Completed The Giant Vs The Pycon (Bitt)

[Nivel]

73rd day of Spring, 514 AV (Dusk) Grey Baxter sat awake inside her private quarters working diligently as she had done several nights in before. The Craftswomen sat at a wooden table that was barely visible under the chaotic mound of ribbons, yarn, buttons and other decorative odds and ends she was using to make her latest masterpiece. She was in a trance of intense focus as she meticulously worked on the design that slowly came together in her embroidery hoop. Other than being a Syliran Knight, Creating masks was a practically strong passion for Grey. The Knight could spend an entire day just working with threads and beads and not find it the least bit dull. She loved to show off her work too, so much in fact that very few had ever say without one. Grey particularly loved the rumours that circulated about her as a result of constantly concealed face. The Latest one to circulate, said that she had a pig nose and a third eye she had got from a magical experiment gone wrong. Grey was certain she had started this rumour herself except it was originally about her simply losing her eyes, it fascinated her just how rumours could evolve from the smallest little thing. A sudden knock came to her door, breaking her hypnotic state. She turned to face the door and with a little focus could see that the Aura was that of her fellow knight Crowe. She would have normally covered her face for company but knowing how skilled the old man was at Auristics, it seemed pointless to try. The old man never seemed to truly appreciate the craftsmanship and work she put into her costuming anyway. Without a mask, her exposed skin was shockingly pale like a corpse but in contrast her hair was still tied up beautifully with ribbons and hanging beaded pearl decorations. She wondered what the old coot could want with her at this hour, she didn't have time for his games. She had to experime-train her Squire early the next morning and had already spent to much time crafting as it was. She hoped if she remained quiet, he would get the hint but she knew him better than that, "What do you want Crowe?" It was clear in her tone she wasn't in the mood for visitors.

[Bitt]

73rd Day of Spring, 514 AV (Dusk)

Crowe had already dismissed Bitt, his most recent squire, and had the rest of the evening to himself. The lad was progressing at a steady pace; he was a good student. Watching his squire learn and grow throughout the course of the season had made Crowe's thoughts turn nostalgic. It was with such thoughts in mind that he made his way through the citadel and ended up in front of a perfectly nondescript door; the door to Ser Grey Baxter's quarters. Grey, as it just so happens, was one of Crowe's older and most accomplished squires. He almost barged straight in, as was his habit when visiting a squire. Fortunately, he remembered his manners; Grey was a full knight now despite the fact that she would always be Crowe's squire in the older knight's eyes. Crowe decided to dally no further and knocked on the door.

"What do you want Crowe?" Grey had answered before the door was even fully open. Crowe raised an eyebrow at this; he always thought the lass was a little too hasty in her application of auristics.
"Nice to see you too lass," Crowe responded in a familiar tone. He showed no visible reaction to Grey's maskless appearance. He was part of the minority that knew the woman's true appearance... he was also one of the few who suspected that she enjoyed the attention the masks gave her. Crowe didn't give the lass a chance to respond; he took a few strides past her into the room before turning back and continuing, "I heard a new rumour about you today; word is that you have multiple personalities and each one wears a different mask." Crowe paused for a tick before grinning, "So tell me lass, who am I speaking with today?"

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[Nivel]

"The personality that eats the shrivelled hearts of old farts that impede on her crafting time" Grey gave the man her best deep ominous glare but she couldn't keep it up and soon found herself chuckling. "so..what brings you to my messy abode?" Grey preformed a flourish of the wrist in the direction of the massive heap that took up most of her small room. She was sure her old instructor was all too familiar with her poor house keeping habits. He had a nasty habit of barging into his Squires rooms and he was lucky he never stumped upon Grey in a state of undress or poor Crowe would have gotten the beating of his lifetime. Grey wasn't one to receive guests especially in the late hours, so Crowe must surely have something important to tell her or ask of her. It was odd to think of her previous Patron wanting to ask her for anything, Even if they were of equal rank now. Grey had only started our as a patron, she had another potential squire before her current one but the poor insufferable lad was just not ready to be a knight. Melric was his name, he was a pretentious student of the University of Zeltiva who though he knew everything about magic and assumed he would grasp being a knight just as well. Melric irritated Grey to no end and frequently disobeyed her wishes, It gave her great pleasure to tell him to be on his way. Grey's new Squire Nivel, was a complete contrast to Melric. A Pycon who like others of her race was modest but determined, Grey was certain the little squire was capable of greater things then most would assume of someone so small. Having a small exotic clay creature around that she could dress up and use as free labour from time to time didn't hurt at all ether.

[Bitt]

Crowe smiled at his old squire; he had a soft spot for the quirky woman.
"Straight to the point I see lass," he said almost grudgingly as he begun to stroke his beard. Truth be told, it was already rather late without dragging their meeting out with pleasantries. Crowe sighed in defeat as he properly considered how to phrase his next statement. He had an idea that could prove rather entertaining as well as educational for his most recent squire: Bitt. Whether or not it would come to fruition, however, depended entirely on Lady Grey.
"It seems your most recent squire hasn't been dismissed yet," the gibe was in reference to the bratty bookworm lad to whom Grey had been patron, "she's a pycon lass if I recall correctly." Crowe was aware that Grey's style of teaching contrasted his own in that she had a tendency to speak in what could be described as educational riddles as opposed to his blunt statements of fact. In Crowe's opinion her being coupled with an inquisitive pycon was the perfect match.

"As I'm sure you're also aware lass," Crowe continued, "I myself have been given a new squire to teach. He's a nice enough lad but he's about as fresh as a recruit can get. Tomorrow I want him to spar with your new pycon lass, it'll be good experience for the lad; I doubt he'll do well, but it'll be good experience." Crowe grinned again but inside thought that he may have made an error; he probably should have phrased that as a question as opposed to suggesting it was already decided. It was times likes these he almost wished he'd bothered to ascend in his ranking within the knights. As it stood, he had to hope Grey agreed; he couldn't boss the lass around nowadays.

[Nivel]

Grey patiently listened to her old patron's proposal, hoping it would prove worth while. She couldn't help internally wincing at Crowe's opening jab which was clearly in reference to Melric. While she knew better than to get truly angry at him for questioning her abilities as a patron as it would reflect just as much on him as it did on her, she still felt a bit annoyed. He mentioned her new Squire Nivel and she instantly knew he had some kind of test planned. Grey's first thought was that he was intending to evaluate her skills as a patron, It was insulting to her to think she would need to prove herself to him. The old man went on to introduce his own Squire Bitt. While he sounded sincere in his intention of providing a new experience for Bitt, his following question sounded a lot like a command. It even sounded like Crowe had already laid out the plans and expected his faithful former squire to just accept them. She was about to give the wretched old man a piece of her mind but took a moment to think about the best interests of her Squire. Grey had been wanting to set up a spar with other squires of Nivel's skill level but none seemed interested in fighting an opponent that was so small in stature. As much as Grey wanted to tell Crowe he could shove his proposal straight up his arse, she needed this to further her Squires training. "I suppose..we could arrange a spar between our two squires" Grey said through slightly gritted teeth. She felt that she should say something or at least tell him to never call her a lass ever again but she held her breath afraid she would say something she regretted.

[Bitt]

74th Day of Spring, 514 AV

Bitt was in deep thought as he obediently followed his patron through the halls of the Stormhold Citadel; their location was the Anthonius Training Grounds. It seemed that today was going to be an irregular training day. Normally, he'd be in Crowe's quarters being lectured about something-or-other; there didn't seem to be a recognisable pattern or plan behind his patron's choice of subjects; instead, he was going to practice his fighting in a sparring match. From what Bitt could gather, his opponent was going to be the current squire of one of Crowe's old squires... it was hard to tell given Crowe's tendency to refer to someone as "the lass's new lass." Curiously, Bitt was instructed not to wear his chain mail or plate, but he was beyond asking pointless questions. After spending almost a full season with Crowe, he'd learnt that if there was a reason behind something that he'd find out soon enough.
But really? I have to fight a girl?
The thought was an innocent one; he would feel bad if he had to hit a girl smaller than himself. Regardless, he would do so if instructed by Crowe. Bitt had come to trust in the older knight's teachings and didn't want to disappoint him.

Crowe, for his part, was in a particularity good mood. He was surprised that Lady Grey had agreed to his suggestion the night before so easily. Perhaps having a squire mellowed the lass out somewhat? He mentally shrugged, his speculation wouldn't serve any real purpose anyway. The older knight shot a sideways glance at his own squire; the lad's brow was slightly furrowed in concentration.
The lad's probably nervous.
Crowe chuckled at the thought of what was to come. He hadn't told Bitt anything about Grey's squire apart from the fact that the lass was a girl. The knight was curious to see how Bitt would react when he discovered that he'd be fighting a pycon; it was an amusing prospect. Only time would tell, and the duo continued to their destination in relative silence.

Eventually, both Bitt and Crowe arrived at the rooftop that served as the most popular training grounds for both the Syliran Knights and their squires. Bitt enjoyed his time spent here; training aside, the fresh air was heavenly. The squire inhaled the cool, morning air and let his eyes wonder over the area.
"They're not here yet lad," of course, it was Crowe who spoke. The older knight seemed certain about thefact; he moved slightly off to the side as to not block the entrance before sitting cross-legged on the ground. Bitt shrugged his shoulders and decided to follow suit, planting himself next to his patron.
"Don't worry lad, they'll be here soon enough," Crowe murmured as he bowed his head forward and closed his eyes; he was content to wait. Bitt nodded and mimicked his patron's movement, letting his thoughts drift away.
"Yes, Ser Crowe."

[Nivel]

The usual knock to Nivel's door arose her from a particular interesting dream involving a giant monster with tangled plant roots for hair. It wasn't a nightmare but a thrilling battle that Nivel was almost about to win if she was only able to sleep just a little longer. "Time to start the day" came a familiar voice from beyond the door "I have something special in store for you today" After joining the Order, Nivel was beginning to understand that "special" was rarely something good. The pycon knew it was futile to protest or even ask what the something special was, she would just have to hope for the best. "I'll be there in a second" Nivel replied as she lazily crawled out of her sock bed. She found the door of her room not very Pycon friendly and was glad to find a small crevice in between the stone wall that she could easily crawl through. Once on the the other side of the wall she was greeted by her patron Grey Baxter, who was wearing a particularly elegant looking dress while wearing complimentary light armour pieces. The Mask she wore today was battle themed and had several embroidered swords covering it. Grey often put hints of the days agenda in her mask, if the swords were any indication there would be some sort of fighting or at the very least sword training. "Nivel reporting for duty" The pycon said cheerfully "Your spirits seem high today..This is good.. we have an exciting day ahead of us" Grey said with mild aloofness as she lifted Nivel on to her shoulder and headed to their destination. Nivel felt her Patron was a bit out of it today but assumed she must have stayed up late crafting as she usually did. Grey was indeed tired as she had stayed up late into the night fuming for a great deal of time. In the mourning however, she was clearer of mind and had some time to contemplate the interaction that occurred yesterday and realize she may have been over thinking things. She knew Crowe wasn't a petty or callous man and wouldn't intentionally insult her in anyway. She felt foolish to think he ever meant his request as anything other than a friendly spar between each others squires. She would of course still take great pleasure in seeing Nivel defeat this new squire of his. Grey hadn't seen this boy and wondered what he was like and if he even knew he was about to fight a Pycon. Knowing Crowe the poor boy knew nothing or very little, Crowe would want to see his squires reaction. The two walked together to the Training Grounds, and The early mourning sun shone on Grey and Nivel and with the emerald green gemstone powder in the pycons flesh she seemed like an odd ornament of Grey's rather than a living creature. Grey Quickly spotted Crowe and the tall bean pole that was his squire. He sure was an odd looking boy thought Grey as she got a better look at the young mans face. "I am very sorry for our tardiness" Grey said before turning directly to Crowe's Squire "I assume you are the boy Crowe told me about, I am Lady Grey Baxter and this.." presenting a hand toward Nivel "will be your opponent for today...say hello to the young man Nivel." Nivel flapped her wing shaped ears in excitement, the pycon had been wanting to try her hand at sparing with someone for a very long time. She was especially pleased to see that this tall folk was very similar to the exotic creature from her dreams. "Hello! I'm Nivel" The Pycon said with glee "you're like the monster from my dream! it's so wonderful to meet you in the real world" Nivel could barely stand still on Grey's shoulder with all the fidgeting she was now doing. Grey put her down on the ground and stepped away. "Calm yourself dear" Grey instructed. "so when ever your ready we can begin"

[Bitt]

"On your feet lad, they'll be here in a moment," it was Crowe who spoke, of course. The two men climbed nimbly to their feet, dusted themselves off and continued to wait. It was around this time that Lady Grey and her squire arrived.

