The Dance of the Blades (Protege)

[Gilsworthy]

The cacophony that was the Warrior Barracks was easy audible even a block from the actual building itself. Coming down a side street, Gilsworthy thought it didn't look that fantastic or extravagant, but then again, a place like that wasn't built to be extravagant. He thought it resembled a big stone box, squished down and fortified to look almost impregnable. This place, aside from the castle itself, would probably be a stronghold if ever the city was attacked. A good place to be acquainted with, at any rate.

Pushing the doors open caused the sound and heat of the place to blow him back a step, recovering in time to slip through the doors and into the barracks proper. He was greeted by a massive room, filled with people sparring and training, talking and resting. It was a nice atmosphere, but the only thought Gil had was that it would be hard to find a place to train.

Moving over to what looked to be a sign-in area, Gil did his best to speak over the din to an attendant, "Is there anywhere a friend and I can go to train alone?" The burly man nodded and pointed off to a door near the far corner, then looked at the sheet in front of him. Gil looked at it also, sighing in annoyance and scribbling what may have been a signature into an empty space. He then turned and looked to the doors to see if Protege had made it in behind him.

[Protégé]

Coming up a little bit further behind Gilsworthy was Protégé. His leg had recovered from the fall he had taken, so Protégé wasn't leaning on his spear and the spear was back in his right hand. Standing back while Gilsworthy talked to the man, Protégé looked at all of the other people in the room, evaluating them. Some of them looked like they could be pretty decent opponents in a fight. Of course, things could happen at any time, but Protégé wasn't worried about that now.

Seeing Gil look back to see him, Protégé nodded and walked up to the attendant. Speaking slightly louder than normal, he said, "Are there any fair quality bucklers I can borrow? It doesn't have to be huge, just a small one I can attach to my arm." The man nodded to him and pointed toward a few boxes in a corner. Walking over, Protégé picked up a buckler, one that wasn't that huge, but big enough to cover from the end of his elbow to his wrist. Strapping it on, he tested to see if he could still move his left hand. Smiling with satisfaction, Protégé tossed his spear from hand to hand, then told the man, "I'll bring this back when I'm done with it." The buckler would be great protection, but Protégé would have to buy a beter quality one for himself after practing with Gil.

Walking over to the door the attendant had indicated to Gil, Protégé opened it and looked back to see whether Gil was coming or not, or if he was going to get a sword like he had said in the alley.

[Gilsworthy]

Gil watched as Protégé took a buckler, and racked his brain to remember what it was he had said earlier, and let out an "Ah!" as he remembered and snapped his fingers. His eyes scanned the room, then he moved to a sword rack and started perusing the offerings. A sword would be a totally different style from what he was used to, and dual wielding would be out of the question since it was much easier with weapons that had short blades.

He ran his hand over a short sword, but decided it was just the equivalent of a long, oversized dagger to him. The longsword looked much to unwieldy for the light, quick moving thief, and the scimitar, while looking quite stylish and graceful, didn't fit his fighting skill. Next he spied a thin, double bladed rapier which he took from the stand and gave a few experimental swings. Now this was his kind of weapon; light, yet powerful, maneuverable without being inaccurate. But he felt like it would snap in two if he got in a deadlock with it. Searching vainly for a similar weapon, Gil sighed and put it back. "Maybe some other time." he said, looking at the second to last weapon on the rack.

It was single bladed, slightly curved, with a tiny hilt and a thread woven handle. He took it down and pulled it out of it's wooden sheath, admiring the fine edge it held. It looked tarnished, but then again any weapon that got as much use as this place put out was lucky to have a blade at all. "Perhaps... no. I can't use this in one hand." he said to himself, putting the fine weapon back in it's sheath and back up on the stand.

The last offering was like a mix of the two previous weapons, single bladed with a slight curve but with a guard that extended down past the hilt and a thin, but sturdy blade. He sliced it through the air once or twice, and was satisfied with it's length and weight. Maybe he would give this one a go.

Looking back to Protégé and nodding, Gil opened the door to reveal a square room with a big white circle painted onto a mat that covered most of the floor. A training area, then, for one on one fights. Just what he was looking for. "So, let me try this thing out then I suppose we can begin." he said, gripping the handle and moving to one end of the circle.

[Protégé]

Protégé watched Gil head toward the sword rack, and knew he was going to grab a sword. Moving his eyes along the rack, Protégé evaluated the blades. The longsword would be dangerous, and not good if Protégé had to use his spear to block. However, it didn't seem like a Gilsworthy weapon. Looking at the next weapon, he figured his spear could stop it, but it might take out a chunk of the spear. The rapier would be a joke, blockable by the spear and possible even Protégé's leather jerkin. However, he saw Gil choose the last weapon, a saber of fairly good length and quality. That was about the same as the schimitar, best blocked with the buckler.

Following Gil into the room, he stepped into a corner to stay out of the way. "Go ahead and practice, Gil. I can just stretch or something while waiting." Not bothering to wait for an answer, Protégé sat down, first stretching one leg, then the other, then started to do push-ups to get blood to flow to his arms.

