Closed [Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Pointy End (Revy)

Balian visits the Fighter's Pit to so if he pick up a few pointers

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This shining population center is considered the jewel of The Sylira Region. Home of the vast majority of Mizahar's population, Syliras is nestled in a quiet, sprawling valley on the shores of the Suvan Sea. [Lore]

[Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Pointy End (Revy)

Postby Balian Martell on January 22nd, 2015, 3:15 am

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7th of Winter, 514


The dull clamor of the men and women that populated the fighting pits had already ground itself into background noise in Balians mind, focused as he was on observing the many small battles that took place there in. There was order in this chaos, as far as he was able to tell; those that fought with weapons seemed to congregate from the middle to one of the far walls, where as those that practiced with their fists seemed to have placed themselves along the closest area to the entrance of Winthop alley. There were even posts and straw filled dummies for the men and women who chose to practice on their own. His gaze in particular was on those that clashed with their weapons against one another.

He had grown agitated by his lack of progress. Sure, his skill with the bow had improved considerably, as well as some of the other skills that the knights seemed to favor, yet he was still woefully inadequate when it came to melee combat. His Patron, Ser Uldrin had promised to take time and help in his training, however he has been detained by some duty or another, and the opportunity had yet to present itself. So it was the he found himself here, at the fighting pits, at the suggestion of Wynn, his roommate. At Balian was skeptical; for the most part those that trained here were not Knights or squires, but instead mercenaries and citizens that wished to practice in the martial arts. He wasn’t sure if going to such a place would help him at all.

He saw that he was wrong almost from the moment that he got there. Both men and women were present, and more than a few showed great skill, or at least much greater skill than Balian. A match between someone wielding an axe against another with sword had had caught his eye. It seemed to him that the axemen had the advantage, he was larger and seemingly stronger, and constantly attacking, yet the swordsmen was able to hold his own against him. He knew it was a good fight, however unfortunately he could tell little else, given his lack of experience. Even so, he did his best to pay attention. Perhaps he could pick up a thing or two?

The swordsmen skill was evident. What he at first thought to be a one sided match was clearly even between the two. The axemen kept up his attack, however his foe was able to duck and weave away from most of him, and using his blade on the counter attack. He immediately saw two different attack patterns; the axemans attacks were full of power, yet they were slower than those of his opponent, having only enough time the block or parry between attacks. The Swordsman on the other hand was quicker and seemingly more precise as well, however it was spent more on evading his attacker than going on the offensive.

The fight lasted for several more chimes, but neither man seemed to be able to gain the advantage over the other and eventually they called the match a draw; both men barely able to hold their weapons upright from exhaustion. Balian tried to analyze what he had seen, seeing if there was some trick that the swordsman had used, something that he himself could do, but for the most part, he came up with nothing. Balian let out a frustrating sigh. If he wanted to get better, he had to do it by doing.

Perhaps there is some one here who could help him? For a few small coins he was sure he could find someone. He scanned the area, trying to see anyone who might be willing and able. Most of those present were already engaged in some activity or other, and not just idling about. He was just about to the man who he had just seen fight to see if he could at least give the young squire a few pointers, if not a full lesson when he spotted a woman standing by one of the walls, who had apparently been watching the same match as he.

She was tall. And lean. The first thing that came to Balians mind was an image of a wild cat, poised to strike. Even from where he stood, he could tell that this was someone who knew how to fight. Plus at her hip hung a longsword, a very similar weapon to his bastard sword that hung at his hip. He gathered his courage and made his way towards her, briefly wondering if he should have worn some indicator of his affiliation to the order. At it were he only wore the light armor that lent to him when he joined. His thoughts were cut short as he approached her.

“Ah… excuse me?” he started, keeping his voice steady, trying not to sound like a child to this intimidating woman. “I was wonder’n if you could help me with some train’en, I would be will’n to pay?”

He had brought a few coins in the case he could find someone to help him, if failing that, to at least grab some food before heading back to the dormitories
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[Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Pointy End (Revy)

Postby Revy Hiroe on January 27th, 2015, 8:05 pm

Revy had gone to the fighter's pit again for a change. Despite the cold, she had gone there. The woman wanted to let off some steam again. For now she had been observing the pit, looking at the many fights, despite the cold. The one that drew her attention in particular was one between an axe fighter and a swordsman. It looked like a promising fight to her.

