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Saphen's eyes widened as the speed of his opponent would make dodging this next maneuver rather troublesome.

Decision time...

Would Saphen attempt to dodge the attack completely but compromise his position with a much faster opponent.

OR

Would Saphen attempt to get a large amount of damage in while possibly causing some damage to himself.

There was almost no time to think so he decided to cut it even closer as the stone pillar turned, aiming it's end at the wolf and attempted to become a battering ram.

Saphen raised his bow in defiance as the wolf lunged at him with a ferocity that would well exceed anything in nature. Taking a lyric from Spyke's song he attempted to feint a physical assault as magic worked the bass line. The stone pillar flew at a very low height straight at the two combatants (6 feet off the ground). The idea was that as soon as the pillar slammed into Spyke the bard would dive beneath the metal and stone destruction in order to dodge the attack.

Since Spyke had gained so much speed so quickly the pillar and Spyke would be near Saphen all at the same time. So as the wolf flew at him Saphen yelled in anger pretending to lunge with the metal spike at the end of his bow before he quickly dipped his body low and dived to the ground. The shield that Spyke would assault him with however came within inches of his back and frost spread along his back causing frost bite along the exposed areas of his skin (such as near the neck and shoulders.)

As the pillar passed Saphen quickly rose using the blade that ran down the length of his bow to cut open his shirt and unbuckled the leather chest piece letting it all drop to the ground. This was to prevent the ice from spreading over his body and consuming him or burning him further.

Saphen stood in the rain, shirtless save for the vines that were wrapped around his chest, watching to see if his attack had succeeded. On his left arm, the one that held the violin, was another cactus wrapped gently around his forearm with the roots wrapped around his wrist. The bard's body was not the most athletic body in the world but the muscles were defined to a degree. The skin had a soft tan to it and as the water beaded down his form he winced in pain from the frost bite. The hood that covered his hair, the muffler that draped over his shoulders, and his mask were all relatively in tact. The back of the muffler however was torn slightly revealing more damaged skin.

The b*****d has gotten quicker....he whispered in both pain and enjoyment...this was getting more interesting by the moment.

Legato: Tied Together "Let the Earth Tear you Asunder!"

Saphen's breathing was heavy as he watched his attack fail once more. Spyke was overcoming his plots with sheer tenacity and the next action may prove fatal if the musician was not careful.

As what appeared to be a drunk driver in a crappy Prius attempted to crash into him while talking on a cell phone, the bard came up with a insane idea.

Saphen bent his neck to the right, stretching it slightly, before he began to play a more up tempo song as Spyke raged towards him.

There were a few things to keep in mind at this very moment. After dodging the bard had not moved and so with his opponent flying at such a high speed Saphen had very little options...he needed distance now and he would get that distance...one way or another.

As Spyke's fist cocked back the muddy earth gathered in front of Saphen to prepare but there was something else with it...the leather chest piece that Saphen had tossed aside. The ice had apparently not consumed it, maybe only getting his shirt, but it would prove useful in this psychotic gesture of defense. As the punch was thrown the sponge like earth lifted, placing the leather armor in the middle of it and here is where the insanity starts. Saphen stopped playing for a moment and leaped up, using both of his forearms to press into the middle of the chest piece to protect his body and instrument as Spyke slammed into the earthly mass.

The bard flew through the air, wincing in pain, as the wolf launched the musician across the arena. Both the earth and the leather protected Saphen from what might be a fatal blow but also allowed him to gain distance(30 yards). Saphen turned his head in caution to see the earth quickly coming to meet him and after a few desperate notes (not wives, sorry boys) the soft mud lifted to catch him.

Saphen groaned in pain as he checked his forearms, they were definitely bruised but luckily not broken. Even while landing in mud there was little defense from gravity which only caused him to groan more. The mud pushed Saphen's body upwards, allowing him to stand up with out putting pressure on his arms before something odd happened.

The vine around his body, which looked strangely like a wood cylinder, lifted up slightly. Rather both ends of the vine lifted, pointing towards the sky as the bard looked for his opponent amidst the rain. There were a few reasons why Saphen opted to fly across the arena...though if he was honest he would say he realized a few of them after the fact.

The bard had torn up the arena with his earth attacks, with that in mind, Spyke would have to be more careful if he wished to cover the distance between the two. Saphen now had time to prep another attack with out the beast breathing down his neck, ready to latch on to his jugular at anytime. The last was that if Saphen had merely evaded, the warrior would have simply turned around and launched at him for the third time.

Taking a moment to return music to the world, Saphen continued to play as the vines seemed to move with the music...but for what purpose?

Legato: Tied Together "Let the Earth Tear you Asunder!"

Saphen watched his opponent argue with himself as the composer regained his composure. The bard's arms quivered in pain but he had to regain control if he wished to defeat his opponent.

Maybe I am looking at this all wrong...thought the minstrel as he watched Spyke begin to move towards him.

