[ COMPLETED ]

The great learkrat was a bit idle at this time. The packlands had been quiet, the family that had lived there was no longer, only a daughter and her friend remained. It was strange that such would be the case for her, yet again, leader of a pack that did not have much in the way of membership. So she wandered a bit for now, towards the further north, her pawsteps crunching along the icy plain. It was weird that she had the strength to do so much but apparently, there weren't wolves that were in need of such aid that she could provide. 

Shaking her long fur that fell around her shoulders as if it were a mane, she flicked her tail as she stopped and looked around, her breath misting the air. Even though it was so cold up here, it meant nothing to her, as she was well used to the chilliest climes.  Without much else to do up here, she summoned forth her light again, much easier this time than it ever had been before. A large wolf head-sized sphere of light energy flickered to life in a steel blue and black flash and she grinned at the orb of light that now floated before her. A shake of her body and a dip of her head released the strange holder that held the long, sharp blade on her back and she grabbed the blunt end in her muzzle, sweeping it around with large motions of her head, cutting through the light orb without much effect. As she would have expected, in fact. 

Her silvered gaze stared at it curiously as she still held the sword, it's pointed end dipping down slightly as she pondered.

The dark ubeli had grown tired of a lot of things as of late. She had grown tired of waiting for Aporia, for one. The pink wolf had promised plans to enact retribution on those of the light, especially the enemy of herself, the wolf Sif. However, nothing had happened since the one time Aporia had gone sneaking into Sif's pack, and had zapped that silly wolf that had found her. Nothing at all, even with the females having built themselves up a base in the northern lands, moving even closer to the territory that the dark wolf wished to wreak havoc on. Abyss had thought that had been a preemptive strike . . . yet nothing had come of it.

Then, Aporia had simply disappeared. Gone off one day hunting, she'd said and had not come back. Abyss had waited for her, at first, and then had taken to flying out over the large areas of territory to the south, east and west, but had not gotten any viable sign. It was as if she had just disappeared, and after several weeks, the ubeli had given up on her. Perhaps she'd died, deciding to take on solo that wolf that hd removed her leg so long ago. The ubeli cared not about the reasons, but it was simply another thing to add to the list of things that she was simply dissatisfied with.

The other thing had been the wolf Circe. Always going out and about on her own errands heading towards those damnable stone ruins constantly, not really speaking of them to Abyss or Aporia. Seeming to have her own agendas that she woudln't share, and perhaps in a former time Abyss would have tortured them out of her but it simply wasn't worth the effort. The miniscule purple wolf had been an annoyance at first, a reluctant and useful ally second and now she just didn't care. She cared little enough about it that she'd simply left herself one day, flying up into the sky and heading to the north. Heading in the direction of where she would still wish to take her revenge out on a single wofl that had bothered her for all too long.

So it was now, that she spotted the light from below, having not spotted with her keen senses the form of the grey giant in her own lands, deciding to head further out into the icy wastelands to find some sort of sign. Finally, the light illuminated the form of the grey lerkrat, and with a malicious grin, the ubeli literally fell from the sky with a great thud, utilizing her air affinity to it's maximum potential to create as much of a 'boom' as possible with her landing. She was within only a few wolflengths from the other wolf, whom she now saw was not only seeming to utilize her light affinity on a strange object in front of her, but was glowing herself with a pale silverish hue.

<b>"Why, if it isn't the noble wolf Sif, here far away from the protection of her pack!"</b> Abyss would bark with a malicious whisper in her tones, her dark gaze looking the other female up and down as if she were simply a piece of meat. She did not strike yet, however, for she wanted the full attention of her prey first, standing tall with her feathered appendages slightly flared to either side, and shadowy tendrils swirling about her torso and legs, seeming to drip down from her in a murky wave. <b>"All alone . . . a pity. What if something were to happen to the leader of your pathetic pack, hmm?"</b> Was her outright statement and challenge as she stared the other down, who was twice her size in bulk, but she knew that lerkrat were not as skilled with magic, and this wolf did not even have an aerial advantage! Why had she waited so long then, this was going to be easy.

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She had already moved the light orb around so that it was encircling her blade, the lerkrat rather fascinated by the fact that it could look so brilliant. She had noticed other things as well, that she attributed to the fact that she was becoming more powerful with the light element. Her fur had attained a strange glow, not unlike her eyes, and it had seemed to fluctuate depending on certain factors. As well, she could feel the fact that perhaps she could twist this element to be more destructive, although she had yet to truly try. Perhaps out here, where there was nothing but a barren field of ice, she could attempt some things, away from others that could get harmed by them on accident. After all, she'd lost enough pack members already as of late.

