Roland Vs Shy

[Roland]

The arena lit up. There was a good deal of excitement about this match. People had wondered that all of the guards had been matched up against each other, but in the end people were excited for a fight, and a skilled warrior up against a skilled magician was a popular contest.

Roland dawns his jacket on over top of the armor he was to wear for the purposes of the fight. He also raises two of the swords for the match before him and carves a rune into each. As he finishes he lets out a breath onto the items and sheaths them. The captain on the royal guard was carrying with him a small armory of weaponry, but before he goes out he repeats what he had done to the swords to a round shield.

Roland was not one to underestimate his opponents and he was going to be ready to take on Shy. As he steps out there is a wide mixture of cheers and booing. The Mage Hound was particularly popular, but he was also well known which afforded him some popularity.

In his hands he carries the staff that he always carried and he takes his hat from his head as he steps into the arena, and he lets the weapons he had brought with him spill to the ground. There was something about him the seemed to carry an almost feral air, and there was anger and resentment in his expression. He did not like being put on display, but he was going to see his mother and ask for some answers, and the only way to do that was to get to the finals.

Roland takes note of the shadows around the arena, it was pretty late in the afternoon so there were quite a few.

[Deleted]

Séanait wasn't sure how to fight a wizard. Given a choice, she'd feather him from behind or, better yet, lure him into a trap and have a few men feather him as well. Possibly She'd roll some boulders done on him, or find a way to drop him into a spiked pit. Better yet, find some way to do all that and burn him as well. She didn't believe in half measures, so maybe she'd hire another mage as well, just to be sure. Could you hire siege engines, she wondered? She'd need to look into that as well.

Unfortunately, none of that was available to her in this fight. She'd need to defeat Roland with her own skill at arms. Séanait had considered what to use very carefully. Her long spear would be of no use here. Should couldn't use it with a shield, and she definitely wanted a shield if she was going up against Noku's Hound. Her choice, in the end, had been her bow, three arrows, her langseax and her kite shield. One arrows was already nocked when she ventured out into the arena, with the other two held in her bow hand along with her her bow. Her shield she had slung over her back, and her langseax at her hip. As before, she was fully armoured in everything she owned.

Rather than offer the respectful greetings as she had before and waited until she was sure her opponent was ready, she came out loosing arrows. She'd had three, and she loosed them all within the space of five seconds. The first arrow she aimed at Roland's chest, looking to hit a lung. The second she aimed at his right calf and the third at his left. All should be perfectly survivable with the level of magic around here, but all should disable or hinder the mage enough for her to have a huge advantage.

The moment her shafts were all loosed, Séanait tossed aside her bow and began to unsling her shield, praying to all the gods of war she knew the arrows did their work well enough to at least get her shield in place.

[Roland]

As the fight begins Roland is actually surprised to see Seanait come out and attack without and formalities. Fortunately for him his defense wasn't depenant on himself and the round shield he animated before the fight immediately rises up. The arrows embed in the large shield with an audible *thunk* and Roland's eyes narrow and he realizes this was not going to be a duel, it was going to be a street fight.

As Seanait moves one of the swords by Roland's feet that he had carved a rune into suddenly shoots towards the warrior striking at her legs and thighs. Meanwhile Roland stomps a foot on the ground and the ground between them sinks in upon itself creating a ravine about 4 feet bisecting the arena.

As he does this Roland begins to prepare another spell.

[Deleted]

Just then, as her arrows hit a magically manipulated shield and she tried to get her arm into the straps of her shield, Séanait thought she couldn't hate magic any more than she already did. Then a sword came flying at her and attacked her legs. She dodged from side to side, backwards and forwards as she got a better grip on her shield and drew her seax. Then she missed a dodge. The sword cut through leather and into flesh, before darting away for another cut. Séanait staggered and couldn't move her legs in time to avoid another cut.

Séanait fell to one knee and blocked the next blow with her shield. No doubt the mage was already planning some other mischief, but Séanait had to focus on the problem at hand. She dropped her langseax as a crazy plan occurred to her, but she could think of any better idea. Heart hammering in her chest, she waited until the next attack and spun herself away. As the sword went past, she reached out and, somehow, caught it by the grip. The sword bucked and tried to reverse itself, but she kept a firm grip on it and forced it to point at the ground so that she could lever herself up.

Her legs burned like fire from the cuts, but Séanait managed to keep her feet and glare at the mage. She took first one step, and then another.

"Cwealm."

The next foot came down faster and harder as Shy began to pick up speed. Her leg threated to buckled, but she managed to block out the pain and keep going. SHe began to run at the crack in the earth, shield held high, struggling sword in her other hand.

"Cwealm."

The pain was beginning to fade as adrenaline took over and Séanait began to smile wolfishly. Even her fear went into the background as she launched herself over the crack directly at Roland.

"CWEALM!"

[Roland]

Roland watched as Shy dealt with the sword, she was a skilled warrior for sure. If this had been a purely martial contest Roland doubted he could have won, but this wasn't a martial contest and Seanait had stepped into the ring preparing to battle a mage. That was was what she was going to get.

And one hell of a mage you are going to fight!

Roland watches as she charges forward and waits for his chance. Once her feet leave the ground Roland unleashes a tremendous blast of force, kicking up some of the sand and giving his shimmering amethyst eyes an almost villainous caste. The force would hit like a hammer and even if she could absorb the impact would at a minimum blast Shy back to the other side of the arena. Roland had no intention of bringing this fight to close quarters.

Roland raises his hand and several of the other weapons they were lying on the ground, a large axe, and several long swords raise into the air and with a forward swing of his hand the weapons fire at Seanait as if from a cannon. As the weapons approach the sword in her hand continues to try and fight its way free. While it was not at strong as she was it would be similar to having a fairly fit man trying to tug the sword away constantly in various directions.

[Deleted]

Séanait wasn't expecting the blast Roland leveled at her. She screamed as her shield was blast back into her face, shattering her nose and cheekbone, as well as cracking a couple of ribs. She lost her grip on the sword, but she didn't notice it as she went flying back. She hit the ground in an undignified lump, hitting shoulder first and feeling something break. She screamed one last time and then passed out from the pain.