A Pack With Pride

[Charlie]

"Enough talk, beat each other fucking bloody!" Charlie cheered from his seat, though his voice lit with equal parts enthusiasm and encouragement in lieu of any real venom. This was just a way to keep the crowd's energy high, after all. These four could have afternoon tea in the ring for all Charlie cared, just so long as he could find a way to make it exciting. Luckily, Charlie did not have to wait very long for the assembled fighters to make his job incredibly easy, and for that they had his (mostly) sincere gratitude.

"By all the rites of man-" Charlie shouted in genuine shock "-He's faster than lightning!" Charlie shot his fist into the air, then lurched from his seat when Rickter managed to parry Patrick's staff. He leaned forward over the table to make himself seem more invested, and still clutched the voice amplifier tight in one hand. "I think we're starting to see why they needed a whole hunting party to bring down one big, bad wolf!"

The crowd roared, stomping their feet and bursting into intermittent chants. If they cheered for anyone, they cheered for Rickter. People loved an underdog to begin with, and Charlie's efforts as a hypeman, while certainly unorthodox, was only making Rickter more of the favorite

Charlie kept up with his commentary, having never learned the value of dead air. Every strike, parry, block and dodge was spoken of like the fate of the world hung on the result of each. By all rights it was an amazing fight.

There was just one small problem.

Rickter didn't seem capable of landing a hit to literally save his life, and was looking remarkably better at taking pain than dishing it out. No, no, no. This just wouldn't do! This was meant to be an underdog's tale, not some common gang-up. If people thought they were watching someone get taught a lesson, they might just walk off with money in their pocket. Charlie couldn't have that, and so he decided to bust out ol' reliable.

Lying.


"Look how he's toying with them! He's wearing them down without ever once landing a hit himself. One small mistake, one slip of his concentration, and it's all over!" Charlie had absolutely no clue if that was true. It sure didn't look like they were trying to kill one another, but those weapons didn't look like they were exactly 'set to stun', so to speak. "You can tell it's wearing on them, they're getting sloppy. That's the moment he'll strike, make no mistake!"

And Charlie was right, or at least right enough that it didn't make him look any more a fool than he already had. The stunning display that sent the combatants into the air was the Mesmer's cue, and Charlie jumped up onto the table, punching the air while keeping the amplifier pressed so close to his mouth he looked in danger of eating it.

"Gods as my witness, they are broken in ha-...!" Charlie begun to say, anticipating a collision with the ground that never came. Now why did Rickter have to spoil Charlie's big moment? The fighter had a lot to learn about how to work a crowd.

"I mean, uh, Rickter Maze is your Proving Grounds Champion!"

Afterward, the announcer looked over toward Aoren, but fell right in step with the latest developments as the noble made his way afield. "And his prize is your prize, Proving fans! That's right, it's an unprecedented back-to-back brawl! You'd better get your bets in now, because you won't want to miss the fight of the century. Right here, right now!" Charlie was glad to see some people leaving their seats, though most remained glued to the very edges of theirs.

"Mark my words, loyal fans, you've never seen anything like this before!"

[Imogen]

"Of course he's fast as lightning!" Imogen shouted down at Charlie, sneering, "That's why they use those dinky little swords, you can swing 'em quick as a thought, didn't you know!?"

It was unlikely that a traditional combat analysis would conclude that a bastard sword was a "dinky little sword," but Imogen made few distinctions between weapons which weren't larger than seven feet from end to end. Anyway, he was quick with it. Her years with the Railrunners had taught Imogen that the first thing a fighter with Traversion thought of was feint-Blinking, to strike from all sides. It was flashy, and undeniably effective against inexperienced swordsmen.

A master, however, understood that only one strike needed defending; the one which would connect.

When that initial flurry failed, the three adopted pack tactics in earnest; seeking to use real threats to force holes in Rickter's defense. Imogen studied the gladiator as he retreated from the onslaught, calling forth a geyser to buy himself space. The combatants called forth their own elemental torrents, harrying Rickter as they sought to study his moves, to break through his defenses both physical and magical. Confusion rose in the Orkhan warrior, which she finally voiced;

"Hoy, c'mon, then! What's Mr. Maze holding back like that for?"

