Singing Blades, Falling Rain (Garoth)

[Dimitri]

Spring 23, 511 AV

Dimitri was out in the training yard, beginning to warm up. He wanted to challenge another squire to a training spar. He left his armor in his dorm because of the impending rain, and he preferred the quicker fighting without it. He brought his shield and dulled training sword today, and was wearing leather breeches and boots, and a white shirt. He warmed up first by running around the outer edges of the yard, one arm holding his tower shield, the other his sword, swinging them in exaggerated motions. This would help warm up his limbs and loosen his chest and shoulders. He ran making sure not to go too hard to lose his wind.

Whe he finished his run, he began doing squat sit jumps. He he held his arms with his shield and sword straight out in front, his feet shoulder width apart. He then squatted down, while swinging his arms back so his shield and sword were straight over head. As he squatted down his rear nearly touched the ground. His thighs then flexed hard and he jumped straight up. As he came down, his feet touching ground, he brought his arms back in front of him as he instantly squatted down. Then immediately sprung back up in unison with his rising arms. He continued this for a couple chimes. He then took a rest to see if any possible candidates for sparring were around. That's when he felt a couple rain drops patter onto his face. A spar in the rain would be fun if not more dangerous.

[Gareth Brock]

Gareth entered the yard dressed snazzily in a red wool shirt embroidered with a little windoak on the breast, and tight brown pants of good quality. All his person was surprisingly clean, even down to his polished boots. As he walked over to the racks of training equipment, he combed back his blonde hair with one hand and flashed a sparkling white smile to another squire returning gear to the rack. The other squire turned away and rolled his eyes as he walked off. Oblivious, Gareth grabbed a wooden kite shield and a longsword.

It was easy to see why one might think the Brock boy had spent a great deal of time on his appearance today. There would be no way to convince them that it was all simply the first thing he picked up, but by Tyveth's Holy Nose-Hairs it was the truth. And as for his immaculate boots? Well, was it a crime to like to keep his boots nicely polished? Certainly not. Knights should also keep themselves looking their best, it was a matter of pride to all of Syliras. Indeed, to all of Mizahar!

Regardless, Gareth thought nothing of it. If he did realize he looked so 'pretty' he would have changed with all haste. As it was, he simply walked into the center of the yard and began to stretch in the drizzle. As he twisted and bended and leaned, displaying a commendable amount of flexibility, he turned his face toward the sky and enjoyed the coolness of the raindrops hitting him. The red squire always enjoyed the calm pattering just before a downpour began.

[Dimitri]

Dimitri saw the well groomed squire pick up a wooden kite shield and a dulled practice blade. He laughed slightly knowing the man was about to get soaked and dirty. He wondered at the choice of a wool shirt on such a day. He was fairly certain that wool held a lot of water, but then again he was no expert. Dimitri locked eyes on the man and gave him a sort of nod saying 'Wanna play?'

Dimitri began settling into a stance as the drizzle turned into a cloudburst. The visibility dropped to a few feet, and Dimitri was soaked within seconds. The dirt field became mud quickly. He spread his feet shoulder width apart, then moved his left foot forward a bit, and right foot back. He held his shield in his left arm, out in front of his left leg. He held his sword, pointing downward and off to the right. He then crouched down slightly to improve his reaction speed and mobility. He felt the slick mud beneath his loose leather boots squish as he settled in. This fight could end up being dangerous simply due to the environmental hazards. One wrong slip could end up in a poorly placed attack.

[Gareth Brock]

Gareth was never really that enthusiastic of a swordsman. It was a skill that one needed to learn if one was going to become a knight, that was all. It served as a good enough reason to be diligent in it's practice, but he preferred the saddle. When he pictured a knight in his head it involved a man in armor atop an armored steed, the one inseparable from the other as they rode downhill into their enemies with the sun glinting off of their polished steel. The sight alone would send evil back to whatever warren it called it's home.

Two men in mud flailing about at each other in the rain wasn't nearly as impressive a spectacle. But alas, the world was not as it should be. The young Brock settled into a basic stance and puffed out a resigned sigh. One day he would impale villains upon his lance, but today he was a squire and squires had to train themselves. Sulking wouldn't change it.

"Good luck to you, sir." Gareth was forced to raise his voice to be heard over the rain, and so it lacked a certain elegance that it would have had otherwise. He did not bother to bow, as that seemed even more unnecessary for a simple spar in the mud.

After a short pause to allow the man to respond in kind, Gareth advanced forward to meet his opponent in a succinct and direct manner. Again, matters of hand-to-hand combat weren't really his passion, but he had sparred enough times to know that he enjoyed the offensive much better than the defensive. The latter just made the fight last longer. Legends were made of men who charged headlong into victory(or defeat)! And so Gareth closed with Dimitri and tried to avoid slipping in the mud. Keeping his shield forward in a disciplined manner, he held his sword ready to see if the other man would open himself up so early.

[Dimitri]

Dimitri returned the polite exchange for goodluck. The rain soaked him through, his vision dimming. He increased the grip on his sword and stepped forward to meet the incoming squire. He started by punching toward the center of the Squire's torso. This would cause the opponent to have to defend against it with either sword or shield. If he used his sword to attempt to defend, it would probably get knocked back toward his opponents chest. If he used his shield, it would stop the attack but his mobility would momentarily locked in place.

Dimitri also brought his sword in a sideways slash, aiming the man's shield side ribs. If he defended his own shield, it would leave his side wide open. If he blocked his sword with his shield, he would leave his torso open to the crushing tower shield. The opposing sword wouldn't be able to parry, due to the large tower shield invading the center space between them. Dimitri ground his feet into the muddy earth ensuring to keep his balance as the rain continued to pummel the pair.

[Leviathan]

Thread Award! Dimitri   Skills Skill Gain Info. Running 1 -- Body Building 1 Warm-up Tactics 1 -- Weapon (Sword) 1 --   Lore N/A Gareth   Skills Skill Gain Info. N/A N/A N/A   Lore Being Presentably Well-Groomed