Sentinel watched, his eyes well-equipped for the darkness through which they ran. His shadows still shrouded the place, so it was easy enough to see James turn and look at him. Now, he thought, and feinted--throwing himself first one way, then the other, in an attempt to avoid the magic.

It did not work, and with rising irritation he found himself thrown again.

He had already told the horse that he had experienced this; it was teaching him nothing new, bar frustration. He made a note, however, to begin fights with a lethal attack, so as to avoid this sort of thing in true combat. It seemed the only solution for such an opponent was a swift death.

Round: 3/?
Attempt: Avoid being thrown
Defense: none
Injuries: none

@James

James decided to try something new. If he was going to win it was going to be by being unpredictable, after all. If he was going to outlast Sentinel, he ought to be smart and actually, well, fight back.

He suddenly came to a stop and turned to face Sentinel, looking as if he were about to throw him again. Instead he cast a different spell, his trusted shield. It formed around him like a bubble, invisible to the eye, especially in the dark. There would be nothing but a faint shimmer, like heat off hot pavement, but nothing else to suggest it was there.

"Alright, Sentinel," he said, "Let's see what you got. Tell me, what have you observed thus far from this encounter?"

@The Sentinel

Round: 3/?
Attempt: Set up a shield!
Defense: Shield of the Seven
Injuries: Tender front foreleg from previous fight.

His answer was curt.

"Thus far, it has taught nothing." James had merely--as the Sentinel had already told him--repeated attacks that he had already seen in the past. He had learned nothing from this, as there was nothing to learn from repeating that past.

Well, there was one lesson. "It has learned that it must begin with a kill," he amended. That much was true. Lesson learned; when entering a fight, kill the enemy before they could do this.

Dewberry's lesson was thus unlearned: it was unwise to wait to see a Gembound's intentions, not when it could give someone this level of advantage.

James, it seemed, was beginning again, and so the Sentinel turned to rush back for his halberd. If he was meant to attack, he would need his weapon.

Presuming the horse did not stop him again.

Round: 4/?
Attempt: Get back to the halberd before possibly being stopped
Defense: none
Injuries: none

@James

James nodded once, "Yes. Hesitation will leave you open, and allow your opponent to bring up a defense."

Well at least that had gotten through.

"You've learned the key to fighting a spellcasting opponent... but what about defending against one?", he said, and prepared his next round of attacks.

He summoned a wisp, apparently for light. It could be to blind Sentinel, which it was probably doing at that moment, or it could be for another reason that wasn't apparent yet.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his true intent not being to blind, simply preparing for his next spell. He shouldn't give up an advantage, though.

Though he was unaware that Sentinel's previous teachings could give him an advantage too.

@The Sentinel

Round: 4/?
Attempt: Summon a wisp
Defense: N/A
Injuries: Tender front foreleg from previous fight.

He was quite far off, by now, so much so that he did not care about the wisp. In fact, in the extreme unnatural darkness he'd created, shrouded by his own shadows, he very much doubted that James could see him at all. His back was to the horse as he picked up his spear,

"It had sought teaching. Did it have things to teach, or only questions of its own?" he asked, and it was not meant as sarcasm; it seemed to him that James had questions, but no answers--that the horse himself was puzzled over how this should work.

Hearing, though, was a method of location, and his speech, at least, was a deliberate bait; he did not turn back toward James, keeping his glowing parts toward the front, shrouded in his shadows. After speaking he rolled off, hoping that any attack James might launch would hit the dust, and nothing more.

Round: 5/?
Attempt: Bait and move off
Defense: none
Injuries: none

"I teach by guiding," he said, "I guide people to come to their own conclusions. It helps them feel accomplished when they figure something out and can then apply it better. Instead of struggling to apply something how I do it, they immediately try to find a way that works for them. Does that make sense?"

James could barely see the Sentinel in the gloom, and it certainly didn't help that he was black too, blending into the shadows perfectly. If he were Sentinel, he'd try to ambush, either from behind or from the front, where his blindspots were, or from the left front, in the direction of his weak leg. It was best to prepare beforehand, and then launch an attack when Sentinel was open.

"You've come to one conclusion already," he said, "The best way to defeat a defensive gembound is to disrupt their defense before they begin. You came to that conclusion, learned from it, and now you can deal with it in the future."

Another wisp popped up, floating next to the first. Again, his intent was unclear. Perhaps he was trying to give himself the advantage of sight, hoping he could spot Sentinel before he attacked in order to gain the upper hand.

'Neither of us are attacking... perhaps he is preparing for an attack too?', he thought, shifting idly, eyeing the shadows.

@The Sentinel

Round: 5/?
Attempt: Summon a wisp
Defense: N/A
Injuries: Tender front foreleg from previous fight.

He hefted the halberd in one hand, and listened.

Without explanation, he began to move away; he attempted to reach for the darkness, to shroud him, but nothing came.

"It will depart," he said at last, and made to leave without further words.

exit unless stopped
@James

James stood there for a moment, taken aback. Oh... they were just leaving. He stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, just watching the other leave.

"... Hope he learned something," he mumbled softly, sagging.

He walked off and away from the forum, off to go and see Pride or something, his wisps trailing behind, dimming until they finally just went out.

Exit James
@The Sentinel

Character: James Age: +9 (9 Cycles) Magic Level: +5 (Transcendent Pupil) ROUND 1 Attempt: +20 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +17 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +12 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +10 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +12 Penalties: - Total: 85

Character: The Sentinel Age: +3 (3 Cycles) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler) ROUND 1 Attempt: +5 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +12 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +3 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +7 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +19 Penalties: - Total: 52

WINNER: James