Closed Expect the Unexpected.

[Archailist]

6th Day of Winter, 513. If he was going to spend some time in this new city, learning what he could from the monks that survived here, enough that he could finally return to Syliras as a fully-fledged knight and survive the training with fellow squires - he needed to learn some more about his surroundings. So, he began wandering in the general direction of the city gates. He didn't anticipate how difficult it would be to move around in a day-to-day life however - he was constantly having to jump out of the paths of other passers-by, until he could find a suitable substitute that didn't involve getting squished. A struggling attempt up one of the walls of the buildings - a slow climb with his clay claws trying to find purchase, and his entire body heaving with the weight placed upon the thin clay, until he was able to slowly haul himself up to the edge of the roof, before jumping between the narrow ledges. It made everything go much quicker; not many people had an eyelid to bat at a squirrel jumping over the roofs high above, and if they did, it was only for a moment before they returned to their everyday work - nothing to see other than a squirrel, albeit one with slightly dis-proportioned body parts and a mismatched colouring on its bare skin - but a squirrel nonetheless. Sometimes, he was forced to take a slightly longer route when he came across a particularly long jump, and instead took a route involving many smaller jumps that were more easy to cross. He wasn't as well-versed in acrobatics than he wanted to be, and he could use it in his everyday life, though that didn't mean that he was proficient enough to avoid making minor mistakes, or from making extraordinary leaps. Thankfully, he had his Py-Pole to use for vaulting occasionally, although he made a few more mistakes with that as well, and managed to completely fall off the roof, nearly splattering into the floor below. Thankfully, he was able to make it back up and continue on his way. He had advantages, though, that not even professionals could match - his use of four legs helped with his maneuverability, swinging his body using his changes of balance and weight. It was only one of the fantastic perks of being a Pycon, one that he had come across very early in his life. Where many other creatures seemed to lack the ability to change their centre of mass around their body, he had no such problem. Movements were fluid, simple, as the mass of his body swapped from one side to the next, and his lack of bones gave him extraordinary flexibility, allowing him to bend his arms and legs well beyond normal capabilities and extend them to catch a ledge when he would normally have missed it, correcting his mistakes as he managed to crawl back onto the roof and continue his running. In little time at all, he'd found his way to the city gates and descended with a small leap to the floor, absorbing the shock with a shift running through his entire body like a ripple. It would have happened anyway - a natural reflex, but he smiled softly to the monks as he passed by them, even nodding. One nodded in return though didn't do anything more than that. They were still acclimatizing to seeing a Pycon shaped as a squirrel, walking around in their city. Through the outskirts, he could see close-lying buildings and structures still standing, although some of them seemed more inviting than others. And then he saw it. The Warfields. Almost the perfect scene, a maze of high stone and sprawling stone, like some odd attraction. He couldn't deny that he wasn't curious. Maybe that's what sent him walking straight for it, absently swinging the Py-Pole around like a little baton as he went, taking in the entire 'battlefield', since that's what it seemed to be. Monks - who seemed to be everywhere in this city - were moving absently around the structure with a few slipping between the stone walls, cleaning it or simply patrolling like guards. A nearby monk was cleaning one of the rocks, repainting it in the signature faded-red of the rest of the city, and he stopped briefly to ask him what this place was called. He wasn't disappointed by the answer. "These are the Warfields."

[Savio]

Savio frowned as he stood before the entrance of the Warfields. Last time he had come to this location he was with Seryk and a monk of Uphis in search of a missing boy. Though they did find the child, he had been severely wounded by a crazed red-headed girl who was still at large. The boy had survived the ordeal with only a few stiches and bad memories whereas Savio had left the Warfields with a new dagger that always seemed to be glowing a faint orange color.

He wasn’t too sure why his feet had brought him to the stone maze. Curiosity? Perhaps. He had intended on wandering the city to seek new students for the school but there he was, earning a disdainful look from the burly monk who guarded the entrance.

“Ye gonna stand der all damn day, boy?” He grunted at Savio, jerking him from his thoughts.

The acrobat chuckled sheepishly and ran his fingers through his untamable hair as he stepped through the gate and took off down the path he remembered from the Summer Season. He kept his hand on the hilt of his steel dagger out of habit since he never left his room without the simple weapon attached to the belt he wore around his middle over the tunic. He only had the barest of ideas on how to use it, so it was there for comfort if nothing else. Other than his dagger, he had a small pouch to carry a few mizas. He had not prepared himself to venture into the dangerous twists and turns the maze provided but at least he had a little bit more training than last time.

Once he was far enough away from the entrance, Savio decided to take to higher ground out of curiosity. The walls were not too high and due to the weather, the walls were pockmarked with cracks and chips the provided perfect footing for anyone who knew how to climb. Savio took a deep breath before sprinting toward one of the walls, making sure to dig his boot into one of the crumbing dents in the wall to help hoist him up high enough to grab a hold of the ledge and pull himself up until he was standing on top of the rust colored wall.

