Elias surged forward and was able to get close enough to the deer to attack back. Not without getting into whatever spell the deer had used before that first. His body was slacking, and the smell was absolutely rancid. Elias didn't like that at all - it almost was like what the other deer was doing before, but also different. The same but not the same. He wondered if the bigger one had trained this one at all, or if it was merely a coincidence.

It didn't matter anyway, Elias needed to protect himself from this strange thing. And so he would. Elias sent a bulky tail lashing at the deer's legs, unaware of what the spell casted on them would do.

@Tahi-shei
Round 2/5
Attempt: Hit tahi's legs with his tail
Defense: Literally nothing
Injuries: Body feeling tingly.... kinda sleepy

Tahi-shei skipped easily out of the way of Elias's tail, noticing that he was even more sluggish now. For all his scales and teeth, he moved slowly enough that his movements could be tracked (even if he was still pretty fast). The sika was tempted to stomp on him out of instinct, but something Orthoclase-Alpha had said to him seemed to echo in his mind -- if you use your legs, you'll break them. That was a very real fear with Elias, from what he'd seen with Aran. His breath caught and electricity started to build up in him again, crackling in the air around his fur and then arcing off him and towards Elias.

What was that thing Madhukar had said--? Electricity could spawn powerfully from fear and anger, but in this state, it could not be controlled. Tahi-shei needed to be careful, or risk losing himself to it. He always sacrificed power for control -- but maybe this fight would change that.


Round: 3/5
Attempt: electrocution, baybee
Defense: Inky Cap around legs
Injuries: Sore from backfired Bolt :(


@elias

Another spell hit after his attack missed. It burned. Searing into his skin, creating burns that would take some time to heal, if he were to get out of this alive. The intentions of the deer were made clear when the conversation dipped to be more dangerous. Even now, it was extremely clear, as his body was in pain and his skin burned.

Elias used the side of his head to thrash at the deer's legs this time. The thing needed to be taken off of his feet. Standing caused issues.

3/5
Attempt: Knock tahi over by hitting his legs
Defense: None
Injuries: Muscles doin a hurt, kinda tired, a little toasted on some parts of his skin
@Tahi-shei

If one looked closely at Tahi-shei, they might have tried to find something in his eyes. Usually, they held a curiosity, a yearning, a kindness. Eager, compassionate, and putting great weight into his promises, he was usually... warm. After he had been infected by Mother, Madhukar had noticed a sort of film in his eyes -- that curiosity, that love, that knowledge buried under layers and layers of control and violence.

A similar thing was happening now.

His eyes were glazed over, and it felt as though someone were encasing his heart in concrete. It was less that the world moved in slow motion and more that he felt as though he were moving more quickly -- adrenaline had wound him up like a violin string and with each new movement, something in him threatened to snap. He was wrapped in gauze, watching the fight from afar as he imagined the Collector was -- in fact, Tahi-shei could imagine it, distantly. Himself and the Collector, watching a strange, lifeless husk of Tahi-shei Deimos kill someone from the bone fortresses.

Elias's head moved towards Tahi-shei (regardless of whether the teeth were in the mix or not), and the sika reacted in much the same way one might have expected him to if he were being shot at -- that is to say, backwards. Hooves stepped somewhat inelegantly over bones, a half-glance shot back behind him, but even if his technique was messy the effect was the same. He was further away, now, but as he glanced down he noticed that some of the frills had begun to decay -- Elias must have clipped them with his head when he'd swung. He'd be shortly in for a nasty surprise -- the goop tasted foul, and stuck to everything, and became almost solid again -- and Tahi-shei had no clue what it did if it got in someone's eyes.

@elias
Round: 4/5
Attempt: Move away!
Defense: somewhat damaged Inky Cap around legs, a short distance away
Injuries: Sore from backfired Bolt :(

Elias didn't care to inspect how the deer looked. It was a fight, not a date. When his head made contact with the deer's legs, something stuck to it. Luckly it wasn't in his mouth or in his eyes, but on the side of his mouth. It was.... Weird and sticky. Obnoxious. He didn't want to get any more of that on his face. So, tail it is.

The deer stepped back, though, which meant Elias would have to get closer again. His body hurt, too. Like... Kind of badly. It wasn't the same as how he felt when the other deer used magic, but it was still pain.

