Completed [Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Novice

[Katelyn Marks]

70th, Fall, 514 AV

The city was bustling as usual, and the trio made their way slowly through the crowds, unused to the commotion as a whole. Syliras was a special occasion kind of trip, a treat of sorts to get away from the Outpost. They'd already had their fill of visiting various shops and stalls. The temptations had been many, but she'd escaped without bankrupting herself.

"Do you think there will be a lot of people there today?"

Katelyn looked over at her brother Garreth and smiled.

"You two come here so often, why are you asking me?"

"Don't worry. There will be plenty of people to watch. If there isn't, I guess that means we can go get a few drinks sooner rather than later," her other brother Harris chimed in, smiling crookedly to himself.

"You just want to go flirt with that pretty little waitress you met last time," Garreth teased his twin.

Harris' smile disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he grimaced at both of his siblings for grinning at him, face red with embarrassment.

"I don't know what you mean," he muttered before looking away, and Katelyn laughed.

Soon after, they arrived at the Fighter's Pit. Katelyn had only been here once before, and that was soon after it had opened. It really didn't look much different. More organized, perhaps. Mats were laid out and a few groups of people were sparring and wrestling. Some very poorly, but a man who she'd been told was the owner of the grounds was couching them loudly, barking reprimands and jumping in every once and a while to demonstrate proper technique.

"Gerard, right?" she asked her brothers, and they nodded, eyes fixed on the pit.

They were smiling foolishly, already sucked in. Whenever they came to the city for errands it seemed to Katelyn that they always stopped here. Usually to watch, but sometimes to give something new a try. If she saw them a few days later with scrapes and bruises or a black eye, Kat could pretty well guess where they'd been. The first time she'd been here it hadn't been her cup of tea. Sitting and watching on the sidelines was less than uneventful, though her brothers seemed happy enough to watch and comment amongst themselves on the going-ons down below.

When they asked if she wanted to come along again, she decided she could give it one more go. Katelyn slowly walked around the perimeter of the pit, watching the people spar and train. Her brothers were already talking to a group of men about their crossbows, and she shook her head when one them handed his heavy weapon to Garreth. The sounds of arrows hitting and missing targets and dull blades clanging against each other was a far cry from the bleating of sheep and mooing or cattle that she was so used to, so she was content to observe for now.

[Katelyn Marks]

She found herself actually enjoying herself as she watched, at least compared to the first time the twins had brought her here. Kat had zoned in on a trio of young men sparring together with various melee weapons. One had a heavy looking handaxe that he swung a little clumsily, another held a double-edged shortsword, and the third hefted a spear. The latter two seemed to have a bit more control over their weapons, and they all swung, blocked, jabbed, and dodged as if in a dance.

She was surprised at how interesting it all was. Usually this sort of thing bored her, but Katelyn became so engrossed in the combat that when an attack by the spearman seemed to almost catch one of his comrades in the side, she gasped.

Of course none of this was real combat. She remembered the rules from before. You're welcome to bruise, smack, poke, and do anything really except actually injure someone. If someone let their guard down and was jabbed lightly in the belly by a sword, that would be considered a death. People were hurt by accident, but that was just a risk one ran doing something like this. It was live steel, no matter how dull and worn from over-use.

"Enjoying yourself?" a voice from beside her suddenly asked, startling her from her thoughts.

She jumped a little and jerked around to look at the man. He was sweaty and a little grimy, donned in leather armor and with an axe hanging on his hip. She recognized him immediately from earlier.

"Gerard Anthonius," he introduced himself unnecessarily.

"I know. My brothers come here a lot."

"I saw you come in with them earlier. The Marks twins?"

Katelyn nodded and looked over at her brothers, still practicing their archery. They were laughing and talking amongst their group, as social and infectiously happy as always.

"So, are you going to pick up a weapon and get out there?"

Her head whipped back around and she stared at Gerard for a moment, surprised by his question. After a startled pause she shook her head.

"Um, no I don't think so. This isn't really my area of interest."

"I've heard that before. You don't have to be interested in it though. Learning how to defend yourself is a necessity, not a hobby."

To that, Katelyn really didn't have a retort. Her gaze was level and thoughtful, and he returned it passively. She had a dagger--it was strapped to her hip as usual--and she knew how to use it, but not in any great confidence. She probably couldn't fight off an attacker, she knew that. On top of that, to do any kind of damage she'd have to be right next to them within arm's reach. Kat thought back to the drove from the Outpost to Syliras not more than two weeks ago, and how wrong it had gone the first day. She'd been completely useless, and the thought still rubbed her the wrong way.

Gerard seemed to know her decision before she did--something about the look in her eyes as she contemplated. He grabbed a shortspear off the nearby rack and handed it to her. Not very surprised, she looked at it then back to him.

"I've never used one of these before," Kat began, stating the obvious, but he held up a hand to silence her.

"I doubt you've used anything but that dagger of yours," he said, pointing at the sheathed weapon strapped to her belt. "I'll show you. I'll give you foundation to build on."

Katelyn looked again at the spear. She held it out in front of her in both hands, examining the old iron spearhead all the way down the oak shaft, worn smooth from heavy use. Finally, she nodded.

[Katelyn Marks]

He left her to wait for just a few chimes before returning with different gear. Gone was the axe at his hip, instead replaced by a round shield and a longsword. Gerard jerked his head and she followed him out into the pit, past clanging weapons and wrestling bodies. Her brothers jeered at her as she walked by, and Kat shot them a very sisterly glare, making them chuckle before they turned back to their conversation.

She and Gerard secluded themselves a little from the rest of those training, and before he started she quipped a quick, rhetorical question.

"I assume this lesson isn't free."

Gerard smiled and shook his head, held up five fingers, but then wasted no time diving in.

