A Spar, To Train Under a Pycons watching. (Alex Ross & Arch)

[Ferrin Al'Mandrikan]

||"Common"||"Pavi"||"Tukant"||"Other's Speaking"||

Timestamp: 86th spring 516AV.
Location: Antinous Training Grounds

It appeareda to be set and stone with the pairing. Ferrin smiled weakly as he looked at the first late Squire. So his name was Alexander Ross? Is he in care of another patron? Surely, he must be. He had taken a fast steady of paces before he had ever so confronted Avrial Stalinsa. But, with the Stalinsas' harsh like confrontation things had had been out of hand. The group hadn't even had a chance to officially begin the dueling. "Sure."Said Ferrin calmly as he looked over to his patron Knight with a simple smile."Don't worry about me, son. Your the one training now go gather your things and prepare a spar with this young Alexander here."Said Ser Xervos.


Ser Xervos relinquished a Curt nod towards Ferrin and a nice smirky grin over his dull like visage. Ferrin nodded back and headed towards Alexander with a smile over his enchanting countenance. The Kenashian took his steps with ease and comfort as the metallic boots kicked up dribbles of dirt.

It was strangely peculiar to Ferrin how this group had gotten the owners attention. Surely, this group were debating. Over a Squires entrance? Who the petch cares if the man arrived late. He doesn't need any lecturing of course. Still, Ferrin had barely known the man. And when the Kenashian turned his head, Ser Xervos was gone, just simply left the Grounds, or did he? Ferrin looked around puzzled, in a way. And had discovered that the Knight had taken his leave to sit on one of the chairs that was placed about the Grounds.

Ferrin smiled and nodded his head towards Alexander who seemed to be as much confused as Ferrin. He knew that look quite well. He didn't know why for sure. But, he still managed a nod to Alexander."You must be Alex? From what Arch said. I'm Ferrin. By the way. Feel free to choose an arena. I'm fine with either of them."Said the Kenashian as he gestured his hand out to the arenas. The Kenashian took his hand and asked for a simple greeting with a commonly used hand shake. And awaited for the young Alexander to decide which arena the two would spar at.

When the Kenashian trained at home with his father. The tactics were simple, and basically, all Ferrin did train with was his short broadsword. Which he had in his sheath. And a shield strapped to his left arm. The training now was so different than what Ferrin had been used to. Surely, this training is going to become an obstacle for Ferrin to get around with. And how the Kenashian managed to stay a squire for this long. It was definitely a mystery for him. And it was definitely just a large obstacle awaiting for the Kenashian to take his chances.

All the Kenashian hoped to gain was more intellect on training, be it advice or physical combat. And practice, loads and loads of practice will definitely help Ferrin out. He just hoped that Alexander would feel the same way as well, save for the harsh confrontation.

"In Sylir, May We Trust."

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alex gave an annoyed sigh, before lifting his glasses up and rubbing his eyes. What a perfect way to start the day… accidentally arriving late, getting yelled at by some snobby knight with a better-than-you attitude, then having to witness everyone erupt into a large and meaningless argument. It seemed that all the Squire had to do was simply arrive before chaos erupted, which is usually how his luck was. Even though it was nice – if a bit confusing – to see everyone come to his defense, he still couldn’t help but feel responsible for the little outbreak. Not to mention how guilty he felt with the Weaponmaster taking time out of his own schedule to contain the rather childish argument. He pushed the thought from his mind, before crossing his arms over his chest. There was nothing that could be done about it now. He was here to train, not mope about his seemingly constant misfortune. He jerked his head to the side, which flipped his rather long bangs out of his face, before he continued looking about in a confused manner. Archailist announced that he would be paired with a Squire named Ferrin… but the only other Squire Ross recognized was Croft. Shyke… he had been out of Syliras for way too long. It would be a good idea to at least learn the names and faces of the newer recruits. Before he could give up and ask, he was addressed by a Squire who was about as tall as him, only a bit more muscular. “Well met.” Alex said simply, before giving a polite nod and accepting the handshake, keeping his grip nice and firm. Without another word, he gestured his head toward one of the more forested areas of the arena. After a while of training on a flat open surface, it can get pretty dull. The only wooded area the Squire has ever fought in was in the Bronze Woods, and that was only one time. It might be a bit interesting to mix things up a bit…