The swordplay was all excellent, and the dance between elements and negation was very pretty, but Rickter seemed intent on dragging the fight out as long as he could without calling forth any of the real powers of a Pact weapon. For a mage-knight of his obvious experience, there was simply no way he couldn't have launched an offensive at once. Frankly, when dealing with an experienced Reaver, three opponents were not substantially more threatening than one.

Charlie was commenting on this now, how Rickter was toying with them. That seemed basically right to Imogen, though she couldn't understand it as strategy. Wearing an enemy down was appropriate when you couldn't beat them otherwise. She was pretty confident that he could have overwhelmed his three opponents within the first minute of the match.

Then again, she'd never been a popular choice for Pact duels for just this reason; a reputation for trying to end fights right away. Perhaps that kind of thinking was... inappropriate in an arena setting. She would have to consider that later.

All this to say, really, that when Rickter conjured his chains and incapacitated the three, it didn't come as much of a surprise to Imogen. They weren't bad fighters, but Rickter was at least as good as any of the Sunsinger Captains. It was a little disappointing, honestly. The three had fought well, but any fight which ended with the victor giving his opponents a comfortable landing was not one in which the fight had really, truly pressed the champion. It was a bit like the rule for exercise- if you could breathe after you finished exercising, well and good. If you could sing, then you weren't exactly testing any limits.

But as Imogen prepared to depart with the crowd, a new cheer went up among the people, and she heard Charlie announce a new contender. She stared as the huge avialae man stepped off the royal stands and floated to the ground, obviously challenging Rickter. Who the hell was this, then? Some noble or princeling of the city? From the people around her, she heard excited muttering: "Aoren."

Was that Aoren? Some noble snit, challenging the royal bodyguard to a duel? Oh, this was everything she hoped for- a chance to see some wet nob get his face pushed in!

"YES! Beat the snot outta him, Mr. Maze! All my money on Rickter!"

[Rickter]

VS.

The wolf conversed with the three before him as they celebrated the victory Rickter shared with them. Theirs was a battle that was just as equally important as the next one to come, and make no mistake the wolf hoped that such an event would come. Aoren was just as much a part of this pack as Talon, and while the wolf would've found the battle he'd just won severely more challenging with him involved... There had been the underlying suspicion that he'd want to face the wolf alone as well. Still as the applause filled the stands his beloved alpha brushed at his forearm, rather jubilant when she saw Rickter's eyes widening from the reception of the crowd.

That was for him? He admitted he didn't quite anticipate the cheers and praises, though, he never bothered to think it deserved upon him either. Truly, the experience humbled him. And no sooner when it started to sink in, the very air within the arena shifted into a sudden tension, when the cloaked Prince-Consort himself descended onto the grounds near the group. Rickter's heart palpitated excitedly just at the mere sight of him, before he genuinely smiled in response to the warmth and confidence of his Bondmate. It had genuinely felt good and reassuring to have that personal connection with at least one of his pack members again, although, the wolf had found himself wanting to share such a bond with a couple of others as well. Maybe one day, when he either figured out the Legacy passed down from his ancestor, or perhaps found another means of bonding closely with the rest of his pack.

"Thank you." Rickter responded humbly with appreciation and a bow in respect, before he straightened to see that his members were dismissed. One by one, Hannah and Patrick were the first pair to collect any gear they dropped, which the rogue quickly managed with a snap of her fingers; when her two guns Hitched into Slipspace before popping back into their holsters. "Kick his ass, Aoren!" Hannah hollered over her shoulder with a confident strut for the stands, Patrick walked alongside her as Telion couldn't help but chuckle. She then gave Aoren a proud smile before she looked up to Rickter, admiring the confidence he wore in his shoulders compared to the first time he stood within this arena.

