Closed Ser Iros And The Snake.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

Well, he had a feeling she wouldn't bite. However, that didn't mean he wasn't going to give up. After all, who said he needed her permission? With her crouching so low to the ground in order to throw punches at the squirrel, she was also leaving her upper body within easy reach of a good jump. The squirrel wouldn't go for that straight away though - no no. He'd find a more suitable position to do it, one that would benefit. Right now, the best place to be was, ironically, as far away from her body as possible. He was going to trip her up one way or another, after all. When more punches came, he found it pretty easy to repeat the same method as before - ducking underneath them as they came, quickly pushing back towards the legs. He wanted to force her backwards, after all. As long as he kept between the legs and kept up the stern attack, he'd be fine.

He had to admit.. immediately, he was quite liking the new weapon. Sure, it wasn't as strong physically as a Py-Pole, and it didn't have the same pull as a Py-Whip.. but it was small, and incredibly light. He could stash it easily in one paw for manoeuvrability, and then draw it back into both paws to stretch out wide when he stopped. Sure, it was pretty fumbly.. he found himself trying to untangle the string at one point, drawing out the forming knots in preparation for an attack at her ankle, but apart from that.. he liked it. For once, he'd found a light weapon that'd accent his acrobatic skills rather than force him into a bizarre new style. He might just get to using them more often, if he had the opportunity. For now, though, he knew he needed to focus on the task at hand.. take out those damn knots and get ready for another attack..

"You should be working better than this, Squire Archailist." The words of the crimson Akalak completely threw him off balance, and he stopped momentarily to glance at the hulking figure. Arms tightened over his chest, and a scowl of disappointment on his face. Honestly.. he'd never even used the weapon before, at all. He'd had no training under it, no experience, no forward examples. And yet the man was still judging him on his performance, as if he had control over what he was doing?! He was so engrossed in wondering just how much of a piece of shyke his patron could be, that his concentration completely left the battlefield. Likely if a punch came for him now, he'd barely notice it. Although, at that point, he could hardly care. He doubted he could ever really impress his patron.

[Suresslynn]

Suresslynn was starting to realize how much more difficult fighting Archailist when he was using this new weapon would be. The Py-Pole had lifted him into the air when he used it, making him more of a target, but this string kept him close to the ground, and she lost a good bit of her effectiveness when fighting it. She was forced to stay closer to the ground, costing her some of the speed her fighting style was built around and making her an easier target for him. She figured she needed to learn a few additions to her fighting style before fighting him again, and she figured that kicking would be the most helpful addition in a way, though what she really needed was a way to hit from a distance.

However, when Iros spoke up the Dhani turned back to him with a quiet snarl. "Didn't you just hand him that? And throw him into a sparring match without even having him learn basic techniques? What did you expect, instant mastery?" she said incredulously, completely shocked out of the match by how bad a teacher this knight seemed to be. Taking a deep breath, the Dhani did a passable job at calming herself before she spoke again, knowing how useless anger would be in this situation.

"Look, you probably do have a lot you could teach Archailist, and he probably could benefit from a lot of it, but it doesn't do him any good if you don't actually do any actual teaching." she said, reverting once again into her cold, almost emotionless tone. "Granted, I highly doubt you know how to fight with a piece of string, but expecting anyone to do well with a new weapon is beyond foolish, and you didn't even tell Archailist anything about it before tossing him into a sparring match against someone that was giving him at least a decent fight with a weapon he was good with." she said, crossing her arms and looking up at the much larger male with the air of someone who was looking at the town drunk.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

What had once been a fight was apparently returning into a heated argument. Even one phrase uttered by the Akalak seemed to set everyone off.. and the squirrel wasn't even the first one to make the objection, despite the fact that the comment had been aimed at him in the first place. He seemed to be more or less slipping to the side, leaving more room for Suresslynn and Ser Iros to begin really bickering. Not that the muscle-bound crimson man seemed to have any issue on the subject. "I wasn't referring to the string. I was referring to his technique. It doesn't matter what weapon he uses, as long as he keeps the technique. That's why I gave him the string." The squirrel half-knew what the patron was talking about, although in all honesty, he was becoming a little confused with how quickly they went to talking over his head, as if he wasn't even there in the first place.

