Closed [Bronze Woods] Playing with Fire

[Drake Reinhold]

Drake Reinhold When Drake heard the Max was going to be using his dagger, it put him on edge, feeling a little uneasy since he hasn't had much training against a dagger, especially when wielded by someone with such good training with one. But nonetheless, Drake stood up and got into his usual combat stance, only to be stopped by Max who needed to warm up. Drake of course agreed and Max left, giving Max time to get ready, and getting Drake time to think. He had sparred with Max before and they were almost equally matched, though Max would win at most if not all the times where he had a dagger, and Drake always had the upper hand when it came to fist combat. Drake knew this wouldn't be ending well with just his gauntlet, so he would have to try and use his flux to his advantage, but of course, without overdoing himself. So Drake made sure his gauntlet was securely strapped to his arm one last time, then he sat down and started going through steps in his head of all the defense he had learned. Merely block and hit, not hard or with flux, just to catch of guard. Drake closed his eyes for a second then opened them, standing up and started punching the air in a series of combinations learned in the past. Making sure to put a lot of block and dodge moves in so he could be ready for Max's quick attacks and moves. Drake was mainly using his gauntlet hand to guard and then his other first to attack normally. Hopefully disarming Max at some point then giving the upper hand to Drake. Although that would be unlikely with a dagger. So he just practiced his block moves. Right arm up to block, left hand to hit or move attacking hand away from other. Positioning self to keep opponent in front of him so they wouldn't be doing any surprises. As Drake was just finishing up he hears Max approach behind him. "So what now?" Max said as Drake turned to face his friend who was gripping his weapon. Drake then took a step back and a deep breath. "Now, I suppose we find out who will be buying drinks tonight." Drake says with a smile to his friend getting into his regular combat stance.

[Maximilian Walsh]

Max smiled, and then unsheathed his dagger. "You're lucky I left my second one at home", he boasted. "Otherwise this would be too easy.". They both laughed, and it then became serious. "Listen, if I'm going to hit you, I'll make sure to stop before I really do injure you, I hope you do the same, since I assume you're going to use your flux?". Drake nodded, and they both took a few steps back. Max took another deep breath, and remembered what he learned previously. Quick strikes, even quicker movement. If Drake catches him then he's done for, and he definitely does not want that to happen. "Okay, lets go". Before Max could react, Drake already came charging at him, and swung with full force. By a close call Max managed to dodge to the left of his arm, missing him barely."Holy- that flux definitely speeds up your punch", said Max surprised, and returned a jab to the stomach with his dagger. Only barely did he catch Drake, of course not really hitting him, stopping a few inches before his stomach and then grinning to Drake's face, only to be greeted by a fist directly to his left eye. A little hurt, Max jumped a few steps back and regained position. "What the hell? I told you to be careful. I don't want to walk around looking like I lost a fight.", snarled Max as he started charging at Drake. Aiming for his abdomen, Max attempted to slash, only to be caught by Drake's gauntlet and thrown back, almost being disarmed. He then figured it would not be easy to win, his weakness decided to show itself again. He became cocky, and he had to stop right now. He cleared his mind, loosened up and went at it again. This time, he successfully stabbed Drake in the chest, of course not really, and also managed to return the hit he received earlier himself. The punch did not do much to Drake, neither did Max expect it too, but it was part of his attack, and he was glad it was successful.

