Fantasy Of Fire and Ice [Completed]

[Tharivle]

Idren still in disbelief that she was thinking that she was going alone, caught the door and followed her inside, but didn't speak. He stood to the side of the door expecting her to turn and talk to him when she was done donning her armor. But instead of talking when she was finished and gave her mother a hug, she walked right by Idren, eyes forward not even saying a word. Now Idren was getting a little mad but he was determined to not let is show, so after taking a deep breath and rolling his eyes a little he followed her out. Idren had to run a bit to catch up because she was walking so fast. But when he did instead of talking he simply reached out with his left arm and grabbed her right arm and spun her around. "I don't know what suddenly got into you but I walked you back towards people that were going to kill me just to try to save you. And I am not going to just go home and let you burn yourself alive trying to not die because you want to do this by yourself."

Back at Ice City Yato was standing in the square looking out at their run down city. Noting how some sections of the wall were broken through and five of the eight defensive towers were not structuraly sound. Even if they were all sound they only had enough city power to charge one tower at a time. Luckily two of the towers that were operational were on the forest side of the city so at least the uldean will have to go through some of the old defenses. Everybody was in armor or battle clothing of some sort. And wile not armed the children were even helping out, following their parents around like mobile batteries of magical power that their parents were using to craft more defenses.
"Where are we with the field traps and detection sigils?" Yato said as one of the council members approached him. "We have a grid of traps and funnel walls laid down that surround the entire city with a second layer deep on the forest side. And the detection grid extends one mile in all directions from the city center." Replied the man.
A second council member approached and handed Yato a small neckless saying. "We have crafted about two thousand of these and have passed them out to everybody and we have lots left over. They are charms that will make the wearer impervious to all friendly traps. They will also allow for the traps to not activate so we are not accidently wasting defense." Yato took the charm and put it around his neck saying, "Good, see to it that we have people waiting on the forest edge with the rest of the charms, and pass them out the fire keepers when they arrive. We don't want our help being killed by our own defense." The man replied, "Yes sir" before walking away.

 

[Flutterby]

"I don't want to do this at all!" Catalina let him turn her and let herself shout at him, shattering the stillness of the night around them. It was dark now that they had left the city, and it was hard to see his face, but she was pretty sure he was angry at her. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "If I stop and think about this, I wont be able to go through with it."
"I am supposed to be standing between my chief and my father right now, helping them plan a battle, and instead I am running off to the old city, where I will probably be killed, because this," She used her free hand to reach out and yanked his sword from the scabbard, holding it with one hand in front of his face.
The blade made it so she could only see half his face, and then the reflection of her own. "This sword made me feel like I should do this, and it's not even mine."
She stared at him past the blade for a heartbeat, and then she said, "I am sorry that I assumed you weren't coming with me, but that doesn't mean that I don't want you here. I just thought you would go back with your father once I wasn't dying, debt repaid and all that stuff." Slowly, she lowered the sword and handed it back to him. "I didn't realize that you actually cared." She realized that she sounded a little cold and rude, so she added, "Im glad that you do."
Catalina looked away, down at where his hand was still on her arm, and said quickly, "We have to keep moving if we're going to reach Caloria before night falls again. We can talk while we walk."

Eron and Zuko waited at their edge of the forest until first light hit, and then they and their small army (which was just the people of the village minus children and adults who couldn't or wouldn't fight) started into the forest at a jog. If they kept up a good pace, they could reach the ice-city just before midday.

 

[Tharivle]

Idren was surprised at how mad she seemed to be but as she moved from being mad to scared he relaxed a little because now he knew she wanted his help. Once she handed back his blade he put it away and held his hand up and gestured forward, "Okay then. Lead the way." And he followed her silently as she continued walking.

