[ The Fighters Pits ] The Dance of Ideals (Garland)

[Arialys]

40th of Winter 514 A.V

The day was mighty fine in the fighters pit. The ground was blanketed with snow of beautiful white. The winds blew in wave-like motions and cascaded about throughout the young woman's locks. The very silhouette of this woman's vertical stature was slender, yet, curvaceous. Arialys stood approximately 5'7, and weighs 140 pounds. She is quite youthful in appearance, indicating that she is young. The skin of Arialys was unblemished, unscathed by any form of of scars. Her skin was also a tan as the light and shadows caressed her whimsically, the woman was adorned with a natural glow; Someone who maintains their healthy appearance religiously. In addition to her well maintained skin, her locks were no different in contrast to her skin. Soft to the touch, silky and full of luster. The locks wreaked havoc, draping over her rear end. Each strand coiled in a ringlet-like fashion, black in hue. At first glance, one would immediately assume silk and gowns may be all that appeal to her. Yet, here she is in the fighter pits. With one goal in mind, to find her brother and get stronger along the way.

Being abandoned by him prior in the market's courtyard had her quite frightful. She was honestly hurt that he suddenly left her without warning. Knowing him, he possibly felt that she was shadowing him. She was not bitter toward her brother for it. Perhaps it was best she put a grinding halt upon her dependence on him. This is her time to take the lead role, the curtain parted giving indication for the approach of the opening act as she grasped fate the throat. She shall not let it impede her. Her heart tell her that Sieghart ventured through this location, and playing the role of a pacifist was not going to get her reunited anytime soon. A cause for action and persistence was marred into the woman's psyche. A love for a sibling is all that could be the drive to do even the most heinous things. Despite having a distaste for combat, due to her past as a child of enduring bullying. Combat is what she needed to hone herself in to better protect herself, and even protect her brother as he protected her all these years.

Arialys was clad in attire that is not as idiosyncratic as Sieghart. In contrast, she wore a coat, form-fitting pants that stretched and accentuated her figure. Upon the her footing black, low-heel, calf-high boots, over the boots, she wore cold iron greaves which was spiked, upon her hands, forearm, and arms, Arialys was adorned with spiked cold iron gauntlets aswell along with the greaves. Though this is considered an armament, Arialys, herself believes any means of defense can be used in turn of being offensive. "I am looking for fight! Will anyone would be so kind to provide me with one?" The woman gasconaded at the top of her lungs. For once she is adopting one of Sieghart's approaches; Yelling like a complete imbecile in the most barbaric of ways. Her intentions was not truly to draw attention to herself. Yet, she has to be courageous like her brother. That is her faith, to improve and to protect those she love. As a follower of Rak'keli it is completely against her morals to kill an individual at all. In turn she would aid them, so they can draw breaths and can see the sun another day. Arialys rested her right hand upon the crest of her hips as she awaited to be acknowledged by anyone who had heard her cries for attention.

[Garland]

The soft white blanket of snow was absolutely beautiful, it was days like this that make Garland wish he could stay inside and watch the snow from the window, maybe watch children play around in the snow. He felt relaxed in the snow, seeing the fighters all doing their training, his muscles ached ever since his patron knight had returned from her extended assignment outside the city walls.

Though he had not actually trained at all today, he still felt really tired, his muscles screamed, wanting to just relax for the day, but his mind and his schedule had other plans. Even if he can't put out his best, he can at least keep his senses sharp, his eyes scanned the pits and the training area on a low broken wall. The day seemed rather simple and calm, people were training, and sparing together in harmony, there were no rowdy fights getting to rowdy or training partners getting too frustrated with each other.

All in all, it would seem like a calm day.

"I am looking for fight! Will anyone would be so kind to provide me with one?"

"Well, there goes my day off." Garland said and looked over to whoever called out for a training partner or sparring partner, it seemed like everyone else already had a partner. "Over here! I volunteer!" Garland yelled and hopped off the wall, he wasn't so tired that he couldn't fight. "Hello there."

He said and studied the girl that called out. She looked more accustom to preaching and helping others than fighting in the pits. Though what she was wearing suggested otherwise. Her entire look was a large contrast!

Garland on the other hand was wearing his own full-plate armor, the chest had many scratches and dings, it had seen plenty of battles and plenty more sparring and training, he had the complete set save for the helmet which he thought was more counter-productive in a fight, a thin metal helmet would not stop a large battleaxe and it would just hamper your vision.

