Artorias had given the drunk pirate a chance to surrender or to flee. The poor soul was either so inebriated that he barely knew where he was, or he was willfully ignoring the Aegis speaking to him. He frowned and furrowed his brow, waving a paw in front of the wolf's bleary eyes. From off to the side, he heard the older wolf call out that she would come back to get the wolf—whose name was also Art, it seemed—if he got captured. He shot a lethal glower towards the old bitch and peeled azure lips back from pearly fangs. If she wanted to die, he'd be happy to welcome her back to take on his pack. Maybe next time they'd maim her, take her apart piece by piece. She seemed pretty frail as it was, it wouldn't be a difficult task. In all honesty, he just hoped the pirates would get the message and stay away.

When the blue and gold wolf still didn't respond, Artorias heaved a sigh. This didn't feel like a good fight, and were he not regarding the wolf as an invader, he'd feel horrible trying to fight someone as intoxicated as his opponent. Climbing down from his perch on his sword, Artorias strode around to the wolf, looking the smaller brute over once more. "All right, c'mon. Nice and easy now. Let's get you somewhere you can sleep this off," he said to the wolf, wondering if he was wasting his breath trying to talk to him. The wolf reeked of alcohol and was clearly blitzed out of his mind. Stepping up towards Art's left side, Artorias went to grasp the other wolf by the scruff with his jaws, using his greater height to attempt to get a hold on the wolf without needing to throw him to the ground or scuffle with him—not that it would be difficult, given how much swaying he was doing like he were on a ship at sea.

Artorias vs Artisan for Force Claim
Round 1/2
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
Companion 2: Silver cross fox - Battle - Boosted
Mutation 1: Stronger teeth and jaws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Thicker fur - Defensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Weaponsmaster

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

Eventually a challenger did arrive, and Artisan got to his paws good naturedly and wiggled himself into attention, a grin upon his maw. The grin however did not last long, before Artorias began to speak. Surrender? Flee? Was he at the right raid? Artisan's head turned, first to the left and then to the right. Yep, the wolves around him dropping like flies were definitely his pirates, so he hadn't wandered into the wrong battlefield after all. Was fleeing even an option at these things? He sort of doubted it, but before he could voice his concerns and request a real fight - as was promised to him before he came - Artorias was sighing and stalking to his side.

Artisan leaped backwards, attempting to gather some space between himself and the sword-wielding wolf before he could grasp his scruff. "Woah buddy, I'm usually one for moving fast an' all, but I got the feeling my packmates would be a little sour if I let you take me to bed without any foreplay." He lifted his paw to his chest in offense, the beads upon his wrists clinking noisily against each other as he did so. "Now, we can do this nice and proper and then discuss where and with who I'm sleeping this off, 'kay? I'll even let you go get your.. stick, thing, to show there's no hard feelings." He gestured toward the sword-perch with his head.

He paused a beat - waiting to see if his opponent was attempting a sneaky strike was talking - and then, having felt like he'd given a polite enough buffer for both parties to be prepared, lunged with a strike of his own. Artisan was smaller than Artorias was - and could not match the enthusiasm as an alpha defending his land - so he went with a simple maneuver, that of ducking low and attempting to land a bite beneath his opponent's jaw. (and should Artorias be holding his sword by now, Artisan would go from the direction of the hilt, not the blade)

Artisan vs Artorias for Freedom
Round 1/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Dagger and sheath bracers
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced pirate hat
Companion 1: Blue and Yellow Macaw, Female - Flying
Companion 2: Blue and Yellow Macaw, Male - Flying
Skills: Advanced Intellectual & Expert Navigator

OOC NOTE: I would like to use my EQUALIZER in this fight - I've placed in Artisan's fight form as it is because I have 0 idea how the equalizer will work, but makin' the intention clear I'd like to use it so please, judges/admin, let me know if I need an observed-edit for anything to use the item properly.

"Speech"

The chaos of the melee made it hard to distinguish what was going on, especially in such close quarters combat. Romulus didn't mind though; if anything, it was a thrill! His heart thumped hard in his chest, pumping adrenaline like liquid fire through his bloodstream. His initial attack hadn't landed quite the effect he'd hoped for, but he did at least get to graze the invader's thigh and watch as Eska landed a solid bite to squishy flesh instead. Well, at least his attempt had positioned one of his pack mates to get a more successful attack on their opponent. The invader was focused hard on Rudyard, aiming to bite the other wolf's belly where he could. It also meant that his attention was divided.

Using the chaos to his advantage, Roman slipped back away from the scuffle, giving himself some breathing room to assess and plan. Eska had gone for an attempt to bring him down by his thigh, and Rudy was attempting to grab the invader around the head and neck, it seemed. With both of his compatriots going for grapples and holds, Roman decided he'd be the fulcrum to help them take their opponent down. Darting around the melee, the silver-furred Armada wolf picked a spot behind their opponent where he had a straight shot at charging the other wolf. With a vicious snarl, Roman lunged for the pirate, throwing himself with all his strength, speed, and weight at his opponent's right hind leg in an attempt to topple him and start the motions for Rudy and Eska to take him down.