"I shouldn't have to explain myself to you, or my squire, in all truth. These methods are those that are kept inside the Order, strictly. You have no right learning them, or hearing of them. It doesn't matter if you object to them or not, it's the way that these things are done." Well.. Arch couldn't disagree with the knight at that point. It was entirely in his stubby paws - whether he continued in their way, or whether he searched for his own. Of course he was going to choose the knights. Just because there was one knight - that happened to be his patron - that he didn't agree with didn't mean that he had to abandon the entire Order. It just meant that he had to do what he was doing right then - training with other people. Anyone that he could find, anyone with the knowledge to teach or the proficiency to be able to spar him.

"You keep objecting me for my teaching methods, but there's one thing you keep forgetting - that these are MY teaching methods. I am the patron here, and not you. No matter how much you think that it should be done a different way, it is not you who is the trainer, nor the student. I doubt that you're anything close to what you think you are, in fact. If you can't land a hit against my student.. well then, what do you expect to happen when you come face-to-face with his patron?" Now he was really laying it on thick, puffing out his chest a little and pushing out his muscles to make them seem even more intimidating. "Why don't you just leave Squire Archailist to the knights to do his training." Ouch; that made even Arch wince.

[Suresslynn]

This time, Suresslynn simply stood there and waited until the large male had said his fill before sighing and turning to face Archailist. "You have to put up with this on a regular basis? I have to applaud your patience, I probably would have left by now." she said in a voice that was rather tired. "Or is this not typical behavior for him and he's just jealous you wanted to train with someone else? I mean, if that's the case, this whole think is really silly and I'll have to apologize." the Dhani seemed to be a little worn out by the Akalak's attitude, though she turned back to the bigger man.

"Okay, I concede the point regarding the technique. That's fair enough, I suppose. Kind of. Anyway, I don't really have any interest in learning your orders secret techniques or whatever you call them, but if this is how your entire petching order handles training its new members, I do have to wonder how many of them actually get through it." she said, still sounding rather tired. However, then she got to his last comments and suddenly seemed angry again. "And you're right, I'm not the teacher or the student, but lets set that aside for a moment so you can get your oversized, overinflated ego down of that oversized horse and we'll see how well that thick skull of yours can get you through an actual sparring match. That is, if you can dismount before tomorrow with all that tin weighing you down." she said angrily, clearly intimidated by the Akalak's armor and bulk.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

As he turned to Suresslynn, he could do little more than nod. Most people would probably leave.. but to the squirrel, it was all about becoming a knight. It didn't matter how he got there - whether it be through the endless bludgeoning of his patron, or through training in far-away cities around most of the Region. He was going to become a knight - and when he did, he wouldn't have to worry about men like the Akalak any more. He'd be free to take care of his own squires as he saw fit, and as he grew and rose through the ranks, he would eventually take control of his own wings. Eventually, there would be nobody to look down on him, and nobody to boss him around. He would be the one that drove the Knights into a new era. It wasn't about what he did for today - it was about what he did for tomorrow.

Besides, the man wasn't 'all' bad. There were some nuggets of useful advice hidden away behind his criticism, that the squirrel often found quite useful. He no longer slouched when he rode on the back of Xarex - it made it easier to maintain control of him, and keep riding for longer distances because his back wouldn't hurt as much as usual. He knew the importance of keeping concentration not just on your enemy, but on your surroundings as well, when in full combat. It wasn't something he'd come to use yet, but it was a valid point that he knew would eventually come to fruition when he was out in the field, handling more dangerous situations. Most times, it was better to just tune out to the Akalak's words and focus instead on what he was working with. But.. sometimes, he more than proved his usefulness as a tutor and as a patron.

That didn't mean that he thought the man was acting anything remotely related to how a knight should act at that moment. "Trying to challenge a knight - I honestly don't know why you bother with this girl, Squire Archailist." Despite the heavy armour cloaking his body, the man apparently had little issue sliding off the side of the destrier and readying his shield and spear, barring the limited joints around the plate-mail. The tower shield looked like it could cover nearly all of his body - and did, when he pressed the top against one shoulder and the bottom against his knee to stabilize it. While his spear was sharp enough to slice through skin, ready for any vagabonds that showed their faces through regular patrons, it wasn't that end that he readied facing the snake-girl. He held the stick in the reverse, with the butt ready for a good few stabs. With the muscle that he was packing, it didn't look like it'd be a pretty scenario if she got poked with that thing, either way. "I'm not allowed to severely harm or kill innocent civilians, but that doesn't mean I can't engage in a perhaps not-so-friendly sparring match and show you exactly why I am a knight, and fit to teach squires, while you are most certainly not."

