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 concluded [1/11/2013] with SocraticBrony as the victor by Killing Blow.

((I'm ready. I'm a bit nervous since I have never done this sort of thing before, but also excited to get this thing going. Good luck SocraticBrony, I'll try my best to give you a fight to remember!))

602135
Brazen had heard that Virgil would be in this match, sure Virgil didn't consider him a friend, but Brazen wasn't going to let that stop him from cheering on Virgil. When he sat down in the stands he noticed Virgil's opponent standing and waiting, covered from head to hoof in copper coloured plate. "Hey, good luck!" He shouted to the unicorn in the arena.

602324

Cobalt Blaze entered the arena staring in awe at all of the beings that had gathered in the stands to watch the fight.
He was wearing his own hoof-crafted armor, hoping it would serve him well in the upcoming battle. As he stood to attention waiting for his opponent, he heard one voice over the murmur of the crowd wishing him luck. With a quick glance, he found its source: a blue unicorn in the stands. He didn't know this pony, but he appreciated the gesture all the same.
He nodded in acknowledgement and shouted his own thanks before he once again faced the arena and began mentally preparing himself for his opponent.

602562

Cobalt finally lay his eyes upon his opponent. He was a somewhat elderly earth stallion that seemed to lean against his staff slightly, but Cobalt immediately knew that this still wasn't somepony he wanted to underestimate. His opponent, (Virgil he believed his name was), held a look in his eye that spoke volumes of his internal strength. The sheer amount of determination that was exuding from this pony was almost overwhelming.
Already, he seemed to be analyzing Cobalt with his penetrating stare, evaluating him.
Virgil finally nodded in acknowledgment at Cobalt, and Cobalt respectably bowed in return, somewhat honored to be facing someone who looked so experienced.

602758
Cobalt could see the respect that Virgil showed, recognizing him as a fellow warrior and combatant. However, that same determination in his eyes remained, telling Cobalt that he would give this battle his all. Under his faceplate, Cobalt gave a small smirk. He'd happily do the same.

((I think I'll be online for that, I'm here all day today as far as I know, and I'm currently in Pacific time. However, tomorrow I'll be occupied all morning. I think I'll be online after then though.))

602863
((Same to you!
I think Cobalt is done, he's not much of a talker to strangers either.
I'll try keeping you updated on my status as well. I look forward to our battle! It'll be quite close I think.))

602925>>602863>>601556
[[Hey, part of me wants to say this is after Brazen's bout, for the sake of not editing previous posts, but Brazen picked up Virgil's broken brace, and fixxit, I mean fixed it. Anyways, this is up not up to me in the slightest, but I was wondering if Brazen could give the brace to Virgil before the battle actually started, I did roleplay picking it up an repairing it. In any case it's up to you people, not me.]]

603147
((I'm fine with whatever you do, but it's mostly up to SocraticBrony and Razorbeam though I suppose))

603238
[[I know, so at the moment I have a yes and two still in the air, I can wait, considering I have to wait.]]

602135, 602512
((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 Virgil and Cobalt 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.

603147
((I see what you did there. Anyways, that's fine: it doesn't directly affect anything.))

603372
[[Okay, will do writing it now]]
602863
Brazen saw Virgil enter the arena and greet his opponent, "Hey Virgil! I told you I fixed it so here it is!!" Brazen shouted to the older stallion in the arena, as he did so he enveloped the brace in his magic and whisked it to Virgil's side, "Hope you like it!" Brazen shouts one last time before his voice is overtaken by Aurus announcing the start of the match.
603238

604186
At this point, Brazen was used to Virgil's gruff and hard nature, he knew what the nod meant and was glad to see the old stallion show his approval. Brazen simply smiled back and returned the nod, because to him it wasn't a huge deed, but a good deed to someone he respected, which was more important than all the praise in the world. He decided to sit down and quietly watch this battle, instead of raving like a lunatic in the other ones, Good luck, you old codger.

[[Seriously, Virgil's personality reminds me of the stories my dad told me of his father, so my grandfather, he was stern, harsh and could seem cruel at times, but he still had a caring center and he could only express it one way, his way. He was like that from WW2 for an idea of the people that came out of that.]]

604216 ((Hey, you are still here.))

604186
((I'm ready, just sending my first post to be approved.))

604223
[[Well thank you for making the character, and as the morph and grow part, Brazen's working on it, I can tell ]]

604254
[[Well of course, if he did, the times the two have met wouldn't have as much meaning, or been as much fun for me to RP.]]

