Dante's Beating (Attn Kyn)

[Sangreal]

Dante had needed to talk to someone. The Bond as it turned out was more difficult to handle than Dante was used to. He had become wreckless and while he made sure that Rasheta was safe it was turning his life upside down.

 

"Its distracting." he said as he circled the older Warder, lathe in hand. "I cant even clear my mind of her long enough to give you a decent attempt." He had been trying all morning. "How are we supposed to protect anyone with it feeling like they are looking over your shoulder and screaming in your ear for attention?"

 

Kyn had been leaving false openings all morning. Dante had been trying to find a weak point on the man but distraction or not he knew he was out skilled. His life had been crashing quickly though. He wasnt a drinker but wine did dull the senses of the bond enough for him to be able to think of something other than Rasheta. He wasnt a sleeping around type either yet that too was a distraction from the bond. Bruising and injury did the trick but Rasheta would often go to her window to make sure he was ok if he was in the yards and there would go that distraction.

 

Dante had the feeling Kyn was enjoying the fight though. The bond made sure that the Warder did not tire so easily so both had been able to fight all morning without conserving energy. Dante also was a huge fan of using hand to hand and he wasnt sure Kyn had fought too many other Tower Guards who would throw as many punches and kicks as they did sword techniques at him.

 

Moving in slowly he engaged the man again. Using his lathe completely for defense and foot work as well and attacking mostly fist and elbows.

[_Kynwric_]

"Aye, it is distracting for a while. You get used to it." Kyn was working on a particular form today, one that relied on his opponent to have some semblance of an offense to practice. Dante had an offense, even if he was being tentative in using it. The use of feet, hand and arms for attack was nothing new to Dante's style, but Kyn wondered what he hoped to accomplish from the use of fisticuffs instead of blade. He countered and again got halfway through the set up before Dante moved back out of range, "You protect them because they're in your head... although it would help if she quit hovering like you were a mewling babe the first day off apron strings." He flicked his eyes up to the tower windows, he didn't recall Loraine having done this... of course most of their early years bonded were spent away from the tower. He hadn't had time to dwell upon the causes of certain things... that and Loraine had always been able to mask her feelings fairly well through the bond, when he wanted. Another punch came in and Kyn sidestepped it, lashing out with the lathe across the same arm that had just tried to connect with his face. "What ar you hoping to accomplish with this punching? I find it useful when already in close, but less so as a primary offense."

[Sangreal]

OOC Your sparring Dante :P

 

"I have seen bouncers take several armed men with just their hands, as well as a tournament melee where the man lost his weapon and finished the fight with fists. I have a one handed weapon and an open hand. I figure I should use it." He said with a smile. He didnt mention that he too had found hands and feet to be effective. The opponent often never saw it coming.

 

He had not yet landed a strike on the older man, he didnt expect to. However he was able to at least defend himself. If not by his lathe  his open hand would occasionally knock aside the mans arm before a strike though he had yet to figure out how to capitalize on that with the way Kyn moved. He would mist by a hair sometimes and while he thought he was getting better he realized Kyn was using economy of motion and that it was intentional. The next time he was able to block using his arm to smack aside Kyn's he thought to trick him. He had been bringing his lathe down to slash at the mans body but had never thought to use the more readily available back of the handle of his scimitar. He was quite proud he had thought of it as the blow began to come down towards Kyn's head...

[_Kynwric_]

OOC: Sorry about that... all fixed.

 

Kyn gave a slight shrug at the explanation, he understood the reasoning in the explanation. However, he decided to prove his point by targeting Dante's hands and thighs with his lathe instead of his body as was normal in such a spar. Unfortunately for Dante he chose that moment to discover the hilt of his sword as a weapon as well and Kyn brought his blade up hard across the other man's knuckles and then back down across his wrist to push the hand and blade further down and out of position. Kyn reset his defense, letting Dante recover before taking the initiative this time, lashing out to move Dante's defense left and right, setting the mechanics up where a punch would be his best option. When Dante did lash out with his fist Kyn's lathe arced swiftly up into Dante's armpit, in effect blocking the punch and punishing him for the attempt.

[Sangreal]

Dante had recalled his brother telling him about his own spar with Master Kynwric. He had called it a lesson in frustration. Dante quickly realized why. He wasnt a bad swordsman. Quite the opposite, he had more skill than any common soldier and much of the Tower Guards as well. He was still amazed at how easily he was being handled though.

