Arena! Halvard vs. Blitz Trigger (Saarvergerg)

[Blueblood]

On the far eastern shores of Whitescar, where the High King of the Caribou was a king in name only, stood the grand, savage walled city of Saarvergerg.  Ice and fire, blood and iron made and ruled this city, and the spectacle and true center of it was the Arena, where any could fight, but only the strongest survived.

 

But it was survival that was the key, rather than victory.  The youthful, foolish, and hotheaded came here for glory and riches, and sometimes succeeded.  More often, they were left as a mess for the crew to clean up.  No, the wise remembered why such arenas could be found in every clan hall and every trading town in this frozen continent: as fighting was the key to survival, there was only one way to sharpen and maintain this essential skill.

 

That was why Halvard of Clan Breen had come here.  The lands of his clan were in the far west, though their members were scattered across Whitescar as guardians and guides of the roads.  The traveling caribou had to be ready for anything, so this one particular traveler had come here.  While the Caribou made still the dominant portion of the gladiators, the combatants and audience had greatly diversified of late, which suited the heavily-armored buck just fine.  What better way to test one's fettle, than to fight a skirmisher one day, and a wizard the next?

 

*Klanksh, Klanksh, Klanksh*

 

Out of the doorway on one side of the arena came an ambulatory heap of metal, fashioned in a shell around the form of a caribou warrior.  The visor of the helmet was up, revealing a face dyed blue, as all were in his clan.  He surveyed the audience, already cheering one who had seen victory here before, before fixing his eyes on the doorway opposite.  An Equestrian challenger had arrived, which was unusual.  They were rumored to be a peaceful people.  But then again, the High King had technically outlawed what was about to happen among the caribou, so that just went to show how much the "official" version of truth should be trusted.

 

Planted in the earth beside Halvard was the signature weapon of his clan; a warhammer-shovel.  There was nothing quite like it anywhere else on the planet, but woe betide the fighter who failed to take it seriously.  

"Well, are you coming out?  This is not an audience that likes to be kept waiting."

[Hawkeye12]

So this was the famed Arena of Whitescar. A place where anyone came to fight, but only the best would leave victorious. The ways of the caribou had fascinated him ever since he got here- settling differences by brute combat. Why couldn't Equestria have something like this? It would certainly make things a lot more...interesting, at the least. 

 

But Blitz Trigger wasn't here to settle anything In fact, the irritable pony was surprisingly grudge-free at the moment. No, he came here to win. To show the doubters what he could do. Not to mention his skills needed to be sharpened, and this was the perfect change of scenery to do just that. 

 

A voice suddenly erupted across the arena, calling him out. Was it time already? Dang it, he hated being late. Blitz grumbled under his breath in annoyance he began to walk through the doorway. But at the same time, a sense of energy filled him. What better way to experience Whitescar was to fight a caribou in the flesh? 

 

So out of the doorway he emerged, his gaze completely forward, the clinking of his metal horseshoes echoing. He forced himself to have no expression, except for the slight curiosity in his eyes as they fell on the hunk of armor that was his opponent. He could feel the eyes of the audience on him, comparing him. Unlike his challenger, Blitz wore no armor, both a risk and an advantage in his eyes. Armor was just...uncomfortable. It was also noticeable that he was considerably smaller than an average Equestrian. But they'll just have to see what he can do to believe it. 

 

But nothing was bothering him too much, so the stallion kept walking, eventually halting at a decent distance away from the caribou. Was that a shovel? Huh. He took that moment to pause, glancing up at the stands for a moment before looking forward again. "Whatever. I'm sure we'll give them a good show. Now hold still for a second, will ya?" His voice grew tense at the end of that statement as his horn glowed a bright blue. And his eyes were just as fierce, or so he hoped, as a spark was shot straight toward the caribou. 

[Blueblood]

There was a noticeable murmur from the crowd when the challenger emerged, sans any sort of armor or protective wear whatsoever.  As a point of fact, heavy armor like Halvard's was rather the exception than the rule in the arena, or in the whole of Whitescar, for that matter.  Caribou clans did not tend to emphasize defensive tactics, hence why their conflicts tended to be raids rather than sustained campaigns.  Still, going into battle with no protection was too foolhardy, even for the Viking breed!

 

On the other hand, what a battle this would be, the meeting of exceptions and extremes!  Brought together from the other side of the world, to measure up their fighting skill and philosophy, to prove to the audience and the world which was the superior.  Halvard wasted no more breath on opening banter, only grinning while he slammed his helmet visor shut.

 

Through the holes for his eyes, he could see the spark arc from Blitz Trigger's horn to strike at him, or rather his armor.  There was no point in trying to dodge it; the heavily armored buck could hardly outrun lightning.  In any case, there was minimal damage to him, as the electricity traveled over the surface metal, grounding itself through the poled hilt of his weapon, leaving behind only a tingle and static pops.

 

*Once he gets serious with that magic, though, this is going to be a tough fight...*  Halvard's grin was now a frown of concentration behind his visor.  His opponent's lack of armor meant that only one solid hit would be needed to take him down... but given that Blitz had full freedom of movement, pinning him for that one blow, particularly when the caribou was too weighted down to actively pursue.  This... would take strategy.

 

With that thought, he advanced, holding his weapon outward like a lightning rod, the flat bladed top inviting magical attacks... and possibly luring a cocky opponent closer!  As the head was a large and heavy chunk of metal, to give real authority to the blows of the hammer-head, it would store the electricity for a little bit, before the bolt lanced down the shaft into the earth.  It sparked across his gauntlet in passing, starting to numb his limb.  

 

As unsustainable, and unstimulating visually, as this strategy might ultimately prove, it did encourage the pony to stay and try to overwhelm his opponent, rather than stick to hit and run tactics.  Which meant that Halvard was steadily approaching closer until, as one strong bolt arced into the hammerhead, he suddenly slammed it down into the dirt floor of the arena!

 

*Kra-BOOM!*

 

The whole amphitheater echoed to the explosion of thunder unleashed by the kinetic and electric forces impacting the ground.  But it wasn't just all smoke and noise; a wave of superheated dirt and sand exploded outward from the blast.  Halvard's heavy armor shielded him from the effects, but Blitz would feel searing pain all across his unguarded body, which would surely slow him down!

 

And now, Halvard had kicked himself into what counted for high gear with him, attempting to close in on the Equestrian to deliver that one devastating blow...

[Hawkeye12]

It didn't take long for Blitz to realize his mistake of his first attack, as it bounced easily over Halvard's armor. Not strong enough. The unicorn growled in his own irritation, but luckily, this would be an easy fix. He could go stronger, even if it would push his limits. But hey, that's what he was here for, right? A stronger lightning bolt would go right through that metal, and all over it too. 

 

But not yet. He needed to move before sending out a second zap, and maybe get a few good hits in while he was at it. But just as the unicorn was about to slip into close range, the caribou came toward him. In an odd way too. Why would he hold his shovel-thing like that? However, it was enough for him to pause and make a quick change in strategy. That angle, a spark could bounce right off it and get him! And without a second thought, he found his horn lighting up once again. 

 

*Kra-BOOM!*

 

"OH WHAT THE-" The words came out instantly as the earth ground around him suddenly trembled, sending earth flying everywhere. And holy mother of mothers was it painful. The stallion found himself crouching down,cringing a little as a couple curses rolled off his tongue. What...what even was that?! How did he...

 

The lightning. He just got electrocuted by his own magic. Did he seriously miscalculate that? Quickly Blitz's embarrassment turned to his usual blood-boiling rage at his mistake. Shakily, he stood up fully, looking the caribou dead in the armor-protected eyes. He wasn't going to lose just like that. But the next thing he knew his opponent was coming in for another attack. 

 

"Argh!" he grumbled, reflexes kicking in as he leaped to the side, dodging Halvard's attempt at an attack. He then broke out into a gallop, half circling him until he was facing the caribou from behind, using his lack of armor as an advantage to get around him. If magic wouldn't work, then punches would have to do, and he was just fine with that. 

 

Lost energy was replaced with adrenaline at this point, and Blitz went at it. Blow after blow, hopefully shaking him somewhat inside all that armor. But it was the helmet he was after. Once that thing was off, then he'd really be feeling the pain. 

[Blueblood]

Explosions were always a sure-fire crowd pleaser, and Halvard's clever counter of Blitz's magic had brought the arena crowd to it's feet, cheering!

 

*SKOL CA-RI-BOU!  SKOL CA-RI-BOU!*

 

It was only natural that they would cheer the 'home team,' as it were.  While such displays were gratifying to Halvard, particularly because they were the harbingers of a fatter purse for the victor, he tried to keep them from going to his head.  He wasn't here for glory, but for practice.  He'd discovered a new tactic to use against mages, and that alone would make this fight worth it.

 

Now, of course, the question was how the unicorn would counter Halvard's maneuvers.  While the burning dust must have hurt, it had certainly not immobilized the armorless pony.  Putting himself in his opponent's hooves, the clan Breen representative would have supposed that the next logical move, after getting out of swing range, would be to keep a distance and launch magic from afar.  Sooner or later, the caribou would have to collapse from nervous paralysis, and would then be helpless.

 

True to prediction, Blitz charged out of the blast zone, circled around Halvard and began... to punch him?

 

 

Halvard wasn't even sure what the pony was doing at first; he could barely even feel the blows!  Hoofticuffs were the last sort of weapon to be effective against heavy armor.  Of course, given that Blitz had lost his temper, he could hardly be expected to realize this.  The caribou wasn't really sure what to make of this rather ineffective tactic... until he felt a magical tug on his helmet strap.

 

*Of course!  He's trying to get my armor off!  Clever pony.*  Underneath his now-loosened helmet, Halvard grinned.  Blitz was going to be a challenge after all.  

 

That left the question of how to deal with him.  After all, the unicorn was quick enough on his hooves to stay behind him if he turned.  Fortunately, he had just the tool for the job.  The war-hammer shovel he carried had three major parts, each of them tools as well as weapons.  There was the flat shovel-head on top, the flat smasher of the hammer head on one side... and the hook of a pickaxe on the other.

 

With a smooth swing of his limbs, no longer ravaged by electricity, Halvard swung his mighty hammer back in a bizarre kind of fishing cast to hook Blitz by the base of his tail.  There was a sudden tug, and then the pony mage was swinging wide, in what had to be the worse kind of wedgie he'd ever experienced!  With another great heave, the caribou buck slammed his payload into the ground, with such force that his now-loosened helmet came tumbling off.

 

Even if Blitz was walking away intact from that humiliation, his temper certainly wasn't!

[Hawkeye12]

The punching...well, it wasn't a strategy per se, but the tactic didn't seem to be working as well as Blitz thought. The helmet was coming loose, but it needed something stronger to get it the rest of the way off. Whatever, just keep punching and levitating. Of course, the blow from the caribou's last attack was certainly being felt by this point. Not to mention the chants from the audience was really starting to get on his nerves. Stupid oversized deer. 

 

But luckily, Halvard wouldn't be able to make another good move as long as he was out of range. He grunted to himself, trying to shake off the electricity. But a sudden movement from the caribou was enough to catch his eye. What was he trying to do with that shovel thing? And since when had that hook been there-?

 

Oh, buck no. 

 

No words came out this time as Blitz was hooked by the tail, or any understandable ones anyways. Only a series of jibberish angry sounds. But the moment of a seriously humiliating wedgie was short lived as his body was then slammed to the ground. The force knocked the wind out of him for a second, and the unicorn stared at the ground for a good moment before finally getting back up on his hooves, once again angrily staring down his... now helmet less opponent. Well, maybe there was a bright side. He was not getting away with that one, that was for sure. Who did he think he was, a bully on a school playground?

 

Still, that last blow had probably slowed him down, for now anyways, so hitting and running wouldn't really work. Besides, this guy would probably end up getting him anyways with that shovel. 

 

That...cursed...shovel...

 

"Of course..." The stallion muttered under his breath. Halvard had been completely relying on that thing this whole time, so what good was he without it?

 

Springing into adrenaline-filled action again, Blitz broke out into a gallop right towards the caribou, hitting his open face with a wide hook in the jaw. 'Ha!' he almost wanted to say, 'That's what you get!' But he had to focus, as satisfying as that was. In his moment of weakness, the stallion gripped his shovel in levitation,smacking his hooves to get it out of his grasp. Then, as hard as he could, the weapon was magically thrown off to the side, clanging against the arena wall and hitting the ground like a piece of scrap metal.

