Solo No Sympathy For Mr Blind Man

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The westernmost tip of Kalea, Wind Reach is home to an amazing group of people and their giant eagle mounts. [Lore]

No Sympathy For Mr Blind Man

Postby Brandon Blackwing on September 28th, 2015, 5:58 pm

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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.
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No Sympathy For Mr Blind Man

Postby Brandon Blackwing on October 1st, 2015, 4:43 pm

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Archeron did of course not continue to hit Brandon’s torso the whole time. His quarterstaff could do many things; it was a versatile weapon indeed. The swordsman could hit Brandon wherever he wanted, and it seemed he did just that. He hit the Kelvic on the shoulders from above, he stabbed the end of his staff into Brandon’s abdomen and chest, he whacked it into Brandon’s sides, and he struck the bat’s legs as well. At least Bran’s head and neck area remained untouched, a sign that while his strikes lacked sympathy, Archeron was still holding back. Or perhaps the man just did not want the crack the bat’s skull, that was possible too.

Either way, the variety of attacks did give Brandon a great opportunity to listen to the differences in the sound of each angle and swing. That said, his body was not as pleased, aching all over. Certain motions hurt, and the attacks aimed for his legs were reducing his mobility bit by bit. And I have to walk all the way back to Wind Reach after this too! Spoken curses escaped his lips as the staff hit a spot on his shin that had been attacked a couple times already. As quickly as he still could, the bat stepped back, feeling his legs protest. I’ll probably be covered in welts and bruises for a few days, the bat grumbled, though he didn’t break his stance.

His breathing continued, though unlike before he couldn’t keep it up when hit. Instead his breath either escaped with a grunt or the bat just completely stopped breathing for a moment, cursing and swearing internally. However, his trial of endurance paid off, his guesswork becoming more and more accurate. It wasn’t just the direction Brandon managed to discern, but also whether Archeron would strike high or low. The bat felt his confidence slowly rising, building up to a point where Brandon found it was time to start resisting.

The staff’s noise came from the left again, apparently going for Brandon’s ribs once more. Quickly the bat threw up his arm, defending against the attack with the metal plates attached to his glove. Due to the bat’s temporary blindness, he was unable to see the movements made, which in turn resulted in him not being able to anticipate his opponents motions and attacks. For now it seemed he had found a way around it, reacting faster than he’d usually have, but this would become a problem if Archeron sped up. No, not if, when. It would be troublesome when Archeron increased the speed of his barrage.

As the Kelvic heard the staff being retracted, footsteps walked off to the side, and Brandon turned along with them, dropping back to his neutral defensive position, both his nose and ears working hard to keep the bat up to date. Another swooshing sound, coming not from the right, nor from the left. Above? Swiftly, the bat stepped to the side, feeling a rush of air pass by as the staff missed its target. Somewhere along the way though, Archeron had changed the trajectory, hitting the bat’s ankle before he could react. Staying strong and not yanking back his foot cost the thief some effort, and for a moment he was distracted. Immediately the swordmaster seized the opportunity, going for Brandon’s exposed body. A split-tick could indeed turn the tide of battle, but a good fighter knew how to react to such things.

Brandon dashed forwards, feeling the middle of the wooden stave hit his torso, but the impact had been reduced considerably. He didn’t stop though, slamming his body into Archeron’s… or that was the plan anyway. Instead the thief felt he brushed past his target, having been just a tad bit too slow. He cursed, hearing the sound of the staff being swung come from behind.
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No Sympathy For Mr Blind Man

Postby Brandon Blackwing on October 4th, 2015, 9:51 am

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There was no way Brandon could dodge with either stepping to the side or continuing to charge forward. But, that did not mean evading was impossible. Quickly, Brandon let his body fall backwards, sliding through the sand. The wooden staff swooshed over his head, missing the bat completely. Unfortunately, Brandon had put himself into a vulnerable position, and had to get back to his feet quickly before he stopped moving forward, and more importantly before Archeron could strike again. Brandon cursed internally once again, rolling onto his belly, then initiating a backwards summersault. From there it was easy to get back up, though the swordsman was already attacking again, so Brandon heard.

