IF IT FEELS GOOD, TASTES GOOD, IT MUST BE MINE It was time. He'd lazed around feeling sorry for himself for long enough. No doubt his father would be disappointed in him. He was tired of hiding out in his little hole outside the castle walls, and he wanted to do something, be something. The yearling, large enough to say he had grown up, trotted into the castle with his head high. It was time to search out the Risen Emperor, and demand a purpose. He'd done it before, when he demanded a teacher. His father had seen to it that his opportunity to train with Malleus had been torn away while they searched for his mother and brother. Now, he wanted it back. Wanted to earn his name, and a place in the pack. The sound built deep in his chest, reverberating through his ribs and shaking his bones. A low, sonorous howl that would make the walls and halls of the castle tremble with his might. The phoenix was ready to rise, and he wouldn't be ignored. Head aloft, he let the call die out only when there was no air left in his lungs. Then, he stood tall, stance square like his father had taught him. Proud, and ready. ooc. Meph is looking to gain a rank in the pack, or beg forgiveness to achieve it "Speech" <

The demanding howl that echoed through the castle was reminiscent of the one the boy had uttered not that long ago. But he was no longer a boy, was he? No, the son of Kaine was a man now. If he were being honest, though, Malleus couldn't say exactly what kind of man he was. Too little had been seen of him, not that it could be blamed on the young Abraxas. That, as far as Malleus knew, could be blamed on his absentee mother and the efforts his father had put into finding her and his brother. Malleus rounded the last corner than separated him from Mephistopheles. He fixed an assessing gaze on the young male as he approached, his eyes noting the difference in height since he last laid eyes on him. He wasn't quite as tall as Malleus himself, but he was towered over most mortals and looked like he was going to fill out nicely. "Mephistopheles," he rumbled in greeting. "What can I do for you? Any word of your family?"

IF IT FEELS GOOD, TASTES GOOD, IT MUST BE MINE Soon enough, the esteemed emperor made himself known. Rounding the corner of one of the many halls leading throughout the castle, the titanic male lumbered into view. He stood fast under the appraisal of his emperor, holding himself steady as the larger man approached. His tail swept once, twice across his heels in anticipation. "Mephistopheles," the greeting was curt, but not malicious. "What can I do for you? Any word of your family?" he questioned with the ease of a true divinity, the words rolled off his tongue easily. "My father sent me back to resume my training while he seeks out my mother. She is nowhere to be found, and he will not rest until she is returned with my brother, I assure you." his own croon met the air, not as deep as Malleus' by any means. His features hardened as he attempted to impress the gravity of the situation to his emperor, and instill some form of faith that his father would only return with Agria and Kefka in tow. That kind of shame was not such to be borne lightly, and Kaine would not do so within the confines of pack lands. "As for me," he began, features softening into a neutral expression. His heart stuttered in his chest. Would Malleus forgive him? "I would like to become a warrior for the Empire. To bring glory to the Abraxas name, and train under you once more- if you would spare me the time where possible." he announced, hope glinting in his cerulean gaze. He hoped against all hope that he could resume his tutelage, but would accept to be taught by another warrior. Like Ashiel, who had offered to assist when he could. "Speech" <

After Mephistopheles explained the situation with his family Malleus nodded in grave understanding. He didn't know what had taken Agria away, but he could only assume she had stolen the Abraxas child and made off with him. Hopefully she could be brought to justice and hopefully Kefka, who hadn't grown up Abraxas, could be salvaged. "His commitment is admirable and if the Fallen God wills it he will return victorious." As for Mephistopheles' request for a rank... Malleus studied him thoughtfully for a second. His nephew was a boy no longer. Malleus' own litter, now yearlings, were about to be ranked as adults so he couldn't very well put Meph, who was (if he remembered correctly) a year or more older than them, in a child's rank. And it was likely that Kaine had seen to it that his son's training hadn't been neglected. "Am I right to assume your father has seen to your training? If he has I propose this: I will test your skills in a fight. If I think you are ready, I'll give you the rank of Soldier. If I don't think you're ready, I'll see to it your training is taken care of."