604186

Cobalt watched his opponent carefully. After taking a leg brace and putting it on, Virgil was simply standing there, seemingly waiting for his move. Cobalt obliged.
Cobalt wasn't a fool, he knew a weapon when he saw one. Being a blacksmith for your entire life allowed you to see these things. That staff that Virgil held was no ordinary walking stick, it was quite clearly a weapon of some sort judging from the various notches on it.
Cobalt shot a small fireball at Virgil, tensing his body to respond quickly, and awaiting Virgil's response.

>>Approved by RainbowBob

604280
[[Well hopefully the two can talk after first rounds are over with, it will be interesting since they are watching each other's matches.]]
604291
Brazen analyzed the standoff for the short while it lasted, the unicorn in the plate had the eye that any combatant worth their salt would have. Before too long the younger stallion let out a fireball directed towards Virgil, Interesting, wonder what else he can do.

604349

Cobalt had prepared himself for a fast reaction, but this was something else! It was amazing how fast his opponent moved despite his older age. Not having much time to react, Cobalt quickly summoned a small barrier of fire, blocking the blow that might have incapacitated him.
He jumped back quickly afterward, knowing that fighting Virgil at close range would be deadly.

>>Approved by RainbowBob

604483

This was really difficult! Cobalt just couldn't shake the guy off.
Suddenly, Virgil seemed about to roll to the left, but instead took a mighty swing of his pole. Luckily, Cobalt managed to catch wind of this feint and pulled back before the pole could smash into his horn. Good thing studying Royal Guard manuals had taught him to watch for things like that!
But he couldn't afford to keep retreating! He had to put the pressure on.
Cobalt used one of his signature spells, the Harmless Fire spell. It looked, behaved, and even for a certain distance felt like regular fire. However, the technique was all flash and no substance.
He knew that this strategy would only work once, but he had to catch Virgil off guard somehow. He sent a wide sheet of this disguised fire at Virgil and followed closely behind it, hoping to entice Virgil to defend himself from it so he could try a side-attack.

((This will be my last post tonight. I'm a couple hours behind you I think (Pacific time at the moment). I'll be online sometime in the afternoon here I believe, but I'll send you a PM once I'm online again.))

>>Approved by Twilight at Dusk

604596

Cobalt was impressed with the versatility of the weapon that Virgil wielded. His friend would probably love to examine the thing... but he couldn't be distracted from the battle at the moment.
Cobalt continued to follow closely behind the false wave of fire, using the glare of the flames to cover his movements; Virgil would have a hard time staring directly at the flames as they approached.
Right as the fake flames were about to break across Virgil's makeshift buckler, Cobalt rolled through them from the right and immediately fired a blast of real flame at Virgil's side, hoping that him focusing on an attack from the front would leave him vulnerable.

>>Approved by RainbowBob and Crafter

((I am also enjoying this duel a lot! It is a bit of a shame we have only a small window of opportunity to battle each day, but it has been a really solid experience so far.))

607733

Cobalt cursed his luck. One of his best moves had failed because his opponent's reflexes were too good.
In one smooth motion, Virgil had both blocked the blast of flame and now was trying to lop his head off with a blade.
It was time for more desperate measures.
Cobalt closed his eyes and summoned his internal magic reserves. Cobalt then busted out another one of his personal techniques... He lit himself ablaze.
Strong fires roared around him as his body was surrounded in a corona of light. His armor had been specifically made to resist his own fire, but even then it was quite sweltering inside his suit. He'd definitely have to take a long, cold shower after this.
His own mane and tail began to singe and burn somewhat. Despite the fire retardant spells enchanting the armor, they weren't completely spared.
Cobalt then opened his eyes and glared at Virgil, who was still hurtling towards him. He braced himself for impact.

>>Approved by RainbowBob

607849

Cobalt let out a scream as the blade struck his horn, badly cracking it. The fires across his body instantly snuffed out, and he collapsed to the ground in pain. He could feel his pool of magic slowly begin to dribble away...

Cobalt was in a bad situation. and when he was in a bad situation, he tended to do rash things.
His horn, despite being in a bad state, was still able to channel magic just fine.
He stumbled to his hooves, glowering at Virgil. However, under his faceplate, he smirked slightly, a crazed grin beginning to develop on his face.

Cobalt simply gathered a large portion of his remaining mana... and set the entire arena floor on fire.
The grass coating the arena provided plenty of kindling, and despite being fresh, burned with enough magic channeled into it. Even the rocks began heating up rapidly, becoming red hot. Cobalt knew he couldn't keep this up for long, but he hoped it would quickly tire out his opponent and do some heavy damage.

