he was simply trying to cause the man to cook beneath the heat of the fire. Finding that each blow wasn't offering enough time to complete his goal Tyler would move to roll past the Knight and gain footing behind him, though in doing this the blade manages to graze his left leg and it peels flesh and meat down as if skinning an apple which allows a chilling scream to emit from the human vocals as he struggles to make his way back to his feet. Gritting his teeth as he knelled behind the knight with blood gushing from his wounded leg to stain the cobble a dark red, once more Tyler makes his final attempt to defeat Javier, wrists come together with open palms forming a resemblance to a dragons maw the humans voice erupts into a constant shout as a large, continuous stream of fire is emitted from his hands in an effort to burn Javier alive.

Javier is left heavily winded after his relentless assault upon Tyler, the effects of the multiple crashes finally taking a serious toll upon the well trained and seasoned warrior. His vision is blurred, his reaction speed is dulled, so much that after a few parries Tyler has reversed the rolls to the point Javier is on the defensive. But that is one thing a knight is perhaps the best suited for. A wise man once told him, sacrifice often leads to victory. A motto he always recalls when facing incredible odds. And it is with tis mindset that after his blade slices open Tyler's leg, and another of those flames cloaked blows come in, Javier seems to allows himself to be hit. Tyler's direct assault seems to amost entirely engulf Javier in the magical flames, but the vast majority of the knight's body is covered with many layers of protective armors. From the leather tunic, beneath the padding that helps cushion and support the platemail, to the chainmail that binds and links together the various places that is platemail connects, right down to the full faced warhelm and protective visor. Santiago is indeed an armoured sentinel, forged to endure, and trained to continue on no matter the cost. It is through the pian, through the intense heat of those flames, that Javier reaches out with now red hot gauntlet covered left hand, takes hold of is opponents exposed wrist, and strikes one final time with all the might left in his body. The pain he is suffering, the anger e is fealing and the sheer desire to win drive him on, the very close distance and the down right horrifying belief that a man would endure so much just to win hopefully giving the knight the surprise edge in this final attempt at seizing victory. If successful, Javier's blade will find a new home in the gut of Tyler, the two combatant's eyes locking upon one another in the final moments of this tournament's bout.

Winner: Javier

Javier is very nearly overwhelmed by the intensity of the flames, he can feel the incredible heat as it seems to sink into his very bones, his vison blurs and he nearly collapses. Until his blade finds Tyler's gut. The broadsword is driven into the man to the hilt, the knight's eyes still locked upon Tyler's as his foe's illusions fade. The flames vanish. The heat is gone. All that is left is Santiago standing over the defeated illusionist. A few moments pass, before the knight uses his right foot to kick the smaller man off his blade, sending Tyler crumbling to the earth. His wound was serious, but given there are healers the knight knows he will manage. For now, Javier simply sheathes his blade, turns upon his heel and walks over to his horse. Climbing atop to rest within the saddle, some difficulty due to his injuries, the Lion of Larket makes his way out of the Garrison at a slow gallop. Victory was his. But there was still work to be done, and soon he would have an even greater challenge facing him.