Continued from here
Day 32 of Fall 515AV
As expected, Archeron did not show any mercy… well, unless one counted the use of a wooden weapon instead of the blunted steal one among ‘showing mercy’. There was much just one hit could tell a fighter, and Brandon’s observational skills were –so he had been telling himself for years- exceptionally high. That which he had been whacked with in the side was definitely not a sword, as Archeron had not only put the blunted longsword back on the weapon rack, but it didn’t feel cold and smooth like metal did when it collided with Brandon’s flesh. The bat grunted in pain all the same though, but he only stumbled back a little instead of tumbling back into the sand.
He blew out air shakily through his nostrils, getting back into his fighting pose, deciding that it was perhaps best to stay on the defensive. At least for now. That said, he wasn’t too sure what to do though; in order to actually make some progress he’d need to accurately guess where an attack would be coming from, and react accordingly. Sure, he wouldn’t be having any trouble if his hearing was as good as it was when he assumed his bat form… wait. That might just be the answer…
It was, and had been, obvious that the key to success here was the Kelvic’s superhuman hearing ability. The problem was how to use it. How could he figure out the angle and target of an attack? By listening. Focusing and try to discern the direction the sound was coming from, pinpointing the weapon’s trajectory. Nothing too hard to do, right? The problem however was that Brandon did not feel confident enough to attempt to move accurately, potentially leaving himself wide open. Then what could he do? Use his arms to defend most of his body, while still continuing to pivot in the direction Archeron moved. Yes, that would work; he was wearing his half-gauntlets too, so he had some extra protection in the form of cold iron plates.
Brandon did exactly that, holding his arms vertically, fists close to chin level so his forearms protected the front side of his body, while also leaving some space between them so his arms would get in the way of Archeron’s stave if the swordsman tried to attack his sides. Of course, that did not mean Brandon was completely covered; his head was vulnerable, and so were his legs. If Archeron decided to poke instead of swing his staff, Brandon wouldn’t be able to do anything against it either. Nevertheless, this was better than just standing around vulnerable from all sides.
Not more than three ticks passed without anything happening, and then Archeron relentlessly assaulted the bat Kelvic with a barrage of attacks, the strikes alternating between left and right, though they all stayed limited to one particular area. All of them hit the bat’s forearms, almost as if that was the actual target, and not the body parts they protected. There wasn’t much Brandon could do but endure it, attempting to focus on something else than the flashes of pain that faded into throbbing spots. Breathe. Breathe deeply. Don’t worry about anything. Breathe, and listen. Don’t –PETCH!!! ...Inhale… Keeping his concentration on both his breathing and his hearing seemed to work, or at least partially.
The pain was still there though, spiking with every attack, but Brandon only deepened his frown and gnashed his teeth, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Breathe with sighs, get rid of stress and unnecessary thoughts. Focus. Listen. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. A swooshing sound came from the left, followed by a stab of burning pain in his forearm. Breathe, breathe, listen. Right. Pain in his right side. Still right, correct, there was an eruption of pain in his right arm. It's left this time. It was indeed left now, hitting the metal plates of his half-gauntlet. It continued like that for a while, Brandon just guarding, enduring the blows Archeron rained upon him, somehow managing to keep his focus, to just concentrate on listening, breathing, and comparing what he heard to the place of impact. Still, it required mental curses and the gritting of his teeth to withstand it, and even then there had been times his focus almost shattered. But somehow he managed, albeit barely.
Day 32 of Fall 515AV
As expected, Archeron did not show any mercy… well, unless one counted the use of a wooden weapon instead of the blunted steal one among ‘showing mercy’. There was much just one hit could tell a fighter, and Brandon’s observational skills were –so he had been telling himself for years- exceptionally high. That which he had been whacked with in the side was definitely not a sword, as Archeron had not only put the blunted longsword back on the weapon rack, but it didn’t feel cold and smooth like metal did when it collided with Brandon’s flesh. The bat grunted in pain all the same though, but he only stumbled back a little instead of tumbling back into the sand.
He blew out air shakily through his nostrils, getting back into his fighting pose, deciding that it was perhaps best to stay on the defensive. At least for now. That said, he wasn’t too sure what to do though; in order to actually make some progress he’d need to accurately guess where an attack would be coming from, and react accordingly. Sure, he wouldn’t be having any trouble if his hearing was as good as it was when he assumed his bat form… wait. That might just be the answer…
It was, and had been, obvious that the key to success here was the Kelvic’s superhuman hearing ability. The problem was how to use it. How could he figure out the angle and target of an attack? By listening. Focusing and try to discern the direction the sound was coming from, pinpointing the weapon’s trajectory. Nothing too hard to do, right? The problem however was that Brandon did not feel confident enough to attempt to move accurately, potentially leaving himself wide open. Then what could he do? Use his arms to defend most of his body, while still continuing to pivot in the direction Archeron moved. Yes, that would work; he was wearing his half-gauntlets too, so he had some extra protection in the form of cold iron plates.
Brandon did exactly that, holding his arms vertically, fists close to chin level so his forearms protected the front side of his body, while also leaving some space between them so his arms would get in the way of Archeron’s stave if the swordsman tried to attack his sides. Of course, that did not mean Brandon was completely covered; his head was vulnerable, and so were his legs. If Archeron decided to poke instead of swing his staff, Brandon wouldn’t be able to do anything against it either. Nevertheless, this was better than just standing around vulnerable from all sides.
Not more than three ticks passed without anything happening, and then Archeron relentlessly assaulted the bat Kelvic with a barrage of attacks, the strikes alternating between left and right, though they all stayed limited to one particular area. All of them hit the bat’s forearms, almost as if that was the actual target, and not the body parts they protected. There wasn’t much Brandon could do but endure it, attempting to focus on something else than the flashes of pain that faded into throbbing spots. Breathe. Breathe deeply. Don’t worry about anything. Breathe, and listen. Don’t –PETCH!!! ...Inhale… Keeping his concentration on both his breathing and his hearing seemed to work, or at least partially.
The pain was still there though, spiking with every attack, but Brandon only deepened his frown and gnashed his teeth, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Breathe with sighs, get rid of stress and unnecessary thoughts. Focus. Listen. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. A swooshing sound came from the left, followed by a stab of burning pain in his forearm. Breathe, breathe, listen. Right. Pain in his right side. Still right, correct, there was an eruption of pain in his right arm. It's left this time. It was indeed left now, hitting the metal plates of his half-gauntlet. It continued like that for a while, Brandon just guarding, enduring the blows Archeron rained upon him, somehow managing to keep his focus, to just concentrate on listening, breathing, and comparing what he heard to the place of impact. Still, it required mental curses and the gritting of his teeth to withstand it, and even then there had been times his focus almost shattered. But somehow he managed, albeit barely.