Closed [Anthonius Fighters' Pits] Putting Your Back Into It.

[Archailist]

73rd of Summer, 514.

Arch knew that he was becoming quite well-known at the Pits, when he glanced over and got a nod from Gerard after walking inside. That was enough to make any persons head spin, let alone a Pycon. Although he supposed it made sense - he'd been coming in over and over, without much of a break. Why should he take a break, anyway? It was supposed to be training - heck, he was a squire. He needed all of the training he could get, anywhere he could find it. And he certainly wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity of combat training when there was a pretty big arena in the middle of the city free to use. There was another one higher up, around the Second Tier.. but only squires and knights went there. And that just meant that it became stale. There were only so many squires and knights that he could fight, after all. More came in every season but it wasn't as many as travelers in total. Plus, Hammer Fist would often be there - the little grey arm-shaped Pycon who seemed to be able to punch faster than a normal person could blink.

She wasn't there that day, but the Pycon didn't really mind. After all, there were plenty of other things he could get on with. Like his Py-Pole. The long, flexible stick with a metal tip sharpened at the top was currently stuck into the clay of his back, using a small groove. He was too small to wear a normal harness and having one custom-made that wouldn't squish his tail was just too much money to bother with. It didn't matter anyway. He could use his own clay to carry whatever he needed.. and it wasn't like he needed much. Pycons didn't need to wear any armour when they went around - not even the squires. They didn't have any sigil to wear either. He was completely bare - and he liked it that way, because it meant he had more mobility; could move quicker, easier. He could change parts of his body and not worry about a piece of metal falling off. And it wasn't like metal parts were going to stop a giant foot, was it.

As he stepped farther into the arena and took a quick glance about the place, he soon noticed that a lot of the wooden training dummies were open. Well, there was no point in not taking advantage of them. Working targets were always better for those kind of things, but he could always practice his aim against the dummies and not have to worry about falling on his arse too many times every time they moved. All he needed was a good warm-up and then a good swing, and he'd be fine. That was the same way it always went.

First, he lined himself up. One foot forwards and the other back - his tail holding for stability and making sure that the weight of the extensive pole didn't tip the squirrel off his feet. The pole itself was lifted so that the tip pointed straight at the dummies head, but from such a low point in the ground and with a fairly short distance between the two of them, he lowered the tip down until it aimed at the dummies chest instead. That made it much easier. Both paws had a firm grip on the length of the pole, taking hold at the two points farthest away from each-other. Unfortunately, it couldn't really be classified as a spear because of the sheer flexibility that it held - the thing was like a cross between an elastic band and a spear, if anything. He had to make sure the damn thing didn't just bend over in two when he tried to poke someone with the metal tip, because he knew that it could happen. Heck, it would happen if he didn't take the necessary precautions.

When he was sure everything was in place, though, he wasted no time in lining up and performing the shot. The base of the pole stuck into the dirt as he jabbed it backwards, before hopping and shifting his grip from an equilateral distance either side of the center, to the very top, just under the metal head. It meant that all of his weight soon strained the pole.. and strained it more, the further he got away and the tighter the grip became. Soon enough he knew he was playing with fire - a mistake here and the pole would slap back up out of the ground and into the squirrels own face. But if he did it right.. it'd launch him straight for the dummy's chest. Possibly the head, if he managed to time the jump right. He wanted to time the jump - it was one of the few things he could do right, except for turning his body so that it could slam with the full weight of his body behind it. "And..."

A few ticks after he'd calculated it should have released, he felt the tension finally beginning to tug at gravity. "Here we go." It was all so fast that the squirrel could barely brace himself, but the pole suddenly swung around in a full arc and launched the squirrel like a stone from a slingshot, straight for the dummy's chest. Most of it was still a blur, but.. it was becoming clearer by that point. He could actually make out how far he was through the cycle, depending on how much force there was pulling on his hands. However, his timing was still always off. If he released at the point he wanted to impact, he never managed to impact.. it always happened a few ticks later, when the point had passed. So, when he did release and swung his body around so that his feet would hopefully impact the dummy thanks to the use of that very heavy tail shifting his momentum, he knew he wouldn't hit the head.