[Drake Reinhold]

Drake Reinhold Drake saw the smile on Max's face and how he was getting a bit cocky. Drake knew this was his perfect chance, so using his flux he quickly and oh so swiftly threw a punch to Max's left eye getting a direct hit. Drake then quickly got back into his stance looking at his friend. "What the hell? I told you to be careful. I don't want to walk around looking like I lost a fight." Drake just shrugged at this when his friend started to charge at him, going for what looked to be his abdomen. Drake pushed his right arm down to catch the blade with his gauntlet. Successfully doing so he pushed the dagger aside along with pushing Max, almost disarming him, behind Drake who turned around in time. Drake knew that Max was becoming too cocky, and that it was going to make him suffer in the end. Drake wasn't paying attention to Max getting closer and pretending to stab Drakes chest then punching back at Drakes face. Drake was not expecting that at all, but resisted it well and scratched his chin. "Not a bad hit. Lets see if you can do it again eh?" Drake then charged at Max his gauntlet front and center blocking Max's first attack with his dagger, but then Max swiftly dodged the attack of Drakes left fist, getting behind him. Drake knew this was the part where all ended. He tried spinning around but Max had already swiftly put the dagger almost to Drakes neck, while Drake thrust upward with his gauntlet hand blocking the dagger from getting to his neck. Max then trips Drake easily and points the dagger to his throat, winning this match. Drake lay on his back with Max's dagger still pointed to his neck, both breathing very heavily. "Alright... Good match.." Drake says trying to catch his breath.

[Maximilian Walsh]

"Agreed.", catching his breath, Max decided to sit down next to Drake. "Looks like you'll be paying today, eh?" said Max jokingly. They were both observing Taros, who hasn't taken much interest in us sparring, and was focused on himself. It isn't often Taros is focused like that, so Max decided to leave him alone for the time being. "You should get some practice with a sword", Max brought up, "It would help you out a lot, especially you being the big guy you are." Drake seemed to like the idea, and Max hoped he would take his advice. Laying down in the dirt, he decided to stare at the sky for a bit. Blending out of reality is always nice, especially when he's had a rough day. Gathering all the supplies for himself and Taros, and also training today isn't that easy to go by and most likely there will be more too. As he relaxed a little, he put his dagger back in it's sheath. He was day dreaming about his new job he was looking forward to. Hunting has been something he was interested in, especially since it requires stealth, and the use of his bow. All of a sudden, Max hears a crack behind him, coming from the bushes. It caught both Max and Drake's attention, and Max decided to check it out. He got back on to his feet, taking slow, but careful steps in a crouched position. He slowly unsheathed his dagger as he got closer, and he heard another noise, and he stopped in place. He heard grunting.. it was a boar! "Drake! There's a boar over here!" Max whispered, as he slowly continued to approach the bush it was in. He was almost there, only a few meters away, until Crack. Not paying attention Max stepped onto a branch and the boar ran off. "Oh well, I should have brought my bow along, that would have made things easier. Talking about bows, I think that is what I'll be training tomorrow" said Max somewhat disappointed. "And you my friend, you should bring a sword. I'd love to see you fight a knight of Syliras with just your fists!" said Max in a jokingly manner, almost taunting Drake for his choice of skill, who did not even hear Max as he seemed occupied thinking about something himself. Turning to himself, Max approached a tree and climbed on to it, thinking about what he could do next. He was regretting he didn't bring his bow with him, as Drake did not look like he wanted to continue sparring if Max uses his dagger. Sadly though, the way Drake felt about Max using the dagger, Max felt about Drake going unarmed, as there is almost no chance Max could win. Maybe if it was surviving a few rounds, but if it's about who stays up, then it's a lost fight. One thing did cross his mind. He was thirsty, but instead of walking to his backpack, Max had a crazy idea. He'll jump from tree to tree in order to get there. It would be good training not only for an invisible approach, but also getting better at climbing around. Already being on the lowest branch, the tree closest to Max wasn't in reach from his location. He stood up on the branch, and grasped the one right above him, and pulled himself up. Using his knee he got up on to it, and now was high up enough to just walk over to the next one. He balanced himself as he took step by step till he could grasp a branch and regain stability, as his sense of balance was good, but not perfect. Slowly, he made it over, and his bag was only one tree away. He decided he would jump to the branch. Readying up, Max got into jumping position, he wiped his hands on his clothes to remove any sweat on them, to stop him from slipping off. "One, two and.. three!" he leaped towards the next tree, grasping the branch, and swinging, only to lose his grip and fall onto his back. Max groaned in pain, thankfully it wasn't high up at all, Max could have reached the branch if he was standing on the ground. Whilst Drake was having a good laugh, Taros still remained concentrated on his work, and hasn't taken a look over yet at least not to Max's knowledge. He slowly got to his knees and then to his feet, and slowly made his way over to his bag, leaning against the tree. He opened his back, and reached for his bottle, opened it and took a sip. He was done for the time being, he'll be watching Drake and Taros until he starts feeling a bit better. He slid down the tree's bark until he was seated, and sighed.