However, as the fight unpacked, the woman lost interest in it. It was a lopsided match. It was easy to see that he swordsman was a way better fighter. He avoided the blows more then to want to block them. Though his defense was better, his offense was less so. They had a clear difference in combat style. The guy with the axe had more the mentality of 'Attack is the best defense', while the swordsman was the exact opposite. As a result it wasn't surprising that the two called it a draw.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw a man coming her way. "Oh please Myri. Don't tell me he's coming for me.", she whispered to herself. But yes, he came for her. Apparently he thought her as an instructor and it actually felt good to be called that. But she had to set him straight. She couldn't do work besides being a squire. "I ain't no instructor here, boy. I'm a squire of the knights, so no paying. Could have a light spar with ya and give you some pointers. Ain't allowed to do much more."

She drew her sword, put her shield on her arm and walked a few feet away from the wall, so they had the room to maneuver. "Only really good with my longsword, hope you won't mind.", she said, "Anyway if you want to train, get ready." It didn't matter if the guy got ready to her, because if he didn't, she'd just start a light spar with a shadow. She had to get better with not just her longsword, but also her shield.
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[Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Pointy End (Revy)

Postby Balian Martell on March 11th, 2015, 5:50 pm

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Her confession of being a squire surprised Balian, although he hoped it did not show on his face. She didn’t strike him as someone who would be a squire; A Knight, maybe, but not a squire. For one she looked older than most of the squires the he had met; Balian being one of the older ones already. He quickly pushed his doubts aside. Whatever her reasons, he was at least glad to be dealing with a comrade. “..A Squire? Well met! M’names Balian Martell. I am also a squire.” He introduced himself, bowing slightly at the hip both to show respect to their mutual positions. “Thank you, for acceptin t’help.”

As she drew her sword and readied her shield, Balian did the same, sanse the shield and walked into position opposite her. While she wielded a longsword, Balians blade was a bastard, meaning that while the length of the blades themselves were relatively the same, Balians weapon had a longer handle, of which he made use of by holding the sword with both hands. Remember Ser Quintyns words, he immediately dropped into his stance; right foot back, feet shoulder width apart, sword perpendicular to the ground. His strength had improved since he had first joined the order, and the swords weight no longer bothered him as much, however he still lacked much skill in its use, and he was unaccustomed to wielding it. “Your Longsword will be jus’fine, I think. I need as much help as I can get with this” he waved his sword a bit in tandem with his words, “As of now, I can do littl’ more than hold it up, and swing it a few times”

Balian eyed his fellow squire as she held at the ready. She clearly knew was she was doing, and in an actual fight, Balian was sure that he would be dead in ticks. He began to wonder if sparring was the best option, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He waited to see what his instructor would say or do next. Perhaps he should initiate by striking first?
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[Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Pointy End (Revy)

Postby Revy Hiroe on March 31st, 2015, 7:49 pm

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The woman wasn't really impressed by this young man. Though he did assume a proper stance, there were insecurities in it. Usually it wouldn't be noticeable, but Revy had a whole lot of experience in combat and she noticed these tiny flaws. And she noticed lots of these within her opponent's stance. He was going to need a lot of actual combat experience if he wanted to polish those out.

Yet she still heaved a sigh. "Stance is good, at least you know that much. It's riddled with flaws though, but you'll work those out with actual combat experience. Anyway, I wanna see how adept you are with that lump of steel, as you are making it seem.", she said. It was probably quite offensive. If someone had said that to her when she was younger, she'd have flown into a rage and consequently get beaten up. Though that was how she learned to fight.

The woman didn't take the first step. Actually, she kind of seemed to relax a little. She lowered her sword, but kept her shield raised. To gauge his skill, she wanted him to initiate an attack, but he seemed to be uncertain? Well, he was dealing with someone quite adept with a weapon, which new guy wouldn't, but at this rate they wouldn't get anywhere. "Go ahead and attack me. I'll block it and I won't counter. I want to see what kind of skill you have first and the best way is by you attacking me. If it was the other way around, well... you wouldn't get out unharmed.", she said. Of course she wasn't going to hurt him or anything, but if she attacked she went at it for real. She wasn't a person to hold back.
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[Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Pointy End (Revy)

Postby Balian Martell on April 14th, 2015, 7:38 pm

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Balian was pleased that he at least managed to get his stance correct. His training had focused mainly on physical conditioning and archery, so his sword play being lacking was no surprise. He tended to steer away from training with the sword as melee combat did not appeal to him very much, however, truth be told, it could just be fear of what might happen. He had been in fights before, but nothing more than the roughhousing of boys; fist fights were one thing, but add a swords into the mix and the entire thing became decidedly more lethal. However he could not ignore it forever, not if he wished to become a knight, so here he was.