His breath came out in small white puffs as he examined his surroundings in slight awe. The maze stretched out in either direction with paths the same width as the narrow streets of the city. His mind became alight with possibilities on how he could train since the maze provided a prime place to practice his freerunning and acrobatic skills. The ledges were just wide enough to run over easily if one had the balance for it, but still provided a challenge when it came to making jumps and sticking them.

Savio smiled as he rolled his shoulders and limbered up his arms and legs. It had been a long while since he could freerun properly due to the rainy weather. He was confident in his skills but nature could easily throw those skills out the window if one wasn’t careful. Once he felt that his body was ready he leaned forward slightly and took off running, ever mindful of the narrow ledge he was on.

He could feel the sting of the cold air as it whipped at his face was his boots pounded against the stone wall. Savio rejoiced in the movement of his body when he reached the end of one wall and lunged forward, bending his legs slightly and flinging his arms in the direction he wanted to go. It was to add distance into the jump only to land neatly on both of his feet before using the energy to propel himself forward onto a short series of three front hand springs. The acrobat was left blissfully dizzy when he finally stood solid and still. He had to center himself before he tumbled off of the wall and to the hard ground below.

Perhaps returning to the Warfields hadn't been such a bad idea after all. In fact, he was already making plans on coming back more often. Perhaps with either Sayren or Bones in toe if they wanted to learn how to freerun. Savio grinned to himself as he looked around once more, seeing a few brave souls traverse the maze. Surely at least one of them would like to learn from the school. The Warfields might be a prime recruting ground for new students!

[Archailist]

The squirrel-Pycon stared up at the walls in awe. He'd always preferred nature, or at least habitats that incorporated nature into them, with trees and bushes, branches and tree trunks.. those were the places he always felt the most at home. It was a place that he could relax in, his 'home element' so to speak. It was the reason he'd become infatuated with squirrels.. or had his infatuation with squirrels the reason for his love of nature? But this place was nothing like nature. There was nothing natural about the stone walls that hung like mountains, towering above the Pycon as a monument to humanity and its many accomplishments, or the arrangements of heavy stones and boulders thrown haphazardly around the scene. Yet it still inspired him.. and it made him want to climb it and conquer it more than ever. Of course, to do that, he'd need to find a way in.. and after a few moments of walking around the heavy stone structure, glancing over the edges and occasionally having a try at climbing the walls for a better view - which had so far left him in failure - he gave up. So, he tried for a different point of entry. He'd find a way to climb up the stone wall for a better view, and from there he could follow the walls around the Warfields and get a better view of the surrounding areas as well. It would be a perfect vantage point, and if these warfields were as good as he thought - which would be as good as the monk had told him with a bit more prying - then this place would be a very interesting landmark to visit a few more times. He bet Syliran Knights never ventured to the Warfields of Nyka to do their training.. and it'd just be one more advantage over the rest of the knights. One more show of proof that the Pycons were just as good, if not better, than those humans who always ran around like they were the smartest of all. He scampered about, back and forth until he found a protruding piece of rock, hopping onto it. Afterwards, he used it as a stepping stone to jump up onto the edge of the wall and clamber up the last few steps, with a little help from his Py-Pole to dig into the ground and swing from one ledge to the next. It wasn't as easy as it sounded in his head - claws scraping for purchase on the pock-marked wall, small cracks becoming footholds.. but eventually he made it to the top and sighed with relief, looking over the intricate maze that raised up before him, overlapping the horizon. It was beautiful.. the rather wide ledges meant that there was more than enough room to run on all-fours down the wall, which he did of course, leaning over whenever he spotted someone below, or above, vaulting over the rather large gaps with ease due to their much larger size and some of them performing feats of acrobatics that he couldn't possibly match. Like some lunatic who was going head-over-heels and nearly managing to throw himself off a wall. Still, it was a good laugh for him, and he turned to begin a few of his own practices - most of which just involved running down the ledges and balancing himself. Though, the ledges were thick and square. He knew it wasn't going to be a trial to stay on them, after a few metres of running on all four of his stout paws, tail flicking behind him for balance every now and then. So, he needed something bigger.. The gaps between the walls. That would be something.. but to do that, he'd need to bring up all the power in his legs - there was going to be quite a bit at stake, because if he didn't manage to land it, he was going to hit square into that low-hanging wall. So, he did what any sane person would do, and backed up as far as possible, which wasn't really that far at all, for a run-up. His hind-paws gripped tightly at the edge for the best propelling force, springing forwards and coiling the imaginary muscles in his legs before releasing them in a powerful leap. Arms spread out, tail hanging behind for maneuvering.. however, he didn't make it. He got close, though, and slammed against the wall with his body distorting to take the force of the impact.. and in the few seconds before his body slipped down off the wall and fell to the floor, his paws somehow managed to reach up and lock around the very precipice of the wall, dragging himself up and onto it. Damn - he'd been hoping to make a clean landing.. "Oh well. Leaves room for improvement.." he muttered to himself, brushing down his arms as they reshaped back to their stout little paws.