[Drake Reinhold]

Drake Reinhold Drake finally caught his breath and sat up as Max laid down looking up at the sky. Drake slid off his gauntlet with ease and looked at his arm and the rings around it that his gauntlet had caused, when he heard a noise coming from the bushes. Max darted his head up and both the boys looked in the same direction. Drake sat up some more as Max went to check what it was. When Drake found out it was a boar he licked his lips. Drake got quite sad when Max stepped on the stick but then just shrugged. Drake then reached for his pen and started practicing his glyphing, while Max was doing something else. He took off the cap and sat there thinking for a few minutes. Then he started drawing slowly on his hand, concentrated on the lines he made and how they were defined. He was getting better but not quick enough. Drake new that to really get the power he needed he had to do this. So even though it gave him a headache he continued drawing, soon making a portion of the glyph he looked at it and drew some more on it hoping it would turn out right and not be a dud like usual. That as when Max fell from the tree and Drake bursted out laughing flinging the pen to the side of him, holding his stomach. Once he had finished laughing Drake let out a long sigh smiling. "Maybe you should stick to walking, eh?" Drake laughed some more then looked around for his pen. Finally finding it he looked back at his hand and saw that the glyph had been smudged. Disappointed he looked over at Taros and Max and then sighed standing up and started practicing his form. He first got into his defensive from, moving his right arm up and horizontal and his left fist down by his side, for a counter attack, he then quickly transitioned stances as he would need to do that at some point also. He got into his offensive stance which was just two fists up blocking face. Most of his stances were primarily based on defense, considering that was what he was trained to do. He start punching the air left and right then block and punch as a combination to his fighting style, he did kicks at some points but didn't do them enough. Once he was good and tired he went over by Max and sat down next to him taking a drink of water. "What a day..." Drake says with a sigh, looking over to Max then to Taros, then just around the area. Drake leaned against the tree and put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

[Taros]