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina let it be silent for a few minutes as they walked. She lead them along the edge of the forest, keeping about 10 meters of open space between them and the treeline. Then, after giving herself a minutes to get things under control, she slowed down just a little so they were walking side-by-side. "How did you get me back, anyway? You couldnt have walked right up into town with me, they wouldve fried you on sight without even realizing."
As she walked, she pulled arrows from her quiver one by one and sharpened their points, straightened each fletching, and checking the shaft for cracks before moving on to the next one.

 

[Tharivle]

"I carried you back to the cave in hopes that there were actually people looking for you. Because anybody could track your footprints in the snow to the tree, then from the tree to the cave was an even easier trail to follow." Idren paused and watched her look over her arrows for a few seconds before continuing, "I was just hoping a small group would find us and then let me go, but that didn't go as planned. Then you talked everyone out of an execution."
Idren paused again and waited for a reaponse.

Councilmen Kehar was waiting on the edge of the woods just a few yards away from where the first wards and traps started. He and another 10 ice bringers were waiting for the fire keepers to arrive. The city's detection system went off 15 minutes prior and it was confirmed that is was indeed the fire keepers and not uldean.

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina shrugged. "I didnt talk them out of anything," She said, blushing a little, "They didn't have a case, they just needed someone to tell them that." She shrugged. "We have a system, if you know it well enough, you can get whatever you want." She was silent for a moment, and then added, "Besides, I needed you alive so that one of your people would heal me." She turned her head and smiled at him a little, but knew that the joke wasn't really funny when you thought about. Catalina was quiet for another few steps. "You know we're probably going to die doing this, right? Theres no way the uldean left the city completely unprotected."

Eron had slowed his men down as they neared the edge of the forest, not sure of what kind of defenses the ice-bringers would have, or if they were even welcome here. As they came closer to the city, he caught sight of a group of ice-bringers waiting nearby. He hailed them, with a raised hand, and approached at a walk. "We've come to help, if you'll have us."

 

[Tharivle]

Idren listened without interrupting, but did roll his eyes a little bit at her bad joke. "The point is, you spoke up and stopped them from executing me." He was silent for a moment before adding, "You could not have known that there were people coming to get me or that they would be able to help even if they did show."
They walked along in silence for a few more seconds. "The uldean are just big lizards with some tough armor. All we have to do is not go crazy and not panic when we come across one. And as long as we don't have to fight more than one at a time it shouldn't be a problem." Idren was trying to sound confident but failed to do so. His voice was very strained and forced.

 

[Flutterby]

"Yeah, well, I worked to hard to save you just to have you killed," She said softly, finishing with her last arrow and placing it back in the quiver. Catalina looked at him a little closer when he spoke the second time; it was getting lighter now, and much easier to see. He looked and sounded just as scared as she felt. She nodded silently, and then reached over and gave his forearm a squeeze with her hand. "It'll be fine." She said, even though it almost certainly would not be.

They kept a pretty steady, swift pace for the rest of the morning. It grew light slowly, and by the time it was fully bright out, they were halfway to Caloria. To their right, the forest remained silent, but this part of it grew thicker and appeared darker. It made her skin crawl. To their left, the mountains had grown higher and more rocky, showing bits of the same black rock used to construct the village. They had to walk up and down the hills now; it was a pain but the only flat ground was in the forest, and Catalina wasn't sure she wanted to enter this part even in the daylight hours.

Shortly after midday, she slowed to a stop next to a small group of boulders at the top of a rise. "Lunchtime, let's sit." She said, softly. She was beginning to tire, a little more easily than she thought she would have, and needed a rest. She set down her pack and opened it, pulling out regular bread, cheese, and an apple for each of them. Catalina sat down facing the forest on one of the rocks, and kept her eyes on the treeline.

 

[Tharivle]

Idren didn't respond to her comment and just continued walking next to her. When she grabbed his arm he jumped a little bit in surprise. Now why would she do that... He again was silent and played his surprise off as a small trip over a rock. They walked in silence for the rest of the morning. Idren was wondering why they weren't holding more to the forest but he noticed that she seemed nervous about the woods, so he just stayed silent and let her lead on. Eventually they got to midday and she stopped for lunch. Idren set his things down and took the food presented to him, then sat down next to Catalina.
"So when do you think we will be getting there? Are we going to have to spend a night or should we be there and on our way back before nightfall?"

