Retrieving Property [John, Revi]

[Rhuryc]

Hah! Rhuryc felt his pride soar. That was acceptable, if not what he had wanted. No matter. A hit was a hit, and now his opponent engaged in combat of the one-armed variety. That would be interesting. Ever the honorable man, Rhuryc took a few steps back and extended a hand where he proceeded to "chop" it off. He ducked it behind his back and lined up with his opponent once more, returning the grin with a nod of his own. This put him at a disadvantage. A large one. John was better with a blade, but that did not seem to phase Rhuryc's decision in the faintest.

With a salute, Rhuryc brought his blade before his chest and offered John a small courtesy before they continued. His feet moved and the larger man began a cant about his opponent, one foot stepping over the other as he circle; like a predator baring down on its next meal. The sword remained extended outward, the blade held at an angle toward the sky with only one hand gripping the hilt. Sweat marred the leather bindings, fresh moisture loosening his hold, but Rhuryc held true to his observation - shoulders tense and posture straight, he would wait for an opening before his next strike. Blind assaults would do him no good now.

[John Griffin]

An eyebrow peaked curiously when Rhuryc "cut off" his own arm. John's grin widened and he shrugged non-chalantly. "Alright," was all he said, acknowledging that it was to be a one armed duel. He returned the salute, then lowered his blade back into its original position. He counter-circled, not letting Rhuryc get to his side to flank him, keeping the larger, taller man directly in front of him. With only one arm he would have to be extra careful, Rhuryc could easily out-power him. Fast and fleeting he would have to be, striking quickly then retreating, feinting to throw his opponent off balance, then attacking elsewhere.

His blade arced back behind him as he brought it in a complete circle to generate power, lunging forward to bring him within reach of Rhuryc. It was a feint. As the blade descended towards his foe, he retracted his arm, pulling his blade in close before thrusting it straight out. Home, he thought, his blade racing towards Rhuryc's ribs.

[Rhuryc]

Circle with a counter circle. What fun. Rhuryc felt like he was playing a game from his childhood, catch the cat or whatever it was they called it. They would circle for hours, both himself and his companions circling the stray animals that wandered the streets before they would pounce. And usually fail. This was not much different. As it was then, Rhuryc was larger and sustained a farther reach, but his opponent was quick, agile, John would be able to escape his 'pounce' every time if he saw it coming. He just had to be subtle. Whatever that was. That or John could attack first.

Combat had a reactionary flow to it. When Rhuryc saw the sword come from over-head he did not waste any time. He stepped inward toward the strike and raised his blade, the brunt of the weapon brought about with enough power to send his opponent's sword to the side in a basic, if haphazard parry. It went off like a charm, only there was one problem. John's sword was not there. Bastard! Commited to his strike, Rhuryc felt his body ease forward and as the thrust came there was little he could do about it. John's thrust rang true and wood struck flesh in a dull, aching pain, one that Rhuryc barely recognized. Oh well.

"Looks like the wilder's training doesn't compare to the Knights." He grinned at John and separated himself from the engagement, accepting his defeat in a gracious manner. "How about another? Maybe we can find some shields or what not, a piece of wood, maybe?"

[John Griffin]

"Well, I should hope we have good training, our lives are based around martial competency," John responded, returning his companion's grin. He backed off as well, lowering the practice blade so the tip was resting on the ground, and bringing his left arm out from behind his back. "I have practice shields back in my apartment, for all the good that will do us. I guess I should have brought them," he said with a shrug. He looked around and spotted a rack with wooden practice weapons of all shapes and sizes, as well as some wooden shields of several sizes. Leave it to the Knights of Syliras to have their practice halls well stocked. John moved over to the racks and grabbed a wooden heater shield. Slipping his arms through the straps and grabbing the handle, he made his way back to the space they had claimed.

The young knight did a few pumps with the shield, and swung his left arm around a bit to loosen it up and warm it up to the weight of the shield. Then he waited, arms hanging loosely, for his opponent to ready himself.

[Rhuryc]

Rhuryc guffawed at John's statement. Martial competency indeed. With a start the man followed the Knight to the rack and took his time when he reached the display. His sword placed in a single hand, the Smith used his opposing limb to test the shields. They might only been for practice, but Rhuryc was intent on his peculiar ritual. He began by testing some of the boards out, grabbing the various types and holding them aloft before he would decided against it and replace the shield for a new one. There seemed no rhyme or reason in his process. Often he would just skip an item without so much as even holding it. Finally though, after several minutes of rampant shenanigans, Rhuryc satisfied himself with a heater similar to John's. He grabbed the solid handle behind the center and set the armor at his side, holding it in close as he made to reclaim his poise across from his opponent.

The man's stance was different now. He almost mimicked a Knight muscle-for-muscle, his feet spread at the shoulder's distance but parallel now, the shield held up at his chest while his sword came back over a shoulder, the blade canted so that the flat matched the ground and the end pointed straight forward over the top of the shield. Now there was some training. Rhuryc felt at ease. A fight without the comfort of armor was inevitable, sure, he had already experienced a lack of available weapons in combat, but he was now complete somehow. And this time he would not be one to lighten up.

