Closed [Fighter Pit] Training With A Squire

[Sei Tendo]

26th of Fall, 513AV
10th of Bell

Sei walked ran full speed, and listened to the clack of the short sword slung across his back. He had decided to bring his shield after all, seeing as how he could barely keep up with his partner to begin with. She was good. Really good. He wore his leather armor, and his left arm was snug in the shield handle. It was a small steel shield, nothing fancy. He ran as fast as the crowded streets of Syliras would allow, and was so busy he didn't even realize how many feet he'd crushed.

After at least a bell - which meant he was two bells late - he stepped into the pit tired and out of breath. He wasn't to exhausted, he was just a little tired. He drew in a deep breath, and began to search for the squire. Fallon had said to meet her here, so where could she be? He wandered around, and decided to look at the weapon rack. There were all kinds of things. There was a dull scythe next to the rack, and there were all kinds of swords.

Sei liked the pits. In fact, this was the second place he most frequented, Bronze Woods being the first. He turned to his left to find a most interesting fight taking place. Two men were fighting with swords, and he decided he would watch for a bit. The first man had no armor - and judging by the size and the two-handed usage - armorless was using a long sword similar to the one Sei had back at his apartment. The other man, covered in the same armor Roderick had worn during one of their training sessions. What was it called again..? Lemor..? lamallar? Oh, lamellar! Well, the one wearing the lamellar armor had a broad blade, and Sei quickly realized it was a broad sword.

Armorless made a harsh swing - and in the blink of an eye - it was over. In an instant, lamellar used the blade hilt to ram into armorless's sword hand, causing him to yelp and drop the long sword in his hands. Immediately lamellar's sword was pointed at armorless's throat. Turning away, Sei renewed his search for Fallon. "Squiiiiire? Faaaaaaaallon?" He called, causing a few heads to turn his way.

SEI TENDO

[Fallon]

Fallon was in the fighter’s pit for a very long time. For the most part she was pacing around surveying and watching the other members spar. Her eyes remained sharp, her head tilting as she watched. She shifted the weight of the shield strapped to her back, her left hand hovering over the hilt of the tulwar. She knew she was getting better. It was quickly becoming evident even to her. The movements were more confident, lacking the sluggish nature of a novice along with the distinct nervousness that hovered over and around it. Her shield side was perhaps a different story all together, but she was getting there slowly.

Still, he was late.

If there was anything the squire herself strived for it was punctuality. Getting on time and arriving to places was a sign of both good self discipline and respect. She gave a grimace and leaned herself against the wall of the training pits, her eyes boring into those who fought. It was he who had requested her to help, he could have at least arrived on time to the agreed location. She shook her head and took the time to draw her sword and study it. She gave a testing press against the live edge before running her thumb across it. A good swordsman – or more correctly woman – should look after their blades. There was a flicker of distain at the dulling edge, and so she made a mental note to at least show it a wet stone in the near future. The sooner, the better.

Inhaling the smell of sweat, she returned her gaze to that of the pits, catching only a glimmer of a fight finishing in the background. It was clear proof there that size was not everything when it came to weapons, and that the lighter and faster weapons were just as deadly as the big ones. A well aimed stab with a knife could still prove fatal. She slid the steel away, a momentary turn of the head when she heard her name being called. Eyes pierced forth to the speaker, followed by a raise of the hand. She beckoned him over with a gesture of the hand.

”You’re late Sei,” She gave him a look up and down, "You have all you need?"

[Sei Tendo]

Sei turned to face the squire, and gave her a smirk. "Of course. Sorry for not being on time though. I got sidetracked." He said. He fitted his arm into the shield, and removed the short sword from it's sheath. "Ready when you are." He motioned. He took a few steps back, trying to place some distance between Fallon and he, and began to move forward. If I rember correctly she pretty damn good. He thought as he arced the sword down over her head.

This wasn't a game to him, and he'd begun to realize to much talk in a fight with Fallon was a bad thing. It was time for a change. He withdrew the blade, and made a heavy thrust for her chest, and backed slightly to take the edge off.