If I want to end this I need to intimidate him instead of being intimidated! Saphen thought as he bared his teeth beneath the mask in both frustration and pain.

As the warrior marched to his own beat the bard began to play music once more.

Saphen walked forward, his right hand rapidly moving the bow along the strings in defiance, his chin held some what low but the eye slits of his masked were angeled in such a way that his opponent would know that he was staring at him. The music crescendoed and roared in fury, it was not happy to have been stopped by something so trivial as human agony and as it enveloped the arena it acted as if it would never be silenced again. Every step was marked with determination, every note beamed with strength...and that is when the next measure really began.

Spyke was running past all the areas where the two had just battled and thus...daggers littered the "no man's land" that separated them. As his opponent neared the first group they launched themselves from the ground aiming for weak areas of the armor plating that adorned him. There were at least fifty daggers littering the ground and as each one popped out they hit from all different directions. Aiming for such places as the neck, under arms, ankles, face among other things. The idea was to try and strike where multiple armor pieces met, thus allowing the daggers to push through and cause damage. If one did managed to get between the armor it would slither its way in and attempt to find a home beneath his skin (a decent neighborhood of course but nothing fancy, kids have to go to college and all).

The music grew louder and bolder as more daggers were added to the assault each moment but if his opponent could focus during the assault he would notice something else. The vine was lifting higher into the rain soaked skies as one end coiled back around the body and the other gained height.

"Do you really intend to write a dirge in my honor?" the bard said softly as he watched the events unfold.

Legato: Tied Together "Let the Earth Tear you Asunder!"

"Most inconvenient," remarked the bard as his friend launched across the entire arena in a final attempt to crush all the inspiration he had left.

To say that Saphen was frustrated was an understatement. There was no doubt in his mind that taking the initial blow would have bought him more time but it seems reality is not so easily foretold. Rather than marching through a devastated field his opponent merely jumped over it with what appeared to be inhuman power and vitality.

There was no way of knowing what way his opponent would attack so rather than wait around for the curtain to fall the bard decided to cut the cord himself.

"That is all the time we have my friend," the bard said softly speaking to the plant that was slowly filling with water. The particular type of vine that Saphen had brought to this battle was known as a water vine. The vine looked like a wooden cylinder but its ability to absorb water was amazing. In the wild it was an excellent way to find water in the deep jungle but in this particular scenario it was a great way to wield the element instead. The plant had been slowly taking in water through out the whole battle but more recently the bard was forcing the twenty foot vine to fill even faster.

Spyke was flying through the air most likely attempting to assault him in physical combat but there was no way to be sure. What Saphen was sure of however was that maneuvering in mid flight was extremely difficult. The water vine aimed at Spyke as he came with in distance of the bard's next assault. His opponent was roughly fifteen feet from the bard as the tip of the vine turned to aim at Spyke.

"This one goes out to a special friend," said the bard softly as the bow tapped gently against the strings making a short and swift melody which made his wrist jerk swiftly to keep the pace.

No better way to lure the devil than playing his own tune...

The guts of the plant tightened forcing the water to propel from the tip like a fire hose. The plant would be useless after this single shot since the only way for Saphen to get that much pressure to be released was to crush the innards of the plant but it would be worth it.

Where was the bard aiming you ask? I shall tell you.

The powerful water stream was aimed at Spyke's face. With his advanced speed Saphen was hoping it would be difficult for him to see the attack. It mattered not however if he could see it though for the attack created two situations. If Spyke was hit by it he would go into a spin, crashing to the earth in an awkward manner and with the weight of his armor...it might hurt...he hoped.

If Spyke found some way to dodge it in mid air Saphen was ready with a second attack.

As the music picked up pace the earth lifted in front of him quickly condensing into a weak stone sphere. Water dripped out as it solidified but there was little time to make the stone more condensed and thus more resilient. If Spyke was indeed hit by the water and spun the bard would then hit him again with the stone sphere (3 ft diameter) causing him to spin even more erratically and limit his ability to counter to almost nothing. If Spyke found a way to counter the water or move in the air the bard would aim the stone at where he thought Spyke would be after he evaded.

Either way the bard played the last note of his song, both of his arms dropping as he took a knee, bowing his head slightly as the stone was launched. For a moment the vision of the bard would be blocked and after the stone was launched it would appear as if Saphen had vanished but this was not the case. The earth had lifted making a small trench in the wet ground. After the stone was launched Saphen rolled into it for both protection and to catch his breath.

The minstrel's body was also fairly spent and he had to devise any way to avoid more physical combat. If nothing else the attacks or spinning or what ever occurred would keep the warrior busy while Saphen regained some vigor...

Laying in the wet mud, instrument resting on his chest, Saphen could only think highly of his opponent...his friend had grown stronger indeed.

Legato: Tied Together "Let the Earth Tear you Asunder!"