When Drake released him from the nightmare that was bodybuilding, Taros was eager. He left all of his weapons in his pack near a rock, knowing his friends would not steal them. Making his way over towards a semi-secluded corner, he saw as Drake continued to practice on his own. That kind of dedication was admirable, even if Taros didn't enjoy the subject matter. Taros had a hard time focusing, so he could recognize when it came naturally to others. Shaking his head, he realized that being able to focus would come with practice, not with being envious of others. Reaching his destination, he got ready. He had only brought his pen with him, and that's all he needed. Sitting down, Taros grabbed his pen and readied himself mentally. "No mistakes, no second chances. Here and now, Taros. Focus." he thought to himself. He took a deep breath, and began the lengthy process of glyphing his palms. A stroke here, a stroke there, for once he was completely absorbed in the task that lay before him. He didn't have any signature glyphs of his own yet, instead borrowing his style from several books he had seen in shops before. It was a lengthy process, and one that required painstaking attention to detail. Glyphing was as much art as it was science, and that's what made it so appealing to Taros when he first learnt it. Realizing he was drifting off-topic, he went back to glyphing on his left palm, a simple glyph to help him stabilize and focus the Djed stream that would come out of his palms. It was relatively basic, and testimony to how much of a novice the young Kelvic was. Hopefully that would change with time though. Finishing with one palm, Taros started work on his other hand, taking the utmost care with his strokes. Starting with a circle, he patterned the inside with stabilizing triangles, along with a final triangle in the exact center. Simple to remember, and simpler to execute. Ready for the task before him, he cleared his mind and remembered just what complete emptiness was. Devoid of life, energy, matter, absolutely empty of anything conceivable. He focused on this feeling, and began to start. He opened the Djed valves (as he liked referring to them) in his palms, letting his inner source of Djed flow out through his glyph, and began using it to empty a spot right in front of him. He felt rather than saw his Djed push out all of the matter in the area, and knew that a couple seconds more of this and he'd be ready to start expanding the portal. He felt the effect was about to take, and was nearing completion when suddenly he heard a "BOO!". He jumped, the hair at the back of his neck standing up. The portal collapsed instantly, he had been interrupted in the most crucial point of it, and he was angry. He'd get back at Max for that one. Taros could only imagine the face Max would have waking up to find his doorway replaced with a portal to the void. Scowling, he went back to work. Following the exact same steps as before, Taros let go of some of his inner Djed, focusing on removing that same infinitesimally small point of all matter. The glyphs in his hand had helped tremendously, and he found concentrating on emitting his Djed was much easier now, as well as feeling the end product as much more stable and constant. With the point completely devoid of matter, Taros quickly expanded it to his size, content with the result. He noticed Max and Drake were practicing, and nobody had noticed the small miracle that he had just performed. "Whatever." he thought, clicking his tongue in annoyance. Deciding to take it one step further, he added a weak pull to it, and saw how leaves bent towards it, and how pebbles nearby began to skitter towards it. Increasing the pull ever so slightly, he watched as smaller pebbles began flying towards it. Content with the result, he picked up a stone, threw it inside, and closed the portal behind it. He began to walk towards Drake and Max, noticing that they had finally finished their session and were taking a rest. "Who's ready to get sucked into the void?", he asked jokingly to neither in particular.

[Maximilian Walsh]

Max's gaze was now on Taros, who seemed to have finally opened up a portal sucking in pebbles surrounding it, and closing it shortly after. Max was impressed, he had not often seen magic, and would have no idea how to approach practicing it either. His back still slightly aching from his fall, Max slowly got to his feet, and countered Taros' cocky remark by saying "Well if you void like you use your dagger we won't be getting anywhere, any time". Deciding that was long enough of a break, Max moved towards the center of the field, beckoning for Taros to follow. Unsheathing his daggers, he inspected them for any nicks, and was pleasantly surprised when he found they were still in good shape. Even though he has only just gotten them today, he did not really inspect them during purchase, as he had his mind set on what he wanted. After inspecting his own, he made Taros do the same with his dagger, to show the young kelvic how to take care of them, as a rusty or nicked weapon is almost as good as no weapon. After the inspection, Max begun teaching him about stances and grips. Max himself did not know many stances, but basics were key in any weapon discipline. Getting into a forward fighting stance, he instructed Taros to observe carefully. Weight was everything in a stance, and he stressed how the weight should be rested on the balls of the feet, with the knees slightly bent to encourage mobility. He showed him how to hold his arms in a guard stance, one hand down by his chest and the other extended out towards the opponent. "Now you try", he asked of Taros. Noting several mistakes, he quickly corrected them, telling Taros to bend his knees more and loosen up the tension in his shoulders. Knife fighting should be fluid, with dynamic tension before impact. Otherwise, you ended up too tense to move quickly, opening yourself up to attacks. Content with the result, at least for now, he decided to put the knowledge to the test. "How about we spar?", Max asked.