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina paused in eating a piece of bread and turned her eyes from the forest edge to his face. "We won't reach Caloria until a few hours before nightfall." She dropped her gaze and sighed softly. "We won't have much time between reaching the city, and when the uldean will leave the forest and attack your city." She bit into the bread and looked back at the forest again.
"There!" She whispered, and grabbed his forearm again. There was a flash of movement between the trees at the very edge of the forest; a black shape had moved from behind one tree to behind another while she had been watching. "There's been something following us for the last mile, just inside the treeline. I thought I was just hearing things, but.." She trailed off, and realized that it could very well be an uldean, waiting in the ultra-dark forest until it was dark enough to attack them.

 

[Tharivle]

"Finally" Idren said with relief. "I can't believe that you noticed him before me." Idren the proceeded to stand and walk towards the direction that she had pointed in. He almost got the forest edge and commanded, "Show yourself Sentinel." There was a long pause then the same shadowy figure that Catalina saw before emerged from the darkness to reveal a creature made of ice. It stood about 8 feet tall with long lanky limbs. The creature walked upright like a man but walked hunched over like it could go to all fours for more speed. Wile skinny in nature unlike the uldean which are stocky and large, this creature was sleek and slender. It seemed to glide across the ground, barley leaving a mark in the snow, but more importantly it made no sound at all, not even a crunch of snow.
The creature stood before Idren silently, towering over him with a reach that would allow it to take a swipe at him and cut into him with his 8 inch razor sharp claws. And after a long tense moment it knelt down before him and spoke. "The master has sent me to your aid, my life is yours to command." The creature spoke with a raspy voice and it drew out its words like the uldean but it was not hissing at all. "Rise. Thank you for watching the forest for us. Return to the woods and protect our flank. Do not engage if you detect something. Just observe and report." Idren said to the Sentinel. And with that the creature got up and glided slowly back into the woods.

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina watched in utter confusion as Idren got up and walked directly toward the forest, the forest that was full of uldean. Her confusion turned to shock as a giant creature, an uldean of ice if you will, emerged at his command. She grabbed her bow and ran forward, prepared to shoot the creature even if it did nothing, but then it dropped into a kneel. Idren commanded it with confidence, and it followed his order without a word.
She stared after it, and then at Idren. "Okay, an explanation would be pretty great right now." Her voice sounded annoyed, but she was just trying to cover up the fact that her heart wouldnt stop racing even though it was gone now.

 

[Tharivle]

"I didn't want to tell you until it got here because I didn't want to get yours hopes up that we would have some help, because I wasn't sure it was coming or that the council still had one." Idren was nervous now and mentally kicking himself for not having told her about the sentinel. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He continues in a calmer and sincere tone of voice. Idren then explained, "That was a sentinel. They were the ice bringers defense to the uldean. They were all thought to be wiped out in the war with the fire keepers and then the civil war between the council and everyone else. They are stealthy, fast, and good in one v one combat or as scouts." Idren paused to read her facial expressions, but continued, "One would make little difference in a battle involving the number of uldean that are coming so he was sent to aid me, and I am with you."
Idren stood awkwardly and nervously wile he waited for Catalina to process and then respond.

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina stared at the spot where it had disappeared as he explained. "Right.." She mumbled. She would need a minute to process this new information. "What exactly are its combat capabilities? Can it take down an uldean on its own?" The tactical questions came first, and she would get to the rest of the information later. With a final glance at the treeline, she nodded for him to follow her back up the hill to finish their lunch. "Does it use ice magic, or is it just made of ice?" The Sentinel could be a serious advantage to them, if they used it right. Even just having it with them made her feel like there was a small possibility that they might live to see the next sunrise.

