[PP-F1] Skills or Technique. Which is Superior? <Itzal, Aereth, Birdie>

[Itzal 0]

Itzal stood in a secluded area of the forest that he had memorized and scouted so many times, that he could find any place blindfolded, spun around, and his hands tied behind his back...  Ok maybe not, but the point was that he knew this forest better than most players.  This secluded area he was working on a little project of his.  Until they had a guild hall, Itzal intended to build a tiny little arena where he could train his apprentices.  He even had a summoning crystal or two at the ready.  He had already sent a message to both players to meet him here after they were done with their daily exercises, which had been increasing consistently.  He knew Aereth was already in shape, but his exercises were now at the point where they should be pushing his limits further.  And Birdie probably felt like she was going to die but he had a few refreshments to help her with that.  And she probably didn't realize how much physical progress she was making so he planned on showing her how much stronger she really did get.  It was time to make up for his lack of show.  He hadn't been around as much as he needed to be so here he was.

@Aereth @Birdie

Edited December 8, 2016 by Itzal

[Aereth 1]

Today was somewhat different than all the others. Itzal didn't exercise with Birdie and him together. Aereth used this opportunity to do some exercises with his sword. Floor four was a very quiet floor. Not many players ever ventured out to explore or train anymore, since the frontliners were working to finish the 19th floor right now. Aereth was perfectly fine with this. He loved the quietness of the fourth floor. He still wanted to harden his body even more, so he decided to do his exercises today with a free upper body and without his Survival skill. He already finished his running- as well as his balancing- and jumping-exercises, so the only thing left for today was to calm his mind down again with some swordsmanship.

Unfortunately, he got interruped by a message from his teacher Itzal. "So it is floor one today." he mused as he read through the message. Aereth then quickly dismissed the message, went back to his shop for a quick shower, equipped his Goldcrest armor, and instantly headed towards the teleport gate of  the fourth floor.

After a few minutes, he reached the place Itzal mentioned in the message. As Aereth saw his friend and teacher he tensed a little bit inwardly, because he remembered the incident at the first training session. He then tried his best to lock away these bad feelings, and walked over to him. "Hey Itzal. Seems like I'm first to arrive."

@Itzal, @Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie wiped a dollop of paint from her wrist, setting down the paintbrush with bristles still coated in an oily red. She'd decided to relax and enjoy herself some free time, a rare commodity as of late, with nothing more than a canvas and the sun shining through. The first painting was soon to be finished - an image depicting two siblings riding on horseback, staring down a distant setting sun.

"Just a little more... huh?" A message icon appeared atop her eyesight and she dragged open the menu, navigating to the notifications tab. Reviewing the message revealed that Itzal wished to see her and Aereth over by the forest, and she huffed in displeasure. "You really timed this well, Ava.."

It didn't take long to put away the apparatus and get her combat gear ready - equipping the fresh tier 2 armour and weapons she'd so excitedly awaited to try out, she ventured out through the door and onwards towards the city gates.

Minutes later, two familiar faces came into sight. Guilt loomed over her, had she kept them waiting for long? "Hey guys!" she called out once close enough, waving towards them with one hand whilst the other settled on Winterthorn's hilt. "Sorry I'm late, had to uhm.. nothing important actually. What's this all about?"

Edited December 9, 2016 by Birdie

[Itzal 0]

Itzal waited patiently for the two to arrive and when they did Itzal smiled.  He nodded to acknowledge Aereths' presence but let him know he would wait for Birdie first.  When Birdie arrived he shook his head.  "We didn't wait long, no worries."  He walked over to a sack he had on the ground, giving the two time to observe the little 'arena' he had set up, which had a very strong and firm fence on the border line.  He pulled out of the sack, two weapons that looked identical to their own.  Except for...  He handed Aereth his and Birdie her own.  The blade that resembled Birdies resembled it in every aspect save for the blade.  The blade looked like any other sword blade save for it was extremely thin, between half an inch and a quarter of an inch thick rather than the extremely thin blades most rapier's had.  Her blade was slightly heavier but still lightweight, so her exercises would keep the blade like a feather in her hands.  Aereth's blade was much much heavier than his old one, but still considerably lighter than Itzal's own sword, which would soon be replaced once he reached tier three.  Neither blade had any enhancements, and would most likely break once the session was complete.  He'd need Mina to make him some better practice swords.  "If you think the skill in this game is all that counts in swordplay you couldn't be farther from the truth.  Today I'm going to teach you how to properly wield and use the blade.  When you two have completely and utterly mastered the sword....  Then I might share a secret technique of mine to you."  He drew his own fake sword which was actually heavier than his real one due to his constant exercises, and stood in the center of the area with his sword in position.  "Right.  So who's first?"

