[Bronze Woods] Kegger Crasher (Rhuryc)

[Xalet]

Xalet's eyes watched as his sword powered forward, it felt perfect. His shoulder and elbow were perfectly aligned with his hips, something he could not attain in the beginning of his days as a squire. He felt something else too, it was the sting as vibrations traveled up his blade and into his palm. What a hit! The weight of that sword striking down at his short sword nearly knocked it right out of his hand. He managed to keep his hold, but his entire side nearly shifted from the strike. Even when he fought Markus, the man didn't have that kind of technique.

Before he knew it, Xalet was getting struck in the chest with a shield. Luckily his armor absorbed most of the shock, but the pressure resonated outward, causing the large Akalak to lose a step backward. "Damn, he's better then he lets on. Possibly even better than most Knights." The squire couldn't lie to himself though, the thought of testing himself against someone with a superior knowledge and technique of blades was exhilarating, and similarly frustrating. He would have to try and utilize every scrap of knowledge he had. An entire mental dictionary of combat, it's pages filled over the years, but it existed within the Akalak's head without a proper table of contents yet. All he could do was flip through the pages of his memory and try to pull something out in an instant, as that was how combat flowed.

He reaffirmed the grip of his short sword, bringing it back into the middle of his palm with his thumb steadying and reinforcing his grip as it pushed against the grip, facing upward toward the blade. "I've got to come up high, or I'll have that sword dropping down again." he thought, pulling his weapon back before attempting an overhead chop as he looked to be stepping into his blow. His shield stayed ready at the mid line, while his sword arm moved down from the sky, wielding his height to give him the proverbial 'high ground' advantage, but that chop was a baited maneuver, as his step forward was actually an unarmed technique taught to him to freeze his opponents speed and maneuverability. His step was aimed for one of Rhuryc's front feet, looking to stomp downward upon it. Xalet was not just a swordsman, but a man who's Konti Patron had taught him to weave unarmed martial arts into his weapon based attacks.

[Rhuryc]

Rhuryc did not freeze. Just the opposite. With every maneuver he kept himself limber, mobile. His body was never still while his opponent was active. When the sword came over head the vagabond stepped forward to meet it, his shield rising high in a swing that caught the blade, sending it aside and hurling the attached arm away. Rhuryc stepped forward to meet Xalet. When the Akalak's leg went up, Rhuryc's shoulder came in. Using the opening created by the swing, he shoved the brunt of his weight ahead, the side of his body crashing against the same location his shield had graced only moments previous. He pushed, then withdrew, his blade sliding around his waist as he spun out to a side. Oddly, Rhuryc was quick to create space. Between himself and Xalet he put not less than five feet, separating the both of them from any kind of striking distance. The blacksmith seemed ill concerned with the affects of his technique or even the success of its implementation; instead, he watched. His brow furrowed in concentration. There was something in his eyes. Careful, calculating, it was like clockwork in motion, as if he was fitting pieces into their rightful place. "You don't fight like an Akalak." He said, his sword flourishing a bit at his side. The intricate craftsmanship of the weapon flashed in the sunlight. "What do you fight like?" That last sounded more as if it was a question to himself than Xalet. Strange fellow.

[Xalet]

Xalet's body collapsed inward slightly, his abdominal muscles tucking tightly, his knee bending. The Akalak had better balance than he let on, a culmination of his progress with body building as well as his formal unarmed combat training. Instead of falling back or hopping upon his one foot he simply rocked slightly and allowed his leg to drop where it was, skimming the top most layer of the soil upon the ground leaving a shallow line. "You don't fight like a blacksmith." was his response, and it seemed substantially accurate given the caliber of techniques he was up against. It wasn't as if Xalet was an untrained page, but there was some distance between the lengths of there experience at work here.

"But I fight like a Knight, I would suppose. It is possible my Patron's Konti heritage has had an influence to upon my techniques." the squire considered the man's words. In truth he had never pitted himself up against an Akalak more pure in culture, given as rare as they were outside of Riverfall the chances were fairly slim. Even his unarmed style of combat was the more militaristic form of the Knights, mixed in with a taste of the ladies of Mura.

Xalet's eyes were good enough to catch a glimpse of the weapon the man carried with him, greatly superior in craftsmanship when pitted against the dull practice weapon the Akalak wielded, though Xalet did not lift his own weapon without pride and confidence in his competency. "That's a well crafted weapon you have. There are a few that work closely with the Knights that produce weapons of a high quality. I feel almost embarrassed holding my sword up against it." Xalet said, sheathing his short sword back into it's unadorned scabbard, the old leather cracked and peeling.

"So I'll show you something different, since you were curious." then, much like his weapon, Xalet went and prepared his guige strap upon his shield, placing it directly across his back. With a quick roll of his shoulders he assumed what appeared to be a rather typical fighting stance, though the feet were closer together than might be expected, while his hands and elbows created lines perpendicular with the ground. "This is the eight point style my patron taught me. Most assume it would be quite difficult in full armor. I suppose after wearing it for over a decade I've grown used to the feel of it's weight." More than this, the truth was that Xalet was incredibly more diligent in his strength training regiment than the typical squire, as well as nearly every Knight he had met.

With his body as built as it was beneath that mail and metal he moved with a fair bit of speed when not taking the time to consider his shield, or prepare his sword. Drawing in his breath he did what almost no one attempted. Even favoring greaves and vambraces over the coveted suit of true full plate he might possess one day upon becoming a Knight, very few had trained in armor enough to perform a true high kick. The first step with his strong side closed the distance quickly, due to his large stride. The second step saw his weak side leg twisting with his hips, lashing out with his right foot at shoulder level upon a person like Rhuryc, but merely sternum level considering Xalet's height. Retreat was the best recourse in Xalet's mind, as closing the distance would illuminate the reason for the title of the eight point style. Xalet was trained not just to use his hands and feet as medium ranged weapons, but his knees and elbows as well when an opponent attempted to crowd him, or press his balance away.

[Templar]

Xalet: Body Building: 1 – Interogation: 2 – Short Sword: 2 – Shield: 1 – Tactic: 1 – Observation: 1 – Unarmed Combat: 1 Lore: Fighting Capability of Rhuryc Rhuryc: Interogation: 1 – Observation: 1 – Tactics: 2 – Long Sword: 2 – Shield: 2 Lore: Additional notes: That was one short fight and a lot of other half finished things. Sorry I could not give more in the different areas. In any case! Thread graded! If you think I made a mistake, feel free to send me a message!