"Ser Eyris, I really don't think that you should be fighting Suresslynn." The squire didn't like this at all. He knew just how violent the knight could become - especially since the 'darker' side was evidently taking the front seat for that time. The Akalak showed little acknowledgement of the squirrels concern - after all, the Pycon was a Pycon as well as a squire, and therefore didn't really have much or any control over the Akalak at that moment. He was going to show this girl what it really meant to have the strength to back their judgements.

"Quiet, Squishy." Yep. Definitely Eyris.

[Suresslynn]

Suresslynn smiled slightly as Archailist nodded at her, then watched as the big Akalak dismounted, giving her a short speech about how he was about to prove why she should shut up and let him do as she wished. Before she could retort, Archailist spoke up, referring to his patron by an entirely different name. "Eyris? What is that, his parents name?" she asked before snapping her attention back to the Akalask as he insulted Archailist yet again. "I'm really beginning to think he would be better off if I bit you...but that could reflect badly on him, so I'll just have to settle for humiliating you." she snarled as she pulled into her fighting stance.

The Dhani knew better than to just rush the Akalak and besides, that wasn't how her fighting style worked anyway. Better to do what she had trained to do, evade his attacks until he either got frustrated with her and did something stupid to get a hit in on her, or until he tired out. Either way, eventually he'd expose himself and give her the opening she required. First step though, was to make him come to her, so she didn't move towards him so much as one step. "Let's see how this goes..." she thought idly.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The Akalak wasn't really listening to the snake-girls words any more, unfortunately. What constituted for a reply from the hulking man was mostly just grunts, as he stood and watched her taking a fighting stance. He didn't take one, though. With his shield covering most of his body, he didn't really need to, and what little changes he made likely wouldn't be seen by the girl any way. When it came down to actually throwing the first punch, funnily enough, the girl was shy. Maybe she was having second doubts.. or just didn't have the guts to really throw a punch when it came down to it. "Not one punch? And here I thought you were going to be serious." He even had the nerve to laugh a little from behind the heavy shield, waiting quietly with neither of them making a move towards the other. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife - or, more specifically, a spear.

With the range of the weapon, the crimson Akalak didn't actually need to close any distance between himself and the girl. Like the Py-Pole, he could work from long distances to keep them both separated, and without hesitation or really much of a wind-up, he practically threw the butt of the spear right for the girls midsection. Whether or not it actually hit didn't matter, because just as quickly as it'd come out, he pulled it back close to his side and kept the shield in place over the rest of his body. He was going to play it defensively - after all, he had all the armour and the weapons for it. She was fast, but.. he had to wonder, and likely doubt whether or not her punches would actually mean anything when punching plate-mail and Akalak muscle. He doubted it a fair bit.

Arch was still standing at the side, shaking his head at the shameful display. "Don't call me that. You're being immature and un-knightly. You shouldn't be trying to injure a civilian at all, and you should be the one showing example for the others by keeping your anger in check! You're a knight, and you should act like it." His words were apparently doing little to curb the man, unfortunately. If anything, it seemed like all it'd end up doing would be turning the man's attention on his smaller body... not that this could be considered an issue, really. The squirrel had long come to understand that the man's weapons, his armour, his general way of going about a fight.. it just wasn't going to end in Arch's defeat. If anything, it'd just be a very long cool-down session.

[Suresslynn]

Suresslynn smiled as Iros asked if she was going to be serious. "Oh, I am serious. See, I'm not stupid enough to think I can overpower you. Besides, that's not how I fight anyway." she said, smirking slightly before he jabbed at her. It was easy enough to dodge with a sidestep, though she didn't make a move towards the Akalak. It wasn't time for that yet, not even close. The Akalak was still cool headed, still in control of himself if not his attitude. "Too slow, Iros. You'll never hit me with such slow motions." she said, openly at him.