Rhuryc came forward with a violent strike. He knew the first assault would be parried, it was obvious, broadcasted, he swung the blade from the right side, the arc intent on scoring a solid blow at John's side. His feet moved with the attack, one leg stepping forward with a broad sweep that was meant to abuse both Rhuryc's stride and reach. The clash of wood-on-wood was inevitable.

[John Griffin]

John waited patiently at first, as Rhuryc tested nearly every shield. After a few minutes, though, it seemed as if it would never end, and John was starting to get a little bit restless. He was about to say something when his opponent finally came to a decision, picking out a heater as well. He watched as the taller man strode back over and took up a fighting position that was favored by many knights.

John hoisted his shield up into position, his arm tucked in against his ribs, the shield at somewhat of an angle across his shoulder. The wooden sword he kept low and loose, ready for action. With one hand there were very few comfortable positions to hold a blade, besides from resting it on the shield as Rhuryc had, so he opted to just let it hang, at least until-

Rhuryc attacked. It was a vicious side arc aimed at John's shield side, coupled with a step to keep John from just avoiding it. It was too high to jump and too low to duck, and there was no way he was batting it aside with his blade. That left the shield. John pushed his shield out a bit towards the oncoming attack, so that there would be some give during impact. As much as he wanted to attack Rhuryc's outstretched arm, he knew that shields changed the game. If he did, the larger man would just shield rush him and easily bull him over. After he felt the jarring impact on his own shield, John circled his blade back to get some momentum, and slashed downward at his foe from his upper right side, hoping to force the man's shield high.

[Rhuryc]

That was it. Know your enemy, or something like that. John was practiced, trained, so it was that Rhuryc believed he would act the part. Unlike his Knightly companion the smith's education was severely lacking, he just did what worked when it worked with a few improvisations and some minor know-how in between. He was not only engaged with a knowledgeable opponent, but a better one at that. So how then to defeat him. Spontaneity had not worked. Though Rhuryc tried to take John off guard with his initial performance the man adapted and reacted with haste, foiling his attack. Straight out brawling failed as well. He imagined it would be a few more bouts before an opportunity presented itself in John's defense. Until then Rhuryc deemed it appropriate to throw his weight around some more. He could tired the other man out if anything.

The clash of wood was satisfying. No matter that his wrist shook from the impact, Rhuryc was quick to the fight, his sword recoiling away from the contact point as John moved to counter the assault. His defense was more of an offense. Instead of just putting his shield in the way, Rhuryc dipped his left shoulder and brought the wooden board in before he lashed out with it, the front assailing the incoming weapon with a blunted strike. The wide gait of the defense was an almost assured connection, so Rhuryc forgot about it and moved on. Instead he straightened his torso and stepped forward, his leg coming up as he lanced a foot forward right at the base of John's shield. The intention was not so much to land a blow as to throw his opponent off his game.

[John Griffin]

His attack was more than deftly foiled, the thrust of the shield stopping his weapon before he gained all of its momentum, and the superior strength of his opponent threw his blade back. He somewhat expected Rhuryc to follow up by slicing with his shield, but the bigger man stepped forward instead, and kicked at John's own heater, presumably to knock him off balance. His choice quickly weighed and made, the young knight decided two could play at the aggressive defense game. John crouched and brought his shield low, well aware of how much he was opening himself up. Fighting was always a gamble, from the largest war to the most insignificant duel. He remembered someone once saying that 'Fortune favors the bold,' though he couldn't remember who. So bold he was.

His body in a half crouch, he thrust his own shield forward, angling it at Rhuryc's foot so they would meet solidly, and pushed. If it worked, he might make the man stumble, and be able to pounce in through an opening. But if it didn't, he was vulnerable to attacks from above, and easy to knock over. He would see if, indeed, fortune favored the bold.

[Rhuryc]

Shield! Rhuryc felt his balance wobble. He had not expected that. Devious bastard. When the man's foot flew forward the incoming parry was more than enough to throw the kick off course. There was no lack of power on the impact. A thunderous crack echoed across the yard and Rhuryc found his balance off, his back teetering away from his opponent before he collapsed all together, falling into a heap of himself. The air flew from his lungs and the man was suddenly exposed. Of all the familiar places. With a cringe, Rhuryc did what he could to reclaim a sense of poise. He drew his shield up, the wooden board placed between his chest and John's reach to deflect whatever desperate attempt the man might have made for a quick. Afterward, he lifted his shoulders and threw one leg over the other, his sides brought around for a roll that would distance himself from the Knight. Somewhat. The maneuver would in no way remove him from the immediate danger.

[John Griffin]

OOCPerhaps we should draw this one to a close? It's almost 2/3's of the way through Fall, and here we are still in summer.

It's my fault, I know

Triumph! A little one, anyway. His gamble paid off, and his opponent was not just off balance, but on the ground. No need to pursue him, a man downed was usually done for in short order. Besides, John was beginning to feel a bit tired, and they had done several rounds of sparring. Instead of contuining on the attack, John stood and backed up, his arms down at his side, unthreatening. "That should do it for today, don't you think? A good few rounds, enough to get the muscles aching and the lungs laboring."

Feeling the aching and laboring he had just spoke of, John took a knee to truly catch his breath. "You have raw talent, Rhuryc. A bit of refining, and you'll be a devastating opponent indeed. I'd be more than happy to spar again another day, if you like."