---

Airborne several meters above Tharr's back, Raelis let his momentum carry him all the way up as he observed his opponent's response to the descending blade of pressurized air and heat. As one might expect of such an agile and powerful beast, it dodged. Its form lunging forwards in a short leap to new ground, Raelis found himself smiling as his gaze followed the warrior's incredible form. He was truly something to look upon, this Tharr. Of course, he gave himself only a moment to admire before focusing his attention on the crescent of superheated air as it struck the structure that Tharr had leapt from. Unlike one might expect though, the crescent did not cut or merely melt the material--though wood and thatch did immediately catch fire, which began to spread. The many metal lattice and struts that ran throughout found themselves absorbing a tremendous amount of heat as Rhay's Chosen channeled the energy through the material, altering his own angle in the air as he did so.

A wavering haze of heat surrounded the paladin as he released a burst of wind from his form and then let his mighty wings strike air to drive him forwards and down towards Tharr's tail. Bringing his blade back, elbow extended outwards so the butt of the blade could rest near his own chest, Raelis landed a few feet from Tharr as the beast warrior turned. One of Raelis' wing tips twitched forwards and a number of metal plates were ejected from it--edge first--directly at Tharr's face.

Raelis began the first part of a stabbing thrust at Tharr's muzzle, flicking his other wing as he did so, releasing more sharp-hot plates of metal in the great warrior's direction. His feet planted, senses stretched, Raelis felt every iota of heat and light as it channeled through the structure. More wood caught fire and the air grew sweltering hot as his mere presence excited its molecules. Quickly the battlefield was becoming a hellscape worthy of Rhay's Chosen.

Soon it would be even worse.

Soon.

As Tharr drifted through the air from his dextrous leap, there was a brief moment of ample contemplation. He could only imagine the spectacle of the skirmish from an outside perspective, let alone being able to see it. With odds so arguably pitted against him, he was still fairing well against the likes of a heavenly force. This newest object of interest had made quite the first impression on the composite creature. The stage had been set for an entertaining bout, and this was only the start. Such a foreign concept; pride in another being. As one with an affinity for the hubristic Sin, it was very fitting this had no effect on the power dwelling within. Instead, only the opposite was true, and underneath those closed lids flashed a vibrant purple color a number of times. Just the mere fact he was at least contending with the likes of Raelis and his potent prowess caused a surge of reserves to trigger within Tharraleos.

[Pride Reserves + 5]

As his talons touched down on more stable terrain and pivoted his body to face the Knight, his stance hunkered down with right leg behind him and left arm extending forward, elbow bent. As the hail of molten steel was sent his way, a solidified, opaque construct of purple energy manifested into reality. Aptly named the Shield of Chivalry, this was 1 of the 8 weapons at his disposal should his reserves be supplemented. Taking the form of a Greek Aspis with a 5 foot diameter, it's notable size and his stance barricaded him from the onslaught. This particular blockage was currently at 80% it's full power with the quartet of reserves placed into it. This provided more than enough resilience to prevent harm to Tharraleos entirely, as nearly every shard had lodged itself throughout the sinful construct as well as a hefty gash from the Blade of Rhey.

"You are quite the valiant combatant!" Tharr suddenly piped up, still mostly obscured from view by his somewhat intact blockade. What sounded like a momentary chuckle seemed to emerge from the Aerasginero's bill. It seemed he was fondly enjoying himself at the moment. He literally felt the heat of battle and it certainly did add to the grandiose nature of this contest of strength and wit. The auditory alliteration of a shield wasn't in the best condition, however and just a decently powerful attack would shatter it into nothingness. Just the thing he needed too. Pulling his left arm as close to his body as possible, the hybrid would abruptly thrash the limb forth in a swift and powerful backhanded fashion, looking to strike Raelis with the general mass of the armament. If connected, the Champion would be painfully reminded of its solidity despite the transparency and would inflict a fair amount of blunt force. This would also result in its destruction, but would remain as is if missed.

[Pride Stack = 1]

@yoshua171

---

Blade and shard alike met by the resistance of the purple projection, the knight narrowed his glowing eyes—which shone from deep within his helm. The tip of his blade lodged—intentionally—in the solidified energy, Raelis wasted no time. Through the transparent shield the blade could be seen to glow and ripple before an incandescent heat erupted from the blade. Far brighter than the blinding burst from before, the explosive light did more than sear the eyes, as it channeled heat in focused, cascading rays, which struck forth in radiating waves.

Stance braced, Raelis bent his knees further, and then pushed forwards, wings releasing pressurized air backwards to increase his acceleration. Extending his wings slightly, the wing armor was pulled to it, where it was once more fastened into place. With the cutting, burning light having almost certainly destroyed the shield, Raelis found his path free—as he'd intended it. Devene energy continuing to build and cycle back to his body in blinding funneling tendrils, Rhay's Chosen pressed the attack—continuing the thrusting attack from before, but with more vigor and momentum than before.

Their environment, having been set aflame, continued to create additional heat as the fire rapidly spread from Raelis' location.

As the avian feline warrior pulled his arm back for retaliation, he instantly took notice of some resistance and found himself unable to move it as much as he preferred. From behind his projection, Tharr was mostly safe from the blinding light and this gave him some momentary relief against the onslaught to his optics. Though he instinctively sealed his eyelids once more upon seeing the subsequent buildup of intense light through the shield. The construct shattered into pieces and dematerialized into nothingness as a result of Raelis' efforts. Given his grounded stance, the recoil was minimal and he only reared back marginally. Successfully avoiding harm from such a resourceful foe triggered a few subconscious thoughts of hubris and garnered the beast with more resources.

