Clash of the Titans. Round 1!, Arthago versus Taillus Options

[jack cloudy]

Alright, here it is! Welcome to the first round of this epic competition! Give a warm welcome to our beloved host, Hircine!

Here are the first competitors.
In the left corner, the noble knight. Arthago!
And in the right corner, we have the harvester of souls. Taillus!

Well, let's get started.




The two figures looked at each other in confusion. What had happened? And what where they supposed to do?

One of them was a Redguard, bearing the name Arthago. He was a knight in service of the Order of the Candle, one of the more respected orders in Sentinel. Though young and inexperienced, his talent spoke of many great deeds to come.

The other person was an Imperial, simply known as Taillus. Once a prisoner forced to work for the empire, he was recently released on the Morrowind of one of the many planes of Nirn. There he was taken in by the Daedra lord Molag bal as his harvester of souls. He was first sent to the arena in Vivec by his master to practice the art of killing. His power had since grown at an alarming rate. He stood there proudly, wearing his custom Ebony armour that although strong, left a large area of his body defenceless.

Arthago took in his surroundings while he shivered slightly from the cold. This place looked a remarkable amount like an ice….amphitheatre.

Taillus came to the same conclusion at exactly the same moment and smiled, a smile filled with madness and his eyes burned with wicked fire. Killing was something he was good at and the Redguard was about to find out.

He gasped and clutched his head as the familiar pain erupted in his head.
,,I had not anticipated this, Taillus. But it does not matter. Kill the fool standing before you and become the champion of this pathetic heap of ice. You know that none of these mortal cowards can beat you. Show them!” The voice of Molag Bal boomed in his head.

,,Alright, I’ll do it! Now get out of my head and let me do this!” Taillus yelled in frustration and sighed in relief as the pain dissipated. His hand went to his Ebony Broadsword.
,,You will die, boy. If you think you have what it takes to defeat me, then show me! I will make your warm blood thaw the ice!” He shouted at his opponent.
Arthago redirected his attention to the man in front of him. Right now, he would have to focus on survival instead of wondering where he was. He unsheathed his scimitar and waited for the first move of Taillus.

Taillus was waiting himself. This was a battle of patience.
,,What’s the matter? Did fear froze your legs? Or is it the temperature? Come here so I can kill you, boy!” Taillus yelled as he rapidly began to lose his patience.
,,Why don’t you come to me?” Arthago simply responded.

Taillus laughed. ,,Then maybe that is what I shall do. Prepare to die!” He said and walked forward.
Arthago took the time to look for a weakness in his opponent. Taillus’s armour was missing its chestpiece and left his left arm open. He also wasn’t wearing a helmet. Only a robe that was a dark blue bordering on black covered those parts of his body that weren’t beneath the heavy plates of Ebony. If he could hit the Imperial where he wasn’t wearing armour, he might win. He would have to be careful of his weapons though. The Broadsword would easily cut through his own armour and the mace he saw glowed with a wicked enchantment. And he could see the madness behind the man’s eyes. An opponent who was beyond sanity would be unpredictable and very dangerous. Arthago braced himself as Taillus sped up his approach.

The first swing of Taillus was high and aimed at the young Redguard’s head. Arthago ducked and tried to counter but found that he had to jump away to avoid the Ebony blade that arced downward towards him. He got away just in time, but the broadsword still scraped of a strip of Iron from one of his pauldrons.

Taillus continued to swing his sword at Arthago, forcing the knight to focus all of his efforts on avoiding the deadly blade. Then, he saw his chance and after spinning out of the way of another swing, he reached out with his scimitar and saw how the tip of his sword touched Taillus’s left arm. Blood began to trickle out of the small wound and through the small rip in the robe. Surprised, the Imperial backed of for a moment, giving Arthago some time to catch his breath. Time he needed.

,,You actually scratched me?” Taillus said with a surprised look on his face. That look was soon replaced by the madness that burned in his soul. ,,You are good, kid. But not good enough. I’ll have fun playing with you but in the end, you will die!”

Arthago nearly lost his balance as the scimitar flew out of his hands and landed near the edge of the arena. He knew that this was Taillus’s doing and waited for the next move.
,,Come here, Redguard!” Taillus shouted as he lunged at Arthago. He had switched from the broadsword to his mace. The evil gift of Molag Bal glowed in anticipation of blood.

Arthago waited till the last moment before rolling out of the way but still felt the mace connecting slightly. Sweat trickled from his forehead and he fought the pain caused by the evil weapon. The mace hadn’t wounded him thanks to his armour but it did sap his strength for a moment, making him feel weak. Before he knew what happened, Taillus picked him up with his free hand and hurled him across the icy arena with inhuman strength. Strength that had been given to him by the mace.

,,Are you getting tired? Can you see it, Oblivion? You will be there soon.” Taillus laughed. He enjoyed playing with the knight as a cat plays with its prey before devouring it. Arthago knew that he would not receive any mercy from this madman and crawled back to his feet. If he had to die, he would die fighting. He would not surrender and fall on his knees for anyone. And he would not be an easy opponent. He had wounded Taillus before and he would do it again. He picked up his scimitar that lied close to where he landed.
,,I believe it is you who shall see Oblivion.” He said.

Taillus came at the Redguard again. This time, Arthago was prepared. Though the mace was a deadly weapon, its range was horrible. Arthago waited till Taillus swung his mace downward before acting. Moving so fast that he was nothing more but a blur, Arthago took hold of the descending arm and used the momentum to lift himself up in the air and plant a foot in the face of his enemy.

Taillus reeled back from the impact and created some distance between the two. He wiped of the few drops of blood that came out of his mouth. ,,Impressive.” He said and gave one of his wicked smiles.