Instead, he slammed into the lower abdomen with his side. His movement had all been a little too late - the judgement off by a tick or less, and it all made a very obvious difference. Instead of something that could have potentially caused serious damage, he was left with just a winding. No vital organs in danger or anything. And to top it all off, when the squirrel tumbled back down to the floor and landed on his side, he could tell that the left side of his body had been squashed under the force exerted. His left arm was no longer visible, and his leg was looking pretty deformed as well. It'd take a while for them to reshape, but he could sit quietly in the meantime.

[Suresslynn]

It had not been a good day for Suresslynn so far. First she gotten lost in the city for almost four bells and when she had finally figured out where she was, it was because she had walked into one of the knights. While he had been kind enough to give her directions, it was still embarrassing. After that, the Dhani had some how earned the ire of someone's dog and it had chased around the city for another half a bell, which had ultimately resulted in her getting lost again. This time she had managed to find her way back to where she wanted to be on her own, but it had taken her a bell to do it. And then after that, she had gotten back to where she was staying to take a nap, only to have a bunch of children making a humongous racket wake her up. At that point, Suresslynn had decided to blow off some steam and had asked around for a good place to do that. Eventually, she had gotten pointed to the fighters pits, a place where it seemed she'd be able blow off a lot of steam and get some practice as well, the perfect place for relaxation.

After finding her way to the fighters pits and taking a look around, the Dhani found the practice dummies, and a familiar face along with them. Suresslynn knew that interrupting someone in the middle of practice could wind up injuring them, so the Dhani woman held her silence and simply watched as Archailist practiced with his pole, doing some kind of move she assumed was meant to help him maneuver. However, as she watched, the Pycon evidently mistimed his jump and wound up crashing into the side of the dummy. When the Pycon hit the ground, Suresslynn just stared for a moment at what looked like his injuries before remembering he was made of clay. Not that they looked any better after remembering that, but it did explain his lack of reaction to his missing arm and deformed leg.

Shaking her head, Suresslynn walked up to the squirrel and crouched down next to him. "Judging by your lack of reaction, those damaged limbs of yours don't seem to hurt much, but really, you look worse than when you got your arm bit off by that flying creature in the woods." she said quietly, smiling slightly at Archailist. "But that was an interesting move you did. Shame you didn't have that pole in the woods that day, but then things might have gone a little differently in our own match that day. " the Dhani grinned at her companion as she spoke, amusement clear in her green eyes at the memory. "So, what exactly were you trying to do? Other than land on the dummy, I mean?"

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

For a moment, he gasped in alarm and turned up to the human.. before remembering her. The dhani-woman who could transform into a snake.. but most likely wouldn't be doing that for now, when inside the city at the very least."No, it doesn't hurt if I change their shape.. well, it feels a bit stiff at the moment. Although it hurts a lot if I remove a piece. Probably a lot more than if removed a limb from you." He chuckled quietly - because he remembered, on that day, she was pretty close to getting a limb torn off by that little beast. Just.. he was closer. "Besides.. I may look worse but I certainly don't feel it."

Then they moved to his weapon. The Py-Pole. He suspected that if she'd never heard of a Pycon, she wouldn't know about the weapons they'd designed and used. "Oh.. yeah. This is my Py-Pole. It was made for me by my father.. and I don't usually take it into the woods because it can slow down my running and limits my flexibility when I've got to carry it around with me. It's not exactly light.. or small." Indeed it might not be that long for a regular human, but the thing was disproportionately massive for the Pycon. It probably stretched well past the size of a quarter-staff - almost double his height, with a sharp metal cap at the end that looked like it could do some pretty serious damage if it got into contact with the skin. As for the rest of the pole.. amber. And certainly not wood, either.. instead, tree sap formed into a cylinder.

"The idea of using this is.. basically, to catapult myself onto the dummy. Build up enough speed to do some damage to it." since his arm was just about finished reforming itself - pushing back out of the stump where it'd once been - and his legs were pretty much returned to their original form, he soon rose back up onto his feet and gripped the pole as close to either end as he could, before bending it.. and bending it.. much farther than an ordinary stick should be able to. And with comparatively little resistance, although there was a fair amount of pressure beginning to build up when he drew close to bending it at a forty-five degree angle. "Suppose it would have been good to have in the forest.. but I'm not that good in using it just yet. My accuracy still needs some improvement, as well as my technique.. although all I can really do for practice is try it against others in combat and ask Hammer Fist for help."

