It had been a good while since he had come out to the training fields. In fact, he was pretty sure the last time he had been out here was to spar with Eska. Now that Eska was fully on the mend and he had a spare moment to breathe he decided to pull on his armor and go out to the training grounds with Lieven and Arlise to hopefully shake off the dust and cobwebs off of his skills a bit. The world was very slowly beginning to return back to normal and he hoped that at least one of the other pack members might feel the same and would want to come out to spar.

They weren't out of the woods yet and it never hurt to make sure they were ready for whatever came. He imagined that packs would probably be in need of supplies once they all emerged from this long night so the possibility of raids was certainly not off the table and he wanted to be ready if that happened. He gave himself a shake and adjusted his armor before lifting his head to howl for an opponent. Whether it was a seasoned fighter like him that wanted to jump right into a fight or a more novice fighter that wanted training, he didn't mind either way. As long as he was up and moving, working some muscles that hadn't gotten use recently, then he felt like he would be accomplishing what he came out here to do.

Speech

Romulus was still very much on the mend after contracting the crystal plague, but his body had at least returned to normal, with all of the strange growths having receded or fallen off. Lillith had been overjoyed to have him back to health, but his close brush with death had made the Armada wolf realize just how little time he'd spent preparing his body for a fight—whether it was physically or medically. He renewed his determination to focus on his studies in fighting and healing so he could be better prepared and protect Lillith should the need ever arise again. Still, with the Long Night stretching on into eternity, time felt very much of the essence. Half of the Hallows was still sick, so it left little in the ways of options for lessons or spars.

The answer to his dilemma came in the form of Ulric's call out at the sparring grounds. Roman's head snapped up and ears perked. So the Adravendi patriarch wanted an opponent for a spar? That worked out perfectly for the young Armada. Heading out of the castle walls in the darkness of the eternal night, he approached the training rings, silver and slate fur much more noticeable in the moonlight than Ulric's earthy browns. "Looking for someone to tussle with, sir?" he asked, greeting Ulric with a roguish smirk and dip of his head. He shook his coat and stretched out his back and limbs, loosening up muscles that had been bedridden for far too long. "Is this a group session, or a one-on-one?"

"Romulus Armada"

Ulric didn't have to wait long for an opponent to appear in the form of his daughter's boyfriend. He smirked slightly when the slate blue young man approached him, offering him a small nod of his head in return. "Indeed I am," he answered with a chuckle as he gave himself a shake and flexed his legs as well. He was glad to see that Romulus was back on his feet and recovered from his illness just as Eska was. It seemed like everyone had made it through the plague of various strange illnesses more or less unscathed and for that he was grateful. The last thing he wanted was to see Lillith heartbroken at the loss of his boy she seemed absolutely smitten with. He hadn't gotten much time with the masked boy yet, but maybe now was as good a time as any to start.

"Looks like it'll be a one on one today," he said with a glance past Romulus toward the castle for a moment just to make sure that no one else was coming to join them as well. Refocusing his silver gaze on the younger man, he began to settle into a fighting stance. "How about a spar then?" If nothing else it would give him some first hand experience with where Romulus' skills were in fighting and where he could improve. He wasn't one for talking about theory in these sorts of things. He enjoyed learning and teaching by doing. Once Romulus was ready he gave him a nod and then charged forward with his left shoulder aimed to slam into Romulus' left shoulder as well. An easy attack to start out with, but he was just curious to see Romulus' reflexes and response.

Ulric vs Romulus for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over one year
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked leather bracers
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather armor
Companion 1: Belgian Malinois, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Belgian Groenendael, Female - Battle
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual
Specialty: Bard

Speech

Ulric seemed pleased that Romulus had been the one to show up to his summons and confirmed he was looking for an opponent. The two wolves gave it a couple of minutes before Ulric declared it would be a one-on-one spar. Romulus nodded; fair enough. He had to admit, the prospect of fighting the Adravendi patriarch was... intimidating. So far, he was batting a 0% win rate against Adravendis, and Ulric was the top dog of that family. If he'd thought Lillith and Ezra had been difficult, this would really be a challenge for him. "A spar sounds good to me." If nothing else, it'd be a good chance to flex his muscles after being stuck inside for so long.

