To cross sword with spear [Attn:Terric]

[Felix]

Felix Kal'Sarak

The sun shined brightly on the fields where countless trainees and Gaidin practiced the forms and movements of all kinds of weapons. Felix knelt on the grass in the expansive Warder Yards. His hadori adorned his head and held his hair back to the proper form. His coat was buttoned all the way up his neck, the sword pin on his collar shined brightly from extensive polish. Shadar Vron his sword,his shadow watcher, gifted from his father on his day of manhood rested on his knees as he drew a whetstone along the edge.

Felix was in the void, floating in nothingness with the beast as his only companion. He ignored the world around himself and focused on his lack of inner clarity. The beast scratched at the void, it wanted to be unleashed and to inflict harm on another. Images skirted the void of things the beast wanted to do to the passerby's just to hear a scream from their victim. It howled in his mind in anticipation and carnal need.

The feeling leaked through the void and caused Felix to feel the same urges, he wanted to fight. He wanted to spill blood and burn people. He needed to get out of the tower and kill something, anything.

He knew in his heart that the urges he felt were wrong, even dangerous to his own health. If anyone ever found out he would be gutted like a pig and hung out to dry in the scorching sun. The need to act, to fight was strong and so he looked around for someone, anyone to start a fight with.

Felix touched the wrapped bundle of slats next to his legs. His lathe, he would have to use the lathe to fight anyone in the tower. To use Shadar Vron at his skill level was asking for death. Many of the trainees fought with weapons all day every day while he trained mercilessly with Saidin. The thought of pain to himself from defeat drew a sigh of contentment. Anything would be better than sitting while the beast howled in its cage.

[Locke]

Terric

Most of the Drin hadn’t know what to think when they were told the Aiel Ji was going to lead them in a run. As a man who generally kept to himself, most of the learning ranks knew him mostly be reputation. At over six feet tall with unruly red-blond hair, he was quite hard to miss as well. He knew most Wetlanders were not used to running in the hot sun, so he kept their path to as many shaded areas as he could find. He’d had it drilled into his head long before he came to the Tower, The goal of training is to strengthen and teach men, not to break them. He wasn’t in the business of breaking Drin, that was for the Survival Test.

Feet thumping along the garden trail, Terric and his Drin passed several Aes Sedai out for walks as well as a few Dedicated studying. He called a halt as they drew near a class being taught outside by an Accepted. With a sharp command, Terric ordered his Drin to do lunges. Hopefully they wouldn’t be as loud and disruptive as they passed the class. Barring that, they would at least have a chance to catch their breath. The ache in his thighs was refreshing as he lunged along with his students. He felt a flicker of pride. His students. Once they were clear of the class, he ordered them to do a high knee exercise he’d been taught in his early days as an Aethan Dor. They continued on, occasionally doing sets of squats and jumps, crawling on hands and feet, or even traditional running.

By the time they crossed the final stretch back into the Warder Yards, most of them were sweating and panting. He turned on his heel and locked a stern eye on them to stop the tired Drin from bending over or sitting down. “Fall out and get some water,” he snapped in his best command voice. Terric walked over to get a drink of water for itself. They’d done well, hopefully they would be ready when it was time to dance the spears. He’d make sure to gradually ramp up their training. If he was successful, any of these men and woman would be able to go toe to toe with a fully trained algai’d’siswai.

Once the students had had enough to drink he ordered them to go pick up a weapon and meet him in the sparing arena. “I’ll pair you off. Land three solid hits and you win. It doesn’t matter where you’re hit, stay in the fight. None of this mock lost limb dross, you’re not dead until you’re dead. Keep that in your mind.” He’d never approved of mock death and lost limbs in training. It meant that a fighter was already drilling himself to drop his weapon or remove a limb form the fight. He continued to give them instructions, “If you think you can, try fighting from within the Void.”

Terric tried to pair the students up with a partner of a different size or weapon choice. He wanted them to learn to think outside of the box and learn how to fight opponents with different weapons. He settled down to watch the bouts, offering tips and suggestions between fights. He saw a few students who couldn’t leave there egos off the battle field, he’d have to figure out how to stop that.