[Ferrin Al'Mandrikan]

Timestamp:86th of spring
Location:Training Grounds

Ferrin nodded his head slowly with a smile. His black curled head dropped over the Kenashians brows. Surely, there can't be any better way to meet Alex than this? Of course there can. And on this day, with the Stalinsa Knight taking a sort of childish demenur. It wasn't helping Ferrin and it certainly wasn't helping Alex. Just because Avrial Stalinsa is a Knight does not mean she can take the responsibility of all of those within the same room as her. No. In fact, she has the equal amount of respect as everyone else, or now, perhaps a bit less; for her actions had upset the lot of the group.

Ferrin had hoped this had brought The Sera Knight for sure, picked a good day to turn the moods of those who wanted to actually train. And in hopes, Ferrin would even see how Arch could fight. The Kenashian hadn't had any visible chances of seeing Arch fight. If he could teach, then he surely has the skill to fight. And being a Pycon, well, there was one other Pycon that Ferrin had met around last season. Nivel. She, well, she was a bit hard to describe at first. With the Overgiving thing that is.

Magic users, had been something that had interested Ferrin. Though, he'd probably figured that he wouldn't be as good at it as all of those other notorious mages out in the world. Probably not. But, enough talk about becoming a mage, what's so good about becoming a mage besides having the consequences that could for sure possibly kill you? Eh?

"He's, well met indeed. So the forestry one than. How about we prepare our things and get this spar started?"Said Ferrin as he released his grip with the handshake. Ferrin nodded his head as he turned to the rack of shields on the opposite end of the Grounds. His helm felt sticky inside, and Ferrin sighed. At least the sweat meant that he was working up on some energy. Practically, even if it meant a small amount; perhaps most of it was just being nervous or something.

The two returned promptly to the forested like arena. Smaller than what it actually was supposed to be. Even though, the city did its best to represent the woods, still had the look of an arena. Ferrin had a shield in his left and his sword held in his right. Surely, it was more of a short broadsword, and it might be confused with a bastard sword, or even a short sword. But, really, the flat blade and the sharpened tip makes things weighed different for Ferrin. And the shield weighed on Ferrin a bit

Ferrin stood loosely at one end. "You can attack first."Said Ferrin politely as he nodded his head to the man before him. Ferrin took his usual stance. His right foot in front of the other, shield now, held at about chest level. Sword raised and posed with the flattened blade hanging upwards. Perhaps things would get a bit easier for Ferrin? Though, that wasn't what had happened with someone whom he met at first glance. He was wronged, but he was still learning how to even hold a shield than. Now, the season is almost over and Ferrin had been doing a lot of training with the shield. For sure, good luck for the both of them.

My Words Others Words My Thoughts

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alex nodded and silently walked with the other Squire to one of the more forested sections of the large arena, waiting for him to pick up the rest of his gear. Alex himself already had all of his gear dawned and ready, despite the Knight from earlier demanding where his gear was… it just proved to him that she was possibly having a bad day and taking it out on him. Ross always tried to come prepared, ever since embarrassing himself the first time he had met Arch. The Squire had arrived and had nothing but his weapon on him, and they spent the day gathering equipment rather than exploring the Bronze Woods like they had originally planned to do. As he and Ferrin arrived to a spot, Alex began rolling his shoulders and doing a few stretches, hoping to loosen some of his muscles up before they got started. He had found out the hard way that bursting into the sudden and sporadic motions commonly used in combat was a great way to pull a few muscles. Ross had pulled a hamstring once, and ever since then had never began a training session without first limbering up. Ranqor nearly died laughing when it happened, too… Once he was finished, he took his own stance, which was similar to Ferrin’s; keeping his dominant right foot forward and his left foot back, while his knees remained slightly bent. The only major difference was that his blade was being held near his shield at an angle so that a simple flick of his wrist would be enough to deflect a blow that came at his midsection or head. He gave a slight nod when the Squire allowed him to have the first attack, gripping the handle of his blade tightly. Instantly, he ducked as low as he could and slashed toward the Squire’s right shin, loosening his grip mid-swing and allowing his hand to slide to the base of the hilt for extra reach. He didn’t know if the blow would make contact or not, but it didn’t exactly matter at the moment… his plan was to follow up immediately with a slash towards Ferrin’s shoulder while he was distracted with the first blow.

[Ferrin Al'Mandrikan]

Ferrin had had seen Alex's swings come. Of course it was obvious to go for the side without the shield. Alex thrusted low, just about to where Ferrins shin was. Surely, Ferrin managed a simple parry with tilting the blade downwards and having the metal deflect off of each other. Ferrin regained his position, just in the nick of time, to. Because as Ferrin raised his sword, Alex's swing to his shoulder had been deflected, by luck.

Ferrin took a few steps back and used a tick to rethink his battle strategy. Surely, there is an opening with Alex's right side as well, with his sword at band, Ferrin thought about it whether or not he could try and disarm Alex for an advantage and kick the blade elsewhere.

With a pressurized swipe Ferrin took his short broadsword and swung, aiming for Alex's blade. After he made a few steps forward. If successful, Ferrin would sustain a large amount of pressure against his blade, but if it failed Ferrin would retrqce his steps and attempt a shield bash. If it were successful; Ferrin would disarm Alex and then use his shield to bash the other squire as well, either way Ferrin would end up bashing Alex. The bash is usually to catch Alex off guarded and dazed for as long as Ferrin could muster him to be, but, also so that Ferrin would have an easier advantage to win this spar.

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross There was a loud clatter and a sharp ringing as Alex’s blade collided with Ferrin’s, both blows almost immediately being deflected by the other Squire’s short broadsword. Already, it had occurred to Ross that this Squire was just a bit more skilled than others. With how quickly he had been able to deflect both attacks, it was already clear that he was just a bit more skilled than Alex was. Whether or not that was a good thing would be difficult to decide. Sparring with a skilled opponent would allow for Alex to improve in places he had been lacking, but it also had a high chance of him leaving with a few more injuries than he actually intended to get. Alex flinched as Ferrin suddenly swung his blade with incredible force into his own, causing those dreaded vibrations that almost always caused the young man to accidentally loosen his grip on his sword. While he was still able to keep his grip on his sword, his arm was still forced off to the side, almost leaving him completely open if not for his shield covering his chest. Before Ross could even have time to think of another strategy, Ferrin suddenly charged at him with his shield raised. If there was anything Ross could do to avoid the shield bash, he wouldn’t have thought of it in time. He tensed up and let out a grunt as the other Squire smashed into him, the force sending him completely off balance due to his own thin build. Ferrin’s build was much more physical, which only worked against Alex considering his own lack of weight or muscles. With a dull thud, he landed flat on his back and groaned out in pain, the wind practically being knocked out of his lungs. “Damn…” He grumbled, coughing a few times before moving to get up. Well... that didn't last long at all...

[Ferrin Al'Mandrikan]

With the outcome of the duel, things had ended quite quickly. It had appeared to Ferrin that Alexander hadn't really had as much muscles than Ferrin had. Surely, he was able to wield a Shield and a sword. But, Ferrin didn't realize how little in experience he can be. "So sorry about that Alexander. Would you like a hand up. Here." Said Ferrin as he slid out his hand from the shield and handed it out to the Squire before him with ease. Fortunately, the Kenashian wasn't as tired as he would imagine and Ferrin would appreciate another go. If Alexander would want to.

"Would you like to go again?" Ferrin asked as Alexander got up. Surely, Ferrin had fought many other men before Alexander, but a lot of those men were either really tough or very strategic. It had appeared to Ferrin that this Alexander was lacking a bit of both, but Ferrin wasn't one to judge. He has his own problems with fighting since he hadn't really done it much. Save for bandits at the Bronze Woods and the Pits sometime back when. When he was going up against Alexander, Ferrin had hoped that he would be an adversary worth dueling, but in terms he had gotten it the easy way out and was now glad that he wasn't going up against someone as tough looking as Aviral Stalinsa. She would be a challenge, especially even since she was a Knight. Definitely more skilled in combat then Ferrin had been in.

"I didn't mean to do that much of damage to you. I'm not very good with this thing." Said Ferrin honestly as he gestured his head mainly to the shield that was strapped tightly about his left arm. Ferrin sighed and wriggled his hand to adjust the comfortableness with it. The sword was solemnly sheathed within its sheath and tucked in gently. Surely, the more one practices, the more that one gets better. Usually.

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alex couldn’t help but chuckle as he grasped Ferrin’s hand and allowed himself to be helped up, Dusting some of the dirt and leaves off of his armor. Honestly, in the back of his own mind, he was glad that he was sparring with a more challenging partner, rather than one who wouldn’t know the slightest thing about how to use as sword. Faircroft didn’t count, though. From what Ross could gather, Croft didn’t know much about how to use a sword, but he knew full and well how to plan his actions, which was what led to Ross losing their last spar. “It’s all right, don’t worry about it.” Alex replied with a polite smile, before rolling his shoulders a bit. It had already occurred to him that Ferrin had a much better grasp on the sword he was using than he did… which was disappointing but comforting all at the same time. He bent his head to the side and winced as his neck popped. “I’m not hurt or anything, just a little stunned. I didn’t expect you to get the drop on me so quickly.” He shuckled a bit, before picking his longsword up from the ground and rolled his shield arm a bit. “Another round?” He asked, before shrugging. “Why not? I’m not even close to being tired yet. Most of the sparring sessions I have are usually only one round anyway, which does get boring after a while.” He absentmindedly tossed his head to the side, which would flip his bangs out of his face, before once again taking his stance. This time, he made sure to keep his left foot further back and solid, to keep from once again being thrown back. He placed his dreaded shield close to his chest and kept his sword arm ready, his reflexes ready to be triggered at any time. “I’ll let you go ahead and take the first swing this time.”

[Archailist]

Some of the battles were going well. Ball and Garland were barely holding anything back it seemed, while Alexander Faircroft was giving Poppy a sure-fire run for her Miza's with constant tactics-switching and manipulation of a caliber more suited for a game of Wit than any of sword-talent. Archailist eagerly jumped from one to the next, piecing out advice wherever he could.. but when he stopped for a moment to examine Alexander Ross and Ferrin, he could hardly find anything going on to criticize - or praise. "What the petch is this?!" he roared as he walked around one of the trees, glancing angrily from one would-be combatant to the next. "What're you apologizing for? Why are you both just.. standing here? For Sylir's sake." True enough, he'd never seen Ferrin fight, but surely he couldn't be so terrible. Alexander, for all his merits, should have been a fair equal regardless. He'd only seen Ferrin as a casual farmer barely a season ago, surely he hadn't become a master swordsman during that time?

Whatever nonsense was going on, Arch was putting a stop to it. "Don't worry about helping him up next time, Ferrin." In a real battle, his opponent wouldn't be offering him a way back up to his feet. "You two should be taking this seriously, y'hear. Start looking around yourselves, and to your opponents." With his Py-Pole, the Pycon slapped the metal cap against one of the tree-trunks surrounding them both narrowly. "Trees can be used for cover, bottle-necking an opponent into either changing positions into one that could be more favourable to you.. or attacking between narrower trees, limiting their attacks in ways that make them more predictable."

Then he turned the pole and used it to point at each squire in turn. "Use the knowledge of your opponents, spliced with some simple logic and common sense. Shields are important pieces of gear but they don't defend every aspect of a person.. and not from all directions." It was time to offer them some serious advice, too.

"On a real battlefield," he suddenly moved on with, "you will not get the opportunities you get now to get back up again and used what you have learned from your mistakes. Your mistakes will dictate how long you will spend on this planet. So, what you can learn from this is, don't make mistakes. Period. By any means, avoid opening yourself. If you think you are going to fall, don't let it happen. Your life will depend on your ability to read your opponents.. to learn from them without opening yourself.. and on your ability to pull yourself out of a dangerous situation before you end up with a sword through your neck."

Lecture over, he slid back out of the arena with a few hops and skips, but not before turning over his shoulder to offer one last little nugget of knowledge. "Also, stop with this stupid 'you go first' stuff. I don't know why in Hai you think that's appropriate here. If you want to take the first move, take it.. and I strongly suggest that you do." Then he was off, to the next pair, leaving the two to their own devices once more.