Taking his position opposite of Ulric in the sparring ring, Roman stretched and rolled his shoulders and neck to loosen his muscles. Then he gave the go ahead to Ulric. The giant of a wolf charged at him without hesitation, aiming to barrel straight into him. It was an easy attack to maneuver around, and Roman's build was more agile than Ulric's. The Armada wolf timed his move, leaping to his right to slide just out of the way of Ulric's charge. As soon as his paws planted on the ground once more, Romulus pivoted to face Ulric's side and lunged for him, aiming with open jaws to clamp down just behind the dire wolf's shoulder while paws tried to grapple his midsection.

Romulus vs Ulric for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Jaguar cloak with hood
Companion 1: Red-tailed Hawk, Male - Flying
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Intermediate Healer

"Romulus Armada"

He wasn't surprised at all when Romulus dodged to the side and avoided his charge. After all these years of fighting with this massive body of his he knew where his strengths and weaknesses were and he was glad to see that Romulus did as well. When the slate man reached for a grip behind his shoulder and started trying to grapple onto him with his forelegs, Ulric crouched down a bit which actually made it easer for Roman to do just that, but it also lined up his shoulder with Romulus' now exposed chest and stomach. He felt Roman's teeth bite into the lose skin around his scruff, but he ignored it in favor of lunging forward and attempting to throw his shoulder solidly into Romulus' chest. He also reached for Roman's side with open jaws, attempting to scrape his teeth along the skin around the boy's ribs. All the while he kept his feet firmly planted on the ground, the usual defenses like folded back hears and lowered head in place. He was built like a tank and that was the easiest way for him to fight so he leaned into that easily.

Ulric vs Romulus for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over one year
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked leather bracers
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather armor
Companion 1: Belgian Malinois, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Belgian Groenendael, Female - Battle
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual
Specialty: Bard

Speech

Romulus was a little surprised when he found his teeth making purchase with Ulric's shoulder and his claws gripped into the dire wolf's skin and fur. He'd been expecting some sort of resistance from the larger wolf, but his attacks had gone unhindered. Had he really caught the former alpha off guard? As it turned out—no, he had not. As soon as he grappled with Ulric, the giant mountain of a wolf continued to throw his body weight into Roman, virtually trampling the younger wolf beneath him as he barreled forward like a runaway train. Romulus yelped in surprise and grit his teeth when he felt Ulric's fangs drag across the skin of his side. Ulric was a literal tank, with no obvious way to bring him down—at least not to an untrained mind.

As Ulric pushed himself into Roman, the Armada wolf let himself be swept beneath Ulric's bulk, taking a risky chance by winding up on his back beneath the massive brute. From beneath him, Roman had access to all of Ulric's vulnerable underside, the only weak point to the otherwise impervious hulk of lupine. In a final last ditch effort before the Adravendi patriarch pinned him on the ground, Romulus lashed out at Ulric's belly with everything he had, aiming to swipe claws at his stomach and snap jaws at his chest and throat.

Romulus vs Ulric for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Jaguar cloak with hood
Companion 1: Red-tailed Hawk, Male - Flying
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Healer

"Romulus Armada"

And the winner is...

Romulus

Ulric must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Ulric: Attack Roll: 7 Defense Roll: 2 Agility Roll: 24 Perception Roll: 10 Total: 43 Attack[7] + 40% Bonus[2.80]: 9.80 Defense[2] + 15% Bonus[0.30]: 2.30 Agility[24] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 24.00 Perception[10] + 25% Bonus[2.50]: 12.50 Total[48.60] + 25% Bonus[12.15]: 60.75 Romulus : Attack Roll: 6 Defense Roll: 89 Agility Roll: 55 Perception Roll: 33 Total: 183 Attack[6] + 5% Bonus[0.30]: 6.30 Defense[89] + 25% Bonus[22.25]: 111.25 Agility[55] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 55.00 Perception[33] + 10% Bonus[3.30]: 36.30 Total[208.85] + 10% Bonus[20.89]: 229.74