Another swipe, coming from above. Brandon knew he’d have to be attentive for a change in trajectory when Archeron missed, so he decided to take a couple steps back, staying out of range. However, footsteps closed in, and a swiping sound distanced itself. Archeron had retracted his staff and was stepping forward, planning to strike again. Petch, if this continued he’d just be pushed back further and further while the swordmaster kept on attacking. Brandon wouldn’t be able to hit back. Especially without his vision. Another curse as the noise of the staff cutting through the air resounded, the bat retreating even further.

More attacks followed each other up, one by one driving Brandon even further back as he desperately tried to dodge. After a while the angle of the floor started to steepen, indicating that they were reaching the edge of the sandpit. The Kelvic snarled, fully aware he’d have to go on the offensive somehow, but since he couldn’t see, he couldn’t really take aim. Unless… oh yes, Archeron had shown him the solution just a couple chimes ago. A plan was starting to take form, but there were some difficult elements in there.

Not only would he have to wait for the right moment, Brandon also had to somehow keep Archeron from finding out. So in other words, it had to be natural. Well, considering the swordsman’s skill that shouldn’t be a problem, however, the bat had shown himself to be more than capable of evading his attacks, even when blinded. Ah, but there was a simple solution for that; go on the offensive. Simple, easy, and it probably wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion. Archeron aimed another blow at the bat, staff speeding towards him with a slight upward angle.

However, too much time had passed since the start of this blind session; the Kelvic had had time enough to listen. Angled or not, he could hear the difference. True, he couldn’t react immediately, but the swordsman was going easy on him. It evened things out quite nicely. Swiftly, Brandon stepped back, out of range of the swipe, and then he dashed forwards, towards the source of the scent he’d been using the whole time. The arm holding the dagger folding over his chest, only to lash out, slashing at the swordsman when Brandon guessed he was within range. Again he did not hit anything but air, however, his ears and nose had detected where he’d run to already, and the bat quickly changed direction, continuing to wildly slash at anything in his path.
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No Sympathy For Mr Blind Man

Postby Brandon Blackwing on October 9th, 2015, 7:01 pm

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The bat kept up the assault, charging forwards while swinging his small blade from left to right, up and down. Still he couldn't manage to land even a single hit, Archeron backing away too fast, and evading too effectively. Of course, something could easily be done about that. Brandon accelerated, moving forwards more swiftly, slashing even faster, though he had to sacrifice a great deal of his already poor control over his weapon. As such, his attacks grew wilder still, though his assault did get results.

Although the Kelvic had increased the speed of his blind attacks and movements, he hadn't touched the swordsman at all yet. However, he was pressuring him, he could smell it. There was a salty smell emanating from the Sylirian man, stronger than before. Sweat. Accompanying the scent of salty body fluid came the increased rate of his breathing, rapidly drawing air in and expelling it again, all clearly audible to Brandon's sensitive ears.

His strikes maybe unable to touch Archeron himself, but the swordsman was now not evading them anymore, but rather blocking and deflecting the attacks with his staff. That was almost just as good; Brandon probably wouldn't get past the man's defense anyway, but still, it was a testament of the pressure he was putting on the staff wielding swordsman. His mouth grew into a small, though smug grin; he was now holding the reigns of this fight. Blinded or not, the Kelvic's speed was still impressive, it was more than enough to easily overwhelm his opponents. Well, those that weren't skilled enough to keep up, or those that just couldn't keep up due to their build, that is. Archeron belonged to the latter category, but he seemed to be keeping a level head, his experience serving him well.

As Brandon stayed on the offensive, Archeron slammed something into the bat's lower legs, swiping them from underneath his body. Toppling, the Kelvic fell to the side, dropping his dagger in order to place both his hands in the sand, cartwheeling away instead of smashing into it like a sack of potatoes. He'd reacted purely on instinct and muscle memory, and this time it seemed his body had sufficiently adapted to the temporary loss of visual stimuli, executing the evasive stunt perfectly. While he had prevented being forced in a vulnerable position, his weapon was gone, and Brandon had no clear idea where it might be found.