"I'll start from square one. This specific spear you have in your hands is called a shortspear. They are excellent mounted weapons, can be thrown at long range, and can also be used in close quarters combat. To put it sweetly, they're versatile and deadly. A knight galloping on his warhorse can put this straight through a man's chest and damn near carry him away as a trophy."

Katelyn's eyebrows rose as he spoke, and she looked at the weapon she was holding. That seemed a little far fetched to her. It was a sharp stick.

"Don't underestimate a good spear, especially in the hands of a competent spearman. Or woman," he added, and she grinned. "I'm going to start slow. I want you to get a feel for it in your hands, understand its weight, how you can move it. Just watch me and listen closely. Take a stance."

Kat grimaced and took a wild guess. She had no idea how to stand, but gave her it her best shot. She stood with her feet apart, one braced behind her and the other stretched out in front. The spear she held awkwardly, not at all knowing what to do with it. Gerard's face was a passive mask, and he watched her like a hawk as she set up. When she finished, he shook his head.

"You have the general idea, but that's it. You want a foot leading, that's correct, and you're braced well, but they're too far apart. I could push you over right now if I wanted to. Let me show you," he explained, and followed by showing her proper form.

His feet were shoulder width apart, right foot leading and left positioned behind. In front of him he hefted his shield, covering his torso and the lower part of his face. His sword was ready to parry, and his knees were bent slightly to take the force for a blow. He twisted at the hips to show her the range of movement he had without even moving his feet.

"You don't have a shield and sword, but the basis of this stance also applies to most weapons. Keep in mind you can't always worry about getting into this position, but remember that it's a good defensive stance, and you can easily move in to strike or counter strike when the opportunity arises. Your range of movement is unhindered, and with the reach of your spear you're at an advantage, especially if your opponent doesn't have a shield like I do."

[Katelyn Marks]

Katelyn followed his example and moved into position. Her feet shuffled closer and changed angles, legs bent slightly at the knees. She held the spear in front of her gripped in both hands like a staff at the ready.

"Like this?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Eventually you'll add your own spin on it. Everyone fights differently. For now this is good. I'm going to strike twice at you, first an overhead swing and then a horizontal cut. I want you to block both of them--just brace the spear like you are now in both hands. Remember to move your hips, and we're doing this slowly."

"Ready?" Garreth asked, and it was her turn to nod.

He wasted no time jumping in. First, he lifted his longsword and brought it down toward her head. Katelyn lifted her spear up and caught the strike. The blade's sharp edge clacked lightly on the smooth wood, and her trainer quickly moved into the next motion. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. He was taking things slowly like he said he would, but as the blade moved toward her exposed ribs she found her hands shaking.

"Block," he ordered, and she clumsily obeyed.

The spear twisted and she held it vertically in front of her, pivoting at the hips to meet to oncoming sword again. The two weapons clacked together and he reset, drawing back from her once more.

[Katelyn Marks]

"Keep focused," he reprimanded sharply, and Katelyn blushed.

"You can't become distracted when live steel is involved. Even going slow I could hurt you. Keep your eyes open and stay alert."

"I will," she promised, more than a little embarrassed. "What next?"

"I want you to try to block while we're moving, then at the end strike at me. You can counterattack as fast as you like, but I'll keep going slowly. You won't hit me, I'm not worried, so don't get caught up in your head thinking you're going to tear my belly open."

Katelyn could feel her palms sweating at the thought of it. She swallowed hard, but nodded and furrowed her brows in concentration as he went on.

"I'm not going to tell you what blows I'll be attempting, just watch closely and think with your gut. Use your instincts. They rarely fail people when it counts. When I say now, that means it's your turn to attack. Don't think. Just do. Understand?"

"What if I don't block properly?" she asked, wiping her slick hands on her shirt. Thankfully, he ignored her obvious nerves.

"I won't cut you," was all he said, but it worked.

Katelyn nodded and took up the stance, but before he swung he corrected her footing and she shuffled her boots further apart. When he nodded, Kat knew he was ready.

Garreth came at her slowly, like a prowling cat. His steps were deliberate, and she mirrored him by backing away. She tried to stay in a strict stance, but when he made his first swing she panicked during her defensive maneuver. Her spear rose to meet another overhead downward swing, but this time he kept advancing and she shuffled to keep back. The blade drug and scraped loudly against the shaft of her spear as he drew back for another strike. Next he lunged, prodding the end of the blade toward her belly. She swiped it away with a clumsy slap of her spear, and again Garreth wasted no time in continuing his advancement.

He twisted and swung at her leg--a blow meant to cripple. Katelyn dashed out of the way, avoiding it with clumsy footwork instead of a parry from her weapon. Garreth came at her more quickly now, purpose in his stride. His swung at her ribs and she moved to block, but he changed mid-swing and went for a slice to the neck. Katelyn bent at the knees and jerked her weapon up above her head, catching his longsword and bracing in a crouch.

"Now," he barked, and she reacted without thinking.

Katelyn came up fast and hard, crowding him and shoving him back with the force of her retaliation. Trying to get the upper hand, she twisted her spear in her hands and brought the end of the shaft down toward his knees in an effort to cripple him just as he had tried on her. In one swift motion he grabbed the spear mid-strike, jarring both of them.

"Clumsy, but a start," he observed, sounding completely at ease and not even a little out of breath. She looked at him incredulously and backed away when he disengaged.

[Nivel]

Katelyn : XP Award: 2 Weapon: Short Spear 3 Socialization 2 Observation Lore: Location: The Anthonius Fighter's Pit Gerard Athonius Harris has a Crush Proper Fighting Stance Trust your Instincts Short Spear: How to Block Notes: Yah did good Additional Comments: If you have any questions or concerns just message me