[Training, Open]Art of the blade

[Xalet]

Xalet had a layered defensive system in combat. He would never be doing barrel rolls or flourish filled flips, but due to the training that almost any squire was subjected to he had several methods of protection to fall back on. The first was his shield, the thing he carried with him nearly everywhere he went. An opponent either had to go through it, get around it, or attack when it was out of position. The second was his sword, which could parry the occasional attack if needed. It's weight and size limited it's effectiveness somewhat against larger, heavier weapons. The last was his armor, thick metal plates that could withstand punishment in their own right.

With his shield out of position from his most recent shield strike attempt, Xalet knew he had to get that sword in place and deflect the blow. What he wasn't prepared for was the difference in weight and length of the large weapon compared to his well balanced short sword. Though he moved the attack several centimeters, being as large as Xalet was had it's disadvantages, namely the large profile his body gave off as a target. A large chest meant he had to deflect a blow further than a more wiry human sized man.

The thrust met between Xalet's pauldron and his breast plate, causing the akalak to grunt loudly. His left side jerked backward rigidly until he relaxed his hips and, instead of retreating backward, stepped forward with his right foot looking to move inside of Komax's most deadly range, that being the last several inches of the length of that sword. Xalet was an inside fighter, exhibiting more maneuverability at arms reach than just outside. As his left side moved back his right came forward. His right arm folded in with his short sword in hand, looking to land an elbow into Komax. In the same movement the large squire's right foot came up and stomped downward, looking to catch one of Komax's feet beneath it, either to cause pain or to trap it completely, keeping him close. This was the militaristic martial art taught to the Knights. While forsaking more exuberant kicks and throws, It was simple and effective and most importantly useful even while wearing armor and carrying a shield.

[Komax]

Komax was satisfied by his strike and by the Akalak's grunt of pain, but he knew that the spar was not over. Xalet had not given up, and though Komax had struck, there was no clear victor here. Stepping back, Komax attempted to get the Xalet at a farther distance away from him, so that he would be less likely to be struck by the relatively short gladius his opponent held. His longer sword, on the other hand, would still be able to reach over to Xalet.

That attempt was thwarted when the squire surprised Komax by stomping on one of his feet. A jolt of pain went up his leg and he only managed to half-step back, his right foot moving without the left, for he could not move himself out from under the Akalak's greater weight. There were both advantages and disadvantages to a more wiry frame, and it seemed that the Svefra had just encountered one of the disadvantages. He had thought to overwhelm Xalet quickly, a technique which usually worked on his other opponents, but the squire had plenty of warning, unlike his previous foes.

Komax now had a serious problem, because his blade was much less effective in close range than it was just a few steps away. He could parry almost as easily, but his ability to stab and slash was severely impeded. Until he could get out of the pin, he could not afford to be aggressive.

Bashing the sheathed blade against Xalet's leg, Komax attempted to get free from the hold simply by moving the Akalak's foot off of his.

[Xalet]

Xalet felt the satisfying bulge of a foot beneath his own, meaning his stomp had been effective. That also meant that Xalet was in his preferred range, as close as close combat got before two people were wrestling on the ground. For distance Xalet always had his old but still functional crossbow, loaned to him by the Knights for training purposes. At a medium range his typical tactic was to barrel forward with shield leading the way in order to get to a more acceptable range. Now that he was at that range things were fully opened to him.

At such a distance a large shield would normally be a hindrance to a Knight with a longsword, spear, or warhammer. It would have gotten in the way, just in the same way it would get in the way of his opponent. It's protection would create a burden for the one wearing it. Unless your weapon was short, light, and had a point to it in case mobility was too restricted to slash or cleave. That was the strength of the short sword.

Not wanting to take another solid strike Xalet did release his hold upon Komax's foot as that sheathed weapon came toward his own leg, only to step into Komax's stance, attempting to put his foot between the Svefra's and drill him with his shield, a maneuver involving pure strength and size to attempt to uproot someone from the ground completely and destroy their balance.