@Aereth @Birdie

[Aereth 1]

Aereth took the practice sword, and swung it around several times to get a better feel for the weight distribution of the blade. It was slightly lighter than his real blade but not that much so that he would care. Itzal then said to them, that he wanted to teach them how to properly wield a blade. Aereth smiled at the last part of his sentence. "Secret technique? Sounds interressting to me..." he thought.

When Itzal then asked which one would want to be the first one for a little sparring session, Aereth glanced over to Birdie. He knew that she didn't like to fight this much, since she told him about that matter when they were grinding together. "If it's ok for you Birdie, I'd like to be the first one to try my luck. But if you prefer to go first, I've also no problem with it, ladies first after all."

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

'A fake sword?' She took hold of the practice weapon as Itzal handed it over, twisting it around in her hands so as to inspect. The item's stats weren't much to marvel at - no doubting that it wasn't made to withstand the thick of battle.

She watched as her mentor shifted into the impromptu arena, which looked surprisingly well-built given what it was, and nodded towards him in an understanding way. The whole thing seemed less odd to her now, though she would wonder why he chose such an isolated location to train.

"Go ahead," she said to Aereth with a smile, lowering her sword to hip height. "You go first, I'd be more comfortable watching someone else do it, anyway." Birdie glanced over her shoulder and noticed the fence, growing curious of its strength. The woman turned and went to sit atop one of the wooden beams, propping her sword against the post.

@Itzal 

Edited December 9, 2016 by Birdie

[Aereth 1]

OOC: Itzal told me to go before him

Aereth nodded at Birdie as she said that he could go first. He tightened the grip on his practice sword and waked over to Itzal. Aereth was debating if he should use the Disguise skill he got some days ago on Itzal or not, but refrained from doing so. He knew that Itzal also had the skill, and this little sparring session was all about how they could handle a blade, so no tricks today.

"This thing is f*cking heavy..." he thought as he lifted his practice sword to get into his battle stance. He knew that Itzal outclassed him in every way. Their level gap was freaking huge, and he also had a sh*t ton more combat experience than Aereth. But still, this wouldn't hinder Aereth from giving his best in this friendly spar. He looked into Itzal's eyes, and nodded to his friend. With this he sprinted towards the scout paladin of the Celestial Ascendants. He knew that this strategy wouldn't bring the victory, since in a one on one battle the person that attacked first had a disadvantage most of the time, since this wasn't a surprise attack. But this battle wasn't about victory or loss, it was just to determine how good Aereth could handle a blade...

One thing he had learned in the world of Aincrad was, that if you intend to fight someone do it only with the intention of killing. Problem was, that his movements were very slow, and thus, predictable. Aereth activated a sword art, and slashed directly at his teacher, with his eyes filled with nothing other than pure determination to inflict as much damage as he could....

@Itzal

Edited December 10, 2016 by Aereth

[Itzal 0]

OOC-  @Aereth and @Birdie when your character's fight, try to show how they fight and what sort of technique they use.  I'm giving an example in mine