[Taros]

Taros moved forward, noticing Max beckoning him, and listened. He watched as Max demonstrated how to clean and inspect daggers, filing away the information. It might not seem very useful, but his master had deemed it was important enough to show him, so he did his best to pay attention. When it was his turn, he scrutinously mimicked what he had seen Max doing, looking for any nicks or rust specks in his dagger. He knew it would be clean and sharp, as he had recently purchased them and hadn't yet had the chance to use them, but he still inspected it for the sake of learning. When Max was content with his performance, he began instructing him in proper stances. New to knife fighting, Taros had almost no idea of what he was doing. His expertise in the field was limited to stabbing someone who didn't expect to be attacked, and it showed in the practice session. He watched as Max demonstrated the most basic stance, and wondered how he could possibly replicate it so quickly. Listening to Max's speech about weight distribution, he thought he understood. Unfortunately, he was mistaken as Max noticed several mistakes in his form, reiterating the explanation on weight distribution. Focusing, Taros put his arms up in a guard stance, cleared his mind, balanced on the balls of his feet, and bounced slightly back and forth. Although his form was still pretty sloppy, he felt like he was breaking ground and improving his technique, at least slightly. "Is this okay?" he asked Max, hoping his form was passable. Making some last minute adjustments, he watched as Max nodded his head and got up, ready to spar. It wouldn't be the first time Max and Taros had sparred, but it would definitely be more even than before. Even though the odds were heavily stacked in Max's favor, before it would have been impossible for Taros to even try and win. His goal back then had been to stay on the defensive and pray to the Gods that he lived to tell the tale. Now, his confidence had peaked a bit, and he hoped he might get a good counter or two in. He couldn't dual wield like Max could, at least not without making a complete and utter fool of himself, so he stuck to his sap pommel dagger. The heavier weight made it easier to maneuver, but he knew that at the same time it subtracted some speed from his strikes. It was a give and take, and one that Taros was willing to make. "Not like I can make use of faster speeds right now...", he thought to himself dishearteningly. "Alright, you start.", Taros replied. Most newbies prefer having the advantage of striking first, but he knew it wouldn't make a huge difference in the coming battle. Better to learn how to defend himself from future encounters when he won't get the benefit of a first strike, rather than using the element of surprise as a crutch.

[Maximilian Walsh]

Max who got into position, stared Taros directly in his eyes, as an act of intimidation. It didn't really affect Taros, because he only responded with a confused glare. Max, unsheathing his dagger, begun circling Taros. He hasn't really sparred with Taros often, they have practiced on each other but today was different. He slowly began making his way towards Taros, while constantly remaining in motion, to avoid being struck by surprise. "Are you scared?", said Max sarcastically with a grin on his face. Taros responded with a fake laugh, and Max took the chance to strike. He took a fake jab at Taros, who jumped back in defense. Max took the chance, and advanced by trying to stab Taros in the stomach, which to his surprise Taros deflected. They both looked in astonishment, as they both did not necessarily see that coming, especially Taros who was pretty new to dagger combat. Max stumbled back into a defensive position, expecting Taros to follow up with an attack himself, as Max had previously shown him multiple ways to attack and defend himself. How he should strike and avoid. It seemed Taros learned well, Max was impressed so far. Max was watching every step Taros made, he was attempting to replicate Max's tactic, but it seemed like he had not quite understood what Max was doing. Using Taros' distraction to his advantage, he went for another strike. This time, a slash aimed at Taros' face, which if Max wanted to would have made contact and successfully hit. Max quickly got behind Taros and was taunting him. Taros turned around and answered by a well placed strike to Max's abdomen, which surprised Max, but he should have seen it come with his mass arrogance. Taros had returned the taunting, and suddenly it became serious. Max zoned out and concentrated only on the fight. Max only concentrated on the blade, and Taros' foot movement. They both were waiting for the other person to strike, and take the offensive part. That usually would be Max's role, but he wanted to give Taros a chance. It would not be fair for him to only defend. Max went ahead and faked an attack to test his concentration. Taros reacted near perfectly, Max was even more impressed that Taros had learned a lot so fast. "How about you go ahead and strike?" said Max. "Defending isn't the only thing you should learn."