The behemoth’s breathing is rolling out in short grunts as he runs, ears pinned and jaws extended, waiting for a swift kill. The rain obscures his vision, wind whipping it. Rivers flowed down his withers, haunches, and face as the rain collected on his body. The Dauntless felt the earth give way underneath his heavy form, his hooves sliding gently as he barreled towards Jackal. His teeth, instead, are greeted by the velvet of Jackal’s nose. The Dauntless closes his jaws tightly, holding on to the thief’s breath. Slicked by the rain, Jackal slips his velveteen nose from the grasp of the Chief and reels backwards, sputtering like an idiot. Archibald shakes his head quickly, sending water droplets flying to crash into the falling rain. The black knight’s eyelashes were getting a workout to protect his golden eyes from the copious amounts of rain falling from the sky.

Jackal’s hesitation as he watches Dei is Archibald’s chance. Jackal’s challenge could have only been derived from a potvaliant state—the younger, thinner horse being drunk with the thrill from driving out Svetlana--but Archibald killed Svetlana; she fell under his hooves, such a weak, disgusting creature, not unlike the foolish stallion he faced now. Hooves, fueled by gall and power, pressed into the wet ground again as Archibald dashed forward. Golden eyes watch as Jackal finds himself in battle again and comes closer, teeth aimed for Archibald’s neck. Snorting, the Dauntless turns his head and opens his jaws wide, neck muscles pushing his attack forward. Blunt teeth aim for the left side of Jackal’s neck—much in the same area that the dun aims for on himself—and hopes to snap closed and rip skin away. With their closeness Archibald feels the heat of Jackal’s body, smells his stench heavier than before, and his ferocity heightens.

Archibald, with his bite, had stopped his advance, and was now meshed close with the appaloosa. Mudded, heavy white feathers swung and stuck to his legs as the Dauntless struck out with his left fore, the leg coming up high and rolling powerfully towards the sensitive legs of his challenger. Gargantuan hooves slam towards Jackal’s radius, hoping to cause damage directly above the knee joint. As Archibald kicks and bites, an almost simultaneous task, a raw, white surge of pain rips through his body. Archibald’s golden eyes clamp shut, as if to block out the unwelcomed feeling, and Archibald rips his body to the left once more, burnt skin full of dead cells staying in the grasp of the King of Thieves as he steals it from the Dauntless. Archibald shakes his head to try and rid the pain, and with anger unmatched by anything in the entirety of Helovia, his hooves slam against the muddy earth precisely.

The ground shakes beneath the two creatures and Archibald bends his knees skillfully to lower his center of gravity and protect himself from his own magical ability. It is not thunder that booms in the sky, nor lightning that illuminates the dark world around them, that shakes the earth now. It is power—hand crafted from the Earth God himself—racing through Archibald’s cells and out through his white hooves, rattling the ground so hard it threatens to rip open and expose the fiery core of the earth. Archibald’s ability held all the raw possibility of sending Jackal off balance, and the Dauntless hopes it does. Birch, had been caught completely off guard by the dangerous quake Archibald caused. The white draft had been quick to react, but Archibald had gained the upper hand and defeated the tree-creature with ease. With bended knees, Archibald waited for his assailant, head low and ears pinned, to work a deflection into his favor.

Loretta watched as Dei flew about clumsily, her rain-soaked pelt sticking to her like she, too, had just rolled from the safety of an egg. Her growl, something seeming so continuous throughout this battle, continued even further. Her amber eyes broke away from the reptile, however, as the earth shook beneath her and took her balance. Stumbling back, further away from the dueling duo, Loretta lowered her body down to the ground, legs stiff to hold her in place.


[WC: 800 | 4/4 | Companion/Magic: 2/2 | Archibald goes forward and bites at Jackal's neck whilst kicking out at Jackal's left leg, aiming for his radius. Jackal bites Archibald's neck and he pulls away, leaving Jackal with a bit of his burnt skin. Archibald then slams his hooves on the ground and uses his magic to shake the ground with the intent to throw Jackal off balance.]