En Garde!

Artorias' efforts were rewarded with the backpedaling of his opponent, but Mercury demonstrated that Artorias was not the only fighter in the Hallows who leaned heavily on agility and nimbleness. The two brutes moved as one, flowing as smoothly as a woodland stream as they danced a violent and deadly tango. Each large dire-sized paw moved with precision from both combatants, preventing Artorias from managing to outmaneuver his opponent but also meaning that the Aegis was keeping pace as if they shared one mind. Art's sword swung upward, narrowly missing Mercury's face as it came up and over in an arc that missed his target. Growling under his breath not from anger, but from the sheer rush of adrenaline that the fight brought him, Artorias' amber eyes blazing with energy and vivacious fire. It had been some time since he'd had a truly good spar with a blade that hadn't been a lesson for the younglings of the pack, and right now Mercury was making the alpha feel all sorts of alive!

In their close quarters combat, every movement meant the difference between victory and defeat. Every step had to be precise, every dodge and duck and weave a flawless execution. Thankfully, being fleet-footed was something Artorias was keenly skilled at. As Mercury leaned back, Artorias was able to shift his weight around to his side and maneuver himself a little bit aways from the other dire brute just as Merc began to come back towards him. The hilt of Mercury's sword collided with his, rattling the sword in Artorias' jaws, but not breaking his grip. Thanks to the Aegis' stronger jaws, he was able to keep his weapon from coming dislodged this time. Turning his head to bring his own sword into Mercury's, Artorias brought his blade up to clatter against Merc's with a clash of steel, then locked them together as the blades crossed, leaving the two wolves to fight against one another's strength to try and overpower the other. Keeping his fiery gaze on the cool tones of Mercury's eyes, Artorias pressed his strength forward, pushing his sword harder into Mercury's in an attempt to get the other wolf to back down or relent and break their clash.

Artorias vs Mercury for Spar
Round 2/3
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Damascus steel sword
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather cuirass
Companion 1: Common raven, Male - Flying - Boosted
Companion 2: Silver cross fox - Battle - Boosted
*Companion 3: Common raven, Female - Flying
Mutation 1: Stronger teeth and jaws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Thicker fur - Defensive
Mutation 3: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Knight or Fleet-footed

"Artorias Carpathius"