If both duelists involved would kindly let me know that they are ready, this duel can begin. If one of the dueling parties does not report in (ready or otherwise) before Wednesday [1/9/2013], they will forfeit the match. If neither report in, both will forfeit.

Whether you are ready or not, please make it known in an ((OOC)) post here in this thread.

This duel was concluded [1/14/2013] with Garion as the winner by forfeit.

((It's 10 minutes till Wednesday down here in Canberra! Given my unreliable wireless and dial up speed connection I may be prone to sudden disappearances, but I should be fully available for this round. I'm on an. iPod and should be sleeping ATM, we fight at sunrise!))

601594
((Well, I meant Midnight my time on Wednesday, but I guess I should have said so more clearly rather than just implying it. Glad you're here, and when Garion shows I'll open this for you guys. Fight with honor!))

601601 ((
Oh god mobile Tim fiction so broken fuck you autocorrect))

601605
((I don't know anything about auto-correct. even on my phone I have it disabled. I know what I'm typing, damn it! ))

601605
((READY! Also GMT just so you know))

601605
((Also, i concede first action to you))

601910 ((looks like we have a cocky one here))

A small, glowing, metallic ball blinked into existence, hovering in one of the seats.

This was a Remembrall. A fairly standard interrogation device that most military ponies in Germaney knew, it saved a video record of the things that happened in the area. A memory crystal allowed the user to review the recording. This particular device belonged to Wind Spark, Storm Blitz's wife.

((Just going to leave this here...))

602329
((darn tooting we do))

601910
((If I don't we'll be here arguing all week, wont we? Alright, you're first, whenever we get a judge.))

602601
((No no, as a Brit and a gentleman, I do concede to you.
you are first.))

602607
((Oops, misread. Alright then, I'll go first. Don't forget your OoC tags!))

602613
(( and that is the beauty of editing comments))

602616
((Don't forget your other one!))

602620
((done and done))

601594, 601785
((I am opening this duel. You may now fight one another. Please follow this link to see the list of judges.

You must conclude your duel, either by killing blow (judge's rule), forfeit, or voting decision. A vote will be held by default in the event that the duel is not completed by 12:00 a.m. [-5:00 GMT] on Saturday [1/12/2013].

Fight with honor!))

Aurus rose from his seat suddenly, drawing a hush over the crowd and ready combatants alike. His smile was one of excitement, and it was clear from the tone that ventured forth from his throat that he was just as eager as those in the stands who were barely repressing their words to hear him speak.

"It is clear that you are all excited to see this match, and I an right there with you! Lets not delay, and commence the battle, one which I am sure will be monumental. This duel between Belgarion and Gareth should not be taken lightly. Not now, or ever in the future, as this will be a moment of history to be remembered gloriously for ages to come!"

The crowd roared in excitement, stilling once more for Aurus' final words before the unleashing of this once-in-a-lifetime event.

"Begin the match!"

The deafening roars that followed drowned out the trailing of even his mighty voice, and any hope that the clash of steel or a blast of magic had to be heard.

603339
((We just send it to any of them via PM? Oh, by the way, is there any sort of arena design, like terrain and obstacles, that someone's going to specify?))

603396
((This information is coming soon. My apologies for not making it available up front.))

Gareth let the roars of the crowd wash over him as he strode into the coliseum, bow on his back and the reassuring weight of his mace sheathed at his left side. Nostalgia coursed through his body as the cheers of his clanmates over years of competitions echoed through his mind, but none of that could live up to the thunder that drowned the arena now. Taking up place a good twenty or so metres away from his competitor, he prepared to make a move. There would be no greetings here.

In a heartbeat the gryphon pulled his recurve bow from its place, his chainmail hauberk clinking as he moved. Gareth’s wings gave him balance as he reared up on his hind legs, a taloned claw reaching down to his waist. An array of arrows sat tightly packed together in the multiple smaller containers that made up the quiver, preventing them from falling out when their owner flew. The quiver itself was strapped firmly to the upper part of his right hind leg to prevent it from swinging about.

In a single, well practiced motion, the gryphon drew out one of the shafts and nocked it. The tip of the arrow gleamed slightly in the sunlight as he drew back and lined up his shot, his sharp eyes focusing on his competitor’s chest.

So it begins.

Then he released.

((Approved by Cyberfire22))

603974
Aldur also enters the arena, cloaked in his hood he basked in the sunlight around him, showering parts of the ground in brilliant light and concealing sections in dreaded darkness. Sweeping his eyes across the battle field, he saw his opponent enter, a powerful looking Gryphon wielding a bow and quiver of arrows. As he began to charge his will in an as inconspicuous way as he possibly could, he heard a slight rustle and saw his opponent draw the bow and notch an arrow at frightening speed. And then it was released.

May Harmony preserve you.