Opening his eyes for just an instant resulted in annoying, light stabs of pain, a not so pleasant gift from the grains of sand that still refused to leave his orbs. It was no use, the only thing he'd seen in that brief moment was Archeron coming at him with his staff raised to smack him from above. With the roles reversed, Brandon prepared to back off once more, but then he realized this might he the perfect opportunity he'd been waiting for. Instead of retreating, Bran side stepped the incoming strike, his ears' attention solely focused on detecting one specific sound. And it came, a swipe from the side, an attack that had been derived from a change in direction of the previous attack. This one was headed for the Kelvic's ribs instead of his head or shoulder. But Brandon was prepared; this was the chance he'd been waiting for.
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Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
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Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
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No Sympathy For Mr Blind Man

Postby Brandon Blackwing on October 12th, 2015, 7:22 pm

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Brandon caught the staff with his body, letting it hit his ribs full force, enduring the pain… or that was the plan anyway. Despite his belief of being prepared, the bat still flinched, even though it was just for an instant. However, it did work in the bat’s advantage, pulling his arms closer to his body immediately, trapping the staff between ribcage and upper arm. As soon as he felt that, Brandon clamped on harder, other arm reaching out blindly, grabbing what he supposed was the collar of Archeron’s leather chestplate. Whether the swordsman realized what was happening or not was of little importance now, as the Kelvic’s other hand closed around the wrist of the Sylirian as if it were a vice grip.

At the same time he stepped in, and the staff mutedly dropped in the sand. Archeron struggled, but it was too late, with a practiced motion the bat sent the man over his shoulder, slamming him into the sandpit. From the sound of it though, Archeron had managed to prevent it, probably having placed his feet. Nevertheless, whether he was laying in the sand completely or with his feet on the ground did not matter. What did was that the swordsman was now in a vulnerable position, and Brandon knew exactly where.

Of course, the Swordmaster wasn’t going to just lay around and wait for Brandon to take the advantage, instead he was busy getting back up, as clearly described by the noise he made. The Kelvic charged towards the sounds, opening his eyes once more to test if he could see again, and much to his delight he could. There was still some irritation, and he figured both his eyes were bloodshot, but he could see again, and that was drastically increasing his chances of ending this.

Now he saw that the swordsman had reclaimed his staff, and that the dagger Bran had lost just a few moments prior was lying to the left. Immediately the bat dove towards it, evading the swift slash Archeron sent his way, rolling once, and grabbing the dagger while getting back to his feet. Armed once more, Brandon started his bounce step, dancing to and fro, in and out of reach quickly to test Archeron’s reactions. Once he believed he knew the man’s attack speed, he stepped in for real, blocking the staff wielder’s counter attack, and then the bat was close enough to attack himself. And he did, weaving a net of fast slashes. Although they were sloppy, they were still dangerous, and the swordsman was forced to defend himself, deflecting all of them while backing away.

There was no room for pause, even when the Kelvic found himself become rather tired. Pause would only serve to hand over the pace of this spar to his opponent, and to honest, Brandon had had enough of being pressured. He had enough welts forming too, he did not fancy having their numbers expanded. And so he kept pushing the swordsmaster back, waiting for another opportunity, one he’d create himself. There were many of course, but it all came down to timing, and that was pretty hard. He’d been failing the whole time, but he would succeed eventually. Brandon did not care if his swings were even wilder than before; he wasn’t focusing on his attack anyway; he was concentrating on getting the timing of Archeron’s steps down. Despite this though, the bat’s assault certainly did not lack anything in speed, or power, however it was filled to the brim with openings that could easily be exploited…
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Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
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No Sympathy For Mr Blind Man

Postby Brandon Blackwing on October 13th, 2015, 7:30 pm

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As to be expected, the retaliation soon came, through the many openings left by Brandon’s attack. Before he knew it, the bat was on the defensive again, pushed back by Archeron’s counters. The Kelvic did his best to defend himself with his dagger, but the series of constructive attacks came too fast, and Bran suspected Archeron was planning on ending this quickly. The assault spoke of skill, and while it was very much possible the swordsman wasn’t even trying that hard, it was becoming difficult for the thief to keep up with him. For the moment he could barely manage to stave off the brunt of the barrage, one strike out of many slipping past and hitting flesh.