SEI TENDO

[Fallon]

Fallon only gave a roll of the eyes as he poured out an excuse. If it could even be called that. Gently flexing and stretching out she prepared herself once more for another fight. If it could even be called that. She gave the small round shield a turn, her fingers pulling at the straps as she secured it in place. Her hand then settled itself comfortably around the grip and gave a testing shake. With it comfortable she moved to the tulwar and drew it forth. Steel bit the air, her grip finding a point that was comfortable on the hilt. She gave her wrist only a quick rotation, working on maintaining flexibility and allow movement.

”Come at me,” it was not a suggestion, but an order. She was ready for him. But was he ready for her?

Now the fun was to begin. If it could even be called that. Sei was just a novice after all, and although some would have perhaps found enjoyment in beating the inexperienced she herself did not. The shield was raised and placed forward, the tulwar tip pointing forward. He rushed forward with his short sword, control lacking in his movements. He brought it arching downward to her, speed controlling him. In response her leg bent and the shield was raised up to serve as a roof from the steel rain.

The surfaces clattered against the other, the reverberations of the force juddering down through her arm. It scrapped back and away, the lad slowly coming to terms with what he was doing. Words were meaningless when there was steel between them; it was the sharp edges that would speak for them now in this session of training. Eyes followed the blade then up to his eyes. There was no time to bring the shield back down completely, so instead the squire simply took a mighty step back as the tip was thrust forward at her.

Rising up onto her toes she held her gaze; shield first, her right left foot forward whilst her right – an armed side – was held back. Her own would begin now. Rising up on speed she took a step in, grip tightening around the shield, the flat of it guiding her forward into a rush. The tulwar in the meanwhile remained held back, the tip peering over the shield edge and waiting for a moment to strike. Bracing herself on her front leg she bashed the shield forward, shoulders squaring up. Her blade tip came out from behind in a mighty thrust, her wrist twisting to support the movement. From there she sharply followed after the extension of her arm, closing the gap and stepping round to his shield side.

[Sei Tendo]

Sei tried his best to keep control of his swings, but the best he could do was either handle the control or the speed. It was silly really, but he didn't care at the moment. He dropped the sword onto the Squire's shield, and Fallon simply kept the hield in place in order to dodge his thrust. It was hard to believe that Fallon would ever enjoy their spars, but it was more experience all the same. He watched Fallon intently, and watched the flow of her movements.

He tried to keep up with Fallon, but her movements were effortless in his eyes. She was swift like him, probably faster, but he tried not to let it bother him to much. He watched her sqaure her shoulders as she brought the shield forward, knocking Sei back a bit. He had been to focused on how she was moving that he had let down his guard. Desperate, he flung up his shield before the strike could land. Just in time. He said with a sigh, turning to face Fallon as she circled him.

"Definitely better than before Fallon."

He gave his sword a light swing, aimed for her right shoulder. If he was correct, she'd block, and he'd make a thrust with his shield. He took a step back, and rolled his shoulders. He'd been practicing, but appaerntly not enough. He let off a huff of air, and looked back at Fallon.

[Fallon]

The steel sung, grinding and groaning against each other. The dull crack of surfaces colliding together remained in her ears, but the eyes continued their burn. Sharp and unwavering, almost like the blade she held in her hand. He turned to face her, keeping her in his sights. A good sign, it meant he was learning to pay attention to where she was. She heard his mutter of words, the attack coming round at her shoulder. The shield did not move, but the tulwar did.

The blade snaked through the air, hilt being raised upwards the inner curve facing her. Both shields came next, her own aiming to get behind the curve to act a support. Her whole form leaned back when his made contact, the rear leg bending to absorb the impact of the blow, the forward straining and straightening out in reaction. Her foot twisted, rising up onto her toes as she focused on placing strength behind the shield. She threw her weight forward, his form backing away as she did and the wary look of where she was going to go next.

Backing away the squire studied him, her form swaying and focusing on keeping nimble. She had to go fast, she had to be swifter and stronger. She gave a jerk to the left, sharp and sudden, her form dipping and following after it. Her left foot slammed down and she sprung off it to the right, a feint in her movements as she once more closed the gap. With the shield close to her she gave the tulwar a hack round, curving its way towards the centre of his mass until it formed a right angle to him – or at least as close as. Keeping the shield flat against her she advance, arm recoiling back so the hilt butted against the shield edge whilst the blade itself remained parallel to the ground.

It clinked against it, a recoil of force as it shot forward into a thrust. The heavy tip lead the way, the steel biting the air as she took that step of confidence and aimed once more for his torso. It was a big area after all, why aim for something specific when there was a big target she could go for with a lot more ease?