As he spoke, he gestured to another Pycon standing at the edges of the Fighters Pit. Unlike the squirrel, this one was somewhat larger.. and its clay was a comparatively unnatural grey that gave it a rather gritty colour. The biggest factor of all, though.. was that it was shaped like a giant arm. The bottom of its body was the base of the forearm that would have connected to the shoulder, rising up to a large hand with five quite detailed fingers, and a misshapen face pressed into the palm. Around the forearm and bicep emerged two rather stubby arms and legs.

[Suresslynn]

Suresslynn cocked her head to the side as Archailist said it would probably hurt more for him to lose a limb than it would hurt her. Honestly, that didn't make much sense to her, but she couldn't really say anything against that, seeing as she wasn't made of clay. "Well, as long you're okay with it, I guess I can't say anything against it. But do be careful, it would be a shame to have lived through that fight with that thing in the woods and die because you missed with your pole and slammed headfirst into something with spikes." she said, giving the Pycon a rather sardonic smile.

As Archailist explained his Py-Pole and showed it to her, she looked the pole over as he demonstrated its flexibility. "How interesting...I've never seen such a flexible pole..." the Dhani always liked finding something new, especially when they were this unique. When he mentioned another Pycon, she looked over at the other Pycon. "Hmm...your species seems to be rather varied. I'd love to learn more one day, if you wouldn't mind teaching me. I could teach you about my kind in return if you want." she said, smiling at Archailist as she stood up alongside him.

"You know...if you want to practice against someone in combat, I'm up for it. It'll help me work on my evasion, help you work on your accuracy, and it'll be fun anyway. Besides, working with dummies will only help you so much in actual combat." she said as she looked around. "Besides, isn't the place called the fighters pits. Seems like working with dummies isn't even the point here, yeah?" she asked, giving Archailist a grin.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The Pycon could only chuckle at her worry - after all, if only she knew how much danger he faced on a daily basis. "Even walking down the street can lead to sudden death for me, so there's little worry of that. All it takes is one careless step and.. Pycon pancake." He grinned a little, before swaying the pole back and forth - causing the thing to sway with the movement. "I wouldn't be alive today if I wasn't careful.. well, not that I'm always careful, but you get my point anyway." In truth, it was almost the exact opposite. The squirrel could remember far too many times where he'd thrown himself, willingly, into terrible danger in the hopes of uncovering something for the sake of his curiosity and little to nothing else. It was nothing short of a miracle that he wasn't a Pycon pancake.

Well, that and the pole that he held in his own two paws. One that'd travelled most of the region with him, and helped him out of more than a few scrapes and issues.. "It's created specifically for us Pycons, you know. Heh. I could teach you quite a bit about the culture, I think.. it wouldn't be the first time I had to answer a lot of questions about my species." There'd been another - Shane, the owner of one of the shops - that'd asked so many questions that the squirrel had struggled to keep up. It seemed that his race was subject to a lot of interest.. not that he minded. It was a good conversation starter.. a point of interest to begin a friendship over. He wouldn't mind learning about the three forms of the dhani, either. Their strange ways would be.. enlightening.

He'd be learning plenty about their biology that day, at least. A chance for a proper fight with the thing.. and this time, no distractions and his favoured weapon to boot. He liked his odds. "That sounds like it'd be nice.. maybe this time a load of wild boar and monsters with wings won't charge through he battlefield?" He chuckled while gripping the ends of the flexible pole with either paw and stretching them down towards his body, just to feel the tension building along the length a second time. "Just be a bit more careful this time. Otherwise you might go home with more bruises than before." When he released one end of the pole, the entire thing snapped suddenly in a half-circle and slammed into the ground with enough force to lift a cloud of dust. The pole could build up force like the draw-string of an arrow and release it all in an instant - which made some pretty strong attacks, even when the Pycon wasn't launching himself at his opponents with the thing.

Of course, the first issue would be finding a suitable place for their combat. The squirrel liked somewhere open, so that he had plenty of room to move about in. Which was why he chose the widest stretch possible in the arena, between pairs of fighters going at their own styles - some with bare fists, others with swords and shields. There were other areas that were longer, but they were also fairly narrow - which would most likely come at a disadvantage for both of them. The area he chose was more square. "How about we try it here, hmm?"