>>Approved by RainbowBob

607950

((Hmmm... alright, I'll trust you on this one. Argh. Oh well, them's the breaks I suppose...))

607945>>607950 ((Not HAVE to, but you get no reaction. you could use your action to attempt to deflect or block it, but it's essentially lessening the hit, not stopping it.))

607957>>607956

((Alright, I'll think of something else to do.
And Socratic, I understand you'd never try cheating me, hah. You seem like an honest person.
Just a tad bit frustrated I couldn't do my strategy, but oh well. Can't be helped.))

607972>>607957 ((We're sending it to Razor to determine if it IS a deathblow, since he has final ruling. If it is, can't be helped. If it isn't, pick it up with your next thought.))

607975
((So I can't even attempt to use my action?))
Darn...

607979 ((If it isn't, you can use your action. It may have an effect in it. Who knows? This is the first fight to possibly finish))

607988

((Hah, shortest battle in the tournament not including the one where the opponent surrendered. I don't know whether to be proud or somewhat ashamed.
Oh well.))

607989 ((Wait, which one surrendered? Also, no shame, it was a good, decisive fight!))

607995
((The one between Pinkieshie598 and Doctor D
Apparently, Pinkieshie had computer issues and had to drop out. And yes, I do agree it was a good fight. I just hope I get to continue a bit longer.))

607999
((I feel the same way))

((This fight isn't over yet. Yes, Cobalt is going to get hit, there's no way he can completely avoid the attack. However, he may be able to take the hit to another portion of his body other than his horn. Consider your positioning, and whether or not you could get a foreleg in the way in time, move and take it in the shoulder, etc. This falls to an agility check on your part, and I would leave it to Rainbow and Medic's discretion at that point, but I do not think this is a killing blow.

However, after what you've just done prior to Socratic's attack, I would say you cannot affect this attack with magic, as you just finished consuming a very large amount of mana.))

608206

((Thank you for the decision. I was going to do something along those lines anyway if it was judged to be not a killing blow.))

607926

Cobalt couldn't react in time. Virgil was once again aiming for his horn, and there was little he could do to stop it, especially when maintaining concentration on the spell he had cast. He'd have to make a sacrifice...
Instead, Cobalt turned his head, moving it out of the way of the strike. Instead, the blow landed on his armored left shoulder, wedging itself into his flesh.

With a cry of anguish and pain, Cobalt struggled to keep his spell going. However, he managed to keep his concentration, albeit barely. The wound from the blade could have been worse if the armor hadn't got in the way, but it was still a harsh blow. Already, the flames from the surrounding area were beginning to cauterize the wound, so at least he wouldn't bleed out.
He was lucky that the blow didn't paralyze the limb altogether, but it would probably hamper his movements a lot.

Unfortunately, things were getting down to the wire now, and Cobalt couldn't afford any more mistakes.

>>Approved by RainbowBob

607999>>609551
Brazen continues watching the duel play out, noting Virgil's focus on the other contestant's horn he thought, Note to self, protect the horn.. while absentmindedly rubbing his horn as he got ghost pains from from seeing what Cobalt was going through.

610772, 609551
((Unfortunately for Cobalt, I see no way for him to evade this blow, nor any way that he could feasibly continue fighting after receiving it. I am ruling this as a death blow, dealt by Virgil.))

Aurus rose suddenly, and though the dire nature of the combat drew all eyes to the center of the arena, his presence was still known as his mighty voice easily overpowered the roars of the crowd, amplified as it was by his powerful magic. The flames of Cobalt's spell died as his word, only a single command, rolled across the arena, leaving behind a smoldering circle of baked earth.

"Enough!" he cried, his voice filled with a tone of command, the severity of that single word drawing a complete hush over the eager crowd. But though it garnered their silence, his sudden order to halt the blow that would destroy Cobalt's horn did not draw their attention. All eyes remained on Virgil, watching as if in slow motion as his shield hurtled toward his opponent's horn.

610808
610812

((Alright, I guess that's it I suppose.))

Cobalt knew this was the end. There wasn't any way he could block this blow.
He closed his eyes and awaited impact, when suddenly an immensely powerful voice simply shouted "Enough!" and immediately silenced the roaring crowd.
Cobalt cracked his eyes open, eyes widening at the shield that had been mere moments from taking his horn off for good. He then stared into the eyes of Virgil.
His eyes remained as intense as ever, but deep inside, he saw what he could have sworn was a glimmer of respect.
Cobalt let out a deep sigh as the effect of his spell being undone finally took its toll and he collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

Cobalt was disappointed in losing... but he didn't mind losing to a warrior as fine as Virgil.

610832

Cobalt gladly accepted the help Virgil gave him, although he was somewhat surprised at the care and gentleness of his gestures and voice. Still, he was grateful that the older warrior, despite his severe burns, would care enough to assist him out of the arena.

As they together hobbled out of the arena exit, Cobalt knew that this moment would be one he would remember for the rest of his life: them being together, at least momentarily, as comrades in battle and fellow warriors. He couldn't ask for more.

610832>>610823
Brazen sat, staring intently at the battle, his concentration broken by the shout from Aurus. Suddenly seeing the battle slow as his adrenaline spiked, he saw Virgil halt his shield just millimeters from Cobalt's horn, He would have done it, He wouldn't have like to, but he's too old to lose to something like this. was all Brazen though as he saw Cobalt collapse.

When Virgil assisted Cobalt to the exit, Brazen quickly rushed to the combatant entrance to see if both competitors were... well he knew they weren't fine, but to make sure they weren't critical.

610856>>610844
Brazen nodded, offering his shoulder for Cobalt, "Lets get you to the medics, also..." Brazen let his words take action as a small bit of brass came up and acted as a brace for Cobalt's horn, "We wouldn't want anything happening to that from here to the infirmary, so just take it easy, I'll get you there." With that he walked along with Cobalt, "Virgil... too stubborn for his own good," he chuckled once he was certain he was out of ear shot of the old stallion.

610851
610856

Cobalt once again saw that strange blue unicorn that had given Virgil his leg brace before the battle. He had a concerned look etched across his face as he glanced at them both, as if to check if they were okay.
Virgil motioned towards this unicorn, gently shrugging Cobalt off onto this unicorn's side.
"Get him to the infirmary...He's pretty drained and beat up." wheezed Virgil in his usual gruff manner. Still, Cobalt could still hear the underlying kindness residing in his tone.
Virgil then proceeded to hobble off on his own, actually leaning on the staff for real this time, as he made his way somewhere else.

Cobalt stared after him for a bit, before the unicorn from before said
"Lets get you to the medics, also..."
It was then a small brass brace clipped onto his damaged horn, protecting it from further damage.
"We wouldn't want anything happening to that from here to the infirmary, so just take it easy, I'll get you there." the unicorn continued.

As they walked along, the unicorn chuckled before muttering
"Virgil... too stubborn for his own good,"

Cobalt would have asked of his relation to Virgil, but he was honestly too exhausted to care at this point. Together, they slowly walked towards the infirmary.

610868>>610856
As the two walked, the thought his Brazen, We haven't met, no wonder he isn't speaking, with that Brazen tilted his head towards Cobalt, "My name's Brazen Cipher, by the way," he chuckled slightly, "If you're wondering how I know that codger, he'll never admit it, but we're friends, and I'll never mention that we are again, better to keep it that way for now," he finished with another chuckle.

610876
610856

Despite his tiredness, Cobalt heard the unicorn introduce himself as Brazen Cipher, and that he was actually friends with Virgil (despite Virgil's reluctance to admit it).
Was this guy a mind reader or something? How did he know what questions were on his mind?

Deciding to file that mystery away in his brain for later, Cobalt used a small portion of his remaining magic to unclasp and pull his helm off, revealing his sweaty grey fur and the rest of his brilliantly blue and orange (albeit singed) mane. He breathed a sigh of relief as the air cooled his overheated head.
"The name's Cobalt, Cobalt Blaze." Cobalt introduced himself. "Although you probably know that already, seeing as you watched the match and all." Cobalt finished, giving a weak chuckle of his own.

610888>>610881
"I did watch the match, you fought spectacularly, you probably guessed it, but you put Virgil into quite a bad spot," Brazen explained, he was able to analyze the battle in depth while watching it, so he knew that both were very hard pressed to win, "Um, would it help if you weren't bogged down with armour? My specialty is metal and steamtech, so I can help," he offered seeing Cobalt sighing in relief after removing his helmet.

610893
610881

"Knock yourself out." Cobalt replied, stopping so that both he and Brazen could undo the various clasps and straps that held the suit together.
"I'm just glad my armor worked as well as it did; I was worried that the metal I made it out of and the spells I put on it wouldn't be enough." Said Cobalt as he casually examined pieces of his armor, grimacing slightly at the dented and bloody mess the left shoulder pauldron was.

"So you work with metal huh? Interesting, seeing as I'm a blacksmith." mentioned Cobalt as he finally shrugged off the last of his armor.