"Good luck, my love." After he nodded to her the mother strolled after the other two, reaching the row of the stands near Avamande where three others awaited them. Connor, Dominik, and their mother Elinora all greeted Patrick and Hannah on their return, the motherly hen enthusiastically praising them for their efforts. The twins Isaac and Kendrick also squealed briefly in delight, mostly at the sight of their mother when she finally approached to sit between Elinora and Patrick. While they had settled Rickter had watched as his Bondmate settled into his combat gear, after having removed the cloak to reveal the Skyforge Raiment beneath its veil.

The sight of it reminded him of his own raiment, and how he had neglected to wear it as of late. A thought he never questioned until now, while certain his arena raiment would at least have some decent hold against the Kathar. No this was actually good. Before he merely waited until he could execute a countermeasure against his packmates, he knew they would tire him out quickly, and used their same method of approach to generate his own openings. With Aoren though they were in a league of their own, enough to where the wolf didn't even need to consider pulling his punches. He was exhilarated by this somehow, enough to where his left fist actually jittered a little. At the manifestation of his darkened steel blades, the pit of his gut welled with an excitement unfamiliar to him.

He was captivated by the knight before him, the warrior that Aoren truly was at heart. Rickter also understood the importance of this battle between the two of them, the gravity of pride he felt from that reflected in his quieting thoughts when finally asked the question. "Are you ready, my wolf?" Were his tail actually present it would be wagging, yet the wolf's firm gaze softened as he released a breath. At that moment he closed his eyes to breathe in deeply, taking in as much air as he could when he felt it reach even deep into his gut. This would probably be the first time he'd ever actively engaged somehow directly in this manner, giving it everything he had because of what he understood. Even with their hearts shielded through combat, Rickter knew his beloved Kathar would throw everything he had at him.

And Rickter wanted to do the same for once.

While he held that breath the veil of his actual aetheric aura manifested, briefly glimmering a cerulean hue before it expanded into a dissipation. The exhale of his sigh was long and steady, as he felt another layered wall within himself collapse at the clarity of his thoughts. Rickter's eyes opened on Aoren with determination now, as the blue hues seemed to glower from the release of aetheric pressure he gave off. Gravity felt strained for a minute as the air grew heavy, the palpable tension before now accented by a zone of intensity that radiated purely from the wolf. All around the borders of the arena the wards that protected the stands noticeably activated, the surface layers of the aetheric shields rippled and even shuddered from the dense aura that Rickter now gave off.

Burning within the air around him was a silver radiance that generated sparks of light, as Rickter brought his fists together to generate a layer of negated Aether over his form. Using the arena raiment as his anchor he warded it to withstand physical blows for the duration of the battle. When the enchantment was cast into the armor, aetherial markings laced their way throughout the raiment's components. With his buffed defense started the wolf began to float off the ground just by two feet, the toes of his boots pointed to the ground when he pulled his fists away from one another. In an outward flick of his arms, two silver lights flashed out from behind him, the aether molding into two separate large round steel-based shields as he held his hands close to them.

But never did he grab them, instead, the shields danced in a circular motion at his arms, the silver aura they gave off similar to the wolf's own burning will. "After you.... Shinzo." Aoren would understand the meaning behind that word, the levity that Rickter held when he referred to him as that. This was exactly why the wolf would not go into this battle lightly, and nor would it be anything like the first battle witnessed here today.

This time, Rickter would reveal the depths of his will, and the extent of his love for those in his Pack.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

► Show Spoiler

Combat Hub
standby

Rickter vs. Aoren

Rickter
Condition: Fine
Primary Battle Art: Wayward Warrior
Activated Battle Art: Ars Ultima

Battle Sequence A
Rickter > Wayward Warrior
Action Queue: Ars Ultima > Protect > Materalize

Ars Ultima activated!
-Rickter now hovers over the ground with a pair of weapons dancing around him. The full might of his physical and magical prowess will be unleashed. Physical and magical attacks are balanced with impressive range and coverage, while combos become a storm of paired attacks. Rickter's movements are also slightly enhanced via Lift and Seeming, enabling him to glide across the battlefield as his weapons utilize Dancing in tandem.
Protect casted! Rickter is buffed with physical reinforcement to reduce physical damage.
Materialize casted! Rickter's Pact shield Knight's Pledge has manifested, prioritizing defense to the highest degree with Ars Ultima.