[Sei Tendo]

As soon as Sei went for her shoulder, Fallon deflected the blow with her tulwar as expected. And when he moved in to thrust his shield forward, Fallon - to his aggravation - blocked that by using her shield. After Fallon backed away, he groaned, and readied his sword. His opponent started to move to the left, so Sei immediately thrust his sword forward on the left, only thwarted by a feint. The squire slammed her foot to the ground, and swiftly changed her direction to the right. She closed the remaining gap quickly - and with her shield reeled in to her side - she made curved strike with her tulwar.

Sei knew he'd never make the block if he reeled the short sword in, so he instead turned as quickly as he could and extended his shield to meet his opponent's blade. The tulwar struck true, the impact causing a spasm of pain to shoot up his arm. He ignored it as much as possible, and was able to turn fully to face Fallon as she made a thrust. He moved his shield arm lazily to knock it away, and jumped back.

He charged, and decided not to speak for the remainder of the spar. He thrust his blade forward shakily, and let the blade control him. He lost his balance a little, but recovered to withdraw the blade.

[Fallon]

There was a loud clang, a distinct rattle as the sharp edge of the tulwar and the surface of the shield met with force. Her arm recoiled back, the vibration trembling its way up her tendons and through her bones. Perhaps she had swung it a bit too hard, either way she did not dwell too long upon it. The spar was not over yet, Sei was coming at her after all. More confident than before with his offence, but lacking in his defence. She gave a wince as the reverberations clawed around her hand.

Backing away the squire peered at him, the shield snapping forward and forming a wall. Space once more laid between them, a shuffle feet as the paired toyed and played with the other. Waiting for the right moment, for an opening. That time came quickly however. Knees bent as he charged, full blunted force within his stride. Instinct took over her, a refusal to stay in his path and blade. She took a spring to the side and away, her brow rising and teeth clenching as she pulled sharply away.

Muscles rebelled, straining and pulling as the tip grinded against the shield. But Fallon continued to pivot round, feet stepping quickly as she focused to get behind him. She watched him wobble, his footing lost as his balance went. She wasted no time trying to exploit this moment of weakness in his movement. Grasping the shield handle tightly she drew it back along with the tulwar. Keeping the live blade out the way - she did not want to hurt him too badly - she threw her weight against the shield and forced a bash. Her intention was to knock him over, to continue exploiting his moment of recovery into something useful.

A real fight was merciless after all. It was the flat of the blade that she brought arching round, aiming once more for his main torso. It did not matter where it hit, as long as it hit in the end.

[Sei Tendo]

Sei felt his arm jar from the impact of hitting Fallon's shield and grunted. She started to pivot around him, but because he was off balance there was nothing he could do when her shield smashed roughly into his back. He started to fall forward, but refused to release the grip on his sword through the pain as he saw his opponent move her tulwar toward his side. No time to react. He felt trapped and was helpless as the blade flat smashed against his armor, knocking him to the right and on to the ground.

"SHYKE!" Hee yelled, dropping the sword for the last time to grab his throbbing side. He sat up, and gritted his teeth before spitting onto the ground. He pounded his other fist on the ground beside him. He held up his hand for Fallon to stop, and slowly stood on his feet sighed.

"I guess I'm done for today. I'll win one day, Fallon."

[Fallon]

So he tumbled, surrendered and fell to the floor in a quick heap. The squire could not help but feel a little bit disappointed that he was already done. So quickly and so soon - the bout had yet to even actually begin in her eyes. Withdrawing the blade she shook her head. No use making demands of one who was going to only be quick tempered and angry in the face of defeat. Shrugging she gave a watch down to the man as he came to terms with himself and rose.

"You know, Shouting angrily and spouting curses will not help you win sooner or faster," there was a click as the tulwar was slid back into its sheath, "Finding balance, understanding yourself and where you go wrong will." Sighing she looked about the fighter's pit. Men trained, fell and got back up again. Determination was necessary to succeed when learning the blade. If she had not done that there was no way she would have gotten this far, "Keep practicing. One day you will get better. In time of course. Anything else?"

Fallon was done here. Unless there was an immediate demand for her attention from Sei she would simply give a farewell, and be on her way. No use hanging around the fighters pit when other things could be done.