Closed [Antinous Training Grounds] Predator and Prey.

[Archailist]

18th of Summer, 514.

Once again, the squirrel found himself wandering about the Training Grounds - although, this time, it wasn't to practice by himself. Practicing by himself didn't provide the same thrill that it had to go up against a moving, breathing target with his Py-Pole. Sure, sometimes it wasn't as rewarding when he fell back on his arse and had to admit that he'd made a fool of himself, but he knew that this was what he wanted - and more importantly, it was what he needed. To really push at the new limits, to really train with experienced combatants in a real training arena and learn how to take down the bigger species. He'd learned how to do plenty of running around and jumping off things in Nyka but it was only in these grounds that he realized all the ways that these things could be played to his advantage... and all of the ways in which it was completely useless.

Really, the squirrel felt a little bit silly. He shouldn't have gone out there to focus his acrobatic talent, he should have gone there to fight. That's what he would have gained the most from, if he could have learned from the monks how to fight everyone and beat them down on their arses instead of learning how to jump out of their attacks. Of course being able to jump around was a good skill... but only for all the times that he could actually get out of the way fast enough. When they were moving faster, well, then what? Did he stand there and watch or did he do something, even if it was just as effective as slapping them with a wet fish and hoping for the best.

Well, now he was going to make up for it. He didn't care who he fought because it just meant that he'd learn more from the fight in the end. Which was why he stormed up and down the length of the Training Grounds over and over, searching the pairs of squires and knights for one opening - one squire, or knight, or sergeant, or somebody that was available. Even most of the Weaponsmasters were apparently otherwise occupied here or there, touching things up. That or they didn't notice the 5" squirrel made entirely out of clay that stomped up and down the narrow array of different arenas with one incredibly-long elastic Py-Pole in one paw, bouncing as he went. Ahh, his faithful Py-Pole.. the one weapon he could rely on. Not like those useless squires and knights who had their swords and their battleaxes and their goodness-knew-what-else. None of them were good compared to a squirrel. None of them could even hit a squirrel, they'd soon found out.

One of the joys of being 5" tall was that there was only one tactic anyone ever drew out of their pocket: the stomp. Stomp stomp stomp with their big feet, that was their solution to everything. And it always failed. Perhaps he'd find someone able to pull something surprising out of the bag today. Maybe he'd actually be stepped on. Or not. Maybe the squirrel would end up stepping on them instead - that would be seen, soon enough. However, Arch was quickly reminded of the horrors of being 5" tall when he really was nearly stepped on.. by a reversing Weaponsmaster that yelled orders back and forth around the Training Grounds and apparently didn't look where he was going. Honestly, what made them Weaponmasters if they couldn't identify potential threats that could easily remove a foot and yet they would not only be unable to react in time, he could pretty well guess, but if they were unable to even notice it?

"HEY!" he yelled partially to the man that continued on his way regardless, and partly to the rest of the busy Training Grounds. Surely there would be someone with the courage to fight a squirrel, surely?

[Sei Tendo]

Sei just happened to be nearby in the Training Grounds. He slammed his elbow against the training post one last time before noticing a voice that was shouting. He looked around but found no one. So he continued. A sharp right elbow to the center of the post. Just build up the muscles for today. Another shout. Closer is all he could think. He just wanted to know where it came from.

He looked around - and finally - down. Oh. A Pycon. He'd only met one other pycon, but it was still a weird experience seeing a Pycon as a squire. He couldn't help but put on his usual friendly smile. Though it faltered at first, it became more relaxed. He bent down on one knee, an extended his finger for the Pycon to shake.

"No need to shout. Something you need friend?"

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The squirrel felt like his voice should have gone hoarse a long time ago, but he forewent those thoughts all the way up until he nearly walked straight into an offered finger. First time he'd been offered one, so he wasn't exactly sure what to do with it. Nykan Monks hardly offered hands, or fingers, to shake and would sooner scowl you off than greet you happily. And as for human contact, well.. that was about as much as he'd gotten so far. So, he awkwardly shook it with one paw.. although his claws might have ended up digging a little into the skin of the man while he made the shake and glared up at the man. Yes, yes, there was plenty of manners and good sportsmanship here. He knew that already - everyone had to be on their best behavior and act all nice and smile-y to each-other.

But today, he didn't feel like being happy and cheery. He wanted a fight and that was about it. He wanted to get someone on their arse, to be more accurate with his words. And last time he checked, he didn't need to be particularly friendly to do such a thing. As a matter of fact, doing such a thing was often considered to be extremely unfriendly, and occasionally insulting if there was a particular skill gap. At least this one didn't look like there'd be much of a gap.