[Suresslynn]

Suresslynn sighed as Archailist told her how dangerous regular life was for him, then nodded. "Yeah, I kinda know what you mean. I've almost been eaten a few times in snake form. Usually by birds, but there was a group of hunters who tried to cook me for dinner once." she said, shrugging slightly at the end. That sort of thing tended to happen when you were hanging around humans as a small, scaly animal and she'd learned that holding grudges over things like that was a colossal waste of her time and energy.

The Dhani listened attentively as the Pycon explained a bit his Py-Pole, then grinned as he said he'd teach her a bit about his culture. "And I'll be glad to teach you about mine. I'm a little fuzzy on the religion though, I'm afraid. Largely because the topic kept putting me to sleep when I was little. Not to say I don't respect Siku, but it's just not my best subject." Suresslynn looked away slightly when she mentioned her lack of religious attentiveness, somewhat embarrassed by how little she knew about her goddess.

At the mention of the encounter in the woods, the Dhani grinned slightly and shook her head. "If a pack of wild boars and that flying piece of shyke show up here, we need to report to the authorities that someone is actively trying to murder us." she said wryly as Archailist demonstrated the power of his pole. "Hmm...sounds like fun. What's the point of a practice match if there's no risk of at least a bruise. Seems to me like it wouldn't be much more helpful than the dummies." she said, though in reality the notion of getting hit was actually exciting. She tended to downplay that part of her personality around people though, it tended to really weird them out.

As the Pycon found a place for them to fight, Suresslynn followed him and watched the other fighters until they arrived at the spot the Pycon had chosen for them. "Looks good to me. I'll stay in human form though, if you don't mind. Like I said, my clothes don't change with me, and me getting naked to change to snake or Dhani form might distract the other people here from their own practice." she said, pulling into her boxing stance.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

He chuckled softly at the thought. "You have trouble getting eaten, I have trouble getting stepped on.. nobody eats me. Apparently I don't taste very good." Even that creature from the woods pretty much spat his arm back out after a bit of tasting. The same came from wolves, bears, Kriital, Gesentke Beetles and essentially every other creature in all of Mizahar. Eating clay simply wasn't seen as a very nutritious meal. "I never have to worry about predators.. although I do have to look out for humans and everything larger than me that doesn't look where it's going." For that very reason, even the most harmless deer and exotic animals could become potential murderers to a Pycon. Which, in itself, became a little embarrassing. Killed by a shy deer because it accidentally stepped on his nexus.. what a way to die, for sure.

He knew she'd likely be interested to hear of the Pycon anatomy and their culture.. although he'd have to leave out certain parts, to protect the knowledge of his nexus and other details that were more.. well, sensitive. Religion wasn't that bad, though. "I know a little about Harameus, but not that much, I'm afraid." He knew that Harameus was the God of Alchemy and Transformation.. that he was responsible for their creation.. but that was about it, unfortunately. He didn't really need to know that much more about the God.. he paid his respects and knew enough about him for that purpose. He didn't need to become a Priest. Sylir would always be the one he prayed for, after all. A God that promoted something Mizahar really needed.. order, peace, civilization. These were the things they needed, more than any other time; with corruption on their doorstep...

He nodded and walked over to the stretch of ground, taking up his spot opposite the snake-woman.. that wasn't actually a snake-woman. "Alright. Get ready, then." With her in human form.. he could finally see some weaknesses and points that could be used for better damage. Backs of the knees, where before there'd just been that strange tail. Ankles, too. All parts that were now vulnerable. She didn't even have fangs to strike with. The more he began to really think about their new fight, on equal ground.. the more he realized that this could turn out incredibly in his favour. Or it would have, if not for her simply insane speed. And his unfortunate lack of co-ordination with the pole - the one thing that could have given him an advantage in the match, but would now be little more than a drawback, slowing him down. Drat. I guess I'll have to play more offensively than usual, then. Swing the pole faster, use all of the speed I have available.. and all of the strength. He knew it wouldn't really be possible but there'd be little harm in trying.

