Finally got around to typing up the next part- I'm sorry these are so sporadic, will try to do better next month. Here's the fight between Lod and Ralen- any mistakes with job ability/weapon skill descriptions are unintentional
Ralen sprang forward as the Guard Captain’s hand dropped and he stepped back from the two combatants. The crowd roared with approval as their lord unleashed his attack. It seemed unthinkable that anyone could match his powerful strikes.
With reflexes honed from countless skirmishes and battles, Lodvico drew and parried the attack almost faster than the human eye could follow. The discordant sound of the sword blades clashing still rang in the air as he followed up the parry with the blinding spell, Flash.
Ralen’s great sword was heavy and cumbersome and his reactions were slow, Lodvico noted clinically, almost completely detached from the fight. But there were no reasons to taking any risks, he reminded himself as he blocked another attack with his shield.
Ralen was considered to be on of the Empire’s best warriors. He’d made a name for himself fighting against the Mamool and Troll nations as a youth and had been considered a candidate for the Immortals, but had had to decline when his father had died and the responsibilities and title of Imalda had come to him. Since then he’d kept in training and no one, not even Rezor had been able to best him in the salle.
He’d begun his attack with all the skill he’d drilled into his muscles. His opening move, when preformed correctly (and he seldom did it otherwise), had been known to stun his opponent and leave them fatally open to his next attack, which more often then not was the end of it. He was not used to having his attacks parried so easily or to have them stop mid-fight to cast spells either.
Ralen quickly discovered what his rival had found important enough to stop and cast as a flash of light dazzled his eyes just as he had committed himself to the next attack. Blinded, he missed his mark and stumbled, off balanced as his sword skated across his rival’s shield.
The crowd gasped as Lodvico unleashed his own attack. By, rights the hit should have bit deeply into the lord’s armor, but Lod struck with the flat of his blade and the blow was not fatal.
Armor could only blunt and diffuse his attack however, not stop it and the force of it cracked a couple of ribs, sending Ralen back on his heels momentarily before he brought his great sword down in a powerful overhand strike.
“Told you, “ Liha muttered to the Sentinel officer. “Never bet against an unknown.”
Mhehi shook her head in disbelief. “Your Paladin is better than I’d thought,” She admitted low-voiced. “But Lord Ralen’s not defeated yet. Your friend only has so much mana, he’ll go down quick once he uses Mighty Strikes.”
O
verhearing her, Drefan snorted. At her querying look, he explained. “His lordship is using a two-handed weapon, and a slow and heavy one as that. Sure, it hits for a hefty amount but you’re forgetting that Lod is a Paladin. He absorbs massive damage without blinking and he has more mana than you’re giving him credit for.”
“You may not have noticed,” He continued, pausing as the crowd momentarily drowned out his voice. Lod had landed another blow, this time on the upper part of Ralen’s sword arm. “But Lod’s hardly had to heal; he’s only had to use the lesser of the cure spells in his spell list. On the other hand, Ralen’s badly hurting. He can barely keep his sword up right now.”
The foreign warrior spoke truly; Mhehi had to admit grudgingly as they turned back to the fight. The crowd roared again, this time in excitement, as their lord finally used the unique warrior talent of Might Strikes, surely this foreigner, Paladin or no had to fall under the brutal attacks!
“Ready to die?!” Ralen spat at his rival, only his pallor and inability to hold his sword in an over hand position giving away the pain he was feeling. Sighing, Lod shook his head. “I’m more then ready to give my life, but it won’t be today.”
”We’ll see about that,” Ralen returned viciously, striking out with rather more strength then Lodvico was expecting. The lordling actually has some fight in him after all. Lod reflected privately but only replied with a laconic “Passable” as he lowered his sword and shield for an instant as Ralen used the weapon skill
Ground Strike.
It was a small opening, sensed more then seen, but Ralen had seen it and had understandably mistaken it for Lod tiring finally. He pressed his attack furiously, confident that his rival would soon fall under his blade. Adrenaline surging through him, he barely felt his ribs protest as he lifted his sword overhead for the powerful overhand attack that Ground Strike called for.
He sneered as the Paladin simply stood there, no doubt too tired to attack, he thought contemptuously as his muscles tensed and brought the sword down to finish the attack. It struck true, he was sure of that, he’d seen it land!
Eyes widening shock, Ralen backed away as he stared into his rival’s face. What he’d mistaken for a sign of weakness had been nothing of the sort he realized numbly as he stared at the implacable Paladin’s face. As he had been launching what should have been his finishing attack- as it always had been before- Lodvico had used the unique Paladin ability Invincible with the result that his attack about as much damage as a rain drop would to a fish.
Lod bared his teeth as the moment he’d been waiting for came. Ralen had over extended himself in his over confidence and fervor to “claim” Pheonic as his and Lod was more then ready to finish the “practice match” and continue on with their quest.
He followed Ralen, eyes agate hard as his sword smashed again and again into the Lordling. Although he continued to use the flat of his blade (not to be confused with the weapon skill of the same name), his attacks were devastating. Ralen was too shocked and confused by the sudden turn of events to make a sound as the Paladin’s sword broke his sword arm, but the sudden pain of the breaking of his
off hand had him falling to his knees in agony.
The crowd surged forward, crying in horror and shock, only to be stymied by the grim faced town guards. Falen stepped forward, hand on his own sword hilt, ready to stop the fight as Lodvico stepped over the beaten warrior and brought his sword down one last time. As the crowd, caught up in blood lust, shouted at and heckled the foreigner, Lod reversed the angle of his stroke at the last moment.
Falen let out the air he’d been holding as the Paladin checked his sword stroke and instead used the pommel of his hilt to knock Lord Ralen out. The captain had been more then ready to step in and end the fight himself with force, but was relieved that it would be unnecessary.
The Paladin had backed away to let the diminutive healer have room to work. Loyiont had appeared suddenly in the fighting circle, somehow navigating the line of guards blocking the way and the crowd that was still shouting insults at the San d’Orian knight. Falen came up to Lodvico, who had taken a knee to rest, he noted.
“Well fought,” He remarked calmly, watching the crowd carefully. The townsfolk were much calmer as they realized that they still had their Lord, but Falen was taking no chances. He liked these foreigners, but still and all, he’d be happier when they left.
“Thank you,” Lodvico replied, standing up and flexing his shoulders as he removed the dark staff he’d had on while resting. “Good fight.”
“For you perhaps,” The blue mage snorted. “But somehow I think Lord Ralen might think otherwise.”
“True,” The knight laughed, flashing a white smile at the Captain as his companions (minus one Red Mage) came up to him. “Which is why we’re planning on leaving before dawn.”
“That might be a good idea,” Falen agreed, as the healer waved to a few of his men and led the way back to Imalda Keep, keeping an eye on the prone lord as the sun dipped beneath the horizon.