IF IT FEELS GOOD, TASTES GOOD, IT MUST BE MINE There was no obvious malice in the emperor's solemn expression as he nodded in understanding. Instead, praise seemed to describe the words that tumbled from his jaws next. "His commitment is admirable and if the Fallen God wills it he will return victorious." the slate male rumbled. Part of Mephistopheles already knew it was unlikely he'd ever see his brother again, or his mother. By proxy, there was a chance his father would never return. Kaine was too proud to allow such a slight to go unpunished, and would track Agria to the ends of the earth to see her reprimanded. There was no point in dwelling on it, though. He tried to maintain confidence that they would be back any day now. "Am I right to assume your father has seen to your training? If he has I propose this: I will test your skills in a fight. If I think you are ready, I'll give you the rank of Soldier. If I don't think you're ready, I'll see to it your training is taken care of." It was simple, but effective. In the neutral grounds of the castle, it would be a low risk spar. No muddy ground in which to slip and twist an ankle, or biting winds to sting the eyes. "He has." the young phoenix assured the emperor. "Should we begin now?" he questioned next, glancing around. Nothing sharp on the ground, no stones or pebbles to get underfoot. ooc. Malleus can have the first move if he wants to start the test here, that way we can keep things moving along relatively quickly "Speech" <

ooc: terrible tag - I'm sorry! >.<

Malleus nodded. "No time like the present." He slipped into a fighter's stance and after giving the boy a chance to do the same, charged forward. There wasn't much distance between them, but he thought he could build up enough speed to add a punch to his attacks. Malleus' sought to rear up, his tail lifting for balance, and slam the lower half of his chest into the middle of Meph's chest. Simultaneously he tried to wrap his forelegs around Meph's neck just below his jaw in the hopes of gaining control of his head and wresting it to Malleus' left. The sudden movement combined with his chest slam would hopefully throw Mephistopheles over.

To better his odds of succeeding, Malleus sought to grab Mephistopheles by the left ear and jerk it up and over towards Malleus' left. An ear wasn't the best of handles, but a sharp yank on the fragile appendage would hopefully encourage the smaller Abraxas to bend as Malleus wanted him to.

MALLEUS versus MEPHISTOPHELES for SPAR
Round ONE of ???
Size: Extra Large
Build: Heavy
Fight Skill Level: Advanced

IF IT FEELS GOOD, TASTES GOOD, IT MUST BE MINE ooc. I wrote this REALLY late at night, and it's finals week. If nothing makes sense, or I misread the post/intentions, please let me know! Also I wasn't sure of the form, so I tossed up a tier two one since that's what I saw in the guidebook <3 There was little warning before the storm broke. "No time like the present." Malleus rumbled with a nod, and slipped into his defenses with the ease of a seasoned warrior. It took only fractionally longer for Mephistopheles, who was by no means a skilled warrior. At least not of the Risen Emperor's caliber. Auds flattened against his skull, and eyes narrowed to slits. Tail tucked tightly beneath his belly, and joints bent slightly to lower his centre of gravity as well as displace his weight evenly across his legs. Toes spread out to grip the smooth stone floor, claws scraping against the ground. Hackles rose and bristled along his spine, and shoulders rolled forward to provide added cover for his neck. Chin tucked against his chest with fangs bared in a snarl as he awaited the attack. There was little to no wait. The space between himself and the Risen Emperor was minimal, so when the larger male charged him there was almost no time to react. He saw the slate king's forepaws rise from the ground, and in a flash at Mephistopheles' periphery he noted the flagging of his tail for balance. There was something rather brutal about to hit, and he wasn't going to like it. Planting his paws, he did his best to lunge to meet the emperor blow for blow. Bunched muscles in his thighs propelled him forward and up once where was merely half a foot between them. He was smaller, slimmer. There might be a chance for him to get a few hits in, if not secure a victory entirely. Where Malleus had sought to slam his lower chest into the middle of Mephistopheles', the young phoenix rose up to meet him and aimed to strike with the sharp point of his breastbone and the meat at the centre of his chest, and collide with the same middle portion of Malleus' own chest. With his hind paws planted, claws digging into the stone with a godawful screeching sound, he hoped he could halt some of the emperor's momentum. The auburn male, being an idiot (relative to the king) did not anticipate the breath being knocked out of him. It hurt, and dark spots danced at the corner of his vision. Malleus was massive, and stronger than he. Where Malleus' forelimbs succeeded in their hold around his upper neck and jaw, Mephistopheles attempted to wrap his own around the lower portion of the emperor's neck and hold on for dear life. He stumbled back a few paces with the impact of it, and felt himself tipping over to his right. Tail flagging desperately to right his balance, Mephistopheles attempted to counter by tossing his own weight to his own left. Teeth grazed at his left ear, and he felt blood welling up in the deep cuts that followed. The muscles tensed reflexively, pinned it even tighter to his skull. He tried to duck away from the onslaught. That didn't undo the damage, though. Now, even as he wobbled uncertainly towards Malleus' goal of tipping over entirely, the phoenix searched for an opening. Fuck it. Jaws splayed wide, the male sought desperately to grab at the meaty part of Malleus' lower shoulder on his right forelimb, in the portion that led into the elbow. A tough spot, but it would certainly sting a little. However, that was all he had going for him. Getting in a few hits. If Malleus leaned his weight into him any further, he would certainly be done for. Mephistopheles vs Malleus for SPAR Round: I II Size: Extra Large (40") Build: Medium Offensive Accessory: N/A Defensive Accessory: N/A Companion 1: N/A Companion 2: N/A Mutation: N/A Disability: N/A Fight Skill Level: Beginner (at time of first post in thread, Intermediate as of beginning of fight) Specialty: N/A "Speech" <

OOOC: whoops, sorry! Yes spars are strictly tier 2 and I take out all the lines I'd leave blank.