 

[Tharivle]

Idren followed her back up the hill and sat down for lunch before he started explaining.
"The Sorcerer made the uldean. It took the entire old council to create the first sentinel, and they designed them like hunters with their pray as the uldean. And once they had the first made it was just a matter of mass produce."
Idren paused to eat a few bites of bread. "In one on one combat a sentinel was never known to louse to an uldean. They hunted in packs of 5 and didn't engage unless there were 3 uldean or less, so they always won and very rarely were hurt. They don't use magic but they have a few passive and activated abilities. First they are impervious the cries of the uldean. They heal very fast, but can't heal wile they fight so they have to win then reset for the next fight. They have a dampening attack that is simply a shot of cold that weakens and slows their target. And their claws are naturally chilled to make them particularly deadly to uldean, not to mention the fact that they are 8 inches long and razor sharp. They would get the drop on an uldean and hit it with their range attack and once the uldean is slowed and hurt they converge, blind sides first, and slice and dice."
Idren stopped talking and finished off his bread then took a swig of water. "The reason you probably never heard of them is because it was mere months before the end of the Great War when the uldean were introduced and it took few weeks for the council to fashion the first sentinel. So the war had ended before the fire keepers found out about this new creature. Then the civil war had the few number of sentinels that there were fighting each other. And because it was the council that made them and they were all killed, more could not be made so the ice bringers eventually forgot about them too. The last thing the last council member did was tamper with the last sentinel, if anyone tried to modify or reproduce it, it would be destroyed. So my great great great great grandfather hid it away and passed down the location to the next Grand Master and the next and the next, and if they ever needed a single supper scout/fighting machine they could have at least one. And my father opened the tomb and sent it to me"
Idren paused and smiled widely at Catalina, "We can't make more but we do at least have one kick ass uldean killing machine."

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina listened closely, trying to remember each piece of information individually. The one that stuck out to her most was that they didn't care about the cries of the uldean. Must be really, really nice, she thought bitterly. Overall, they were the prefect cure, but there wouldn't be more and they weren't built for fighting off an army. She smiled back, a little distractedly, and finished the last of her food. "You really can't make any more.." She sighed, wishing that part were different. An army of Sentinels would fix this problem in a jiffy. Instead, their peoples' were stuck with just one, and two barely-adults.
She nodded slowly, and then looked a him. "You really should've told me sooner. We could've avoided some hills." Now she smiled at him fully, amused by her own joke. "Well, maybe between the three of us, we stand a chance." She said, allowing herself to feel a little bit of hope. If there weren't too many uldean, they could actually be okay. Her gaze softened as she looked at him, like it had back in the village after the trial. After a moment, she cleared her throat and looked away, reaching for her pack. "We better get moving again.."

 

[Tharivle]

"In my defense it was only around for an hour or so, and I didn't actually know for sure if it was coming." Idren responded to her little joke. The two of them collected their things and continued in their journey, walking side by side but with Catalina slightly in the lead because she was leading. They walked slightly closer to the forest because it was flatter ground, but even with the sentinel out there they didn't want to be in the woods. It was moving into the evening hours and the sun was not gone but the mountains around then threw shadows that made the already dark forest even darker. Then they heard it, ever so faintly, a small meek sound of people crying out in pain. Idren and Catalina stopped and looked at each other. Then the sentinel seemed to just appear in front of them because of how silently it had approached. "Two uldean approach the border of the forest. They are patrolling and have yet to detect the two of you. I also went undetected by the uldean. Their search pattern indicates that they will move out of the woods within an hour."
Idren and Catalina were scared that they would be facing two uldean at once within an hour. Idren then addressed the sentinel, "What would you sugest we do about it, can we outrun them or get out of their search pattern"
"To advance farther toward the den without killing the patrols would be folly. You two cannot outrun an uldean nor can you mask your trail. If We do not fight now we will be hunted soon. The rocky train that we are in now is not conducive for an ambush, I suggest that we go into the woods now and kill then." replied the sentinel. The sentinel had no emotion in its voice, it simply stated fact then bluntly answered the questions.
"How do we go about attacking two uldean with one sentinel, and two promising but young people." Idren asked.