"Yeah, pleasant. I'm looking for a sparring partner. You'll do." Well, there was no point batting about the bush here and there when all he wanted to do was knock someone over. Neither was there a point to mess around with all those fine little points of chatty conversation and swapping favourite foods. Immediately the grip on the mans finger became much tighter than it had been before, and he begun trying to yank the man off in the direction of a larger arena that seemed one of the least decorated in random pieces of wood and stone to jump over and all that. There were still some obviously - the entire Grounds were littered with them wherever he looked, to simulate the right environment that they'd be working with outside the place and in the wilderness - but at least there'd be enough to give a decent gap between the two. He'd need it. Not Archailist, his opponent. And speaking of which.

"Oh, yeah. The name's Archailist. Squire. Pycon, in case it wasn't obvious. What's yours?" Well, he wasn't entirely without a sense of decency. He'd get to know names and all that before he got down to the nasty stuff. It was just that he felt particularly antsy today. Whether it was the blaring sun or the fact that he felt like he'd been running around in circles for the past season or three of his life, in the same little ditch of a city, trying to beg some kind of teaching from trained monks that wouldn't even give him a decent glance, and only now had he realized that it'd all been for nothing. That everything he'd worked for, everything he'd trained with, all of that time could potentially have been for naught. He hadn't even learned that much there - he'd learned more in punching and kicking in this arena in his few days than he had learned in those entire seasons going to Nyka, plodding around Nyka, and returning from Nyka afterwards. Disgraceful, all of it!

[Sei Tendo]

The little squirrel Pycon took his finger and shook it uneasily, his nails poking Sei's skin a bit. Ah, so this Pycon was looking for a match? Whelp, he'd found one. The Kelvic wasn't the type to turn down a challenge, even though he was unsure of how exactly to fight without causing thorough harm. He stayed on his knee, ignoring the rude attitude of his new sparring partner.

"Sure I'll spar with ya!"

Then an introduction. Archailist was the name, eh? The Kelvic squire had now gotten a name, but it was pretty long. Maybe he could call the Pycon 'Arch'. That sounded good to him at least. Now there was only a few problems. How to fight the Pycon, and how to reach the Pycon. He'd have to figure it out while in combat. After all, all he had on him was a short sword and shield.

"I'm Sei, a proud Tiger Kelvic. It's nice to meet you Arch. How shall we do this?"

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

It wasn't the squirrel being rude. It was the other man, being too polite. Surprisingly it was the first time he'd found one. Even his patron knight was rather blunt - although, that just meant that he didn't spend all of his time elaborating on things that weren't important. Simple, and to-the-point; the squirrel liked that. Not this though. They could have started ages ago but the squire - Sei, as he'd introduced himself - just stood there, even after all the prompting that the squirrel had given him. Perhaps he should have just started straight off the bat, and not bothered with the introductions. It wasn't important after all - they didn't need to know the names of the people they were hitting.

But, since he was being forced to stand there and look over the man, he decied at least to get a good few thoughts in over what he could see. A short-sword, that would be near-useless in terms of reach. Not unless the man planned to duck down just to get within reach of the Pycon - but then again, since Arch had his Py-Pole with him, it could come in useful if the squirrel intended to get close to the chest, stomach or head. The shield provided a similar problem - a sturdy blockade to stop his kicks and punches from landing effectively if the man could use them well. He'd need to aim for the legs, and the ankles then. The lower he got, the faster he'd be able to hit and the harder it would be to block with such strange weapons. Or... maybe...

No, he wouldn't be able to use the surroundings. Looking around at the few low rocks, and the higher areas already occupied by knights that were learning to fight between walls in tight, cramped spaces that reminded the squirrel eerily of the Warfields in Nyka - a large red-stone maze, to those that hadn't been in the area before, used to teach monks the skills and the tactics needed for modern, urban warfare and combat - which would have made it the perfect area. Where they were now, and in fact the only area available that wasn't already in use by other knights and squires, was all low scenery and rocks. Nothing to jump off that could provide significant height... which he could have used to get that same height advantage without having to use the Py-Pole. Heck, it could have given him a little bit of an advantage.

