Today was finally the day. The day Raymus was going to prove he was a wizard worthy of the name. Granted he was already a wizard by trade but it was not exactly true since he had only recently mastered some complicated spells. But to be called a Wizard? This was a privilege to a Werewolf like him whose race was known to be almost inept at the craft. Nothing to flaunt around or boast about but to be privileged with. He was going to make sure he earned that, even if it drained everything he had to offer, everything he was, he was going to gain the privilege to become a fully fledged river.

The day would start as any other, despite was to come later on in the day. Raymus awoke from his bed, rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes. Unable to sleep the night before, all he did was strategize for the unpredictable foe that awaited. He would dwell on this more but now was neither the nor the place to do so. He would first strip down until his not a stitch of clothing was on him. Then jumping into the shower, he closed his eyes as he turned on the nob letting the water from the shower drench a Raymus instantly. He would have to be presentable before he could come before anyone or thing of this importance. A virtue he learned off his parents, and one he would never forget. Finishing in the shower he grabbed the towel and dried himself off. Most may use their magic to skip that step, but Raymus thought that was just cheating, skipping a step and becoming too dependent on one's magic. No he did it the honest way. Moving the towel over his tense body he got every droplet of water that had stayed on his skin. Then taking the towel he roughly rubbed it against his head and hair to dry up the water that had absorbed into it.

Finally done cleaning himself he dressed in appropriate clothes for the match today. He wore a blue tank top and black tracksuit pants that came just up over his ankles. Although he was going to be facing someone important and high up, he needed to be ready to fight immediately and be comfortable in what he was wearing. Not wasting any more time he then went to the arena where he would fight his opponent for the chance to become a proper Wizard.

Arriving at the arena he could see no one was around. No spectators, staff, fans, nothing. Heading out into the center of the area the sun glared at Raymus causing him to squint and shield his eyes. It was almost as if the sun had done that on purpose. Running his eyes to readjust them he then realised he was not alone. Could it be her? The Werewolf wondered if she was the one he was meant to face? "Hey Atani. I guess you're my opponent today?" He asked with a grin, getting into his fighting stance.
Wc 516

There were always things to do in Bosco with the tense political climate. There were mages and non-mages alike, irregardless if they were even from Bosco, giving their support to the heir who they wanted to take the throne. On top of that, there were even those who were, in a way, sabotaging the others. That seemed like the most appropriate word for it. Spreading rumors, destroying weaponry, doing bad deeds falsely in the name of a sibling. Atani herself had partaken in the supporting of Hildegard, rescuing animals that had been injured, presumably by those who did not want the young half-elf to take the throne. Even though that was her primary purpose for traveling to Bosco, it would be tiresome to spend all her hours there doing nothing but assisting Hildegard. There was so much more the Wood Elf could do. Though as much as she wanted to take a break and enjoy the foreign country, she didn't yet feel as if she had earned it. She would feel guilty sitting down with blissful free time when all she did was heal a couple animals. No, there was more to do.

One thing the mage hadn't yet done since arriving at Fiore was spar with others. Luckily, it seemed that plenty of others in Bosco were also itching for a fight. She had some experience bashing in pirates who invaded Hargeon's waters, but if she was being honest, they were rather inexperienced. She gained little to nothing from having fought them. If she wanted to learn more, she would have to fight someone like her. Someone who took jobs and fought for a living, not someone who preyed on defenseless sailors for quick money.

Atani pulled her long blonde hair into a single ponytail and looked at herself in the mirror. The girl wore a forest green shirt and tight black leggings. She pulled on a leather bracer to protect her forearm against the string of the bow, though she doubted it would do much more than that in her upcoming fight. She splashed some water against her face and dried off before grabbing her bow and making her way to the training field.

There was a familiar face on the other side. A man with sapphire hair and ruby eyes. A member of her guild. Raymus.

"Hey Atani. I guess you're my opponent today?"

She returned the smile.

"I guess so."

As he got into his stance, so did she. She drew back her bow, though no arrow yet materialized. Atani today did not plan on using any sort of spell aside from what was naturally attached to her bow, which was magical in nature. This was all about honing her skills with the bow and arrow, not with her water magic.

WC: 465

Stats and Items:

Atani, a wood elf who was also apart of Blue Pegasus, a mage who not long after she joined gained quite a positive reputation not just for herself but for the guild as a whole. While there was some initial surprise that Atani would be here in Bosco is quickly subsided given that reputation she gained. The woman was by no means a saint but without a doubt she was a good person so it made sense for here to be hear to help her fellow Elven kin along with Hildegard. Although the vast majority of Pirates that sailed around the port town of Hargeon would probably disagree that she was anything but nice given how many of them she thwarted in her time there.