The two collided. Having prepared for the impact by exhaling Malleus was able to recover quickly though the points of contact stung fiercely and were sure to bruise later. He felt Mephistopheles’ forelegs wrap around his neck but gave them no mind besides simply noting their location. If it became a wrestling match Malleus was confident he could best this youngling.

Mephistopheles tried to wrest them the other direction to save his balance and at first Malleus seemed to resist his efforts. It was little more than a ploy to hopefully make his cousin struggle harder to Malleus’s right. In an instant Malleus changed tactics and sought to throw all of his weight into a twist to his right in a move that mirrored his first round attempt save for the fact that his forelegs were already wrapped around Mephistopheles’ neck. To better his odds of success Malleus sought to reaffirm and tighten his grip on his cousin’s neck just below his jaw.

He felt teeth dig into the inside of his elbow and had to resist the urge to hiss. Instead he tried to think of it as a positive; if he succeeded in throwing Mephistopheles to the ground now his jaws would likely get pinned in the process and he’d be unable to bite anywhere else allowing Malleus free rein.

Lastly Malleus sought to grab Mephistopheles’ scruff directly behind his ears. In a move similar to the one he made in the first round, Malleus’ goal was to get a solid grip and yank his cousin to his (Malleus') right in the hopes of throwing him over.

MALLEUS versus MEPHISTOPHELES for SPAR
Round TWO of TWO
Size: Extra Large
Build: Heavy
Fight Skill Level: Advanced

IF IT FEELS GOOD, TASTES GOOD, IT MUST BE MINE The slate king held fast, and Mephistopheles continued to throw his weight to his left side in order to avoid toppling entirely. Having succeeded in sinking his fangs into the meat of Malleus' upper elbow/lower shoulder region- he sought to retract his grip and pull his head away in preparation for another possibility for attack. He maintained his grip around the lower section of the emperor's neck, forelimbs locked tight around the column of muscle. He kept his auds flat against his skull, blood weeping from the left one and down the side of his head. Eyes remained narrowed, lips pulled away from teeth in a silent snarl. Tail flagged out behind him to attempt to maintain balance, and hind paws remained squared beneath his hips for balance. Toes splayed and claws scrabbling against the stone for grip. Hackles continued to bristle along his spine. All of the sudden, the weight shifted dramatically to his left. Oh shit. He wasn't going to be able to win out against gravity this time. Just like that, he toppled to his left. Teeth sunk into the nape of his neck, right where it met with the base of his skull. The emperor had gained a solid grip on him, and he was surely done for. The grip twisted his head to his right, away from the approaching ground. He rolled his left shoulder so that it would take the brunt of the fall. At this point he was looking to do damage control more than anything else. He'd overestimated himself, and surely lost this fight. One more time, he went for the Hail Mary. The phoenix sought to push off with his hind legs and upset the fall, and ideally his chest was aiming to collide dead on (middle to middle) with the emperor's own. With the solid grip the emperor had on him, it was going to be tricky to get any real hit in and he'd be lucky to succeed even marginally. Instead, all he wanted was to force Malleus to take the brunt of the fall. Mephistopheles vs Malleus for SPAR Round: I II Size: Extra Large (40") Build: Medium Offensive Accessory: N/A Defensive Accessory: N/A Companion 1: N/A Companion 2: N/A Mutation: N/A Disability: N/A Fight Skill Level: Beginner (at time of first post in thread, Intermediate as of beginning of fight) Specialty: N/A "Speech" <

And the winner is...

Mephistopheles

Malleus must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Malleus: 239.67 Mephistopheles: 286.75

- Judged by Lunarcat7

Malleus had seen enough. He folded; an approving chuckle on his lips as he allowed the younger male to bully him to the side. Kaine had seen to it that Mephistopheles was skilled enough to defend his people. While he thought he could best the youngling in a real fight, Malleus was satisfied with the fight-sense he'd seen in the younger Abraxas. "Well done," he rumbled approvingly as he stepped back. "Kaine taught you well." Malleus paused, his expression thoughtful, as he considered the verdict he was about to hand out. "I think you will serve the Empire well as a soldier and while I encourage you to continue to train with the other soldiers I don't think you need more training before you can join their ranks."