Fight with the intention to kill...  Itzal had started that way but changed views quickly enough.  He had practiced fighting for a way to reduce damage without killing them and ending with a stun so he could try and disarm his opponent.  Of course he had no deathly battle as of yet, but the point remained.  If you fought with the intention to kill, chances were you might accidentally do so.  Or worse, get thrown into a state you wouldn't like to be in.  When this happened to Itzal he had become wrathful, aggressive, and nearly lost a friend.  However some good advice, friends, and the calming the soul quest, all helped him pass this trial of his.  Now he could spar for entertainment, practice, or to overcome an obstacle.  He only fought with the intention to kill when it was a monster that wanted to rip him to shreds.  When Aereth picked up his blade Itzal noted his apprentice's arm weighed down slightly, showing that the blade was still a bit heavy for him.  He took this into calculation as his apprentice took up position.  Aereth started with a sword off, right of the bat.  Using energy and strength right at the start like that...  Itzal never did such a thing, not unless he saw a clear opening.  As Aereth drew closer Itzal took a single step to his right and swung his blade with swift action, however moving slower than he would in a real fight, deciding to take it easy on their very first try, and let the side of his blade push Aereth's strike even farther away from Itzal.  If Aereth hadn't mastered balance, the action would cause him to stumble to his right due to the force of the movement, which would provide an opening he would not take.  Whether or not he lost balance however, Itzal would say nothing, his face blank as he continued to make calculations and held his blade in a place to parry or deflect any blow made towards him.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie watched on from the sidelines - if there was one thing she wasn't comfortable diving right into, it was sparring with a human partner. So many factors rushed through her mind in the thick of friendly battle; should she stay passive, go aggressive, predict her opponent's movements? All of those approaches seemed equally beneficial, so it was down to experience whether or not she'd adapt her fighting style to fit a duel.

Her rival didn't wait around and went straight in for a swift strike against their mentor, an attack that would be countered masterfully. She could see it all unfold from afar, every move and action either of them made carefully analysed. However, Birdie knew she didn't have the right to criticise; any mistakes Aereth made were ones she was liable to make too - more than likely to, in fact. If there was any one thing that the other scout apprentice seemed more comfortable with, it was his knowledge of fighting. She could only strive to become as dedicated as him.

@Aereth

Edited December 11, 2016 by Birdie

[Aereth 1]

When it came only to fighting style, there were only two things that set the two styles apart. Unlike Itzal, Aereth had already fought a battle about life or death in the past, even though at this time it could hardly be called battle, since the opponents obliterated him and his friend back then with almost no effort. But still, Aereth experienced a battle to death and this was reflected by his battle style. And the second thing was, that when he fought against another player outside of a friendly spar, it would be for the only reason to end his opponents life. This was the way Aereth choose to walk...

Aereth came closer and closer to his friend and teacher, but as he reached him and tried to get the first attack in, Itzal simply took a step to the side, and let the side of his blade push Aereth's strike even farther away from him. This action would normally send him stumbling on his right foot if it weren't for the fact that he was a competitive dancer for over six years before this nightmare started. "Maybe, I can catch him off guard..." He thought as he started to turn is upper body away from Itzal, to build up some momentum again. Aereth's jumped from his standing leg, turned once mid-air and released another diagonal strike in Itzal's direction. "I'm too f*cking slow with this blade...'

Itzal now had two choices, deflect the blade with his own one, or try to completely avoid the hit again. This time however Aereth wouldn't depend only on his balancing skills. He had a plan.

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

OOC- O_O didn't realize it was my turn, sorry guys

Itzal watched as Aereth managed to keep his balance, which meant he had been in enough fights.  Understandable considering his history as well as the fact that he spent most of his time fighting monsters rather than gathering materials.  He watched as Aereth leaped into the air...  And spun around, a full rotation in mid air.  That was his first mistake.  His second was thinking that Itzal would only have two options but of course Itzal didn't know he assumed that.  The moment Aereth had jumped Itzal charged forward to take action, but seeing him spin meant he lost visual of Itzal, giving him an opening.  He slid underneath Aereth and stood up, so Aereth would be striking at air.  When he landed Itzal would thrust his sword quickly and stop when it came to rest directly by his neck, resting on the side but not enough to cause damage.  "Hmm..  I think I see now...  Alright Aereth you may rest."  Itzal turned to Birdie.  "Birdie your up, and don't be nervous.  I only want to see how you two fight is all.  I have basic information on how Aereth fights, as well as why he chooses to.  Now Birdie, show me how you would choose to act in a fight."  With that he gestured for Aereth to rest as even a quick fight could drain stamina, and took his defensive position.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie nodded to Itzal and hopped down from the fence post, picking up the training sword he'd provided her. The woman smiled to Aereth, passing him as she walked into the training arena. "Are you okay? You looked great out there," she told him, taking point where her rival stood only seconds earlier.

