dissonates | [Voice / Action]

Entry tags:

[Voice / Action]

I need to speak with one of the Malnosso.

[Today, Asch is all over the place. First to the plaza, to check the item bazaar for a few things; next, to the north edge of the village, above the houses, his favourite spot to ~~blow shit up~~ practice his fonic artes; finally, to the opposite edge, sword practice against the targets inside the barracks. He's gotten so restless since Luke's disappearance and he needs to stay on the move to avoid going crazy.

Feel free to bother him at any of those locations or even en route; he could use some socializing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[You're just jealous cuz it's prettier than yours.]

Heh... it's been a while since I've encountered another soldier here.

[What, that big-eared deformed blob of pink? Ha.]

You as well?

[He nods.]

From the looks of things, there aren't many of us. The Malnosso seem to prefer keeping civilians prisoner.

There's plenty of people trained with weapons here. They're soldiers when it's necessary. [Though not as organized as he'd like. Sometimes he really misses having authority over people.]

[He scoffs.]

You'd think it would be easier to find a sparring partner if that were true.

[......A pause. And then:]

Are you looking for one?

[That would explain the sudden conversation.]

Is that an offer?

Maybe. [Go go indirect answers!]

[He'll incline his head towards the now rather battered training dummy.]

Looks like more than a "maybe" to me.

[Asch follows his gaze, hand tightening on his sword hilt. It's true, the training dummies are rather useless as far as training goes.]

...Fine.

Heh.

[He'll be lifting his scythe off his shoulder where he'd been resting it while they conversed, just watching to see how Asch reacts to the size of the weapon. Most people back away when they see that thing, and for good reason-- it's about eight feet long.]

[And Asch takes a good look at it... but he doesn't really have a reaction besides a rather deadpan "look at that, he uses a scythe" expression. Living with Largo for seven years has that effect on people.]

[That's certainly a better reaction than he'd been expecting. If Asch isn't afraid of it, he'll likely make a good sparring partner indeed. Arumat likes opponents who go all out, not hold back because they're frightened.]

[Well, he doesn't have to worry about that with Asch, at least. Honestly Arumat's not all that intimidating, because he looks like someone Largo could break over his knee.

So Asch steps forward cautiously, but fearlessly, keeping his sword close to his side as he moves. There's little sense in risking his life by being reckless. New opponents can always surprise you.]

[Meanwhile, Arumat will stride forward a few paces and then stop, lowering his scythe into a fighting position and gripping it with both hands. Watching Asch destroy that training dummy gave him a good idea of the other's ability and moves, but he's not about to be careless either, not after seeing that display.

He'll take a quick swing at Asch just to see how the other reacts to being attacked.]

[And Asch reacts by dodging. Truth be told he really doesn't like scythes; too unwieldy, too slow, too much staff and not enough blade. And the range makes him uncomfortable. Harder to defend against. Still, seven years is a long time to get used to it, so he ducks under the swing with practiced ease, searching for a potential opening. The trick to fighting longer weapons is to get in close while the blade is away from the body, and that's what he intends to do.]

[Arumat is also no stranger to fighting opponents with shorter weapons-- he used to spar with Crowe, after all, and two blades are more dangerous than one. He spins out of the way before Asch can strike and brings his scythe around in an arc, attempting to strike with the blade from behind. It's not playing dirty as long as he's not sneaking up on Asch, right?]

[Curse you, Crowe, foiling Asch's potential advantage (except not really). He does notice the sound of the swing, twisting out of the way and using his blade to divert the scythe's path. It's painful and it throws him somewhat off balance, but it's better than getting decapitated, friendly spar or otherwise. He'd never trust a stranger to be gentle.]

[Arumat will just take this opportunity to attempt a sweep kick while Asch is off-balance like that, knowing that will make it harder for him to dodge. While he may not be the type to hold back, he also knows better than to maim or permanently cripple any of his opponents. It's hardly good manners and it would ensure that he'd never find another sparring partner here ever again.]

[Asch feels the kick a little too late to avoid it, so instead of clumsily flailing to recover, he just rolls with it, literally- letting himself fall forward into a one-handed shoulder roll, shifting to his knees and half-turning, sword lifted to defend if needed. Not bad, Arumat, not bad at all.]

[That's his line, Asch-- it's rare he finds an opponent who can last long against him in combat or in a sparring match. If this were a real battle, he'd most likely retaliate with another kick; however, out of respect for his sparring partner, he refrains, choosing instead to step back a pace and strike out with his scythe instead.]

[It's been a while since Asch had a good spar, and this is already looking promising. He dislikes jumping over bladed weapons to dodge- it's too easy to get caught with a second attack in mid air. So he rolls under the swing, pushing himself into a lunge position immediately after and launching himself at Arumat, blade rising in a powerful slash. Time to go on the offensive.]

[That slash is something Arumat wasn't bargaining for. He's disadvantaged against opponents who can get in close to him and he knows it, so rather than try to block or attack in return, he instead focuses his efforts on backing out of the way as quickly as possible. It's a narrow miss; the sword comes so close to him that he can feel the breeze from the blade as it passes by his face.]

[Asch isn't about to stop there, now that he has Arumat on defense; he spins his body to build up energy and momentum, thrusting his sword forward in the motion of Light Spear Cannon, albeit without the fonic energy boost. This is a spar, not a battle, so he feels no need to cause real damage. And from what he's seen, he has confidence in Arumat's ability.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Voice / Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]