10th day of Spring, 513 A.V. 13th Bell 8th Chime.
Kreig was simply wandering the streets of Syliras that day, his mind still muddled and it showed in the form of a simple daze as he walked the busy streets. All that consumed was how different it was ‘This is a city?!’ He thought, Syliras was just as crowded as Sunberth, but it was also far cleaner. Few of the people here looked like blood soaked murderers and thieves, few looked as dirty and desperate as the commoners of Sunberth. There were no corpse laden on the streets and frequently ignored, nor did he see a starving child or two. Such differences shocked him so to the very core, there weren’t even any gangs to speak of! In the end he felt like a solid blow was struck to his gut, if anything the only thing he saw similar to Sunberth were some of the tavern patrons, most being mercenaries and bounty hunters resting before their next mission or simply passing through ‘ How will I get used to such things?’ He asked himself frequently as he wandered. Eventually he stumbled upon some sort of training ground in some alley.
The training ground was far simpler than the Knight’s training ground in the castle ground and simpler than the ones belonging to the Dragoons’ of Sunberth. He could see a couple of training racks on wheels set up against a wall baring some weaponry then noticed another at a separate corner. The grounds looked like it was set up on a ruin of sort, though whither it was ancient or recent Kreig couldn’t gander a guess. There were few people around the area, perhaps only five and all seemed to be outsiders to the city just as Kreig were, well, all save for the apparent owner of the area. As Kreig looked about the area, two of the people here were training on soft mats and were practicing unarmed combat, while the other two were taking lessons from the owner of the grounds.
Kreig’s own attention was focused on the unarmed practitioners as they threw various punches and kicks, both blocking the other’s respective attacks and varying them with throws and takedowns. Both seemed fairly skilled in their craft, which meant viable targets for Kreig to vent out a bit of frustration. Respectfully he waited for them to take a break, and then approached them with his best smile “Sorry to disturb you gents, but if I may request something of either of you?”
The two unarmed fighters looked up at Kreig, then stared at Kreig and each other before one took a water satchel and took a deep gulp of water. They were both completely shirtless and wore only a pair of pants. One could clearly see the light bruising on their torsos as the sweat rolled down their forms. One of them nodded for Kreig to continue “Ah, thank you kindly, you see I couldn’t help but observe the two you spar and was hoping to engage either of you in a battle if willing?” He asked and was a bit hopeful.
“ Well that depends…. Are you willing to place a wager? Me and my friend are both hankering for a meal, if we beat you buys our meals. And we’ll buy you yours if you win.” Grinned one of them, the other remained silent but clenched the water skin tightly as he stared down Kreig. Kreig looked thoughtful about and while he really didn’t need to worry much about food since the Knight’s provide for their squires, it would be nice to have a meal different than what the knight’s usually provide.
“Very well then, which one of you gents will I be fighting then?” Kreig grinned as he unstrapped his metal gauntlets and removed his boots, setting them aside near the mats. The stoic-looking one stood up as he passed his waterskin to his friend, only to be grabbed by the wrist as the talkative one of the due began to speak.
“We did just finished a bout of training, so we need to rest for about oh…fifteen chimes before rushing in for a bit” The stoic one grumbled as he sat back down next to his friend “Take a breather yourself, friend. May as well talk a bit and introduce ourselves; my name is Jason Morris while my friend here is Tulius Crete” Spoke the talkative one Jovially, Kreig simply smiled and nodded as he sat down in front of them.
“Pleasure meeting you both, I am Kreig Messer” Kreig introduced himself “I’m new to Syliras and quite frankly I’m amazed by it”
Jason nodded shrugged before speaking “ Nothing surprising, you don’t look like the sort who travels much. Me and Tulias here been to lots of places and not just in Sylira either” Chuckled Morris as he seemed to recall a funny tale from the past “I could tell you a tale or two, over the dinner you’ll be buying us”
“Yes, I’m sure the dinner you’ll be buying me will be delicious while listening to a good tale” He retorted with a grin. After a few more chimes of talking, it was time for the battle to take place.
Kreig took his place on the mat, while Tulius took his. Kreig raised his fists and nothing more, a basic stance for any fighter without refined training. Tulius on the other hand had his right hand in an open palm while his left was left in a closed fist, he took a low stance that made his height somewhat below Kreig’s own.
“Alright gents, the rules are simple, he who surrenders first or is knocked the petch out is the winner. Combat has to be on the mats so if anyone steps out three times they lose. Also, any throws has to be on the mat, if thrown off one you dolts are likely to have a broken bone or back thanks to the rough ground…so basically if any of you throw the other off, it’s a loss for the thrower ” Morris said then leaned forward between the two, the moment he claps signaling the beginning of the fight. After a dramatically long moment and a couple of annoyed glares from both Kreig and Tulius cause, Morris finally clapped his hands and quickly stepped back and off the mat to avoid getting hurt, leaving Kreig and Tulius to their battle.
Tulius took the initiative as he moved forward but Kreig was the first to attack as he threw a right hook punch at a downward forty-five degree angle aimed at the left side of Tulius’ face, however Tulius raised left his elbow in retaliation and redirect Kreig’s fist to strike air but also kicked Kreig’s left leg back, breaking his balance and as his fist was still flying meant he was likely to trip. Tulius did not stop there however as without wasting a second he grabbed by his shirt with both hands and flipped him over on his back. As Kreig saw the world turning in that brief instant he thought ‘OH BLOODY SHYKE’ before inevitably landing on his back on the soft mat. As he lay their briefly Tulius attempted to get a hold of Kreig’s right arm and put it in an arm lock, but before he could even straighten Kreig’s arm Kreig quickly pulled his hand away and retaliated at the same time with his left fist. Tulius raised his arms in a cross guard as he was on his knee, the force of Kreig’s heavy punch pushed back Tulius slightly off balance but it was enough for Kreig to immediately tackle him to the ground with him on top.
“Hah…Hah…”Kreig breathed heavily with a manic smile adorning his face “Pretty good, Tuilius”
“Don’t talk, attack” The stoic Tulius finally, spoke and used Kreigs foolish pause for banter to his advantage as he quickly slipped out from under Kreig and as he began to raise himself with his back turned he swung his right leg with the bottom of his foot connecting to the right side of Kreig’s face. Tulius was no repositioned on his back while Kreig was lying face first into the floor, Tulius quickly got up from the ground while Kreig struggled as he just begain to push himself up, only to be prevent as Tulius suddenly approached and applied his left knee on Kreig’s spine and brought his arms around Kreig’s neck in a choke hold “ Submit, or let the darkness take you in its embrace ” Spoke Tulius in a poetic tone.
Kreig could barely talk as the air was cut off from his while also enduring a literal pain in the back, or rather on….whatever works. The world was beginning to blur but Kreig held steadfast ‘Not…gonna…lose…ya petcher’ Kreig barely thought as he suddenly bit into Tulius’ right arm, eliciting a cry of pain from Tulius who as a result loosened his hold, allowing Kreig to butt him with the back of his head into Tulius’ nose, now forcing Tulius to grasp his bleeding nose as he stood up while Kreig gasped for breath as he raised himself to his Knee’s and rubbed his own neck, eventually both regained their composure as Kreig stood up and resumed his raised fist posture while Tulius resumed his with blood dripping from his nose.
Tulius looked angry while Kreig was simply smiling ecstatically, Kreig’s smile caused unease within Tulius, but it was still far from full out intimidation. Kreig again attempted the first blow with a left uppercut, but Tulius redirected the blow, his palm grabbing Kreig’s wrist and raising it upwards while his right delivered a straight blow to his abdomen, knocking the wind out of Kreig then Tulius positioned himself Parallel to Kreig’s side with the palm of his right place upon Kreig’s face while his right foot was placed behind Kreig’s left and immediately swept him off his feet as his palm immediately aided in the Brawler fall and slammed the back of head on the matt with such brutality, that if it were indeed hard earth he may have had a mushy mess for a head right about now. Instead the Brawler was briefly knocked out for a few minutes as Morris slapped the Brawler then dumped some of the contents of the water skin on his face.
Kreig gasped quickly sat up, a gasp escaping his mouth as he breathed heavily. He closed his eyes and his breathing began to slow once he realized what had happened “Well, this is delightful, I’ve lost” Kreig chuckled as he was handed a cloth to wipe off the water from his face.
“Not for a lack of trying, that’s for sure. Though to be fair I don’t think you were in the type of battlefield your used, also Tulius is quite the good thrower with counter’s an’ all that” Morris said with a grin of his, Tulius simply grumbled as a piece of cloth was lodged up his nose for the bleeding “ Also you were pretty basic with your stance, I don’t think you’ve received a lick of formal training with your fists, did you?”
“Not quite, though I’ve been in certainly many a fight” Kreig admitted as he was helped up.
“ Well now, I think you owe us a couple of lunches, since we’ve won” Kreig let out another good natured chuckle as he consented defeat and retrieved his gear. After the passing of thirty chimes, Kreig and the duo were enjoying a hearty meal at the Tavern. Kreig enjoying his conversation with the duo.
“So tell me, you two gents hail here from Syliras?” Kreig asked as he took a quick sip from his mug of ale as Morris and Tulius were dressed in full attire.
“ No, we hail from Zeltiva” Answered Tulius bluntly as he took a hefty bite out of a chunk of meat on his plate.
“Tulius and I grew up on East Street, Zeltiva’s own slums. We’ve known each other since we were lads” Morris chuckled as he rested a hand on the table “And now I think its only fair if you reveal where your from?”
“Fair enough, I come from the city of Sunberth” Tulius nearly choked on his own piece of meat as he heard that, Morris simply chuckled
“Well, you won in terms of a rough neighborhood friend, certainly explains the way you fight” He then gave Kreig a sly look and a slightly mocking style “ No offense to your skills friend, as much of a struggle you gave Tulius you were like a graceless bull”
Kreig gave Morris a grin a of his own after he took a deep gulp of his ale “None taken, but I think if we were on a different field then a couple of mats I could have won”
“ I wholeheartedly disagree, on a different terrain I do believe we would have won regardless. Solely on the basis that a single through would have possibly killed you if we were on a harder ground.
“Perhaps, but if it’s a real battle, one to the death, I think I could prevail. I would also rely on the chair I’m sitting and throw food at your face while I sucker punched you with my gauntlets” Kreig remarked as he rested his chin on the back of his old right gauntlet.
“Perhaps, real battle is more unpredictable than most give it credit for”Replied Tulius, wiping his mouth with a cloth “though if that’s all you have, I don’t believe you came all the way from Sunberth all by yourself”
Kreig simply nodded, though in his mind he perhaps could have done so….ok not really, he knew he was clueless when it came to travel “Indeed, I arrived here with my Patron and a fellow traveler who also became a squire of the knights”
“Oh? You are a squire? From Sunberth” Tulius’ gaze was somewhat skeptical but Morris simply had that grin.
“I know, it sounds quite odd. But apparently its not quite rare, though most from Sunberth seem to drop out after a short while, if rumors were to be taken with a grain of salt at any rate. I simply hope it doesn’t hold true to me” Kreig sighed as he shook his now empty mug, then raised it in the air and called for another.
“ You know, I was a squire meself for a short while. Though I ended up leaving on my own accord” Kreig raised an eyebrow at that, an interested gaze signaling for Morris to speak further “ Aye, I ended up joining oh…perhaps when I was 18? Tulius was trying for an apprenticeship at the Docks while I wanted a bit more adventure on the land…and a bit more coin. When I came here I threw any ol’ excuse at the one armed recruiter at the office, he didn’t buy a lick of it I could tell but I was allowed to join anyway, I’m guessing they were hoping I’d display some virtues they coveted as they saw me train. My Patron was quite the patriotic ol’ coot as well, from hat I could gather from his few praises I was a hard worker and listened to their orders without a fuss”
“So why did you leave if you were doing so well?”
“Well, like I said, I wanted coin. Greed was my fault, also according to them I was passionless, I didn’t hold the same ideals as they did so after about a year and a half, I dropped out and became a mercenary, by that time I had already accumulated some proper skills and a few outings with my Patron eventually led to my first real battle. Went back to Zeltiva to see if I could drag Tulius into the life with me”
“As you can see, he succeeded. After half a season at sea I was quite depressed on the high seas, nor did I have the proper stomach to endure the churning waves, so I left the apprenticeship behind and become a laborer at the docks. The coin was meager however and I had siblings to feed, so when Morris came back and asked me to join…well, I was quite desperate. ” Kreig focused on their words, he could see the discomfort on Tulius’ face when he thought back to those days “I ended up leaving Zeltiva for long whiles, saving most of what and use the rest to repair or replace what I had. What I saved I sent back to Zeltiva along via caravans so my family could eat. It was hard, I had to live outside the city I loved….when we could we would visit Zeltiva perhaps twice or thrice a year, and leave the second or third day of our arrival”
“And…how did you overcome the maddening feeling? How…. Did you keep yourself sane out there?” Kreig asked, Tulius’ word spoke to him, for he was feeling part of what he was feeling.
“Simply put? I remembered what I was fighting for, I remembered the promises I made to myself. The feeling never went away however, but it was dulled. Morris, here, is different however. A soul of a traveler is what inhabits him” Tulius told Kreig as he gave him a firm gaze.
“ I never was one to stay long in one place, back at our rooms in the inn I have a bunch of maps stashed with our gear. One for each region, and a few for some cities ” Morris spoke as he leant back on his chair, the wall behind him preventing him from falling a he rested his legs on the table “ A bunch of mementos too, we actually got Tulius’ favorite axe off the corpse of a bandit. Pretty good at throwing too”
Kreig wanted to groan, but kept it inside. The mention of bandits and axe sounded horribly like how he got his own hand axe, and he could imagine his iron hand axe would be good useful for throwing ‘Someone out there is trying to teach me a lesson’ That’s how it felt when he listened to them speak, their words about his brawling and lack of weapons seemed as much as well.
“nothing to brag about, but I did obtain a couple of throwing axes to make use of my skills. Though a throwing dagger is far more lighter and cheaper to replace when then a throwing axe, though admittedly I use them in a pinch or when a bow is unnecessary ”
“ Aye, when you’re a merc ,its best to get as many combat skills on your belt. Sometimes work can get so slow you have to resign yourself to working as a bodyguard for a whole, or even a guard for some shop for a short while. Some of the clientele get squeamish about blood so they rather we beat the snot out of any assailant, shyke, some bounty contracts we took actually wanted us to bring the petchers back alive... and its a petching ungrateful job too, you can make a lot of enemies. You have no idea how many times a bunch of idiot petchers try to ambush us without or weaponry, makes me wish I had the knights plate armor” Morris then gave another smirking grin and look at Kreig “ If you want my suggestion, If you somehow manage to not get thrown out of being a squire but don’t see yourself there….. Stay till you learn enough to be able to survive on your own, the knights can be ….overbearing….at times, to say the least, but they know war” Kreig stayed silent for a bit, Tulius signaled with a shake of his head to Morris that it was time they left. With a brief thanks for the meals, they left Kreig to pay. Kreig left that place Ten gold mizas less. |
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by Kreig Messer on March 10th, 2013, 7:18 pm 