She spun the sword's hilt in her hands, focusing on the length of Itzal's arm more than anything. 'I'll never break his defence, he's stronger and faster than me. I could fake an attack, but that leaves me open..' Noting her mentor's posture, she held the sword firmly with both hands, aiming it at a 45 degree angle towards him. In a fight against mobs, she'd never properly adjust her position- there wouldn't be any time to- but in organised duels, she had to play it smarter and hide any obvious weaknesses.

Birdie knew there was no need for a sword art; instead, her sword hung low to the ground as she dashed towards Itzal, keeping track of the man's wrist. A few feet away from her sparring partner, she dug her heel into the ground and stopped abruptly, letting momentum add to the power of her strike as she swung her blade upwards towards him.

@Aereth @Itzal

Edited December 19, 2016 by Birdie

[Aereth 1]

Once again Itzal managed to avoid Aereth’s hit with almost no effort, was even able to start a hard counter attack at the same time. It was stupid from Aereth to think that he could land a hit on his teacher and friend. He was too fast and much too strong for Aereth to accomplish something like that. Aereth nodded to Itzal, and went to the spot where Birdie was standing.

Birdies cheerful voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he replied with a smile. “Yeah, no worries, I’m fine.” This failure only meant that he had to intensify his combat training even further, if he wanted to reach his goals. But for now he just wanted to watch, in order to learn more about the combat style of his teacher. Information was everything after all. If he could gather enough information about his combat style, he could maybe face him on and equal level, at some point of time.

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

Birdie spoke to Aereth before moving in and he smiled slightly, seeing the comforting words being passed between rivals.  Itzal never had such a healthy competitor.  His rival was more of an enemy but that was history.  Itzal watched as Birdie took her stance and there was a short wait.  When Birdie angled her sword Itzal knew she wouldn't be striking at the legs, although he always considered that small percent chance, and thus he held his sword in a way where he could parry her strike either way.  When she charged he watched her eyes, but also her legs and wrist from the corner of his eyes, as they would hint as to where she would attack.  When she dug her heels in he knew where she was aiming and he parried her attack, letting the blade move past his left.  He saw her blade move past due to momentum.  He'd need to talk to her about that too.  However he still lacked enough information on her fighting style....

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

'He parried it?' In a panic, she followed through with the attack and stopped a safe distance from Itzal, treating him with as much caution as she would a regular opponent. She had no doubts he was watching every one of her movements and deciding on a counter in an instant, so there wasn't anything she could pull out of the bag to surprise him. Taking a quick breath, she re-positioned herself and turned on the spot, charging towards her mentor for another strike.

Nimble and quick, Birdie's legs moved swiftly across the battlefield, the trainee scout hoping to strike her target in the blink of an eye. She always tried to execute her attacks as fast as possible, so as to leave enough time to react and avoid any incoming damage. As usual, she held her blade at stomach height and pointed the end straight forwards, targeting her opponent's torso. It took conscious restraint to forgo activating a sword art because of how second-nature it'd become, but that didn't mean the strike would feel any less painful should it connect.

Just like last time, Birdie dug her heels into the ground at the last moment to generate as much force as possible, and lunged forwards towards Itzal's abdominal region.

[Aereth 1]

Aereth watched closely, how the sparring session between his two guild mates went. And he knew that even though, Birdie was a much higher level than him, she wouldn’t stand a chance against their teacher. But on the other hand he was very impressed how fast the blue haired scout apprentice was. And even though Itzal was able to parry the hit Aereth saw how cautious and observing the man was. “Could it be that he knows my fighting style better than hers?” he thought and leaned against the fence, Birdie was resting on before. “I really need to work on my fighting style and not only on the strength of my sword arts.” He didn’t keep his cool in the fight with Itzal, that much he realized. But he was eager to see if this would change in the future when he trained his material arts skill to a proper level…

