If there was one good outcome of the Armada's raid on Aerie, it was to show him how much work he needed to do yet to have truly earned his position as Aerie's alpha. His skill, while adequate, was not near where it need be yet. He was nowhere near achieving mastery as a warrior. He worried that Malleus would be ashamed to see where he was still, so long after he was gone. Aureus' skill was far above his own, yet his injury in the raid had reminded Eligos abruptly and alarmingly that despite their bloodline they were still mortal and that reminder of their mortality had showed him how easy it would be to lose one or both of his brothers. Even aside from what that would do to him on an emotional level, it would deal a devastating blow to Aerie, with so few fully trained fighters among them. Ina was Pyrrhic's equal... but she was just as mortal as her cousins, and her wandering put her at greater risk, though the rewards could be great as well. It was frustrating to know that they were so close to failure because he hadn't pushed hard enough to grow the pack's numbers and skill. Well, he would push himself.

Casting a swift glance at his companions to stop them, he himself stopped, and raised his muzzle to call for an opponent to join him. The best way to better himself as a fighter, after all, was just to do it.

The journey home from searching for Malalia and her home was proving to be a long one and the man was growing bored. His companions walled at his side and silent as he until they heard the call from a somewhat familiar place. The voice was unrecognizable, but he turned and headed in the direction anyway. A good fight would be great about now and his bones itched for something besides walking. He wasn't far from the Armada really either, so even if he got some injuries it'd only be a few days until he made it home to get care.

As he approached, his companion dogs on either side, he saw the man that called. As the scent pushed towards him, he knew where he was from. The pack that the Armada had raided and won against. Magnus smirked and trotted towards the man. "I'll take you up on that offer." The scent of the Armada was since gone from his pelt, having been gone for nearly an entire season now. Having been healing from his own battle during the time of the raid, Magnus imagined this man hadn't a clue who he was, amusing him enough to keep a cocky smirk plastered across his lips.

Another male approached, and Eligos shifted to bring his focus onto the stranger. He studied the monochromatic dog as he came closer, flanked by the other pair of canines as Eligos was by Cypher and Kida. Though he made no expression to betray his sudden distaste, he was strongly put off by the man's arrogant smirk. The malinois pair glanced uneasily up at him, clearly sensing the tension that thrummed through him, but he made no move just yet. Many wolves were annoying. Many of them were deliberately, and Eligos would not give this wolf the pleasure of pushing his buttons if he was the latter. Instead he mentally shrugged off his irritation, kept his expression neutral, and gave the male a curt nod. He certainly didn't need to enjoy the male's company to spar him, after all. Rolling his shoulders slightly to ease the tension, he fell easily into the stance of a warrior. The smaller dogs at his side - smaller even than the purple-eyed opponent, who was already a good half a foot shorter than Eligos himself - eased themselves into their own stances as well, though the inexperienced youths both quivered with anticipatory excitement. Eligos paused there for a beat to invite the smaller male to make the first move, wanting to see what the other would do before he made his own. "Speak" "Listen" Think

ooc - im okay with forgoing the time limit!

Even without words, Magnus could tell the man was ready for a battle and he was more than willing to take the first step if they weren't. Despite the heat of the summer, the bear skin hung from his back and kept him protected from the sun. Thankfully he'd decided to take it with him on his mission in case something like this, or worse, happened. His companions were a necessity outside the borders of the Armada, but they'd likely be too busy fighting off the other mans two dogs to help him much in taking down the larger man.

Magnus rolled his shoulders in a stretch before charging for the man with either canine on his flanks keeping pace. The made a wide arch and went for the outside sides of the dogs rear limbs, hoping to divert their position away from Eligos and Magnus. Meanwhile, Magnus went straight for the larger mans chest in an attempt to ram him with his shoulder with the protection of his bearskin covering his vulnerable nape.

Magnus Vyle vs Eligos for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Heavy
Offensive Battle Accessory: Foreleg bracers w/knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Spiked bear skin
Companion 1: Striped Hyena, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Southern African Wild Dog, Male - Battle
Skills: Expert Fighter & Novice Hunter
Specialty: N/A

The other male was not terribly much smaller, so Eligos' preference would have been to step aside from his charge but the presence of the canids changed things. He couldn't step aside without one or the other the malinois moving, and they could not move aside without leaving him vulnerable to being flanked by the opposing companions. So he made do and trusted to his armor to blunt the worst of the blow as he partially crouched to lower his center of gravity and, digging his claws in, shoved forward himself in an attempt to meet Mag's blow with the point of his own shoulder aimed for where Mag's neck met with his chest. As he did, from his lowered position he snapped up towards Mag's lower jaw in an attempt to grasp and hold there. At his sides, Kida and Cypher spun outwards so that they faced perpendicular to him, each dog seeking to ward off the attacks of the hyena and wild dog with their own snapping jaws.

Eligos Abraxas vs Magnus for spar
Round 1/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Centurion Helmet
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather Armor
Companion 1: Malinos, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Malinois, Female - Battle
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Beginner Intellectual
Specialty: N/A

As he went for the man and his partners went for the dogs, Magnus wasn't surprised to see the larger man brace himself for the impact. As they would collide, he felt the mans jaws reaching and snapping for his own and he was slow to dodge, resulting in the mans teeth grazing the flesh and grabbing the fur of his cheek. It would hurt, but Magnus reared up slightly, with an inch or so between his front paws and the ground, to rip his fur from the mans teeth and turn himself to use the spikes nested into his bearskins nape to shove into the mans chest and neck area. Meanwhile, his partners were matching the dogs defensive stances and snapping at them, mostly just trying to keep their attention off of the two wolves.

Magnus Vyle vs Eligos for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Heavy
Offensive Battle Accessory: Foreleg bracers w/knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Spiked bear skin
Companion 1: Striped Hyena, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Southern African Wild Dog, Male - Battle
Skills: Expert Fighter & Novice Hunter
Specialty: N/A

Eligos took a step back as the other male twisted, and the spikes on Magnus' bear skin merely scraped against the leather armor on Eli's chest - marring the sleek new surface somewhat, but otherwise leaving him untouched. As he did, he slammed his head forward, aiming to slam the brow of his bronze helmet into Magnus' muzzle with quite a bit of force, though he made some attempt not to deliberately utilize the sharpened - and much more dangerous - sharpened ridge further down the helmet. It was only a spar, after all. The young malinois were doing admirably well facing off with their own opponents without breaking towards them as they both so clearly wanted to do. They couldn't go after the other companions without leaving him vulnerable, and so they both maintained their distances from him, snarling and snapping still.

Eligos Abraxas vs Magnus for spar
Round 2/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Centurion Helmet
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather Armor
Companion 1: Malinos, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Malinois, Female - Battle
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Beginner Intellectual
Specialty: N/A

And the winner is...

ELIGOS

MAGNUS must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Adjusted rolls: 56.7 38.4 49 51 MAGNUS' total is.. 234.12 Adjusted rolls: 9.45 108.1 69 19 ELIGOS' total is.. 236.38