Those thoughts had only just entered her head when her keen senses suddenly warned her that there was another approaching, and fast. Lifting her head suddenly, the sword still gripped between her jaws, she stepped back into a alert, defensive stance just as a rather familiar form landed in front of her with a grand noise. Her lip curled in a snarl, and she spat out the sword, the metal clattering on the ice, showing her sharp teeth to the other as she did so, tail arching upwards and fur bristling in an outwards display of aggression. This was no game that she was about to get engaged in, this wolf had harmed others, and had gotten away before, and she would not simply do so again, not if Sif had anything to say about it. No, this was not a time to run, nor was it a time to try and make friends.

Abyss' barks went unheeded, the Queen of The Aegis not responding to idle passes at threats. Sif's warrior spirit was ready for this battle, and had been for some time now, knowing that it would come to her at one time or another. The lerkrat was no stranger to strife, although she had not had much to do with it since entering these lands, her history went back many more years than most could count and her body and mind still remembered. Her own response was much more concise. <b>"I don't need a pack to finish you, <i>witch</i>. I accept your challenge."</b> Was her booming bark, eyes flashing hard silver as her fur's glow got even brighter, as she bent her head with slow purpose, picking up the sword once again in her jaws and staring down her adversary. Sif was honorable, still, and even as she bristled, ready for this battle, she waited for her opponent to make the first move, which would tell her a great deal about how this was about to happen.

The dark ubeli wasn't one to simply waste time on spewing thoughts out into the open, but it had been necessary to make her point known. She was intending on finishing this wolf, one way or another, now, Aporia be damned. The pink witch honestly hadn't done a whole lot to help Abyss in this regard, save perhaps try and gather some allies and teach a few things, so with her recent disappearance, she simply had decided that enough was enough. Sif's response was exactly what she wanted, and her dark eyes glittered with unabashed glee as she saw this fight beginning. The taunt wasn't even registered in Abyss' mind, as after all, it wasn't such a bad thing to be called. That meant that her opponent knew that her own magic was far beyond that which the lerkrat could perform. Even with that small light show, the ubeli could almost taste victory on her tongue.

However, she was a mage of deception, and as such, simply started walking closer to Sif, the large ubeli dipping her head slightly as if to meet the other honorably on the field of battle before they would begin. Her tail was held neutrally and her wings lowered. It was a ruse, fo course, but the other wolf, with her aura of honorableness about her, would likely be taken in by her ruse. <b>"Well then, let us start this as equals, without any tricks, see whom the better wolf is."</b> Was her whispery bark as she moved forward, dipping her head further so as to instigate the greeting.

As she got close enough, instead, she leapt forwards, teeth bared, wings suddenly flaring upwards as she lunged to tear at the side of Sif's head, ripping at her cheek and trying to tear her right ear clean off in her <i>sneak attack</i> against the other wolf.  Her longer than normal fangs would attempt to rip and tear even further as she dug them deep into the silvery pelt. Then, she would leap to the side and laugh maniacally at the other wolf, her fangs dripping with the blood of her chosen nemesis.

*****

<b>Dice Roll</b> 6 - full hit
<b>Used:</b> Sneak skill - adept / toothy 
<b>Damage Dealt:</b> 41 + 15 = 56
<b>Damage Taken:</b> 0
<b>Health:</b> 400/400
<b>Stamina:</b> 175/200
<b>Mana:</b> 400/400

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She had been waiting for the ubeli to launch into some sort of magical attack and had been ready for it, realizing that she could perhaps use her own newfound light ability to counteract that some. It was an interesting thought, and she hoped she would be able to pull it off, after all, she'd had only a little training, but she was beginning to understand the basic principles of such now, after having been experimenting with it for some time. Yet, Abyss instead moved forwards, seeming to want to do the honorable thing when starting a fight and greet her as an equal. It was surprising to the lerkrat, who had thought that this wolf would be beyond such niceties, but all the same, she dipped her own head in acknowledgment, not wanting to be the one that broke any codes of battle. Perhaps that was why the ubeli had landed so and issued the challenge, instead of coming at her with magic from the start, which she clearly knew would have been effective, considering that even Sif knew that her kind weren't apt to know a lot about the elemental affinities.

However, that was not the case, and suddenly there were teeth on her face and her ear was being pulled, an attempt to rip it clear off her head, she imagined. However, fortunately for Sif, she was made of much tougher stuff than most, and suffered only a deep cut that dripped blood into one silver eye, as she shook her head to clear it, watching Abyss leap away, laughing in that way of hers, the way that they all did, the ones that meant to simply taunt and tease, rather than enter into a battle with any sort of honor. Rage burned in Sif's mind, absolute anger at the fact that she'd been herself taken for such a trick, and she lashed out after the other even as she drew away, sword still clenched in her jaw making a wide sweeping motion as she lunged towards the other wolf.