[Gilsworthy]

"Righto." said Gil, hefting the weapon once or twice. It was much heavier than a dagger, and there was a lot of steel to manage, but with practice he knew he could get it. Starting with a few typical swipes and stabs, Gil got into the rhythm of the sword and started twirling it midstroke, changing direction, but only until he nearly sliced off the cuff of his other hand. The sword quickly came to a halt and he chuckled, looking in exasperation at the long rent in his overcoat sleeve.

"Yes, i'm going to need a lot of practice." he muttered, spinning the sword again. "And a lifetime before I pick up two of these at once, that's for sure." added the thief acidly. Though it was different, it was still a nice change of pace from the twin daggers that were still hidden at his sides.

"I think we can get started." he said to Protégé, holding the saber diagonally towards the ground and taking his spot at one end of the circle. "How do you propose we go about this?"

[Protégé]

Stopping his routine of stretching, Protégé watched as Gilswothy experimented with a blade. twisting and twirling it around. Looking at it, he saw how Gil's skill was improving very quickly. Gil would be a difficult opponent in a tournament, one who would learn fast what to do. Sitting back, he watched as Gil nearly sliced off his hand. Fotunately Gil wa sfast enough to prevent himself from losing a hand, but he still came lose to losing a shirtsleeve. Laughing at this, he stood up.

Listening to what Gil said next, he looked carefully at the way he held the blade. "I don't think it will be a lifetime. It will just take as long as it does for you to have the arm strength to weild to blades. Then all you have to do is teach your left arm how to weild it. It's not as hard as it sounds. It just seems so since you are starting out iwth using a blade."

Pulling his spear up next to him, Protégé pointed it straight up and spoke. "Before we start, I'll just teach you a little of what I know about sabers. First, if you don't have a shield and you don't have a two handed saber, keep your side with the blade facing your opponent and keep your arm bent as much as possible. If you keep your arm bent, you can extend it full length for extra distance if neccesary and you have more maneuverability. Also, try to learn use your wrist to move the blade as much as possible. You can easily block a weak attack by just twisting your wrist so that the blade is at a different position. However, if you wave your arm around all over the place, it makes it more difficult to recover and block something else. Also, I got a simple maneuver to show you. If a person uses both hands to block a downward slash with a spear, slide your blade forward against the spear and raise the hilt so the point will be aimed towards a gap in the armor or exposed skin. You can then slide the blade into them without them able to block. It has flaws, but most defensive maneuvers benefit you more than them."

[Gilsworthy]

Gil listened to what he said, nodding and taking the information in. Once Protégé had finished, Gil took the pose as best as he could, and the thief realized that some things still carried over from dagger combat. He left his legs loose and slightly bent, the foot farthest from his opponent angled out for quick pivoting. He was at a loss for what to do with his free hand, so he left it open and loose as well, held out away from Protégé. His hand with the saber he left loose at the wrist but tight on the grip. That seemed more important with the heavier weapon.

"How does this look?" he asked, experimentally twisting his wrist to make the sword parallel to his body. It worked, like he had said. Next, he quick stepped forward and slashed horizontally, pleased with the speed of the attack. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's keep it slow at first, then we can increase things from there." Returning to a neutral pose, Gil looked out past his saber and toward Protégé, waiting for the first strike to come.

[Protégé]

Watching Gil pose himself to fight, Protégé saw how naturally he slipped into it. Of course, fighting with a blade is similar in many ways no matter what kind it is, unless it is two handed. He could tell Gil didn't know what to do with his free hand, and Protégé knew he was more used to using two daggers. Thinking of an idea, he said, "Weild a dagger in your free hand. If you end up in gridlock but have an opening, you can swing your side around and stab with the dagger. You can't use the dagger for much other than that, but it's a nice handy advantage in a pinch."

Watching Gil twist his wrist, Protégé nodded and said, "Pretty good, but normally you won't have move it parallel to your body. The least you can move, the better." Adopting a new pose for him, Protégé put his left foot foward with his buckler arm in front, to defelct any blows, with his right foot perpendicular to his left foot, and his right arm holding the spear so it was pointing to Gil. Normally he would have his right foot forward and both hands on his spear because he had to use his spear as a shield, but now he didn't have to. Thinking of positions, he said, "Alright, start when you are ready. Oh, and just as a thought, you may want to keep the point of the saber pointed at me as often as possible. Otherwise it is easier to knock aside."

[Gilsworthy]

"Thanks." said Gil, reaching to his side and quickly producing one of his double bladed daggers. It looked worn from frequent use, and could use with a sharpening, but still serviceable. Now he felt more comfortable, and he even thought he could get to liking this style. Plus, if he lost one dagger he still had the other on his right side, the saber being in his right hand, the dagger in his off. It would be hard to get past that shield, but some skillful maneuvering might give him an opening. The spear would surely be a task to wield one handed, so wearing him down would be a good bet.