[Paragon]

P A R A G O N

Aoren’s expression softened as he regarded Rickter. He watched as the wolf expanded his aura and spread it outward across the arena. It was no so long ago that Rickter would not have been able to achieve this. He could recall clearly the sparring and duels that had taken place leading up to the man’s eventual admission into the Silver Hand. He was proud of the journey that Rickter had undergone since then. It had been a long road. Watching as Rickter summoned his shields he let the barest hint of a smile tug at the corners of his lips.

“A mountain. That is what you are. That is what you have always been, my wolf.” Aoren did not move from where he stood. “A bulwark against the waves that crash upon the world of those you love.”

How many times had he watched Rickter stand his ground, an immovable wall against a storm of chaos that surged against him? More times than he could count. He was proud of Rickter’s strength and unyielding resolve in the face of adversity.

“But even a mountain, will eventually break.” His words were spoken with a grim finality to them. Dark emotions flickered across his face as he recalled the weeks, months, of torture that he had endured at the hands of the Inquisition. Not an ounce of it had been to break him so much as to torment the demigod that they wanted subdued. He had never been the focus, he had known that. Even so, he had eventually crumbled. Even he could only withstand so much. Aoren moved then. One moment he was standing in front of Rickter and the next he was completely gone. To the right of Rickter the smell of cinnamon and woodsmoke materialized. The same scent materialized to the left of him. Then behind him. Then in front of him.

At the last moment, Aoren materialized from thin air behind Rickter, his scent becoming clear only at the last moment. In his hands were his twin swords. As he appeared, he kicked one of the shields rotating around Rickter. A pulse of focused wind emanating from the shin of his boot as it connected with the shield in order to knock it off course. Aoren followed through, bringing his swords around in a slash toward the wolf Rathari’s exposed side as a result.

[Avamande]

Whatever they might say later, that they were simply observing the aetheric displays of masters, that they were examining the strengths and fighting styles of the most powerful men in the city, that this was a moment of utmost seriousness, anyone who actually looked at Avamande during the start of the second bout would have seen a Hytori excited beyond belief at what was unfolding. Were it not for the shield that they had already Tasked against Charlie's Mesmer, they would have thought that the other mage had somehow gotten through to them, but instead they were forced to confront the truth. They were having fun.

An electric air filled the arena as the wards activated, a metaphorical one instead of the somewhat literal one of the wards, as the crowd craned forward to watch every possible moment of the action from as close as physically possible. Despite the curse of their Rune, Avamande found that they had joined the throng, filled with a state of ecstatic apprehension as the fight got underway. What remained of their analytical mind took special appreciation of the warded armor of both fighters, the mage not for the first time feeling inadequate for having not taken up a Runehammer themself and going to work forging the ultimate combinations of craft.

Rickter began with Reaving to form an ultimate defense, manifesting the strength of his soul's conviction to be a defender - but Aoren knew all too well that the Wolf could not defend everywhere at once. The familiar tug at reality's substrate grabbed Avamande's attention as the freed Kathar was everywhere at once, Slipspace groaning as the seasoned warrior abused it. The sudden slash would've taken any mundane fighter off guard, but if Avamande could've noticed it, then Rickter should've as well. Assuming he had Traversion, at least.

...did Rickter possess the Rune of Traversion? A moment's apprehension seized Avamande, the mage realizing with some disquiet that they were worried about the fight ending too quickly.

"Dammit," they whispered. "Charles definitely has a point."

[Rickter]

The air around Rickter thrummed with a vibrancy not foreign to him, though, it definitely felt unusual to unleash such a concentration of power in just this one situation alone. Aoren was a powerful opponent and the wolf did not want to disappoint him, even though there came a brief reflection on the wolf's stalwart tenacity. He always believed in the might of the mountain, but, Aoren's words resonated within him differently than what one might've expected.