[Pride Stack + 3]

Beads of sweat trickled down Tharraleos' plumaged cranium as the temperature around him began to reach rather uncomfortable levels. The smells and sounds of their blazing vicinity was somewhat distracting to boot. Once more he was forced to act defensively. A deep exhale was released from his nares as his senses barring his sight worked to process his surroundings. The webbed fin atop his head vibrated laterally as even the most minute of vibrations were registered. The heat radiating from his acquaintance was far greater greater than his proximity, which assisted in gauging the distance between them. In his mind, it seemed as if many moments had transpired, but hardly a couple seconds passed in actuality. Suddenly he reacted; wings thrashing out and forward in balled up fists. He pushed his body forth as well to add momentum to his strike, returning to the stance he was at prior. These feathered appendages were arguably the most resilient part of his makeup and boasted overwhelming strength. They were aimed at the Knight's own wings, looking to make direct contact with them. Speed and precision held precedence with this assault as it was meant to merely redirect the tendrils, even ever so slightly. More prioritized than anything was avoiding as much physical contact as possible. Even his wings would be at risk of extensive damage at low amounts of exposure. His movements, as such, were swift and incisive.

With his left arm lowered and still recovering, his other arm pulled back as he sent his wings forth. Similar to the shield before it, a different energized weapon was fabricated. This time in the guise of an 8 foot halberd given the name of Pompous Polearm. With a top mounted spike, rear hook and broad frontal axe blade, this was a deadly and versatile tool. Gripping it firmly at the middle of the handle, Tharr would thrust the weapon forth at his foe’s midsection with a spirited yell. Expensing his remaining reserves, this was just below full strength and would pierce with moderate damage. While it was intended to try and break through the armor, the pride embodiment was well aware that troublesome blade would be a likely detriment. With his feet rooting him to the spot and wings preoccupied, he would bring the weapon back and grip it with both paws to act accordingly.

---

Features hidden beneath his helm, Raelis smiled. Wings curling inwards, their forms armored from tip-to-tip, he guarded himself from the warrior's attack. The armor found itself essentially folded around the knight, with the blade of Rhay remaining extended through a single gap as he charged. Heat and light having gathered back to him in less than two seconds, the heat of Raelis' blade skyrocketed once more.

The beating strikes of Tharr's wings struck Raelis' own, but were slowed as they passed through dense blasts of air released at the last moment before contact. Tharr's senses had been matched. Noting a disturbance in the air as he guided light back to his eyes, Raelis got a flash of Tharr thrusting forth a polearm. On instinct he reacted.

The ground beneath Tharr, all at once, buckled. In the same instant, Raelis' wings opened, and they did so just as the polearm's blade came within inches of striking. As a result the wing that struck the blade, struck it along the flat and continued extending outwards with such force that it likely disarmed his opponent.

Now, with so little distance between them, the tip of Rhay's blade likely found its mark.

The events unfolding occurred at such a rate even the potent brain capacity of Tharr was nearly overwhelmed. Not having sight was hardly the issue, but rather being fairly evenly matched. Not many opponents were as cunning as he, and this heightened his heart beat. The rush of combat was beginning to stir within the hybrid, and if continued would eventually lead to some unforeseen troubles for the swordsman. Though this was far from still happening. What did begin to simmer was that ever so convenient reservoir of bottomless energy so gracefully given by that hellish mage. Beneath his sealed eyelids, the familiar purple glow continued to flash numerous times throughout the next few moments. One paying attention to such minute details would see a whopping count of ten. It was as if the essence powering this ability was like a balloon of sorts and an ever so slight puncture hole had caused some leaking. Perhaps wielding these destructive tools had something to do with it too.

[Pride Stack +10]

It all happened in the span of a few seconds, but once things came to a standstill, the scorching tip of Rhay was mere inches from effortlessly breaking through his hide. Even now his mane of scarf-like pelage was slowly igniting. Halting its path was yet another of Tharr’s armaments; this time the Claws of Conceit. These bladed gauntlets serve in much the same capacity as his normal claws, only these were a foot in length and empowered by energy. Fashioned in both paws, this once again depleted his reserves as 5 had been designated for each. These are what held the holy weapon in place somewhat and prevented serious harm to the creature. A bit more fortified than the constructs before it, they only suffered moderate damage.

So how did they end up like this? Tharraleos had grown aware his polearm didn't strike the intended target. As his foe’s wings seeked to rid him of his more favored weapon, he allowed just that and instinctively relinquished his grasp on it. Violent particles of energy filled the air as it essentially disintegrated once it left his possession. Pushing himself off the doomed weapon, Tharr used the momentum to shift his stance to be more raised and equally grounded but still crouched lower than his opponent. All the while his mits retreated to his midsection, the clawed gauntlets ejecting from the tips of his digits and pressed against the sides of the heated blade with enough force to cease its movement. This proved to once again only provide temporary protection as this became a clash of brute strength. The Griff pushed back, but despite his best efforts, Raelis would still be able to inch his weapon closer and closer to its target.

Even at this disadvantaged state, his beak had hardly discarded the smug grin. More perspiration began to form around his mostly furred frame and his senses were beginning to be affected by the overbearing and unrelenting temperatures. Any more time spent like this would prove hazardous and needed to soon be alleviated. Stretching his maw agape, Tharraleos inhaled deeply, storing as much air in his lungs as possible. What could only be described as the current of a fireman's hose ejected from the rostrum of the warrior. Raelis would find himself on the receiving end of 200 pounds per square inch of water at point blank range. The damage of which would be lacking, but the pressure of which would prove likely prove to be a hindrance. Tharr would sustain this stream for a few moments, looking to incapacitate his elusive opposition to hopefully secure some damage from swift, shredding claws.