[Suresslynn]

Suresslynn chuckled slightly as Archailist said he didn't have any problems with people trying to eat him, then shook her head slightly. "I don't usually have a problem with people stepping on me, but then...venomous snakes are pretty common in Eyktolia. Most people learn not to step on something that can kill you with a bite if you make it mad at you." she said, grinning slightly at her companion. "On the other hand, I'm a viable part of the food chain, so I guess it evens out. I may not have to worry about being squished that much, but you don't have to worry much about being dinner." Being eaten wasn't something Suresslynn actually worried about that much, but it would be the single most unpleasant way to go that she could think of, so she tried to avoid situations where that was a risk.

When Archailist mentioned not knowing much about his god, Suresslynn simply shrugged and remained silent, since she couldn't really make a comment on anyone's lack of knowledge about their deity seeing as how she didn't even know that much about her own. When Archailist told her to get ready, she simply nodded and crouched slightly, partly as a concession to his smaller stature, partly to prepare in case she need to sprint towards or away from the Pycon. She knew she had more obvious weaknesses than in either her Dhani or snake forms, but she was faster than a regular human, which would hopefully tip the scales in her favor.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

He rose an eyebrow - which pretty much materialized out of his clay in order to complete the gesture - at the mention of such a place as Eyktolia. Somewhere he could only guess was a distant city in another region - or another region entirely. He'd never left Sylira - the temperate forests and the diverse landscape was more than he could need for his lifetime. The cities, each so different.. and the noble causes he could follow. Doors opened at all corners of the world.. so why travel so far to somewhere he'd never even heard from? More doors? He had enough. The concept was always a little intriguing.. after all, there was a whole world to explore. The Kabrin Road led to Zeltiva down one way, and up to Riverfall another. He'd never been to Riverfall.. although perhaps one day, he would make the voyage.

Perhaps he could meet more of the dhani. They certainly did have an odd fighting style, that would be very interesting.. if not for the bizarre way they seemed to hold themselves. With her body crouched in such a way he'd never seen from any human, he had to stop himself from laughing.. and instead tilted a head. Oh well. It looks like I'll have to adapt. Funnily enough, no sooner had he said that, than he could feel his arms and legs growing a little longer - with clay from the rest of his body aiding in the lengthening of his thighs, shins, biceps and forearms. Well.. I suppose that should help. Somehow. Eventually, he shrugged mentally and tightened his grasp on the Py-Pole. The tip was lifted high, until it pretty much pointed straight for her chest. A more defensive pose than offensive - although that was more of a natural stance by now. He had to mentally slap himself in order to remember the plan.

Which meant the pole lowered just a little - so that it aimed at her stomach instead. Then he launched forwards off one foot, and kept the pole hung out straight. He'd be able to throw it to either side, no matter where she went. He could drive her back into a corner, as long as the pole remained before him - between the squirrel and the snake. His fighting would be much different no that she wasn't a.. well, a monster. Before it was easy to think that she was a mindless beast.. he could scream and shout and throw all he wished. But now they were on civilized ground, fighting as sentient creatures under watchful eyes. He'd have to keep himself in check.. stop from simply swinging the pole around as though it was a club, screaming and shouting.

Embarrassing to think - no, know - that it would have happened if they were in the middle of the forest and he still had his pole. Something about being far away from their civilization pushed something in the squirrel; sparked something a little more primal than what first appeared as a genial squirrel. He'd felt the exact same during his time in Sunberth, in Ravok.. that simple fight or be killed mind-state that seemed as easy to activate as the flick of a switch.

[Suresslynn]

Suresslynn smiled at the sight of Archailist growing an eyebrow just to raise it. The Pycon's ability to grow body parts at will was definitely an interesting one, and when they had the chance to sit down and talk about their races it'd probably be the first question she asked. But for now though, she had to focus on their fight. When the Pycon extended his limbs, she tried to see what he was going to do from that, but she knew so little of his fighting style and his technique with his Py-Pole to be able to glean anything from his stance.

When Archailist charged her with his staff, Suresslynn brought up her right arm to protect her head, then leaned just enough to the left that the pole passed just by her. As she leaned, she brought up her right arm and through a right cross at her sparring partner. "Lets see just how fast you are..." she thought, grinning at Archailist.