While the surprise of her participation in Bosco was alleviated, her presence here in the area still remained. Even now with her hair tied up, bow in hand and fighting stance took, Raymus still could not see this woman as a major fighter. Perhaps it was the bias or sterotype of elves the werewolf had built up in his head, but for the most part he assumed most were pretty faces that would prefer to avoid the battlefield. Yet here was one, electing to be the opponent to a werewolf, a race most notorious for it's ferociousness, especially when it came to fighting. Then again they were mainly known for their brute strength rather than their tactics or their magical prowess, which couldn't be said for Elves. As he knew from Atani first hand, Elves were natural geniuses both on and off the battlefield. Perhaps this is why she was the one picked to fight against him, to see how well Raymus could do against an opponent who was probably much smarter than him. The challenege seemed interesting and one he was hoping to overcome!

The challenge itself was one he had mainly set for himself, to prove his worth to the cause so he wouldn't be holding back Hildegarde or her cause. Using magic while fighting was still new to the werewolf and recognizing it in motion was another thing he knew he'd need to get used. Given all that it would seem like someone such as Atani would be the perfect opponent for him! Someone to keep him on his toes and to expect the unexpected from her arsenal of spells.

"I guess so."

She replied with a smile of her own. Raymus wondered if she was as eager as him to begin the fight. Then again seeing her ready her bow was probably answer enough. However the mind games seemed to begin even before their spar started. Why was she pulling the string back without an arrow loaded? Unless of course it was magic. Well then, this was going to be fun. To reply in kind, Raymus decided to unleash his Half Werewolf transformation, his arms and chest growing blue and white tufts of fur while his face seemed to tighten around his skull. His Crimson red eyes gleamed with anticipation as his pupils turned from rounded to slit. For now he was going to see what she could do before going into his final form. Besides, in this form he could allow himself to continue to use his magic which would be the entire reasoning for this bout to begin with.

With Both combatants ready and the Sun bearing down on both, a bell somewhere in the arena rung out signalling the start of the match! Raymus would begin by running diagonally in a zig zag pattern toward his opponent. he assumed she would begin by firing some arrows at him and with that worry he wanted to zig and zag as much as he could to keep her on her guessing as to where he would be next as much as he would need guess where she could be aiming with her bow. While he moved though, with every tap of his foot on the ground a magical circle or two would appear over his back, making the werewolf crackle with electricity. But what on earth could he be doing? It was that question that made Raymus want to try and attack Atani as quickly as possible so she wouldn't be able to deduce he had given himself a few buffs to help him in this fight. The first would be a buff to his constitution so he could run longer and also take any hits she would be dealing better. The second was a strength buff. Even if the elf looked like she was frail he didn't want to give her the benefit of the doubt in that regard. She did manage to beat up a crap ton of pirates all by herself, that alone would take a lot of endurance! But for now he wouldn't try to get in close to do a melee combo for fear of making himself too open to an attack, so instead while he got close, he extended his hand out to shoot a blade of lighting 8 meters forward, aiming for her arm. If he could stop her from using that bow it would be helpful and the best way to do that would be to take out her hands or arms. While he aimed for one arm, Raymus would be running the other side of her to try and cut off any attempt of dodging to avoid the attack totally. Even still as he enacted his plan, Raymus ran with his guard up in case Atani tried any quick sniping shots as he ran towards her. Even with his zigging and zagging he couldn't be sure he had fooled her sharp eyes for too long.
wc 968+516=1484

stats:

The two waited in anticipation for the bell to sound signaling the beginning of the fight. Atani eyed the werewolf curiously. He seemed to be analyzing her just as much as she did him. Truth be told, even though they were in the same guild, she did not know much about the lad. Contrary to others in Blue Pegasus, he had not yet garnered a large reputation. As such, his magical capabilities were largely unknown to the girl. That is, if he had any at all.

Just like her, he was a member of what was traditionally considered a mage's guild, though that did not mean Blue Pegasus was exclusive to mages. There were those who, although they did belong to a guild, were not capable of using magic. If that was the case for Raymus, then they were on a similar playing field. If it was not, then Atani was at a disadvantage... Not that she minded though. She did not tell Raymus she intended on neglecting to use her magic. Even if he chose to use spells of his own, her decision would not waver. This was not a battle for her life, but rather a simple spar. If she happened to lose because she refused to cast spells, it wouldn't be the end of the world; it would just tell her she needed to work more on her skills with the bow and arrow. At the same time, she wouldn't feel bitter towards Raymus for using magic when she, his opponent, clearly did not.

Her eyes narrowed as she saw Raymus' physique change. His skin was pulled tight around his bones. Hair as blue as the ones on his head grew across his chest and arms. His red eyes turned to slits. His build overall seemed more muscular than before. The werewolf was exposing portions of his true form it seemed. It was the first time Atani would be fighting a werewolf, at least to her recollection. This would prove to be interesting.