Kehar greeted Eron saying, "Welcome, and thank you for coming to our aid. I am councilmen Kehar. These charms will make you impervious to all friendly ice spells, traps and wards. They will also allow you to pass through runes without activating the magic and wasting the trap. Make sure everybody has one and follow me" And with that the ten men with him started passing out the charms.

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina was feeling pretty okay; she was almost enjoying the walk with Idren. The shadows around them grew longer, and the mountains started to block out the sun long before it had actually set. The cry of the uldean brought her back to reality.
She looked over at Idren, moments before the Sentinel appeared to report. The creature was right, strategy wise. If they continued on without handling the patrols, they would end up with uldean on both sides of them at some point in the very near future. If they waited until they came out of the forest, the uldean would have an advantage on the terrain because of their body structure and composition. Their best chance was to go after them now, but that didnt change the fact that the fight was probably not even.
Idren was following right along her train of thought, and voiced the next question as she thought it.
"Very carefully," She mumbled, staring at the treeline and trying to figure out a plan. They could go straight at them, and hope to over power them, or they could try to outsmart them.
"My fire magic doesn't hurt them other than annoy their eyesight." She said softly, realizing that she would be almost no help in a hand-to-hand fight with the uldean. They had defeated the one in the cave by chance and rune magic, but they wouldn't have time for runes and illusions this time.

 

[Tharivle]

"True, fire will do little in a fight against an uldean, and even if it did I can see that yours is bright and powerful but untrained and untapped." The sentinel answered her statement bluntly and without pause as if she had been talking aloud and not softly to herself. "But, you would make good bate for an ambush. Idren and I could take up positions on either side of you then you can light up a small fire that will draw our two targets but no others. Before they get to you we will attack."
Idren was stunned by the sentinels bluntness. "What are you thinking hid behind a tree wile she stands there like a torch in the night." He said sarcastically.
"Yes" Replied the sentinel again very bluntly. "As the uldean close you will engage them with ranged attacks. They will break their attack on her to come after you. And that is when I will strike from their back. They will be taken by not one but two distractions. There deaths will be swift." The sentinel stood patiently waiting, "What would you like to do?"

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina tried to not be offended by him calling her untrained, because it was true. She knew how to use her natural magic, but rune magic was unfamiliar at best and complicated attacks that linked her power to others were unheard of. That type of fire magic took half a lifetime to learn, and the rest of it to master.
She wasn't surprised when the sentinel suggest she act as bait, it only made sense. She was surprised that Idren was so snippy about it; she looked at him with a raised eyebrow before her eyes returned to the sentinel to finish his plan.
"Its a good plan, Idren," Catalina said firmly. "It is our best option." She reiterated it, wondering why he had seemed so incredulous a second before. "I'll make a weak fire, and save enough strength to hold them off if I have to."
She looked at the sentinel, and nodded. "Lets go. Where do you want me?"

 

[Tharivle]

The sentinel looked at Catalina wile she spoke, then looked at Idren and stated, "I will follow your command, but we mush either fight or flee, we can not stay here."
Idren looked frustrated but he also felt he had no choice, "You have the most and best combat knowledge, lead the way."
"Follow" said the sentinel as he turned and walked off towards the forest.
Catalina and Idren followed as they were asked. As they entered the woods Idren could feel eyes watching them but he could see or hear nothing. Unless our attack dog here smells something we are good... The forest was not dark, but because of the trees one could not see farther than 25 yards and that was still with trees blocking views and casting shadows. They made there way following closly to the sentinel, and they came to a small clearing after walking only 10 minutes. Then the sentinel stopped.
"This is the perfect spot." It moved to the middle of the clearing and was looking out deeper into the forest. "The uldean will enter the clearing from over there." it said as it gestured deep into the forest but slightly to the left of where they were. "Idren, take up a concealed position over there when the time comes." it said gesturing to the right of where they were. "And Catalina you will squat down in the tall grass here. I will conceal myself to the left of you, so if Idrens attacks fail to make the uldean change targets I will be able to engage them from the side before they get into striking distance of you." The sentinel looked around again and seemed to be playing through all possible outcomes of their trap and then he looked at Catalina and asked. "Can you create a large pile of ash and smoldering coals? When an uldean is hurt their inner fire leaks out and it gives off the scent of a smoldering campfire. If you can make a fake fire you can lay the bate instead of being the bate. Because once the uldean detect what they think is an injured uldean they will come quicker and with less caution, especially if they get to the clearing and don't see a person standing, they will think it is one of them injured in the tall grass."

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina followed the sentinel into the forest, and immediately felt a chill come over her skin. They were the only living beings in this part of the forest, and yet it felt like they had an audience. The ghost stories of her childhood drifted into her mind, making her wonder if they were more than just stories.
She stopped a few steps behind their guide, and listened closely to what it said. She nodded, and moved over to the tall grass it mentioned. The grass was dry and brown, and looked alien sticking up through the snow. She pulled a bunch out of the ground and formed them into a circular nest-shape, and then dug around in the snow until she had several good sized chunks of dry wood.
"Ready when you are," She said, "Just don't let them kill me, okay?"

 

[Tharivle]

"You will be the safest amongst the three of us, for you will not engage unless both Idren and I fail." The sentinel motioned for Idren to take his place. "They are only about 200 yards away now it will take them approximately 1 minute to get here after she lights the fire. Take your place Idren." It then turned to Catalina, "Light your fire then retreat to the tree line and ready your bow, but please don't shoot me, that is a fire weapon and can injure me." With that Idren concealed himself in the tree line to the right of Catalina wile the sentinel went to the left.
After the fire was lit it only took about 5 seconds for the cries of the uldean could be heard. They sounded angry and worried at the same time, and they were getting closer. Getting closer very fast.

 

[Flutterby]

Catalina nodded and waited until they were both hidden in the trees, and then took a deep breath. All her life, she had been putz-ing around in these woods, and always her goal has been to completely avoid the uldean. Now she was luring them directly towards herself. "This is mental.." She muttered, and then lit the end of her finger on fire, and stuck it into the center of the nest she had made.
The grass was thick and coarse, and burned slower than she had expected. It burned longer enough to catch the pieces of wood on fire, making dark gray smoke rise quickly into the air. Within seconds, the sound of the uldean reached them. Catalina jumped up and retreated into the trees, knocking an arrow and holding her breath.

 

[Tharivle]

Idren waited on the edge of the wood, waiting to conceal himself until Catalina had finished making her little fire. Once she lit is he watched her retreat back, but only for a second because he himself needed to hide. Never thought I would actually have to fight one let alone be the one attacking it first. He then started creating an ice lance, like the one his father used to kill the one outside the fire village, only his was smaller and only powered by him. It only took about 90 seconds then one uldean came crashing through the underbrush right where the sentinel said they would. It slowed for a moment and looked around the clearing, but then continued quickly towards the fire. The first was about halfway through the clearing when the second came out of the woods, not moving as fast but still following the other.

Idren drew in a deep breath, stepped out, and threw his conjured weapon at the first uldean that was almost to the fire a that point. The uldean was totally unaware of the attack and the spear hit it in the side right behind the front limb where there was not much natural armor. The uldean rolled to its right as it was struck in the left, and it let out an ear piercing scream. Idren saw the flash of blue from the other side of the clearing which meant that the sentinel was attacking.

As Idrens spear struck the uldean the sentinel charged the gap between the two uldean running at an astonishing speed directly for Idren from its concealed position in the brush. It shot out with his ranged attack at the same target that Idren had shot at not even breaking stride or looking to see if his shot made its mark, for it knew that his attack would land. And the sentinel timed it so his attack would hit the uldeans underside as it rolled all the way around to its right. The blast hit the uldean right in the belly and the uldean screamed again, but it was a weak muffled scream, and you could see the fire and power of the creature fade away from both the physical injury then the ice. The creature wasn't dead but it was obviously injured and weakened. The sentinel continued his silent and lightning fast charge across the clearing. Idren had drawn his sword and was facing the uldean before him. The creature was about 15 feet from him when it leapt into the air and came down with those horrible long black fire coated claws stretched out in front of it.

Time slowed. All sound disappeared. Idren had his sword raised but couldn't move. He stood their paralyzed with fear. He could see inch by inch this terrifying creature in the air coming down on him but he could do nothing to stop it. The creatures claws were stretched out to the sides as to land on his shoulders and crush him into the ground. Its mouth was open wide revealing two rows of long sharp teeth with its head turned as to bite Idren in the neck. Still he was frozen, completely aware that he was seconds away from death but unable to think through the fear and do something, anything. The uldeans jaws were a mere 6 inches away from his neck when there was a flash of blue. The sentinel had launched itself into the air and wrapped the uldean in its long arms. The impact had pushed the uldean up and to Idrens right. The uldean bit down in an attempt to bite Idren, and the very tip of its teeth snapped shut no more than a single inch away from his neck. The uldeans claws also closed in but both missed his shoulder and chest by mere inches as it was pushed away from its pray.

The sentinel let go of the uldean and pushed, sending it flying through the air. The uldean landed awkwardly on its shoulder and bounced a little bit, wile the sentinel rolled forward as it landed and did a summersault to come to a stop in a crouched position, with its head down looking at the ground. They landed about 40 feet apart. The uldean rolled over and shook his head and then faced the sentinel, who was still looking at the ground. The uldean bellowed a challenging roar and pawed the ground with its front foot. The sentinel slowly and silently lifted its head, and one could almost see a smile on the creatures face, as if it was enjoying this fight. The two creatures stared at one another for what seemed like hours, even though it was only about 10 seconds. The uldean was the first to break the stair down. It reared and then charged directly at the sentinel and leapt into the air after covering the distance between the two of them with just a few bounds. Idren snapped out of it and was now watching the duel, again in slow motion as the uldean did the same thing as it did to him. And once again time seemed to slow as the creatures claws and teeth stretched out towards the sentinel. He thought, O no, he is going to die then both me and Catalina will follow shortly after that. The sentinel still hadn't moved even an inch it was like it was a statue, just crouching there. The uldean was just a few feet away from coming down on the sentinel when it dove forward wile flipping onto its back. As it did the uldeans claws and jaws closed around the air where the sentinel had been just seconds before. And as it dove forward and flipped the sentinel reached up and plunged its left claws into the right side of the uldean. There was another cry as the uldean screamed with frustration and pain. The uldeans momentum pulled its head down and it landed on the ground belly up. The sentinel kept its claws in the side of his opponent as the uldean fell to the ground, and let the momentum of the falling creature throw him strait up into the air above the uldean. Wile the uldean was still on its back the sentinel did some freefall acrobatics and flipped around so it was falling with its arms above the uldeans shoulders and its feet above the uldeans back legs. The sentinels legs came down on the uldeans hips pinning it down and preventing it from rolling onto its back as well as cutting deeply into the creatures soft underside. At the same time it plunged both hands strait down into the uldeans chest. 10 claws each 8 inchs long and fogging with cold power, stabbed into the uldean. The creature cried weekly and brought its front arms up as to slash at the sentinel, but it die before it could even lift its arms, its fire going cold and body going limp. The sentinel crouched over its fallen opponent for a second with its claws still inside the corps pinning it down, insuring that it was truly dead before slowly rising to scan the rest of the clearing.

It wasn't till after the spectacular and deadly duel was concluded that Idren looked back at the first uldean that was injured. Also he had no idea what had befallen Catalina during his near death and the sentinels duel.