Round 4/5
Attempt: Get closer again
Defense: None tho ig his body naturally has armor on it lol
Injuries: Burns, feeling tired, his limbs kinda hurt, now he has the mucus from inky cap on the side of his chompers

@Tahi-shei

Tahi-shei turned his head slightly to the side as Elias approached, his eyes dead and cold. Like Elias was hopefully about to be. But distantly, Tahi-shei knew this was close -- Elias had a chance of being able to walk away from this. A reasonably high one. It all depended, he realized, on how Luck looked down upon him. His stomach rolled, and he set his hooves as magic, thick and wild, began to build in him. Would it strike out? Could be control it? Was his dissociation a blessing or a curse?

He was about to find out.

Electricity arced off his body, tearing along the path he had predestined for it, and when it came jettisoning off of him it was blue.


@elias
Round: 5/5
Attempt: KENTUCKY FRIED LIZARD
Defense: somewhat damaged Inky Cap around legs
Injuries: Sore from backfired Bolt :(

Another wave of pain hit him - it was awful. More burning - his skin felt like it was burning. If he could see what it looked like, he might have been horrified. Shapes contrasting his other shapes on his body, white and grey split by pink from the burns forming. It would have been a heavy sight for anyone that was looking close.

He couldn't move from that spot, limbs contracting. It hurt - the bolt toppled with the other spells. His tiredness. Elias was feeling even more sluggish. He just needed to keep standing, fuck attacking. He needed to not fall like a joke of a creature.

Round 5/5
Attempt: Stay standing
Defense: None
Injuries: Burns from the bolts, feeling tired, bolt making his muscles do funny things, hes got inky cap on the side of his face
@Tahi-shei

Character: Tahi-Shei Age: +5 (5 Cycles) Magic Level: +5 (Master) ROUND 1 Attempt: +14 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +12 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +12 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +13 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +19 Penalties: -0 Total: 80

Character: Elias Age: +11 (11 Cycles) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +14 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +7 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +15 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +12 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +9 Penalties: -0 Total: 69

WINNER: Tahi-Shei

@Tahi-Shei @Elias

Tahi-shei watched the alligator fall, and his legs started to move forward like a wind-up toy. Stiff, rigid, and on a schedule. Like a clockwork man, he stepped on top of the alligator's maw -- strong, but now powerless beneath his (otherwise insignificant) weight. His front hooves were placed squarely below the space in between the eyes, one of his back hooves on the ground for stability and the other one finding a niche in the inward curve of the alligator's stone.

It was pretty, he thought distantly. Red and orange, like fire. Then, he pushed. He felt resistance, first -- quite a lot of it, and then he shifted his weight and manipulated his back hoof and shoved again. The ripping sound of flesh rending from itself started at the head, giving a bit, and then he shoved it once more and the stone pulled free.

He got up and placed his hoof over it, head turning slightly to the side before he kicked it just behind him. He'd be able to grab it later, he was sure. Then, he turned back to Elias -- watched him -- and waited silently for him to die.


@elias
/exit tahi-shei
staff said that elias will be alive for a couple minutes after stone removal, but actively and painfully dying; feel free to lmk if you'd like me to edit something, too!

Elias inevitably fell, legs losing their will to keep him standing. He crumbled, to the rocky floor, body going limp with a thud. If he had his way, Elias would have stood right back up and crushed that deer's legs under his maw like he did the other. Except this time, he couldn't have his way. A hoof landed itself on his face, and Elias cringed. It hurt, so bad. Paired with the injuries he had from the fight. It would have been worse, if Elias' eyes weren't thretening to close. The searing pain from the injuries he got from the lighting spells were nothing compared to the pain of the deer yanking at the stone on his face.

No. Nononononono He knew what would happen if that was taken from him, he would die. He would surely die. It was karma, he knew, for doing the things he did. Elias failed to squirm, even, from his body being so tired. He couldn't move.

He couldn't do anything but sit there when the stone was tore from his face.

There was pain - and there was a lot of it. He couldn't stop this pain, nothing he did would stop it. Not until he took his last breath and perished, unable to awaken again.

Exit :')

@Tahi-shei [For visibility]