Hi, this is Matt, and I'm taking a break from being a harried classroom teacher to challenge fellow indie author Andy Peloquin to a duel to the death! We aren't going to fight ourselves, of course; he's younger and has a lot more hair. Our characters will fight instead.

In the brown corner, standing at 5' 7", we have Simon Magus, age 17, star senior of School of the Ages, America's greatest magic school! (This is Simon as he is entering School of the Ages V: The Wonderful Carol, which I am now busily writing.)

Tale of the Tape:
• Wields an antique British light cavalry saber previously used by his great-grandfather in the Sepoy Mutiny
• Shoots with a bow hand-crafted for him by Arjuna, the great archer from the great Hindu epic "the Mahabharata"
• Combat-oriented magician with a diverse repertoire of offensive and defensive spells
• Can cast a concealment spell that makes him sort of invisible, although this is less effective against elite warriors (like the Hunter) if they are trying to spot him.
• Can cause intense pain, knock his opponent back or down with magic, disarm his opponent, and improvise spells on the fly based on emerging combat situations
• His spell-casting is unlimited, and he can work magic as much as the situation requires until he gets too distracted, tired, or wounded
• Physically, except for a slight resistance to physical blows and pain that is basically genetic, he is a normal person.

In the black corner, weighing in at 180 pounds, standing a cool 6 feet tall, the Hunter of Voramis!
Tale of the Tape:
• Superhuman reflexes, strength, speed--think Captain America, but stronger
• Thousands of years of weapons training
• Body has accelerated healing factor--can survive a sword to the heart (can be killed by drowning, iron weapons, beheading, and suffocation)
• Cannot be killed by anything but iron
• Accursed dagger that heals him when he kills
• No magical abilities whatsoever
• No hesitation to kill if he perceives opponent as a threat/obstacle to his desires--classic anti-hero

Two enter the ring, only one can leave alive!

How would Simon kill the Hunter? Simon has to stay concealed and get out of the Hunter's line of sight (behind him, or behind an object). He will then cast his disarming spell at the Hunter's hand and knock him back from the weapon. Using his combat magic, he will try to get hold of Soulhunger to use it against the Hunter. Because the Hunter is vastly physically superior and has an elite soldier's ability to see through the concealment spell, Simon can't use his sword or bow and will probably have to keep knocking the Hunter down or knocking him back. He can't kill the Hunter except with an iron weapon, but he can cause enough pain and injury with his magic to stun or briefly disable the Hunter so that he can use Soulhunger to kill him.

To kill Simon: The Hunter would try to overwhelm Simon with his inhuman speed, strength, and skill. All he has to do is pierce her skin with Soulhunger, and the dagger will consume her soul. Not even someone with considerable magical abilities can survive Soulhunger's bite--it was created to kill demons.
Who would win?

Simon uses Advanced Concealment and puts up a defensive cylinder. He doesn't bother with the weapons but instead concentrates on getting out of the Hunter's line of sight so that the Hunter's natural fighting skill and experience won't give him the will to break the spell. The Hunter, however, is so fast that he is nearly upon Simon before he can do this. The defensive cylinder gives him enough warning to get out of the way of the dagger and run. He uses his Up Against the Wall spell to throw the Hunter face-first into the corner of the ring. The Hunter is completely uninjured and with catlike grace turns and approaches his position with the blade slashing in a wide arc. Simon feels it whistle past his cheek even though he is backing away. He leaps to get some distance, falls and rolls across the mat and quickly visualizes the Hunter's hand, putting a scorpion sting spell through it. Startled, the Hunter drops the dagger, but catches it again immediately. "A cowardly sneak, eh?" he declares. "I'll find you, and your soul will be my catch of the day."

Winner: It's anyone's fight, folks. Can Simon get enough of a breather to disarm the Hunter and use his dagger against him? Or will the Hunter's keen senses enable him to see through the concealment spell and deal a death-blow?

Want to find out more about the legendary assassin called The Hunter of Voramis to the death? Click here to start reading Andy Peloquin's series The Last Bucelarii.

Blade of the Destroyer