If it had not been for his already partially gathered will, the bow would have hit him dead on and at the ranges they were at Aldur's chances of winning would have plummeted dramatically. Focusing his mind, he used a small gust of wind to bat the arrow away slightly and move out of the way the opposite way. ((I did the physics calculations with approximations for the type of equipment we have seen on the show. the force came up to the equivalent of being hit with 0.467kg, and most of it focused at the tip, ask SwiftEthan if you need to check it)) The arrow, however, had different plans, and instead of going for the now unattainable killing wound, instead went for a grazed shoulder, bringing out a few small droplets of blood and a small jolt of pain to Aldur’s senses. Undeterred, he used the last remnants of his gathered magic and released 2 flares out against his opponent, each the size of a hoof and each heading to different spots near the Gryphon. Charging as he volleyed them out, Aldur brought out his dual-bladed dagger and waited for the incoming counter-attack.

((Approved by Swift Ethan))

605378
Lights, blinding lights.

Gareth hissed through his beak as he squinted under the rapidly growing rays of light from the pair of magical flares the unicorn had launched. While his vision was not completely gone, it was impaired to the point of near uselessness in a combat situation.

Damned sorcerers.

Gareth reached up to his brow and slipped down his red tinted flight goggles, protecting his eyes from the worst of the flare’s light, then launched himself skyward.

While the goggles had protected him from further damage, the bright shapes remained fused to his vision, fading at a painfully slow rate. Gareth knew it would take a miracle to pull off a shot that would even come close to his opponent while his eyes recovered, so attacking was out of the question.

The rocky spires were massed around the arena, and thankfully he could still see well enough to move. Setting his sights on a towering mass of stone, Gareth darted off into cover.

((Approved by SwiftEthan))

605874
Aldur spotted his opponent being hit by his flares, becoming disoriented. Amused by this, eh let out a small chuckle as the Gryphon fumbled around, but it stopped as he saw him pull on a pair of goggles that blocked most of the residual light from the flares. His opponent then shot upwards and began to dart into cover.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get a clean hit in time before the Gryphon darted behind one of the rocky spires jutting from the ground, he instead opted for a more defensive move, and gathered his will. Then, focusing on a spot on top of the spire that his enemy had darted behind, Aldur released his will and commenced a short teleport, or 'blink'. Landing on the spire a little out of breath, he gathered a small amount of will around his horn, not enough for a shield to block an attack, but just enough that it could come in handy in a fight if need be.
[[approved by Swift Ethan]]

608672
Gareth slipped an arrow out of the quiver and nocked it against the bowstring as he hovered lightly in the air behind the rocky spire. The lights had faded from his eyes, and he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief that there was no permanent damage. But at the moment, that was the least of his concerns. The blasted unicorn was still out there, and Gareth was willing to bet he hadn’t stood patiently and waited to resume the fight.

What would I do if I were a unicorn sorcerer? He didn’t have a clue. For all he knew, the pony could be casting some blood ritual to summon a towering demon.

Ok, maybe not that likely, he reasoned, but still possible right?

Quickly, Gareth decided on a course of action. A gust of air billowed below him as he shot upwards, ascending above the rocky outcrop and giving him a decent view of the whole arena, or at least the bits that weren’t covered by the rocks.

His sharp eyes began scanning the area immediately, spotting the various shades of the pony’s coat and mane against the greens and greys of the arena, uncomfortably close to his previous position.

Gotcha.

The bowstring came back, and moments later snapped forward, sending its arrow arcing toward the sorcerer’s hindquarters.
((Approved by SwiftEthan))

609127
Looking round and trying to get a bearing on his position, Aldur tried to gain his footing on the rocky formation he stood on. Seeing nothing but a band of rocky spires jutting from the ground around him and only a barren desert for a back drop, he couldn't find his opponent anywhere. drawing his dagger up to his eye level with his hand out stretched, he was waiting for the incoming attack, and then he heard it. An almost silent twang from behind him, like the snap of a bow string.

crap

Not enough time to dodge and not enough time to cast a spell without ruining his next plan, Aldur instead opted for the braver option, let his semi-shield shatter most of the force and take the shot head on, and then launch an attack of his own directly afterwards. So, turning round at the last second, he felt the arrow pop through his shield and land itself directly in his flank. And were it not for the deep concentration he had charging up an extremely large reserve of magic, Aldur most likely would have cried out in pain and fallen from that spire. Luckily for him, the pain was nothing compared to the training regimen he had kept everyday, and while it had decreased his agility and vitality by quite a bit, he was no where near done.

Finding his opponent standing about 25m away, Aldur brought his small double-bladed dagger up to eye-height and aimed at his opponent. Tapping into about 3/4ths of his remaining mana reserve, which was a substantial part of it, and shot his dagger forward a supersonic speeds ((After doing a good bit of math, we clocked it at going 50m/s at about 200N of force)), aiming directly at the chest of the only person who had succeeded in touching him so far.

