Alright, here we are. I dunno if it's ok, but I suppose this is what this process is for. [hider=Gareth][b]Name:[/b] Gareth Battleblood [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Age:[/b] 21 [b]Appearance:[/b] Tall and well built with short dark hair, stern hazel eyes and square features. Clean shaven. Has several scars running across his face and body. Usually wears a rough spun tunic, brown gloves and boots, black pants and a leather travelling cloak. Looks older than he actually is. [b]Personality:[/b] Straight forward and efficient, he tends to somewhat distant. He tries not to be so cold when talking to others, although he's not exactly one to draw out a conversation. Gareth isn't one to talk much at all, really, but he at least tries to make the effort to get along with others. Besides being unreliable in a social situation, he's loyal to those he trusts and would give his life for them if they're close enough. [b]Equipment:[/b] Spear, metal circular shield, steel short sword, and a steel breastplate. [b]Abilities:[/b] Skilled spear fighter, similarly skilled with with sword and shield, though his favoured weapon is the spear (and shield). Physically strong and can take hits. Is able to run for long distances without tiring, although he falls a bit short in speed. Good survival skills. In terms of special abilities, Gareth is able to create and project solid red energy which is capable of absorbing damage, which he calls his "battle aura". While it's active it increases his physical strength, making him stronger and faster, but drains his stamina and increases his aggression. The energy must be linked to Gareth and dissipates if it disconnects or is projected too far away. [b]Strengths:[/b] Good defensive fighter, and is able to fill many roles. His battle aura can be used to bolster his defenses or to increase his offensive power by coating his weapon with his battle aura. [b]Weaknesses:[/b] Almost no long ranged options aside from throwing his spear. His battle aura isn't unbreakable, and when it goes it takes a chunk of Gareth's stamina with it. The stamina drain even without breaking it is rather significant and he tries not to use it unless he has to. [hider=The practice trial (it's long)] Gareth paces around the arena. In the vast space's center, the dragon stared at him, watching his movements. Gareth takes a step towards it. It moved slightly, shifting its large bulk as if in discomfort. Gareth calmly considered his options. He had to survive for an hour, kill the dragon or steal the egg that it was guarding. It would be difficult to kill the dragon given its size, and since he wasn't exactly the fastest man around, he couldn't exactly make a mad dash for the egg. That meant he had to survive for an hour, but the dragon didn't seem like it approved of his company. It was sitting calmly at the moment, but Gareth knew that it wasn't going to stay that way. The dragon was somewhat different to those from his homeland but he knew their tells all too well. The way it sat, the way its leg muscles bunched up, how it looked at him like it was sizing up prey. Gareth slowly reached up, over his shoulder, and withdrew his spear. As he did, the dragon rose to its feet, making it clear that only one of them was leaving alive. Gareth extracted his spear with a flourish, spinning it lightly in his right hand while his left moved to the shield on his back. He fit it onto his arm as the dragon took a step forward, opening its mouth to roar. Gareth slammed the butt of his spear on the floor of the arena before leveling his shield at the dragon. The match was on. Gareth stabbed at the dragon's foot. It reared up, roaring in indignation, before bringing its bulk down towards Gareth. He rolled backwards, narrowly avoiding several tonnes of crushing force, before coming up with shield upraised. A habit from years of combat training, but it proved its usefulness as the dragon had already launched its next attack. It opened its mouth and let loose a stream of fire, expanding on its path to engulf Gareth before it exploded onto the ground. Gareth struggled under the force of the breath but got to his feet. No matter how good his shield was he wouldn't last long under such an attack. He gritted his teeth and staggered out of the stream of fire and ran to the right. The dragon followed his movements with his breath but Gareth poured on the speed and managed to outrun the flaming pillar. The fire stopped and Gareth took a moment to catch his breath. This wasn't going anywhere fast. If they kept fighting like this then of the two, the dragon would probably come out on top. Which meant that Gareth would have to change the status quo. And if that was in order, then it was time for him to pull all the stops. Gareth closed his eyes and concentrated, welling up his strength. He tried to feel of the power coursing through his muscles, tried to summon the surge of adrenaline. But his trance was broken by a feral snarl. Gareth opened his eyes to see reptilian jaws flying towards him. In a panic Gareth swung with his spear, which proved to be a mistake. The small dragon knocked the spear out of Gareth's flimsy grip and hurtled into him, snapping and biting. It went for his neck, but he managed to catch it at his chest, where its teeth scratching fruitlessly at Gareth's steel breastplate. He threw the small dragon off, sending it careening to the floor a few feet away, before jumping backwards and drawing his short sword. He mentally berated himself for forgetting about the 30 minute condition but he adjusted his thought process quickly. His main weapon was behind the smaller dragon, and behind that was the larger one. This wasn't going to be easy. Gareth raised his shield at the smaller dragon and levelled his sword accordingly. Preferably he'd take care of the smaller dragon first as he had the best chance of taking it down quickly. The large dragon had other plans, however. Gareth's eyes swung towards the giant claw arcing downwards towards him, forcing him to dodge to the right as the claw gouged a considerable chunk of the ground he'd been standing on. Gareth rolled to a sitting position, but this had apparently been what the small dragon was waiting for. It'd somehow raced behind him and had free access to Gareth's back. He raised his sword arm to keep it at bay. The dragon responded by biting down and trapping his arm. Gareth struggled with the beast, digging his heels in to avoid being dragged back by the beast. A fierce roar drew Gareth's attention back to the large dragon as its open mouth sped towards him. Gareth reacted quickly. He jumped backwards as the small dragon pulled his arm, sending it reeling, takig his body with it. But just before his body got out of the danger zone, the large dragon's mouth clamped down onto his shield. Gareth cursed out loud as he tried to retain control of his body. With the small dragon on one side and big dragon on the other, Gareth could only desperately keep his feet on the ground between the two forces. Then Gareth closed his eyes. He felt the power surge through him, the adrenaline turning his desperation into fury, he felt his blood turn to fire. He opened his eyes, vision tinted red. It came from his right arm, pushing against the dragon's teeth. Gareth's battle aura coated his arm, wrapping around his sword. With no teeth holding it down Gareth swung his arm back, slicing a gaping wound through the small dragon's cheeks. Its blood sprayed onto the floor as it stumbled back, shaking its ruined mouth. Gareth slipped free of his shield as it did, using his enhanced speed to grab the small dragon's neck before it could react. Red bloomed from his hand as the battle aura emerged, securing his grip on the thrashing beast. One swift swing of his shortsword saw the small dragon's head fall to the ground. The large dragon shook its head, trying to dislodge the shield from its mouth. Gareth ran forward, dropping his sword before picking up his spear. The dragon finally spat out the shield and reared up to strike the running warrior, but it was already too late. Red energy crept onto Gareth's spear, coating it in a deadly crimson haze. There was only one place to aim for a target this large, the dragon's heart. As the monster's claws bore down towards him, Gareth jumped. Blood erupted from the dragon's chest as he sunk his spear into the mighty beast's heart, staining Gareth's arms even further. The dragon fell backwards and collapsed, an extra spurt of blood exiting its wound as the spear exited its body. Its drying breaths gurgled as blood welled up in its throat. Gareth sank to his hands and knees as the exhaustion set in. The red aura faded and Gareth's limbs lost their strength as the adrenaline drained. He managed to fall into an awkward sitting position and simply sat for a moment, taking deep breaths. The dragon bled and breathed its last as Gareth retrieved his shield and sword, and he was teleported out of the arena.[/hider][/hider] It was a toss up between this guy and a mime. Tell me what you think.