Bitt's eyes nearly popped out of his head; the pair standing before him exceeded all of his expectations. The woman, Lady Grey, was wearing a mask; he'd heard whispers about her in the citadel. Apparently she had a beak instead of a nose, and plumage dotted her face.
This was Crowe's old squire?!?
Even more astounding was the other girl; she was tiny! She looked like a small woman made of clay... except the features weren't quite right. She shone slightly in the light; was she green? Bitt had heard of the strange race of people, they were called Pycons. He'd caught glimpses of them before, but never this close.
Pycon's can be knights?... Wait, I have to fight her?!?
Bitt realised he should have said something by now. He was stunned into momentary silence by the earlier surprise. He flicked his eyes to the side and caught a glimpse of Crowe; the older knight had raised an eyebrow while a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. The look galvanised Bitt into action.

"My name is Bitt," he stumbled over his words somewhat, his eyes darting between the two ladies, "it's a pleasure to meet the two of you." Bitt begun to say something else, but caught himself at the last moment as he reconsidered his words. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to proceed; surely the difference in size between himself and Nivel was far too great for any type of propper sparring.
"Ummm," Bitt began, "how is this going to work?" The statement itself was innocent enough, but there were a number of obvious implications behind it. Isn't she too small? Is this really a fair fight? Crowe began to laugh in earnest at the boy's question before resting a hand on Bitt's shoulder.
"I will tell you this now lad, you should not have said that." The older knight shot a glance at Grey, unable to read her reaction beneath the mask, and quickly continued, "This place is fine enough, the young lass can start hitting the lad whenever she's ready." With that, Crowe released the young squire and jumped back a few paces. Bitt, for his part, was incredibly confused.

[Nivel]

The boy could count himself lucky that Grey was wearing a mask, for she wore a particularly ferocious scowl. She lacked far to much sleep to handle this child's ignorance, but she was sure she would be just as irritated if she had slept the whole night. This was precisely why Grey was certain she would never have children. Well, that and she was well known by most men as having face lesions and being a man in disguise. She hoped against all hope that Nivel would teach this boy a lesson about not judging books by their cover, or so the saying goes. Nivel was far more excited to start the fight than to notice or care about the the dream monster's supposed rudeness. She seemed hypnotized by his long tangled hair, wondering if it possessed a root like texture like in her dream. She planned to climb him and feel his hair to see if her assumption was right. If his hair was indeed like plat roots it would further cement in the Pycons nexus that Tall Folk were just sentient plants. Nivel ate clay and was made of clay, Tall Folk ate plants so logic would dictate that they were also plants. Nivel snapped out of her pondering when the bearded giant announced that she could start when ever she was ready. "Yay!" Nivel cheered as she clapped the flytrap claw at the end of her tail in joy which probably looked like she was preparing some kind of weapon. "okay I'm ready!" Nivel ran towards her opponent with as much speed as her tiny legs could take her, which was a bit faster than one might expect. As she charged, her arms stretched into long whips about the width of yarn. She aimed a stong strike at Bitt's lower leg, she hoped to do some damage but mostly hoped to grab on to the boys leg so she could start climbing to his back. If she managed to get to his back she knew she would be at an advantage. Nivel was all too aware that Tall Folk weren't quite as flexible as she was and hoped to use that.

[Bitt]

Bitt stood transfixed as the tiny pycon charged him; he was still unable to fully comprehend the situation. As she ran, the small squire's arms morphed into long string-like structures the likes of which Bitt had never seen before. When Nivel had closed the distance, one of her now whip-like arms snapped forward and lashed Bitt across his lower leg.
Ouch!
The small needle of pain distracted him somewhat, he stuck his leg out for inspection, taking his eyes off of the pycon in the process. Thankfully, his clothing had absorbed most of the impact... Unfortunately, Nivel had taken the opportunity to grab a hold of his right leg.

Bitt exclaimed in surprise and begun to ferociously shake his ensnared limb, hoping to throw his opponent off of him. It made for quite the spectacle. Bitt was standing on one leg, using his arms for balance as his right leg thrashed wildly in the air. A panicked expression marked his face as he focussed all of his effort into the awkward task.

Crowe was laughing throughout the entire first exchange. This was a terrific idea; Sylir knows how the lad would have faired in real combat without this type of controlled experience. In a way, it was a good thing Bitt was doing so badly since he had nowhere to go but up from this embarrassing performance.
Still, the lad's instincts aren't bad at all.
Crowe approved that Bitt was trying to detach the pycon from his person, though most would argue such a reaction was a common reflex. The older knight turned to Lady Grey and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you think lass?" Crowe exclaimed ironically, "Seems like my lad's got your lass right where he wants her." He turned his eyes back to Bitt's ridiculous dance-like movements before chuckling once again.