[Savio]

After regaining his balance, Savio resumed his running. He focused on the full extension of his legs and where each stop hit against the red Nykan stone, forcing himself to run faster and faster until he felt the delightful burn in his chest and the pull in his muscles as he pushed himself. He relied heavily upon his quick reflexes to keep him balanced and graceful. The narrow pathway the tops of the walls afforded was not much but it was enough for Savio to run and to jump accordingly.

Sometimes the acrobat would jump from one wall to another just to practice landing on both feet only to jump back sideways, turning his body just so, so he could land on the other wall. Most of the time he made it but twice he had missed his mark and slipped off of the wall. The bloodied scrapes on his palms and knees along with the bruises on his arse and back were testaments to his mistakes. Nykan stone was just as hard and unforgiving as the rest of her people.

After nearly a bell of running aimlessly over the maze, Savio was soaked and chilled with his own sweat. Once again, he had gotten carried away in the freedom his legs provided that he failed to realize that he had become exhausted and dehydrated. So much so that he failed to notice the small squirrel-like creature perched on the wall underfoot until it was nearly too late.

With a shocked yelp Savio miscalculated his next jump to avoid stepping on the small animal causing him to lose his footing and tumble from the wall and onto the ground below. The only thing that stopped him from landing on his neck was that he instinctively rolled his body so that he landed on his right shoulder instead.

Savio cursed colorfully once he came to a stop on his arse and held his shoulder as pain pulsed through it. It didn’t feel broken or dislocated but I still hurt like mad! He scowled up the wall at the creature who had caused his fall only to blink in confusion. The squirrel looked… Strange. He had never seen the like before.

“What in Tavasi’s name…?”

[Archailist]

The next few runs were thankfully less eventful than the failed larger jump. He skittered between the walls, occasionally passing small leaps and trying out the use of his forepaws to perform small little turns of his upper body to stabilize his leaps, even balancing on them for a few seconds with his feet pointing straight up in the air. It was relaxing.. a place that he could stretch himself at least a little. His muscles weren't really fatigued because.. well, he had no muscles. His mind was though, after trying to keep up with all the different manipulations he had to make with the clay, holding his arms steady and pushing it around to keep his center of mass where he needed it to be. But even that was rather invigorating, rather than taxing on his mind - slowing down or speeding up how he wished it was perfectly fine. He'd remember to come back more often and try out some of the harder areas, the longer jumps and the thinner walls.. but for now, he was happy to just do some exploring. He leaped across a narrow gap, landed on his forepaws and turned his lower body in mid-air, hindpaws never touching the wall but instead landing on the ground below, between the two walls and in the middle of the maze. He ran on four legs, all the way through and around a corner - using the wall as a spring-board for a little leap of some kind - before continuing his run and straight up the wall at the end of the narrow corridor. He was confident that down in the maze, nobody would see him from outside, possibly even above; he was just some random animal that had managed to wander into the maze and get itself lost. And that's when, the moment he popped up at the top of the wall, he saw that same lunatic acrobat coming for him. Thankfully he managed to practically throw himself aside and use his dexterous tail for balancing out so that he landed on his forepaws and swung back to all fours, but the surprisingly-acrobatic human wasn't so lucky. Although he knew that it was entirely the humans fault for being a lunatic in his jumping and not keeping an awareness of those around him, he turned back and jumped down from the wall to scurry over to the downed man. "Hello? Are you alright?" The language that the human was using made his nose crease, but he stayed to see if the man had managed to injure himself. He could have been seriously hurt - wasn't there a place that dealt with wounds and whatnot, that Great Infirmary place? The squirrel wouldn't be able to help the man get there by a long shot... but he could try and get some help, if he didn't lose the man in this giant maze. Stupid maze - why even build such a thing if people could get hurt inside and nobody would even be able to help them.. it was just stupid! "Hey? You alive in there?"

[Balderdash]

Delicious rewards! Happy days and jubilation!

Archie! :

Skill	XP Awarded
Observation	1
Acrobatics	3

Lores: Solution To Trampy Feets: Leaping Over Rooftops, Being A Pycon Is So Handy!, Warfields: These Are It, Which Came First? The Fur Or The Acorn Obsession?, This Stone Labyrinth Shall Be My Crucible!, Evasive Maneuver: Barrel Roll, Who The Heck Had The Idea For A Labyrinth?

Items and Consequences: Aches and pains out the [Woah!].

Insert wit here.

If you have any questions or concerns about this grade, please PM me. A happy you is a happy Balderdash!