Bringing his saber up, flat facing his opponent in what he knew to be a Soldier's Salute, Gil nodded to Protégé before flicking the sword back to it's neutral position. This done, he took two steps forward then feinted a sideways slash before slipping quickly to the right and thrusting. It was the side he held his shield on, Gil realized too late, but it was still an attack. Plus, they were only getting started.

[Protégé]

Watching Gil pull out the dagger, he could tell it was better for him. It was a weapon he was familiar with, and it also made fighting with a saber more like what Gil was used to. Relaxing a bit to keep himself from getting too tight, Protégé went into his familiar beginning pose in defense, waiting for the opponent's move but not going on the offensive. Pulling the spearpoint up to his head in a salute, but then quickly dropped into his pose. Just in time, he saw Gilsworthy's slash from the side and moved his spear to take the blow for him. However, Gil dodged to the opposite side to thrust. A simple mistake, for that was the buckler side, but Gil was using a saber. Twisting his left elbow, he moved the buckler so it knocked the blade out of the way, then advanced with his right foot and twisted his wrist to have the wood of the spear nail Gil in the stomach, with the aim of winding him. A simple maneuver, but it would give Gilsworthy a chance to practice defensive maneuvers.

[Gilsworthy]

Twisting with the momentum of the deflection, Gil turned fully around and met the wood of the spear on the flat of the blade near the hilt as it came up. Those kind of maneuvers were dizzying, but if he didn't spin too much he should be alright. Most of the time it was terrible defense, but in this case he turned the rotation fast enough to parry. The weapons thus locked, his right arm passing over his chest, Gil made use of his dagger by crossing it over his saber arm and towards his opponent's chest, still perfectly balanced with one foot forward.

((Summary: Saber deflected, Gil spins and meets the spear coming up with his sword going down. Free hand used to thrust at Protege's chest.))

[Protégé]

Watching as Gil trapped his blade with the saber, Protégé knew that dropping his spear would be foolish, and with an oncoming dagger approaching, he couldn't switch hands. Remembering an old technique for swordfighting, Protégé disengaged his spear (he twisted his wrist so that the shaft of the spear would go under the blade and come back up on the other side, draws a U or V in the air with the point) and had it lunge out towards Gil's dagger shoulder, keeping his wrist loose to disengage incase Gil attempted another spin, while raising the buckler to be in the path of the oncoming dagger.

((Summary: Protégé got his spear around to the other side of the saber and is lunging towards the shoulder of the arm that has the dagger, ready to disengage to dodge a spin, shield is in place to block dagger if Gil attempts to stab with dagger still. Path of spear is between saber and dagger arms, so if saber goes to knock spear off path, spear knocks dagger arm off path.))

[Gilsworthy]

Gil fell backward slightly as the dagger deflected off the buckler, moving in the direction the spear was thrusting so as to avoid it for a few precious seconds. As he retreated, he brought up his saber to strike the top end of the spear while bringing his dagger back as best he could. The butt of the spear whistled harmlessly through where he had been moments earlier. He twirled the saber once to loosen his wrist, grinned, then swept back into the fray.

This time Gil came on with a two bladed diagonal slash, his dagger leading in and up to the left followed closely by his saber.

[Protégé]

Watching Gil dodge the point of the spear, Protégé began to prepare his next move. Seeing Gil begin to rush forward with both weapons, Protégé retreated back 2 quick steps, then went back even more by kneeling. Sliding his spear between his legs, Protégé rested the buckler on top of it. Now he was curled up a bit showing little target, with the buckler protecting his head and most of him from any slashes from above. The spear was pointing at Gil at a 45 degree angle to the ground, meaning that if Gil tried to advance, he would impale himself. Gil would be unable to move the spear because the buckler wouldd keep it from moving up, Protégé's right hand would keep it from going down, and Protégé's legs would keep it from going side to side. If Gil attempted to leap over him, Protégé would raise his spear so that Gil would still impale himself, while raising the buckler so if Gil got past, Protégé's head would be safe. Also, if Gil attempted to dash to Protégé's left side, Protégé could swing the buckler and nail Gil in the legs, and if Gil went to the right, Protégé could swing his spear at him. Now in his defensive position, Protégé waited to see what Gil would do.

((Summary: Protégé retreated back, then curled up to show little target, and raised his shield so the blades would be unable to slash down on him, and the spear is ready to impale Gil if he advances. For the rest of the defensive features of Protégé's position, read the post.))

[Gilsworthy]

'Tricky.' thought Gil, his weapons flying through thin air and back around to the side. The stance Protege had taken was a tough one to crack, it reminded him of the way spear fighters fought in an army setting, with a shield wall and pikes leveled. He was only one man, though, and there would be ways to crack the defense. The only viable option was to go for the weakest part of that array. But where was the weakest part?

His weapons in a ready position, Gil sidestepped slowly a foot out of Protege's range, weapons poised and tensed like a cat ready to spring, but he wasn't about to do that. "You were right, Protégé, you dance the blades well." commented Gil, staying out of range, studying his opponents position from a distance. He would slip up, sometime, then he could make his move. It made for boring sparring but if he was going to be this defensive there was no other way.