The ring of the bell sounded through the air. An arrow of the nature element began to materialize on her bow. The tip of the arrow was pointed to Raymus, the fletching was locked in place against the string of her elven bow. Her arms kept the shaft steady as her keen eyes followed the werewolf's zig-zag movements. As he did so, bright yellow magic circles appeared. The lightning element. His body was seemingly covered in a visible static of sorts. What it did, she did not know, but the Wood Elf was reluctant to come into contact with the mage's body.

There was a moment where Atani thought she could make the shot. As the elf was about to let the arrow fly, however, another magic circle appeared. This time, there was a noticeable movement from Raymus, a thrust of his hand. His body's momentum was traveling in one direction, his arm aimed in another. Atani ran opposite of Raymus, notably in the direction he was aiming for. A bolt of lightning materialized. As it flew towards her, she lunged out of the way for a total distance of 6m. Aimed for one of her arms, it would have come into contact with her body in less than a second. Her lunge, slightly slower than the bolt's speed, still managed to narrowly dodge the bolt, but only just. She could feel the crackling of the electrical energy breeze by her hand. The elf tumbled into a roll to fluidly change her momentum. She planted her foot on the ground to half and twisted to face Raymus who was still in the opposite direction of her. She let the magical arrow that had been resting on her bow fly where she expected Ray's zig-zag to lead him. Though she was aiming for his shoulder, it was difficult to determine if that was exactly where the arrow would hit due to how quick his movements were. But it was frankly more of a warning shot than anything. It was also a test of her current aim on the werewolf-- see if she needed to change her trajectory, estimations, and such. So, even if it did manage to pierce his skin, it likely wouldn't phase him much. Being magical in nature, he would also find that the arrow would disappear soon after impact. Though for that moment she took the offensive, the elf would still be alert on the defensive. He was not afraid to hold back with his lightning attacks, and that could prove to be dangerous for Atani who still refused to use so much as a single healing spell.

WC: 465+776=1241

Stats and Items:

A grin formed on the werewolf's narrow face as Atani attempted to lunge away. In his mind, his spell would just be able to clip the girl's side as she had left her lunge to the last possible second. A smart move to optimize a counter attack to to be sure. She was used to fighting after all but Raymus wasn't some dumb fighter! However he was magically inept, to the point of misjudging his own spell. Instead of a wide sword like beam it was more of a concentrated beam that didn't hit it's intended mark, shying away from it's target as Atani readied her bow.

With her dodge being frame perfect it would be difficult for Raymus to react readily to it. Even as he was moving he knew he couldn't maneuver himself too suddenly less he give her a prime target for her attack so he just narrowly changed his position with his zig zag running so Atani wouldn't be directly behind him. Instead he kept at his pace moving to the beat of her footsteps and using his spare hand he didn't use to fire the spell to guard his face and neck in case she decided to fire an arrow there. His guard was barely up when he felt the dull sensation thwack at his shoulder. The attack wasn't even enough to make him flinch or knock him off balance and felt more like he was being being bit by a bug or poked in the back. "C'mon, don't hold back!" He said as he his body suddenly exploded with electricity, throwing him towards Atani.

This action was achieved as he tapped his foot on the ground mid run once again, this time however, instead of placing another buff on himself, Raymus would be be propelled forward 5 meters but at his lunging speed. Reaching that distance in almost an instant, Raymus would lunge himself to close the gap even quicker, hoping his lightning fast movements would let him reach Atani in time so he could raise an arm slightly to swing his fist down toward the arm she was holding her bow in. Despite his bravado from earlier, he really didn't want her to get the chance to use her full abilities or else he surely would lose this bout. If she had taken the time to use a stronger spell it surely would have been his arm that was crippled and unusable. Maybe it was her caution that led her to such an action? To gauge his durability in his transformed state? Surely she wasn't just being nice? That would probably hurt worse than any crippled limb!

Regardless of that however, after his lunge and attack attempt , Raymus's built up momentum would be all spent which if everything went according to plan would leave him well withing striking distance of Atani which would make it difficult for her to draw her bow. He also took a leaf out of her book and made his attack attempt at the last second so it would be hard to read and dodge at the last minute like his earlier attempt. Instead of preparing to back pedal or safety, Raymus wanted to remain close to the elf and try to thwart any of her attempt to escape with another lunge and attack. Close quarters seemed to be his best bet in this fight since Atani was the one hoping to make distance to use her bow so this seemed like a reasonable course of action. He prepared his lower body to lunge again if he needed to, while his upper body would go on the offensive and with his other hand to jab her in the stomach as many times as he could if at all while he guarded himself.

He wondered how'd she react to his quick movements and how he could retaliate but since she remained still to fire her arrow she lost the momentum she had built up for any possible escape without lunging again herself. But given they were roughly at the same speed, his own lunge paired with his magical lunge would give him the speed and distance advantage, making her time to react limited.

wc 684+1484=2168

stats: