Closed A Tossed Hammer[I'tram]

[Clyde Sullins]

I'tram blocked the blow from his hammer, as expected, the jolt of the impact sweeping into his hand and along his arm. Though only part of it, it had been much less so than if say he had been hit in the arm with the weapon of I'tram. Still, the weapon did carry some of the blow back, as they met head to head. Force on force, always had such an effect. Of course, had they been using real weapons, the steel slab that was his hammerhead, likely would have damaged the thinner steel blade that I'tram defended with. Perhaps even denting or bending it. Though it was hard to say. If nothing else, it would have damaged it. Another upside to his weapon of choice, it could more or less smash into anything with little fear of damage, while a blade had to be edged, sharpened, and repaired. Much simpler, to use his weapon, in that regard. As his next blow was incoming, I'tram defended with an offensive attack, aiming a blow at the handle, and catching the tip of it with his blade. It only narrowly missed hitting his hand, which took up most of the handle, which as he thought about it, would have made more sense as a target. If you could get that close, why not try and just smash or slash into someones grip, rather than smack into the handle. He would need to make sure in the future, to block with the head of his hammer, and to protect his hand. As he thought on this, I'tram had also paused for a moment, and then swept in with a over headed strike aimed right for his skull. Clyde acted in defense almost by instinct, grasping the handle with a two handed grip, one hand on top of the other, and brought the head of his hammer up into the path of the gladius, holding it long ways so that if it kept on course, it would hit it in the middle, but if he tried to pull it to the left or right a bit, it would hopefully smack into one of the heads of the sledge. He tried to bring it in close, to collide with the blade, before it gained enough momentum in the downward swing. If it hit, and the block worked, he would push forward with the head of the hammer, trying to knock back and higher the blade I'tram held, and give him an opening, to make a swipe at his chest once more with his hammers head, before he could bring his blade back down on Clyde. Perhaps that was one downside to such a over headed strike, it left one open, lower.

[I'tram Bearguard]

Even as his sword began it's descent through the air I'tram could already tell he had made a mistake. If his gladius connected with the hard head of Clyde's hammer it would definitely damage his wooden practice weapon but there was a far bigger problem that was presented to him. If Clyde's block was successful I'tram's entire body would be left upon and on top of that the only thing I'tram could defend himself with would be a broken sword.


Almost by instinct I'tram knew what to do, it was too late to stop his strike, instead he diverted the course of the blade so it would miss the hammer and his his opponent's shoulder.


I'tram could only watch in despair as his blade connected with the hammer, another few centimetres and he would have been clear of the hammer. The contact between the edge of the sword and the head of the hammer didn't do as much damage as he thought it would but his weapon was little better than a toothpick at this stage. At the point of impact the wood had cracked and splintered in all directions leaving the top half of the weapon only connected by a few sinews of wood. A few of the splinters had pierced the exposed flesh of his hand but the rest of his body was mostly unharmed.


Quickly I'tram dropped his Gladius and tried to put some distance between himself and Clyde. He tried to draw his gladius but for some reason it was stuck fast and wouldn't come out, it looked I'tram would have to use his hands for the rest of the fight. Once again the young slave waited for his master to attack, hoping he could somehow best an armed opponent.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde did his best to cling onto his weapon, as the blade held by I'tram, clipped the edge of his hammers head. The momentum of it made the weapons collide awkwardly, and almost disarmed him also. Clyde took a step back as the weapon of his sparring partner broke, sending splinters flying. A few small ones caught in his arm, and Clyde let out a shocked "mmm" as he fought from yelling. As he paused for a moment, Clyde pulled out one of the splinters with his left arm, keeping ahold of his hammer with the right. Instead of attacking, he spoke. "Ow. What the petch man, what kind of junk did you buy? I mean really, practice weapons should not break so easily. Or was that one already damaged? Buy some decent equipment, you have enough to do so. Ow!" Clyde let out a second sound of pain, as he pulled out the other splinter in his arm. A small bit of blood beaded on his arm, were the splinter had been. "I have sparred plenty before, with such wooden practice weapons against similar ones. Against swords, staffs, all kinds, and I never had that happen. What cheap store did you get that from? Or did you pull it out of a junk pile! The petching things are literally made, to be used in practice, to be smacked into each other in training. So buy some decent petching stuff!"

[I'tram Bearguard]

As I'tram began to pull the splinters out of his hand he couldn't help but wince, not from the pain of the splinters, he had suffered far worse than a few small pieces of wood in his hand but from the verbal onslaught. For I'tram, there wasn't many things worse than being given out to, he had been brought up always being told that his master was infinitely more important than him and he should always strive to fulfill his duty. I'tram certainly wasn't performing his duties well today.

"I'm honestly not sure why it broke master, granted I have had it for a long time but it hadn't been too badly damaged. I will make sure to buy a new one when we return to Ravok. You have my word it won't happen again"

The language Clyde used made I'tram wonder.... had he heard somebody swear so much in a sentence. It certainly didn't seem like he had anyways. Clyde didn't seem like he would physically beat I'tram, he hadn't done it yet, it appeared that he preferred to use the far more effective whip of his tongue.

The young slave turned his attention back to his one remaining practice gladius, he ran over to the shore of Lake Ravok and let a bit of water into the scabbard, after swishing it around inside for a few ticks he tried to pull it out again. Success! The practice weapon came loose from the scabbard with ease. I'tram gave the gladius and scabbard a quick once-over, looking for a reason it may have jammed but no obvious reason jumped out at him. "That's odd, it has never happened to me before, I'll have to look into it when we return to Ravok tonight.

The thought hit him like a jackhammer, they weren't in Ravok anymore! They were in the Wildlands, a place where Rhysol wasn't there to protect him from the monsters that roamed in the uncivilized part of Mizahar, preying on the unwary, there wasn't many alive who could say they survived in the Wilderness alone. What sort of creatures could be lurking nearby? Then I'tram's eyes wandered over Clyde, while he didn't look like much, being a skinny and lanky man, his powers had recently become renowned in Ravok after his display of power against a horde of Yukmen during the failed attack of Syliras. If the rumours were true he had killed hundreds of the beasts calling forth fire, earth, water and air to destroy his enemies. It was certainly reassuring to have the master mage around. Subconsciously I'tram felt even more respect towards the mage than his old master, he was determined not to fail him again.

"Would you like to continue training master?"

[Clyde Sullins]

After the sudden outburst, and as the sudden surprising pain passed, Clyde calmed down a bit. It seemed like his small blustering had helped him blow off some of the steam, which inevitably boiled up when one was injured without any provocation or advance notice. It was always a bit easier to deal with such things, when you knew they were coming. Regardless, his anger seemed to have cooled as quickly as it had flared up. "Make sure it does not. It is not that big of a deal, but you must keep your things in decent repair. Make sure you test the new ones before buying them, and also make sure to replace them before they get to aged. You have the money, so it should not be an issue." Clyde gave I'tram a few moments to mess with his weapons, before he finally managed to get out his second practice gladius. Clyde just waited, and kept his breathing even, trying to meditate as he had earlier, to calm himself, and block off all outside annoyances. He was slowly getting better at it, and it seemed his mediation did help a bit in calming him. Not to mention helping to center himself, and focus him, before doing some great magic. "Return to Ravok tonight? I figured we could stay out tonight, and return in the morning, at first light. Surely you have camped before. I highly doubt that there is much out her that can take us both on. And besides, we will not travel to far from shore. Or at least, I have not yet met anything that can best me. And trust me, I have met quite a few instances of things you run into out here, and I am still alive." Clyde smiled back at I'tram. He had brought his stuff with him. A tent, his bedroll, and blanket. They could make a fire, find something to eat, and it would not be such a bad night. And besides, it would be good to see I'trams metal, in such a circumstance. To see how he dealt with such a sudden change. Or if he folded in the sight of danger. "Sure, lets go one more round, and then perhaps we can make camp. Perhaps a bit further from shore."

[I'tram Bearguard]

It appeared Clyde had calmed himself once more after his outburst, he seemed to have special breathing techniques especially for the purpose of relaxing himself. It could be interesting to learn more about these techniques, they could stop him getting into trouble someday.

When Clyde broke the news about staying outside Ravok for the night I'tram would have been lying to say he wasn't slightly worried but he consoled himself in the fact that he had Clyde with him. "I haven't been camping in a conventional sense but yes, I have been in the wild at night."

A sudden memory lurched into I'tram's mind of the first time he ventured into the wilderness. A slave caravan he travelling in was attacked by Zith raiders. They descended from the sky, roaring their fearsome battle cries and brandishing their deadly weapons. Fortunately the caravan guards were well trained and managed to fend off the majority of the Zith before they harmed or abducted any of the slaves. Still they couldn't save all of their cargo, one of I'tram's friends had been taken that night, snatched from right in front of him, the young lad was lifted, screaming into the air, held tight in the clutches of the Zith's claws. If the young slave was lucky he would have been killed, if he was unlucky he would have been kept as a slave of the Zith, and the quality of life between Ravokian slaves and Zith slaves was startling.

I'tram gave a determined nod, this time it would be different, he could fight now and he also had Clyde, which was the equivalent of having a small army at your back. The idea of camping did appeal to the young slave though. It would be an adventure of sorts. Having to catch and cook your own food, sleeping under the stars, if all went well it could be a great experience.

I'tram grinned slightly when Clyde asked for another fight, he was beginning to enjoy the experience. It had been a while since he had sparred or fought with someone else, perhaps that was why he had acted so aggressively at the start of the fight. Nodding his head the young slave spoke"As you wish master".

I'tram stepped into the same fighting stance as usual, his left leg in front with his sword held in his right hand. He waited expectantly for Clyde to ready himself for the final round of training.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde nodded. He doubted many people went outside of cities just for fun. But anyone who had traveled at all, would have spent time roughing it, living out the the forests and wilds of Sylira or wherever they found themselves. And you could do a lot worth, than staying the night almost within spitting distance of Ravok. Though now that he thought on it, he had been accosted many a time, and it usually was just when he was outside of town. Bandits especially loved that area to attack people. But then, so did wild animals. And monsters. But over his time, he had fought Zith, Yukman on several occasions, wolves, and many a bandit. And he had always risen as the victor. And on many of the occasions, he had been alone, or only had one person with him. Never had any of them been mages, they had all been mundane fighters unlike his own arcane style. If Clyde had known his thoughts, he likely would have smiled, and said I'tram was wrong. After all, he himself had down the work of a decent sized army. A small army, that would be underestimating his skills. He rated himself better than that. And for good reason. Finally, they were in the last round of the fight. After this, they would make camp, perhaps find some food, and prepare for the night outdoors. But for now, his focus was totally on the spar. Clyde held his wooden hammer before him in his right hand, as he watched I'tram prepare himself, and wait for Clydes attack. As it seemed he would have to initiate, Clyde moved forward, and attacked. He made a swing aimed right at I'trams head, but at the last second attempted to angle it downward, more towards his shoulder and collarbone. Then he would rear back, and come in with a two handed swing right at his chest.

[I'tram Bearguard]

While it was clear Clyde's skill was improving because of this spar he was a long way from being an expert with hammers. Clyde opened his attack with a horizontal strike aimed at I'tram's head. This may have been hard to block or dodge but because of Clyde's unfamiliarity with the weapons he made a few mistakes which made the incoming attack plain to see. He swung the hammer back far more than necessary and he hesitated slightly before initiating the strike. I'tram had come to recognize these as novice mistakes over his years and he had no doubt that they would be ironed out of Clyde's technique with practice but for now they were his undoing.

Unwilling to give any momentum to Clyde I'tram decided to go for a different method of defending which he had seen some other fighters use to great effect. When the hammer came towards his head I'tram aimed to duck under the incoming attack and weave to the right like in a boxing match, this would leave Clyde's back and side open to a variety of attacks.

This movement would have been a brilliant success if I'tram had been more observant of Clyde's strike or if he had ducked more. At the end of the strike the path of the hammer changed, it would have hit his collarbone or maybe his neck but because he had ducked the hammer had struck a glancing blow to the top of his head. Luckily his helmet absorbed most of the damage but it still had an effect. The young slave was feeling dizzy and his ears were ringing, he was also swaying on his feet very slightly.

The next strike was even more obvious than the first, his opponent reared back leaving the majority of his body open, if I'tram hadn't been dazed Clyde would no longer be standing on two feet so instead he decided to block the incoming attack. While I'tram could just do a normal block, he wanted inflict some damage at the same time, the solution was clear to the young slave. He raised his gladius in a vertical strike, as if to attack someone above him, aiming for Clyde's hand the hammer fell towards his head. If his block connected I'tram would follow up with a left hook aimed towards Clyde's head.

OOC NoteI assumed your last attack was an overhead strike, aimed downwards. If I'm mistaken please correct me and I'll edit my post

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde's attempt at a feint, had actually been successful... Or, he was almost sure that it was a feint. But he could not recall if a feint meant not attacking at all, or if it only meant pretending to do one thing but doing another. If the later was the true definition, then he had indeed carried off a feint. Perhaps, he thought to himself, he should ask someone and find out which definition actually applied to a feint. He was still new to using the hammer, so several of the obvious movements and tells were clearly visible to someone with a decent bit of knowledge and experience with fighting. Which Clyde was not. As I'tram attempted a spectacular duck and dodge, it failed just as spectacularly. On a whim Clyde had attempted to shift the direction the weapon was going, and it just so happened that the particular move I'tram planned to make in response clashed. It just went to show, showing off and using flashy moves would just get you killed in a real fight. Better to use simple and straightforward moves that worked 10 times out of 10, instead of moves that only worked 9. For it was that one time that would get you killed. It just so happened Clyde's move was the one, for I'tram's response. Though I'tram was obviously dazed a bit by the blow, he still managed a counter to Clyde's second blow. As he swept in, finally arcing low to hit the aimed target of I'trams chest, the boy's weapon came swinging in response. It caught the bottom of Clyde's handle straight on, and popped the weapon right out of his hands, sending it flying up into the air. Most of the blow went into the handle, but a bit of it smacked into his hands, which stung to a degree. But no were near as much if his hammer had not taken the brunt of the force. Another difference between the two fighters, was height. Clyde easily had half a foot on I'tram. Which meant he had more reach than the younger fighter, and also forced him to reach further, and possibly overreach exposing himself, in order to hit his head. As the blow to his hands startled Clyde, he took a step back and away from I'tram. The left hook I'tram sent at Clyde whizzed by, just a inch shy of hitting him in the mouth and chin. Clyde could actually feel a small wind, so close was the blow to hitting him. "Alright, alright, good match. Did you see were my hammer went?" Clyde took another step back, looking about for a moment to see were his hammer had gone. It had popped right out of his grip, and flown over his head, but he had no clue were it was. And he would prefer not to lose it.

[I'tram Bearguard]

I'tram had to admit he was sad the fight was ended, in the end it had been a good experience. He was also disappointed in himself though, he hadn't performed well today, in more than one way. From nearly losing his temper to not taking care of his weapons. Even in the spar he hadn't done well, he had nearly been bested by a skinny and lanky wizard who had barely used a hammer before, I'tram would need to up his training if were to serve to the best of his abilities. The young slave decided he really would need to learn more about those breathing excercises if he was going to get a grip with his temper.

I'tram thought back, where had Clyde's hammer gone. He remembered that it gone flying up into the air. Tracing it's path I'tram walked into a patch of grass, managing to trip and stumble on something. Managing to right himself before he fell onto the ground I'tram turned around and picked up the hammer he had almost tripped over. I'tram turned to Clyde who was still looking around for his weapon "I found it over here master".

Walking over to the mage I'tram held the weapon out in the palms of his hand, holding it almost as if it was a sacred object. He would wait for Clyde to take it before, somewhat hesitantly beginning to speak "Master, do you mind if I inquire into as he spoke his courage waned slightly but he carried on your breathing techniques?"I'tram couldn't help but wonder if he had gone to far, he was walking on a thin line after all, at least he thought he was, maybe Clyde would forgive him for the day's mishaps but then again there was a chance he wouldn't