His opponent had relaxed her stance, dropping her sword and straitening up a bit. At first he was unsure of what it meant, could she be trying to lure him and attack? It was just a training exercise after all, however she might be trying to teach him about falling for faints or some such? Or maybe she just didn’t see Balian as a threat to her immediate wellbeing, which of course, he wasn’t. The young squire’s hesitation must have been obvious, however, prompting his trainer to speak out, interrupting his thought process.

"Go ahead and attack me…".

So she just wants to measure my skill then? Fair enough. he thought. Balian measured the distance between the two of them. There were was a few feet of space, Baling could probably cover it in one step or two plus the added reach of the sword. Next he decided what the best way to attack was. Given his skill, he knew he could not accomplish any of the fancy embellishments that many of the skilled fighters here could accomplish, but at the same time he wanted to acquit himself well before his fellow squire. He looked at his opponent once more. She had lowered her sword, but kept her shield up, undoubtedly planning to use it to block his attack. She had mentioned that only real combat would help polish his stance, so perhaps he should look at this as if he were in a real fight.

His first instinct was to strike downward on the side with her shield, which she would undoubtedly block. That is what she probably expected as well. So then maybe he should attack were her shield wasn’t? she would have to block either with her sword, which she lowered, or maneuver around so that she could use her shield. Balian rather liked that idea, as it would incite a greater response from his opponent, even if this was just training.

Taking a breath, Balian initiated his attack. At first he only shuffled forward, keeping his stance as he closed the distance somewhat, then hestepped forward with his right foot, raising the sword above his head. As he did, Balian brought the sword over the other side and swung downwards, to the side where his fellow squire didn’t have her shield. He remember his earlier training, and what Ser Quintyn had said about control, and tried to apply that to his swing. He did not just let the blade drop, but actually attempted to guide its path. He was not looking to actually injure her, but in a real combat situation, it was best to catch your opponent off guard.
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[Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Pointy End (Revy)

Postby Revy Hiroe on April 26th, 2015, 3:00 pm

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There seemed to be some hesitation in the man's sword at first. It was understandable, because the guy admitted he was bad with it, but he'd have to learn how to hide his feelings. In combat, the fighter who showed his feelings in his form usually lost. Though Revy shouldn't be too harsh about that. She did the same from time to time whenever she got pissed off or excited.

His attack was a bit too obvious. Couldn't he at least try to hide where he was going to strike? This made it far too easy to counter it. Well, he'd notice soon enough. It was a simple maneuvre she pulled off, but that didn't detract from the effectiveness. She pivoted on her left foot, letting her right slide behind her as she swung her shield around, right in the path of the sword. "Hmpf, is that all?", she taunted him.

If that was the extent of his skill, he'd be better off training purely the basics. He should do a lot of regular swings, not just to warm up but also to get familiar with his weapon. One should be used to a weapon they are using, otherwise they'd have trouble using the weapon the way they wanted to use it. "Seems like you need a lot of practice.", she said before she pushed out with her shield to get rid of that sword.
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[Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Pointy End (Revy)

Postby Balian Martell on March 12th, 2016, 1:40 am

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Balian had hoped to catch his opponent off guard, however the ease at which she was able to block his strike showed him that he done everything but that. Was he so easy to read? It was not just that his fellow squire was able to block his attack without hesitation, but the manner in which she did told Balian that the level of experience between them spanned oceans.

After the attack was successfully blocked, it was a simple manner of pushing the blade away with her shield. Had this been actual combat, the result would have left Balian wide open to counter attack, no doubt leaving him in a pool of his own blood. The idea unnerved him somewhat.

"Seems like you need a lot of practice." He heard her shout out.

Quite the understatement Balian thought to himself. “It would seem that I do!” He responded, hoping that his voice didn’t betray his waning self confidence, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. He pulled himself back, readying himself in his stance, knees bent and sword straight. If he should attack a second time, how should he go about it?


ooc :
I apologize for the amount of time it has taken me to respond to this thread. I understand if you no longer wish to continue with it, in which case just let me know and I shall submit it for grading.
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Balian Martell
The young hunter
 
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[Anthonius Fighter's Pit] The Pointy End (Revy)

Postby Devi on April 30th, 2016, 9:38 am


Your Grades have arrived!


Revy

Skills:
  • Tactics: 1
  • Socialisation: 1
  • Teaching 1
Lores:
  • Teaching: Assessing current skill level
Shield Points: +1 for helping a fellow squire improve their skills.

Comments: It's a shame this one never really got going - I get the impression that Revy would be an amusing teacher to read about! Balian if you return then do let me know and I'll update this with your grades too.

Let me know if you have any questions or feedback. Don't forget to edit your post in the Grade Request Thread to say it's graded and leave a link in there for the Storytellers.

Happy Writing!

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