THE KING'S TOURNEY

One by one, combatants fell - or relented - to their opponents. The day deepened and winter's chill threatened to return when the imminent cape of night descended upon the mountain. For now, daylight held strong for the near-last warriors to return to the ring.

Hours had droned by since the battles first began, yet the fervor of the crowd seemed only to grow with each passing moment. Valhalla itself held its breath for the next strike. Clouds had gathered in gradually in the once-clear sky but, at last, a shaft of sunlight would break through, pooling down upon the congregated bodies and the two silhouettes within the ring. If that wasn't a call to arms from the heavens themselves, then one never could have existed.

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AURELIA X SHILOH

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AURELIA is attacking first.

RULES

• Each spar is 3 rounds. Before typing out your post, place your dice roll in a post and then edit in your written post. If you are unsure how to roll dice, please see the fields below with each roll code!
  
• The entrant with the highest roll totals at the end of 3 rounds is the winner. They will progress to the next stage of the tournament.
  
• Maiming and death are disallowed UNLESS cleared with your thread partner first.
  
• Each player has THREE DAYS to post for their turn or they will be forced to forfeit the fight. This is imposed to help keep things rolling.
  
• Predetermined winners MAY be chosen, but it must be communicated and agreed upon by both parties in the fight. If you choose to do this, please denote that a winner has been predetermined, you do not have to signal who wins if you wish to maintain the suspense.
  
  
• This battle uses modifiers. Those modifiers are as follows:
  
  ► No Warrior Skills: 1d5
  ► Basic Warrior Skill: 1d6
  ► Specialist Warrior Skill: 1d8
  ► Expert Warrior Skill: 1d10
  
  
  Only ONE modifier can be used
  
  
• If you win a no-modifier fight and your next opponent DOES use modifiers, you will need to decide if you wish to continue or "forfeit" to your opponent. The same rule applies to off-screen fights. If your chosen preference is off-screen fights, you will need to decide between continuing on-screen or forfeiting to your next on-screen opponent.
  
  
• Off-screen fights will roll three d5 in the dice channel in Discord and the one with the highest roll result is the winner. (Command to use: /r 3d5) If you wish to predetermine the winner between yourself and your opponent, that is your choice!
  
  
• Please see the bracket document for a list of fights and progress.
  

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Roll Codes

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None

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Code:

[*roll=1d5]

Basic

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Code:

[*roll=1d6]

Specialist

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Code:

[*roll=1d8]

Expert

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Code:

[*roll=1d10]

Remove the *s to use the code!

Skill: Warrior

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Rolling 1d5: 3

This was an unfortunate turn of events.

All that hard work, and now she had to face her sister's... boyfriend.

I don't want to be here either, she said flatly, quick to be the first to express distaste for the match. Still, rules were rules, and he had climbed his way up through the tournament just as fairly as she had - even if the pair regarded each other with thinly-veiled unease.

Let's get it over with.

Part of her wondered how Tiberii might react depending on the results of this charade. If she won, would Tiberii be angry that she shamed her - boyfriend - thing - in front of the crowd, or would she instead cheer for her sibling's victory and the insurmountable force of the Shakti-Vaes clan?

If Shiloh beat Aurelia fair and square, thoroughly throttling her in the ring...

... Would Tiberii kill him in front of Northfall, or more privately at home?

Sinking into a resigned crouch, Aurelia took initiative and began by sprinting in a jagged pattern of zig-zags on her way toward him, hoping to disrupt his tracking - and then leapt for his left hind limb, jaws open and ready to use what weight she had to pull him off-balance.

Skill: Warrior

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Rolling 1d5: 4

Three very important ideas had been instilled within Aurelia from a young age:

1) Never tell a lie. It is a waste of time, and you're not very good at it (really, she wasn't).

2) If you are going to do a job, do it properly.

and

3) In all things, exude dignity and honor.

Shiloh was actively violating two of the three codes of conduct in which she had been raised, and right now, her perception of him was that of an avoidant coward. Surely he wasn't afraid of her - his lauded history as a fighter was no secret to the Shakti-Vaes women, so why, then, was he so determined to flee? Aurelia frowned.

Tiberii's dark shadow loomed in the distance as two golden eyes full of sharp intent pierced through the ring.

Aw, hells.

A sinking feeling churned in her gut as she made contact with Shiloh's hind limb, and he gave a halfhearted kick in an attempt to dislodge her grip. She remained firm in her task, glaring up at him with a baleful gaze as she jerked his leg back and shook it pointedly. He had to see this through - if he threw the match intentionally, she would never forgive him. Tiberii's wrath be damned; Aurelia could explain the necessity of their violence later if she even needed to at all, but this was important both for Northfall and for her.

This was a test of her skills; of all that she had learned from Genghis.

She spat out his leg in disgust.

Do not take this from me, she said frostily, sidestepping quickly, And do not take this from my deceased mentor.

Aurelia squared her shoulders.

I demand you either fight, or walk away from me right now.

Something stung at the corners of her eyes.

I mean it. You dishonor me.

Skill: Warrior

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Rolling 1d5: 2

Should the red wolf prevail and blood be spilled in the effort of a fair victory, she would put in a good word for him to her sister - it might save his life.

Nevertheless, this was better. She despised the necessary display of emotion it took to spur him into action, but she would rather publicly expose herself for a fraction of a second than suffer the shame of a match thrown in her favor. Shiloh would have been damned forever in her mind; a dishonorable coward, a man easily swayed by - what? Did he truly fear Tiberii's wrath so much that he would rather humiliate Aurelia than suffer the girl a few temporary wounds?

Good.

Scarcely had the word left her lips than the red warrior charged forward with renewed vengeance, and Aurelia felt gratified that he rose to the challenge. She felt a little less gratified that she was about to be made into a fine grey paste, but maybe they could put her corpse in the lake with Genghis and she could float into the dark water's embrace alongside him.

Shiloh met his mark and the Shakti-Vaes was sent tumbling across the arena, all the air rushing from her lungs in a sudden woof as she gradually slid to a halt. Stupid! Why hadn't she stayed moving? Genghis had told her so many times that her speed was her weapon, and she'd just stood there like a self-satisfied idiot -

Aurelia grunted and quickly pushed herself back up to her paws.

Taking a deep, painful breath - she dashed forward and nipped at his limbs, then quickly leapt away - ouch - she hadn't taken a hit like that from Alduin when she employed this tactic before - and began to circle him like a darting sparrow, hoping to wear him down, and all the while her sides ached.

Skill: Warrior

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Rolling 1d5: 2

A nip too close, she stumbled for a fraction of a second as fresh pain blossomed from her side, and Shiloh took his chance.

His muscular shoulder made immediate and painful contact with her ribs as she staggered back, catching herself lest she be sent tumbling a second time. Once was enough; if she hit the ground again, she'd likely be down for the count. No - she had to make one last effort. Even if she lost now, she hoped Genghis could - see her - or even feel her progress - whatever it was a spirit could do when it had passed on, it was her singular greatest desire that he could witness the fruits of his labor.

She had made a mistake, and it likely cost her the fight.

It was a mistake she would learn from and never make again. Failure was not an option anymore, wallowing a thing of the past; she had to keep looking ahead to the future, to the best version of herself, and that Aurelia would have a beating heart of blood and steel and all the strength she would ever need to push past her grief.

Her sides throbbed in fresh agony, but she smiled back at Shiloh - and for perhaps the second time of her life, she succeeded.

A real smile.

Genghis would have been proud indeed.

As her final effort, she mustered up what energy she had left and launched herself toward the nape of his neck; she wanted to lock in with her jaws and use momentum to try and carry him down with her.