Romulus | Rudyard | Eska vs Úlfr for Dominance
Round 2/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Hidden switchblade
Defensive Battle Accessory: Jaguar cloak with hood
Companion 1: Red-tailed Hawk, Male - Flying
Companion 2: Wolverine, Male - Battle
Skills: Expert Fighter & Intermediate Healer

"Romulus Armada"

As he drew nearer to the pirate, the gold and blue wolf suddenly sprung back, putting some space between them and making Artorias realize that this wolf wasn't going to go down without some sort of fight. Amber eyes narrowed as the alpha prepared to advance on the wolf again, but his opponent's words caught him off guard and gave him pause, staring at the smaller male with a look of bewilderment and surprise. Art blinked a few times, his mind trying to catch up to what the other wolf had said. Was he... flirting with him? Artorias' jaw hung open for a moment, looking like he was about to say something in retort, but nothing came to his mind. The pirate wolf looked shocked and offended, his beaded bracelets catching Artorias' attention for but a split second before the wolf's innuendos took it back once more. Was he insinuating Artorias was going to be taking him to bed? The young brute's cheeks flushed with heat, ears flicking back against his head while he glanced around to see if anyone else was nearby that could have overheard their conversation. What the hell was even going on anymore?!

There was a beat of silence between them while Artorias tried to wrap his brain around what was going on between him and this galactic-coated male. He glanced back at his sword when the other wolf motioned to his sword. "...What-" But that was all Artorias could get out before the golden wolf was making his move towards him. Artorias' reflexes were quick, but he had been caught up in his confusion and could not fully manage to get out of the way. Instead, he tucked his chin down as his opponent's jaws bit at his chin, teeth digging into his skin. He'd protected his jaw and throat, but now his foe could get a grip on his muzzle. Unable to snap back and without his sword, Artorias relied on his superior size and strength to try to overpower the pirate. In their close quarters, Artorias snarled and lifted his right foreleg in an attempt to grapple the wolf around his neck, aiming to get a hold of him and push with his weight to throw him to the ground.

Artorias vs Artisan for Force Claim
Round 2/2
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
Companion 2: Silver cross fox - Battle - Boosted
Mutation 1: Stronger teeth and jaws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Thicker fur - Defensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Weaponsmaster

OOC: I'm not sure how the Equalizer affects this fight, so I'm just gonna leave the fight form as normal for now. Staff/judges, please adjust accordingly based on Artisan's use of Equalizer!

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

And the winner is...

Romulus, Eska and Rudyard!

Úlfr must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Romulus: Attack Roll: 71 Defense Roll: 77 Agility Roll: 19 Perception Roll: 56 Total: 223 Attack[71] + 25% Bonus[17.75]: 88.75 Defense[77] + 25% Bonus[19.25]: 96.25 Agility[19] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 19.00 Perception[56] + 10% Bonus[5.60]: 61.60 Total[265.60] + 30% Bonus[79.68]: 345.28 Rudyard Attack Roll: 74 Defense Roll: 38 Agility Roll: 60 Perception Roll: 34 Total: 206 Attack[74] + 90% Bonus[66.60]: 140.60 Defense[38] + 15% Bonus[5.70]: 43.70 Agility[60] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 60.00 Perception[34] + 10% Bonus[3.40]: 37.40 Total[281.70] + 35% Bonus[98.59]: 380.29 Eska Attack Roll: 27 Defense Roll: 76 Agility Roll: 78 Perception Roll: 9 Total: 190 Attack[27] + 70% Bonus[18.90]: 45.90 Defense[76] + 15% Bonus[11.40]: 87.40 Agility[78] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 78.00 Perception[9] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 9.00 Total[220.30] + 35% Bonus[77.11]: 297.41 Úlfr Attack Roll: 60 Defense Roll: 25 Agility Roll: 8 Perception Roll: 70 Total: 163 Attack[60] + 60% Bonus[36.00]: 96.00 Defense[25] + 15% Bonus[3.75]: 28.75 Agility[8] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 8.00 Perception[70] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 70.00 Total[202.75] + 55% Bonus[111.51]: 314.26

Artisan's teeth peeled through flesh, but not the flesh at his jaw where his attack had been aimed. He pulled his head back quickly to readjust, just in time to see Artorias' foreleg coming down upon his neck. The differences in size and weight between the two wolves was not incredibly overwhelming, but definitely made standing tall beneath the direwolf's grapple difficult.

