Completed A Sword is Only as Sharp as the Mind (Sei Tendo)

[Letixia Raigner]

Letixia Raigner Winter 22, 513 Letixia marched behind her Patron out the front gates of Syliras proper, fully armored, carrying her kite shield on her left arm. In addition, she also carried his buckler in her right arm, and his incredibly heavy pack upon her back. She hiked up for a better grip on her shoulders, a small grunt leaving her mouth. "Tired already? We've only just left." "No Ser." "Good, because you've got a new training today. You've seem to have gotten the basics of holding your sword and shield. So we'll say your body is a beginner. However, your mind is even lower than that. We must train you to think, quickly, accurately, and efficiently. If you don't train them both equally, you'll end up weakening them. And a weak Knight is a dead Knight. We don't want that do we?" "No Ser." "Okay, we're marching to the treeline, we don't want to be disrupting the farmers who're hard at work so that you can eat. Let's try a little exercise while we march. And the rhythm of your steps has slowed, pick up the slack." "Yes Ser." Letty quickly righted her marching, her brow already perspiring under the noon sun, the pack of what she was beginning to suspect was filled with books weighing heavily. She remembered to tighten her back and stomach muscles to maintain proper posture while marching. She'd been told that not only was this a more efficient method of carrying anything in a pack, but would also help strengthen her muscles. So she powered onward, awaiting the exercise her Patron had in store for her. "What is the rough population of Syliras?" "Fifty-thousand Ser." "Correct, now what percentage of that fifty-thousand is of a human race?" Letixia didn't really know the exact number for this, but her master had often told her to think about what you did know. She knew that most of the squires she knew were human, but there were handfuls of others. So she guessed, "Ninety percent?" "Are you asking the questions now?" Her Patron always believed that if you were going to believe in anything, from the Gods you worshiped to if you have a correct answer, you must wholeheartedly believe in it. No halfway. "No Ser. Ninety percent." "Close. It is actually about eighty percent. And how many people would make up that eighty percent?" She tried to run the numbers in her head, but she still struggled at that a little. She'd had experience with this from helping her dad, who taught her about his business. She knew ten percent of fifty-thousand was five-thousand. So she had to add five to five eight times. "Forty thousand." "Correct. Now tell me why that number doesn't matter when in comparison to the fifty-thousand." "Because all of our population are people, human or not. And every single one of them rely on us to keep them safe." "Correct. And now we're here. See how time flies when you're thinking. But you're slouching, keep your posture proper." "Yes Ser." She grunted as she straightened up, the two of them now passing through trees. He led her for several more chimes, finally finding a decent enough clearing. "Set my pack over on that rock and bring me my shield." "Yes Ser." She carefully deposited the pack, glad to be rid of the weight, and handed him his buckler. As he grabbed it, he whispered, "We're being watched. Can you feel it on the back of your neck? Act normal and do as I say while I try to find where they are." Then, in normal conversation volume, "Start your stretching exercises." "Yes Ser." She began doing her warmups, wondering, slightly worried, about who might be watching them.

[Sei Tendo]

There was however, another Squire and Patron nearby.

"Ser Erik."

"What is now it Sei?"

"They know we're here."

"Probably because of your whinning."

If a human could flatten their ears, Sei would be doing it right about now. He'd been doing more and more ever since he'd become a squire. Not that it was that long ago. He reminded himself. Sei looked at the bulky figure before him. Ser Erik Barker; harsh teacher, but a good man who meant well. The Kelvic didn't know much about him other than those small details, but it would have to suffice.

"Let's go, we're going to spar with them."

"Yes Ser!" He responded with excitement. If it was one thing Sei loved about squirehood, it was the amazing spars. As always, the Kelvic was dressed for success. He wore light studded leather armour, and his shortsword was slung across his back, and his shield was attached to his arm. He fell in step with his Patron in front of him as they made themselves known.

"Good day Ser."

[Letixia Raigner]

