• Closed • All Shapes and Sizes

[Praetorum]

1st of Ashan, Arc 719

Cylus had finally broken its hold on Idolas, and it seemed like everyone was outdoors to enjoy the first few rays of sunshine for trials, however scant. Unfortunately for Prae, that meant there were only a few people in the training arena he frequented, and no one that he knew. So it seemed that today, at least, Prae would be training all on his lonesome. 



Off in a corner of the courtyard, Praetorum went through his drills. Again and again, Praetorum's scythe lashed out at the training dummy, jabbing into all the places that would be exposed on a heavily armored fighter. The chin, the armpits, the waist... the details of any suit of armour might vary, but these spots were guaranteed to be weak points on any well made suit of armor. Fates knew it wasn't as if you could put anything less flexible than chain along your underarm without slicing yourself every time you lowered your arms. 


Still, fighting against a still opponent was only so helpful. What Prae really needed was someone to spar against, someone on his level, someone who knew him well enough that Prae was forced to push his limits, someone—


Prae stilled, shaking the thoughts from his head. This wasn't the time or place for it. 



Stalking off to the side, Praetorum splashed a bit of water over his muzzle, trying to shake off the wave of grief threatening to well up in him. When he was sure he had it under control, he turned to go back to his training, then paused. 



Now, there was someone he did recognize. The little tunawa knight, who he'd last seen during the reopening of the Crimson Arena. He must have missed him while looking around earlier. Or perhaps the tunawa had only just arrived. 



Praetorum slung his scythe across his back, and padded over to the tunawa. Now, what was his name again.... ah, yes. "Kisaik, wasn't it? Good to see you again. What brings you here on this—" Prae glanced up at the sky, a little dubiously— "bright, 'sunny' trial?"

[Kisaik]

”Ahh, sunshine on my lichen.” Kisaik spread his arms as he rode Slate into the training area of the arena. ”You know, Slate… I love shade as much as the next tunawa, but after a long Cylus, nothing beats that first ray!” He sang all this in his native Treetalk, as the sun reflected off of his brilliant armor.

His eyes searched the training ground then, looking over the entire area. He flipped his half-cloak over his shoulder as he spotted a familiar-looking Ithecal. He smiled behind his visor, and offered a hand as a wave to hail the large reptile. ”Wonder day!” He said in his common, which wasn’t all that good. ”Sun day! Have heart large one!” He said encouragingly toward the Ithecal, sensing that the big fella was feeling down.

”Slate, halt!” Kisaik commanded his mount, with a stroke of it’s ear. The cat dutifully stopped, and sat, licking it’s paw insistently. Perhaps in annoyance. Kisaik dismounted them, sliding off the saddle and onto the ground.

The bit lizard man might’ve been surprised, but his head began to stretch and spring out of the opening at the top of his helm and cuirass, taking a few trills until his head popped out. It took a while for him to stretch in this way, but eventually the ithecal would see the full view of the tunawa’s beard and visage. ”Have you training equipment? I only brought lance!” He gestured toward the lance that stuck out of the saddle’s sheath.

”I not strong as you. But small, durable, and mind need to be thrice as smart about it! Slate ferocious enough for both us.” He said, turning his head to smile at Slate.

[Praetorum]

1st of Ashan, Arc 719

Seemed the Tunawa was just as indefatigably cheerful as he'd been last time Prae had met him. Attentive, too, if he'd noticed Prae's lingering sadness. He knelt as Kisaik managed to pop his entire head out of his armor, considering the Tunawa's words. 



So, the little knight wanted to train? Interesting. It was on the tip of Praetorum's tongue to refuse; Praetorum was eight times the Tunawa's height, and fates only knew how much heavier. How could any spar between them ever be fair?


But that was assuming that their training together was.... what was the word Marco had used? Symmetrical? Prae considered the situation for a moment, then nodded. The tunawa surely would need to work on his speed to have a hope of fighting opponents so much larger than him, and Praetorum needed to learn how to fight opponents who weren't so close to his size. "Well, if you wanted to learn how to bring down opponents larger than yourself, you'd be hard pressed to find a better sparring partner than an Ithecal. I have my shield and scythe, but I think I will only use the first in our training. I didn't expect to be training with someone else today, and I left it unwrapped."


Glancing around, Prae found a good spot in the courtyard for them to train, and— slinging his scythe across his back— took up a defensive position there. Prae smiled. "Let's make the best of this sunny trial, shall we?"

[Kisaik]

Tunawa couldn't quite read emotion on big folk, but their natural ephemera tended to confer their own emotions onto those surrounding them. Happy tunawa made for good companions, while angry tunawa made for contentious meetings. Nevertheless, he lightened up a bit when it appeared Praetorum was willing to train with him, which might spread to the big lizard man. Many other Yari had laughed at the tunawa, when he proposed a training bout. Most of these were inexperienced, who thought those that were small could not put up much a fight. They were all wrong, though. Some of the feircest and dangerous fighters in Yaralon happened to be tunawa. And they milked the skepticism of inexperienced fighters for all it was worth.

Yet Kisaik did not count himself among these dangerous tunawa. He had no skills, and could just about pull back the leather strap of his sling shot, and line up couched lance charges with his mount and lance.

So as Praetorum lifted his shield, but put away his weapon, Kisaik quirked a leafy brow. Hmmm, this one doesn't seem to see the threat of a tunawa! We shall show him what we can do!"

So, the little wood man charged the large lizard man. On the back of his cat, he couched his two-foot lance beneath his arm.

At the last moment, he recoiled, prompting Slate to retreat. The cat flipped lengthwise, and then pounced. Slate leapt into the air. A maneuver he'd been working on with his cat.