He smiled and extended his hand in a greeting. "I'm Garland, pleasure to meet you." Spoken like a true gentleman, he gave a charming smile. "What would your name be, miss?"

[Arialys]

"You are just like the majority of typical males. Don't smile at me, we're here to battle and train not mess around. Wipe that smile off your face and raise your weapon! My name is Arialys by the way. I am looking for my brother and I cannot allow you to be a distraction right now."

The woman would retort in a harsh tone. Her current goal is her main priority and she will not deter from it. That goal being, finding her brother at any costs. Arialys did not even bother what so ever to even return a greeting toward the man. Business is at hand, unlike her brother she will not allow herself to get side tracked like her brother. Instead, Arialys would take a few steps back. Lengthening the gap of space between them up to ten feet. Arialys would assume a stance; spreading her feet shoulder width apart, her knees at a demi plié, the woman would slide her right foot forward, thus it being her lead foot in her stance. In contrast to her own footing, Arialys would caress her face with her left hand, laterally guiding it away as she extended it forth. The palm pointing toward the individual clad in armor. As for her other hand, the right hand would be bent at the elbow, being tucked within her center, also it's palm being flexed, yet, pointing toward the ground as she readied herself.

Already aware of that her opponent being a male, this was not a battle she could easily win with sheer strength alone. Regardless of the age gap, Garland was still a young man and his physiology alone he could possibly outlast her. As she continued the survey the individual she begun calculating and thinking of plausible approaches. The armor for one can easily indicate that Garland himself is possibly a knight or just a warrior. The armor being the main problem to her but, with common knowledge bashing can also render armor render less as the metals itself would pose as the conduit for the vibrations to fully run a muck within that suit of armor. Another thing she could not help noticing that he was lacking a helm, knowing full well its a means of protection. But, judging by the Syliran Knights apparel within the city, the slits which would be carved out into the helm can also limit visibility.

The woman would not ever lunge at the male without him readying himself. The scarlet kissed opals of the woman remained upon Garland, observing him like a hawk. As time progressed Arialys would not what so ever bat a single lash, this being the difference between Arialys and Sieghart, the brother and sister. Her main means is to see what stance the man would take up, if he chosen to not take on up at all Arialys would already be much more skeptical than she is now. Knowing full well that a natural stance is much more dangerous than a person who chooses to take up a stance at all. A natural stance is much more unpredictable, not able to depict what knowledge of combat the other has studied in prior toward engaging her. Yet, she will choose to not let it impede her here. The method she had so far was to act upon any pre-tense the lad would make, and hopefully anticipate and retaliate accordingly.

[Garland]

Garland gave a small pout. "A bit of formality would be nice." He said with a playful tone. He moved away and noticed that his opponent was already in her stance. "Hey, umm... We should probably go down to the pits if we want to spar, I wouldn't want to knock into someone while we're here."

He hopped down into the pits and placed his sword on the wall, he wasn't going to go swinging around a sword on an unarmed opponent, be it real or not. He had no formal style of unarmed combat, so instead of raising his fists for quick jabs or uppercuts he decided it might be a good time to learn how to counter. He meant no disrespect by it but he would rather not hit a girl, he had no qualms with hitting girls, he just feels... bad afterwards mostly.

He waited for his opponent to join him in the pits, the snow was spread out since it had been used quite recently by the other fighters. When his opponent finally made it down to the pits, he leaned in, letting his arms loose to his sides, he needed to move fast if he wanted to counter. "Right, I'm ready."

He was no bias to who or what he was fighting, but he still had his guard down for this, maybe he was feeling cocky or maybe he's just too tired to focus entirely on the battle, but his stance noted that he would much rather dodge and block than attack. He didn't want to end the fight too quickly, he was practicing a new style, so he needed to get all the sides covered, see the strengths and weaknesses of this new style.

He shook his arms and hopped a bit, loosing his screaming muscles. He was in pain, that's for sure, but he wasn't going to disappoint or back down. "Come on, come get me."