As Archailist berated his patron, Suresslynn simply grinned at Iros. "You should listen to your squire, Iros. For the moment, he's being much wiser than you are, and much more worthy of the respect you seem to think you deserve." she said, now clearly goading the knight. She needed him to be angry, to lose his cool and either make a mistake or exhaust himself trying to hit her. Then he'd be open for her to make her move, though she was having some trouble figuring out where she was going to hit him. He was wearing heavy plate armor, not something she could punch through. Then she sparred Arch a glance and remembered something from her last sparring match with the Pycon. She doubted that Iros was wearing armor on his throat, and those were always so very soft and vulnerable to blows from even weaker creatures. "You want to know something, Iros...I just learned where you have a weakness...and I learned it from something that Archailist did before I ever even heard of you." she said, grinning widely at the knight.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

"My name isn't Iros. It's Eyris." He was getting quite annoyed at that moment, it was for sure. The girls goading evidently wasn't helping - she wanted all of him at once, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to give it to you. "And you think that you, of all people, has found a weakness on me, do you? Hah." His voice wasn't sounding very controlled at all - indeed, all of his concentration was off the squirrel and focused entirely on the snake-girl. His grip on the handle of the shield and the spear tightened even more as she goaded him with threats to the respect he was worth. Ser Eyris was having none of it. Once it was obvious that she wasn't exactly slow, he took the opportunity and braced his shield over most of his body, with the spear outstretched to one side with a good few feet of length poking out past the shield. Then, he took several steps straight towards her, with the huge shield acting as pretty much a battering ram.

The squirrel knew his patron - Suress was kind-of over her head. Usually Arch could get away because he was small and even the heaviest weapons that the man had, included tiny gaps that he could use for support. Heck, with the shield, he could pretty much ride it around with the man. She wouldn't have the same opportunities as he did.. she was small, but she was over a foot tall and wouldn't be able to slip underneath the gap at the bottom of the shield. Not to mention, he really didn't want the two of them to go into a fight any way.. but what could he do at that moment. Certainly not climb onto the man's back like usual. All he had with him was a piece of string.

All he knew was, he needed to stop the violence before it got any farther. The man was going to end up seriously injuring Suresslynn. I could use the string. Well.. Eyris was pretty occupied with the girl. He could do it, if he was quick and if he got it right the first try. He only had one try, before the man realized what was going on and ended up trying to kick the squirrel half-way across the Bronze Woods. "Well.. heck, it's worth a shot." He tightened the string between both of his paws, and narrowed his eyes, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and take down the larger man.

[Suresslynn]

Sureslynn simply smirked as Eyris corrected her naming of him and mocked her notion of finding a weakness in him. "Oh, I've found several, Iros. Your arrogance, your temper, your lack of speed...those are all a weakness." she said as he started walking towards her, his spear held out like a battering ram. "Hmph. You think you'll catch me with something like that." she said mockingly as he approached her. When he got sort of close, she started sidestepped to his shield side, then stepped back away from the knight again.

"He has to be up to something more...has to have a plan or something I'm not aware of. I don't believe for a moment that he's stupid enough that poking me with a big stick is all the plan he has. So what else is he up to... the Dhani narrowed her eyes at the big Akalak as she kept stepping to his shield side. "Well, Iros? I thought you were going to prove to me how wrong I was in questioning you. Or is trying to pin me against a tree with your oversized stick all the plan you can come up with?" she taunted, stopping her motion for a moment to think of how best to goad him into a rash movement or a burst of wild anger.

After a moment, something occurred to her, but it was incredibly risky and if it went wrong and she couldn't dodge, she could wind up seriously injured. So of course, the Dhani decided it was probably the best idea she had at the moment, since it would likely really make the knight mad. "Geez, Iros, your slow enough that I don't think you could hit anything. I mean, have you ever actually hit anything with all that bulk? And what's the point of all that armor? Are you that afraid of getting hit?" she said as she started sidestepping again before stopping as if a thought occurred to her. "No...it couldn't be, could it...do you wear all that because you have no real skill in combat so you wear all that armor to compensate for it?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious.