[u][b]Thessir[/b][/u]

Well, this was certainly looking to be an uphill battle for the poor little elf.

He was a bit confused from the introductions given by the announcer. [i]Guest fighter? But I'm no less a student thin the other. Must be some sort of clerical error.[/i] He pondered. Turning his thoughts back to his opponent he sized her up as she stood stoically before him.

[i]Hmm... Perhaps a buff oriented melee fighter? I'll have to find out what's up her sleeves before I decide just how hard I need to fight back. Hopefully I'll learn before I lose my head, heheheh.[/i] Deep in thought he stood there, grinning in amusement for some unseen reason.

He was standing close up to the wall in the hall. He moved shiftily, eyes furtively darting about. He was watching where he stepped with great caution, largely avoiding the beams of light which illuminated said hall. From the looks of things this was going to be one of those fights where every second spent using his magic was going to have to be spent wisely.

[b]"Without further ado... Begin!"[/b]

As the announcer proclaimed this match's commencement his foe bellowed her war cry and charged right for him. Thessir himself assumed a stance though it wasn't a particularly aggressive stance. He simply stood somewhat lurched forward, arms hanging in front of him as he gently swayed from side to side. His motion was not unlike that of a drunkard struggling to keep his balance but with a strange smoothness akin to a snake's wavelike motion as it slithers.

Muttering low he incanted his spell, arcane words uttered in a language only he understood. His gestures were subtle, hand motions hidden beneath his long sleeves as he cast his spell. As the spell took hold he could feel his bones, from his arms to his ribcage and partways up his spine, begin to soften. The changes that were underway would not be visible to the observer for he was only turning his arms and upper torso into what could only be described as darkness made material. His head remained unchanged as did the rest of his body from the hip down.

Just as his foe began to approach the slashing range of her halberd in one smooth motion he produced a throwing knife from his coat sleeve and hurled it right for the middle of her throat with keen precision. To those observing while all seemed ordinary the observant could see his hands were now pitch black, the details of his digits and palm no longer clear. Leaping back to buy distance he kept his other knife in hand, both hand and blade hidden beneath his sleeve just in case the first knife couldn't meet it's mark for whatever reason.

While it would be charming if this quick shot with a blade were to finish the fight right there he suspected it wouldn't be that easy. His main aim was to goad her into showing off her magic so he could retaliate accordingly. His secondary aim was to finish the fight with little to no demonstration of his magic. He wanted to save his magic's full potential for the big matches, to keep his surprises for the bigger names in the field. He had heard that the princess was competing this year and that she was something of a big deal amidst his fellow students. He knew of her though mostly through second hand information as his studies kept him well too busy for gossip. Still he toyed with the notion of the possibility that they might fight.

One fight at a time though. He still had this one to win first.