There was no mistaking the horrible lengths of torture that the Kathar had survived. For such a length of time anybody's spirit was surely bound to break, and while it greatly disheartened Rickter to even try and fathom this, it also motivated him further to show just how resilient some mountains could be. "Sometimes, no matter how mighty the wind howls, the mountain cannot ever bow to it." He remarked with a determined look in his eyes, the toes of his boots hovering inches off the ground as his shields danced around him symbiotically.

Yet in the blink of an eye his opponent moved, and Aoren was no longer within visible sight. Just as soon as the wolf peered around himself to check his flanks, the smells of cinnamon spice and burning wood filtered through his nostrils. It was a realization that he had which Aoren's first tactic seemed discernable, throwing the wolf off his trail by masking his presence from every angle. A bold and clever gambit. With a glint of gold in his eyes the wolf peered around, ignoring the smells as they would simply continue to throw him off. Yet even with Semblance his eyes could not discern anything, marking the power of Aoren's illusions stronger than his own vision.

As a preemptive reaction the wolf crossed his arms with fists closed, the well of aether radiating off him channeled into a Negation spell that he'd used to create a trap. Ten anchors were charged and casted onto the ground beneath him, generating small pools of aetheric light as they all rested in a square around his position. Their perimeters were simple, should Aoren draw close to him across the ground, then an anchor would detonate and unleash a blast of aetheric repulsion. Yet his opponent was more craftier than that, already set onto his next move as he reappeared at Rickter's rear-side flank.

The winds whipped behind the wolf as he shifted, only able to react in time when he felt the winded strike of a well-placed kick. The Knight's Pledge that received the blow veered heavily off course from its original trajectory, and gave Aoren the very opening he needed to begin his first set of strikes. The duplicate shield then dissipated moments after it left the vicinity of Rickter and Aoren, as a new duplicate began to materialize the moment the wolf prepared for the first pair of strikes thrown at him.

As the wolf pulled his left arm into a pump near his form, the lingering Knight's Pledge reacted to intercept the incoming blow. When the moment came where the Kathar's attack landed, aether sizzled with radiance off the surface of his shield, unleashing another Aetheric Backlash to knock the Kathar back as a reaction. That gave the wolf ample time to not only finish with the duplicate of his shield, but also move in close the gap he made between him and his opponent. "Gotcha!"

As he lunged forward through the air Rickter threw out both of his arms, and swung them in tandem to guide his shields so that he might perform a couple of combos on Aoren. The first pair of attacks from the shield led them to surge forward, generating arcs of direct kinetic energy as the Kathar intercepted each of the blows. And then, to add more flair in with the attack, the wolf brought his arms upward in a crossed motion, causing the shields to dance in sync within a spiral; one that rose from Aoren's legs as they threatened to bash at him as they scaled in the air.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

► Show Spoiler

Combat Hub

Rickter
Condition: Fine
Primary Battle Art: Wayward Warrior
Activated Battle Art: Ars Ultima

Battle Sequence B
Rickter > Ars Ultima
Action Queue: Assess > Mine Square > Counter Impact > Orbital Rave > Orbital Spiral

Aoren's Queue: Confuse > Blink > Aero Kick > Aerial Slash

Aoren > Confuse is used to distract Rickter, he cannot trace Aoren's position at this time!
Rickter > Assess is used to determine Aoren's position; Failed!
Rickter > Mine Square is used to create a magical minefield around Rickter's position!
Aoren > Blink is used to flank Rickter; Success!
Aoren > Aero Kick is used on Knight's Pledge (Duplicate)! The duplicate disperses!
Rickter > Counter Impact is used to react to any physical contact.
Aoren > Aerial Slash is used to on Rickter: Counter Impact activates!
Rickter > Orbital Rave is used on Aoren to generate an opening in his defense!
Rickter > Orbital Spiral is used on Aoren to deal physical/kinetic combo damage!

[Chronicle]

All Participants

Points: 12XP for the fact Paragon joined via modbomb
Loot: Excitement for dayz
Injuries: Minor bruising for all combatants and maybe sore egos at the time.

Comments: Shame this never got to reach a conclusion between the AoRick duel, that was intended to turn into a fun proving between them both. Anyways, enjoy the points everyone!