[Arialys]

Normally upon the invitation to come at an individual that suddenly asks them to do so is usually a ploy to get the the other to charge in recklessly. However, Arialys was not one to play a fools game. The scarlet irises that instinctively picked up on the sudden movements. Like she hypothesized prior, Garland would take a natural stance. The thing that was the very bane of her, but, she would offer no complaints toward it. Hell it was a challenge, it was best she would get herself seasoned when it came to combat overall. Like now, she didn't have her brother to come to her aid and offer advice for taking down an opponent. All she had now was her wit and her own determination to fall back upon. May the very beacon of Rak'keli bathe Arialys in its sanctified light. Only time which the best medicine can cleanse her of her woes, the abandonment she experienced days before. Normally shadowing her brother everywhere the two would travel.

A gust of wind blew past, tossing the blanketed snow asunder. The grandeur white rolled across the sod in a wisp-like fashion. Now, one would silence their thoughts when in the midst of combat, not Arialys. Her mind always ticked, which was made her unique in contrast to her brother. Who would make the first move? The thoughts were marred into her psyche. Arialys step to her right suddenly, then encircling the man. As she continue her walk, she left shoe impressions in the snow as she lazily orbited around the man. Arialys was silent, studying his stance. Her chest heaved as she drew breaths, attempting to control her breathing to the best of her capabilities.

[Garland]

He paused, keeping his mind on the ground. "Slow and steady now, be patient."

He watched his opponent circle him, he did not mimic her, he just followed her around with his body, following her with his eyes.

He was ready to counter, the cold winds stung his face, he needed some heat in his body. Right now they studying each other, time seemed to slow down in the fight. Garland decided that if she wasn't going to be the first to move he will have to do it.

He did not give any war cry or warning to his enemy, instead he just rushed to her, aiming for the legs. He raised up his fists in the familiar stance he had always used, right leg back, left leg front, with his right fist to his chest and left fist to front. He quickly attacked her leg with a quick sweep kick, she could have tried to dodge or block, but in the snow and with the strong kick his attack would surely knock her to the ground. Then again, the same could be said for him, he was in the snow, recovering after an attack, she could trip him up as she fell or if she didn't fall she could easily give a strong punch to his face, making him land square on his tush.

As they were dancing the dance of battle, a few spectators were up on the stands. "Look boys! The squire's in for another spar." A man said with a slight grunt.

"Who wants to bet? Remember that last kid that looked like a toy doll and ended up beating Wilson with trickery? Maybe this girl will do the same here." Another man said with a hearty laugh, while this Wilson character grumbled off somewhere.

Garland had gotten quite the reputation here now, he was known simply as "The Squire" it wasn't the most creative title, but the people here weren't the smartest either, so it fit perfectly.

[Arialys]

There, here scarlet gaze picked up upon the oncoming limb which swept along the sod. On impulse, she stepped inward to close the gap of space immediately,. In terms of hand to hand combat, the legs was the limb herald for having the longest attack range out of all the other limbs. Arialys close the gap of space between them tightly so that the leg itself would not sweep her, utilizing the forward momentum as a means to augment the force of her oncoming retaliation. Her left palm shot forth with a vengeance, knowing full well the body was already off-balance upon sweeping his leg outwards. Upon the first exchange, inner thigh of the male would slam into her as she slammed her palm directly into the face of the male. The additional weight of the gauntlet in addition to its density made a difference in the woman's striking power. A thunderous boom resounded as he palm met with the nose bridge of the man.

The woman footing shifted, stepping outwards to left, then torquing as she encircled him in a semi-circle with the notion. The right arm which was tucked in within her original stance, suddenly shot out in the midst of the turn. The woman's elbow cut through the air as quickly she followed up, wanting to continue pressuring the man so he could not form the perfect defense for his dire situation. As harmless as she would appear, the hardships Arialys endured is what conditioned her to be ready to defend herself by any and all means. Even if it meant to do the most dishonorable things. Yet, this was not a life and death situation, Arialys still treated it as such. The idea of being helpless and not being
able to keep up with her brother was a great discomfort which rocked her to her very core. The face of Arialys never once contorted, devoid of emotional expression.

[Garland]

He was knocked on the ground with a strong palm to the nose, he could feel the cold iron gauntlets smash on his face, and then an elbow after that palm strike. She had stepped back now, Garland was just stunned for the most part. He did not expect such a strong retaliation. "Right... No more holding back." He rubbed his nose to see if it was broken, luckily it was not. He stood up and dusted off the snow that caught on him.