 

The strike to his armpit staggered him back. Using his off hand he pulled a couple of blunted practice daggers from his waist line and tossed those towards Kyn as he made his attack with his lathe. Both daggers were dodged and his lathe quickly deflected by Kyn. He tried to step into Kyn placing a leg between his and using his elbow as a distraction of the intention of his foot work but Kyn simply back stepped causing the elbow to miss and the foot work to be ineffective. Dante then was forced on the defensive. He twisted and turned his body, the lathe narrowly missing. The third time around he was caught in the ribs with a horizontal slash.

 

He was just happy he wouldnt be encountering any Blade Master Trollocs.

[_Kynwric_]

Kyn settled down after the last little outburst of offense and let his defense work, allowing Dante to spend himself trying to penetrate it. If Dante wanted to close for fisticuffs Kyn merely disengaged and punished Dante with a slash if he came to close and when Dante was content to slash out at Kyn from range Kyn let him, taking the blows easily off his lathe. Kyn knew he was not giving his all in trying, if he was he would have been using his shield as well, he was a good bastard-swordsman, but he was a better long-swordsman with his shield in place. The distraction of thought had allowed Dante to get close and forced Kyn to do exactly what he had been trying to avoid, and used a leg to upend Dante. Tripping him as he brought a vicious slash down and sending the man sprawling backwards. Kyn then recovered his own balance and waited for Dante to right himself. "It does have its uses, but I'd think hard before trying it on someone stronger than yourself."

[Sangreal]

Dante recovered and nodded. "I agree. Hands and feet would be rather useless against a Trolloc. The human body however no matter how much muscle one has is still vulnerable to such trauma." He smiled. He reached to a sheath on his leg and pulled a sword breaker for his off hand. His new tactic to make Kynwric have to defend his weapon as well as himself.

 

"This one should be fun." He said as he glided back into the fight.

 

OOC Sword breaker is a nasty thing. I didnt elaborate on the combat due to that. Feel free to handle it however you see fit.

[_Kynwric_]

Kyn smiled as Dante produced his sword-breaker from its sheath. In the moment or so he was given while Dante recovered his feet, Kyn retreated to the sidelines and picked up one of the training shields. "Since we're now playing to our strengths..." He settled the shield in front of him and brought the entire weight of his skill to bear in defense. He smirked and began the second part of his strategem, the taunt. "Come now, you wanted to play with special toys. You've got yours and I've got mine. Let's see what is of more use." Kyn settled in, focusing his attention on the young man across from him and letting Dante spend himself against Kyn's defense. Kyn did little to take advantage of any small opening that presented itself, letting sword and shield deflect and block anything that Dante had to throw at him. It was an lesson Kyn taught often to those who thought offense would always overcome defense.

 

OOC: Quick post for ya. FYI, Kyn will use the shield in offense as well as defense.

 

 

[Sangreal]

Kyns use of the shield to push and slam and stagger was as annoying as when Eldest brother used to pin him down and shove a saliva covered finger in his ear. The first time Dante had managed to get out of it though he never did it again. Dante just needed to make him regret the shield once. Just once! However it never came and it became a lot of Dante being pushed around the yard by a shield. Dante knew however that a shield was an exhausting piece of equipment and was happy to do completely on the defensive allowing Kyn to swing away. It wasnt a glorious strategy but Dante hoped it would tire the man out enough to allow Dante to come in and... well just scoring a hit would be nice he thought to himself. He allowed himself to be backed onto the soft sand that trainees often ran on to build leg strength trying to even more to tire out the older man.

 

By this time both were sweating quite badly. As his muscles began to ache, even with the energy from the bond, he began to look for the signs of Kynwric tiring out. He wished he knew how to tell if the man decided to bluff it, if he even thought of it, alas he was not Middle Brother with the ability to read people like a book.

[_Kynwric_]

This fight was beginning to weary Kyn, the soft sand had been a good idea and Kyn hadn't paid it much attention at first. But now he was and he planted his feet and moved little, conserving the energy he did have. Fortunately it seemed that Dante was tiring quicker than he was and that was a good thing and Kyn also decided to take advantage of it by feigning tiredness himself. He let his guard drop a little, let his strikes come a little more sloppy and forwent strikes go that Dante had to know were available. All in all the stratagem seemed to be working, now just to finish this young one...