[Komax]

Komax felt for a moment when Xalet released his foot that he was about to regain a favorable, or at least neutral, position, but he was obviously wrong. The next step shattered his hopes, and the following shield-strike, though expected, was absolutely unavoidable. Komax stumbled backwards, nearly falling to the ground in the process. He let out a groan of pain and frustration through gritted teeth.

Through his entire life, Komax had trained to use the sword that he held in his hands, and though he was facing off against another born warrior, it still hurt his pride significantly when he was thrown off balance like that. It had been such an effective maneuver, and Xalet was quite obviously stronger than Komax was.

Attempting to steady himself, Komax instead ended up stumbling forward, though in the process he jabbed at Xalet's chest. This strike was purely instinctual and based on the hope that he would be able to both lay a strike and stop his forward momentum, steadying himself and regaining a favorable position.

[Xalet]

There it was, the weight of something moving beneath the planks of his shield. Xalet threw his considerable weight behind the shove, his feet digging into the rocky terrain of the training grounds. With shield and armor upon his body, Xalet was weighing close to four hundred pounds, and that type of weight was hard to stop once it was moving forward. Of course an opponent would have their difficulty halting that sort of akalak battering ram, but Xalet had troubles of his own.

Even as he reached back to thrust his gladius forth he felt a distinct pressure upon his chest, causing his hips to jerk and his body to waver slightly. Lowering his shield and relaxing his sword arm to commented, "A true enough strike. Offensively you're more skillful than I." The akalak took in a swell of air and backed up, twirling his short blade inside of his palm for a moment before freezing it in it's typical grip.

"But...it doesn't look like he has any unarmed capabilities." Xalet thought to himself. In sword work along Xalet was edged out slightly by Komax, and in being too aggressive he seemed to have shown his openings. If he could trap that big sword and no longer have to be cautioned by it, he could do well for himself. "Once more?" he asked, steadying his breathing in preparation.

[Andresciel]

Andre shook his head, as he chuckles, glancing up at the squire, "Do not be cocky in your abilities Xalet. It often gets you put on your behind." The Mage would caution the boy, his voice barely above a whisper, and yet he stood to walk towards the pair.

"Would you mind if I stepped in?" The Mage Knight would stare at Xalet's sparring partner, "At least while you recover your energy Xalet?" The Mage would give that odd half-smile as he brought his hand up towards the other man "Andresciel, Knight of Syliras, One of the Mage Order." He smiles, introducing himself and his place in the order of Syliras.

[Xalet]

Xalet nodded slightly, sliding his weapon back into it's sheath. Loosening the strap on his shield he swiveled it around to his back and stepped back a few paces. "Of course, Ser." he replied. Undoing the strap on his gorget and lifting his helm off, Xalet leaned up against one of the walls that defined the training yard while sliding his gauntlets from his hands and placing them into his upturned head armor.

[Komax]

Komax was very surprised that he had managed to defeat Xalet, for the squire had shown great defensive capability and had very nearly thrown the Svefra to the ground. Either way, it had been a very close spar and he was tired out. When Andre stepped in, Komax nodded in his direction and extended his own hand, grasping the mage knight's and smiling. "It is an honor to meet you, sir. I am Komax, first..." He broke off. "Former first mate of the Winter's Bite."

Wiping his brow, Komax supported himself with the sheathed blade. The fight had tired him out significantly.

[Andresciel]

He smiles, "I see. A First Mate." He chuckles, shaking his head as he watches the man with his sapphire eyes. The fighting style Xalet used was vastly different from his own, as he would demonstrate.

Andresciel smiles, looking into Komax's eyes before he suddenly threw his left hand, the metal gauntlet covering his fist, towards the males stomach in a flash of motion, a thought that had registered in his mind. It was barely a thought when he had done it, a strike that he wished to test the boy with. "Think fast."

[Komax]

Komax hadn't been expecting such a quick attack. He was already tired out and when Andresciel struck out at him with the gauntlet he had almost no time to react. In that amount of time, he had just managed to raise his sword before the fist struck him and he doubled over, stumbling backwards with the breath knocked out of him.

Trying to regain his composure, Komax started forward, slowly and rather painfully straightening his back. He spat up a small amount of blood and clumsily swung at his much quicker opponent. Even that caused his muscles to scream with pain, and he let out a groan.