The truest testament to the faith she had in Videl's abilities were Sylvari's unrelenting blows that she unleashed on her friend. She had to: with her own armor mostly sundered, setting the spellspear on his back foot was her best defense she could muster at the moment. She was vaguely aware of the power behind her blows, the fact that any one of them could fell a normal man. She knew Videl to be resilient and hardy beyond most, but even he would bear grievous injury if one of her strikes were to land.

Seeing his friend and mistress sparring, twirling around in a deadly dance, Noe's fury subsided, still heavily conflicted about his orders. Sylvari seemed to be too focused on the fight at hand to command him at current, so the little dragonling merely sat and clacked his jaw forlornly in confusion.

Despite the massive bulk of her hammer, freeing up her shield arm to use it two handed while she was accustomed to wielding it in one did wonders to speed her swings, nearly as fast as Videl's own. But while his strikes were graceful and deft, Sylvari's sent veritable shockwaves of force around them, crackling with frost and light. 

---

Offensive Actions

-Warhammer Strike

-Infused with Cold (Spell Blade) and Light (Celestial)

-Double Strike and Heavy enchantments

As the pair of attacks between the two had continued to meet with one another, the sharpened edge that had coated Videl's spearhead would find itself dulled ever further. With each blow of the Warhammer, the ice that had surrounded the edge would flatten out and dull, until there was very little else other than the regular spearhead that came with the spear. This was something that Videl was vaguely aware of, his mind roaming about in an attempt to try and find some way to regain the upper hand.

The truth was that Videl was struggling to think up some sort of plan here. Even if he didn't have to worry about Noe, Sylvari alone was enough of a threat. Add in the fact that he had been running low on mana and things were starting to look not too good for the T'saya. He had pulled out just about every stop that he could, and while there were a few more that were possible, they would be dipping even further into his low mana reserve. All that he could try and do now was hold out against the vampiress.

Hoping to try and power through the blows that were thrown at him, Videl had prepared himself to deflect the blows on his own. Before he even had to do so though, the chain around his waist would tighten briefly. This was the chains method of letting him know that it was prepared to act again, in case it was needed. And needed it was. "Chain." The first blow that Sylvari had thrown his way would be thrown off course as the dancing chain had grasped a hold of the base of Sylvari's Warhammer and pulled it away from him. Once that act was completed, the dancing chain would return to its inert form. As for the second? Well Videl would work to deflect that blow with his spear before following up with his own second attack, aiming for Sylvari's shoulder.

---

Action Type
- Dancing Chain prevented one strike from Sylvari's Warhammer (Defense)

- Sylvari prevented her second strike with his spear before striking at her shoulder with the next (Offense)

Active Items
- Spear (Double Strike; Thrusting; Spellblade - Cold): Has increased speed when thrusted and can land two attacks in the span of one; deals cold damage

Active Passives
- Titanic Reach (Martial Technique): Can attack with a range of 15 feet with a polearm; thrusting and overhead attacks remove 2 hit preventions

- Vaulting Style (Martial Technique): Leaps, tumbles, or rolls made with polearms increase range by 10 feet; jumps performed increase range by 20 feet; can land safely from any height up to 30 feet

Recharge Tracking
- Dancing Chain (0/3)

The series of blows the pair exchanged were a sublime music that only the participants could fully fathom. Videl matched Sylvari blow for blow, expertly deflecting and narrowly avoiding Sylvari's strikes rather than try to block them head-on, a futile effort in light of the juggernaut.

She was proud of him, proud of how he'd grown. She'd never have admitted it to him for the sake of preserving his feelings, but Sylvari always worried to no end about Videl's safety in their travels together, and doubly so in their time apart. Seeing him now fighting toe-to-toe with her allayed the majority of the anxiety she housed. There was still evil outside of her reach yet, but if he could spar on similar footing to her, she couldn't expect to protect him any better than he defended himself. 

Videl's ferocity and resourcefulness became even more evident as his chain belt lashed out at his command to hold one of her strikes. He took advantage of the situation to parry her second strike and then strike again in quick succession. Without hesitation, the vampiress threw up her gauntlet to block the blow, and continued her onslaught.

Deciding to give Videl an even greater challenge to overcome, to test the limits of his talents and reverse the speed differential between them, Sylvari invoked her magic to create a blizzard of frost around them, covering the arena in snowfall. She knew Videl's curse allowed him to shrug off most environmental effects, but with the concentrated application of her arcana, Sylvari was sure even he would have difficulty overcoming her added hazard.

---

Passive Abilities
Winter Crown

Offensive Actions
-Sheer Cold
-Warhammer Strike
 -Infused with Cold (Spell Blade) and Light (Celestial)
 -Double Strike and Heavy enchantments

Defensive Actions
-Gauntlets (2/2 Hit Preventions)

Just as Videl's mantle had returned to its regular cloth density, Sylvari would come in with another blow that was sure to tear the T'saya apart. It was a spell that he had seen her make use of in the past but one that he hadn't quite managed to learn himself. One that would drop the temperature within the area considerably, making it so that one would grow sluggish and drop their weapons from the cold. Such a spell even had the capacity to harm the skin, similar to Videl's own frost flash spell. If he didn't take action here, he would likely find himself in a rather precarious state.

So as to prevent any further harm to himself, Videl would channel one of the last vestiges of his mana within the pauldrons ^{[Icicle Pauldrons]} that he had donned. As he had done this, the icicles that had hung from the pauldrons would find themselves melding into Videl's skin, almost immediately coating his entire being in a layer of ice. To an outside observer, it might appear as though Sylvari's spell had quite literally frozen Videl. This couldn't be farther from the truth though. Thanks to the magic imbued within these pauldrons, Videl had almost quite literally frozen himself in time. He had become a literal frozen statue for a brief period of time, unable to take any sort of action and immune to any sort of attack.

Truth be told, this was the first time that Videl had made use of this ability. When he had acquired the pauldrons from a shady merchant back in Frost Gale, he hadn't quite believed the items effect. It was only after he had worn them for the first time that Videl would place his trust within the pauldrons themselves. It was as though he could feel the glacial magics within and how they would effect him. A sense of trust had been built with such glacial magics and as such, Videl had been more than willing to attempt such an effect here and now.

---

Action Type
- Activated the effects of the Icicle Pauldrons (Defense)

Active Items
- Spear (Double Strike; Thrusting; Spellblade - Cold): Has increased speed when thrusted and can land two attacks in the span of one; deals cold damage

- Icicle Pauldrons: For a round, Videl is immobile, unable to take any actions, and immune to any and all damages and effects. Additionally, he is unable to be targeted by anything.

Active Passives
- Titanic Reach (Martial Technique): Can attack with a range of 15 feet with a polearm; thrusting and overhead attacks remove 2 hit preventions

- Vaulting Style (Martial Technique): Leaps, tumbles, or rolls made with polearms increase range by 10 feet; jumps performed increase range by 20 feet; can land safely from any height up to 30 feet

Recharge Tracking
- Dancing Chain (1/3)

Sylvari's twin strikes clanged, almost painfully off the block of true ice that Videl became, wholly ineffective in their aim of destruction. The sudden jolt allowed Sylvari a moment to catch her breath, metaphorically, of course, and collect her thoughts. Cocking her head to the side, she examined the ice statue, marveling at it. She quickly severed the connection to her spell, wishing to avoid covering the whole field in feet of snow.

Sylvari waited for Videl to thaw, before pointedly slinging her warhammer and raising a hand to the official. "I cede. there is nothing further to prove here. My friend is a dazzling and resourceful combatant, and you would be fools not to take him. Regardless, us sitting here and beating on one another accomplishes nothing. Good day." Sylvari collected Noe into her arms, bowed her head respectfully before Videl, and strode off.

She was happy for her friend, and proud of him, but she would never understand the purpose of such showmanship. Training was one thing, but this was a spectacle, and she had had quite enough of onlookers gawking at them.

With enough time having come to pass, the ice that had surrounded Videl's form would start to crack. From that crack, it would shatter, and what would remain was the standing form of Videl himself. To his surprise and dismay, after having come back to the present, Videl would take note of the fact that Sylvari was missing. It wasn't just that she had disappeared from his view but that she was nowhere to be found at all. A truly worrying sentiment for the young man, considering her nature. Had someone gotten involved in their fight and removed her from the premises or had she left of her own volition? All in all, Videl had no answers and could only feel a surfacing regret. One that he would have to address with time.

After he had stood there for about a minute, his head on a swivel as it looked about for his beloved companion, one of the instructors had begun to approach him. While he wasn't sure why it was that Videl had been confused, he had pretty easily determined that Videl was searching for Sylvari. In order to wrap things up here, the instructor would proceed to inform Videl of the fact that Sylvari had ceded her defeat and decided to head on out from there.

While Videl might have normally felt a bit of reassurance at the fact that he came somewhat out on top here, things were a bit more complicated at the moment. Not only had his friend not been here to bask in the enjoyment alongside him but she had departed without a word. All that Videl could hope, in this moment, was that she wasn't running off once again. This worry would continue to overtake Videl as he sat there and listened to the instructors continuing words. On how he was accepted into the guild. Once the man had finished up his spiel, Videl would offer the man his thanks before departing the area as well and searching for Sylvari.

[Exit]