Lets see how you like being penetrated asshole

[[Approved by Swift Ethan]]

612323
((To the last line: LULZ))

612323

Finding his opponent standing about 25m away,

Actually he's still in the air; I never said he landed, but it won't change much.

Tapping into about 3/4ths of his remaining mana reserve, which was a substantial part of it, and shot his dagger forward a supersonic speeds ((After doing a good bit of math, we clocked it at going 50m/s at about 200N of force)), aiming directly at the chest of the only person who had succeeded in touching him so far.

Great, now I'm going to have to research things too.

612323
His arrow had found its mark, but the sorcerer had responded quickly. There was a flash of magic and the sudden burst of movement coming toward him. Instinct took over and he threw himself left, spinning his right shoulder forward and pulling both wings in.

Gareth couldn’t suppress the yelp of surprise as something slashed past the chainmail, tugging sharply his hauberk back and pounding against the gambeson beneath before continuing past. His chest ached from where it had clipped him, but the pain could wait, as now the gryphon was about to enter a freefall.

Throwing his wings out once more, he straightened himself out and fell into a glide.

The gambeson rubbed his almost certainly bruised chest against, but he did his best to ignore it. The unicorn was still down there and giving him time to recuperate and prepare another magical strike was completely out of the question. For Gareth, attack was the best defence. Gravity was on his side as he dived down toward his prey, being sure to weave about sporadically in case the sorcerer had anything else to throw at him.

Locked on target, he prepared to swoop down over the unicorn and swing in an upwards arc with the mace on his opponent’s most vulnerable point: the arrow protruding from his flank.

((Approved by SwiftEthan))

613176
Exhausted from his large spell and wavering on the top of the spire, Aldur was not so sure what was up and what was down at this point. Trying to get his head together to see his opponent, he began to do a sweeping view of his surroundings, but to no avail. And then he heard it, a flap of wings and a gust of wind.

He was being poached.

Not knowing which direction his opponent was coming from, Aldur did the only thing he could do. He summoned a shield and hoped for the best. But this shield is no average shield, It doesn't just block light and momentum, it is directly imbued in Aldur's being, charged by the harmony inside of him and imbued by the chaos he has learned to control. This chaos is inside of everyone, in larger quantities in certain people than others, and it always manifests differently when used. For some it is a sheer wall of will that stops everything in its path at the sake of no mobility, for others it is a pure bolt of energy, lancing out and striking their opponents souls. If this chaos is not learned to be contained, it will corrupt and change the person, but Aldur's many years of training has taught him, that above all, protection of harmony is key.

This small part of him, the one that wanted to break free and cause damage and confusion was allowed out, and was changed by Aldur's soul, and formed into something about him, something that he holds key to his own self and being. The need to protect. This is why his shield was not used before, and is only a last defense against danger. It leads to corruption and strays from his path of harmony, and letting that piece of him go could be the un-doing of his years of work.

With this in mind his chaos took shape, in a compact sphere of earth. Raising the ground from under him and closing over his head. He then began to chant, only slightly imbuing his words with his will. It was a prayer to Celestia and Luna, to help keep him in control of his darkness.

And with that he laid down in his shield, readying himself for the end of the duel, hoping that his opponent would either break through and end it, or it be ruled as over by his host king Aurus, before the chaos took him.

[[Approved by Swift Ethan]]

619246
Gareth veered away from the sphere of earth that formed around his target, stopping his approach as the unicorn disappeared from sight.

What?

The gryphon hesitated for a moment. There was something about that orb of dirt, something that nagged at the back of his mind. It didn’t feel right.

Slowly, Gareth approached, replacing the mace by his side and once again drawing the bow. He drifted closer as he nocked an arrow, stopping when he was only about five metres away. Bringing up the bow, he brought it out to full draw, aiming somewhere around the centre of the mysterious sphere.

Breathing out softly, he released.

((Approved by SwiftEthan))

619356
((Not dirt, rock))

Aldur kept on chanting, louder and louder, imbuing more and more WILL into his words until it was all he could focus on and all he could hear, no thoughts or instinct, only prayer.

Then he heard a great TWANG hit against his shield of earth, and heard it splinter against the rock, knocking it off casually as though it were a pebble.

Then, he began the infuse a more of his WILL back into his voice, letting it control him, guide him. Praying to Celestia, he began to chant louder, with more force, strengthening a shield of WILL inside his own rock shield, leaving a smaller sphere with a light blue sheen around him, fortifying it as much as he could.

[[Approved by Swift Ethan]]

619410
((Yeah, I only found out after I posted. It doesn't help that earth does actually mean dirt and soil, etc according to all the sources I can find.))

619410
The arrow bounced off the tough surface, falling away, broken.

Gareth snarled and switched weapons back to his mace, lunging forward and swinging it with all his might.

“You can’t hide forever you worthless dog!” he roared.
((Approved by SwiftEthan))

Voting:
Garion

Voting:
Sparklight