Artisan felt himself falling and snapped his jaws out in panic, praying to whatever God a pirate should pray to that he might be able to find some flesh upon Artorias' chest to catch upon. At the same time he lashed out with his foreleg. Hidden inside the bracer at his wrist was a short dagger, and with a hard flick of his leg he intended to jam in behind Artorias' right wrist to hopefully force the stabilizing leg to move and bring the larger man down along with him.

Artisan vs Artorias for Freedom
Round 2/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Dagger and sheath bracers
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced pirate hat
Companion 1: Blue and Yellow Macaw, Female - Flying
Companion 2: Blue and Yellow Macaw, Male - Flying
Skills: Advanced Intellectual & Expert Navigator

"Speech"

And the winner is...

Artorias

Artorias's force claim was successful. Artisan must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Artorias: Attack Roll: 64 Defense Roll: 31 Agility Roll: 44 Perception Roll: 59 Total: 198 Attack[64] + 75% Bonus[48.00]: 112.00 Defense[31] + 20% Bonus[6.20]: 37.20 Agility[44] + 25% Bonus[11.00]: 55.00 Perception[59] + 10% Bonus[5.90]: 64.90 Total[269.10] + 35% Bonus[94.19]: 363.29 Artisan: Attack Roll: 99 Defense Roll: 28 Agility Roll: 20 Perception Roll: 33 Total: 180 Attack[99] + 75% Bonus[74.25]: 173.25 Defense[28] + 20% Bonus[5.60]: 33.60 Agility[20] + 25% Bonus[5.00]: 25.00 Perception[33] + 10% Bonus[3.30]: 36.30 Total[268.15] + 35% Bonus[93.85]: 362.00

Artisan's panicked flailing amounted to nearly nothing, leaving him hitting the ground with a hard 'oof' and unfortunately, not bringing the alpha down with him. Artisan groaned, lifting his paw and waving it around beneath Artorias in a generally well understood signal of 'OK, you can get off now.' It was the pirate's first real fight and damn, it was not as fun as he was expecting in the slightest. At least he could look forward to the booze in the after-party that Sparrow was surely planning.

"OK, OK, you win." He relented good naturedly from beneath the man. "I was really hoping to come out on top (wink wink, nudge nudge) but even I know when I'm beaten." The wolves around him were beginning to leave, having lost their fights and been expelled from the attempted castle sleepover. Artisan wiggled beneath Artorias' hold, confusion brewing in his eyes. "Seriously though, I'm sore, hungry, and I'm going to miss the after-party if you don't let me go now, and somebody has to be there to make sure my idiot brother doesn't drink himself to death."  


"Speech"

The two wolves grappled and struggled against one another for a short period, but eventually Artorias got the upper hand and was able to throw his opponent to the ground. However, in the close quarters scuffle, Artorias didn’t notice the pirate’s hidden blade, and only felt the sharp sear of the dagger as it pierced his foreleg. Teeth flashed in a snarl of pain, but Art didn’t let it slow down his momentum. He pushed his weight down to pin the smaller wolf beneath him, winding up on top of the pirate wolf who waved his paws in mimed surrender. Artorias accepted his surrender and did not attempt to further hurt the inebriated enemy, but neither did he let the wolf up either. This was their prisoner, a message sent to Sparrow to not try to fuck with the Hallows again. Unprovoked attacks would not go unpunished. Were his mother still the alpha, no doubt she would have killed the invaders.

The wolf below him squirmed and wiggled, and Artorias responded by pressing his weight further down on the golden wolf, fixing him with a hard leer. The pirate made a comment of hoping he would’ve been on top, pulling another flustered blush from the young alpha, then asked to be released to leave with his pack. Lips peeled back from sharp teeth in another snarl, giving him wordless warning to stop his resisting. "Stop struggling. You’re not leaving and I don’t want to hurt you." Artorias glanced back up to the fleeing pirates, shooting daggers at the departing Sparrow who didn’t bother to try to parlay or negotiate for her wolf’s release. She just left him behind. How heartless. She had led them in a doomed attack against a much stronger opponent without any care or regard for their safety. It was insulting, to both him, his pack, and her wolves, and now they would have to pay for her trespasses.

Turning fiery amber eyes back down to his captive, Artorias debated what he should do with the wolf. No doubt his pack would call for justice, but punishing the underling for his alpha’s misdeeds didn’t sit well with him. His injured leg was dripping blood steadily down onto the other male, marring his beautiful coat with stains of scarlet. He glanced around to his wolves, spotting Ulric and gesturing for the other dire’s assistance. "Help me get him in a cell," he said, gesturing to his injured and bleeding leg, then caught the attention of Romulus. "Close the gates. No one is getting in or out." While Romulus ran to seal the main gates, Artorias would move off of his prisoner to nudge him to his paws. "C'mon, get up. Get inside." Every step he took made Art wince to put his weight on his leg, but he was going to ensure the pirate was locked up until he could figure out what to do with him.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"