Kisaik then jumped off the saddle, and aimed his lance for the soft, wooden part of Praetorum's shield. There, it found purchase... almost too well!

The tunawa knight found himself hanging there, holding onto the handle of the lance while Slate ran away in the other direction. "Slate! Where art thou going!" He sang in Tree-talk.

Then he switched to common, to address Praetorum, "Eh... Need a little help getting my lance out of you shield." He said, wiggling the needle-like weapon as he hung from it.

[Kisaik]

It became clear to Kisaik that his common wasn't very good. In fact, it was downright inadequate! Nobody seemed to understand what he'd said, as they hadn't ventured to help him out with his lance. Exasperated, but not discouraged from it as a whole, Kisaik hopped down from where his lance had planted on the other combatant's shield.

"I'll just grab my lance from you later, if you will! Thanks." So saying, he went to find another sparring partner that was more treetalk literate. As it happened, several of the Eternal Embrace Mercenary troupe were on the grounds, and fighting in a most peculiar style, with swords that looked as if they were made from nuts!

"How interesting! I wonder if their swords are very tough?" Having seen the tunaa at practice, he went over to greet them. A group of about a dozen were gathered around an old withered master. He held a sword that was at least two feet in length, and narrow in the blade. The tip of the blade was coated in some form of substance,perhaps paint. Or poison. Whatever it was, it left a mark on any of the tunawa who he hit with it.

None of the wounds on his students looked fatal, but they were colorful, leaving bright neon marks on them all. The withered master leveled his gaze on Kisaik, his leafy brow furrowing at the sight of the tunawa knight, in full plate.

"What have we here? A tunawa that thinks he's a Rynmerish knight?" A few half hearted laughs spread out among those gathered. They died down quick when the withered one cut them off with a sharp gesture.

"Do you wish to learn the way of the long blade, young one?" The withe... let's just call him Wither from now on, shall we? Wither lowered the blade, pointing its tip at Kisaik, and just extending a bit to glance against his armor. "We'll just have to see how that armor avails you, against my sword."

So saying, Wither drew backward, and held his sword angled upward, ready for lowering at a moment's notice or so it seemed. Kisaik drew his hand backward, entering his own shadow. There, the darkness coalesced, until he gripped a shadowy sword about a half a foot in length. It was no match for the reach of his opponent's blade, but it was going to have to do, until he could retrieve his lance from the Ithecal.

So they commenced, and it was quick. Wither drew his blade upward, angling it so as to invite the younger tunawa to close distance. Chip didn't take the bait, however, and kept his distance, marking the reach of that blade. He held fast, trying to figure when and how fast Wither would lower his blade. He darted into and out of his measure several times, just narrowly avoiding a swift chop by Wither. Then, Wither did something he wasn't prepared to counter, and leapt forward, scratching his cuirass with the strange ichorous fluid that coated the point of his sword.

As Kisaik retreated, it seemed to have little effect. No strange colors emerged from it, but it did leave a trail of goo. Kisaik would have to examine it later. For now, he was going to concentrate on the fight.

But Kisaik had his hands full, trying to parry and riposte with his shadow shiv against the much longer sword of Wither. He grunted and grimaced as he swayed his shard this way and that, trying to intercept or bind with the blade, to no avail.

Yet, before long, Wither lifted his blade, which Kisaik took as a chance. He blinked in under the elder Tunawa's guard, holding his shadow shiv aloft to intercept any attmepted chop by the blade.

Then, with a loud Kiah! Kisak brought his blade to bear against the elder, slashing him this way and that. He wasn't trying to hurt the other tunawa, but attempting to scratch him up a bit. To his surprise, just as he landed a small nick on the other tunawa's foot, Wither used his sword as a pole vault, and leapt three or four feet over Kisaik's head. Once in the air, he swiftly redirected the arc of his movement downward, the tip of his sword scartching against the spider-silk underpadding, ripping into it and leaving his colorful injury on the younger tunawa.

Kisaik was exhausted at that point, and lowered his shadow shiv, dropping it to the ground. There, it melted, and returned to his shadow. Meanwhile, Wither was receiving congratulations from all of his students, who marveled at his ability to bypass even the armor and magical tricks of the strange Tunawa.

They shortly after dispersed, yet Wither lingered, and smiled slyly at Kisaik. "Say, if you ever need lessons in the blade, call on me. I'm always looking for good students." He winked at Kisaik, and with that, strode off through the exit to the arena.

The tunawa knight would certainly consider his offer.

[Doran]

Kisaik:

Knowledge:
[*]Blades: All Shapes and Sizes (1/7)
[*]Blades: All Shapes and Sizes (2/7)
[*]Blades: All Shapes and Sizes (3/7)
[*]Blades: All Shapes and Sizes (4/7)
[*]Blades: All Shapes and Sizes (5/7)
[*]Blades: All Shapes and Sizes (6/7)
[*]Blades: All Shapes and Sizes (7/7)
[*]Tactics: All Shapes and Sizes (1/1)

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: 5
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

Prae:

Knowledge: -
Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: -
Points: 15

- - -

Comments: Kisaik’s riding a cat always amuses me. It seems like a good mount, but I’m glad that it still acts like a cat and licks its paw and such. I agree with Prae as far as learning to fight opponents who aren’t close to your size is concerned.

I like how different Prae and Kisaik are, not only in height, but also as far as their personalities are concerned. It’s a shame that they never trained together. It would without a doubt have been interesting. You did a decent job when it comes to your conclusion though, Kisaik.

Enjoy your rewards!