"Let's just do it. You stand there, I stand here, we go for it." He let go of the squires finger when he found the man refusing to follow, and instead turned around and walked off towards the small square of an arena barely a few steps away from the dummies. The only one left, really, but quite wide and expansive. "Heh, just try to put those weapons to good use." He didn't care if the other squire had difficulties with not causing serious harm. After all, it could just enhance the adrenaline rush!

[Sei Tendo]

Sei stood up, already summarizing the area to see if his new opponent had any distinct advantages. None. The Kelvic immediately thought he wasn't the best strategist. If they had stayed by the dummies, the Pycon would at least have something to climb on to reach him. The area was open, and the ground was flat.

Now there was one thing left to worry about. Tactics. Even though the Kelvic was used to fighting and sparring with those shorter than him, a Pycon was a new kind of short altogether. And by the looks of it Arch was going to move fast. Stomping on him wouldn't work. He's probably used to that. And if he's as fast as I think, getting my leg up enough would take to much time. Kicking was out, mainly because the Kelvic could tell by the grip earlier that Arch's claws weren't for show, so climbing onto his leg would be swift and easy for the Pycon. For now he had to see what the squirrel was made of.

"Then let's get started."

He stepped forward, loosening his sword from it's sheath, and tossing the sword aside. I should've brought my daggers. He then removed his shield and his shoes. He was going to rely on his senses. He jogged forward, and made a low sweep against the dirt for the Pycon's legs. The game had begun.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The squirrel was surprised, to say the least. In fact, the only thing he could really do was stand there and stare, with his Py-Pole in both paws, waiting for the man to finish removing his sword, and shield, and even his damn shoes. For whatever reason the man had chosen, the squirrel quickly decided wasn't important. Although it did open plenty of more opportunities to use against the man - for example, now that the sword and shield were gone, it meant that Arch could go straight for the chest and face with his pole. No more sword and shield to defend with, now he had just his hands. Although, those hands would be much faster as well, and could offer the opportunity to grab the Pycon and effectively end the entire fight then and there. That would be a damn embarrassment if it happened early on, but he wouldn't allow it. For now, he might as well focus on the legs, since Sei was so eager to put them to good use. How to put the flexible pole to use, though.. well, there was definitely one good way.

"Uhm. Alright." The idea came to him in the very first attack that the man threw. It was also one of the oldest and best-tested tactics to any Pycon, let alone one that had spent plenty of time doing it. Tripping, of course. But not using his body, oh no.. using the pole. When the low sweep came, the squirrel was quick to hop back a step, duck down to all-fours, and then race straight towards the man as quickly as he could. Which was surprisingly fast, considering the amount of friction he could find on the soft dirt with his sharp little claws. He not only went towards the man but he actually moved straight down between his feet and out the other side - not too far from the Kelvic but far enough to make sure that he wouldn't be able to get a good backwards kick without having to stare between his legs to get the aim right. And right there was where he made his move - and removed the Py-Pole from the small groove that he'd formed along a diagonal strip of his back to slot it comfortably inside. It left his paws free and meant he didn't need to wear any restricting harness or something equally as silly.

The pole was kept close to the Pycons body, or the grip he held on it at least, when he brought it around in a wide arc focused mainly on the squires legs. The staff was pretty flexible but it was still sturdy enough to cause significant damage if it hit with enough force. This didn't have the force because the Pycon still struggled somewhat to keep the thing above ground, what with the length. But, he could still build up enough force to shove at a low point of gravity and give someone a good case of the wobbles. That was what he'd prided himself on often, after all. He may not be the hardest hitter but he could still evade most attacks, and still have enough afterwards to make a half-decent counter. Half-decent because the size and the odd flexibility of the pole meant that the metal tip drooped constantly and nearly dragged along the floor as he went.

Most of it wasn't the weight of the pole itself but the distribution of its weight across such a flimsy material, that was proportionally much larger than the average two-handed spear. Not to mention the fact that the thing wasn't exactly the squirrels ideal weapon, but it was the best that he had. His ideal weapon would always be his own two paws, although it was more or less his entire body that did the deal.

[Estrellir Konrath]

Archailist

Skills
Observation +2
Socialization +1
Weapon: Py-Pole +2

Lores
Sei: Tiger Kelvic Squire
How to fight in flat terrain
Py-Pole: Aim at the low points

Other
Shield Points +2

Sei Tendo

Skills
Unarmed Combat +2
Observation +1

Lores
Archailist: Pycon Squire
Sparring with a Pycon

Other
Shield Points +1

Comments

Nice start of what could've been an interesting PvP spar. As always, if you've any questions or concerns, feel free to PM!

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