With the upper hand of the fight gone, Brandon was in no position to execute his plan. Pinning Archeron’s foot in place with his own, making him stumble, was no longer an option. Besides, it was taking too much effort to block the barrage; he couldn’t rest for a tick, let alone focus on something else than his defense. More and more hits were made, and Brandon felt pain welling up in those areas, now dulled by adrenaline, but soon that would not be the case anymore.

The petch am I doing? Evade for the gods’ sakes! He’d been too much engrossed by the pattern woven by the staff that he’d been forgetting something very important. Keeping a cool head was the one thing that Brandon still had difficulty with, especially so if his opponent put on a lot of pressure. It wasn’t too surprising really, there hadn’t been a lot of times that Bran really had to fight seriously, so he’d rarely had to deal with this sort of pressure. There had been times of course; Dimitri, Johnathan Lytlle, that Shinya guardsman… Especially with the last two had Brandon let the flow of battle be determined by his opponents, having been on the defensive for too long, without counterattacking. He’d had enough chances, probably, but what use were those if you did not utilized them?

In order to retaliate though, you first had to have the guts to do so, and if your opponent could pressure you enough, intimidating you, well… But now Brandon’s thoughts were focused once more, looking out for opportunities, for small mistakes he could exploit. Not that it was likely Archeron would make mistakes, however. In the meantime he dodged, blocking only that which he couldn’t evade. Or if he was trying to take the lead, getting in range for an attack of his own. It went like that for a couple chimes, Brandon making many attempts, but he couldn’t get past Archeron’s defenses and the man’s counters drove him back every time. However, the swordsman hadn’t hit Brandon anymore either; it was a stalemate neither party could break.

Eventually both men just stopped, the swordsman giving the command, and both of them just stood there, sweat rolling from their brow, grasping for air. “I … don’t think ... I’ve had such … a … good workout since my … arrival…” the bat huffed, stoking a lock of hair out of his face. “Hah. Your technique still needs … a lot of work, but… likewise.” Archeron sounded as if he meant it, a small smile on his face. “I must say your footwork is impressive, as is your speed. However! The faster you attack, the sloppier you become.” Brandon frowned, he’d noticed that before, though it was only if he fought armed. “With a dagger you mean, I hope?”

“Of course. I can’t say anything in regards to your unarmed style, other than positive things. I’m not really skilled in fighting barehanded, so it wouldn’t be right for me to give critique either. ” Brandon nodded, rubbing one eyes carefully with a finger; traces of sand were still present, irking him. “Though you aren’t as experienced as I thought you were, as indicated by your reaction to me pressuring you, you didn’t do bad. All in all your performance was pretty impressive.” He paused for a brief moment, watching the Kelvic. “There’s a water barrel outside if you would like to wash the sand out of your eyes.” Brandon accepted of course, gladly making use of it before leaving the Greco Hut and heading back to Wind Reach.
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Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
Posts: 1305
Words: 1496963
Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Kelvic
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No Sympathy For Mr Blind Man

Postby Dove Brown on December 5th, 2015, 3:26 pm

Your Grades!
Brought to you on the wings of a Dove!


Please remember to edit your grading request. If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding your grade, please do not hesitate to send me a PM.


Name: Brandon Blackwing
XP Award:
  • Blind fighting 4
  • Acrobatics 2
  • Weapon: Dagger 2
Lore:
  • Blind fighting: locating opponents by sound not sight
  • Blind fighting: Taking blows to get a feel for an opponent
  • It's hard to anticipate what you can't see
  • Blind fighting: blows from different angles sound different
  • Pressure in combat causes mistakes
  • Archeron: just as good at combat in his own way
  • Archeron: gave me the best fight since arriving in Wind Reach

Injuries: Brandon will be stiff and sore from all his bruises for the next 7-10 days, and his eyes will be sore but useable for 24 hours.
Notes: Enjoy your grades
Very busy at work. May not be around much for a while.
Threads: 3/3

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