 

He then jumped off to the side, rolling away from his now completely open opponent. He took the opportunity to take a breather, but a short one. Who knows what else the buck would throw at him. Once some amount of strength was returned, yet another spark was shot out, aimed for the caribou's head in order to get some much-needed paralysis. 

[Blueblood]

(Finisher post from me)

 

All throughout Whitescar, It was common to find pure berserkers in the ranks of many a caribou jarl.  There was certainly a frightening power in the sort of rage that could overwhelm the mind and fire up the body.  It all depended upon whether such mad charges could break the calm of the defenders.  

 

All of his life, Halvard had it hammered into him, sometimes literally, that he must never, under any circumstances, lose that cool head essential to holding a position.  Clan Breen, on the whole, was one dependent upon its defenses and defenders.  It mattered not who in a conflict struck the first blow, as long as they were the ones who struck the last one.

 

All during this fight, the caribou buck had been seeking and pursuing that blow, that one great finisher that would seal his victory.  To Blitz's credit, the pony was not making it as easy as one might have predicted.  So far, he'd made good use of his superior mobility to dodge Halvard's mighty swings.  On the other hand, the unicorn was far too enraged to seal his own by simply overwhelming the buck by bolts from afar; the berserker's rage was having it's field day in Blitz's head, driving him to make direct blows against Halvard's now unprotected head.

 

All that was beginning to have it's effect.  The electricity had almost shot Halvard's nerves, and now his head was swimming from the punches, blood streaming from his nose.  His benumbed limbs were unable to stop the pony from taking his weapon and casting it aside, leaving him with nothing but his own hooves... and half a ton of hard-forged steel.

 

All had now come to this.  The final chance for the final blow.  When Blitz's bolt struck Halvard, it did have one crippling effect.  It didn't physically paralyze him, but the mental effects were something just as terrible.  A great bellow, as by some ancient beast now risen from his mountain tomb, announced that Halvard had now taken leave of his senses, and surrendered to the rage.  Such was the power this rage gave him, that he could rear on his hind legs, still fully armored, and slam his forehooves into the earth, sending out a shockwave from the discharged thunderbolt sufficient to knock the unicorn off his balance.

 

All were watching as Halvard, the armored champion of the Home team, came down running.  *K-chanksh-kish, K-chanksh-kish, K-chanksh-kish*  The still-stunned Blitz would have had time to see shining steel for one moment block and outshine the sun itself, before the whole came down upon him, crushing the unprotected challenger under its weight.

 

 

 

All was over now, save the cheering, which was loud and long, though neither combatant could hear it any longer.  If it was any comfort to Blitz, he'd scored something of a moral victory, by bringing a normally thoughtful and cautious fighter down to his level.  Not that he was likely to care about that sort of thing now.  Hopefully the healers could bring him back around.  If not, they'd have to consult the necromancers...

[Hawkeye12]

((And me as well!))

 

All throughout this mess of a battle, Blitz had done his best to ignore the ongoing pain. It happened a lot when he got into fights, actually- his rage was so overpowering that he didn't feel much until the very end. Usually it wasn't until the battle was over, but it was obvious that the stallion's body couldn't wait that long during this one. 

 

It it was hitting him all at once. He felt almost numb from it, from head to hoof. Not to mention he probably had a good nose bleed. His breaths became ragged, but he weakly took the opportunity to glance at his opponent. 

 

But it was suddenly obvious that Halvard wasn't done, not yet. Sure, he looked as battered as the stallion himself, but he did have one thing left going for him- his size. And by the time Blitz's mind was able to process the hulk of steel that was coming at him and try to run, it was too late.  With a surprised grunt, the unicorn found himself completely underneath the caribou, armor and all. That probably cracked a rib or two...

 

But no. Halvard wasn't going to have the last laugh. He wasn't going to end it like this. The buck was close to blacking out, but not yet. Painfully, Blitz managed to free a hoof from underneath his weight. He then summoned the last of his strength, swinging it wide to a sloppy punch. Not his best, but enough to give him a knockout. Of course, the satisfaction of that only lasted a few seconds, before his own lights went out as well. 

 

And so so it was over. That blasted blue-faced caribou had been good, he couldn't lie. He even learned a thing or two. But that didn't matter right now. All Blitz needed was some painkillers and hopefully, hopefully, a reward of victory...

[SteelEagle]

Halvard is the winner! Congratulations to both!