The great gray wolf then used her great <i>strength</i> to attempt to thrust firmly the sharp end sword into the ubeli, slamming it towards her with all her veritable might, hoping to damage some vital organ, or perhaps even a wing. However, due to the blood dripping into her eye, and the fact that she'd let herself momentarily go to raw rage, her strike was not true, and instead merely grazed the other's front leg with the tip of the silvered tool as she leapt back. Realizing her error, Sif tried to ground herself again, taking a deep breath and keeping her one still clear eye on the other as she prepared for the next onslaught. She would not be taken for a fool again.

*****
<b>Dice Roll</b> 2 - graze
<b>Used:</b> Strength skill - Champion
<b>Damage Dealt:</b> 13 + 30% (champion strength) = 17
<b>Damage Taken:</b> 56 - 18% (defense skill adept) = 46
<b>Health:</b> 554/600 +3 (quick healing) = 557/600
<b>Stamina:</b> 469/500 (w/endurance skill apprentice: 12% less stamina)
<b>Mana:</b> 300/300

She was laughing internally seeing the great grey wolf having suffered an injury, clearly spurring her to some sort of a blind rage as she had lashed out almost blindly, merely making a small scratch on the front of her foreleg. However, Abyss was not a fool, and she knew that as her opponent even now backed herself up and tried to regain calm, that she was more vulnerable on the ground. With a great push of her feathered appendages and thrust of her hind legs then, she was up in the air, knowing that she could blast magical attacks from above much easier now, where the less mobile lerkrat would have a harder time getting after her. She was counting on the fact that the big warrior would only know what most warriors did, and melee combat was not something that the dark ubeli wanted to subject herself to.

Now, up in the air, she summoned up a large ball of water, with her <i>water affinity</i>, nearly the size of her own body, and then thrust it at the wolf below. However, she did not stop there, and as it fell, she manipulated it to split into several large frozen spikes, intending on puncturing her hide with the sharpened edges. Normal ice might not be so sharp, but this was manipulated ice, and she tweaked it with her magic to cause them to be sharp as razors. Let her opponent try and block that!

<b>Dice Roll</b> 4 - partial hit
<b>Used:</b> Water skill
<b>Damage Dealt:</b> 17
<b>Damage Taken:</b> 17
<b>Health:</b> 383/400
<b>Stamina:</b> - 15 (flight) = 160/200
<b>Mana:</b> -25 (magic) = 375/400

Sif was centering herself, taking deep breaths, and suddenly, her opponent leapt into the air, spreading her wings. <i>Of course . . . </i> The large grey wolf sighed mentally, realizing that this battle would take more than just her own strength of body to win. However, she was going to be smart about it. Sharp, spiked icicles suddenly rained down upon her from the black ubeli, and she shifted slightly, so as to take less damage, but her pelt was tough, and it was difficult for them to get a good grasp, most of them simply bouncing and sliding down her sides. Even the chill of them did not bother the wolf so used to the arctic climates, and her silvered gaze looked upwards, locking on her target, the wolf that had decided to cause so much trouble. A wolf that had harmed others. This wolf, she would not allow to simply get out of here so easily. There was something more that she had, another trick that she thought she could pull off now, to knock Abyss down a peg or two.

So she focused. She focused on the light affinity that she had been practicing just before this menace had shown up out of the sky. She directed the light magic into her sword that she still held in her jaws, looking upwards, to narrow her gaze at the ubeli. The sword lit up with a bluish white light as the magic gathered about it and grew brighter and brighter and suddenly, she swung with the sword, directing the force of the swing up in the air, towards her opponent. Hopefully, this would work . . .and work it did. The light turned into a beam as she thrust it using the motion of the sword, and struck the dark wolf full on in the chest and belly, creating the stinking smell of burning fur. <i>It worked!</i> Sif thought, almost wanting to jump for joy at her ability to mind over matter the element, but she maintained her composure, readying herself with a slight crouch to see what magic this trickster wolf would use next.

*****
<b>Dice Roll</b> 5 - full hit
<b>Used:</b> light skill - Master
<b>Damage Dealt:</b> 40
<b>Damage Taken:</b> 17 - 18% (defense skill adept) = 14
<b>Health:</b> 540/600 +3 (quick healing) = 543/600
<b>Stamina:</b> 469/500 (w/endurance skill apprentice: 12% less stamina/physical attack)
<b>Mana:</b> 270/300

The dark ubeli was disappointed to see that her icicles did not do much to the apparently super-toughened body of her opponent. <i>How disappointing . . . </i> She thought, not too disillusioned, after all, she still had the upper paw in this fight, being able to fly was a much greater asset than the fact that this grey giant could seemingly shrug off shards of ice. Abyss simply shrugged, realizing she would have to use a different trick, and was in the designs to create one when she realized that the wolf on the ground below was shining more brightly. No, that was wrong, the strange sharp object that the wolf was holding was shining more brightly and suddenly, a bright beam of light shot out from it and struck her before she could move away.