Letixia continued her stretches, keeping a watchful eye as a Knight and his squire came down out of hiding, right where her own Patron, Ser Ranqor, had been keeping watch. She listened to her Patron begin, "Ah Ser Erik, I thought I thought I heard a wild cat in these woods. The birds can always tell." Then he turned to Leti, "Keep that in mind, if the birds go quiet, then get anxious and jittery shortly afterwards, it means there's a predatory cat nearby." Turning back to the new arrivals, "What brings you two out here to our training? Chasing a mouse?" Ser Ranqor loved to pick on squires, and new nearly all of them, even if they didn't know him. Then he locked his eyes on Sei, studying him, "Oh, you want to spar? This one here can barely contain his excitement." Letixia kept to herself, for her Patron had always told her to follow his orders exactly, especially in the presence of other Knights. She was now twisting her body at the trunk, stretching out her back muscles, getting thoroughly warmed up. They wanted to spar? She took this time to study the other squire, whom she didn't recognize. Leather armor, short sword, small shield. He would likely rely on being faster than her, which he probably was. But as always in combat, power and speed were the ever rivaling siblings. Together they were unstoppable, but against each other, one might as well flip a miza. As she finished her stretching, she made her way over next to her Patron, who was now engaged in small talk with Ser Erik, "Good day Ser." Ser Ranqor then spoke, "Letixia, you will spar with Sei here. We will determine when the fight is over. I want you to pay extra attention to your basics, especially your footwork. Remember, fight with both your mind and your body. Now get over there in the middle of the clearing, and prepare yourself for battle." "Yes Ser." She moved to the center of the clearing, drawing her longsword as she went. On her way over, she studied the ground quickly, trying to remember what her master had taught her in the past. She saw loose shale laying at the bottom of a small rise in the clearing. She moved over past it, and picked a spot just up the rise. It wasn't much, but she'd always been told to maintain the higher ground, however little it may seem. The shale on the other hand would disturb her opponents footing, possibly upsetting his balance if she got lucky. She turned back to face them, crouch slightly, raising her kite shield so that it covered her from chin to thigh, her longsword raised and readied.

[Sei Tendo]

OOCBy the way, I'm not sure where we are location wise. Are we in the Bronze Woods?

Sei stood beside his Patron as he conversed with Ser Ranqor. He was a bit annoyed by the cat jokes being tossed around by Ser Ranqor, but he kept silent so he wouldn't say something bad. He started to tap his foot lightly on the ground, but he soon found the other squire approaching. She had a longsword and a kite shield, and by the looks of the way she was gripping it, she too was a novice. He gave the woman a broad grin, and turned to his Patron.

"Sei will be going full force, so I expect the same from your squire Ser Ranqor. And please, enough with the cat jokes. Sei is a tiger Kelvic, not a cat." The he turned to Sei and spoke. "I will be watching to see how much you have improved Sei, so don't disappoint me."

"Ser yes Ser!" Sei said energetically. He walked proudly in front of Letixia, and looked over the terrain she'd chosen. He chuckled before drawing his shortsword from it's sheath. He gave Letixia a sinister grin before charging without warning. He drew the shortsword back, forced it forward toward his opponents stomach.

"Nice move chosing a terrian where I have to watch my footing, but I noticed you looking at the ground. Note to you? Don't be so obvious!" He snickered, withdrawing the blade for an uneven slash. He needed to see what he was up against, his first step was going to be checking her defenses. He jumped back and looked Letixia in the eye, a playful glint shown in them.

"I'm Sei; Sei Tendo. And who do I owe the pleasure of this spar?"

[Letixia Raigner]

OOCApologies, we are in the Bronze Wood just at the edge near the farmlands. Not real far in. Letixia watched the other Squire, keeping an eye particularly on his shoulders. She remembered what her own Patron would say, "A warrior's hands, eyes, and feet may lie. His shoulders, however, only speak truth." She heard her opponent respond, and watched his shoulder drop slightly as he drew his sword. But then suddenly his whole body lurched, and he was charging her. She was caught a little off guard, surprised at the sudden start. Because of this, her focus on his shoulders wavered. Instinctively, she moved it to cover more of her body, feeling the sword clash against it. She used her right leg to brace her weight backwards, though the force of the attack wasn't as strong as she'd expected. She ignored his taunt, and responded by stepping forward with her right leg, springing it from its braced position. Moving forward a step, she brought her longsword in diagonal chop, hoping to strike him from his left shoulder and across his torso. But she'd struck too slow, her opponent already having jumped back and out of range. He'd locked eyes with her, and she saw that he was toying with her. She immediately returned to her previous stance, making her target smaller, harder to hit. "My name is Letixia Raigner." She felt no need to taunt or toy with him. Every fight was serious, and one shouldn't play cat and mouse. She would knock that look out of his eyes, make him take her seriously, one way or another. She had the higher defense, and would allow that to play to her advantage by staying defensive, and waiting for her opponent to make the first move. She would have to strike back faster though, if she wanted to hit him. She wouldn't be surprised at his speed in this next engagement. Her eyes scrutinized him, watching and waiting.

[Sei Tendo]

"Either you've learned how body signs give away movement, or my shouler muscles are sexier than I though." He chuckled. Sei confirmed his suspicions about Letixia's defense when she blocked. The way she was using her longsword, it looked like she hadn't fully become accustomed to it's weight. She slipped into a defensive stance, wearing a look of all possible seriousness. He nodded as she announced her name, but barely heard her through his thoughts. Okay, so her defense is better than her offense which is pretty great. I'll have to rely on my speed. He summed it up before taking a step forward, and dashing to the left as quickly as possible without going to fast. The last thing he wanted was to waste his stamina trying to move around.

Sei circled around quickly, and made an open slash at Letixia right leg. Hopefully she'd try her best to move her leg or block, then Sei would make a heavy shove forward with his shield. He'd then take a step back, shield protectively over his torso, and shortsword angled slightly skyward. He grinned at Letixia, a playfull one, and bounced back and forth on his feet. He gave Letixia a chuckle before speaking. "Aww, don't tell me you can't handle it Letixia?"

[Letixia Raigner]

Leti's eyes watched as he circled around to her right quickly. She adjusted, keeping the center of her chest aligned with his own, so he couldn't gain an easy flanking on her. He was moving a bit more slowly than he'd had in his first engagement. He kept moving, then made for a slash at her exposed leg. Though the angle was weird for her, she snapped her right arm down, bending and raising her elbow. Her sword parried his own away, but she'd struck it at an odd angle, sending a numbing pain up through her arm. She gripped her sword harder, so as to not lose it, while continuing to turn and face him. He then shoved toward her. She thought it to be a bold move, a sign that he thought he was both faster, and stronger. She exploded forward from her crouched stance, bracing her kite shield against her left upper arm, her thighs and buttocks powering her forward to meet his shove with her own. She had him beat in weight, and she felt she had him beat in power. When the shields collided, she grunted and continued powering forward, trying to push him backwards and throw off his balance. She ignored his taunt once more, feeling him take a step back. She kept her momentum going, and lowered her sword and made for a stab at his left thigh. She twisted her shield slightly to her left, so that it was angled and would protect her exposed torso during her attack. Immediately following the stab, she skipped backwards, and resumed a defensive stance. She would not be toyed with.

[Sei Tendo]

Sei grunred as Letixia met his shield bash with her own, forcing him back. "Not bad, but let's try something different shall we?" He said through gritted teeth. He sidestepped just in time to avoid his opponents stab at his thigh. He watched carefully as Letixia skipped back, assuming a defensive stance. At least she hasn't realized I'm bluffing. This whole time Sei had tried to persuade his target into thinking he was better, but the bluff wasn't done yet. All he had to do was make it last.

Sei made a quick step in toward his opponent, and then dashed to the left to swing the blunt side of his sword toward Letixia's left side. He withdrew the blade, and slipped behind the other squire the best he could to elbow her in the back.

"Don't give up yet, I'm just getting started!"

[Letixia Raigner]

He talks too much during combat. She watched him skip around her, a slash coming toward her ribs. But the shield on her left arm would make an easy block, as she turned her body to follow his. She made sure to not just absorb the brunt of the attack, but to push her shield against it. Hopefully it would knock the weapon from his hands, or perhaps vibrate it enough to numb his hand. She had her left leg forward, her right back, acting as the pivot as she turned. He was moving a bit faster than her, and his elbow slipped past her shield and caught her in the ribs. It hurt, would likely bruise, but wasn't a stopping blow. Then he talked some more. He just wouldn't stop gloating. Leti swung her shield as she turned, hoping to catch him in the torso immediately following his elbow attack. But she didn't stop there, shifted her weight, and turned more. Leti slashed toward his ribs, following through with her momentum. After swinging the shield, she pulled it in close, for fear of a counterattack. She anchored her hind foot, bracing against an attack and ready to burst forward to throw him off balance if the opportunity presented itself.

[Sei Tendo]

Sei watched Letixia's shield pushed forward to collide with his shortsword. He winced at the contact, the blow revertibrating up and down his arm before grinning as as his elbow connected with Letixia's ribs. He took a step back and shook his sword arm out for a half a second before the other squire began her counterattack. He waited for her to com close.

He had avoided being hit by the shield when he stepped back, but Letixia wasn't ready to give him a break it seemed. She swung her sword at his ribs, and he sloppily brought his shield up to block the attack. It was a clash of steel between the squires, and Ser Erik looked pleased with his progress.

Sei slammed his right foot behind his left to brace himself, as not to fall. He then withdrew his arm and made a thrust for Letixia's shoulder. The sword darted through the air, but it was uneven strike. He drew his shield in close, preparied to block before withdrawing the blade.

"Your not bad at all. Maybe we should do this aain sometime!"