He raised his fists, kicking would seem to be counter-productive right now, the snow was too slippery for strong kicks. He went over any plans he had in his head, with a small smile, he leaned in, throwing a sloppy hook to her head, she could easily block it or dodge it.

With a step, he wrapped his leg around her own, and then grabbing both of her arms in an attempt to stop her from moving. He gave a small smile, and then proceeded to head butt her to the ground.

He got off and rolled back to safety, standing up he gave a sly grin. "You know how to fight... I'm impressed." He said and raised up his guard, he could very well block any attacks she could throw, on solid ground, sadly they were on slippery ground instead of solid ground, even a blocked attack could potentially knock him off his feet.

[Arialys]

Within the elapsed time frame as the man reared his ugly head, in attempt to slam his cranium into her own. Arialys tucked her head as she mimicked him accordingly, her own skull come crashing down upon the nose bridge, the second connection of her strikes. The woman intercepted the impending headbutt with brutality and savagery on par of her brother. Upon collision, a sudden snap was heard. The source of the brittle twig-like snap, was the indeed the nose of the man breaking from the the force of her own headbutt. There, the time is now! In the act of desperation, Arialys thrown herself. The man who intertwined himself foolhardily thinking he had her trapped. The brawls in the schoolyard made no difference to her current locale.

Garland himself followed suit. In the midst of her fall, the woman turned before hitting the ground with a thud. The woman landed on top of the leg that supposedly had her trapped. Their combined weight played a role in the kinetic forces which were common within the world they lived in today. Upon the slam, the snow beneath them was disturbed by the force of the landing. The end result of the fall, another snap was heard. This time the woman crafted their position accordingly to dislocate the right leg, leaving the the sensation of a searing intensity ripping though him. Garland can blame no one but himself for trying to "hug" her. Now, this is the time she will take fate by the throat, having a discontent for losing. Arialys clambered above him quickly. The woman sat upon the torso of the man as she yelled as her palms rained downward upon the head of Garland. The woman had no off switch on her brutality. She was well aware that punching him would most certainly kill him, which is why she chose open palm strikes in the beginning. Utilizing the hard bottom of her palms as the main focal point for her strikes. Her palms slammed upon the mans ears, in an attempt to burst the eardrum.

Onward to the next phase, the woman braced her arms against Garland himself, using her upper body strength she hoisted her lower body. Before, suddenly, bringing both of her kneecaps which was eclipsed by the cold iron greaves into his face. This the was the cost of simply under estimating Arialys on behalf of her being a woman. She addressed his pride with nothing but tenacious strikes akin to her brother.

[Garland]

He felt his own headbutt make almost no damage to her, she didn't even flinch. Instead she returned with a headbutt of her own, he felt his nose break, hearing the cracking of the soft muscles of the nose, he could definitely feel the blood dripping down his nose and to his mouth.

The spars from the pits were never as ferocious as how this girl fights. The no-holds barred fighting in the orphanage were never as brutal as this either. As they tumbled through the snow and he could feel the pressure on his leg as his bones dislocated, cracking under the force of the roll. He was in utter shock, he had fought plenty of people in the pits and out the pits too, yet here he was, severely injured in a spar with the second daintiest looking girl he had ever met.

As she smashed her open palms towards his ears, the only thing he could hear were loud, deafening ringing. If he wasn't completely out of it, he would be impressed, but right now, he couldn't even tell up from down.

As she got up from him, although blurry he could see that she was about to finish him off, two kneecaps were about to collide with his face. Mustering all of his remaining strength, he pushed both of his hands up and tossed her to the side. He could not walk at all without his leg just falling on top of itself, so instead he used his upper body to lunged at her in a last attempt to win this.

He pinned her to the ground and raised up his fist, he attacked her with the ferocity of an animal trapped in the corner, slamming his fists across her face, again and again, relentlessly until he raised both of his hands and was about to smash her head in.

He stopped and just laid down beside her. "Good fight... I guess I lost." He said, it voice sounded so broken right now, it was actually rather surprising to see Garland still even conscious after that fight. "Ha... If Cath could see me now, she would probably make me crawl all the way to the bathhouse and get myself checked out with their healers." He could barely hear anything, most just muffled screaming from the stands.

It was more of a concerned screaming rather than cheering. "I can barely hear anything, so if I don't reply, you know what's wrong." He said and tried pushing himself up, only to have himself fall back down to the ground. "Ow..."