As the sharp pain lanced through her, she frowned and her gaze darkened, realizing that she'd just fallen victim to a light magic attack, similar to what she'd witnessed Aporia do time and time again to enemies or during training. The idea incensed her, and pulling upon her formidable magic, she formed a giant, roiling ball of flame, easily the size of herself and flung it downwards at Sif, allowing the fireball to split apart into several different large fireballs as it got just above the other wolf, not giving her time to move away. Her <i>fire affinity</i> surely would damage the wolf, as she didn't know any that didn't burn. Her rage was high now, and she swooped down a bit lower to ensure that the grey wolf actually took damage this time.

*****
<b>Dice Roll</b> 5 - full hit
<b>Used:</b> Fire skill - adept
<b>Damage Dealt:</b> 17
<b>Damage Taken:</b> 40
<b>Health:</b> 343/400
<b>Stamina:</b> 145/200
<b>Mana:</b> 350/400

Sif was no fool and she had braced herself for the inevitable realization of her opponent that she had, in fact, not taken a hit as large as she had hoped. So when Abyss retaliated by unleashing the fireball, she swiftly ran forwards to try and ease herself from the brunt of it, but still smelled burning and singing fur all the same. It was still no matter, her skin did not burn so easily either, it seemed, and she thanked the toughened hide that she surely had from many years of battle. Even if she did form a new scar or two from the battle, it would be worth it if she could take down this mage that would apparently wreak havoc upon the weak if given the chance. The great grey wolf was no weakling and she would prove this today.

The mage, however, did make a small mistake, and Sif took easy advantage of it. As the dark witch flew down a bit closer, seemingly to ensure that her magics had struck, Sif saw her opening and with powerful muscles in her legs bunching, she lunged upwards for a slam attack, bringing all of her formidable strength to bear, utilizing her many years of honing this strength to be greater than any normal wolf, attempting to knock her down from the sky. She drove the sword towards a wing, hoping to slice it at least a little bit in the process, feeling her head at least strike the underside of the torso of her opponent before she landed with a great flurry of snow back on the ground.

*****
<b>Dice Roll</b> 5 - full hit
<b>Used:</b> strength skill - champion
<b>Damage Dealt:</b> 50 + 30% (strength) = 65
<b>Damage Taken:</b> 17 - 18% (defense skill adept) = 14
<b>Health:</b> 529/600 +3 (quick healing) = 532/600
<b>Stamina:</b> 449/500 (w/endurance skill apprentice: 12% less stamina/physical attack)
<b>Mana:</b> 270/300

Abyss was angry now. The rage overtook her as even her fireball seemed to do little to no damage to this wolf's hide, save scorching a bunch of fur. It was maddening how this lerkrat somehow seemed impervious to everything that was going on! She had swooped closer to see what had happened and was just about to shove herself upwards again when the wolf below her seemed to instinctively know to take advantage of her position. Like a shot, the silver wolf became a blur as her stronger than normal muscles shoved her bulk off of the ground where she impacted the underside of the ubeli, the sword slicing upwards as well, cutting a furrow along her side and grazing her right wing. Placed off balance for a moment by the jarring attack, she lost her altitude and was thrown to one side, stumbling in the air and landing heavily on her face and chest on the icy ground. The impact left her without breath for a moment, but she forced herself to get back up, her adrenaline high now and rage taking over her form.

The shadows that were normally ever present around her whipped and roiled like snakes as she spread her wings, ignoring the pain for a moment to leap again, flapping to get some sort of air clearance and then she dove at Sif's head, attacking the same ear she'd struck at before, but this time more viciously, enacting her <i>venom</i> to course through the wound as she ripped the furry triangle clean off of the other wolf's head, leaving her with venom coursing through her veins. Flapping painfully back up to a decent altitude, Abyss chuckled as she flung the ear about in the air, spraying blood around. Now what would the warrior do?


*****
<b>Dice Roll</b> 6 - full hit
<b>Used:</b> Basic bite attack + venemous
<b>Damage Dealt:</b> 10 + 15 (venom) = 25
<b>Damage Taken:</b> 65
<b>Health:</b> 278/400
<b>Stamina:</b> 130/200
<b>Mana:</b> 350/400