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

He saw the glimpse of panic in her face, but more important, he saw that she overcame that panic swiftly and replaced it with a focused mind.  Itzal couldn't help but smile upon seeing this.  He turned around sharply just as her and he saw how swift her strikes were.  They weren't slashed like most swords were, no, it was full on fencing.  This time she didn't rely on surprise as Itzal was able to detect it.  She was relying on her supreme speed and ability to move faster than he could react.  Luckily, he fought with Ulises.  And Ulises was superhumanly strong.  Itzal barely managed to deflect her attack and any other strike, all the while scanning for a weakness.  Her balance was nearly perfect.  Her style was spot on, though could use a little work.  She nearly had a full hand on her emotions...  But.  When/if she struck again, Itzal would strike his blade not at her, but from underneath the weapon, pushing it upward.  With that he'd shoot forward, made a sharp turn with his right foot stationary, and then brought his blade down to her neck, ending the duel.  With that he would nod and gesture that the duel was over with.

@Birdie

Edited January 9, 2017 by Itzal

[Birdie 0]

Birdie's eyes stared in wonder as the surface of her weapon slid along the length of Itzal's, and eventually into the open air behind him. 'Another dodge?', she thought, knowing that her superior outclassed her in nearly every way. He didn't immediately signal for her to stop however, and so she didn't, twisting on the spot with the same veracity as before to lunge in for one final strike. What good could come of it remained to be seen.

She approached swiftly and tried one final time to land an attack - however, after an almost trivial sidestep from Itzal, she felt the man's blade against her neck. Birdie realised that in a real fight she'd have met her end right then and there, and after catching the man's nod, she expelled a sigh of defeat and sheathed her blade. "S.. sorry," was the only word she could manage immediately, conflicted as to how she should feel about the loss. "So.. how did we do?"

Off to the side, she noticed Aereth resting where she had before, and invited him over with a wave.

[Aereth 1]

Seeing the battle between the two of them made on thing clear to Aereth. Birdie had her emotions while in combat under perfect control, and thus was able to keep a cool head, analyse the situation and act properly on it. Aereth needed to work on that if he ever wanted to beat their superior in combat. “Wow, that was some impressive speed and technique, Birdie.” He said while walking over to them.

When Birdie then asked how they did, Aereth had to gulp. He also wanted to know what their teacher thought about their fighting in the sparring session. “Most probably nothing good…” Aereth thought, referring to his poor performance on the battle field. He wanted to get better with his blade, and thus needed the feedback from their teacher and friend. “Maybe he can even give me some tips on how I can improve…” he thought as he waited for the answer of Itzal.

@Itzal

[Itzal 0]

When Birdie apologized he shook his head.  "There's no need to apologize Birdie.  That's why we're here isn't it?"  When Aereth congratulated Birdie Itzal nodded.  She had done very well in fact.  However he intended to present her with a weapon and style that would probably work better for her.  Either that or he'd help her become faster and stronger with the rapier.  He turned to the both of them.  "Aereth.  You need to learn how to control your emotions.  It's ok that you can't, I used to have issues with them myself."  He recalled Ulises and his ultimate rage, fearing himself that he would fall into that state.  "Anger is an especially dangerous emotion, as you can accidentally lash out at your friends when you don't want to.  Not a mistake you want.  Also, when you're in a friendly duel, I suggest not letting all out aggression be your choice of approach.  Doesn't give you a very good image."  He smiled and patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly.  "Don't worry I'll help you work this out."  Then he turned to Birdie.  "You nearly freaked out when I parried the blade the first time but quickly got a hold of yourself and focused on how to make a comeback.  I'm impressed.  I will say that this weapon requires extreme speed and the tactic of hit and run.  Unless you're fighting another rapier you can't parry the blade or else you're overpowered.  However do you see how that wooden weapon is shaped?  It's not a stick like most rapiers.  It has an actual sword's blade but isn't nearly as thick as my own.  It's a specific type of rapier that allows for piercing but also can parry blows.  If you choose to use this type of weapon I can help train you to parry attacks and thus you can choose either a hit and run tactic or other techniques."  Including Soul Barrage he thought to himself.

@Aereth@Birdie