[Felix]

Felix

Felix knelt in place near the sparring yards and watched a tall aielman Ji run a large group of Drin ragged. The whole group looked ready to collapse by the time they stopped for water. After the whole group had gotten water he set them to practicing weapons in pairs. The tall man looked to be skilled in teaching, he pushed his group to their limit but did not break them. He looked to be acquiring the Gaidin grace already, he would make a good warder to a lucky Aes Sedai or Asha'man.

Felix stood when he noticed that the Ji had no one to spar with. He sheathed Shadar Vron in its worn sheath. He leaned down and grabbed his lathe. Anticipation made his body shake ever so slightly. The beast howled for encouragement as he walked over to the tall aielman and asked to spar.

"Greeting Ji, my name is Felix. I saw your class and was wondering if I could go a few rounds with you?" Felix's face held none of the anticipation his body felt. He tried to force the emotion into the flame but nothing came of his efforts. The emotion were just too strong. He needed a release and soon.

With a gesture to his sword he continued. "I have had this sword for years but have never had much of a chance to practice my craft. Will you spar and teach me some of how to battle with a weapon?" His voice held steady.

The beast screamed in fury on the outskirts of the void. Felix quieted the screams in his mind and tried his best to center himself. Him anticipation he forced into the flame and floated in perfect calm in the void. He was away from the beast that howled and screamed in rage in his mind. As if it was coming from another person.

[Locke]

Terric

In the corner of his eye, Terric identified a man in black approaching. He stopped nearby and introduced himself as Felix. The pin at his neck marked him as Dedicated. He wanted to spar. Looking him up and down, Terric could tell that he was fit, and wore his sword with confidence. That didn’t say much, any milk-faced lordling could learn how to stand with a sword. He considered throwing the man into the ring with one of his students, but no. They were of the same rank, he’d give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Step into the ring, Dedicated Felix. You can call me Terric,” he said, dropping back into a teaching mindset, “We will go three rounds. After each round, I want you to tell me what you think you did right and what you think you did wrong. I’ll give you my critique after. We’re following the same three hits rule my students were using.” Collecting his shortened practice spear and a buckler, he joined the Dedicated. He’d taken to leaving his heavy Wetlander boots on as he spared these days. He needed to learn to move in them, next time he had to dance the spears in earnest, he might not have a chance to take them off.

The two men faced each other, two yards apart, Terric dropping into his standard defensive mid. Buckler just below eye level and angled to deflect blows out, spear poised to stab at chest level. He could feel his student’s eyes on him. He couldn’t lose in front of them. He pushed that thought down into the flame. Along with the rest of his pride and anticipation. There was just the Void. In it, he was one with the sands under his feet, the watching crowd, and most importantly the swordsman standing across from him. “Kiris Jakes,” he called to one of his students, an Andoran woman who’d expressed interest in learning to fight in the Aiel way, “Count us down.”

[Felix]

Felix

“Step into the ring, Dedicated Felix. You can call me Terric,”

“We will go three rounds. After each round, I want you to tell me what you think you did right and what you think you did wrong. I’ll give you my critique after. We’re following the same three hits rule my students were using.” Terric continued. The spar rules seemed simple enough.

He floated in Ko'di, worries pushed against the edge but he ignored them. He felt Saidinjust out of reach in his mind, he pushed the thought of seizing the source out of his mind. The fight would be sword against spear.

Felix had not practiced with Shadar Vron in ages but he would be in his element in battle. The acidic smell of violence assaulted him, he breathed in deep and sighed. The familiar scent bringing comfort for the challenge ahead.

They stood facing each other, Felix saluted Terric with his lathe and dropped into a mid defensive stance. The rest of the sparing yard fell away as he focused his mind on the movements of the aielman. A women called out for the match to start, Kiris Jakes. The beast roared encouragement as it smashed into the void in his mind. It wanted blood and screams.

He circled Terric slowly, his eyes looked for any sign of weakness he could exploit. He moved his lathe from high guard to low guard and back to high. Ready for any sign of attack. Felix knew his opponent was more familiar with his weapon and body in combat. He would have to close fast and pray to the creator that he landed a hit.

Felix moved in swiftly after an idea popped into his head the form The Boar Rushes Down the Mountain. He brought his sword out of high guard and brought the lathe down in a diagonal slash from his right shoulder, at the last minute as he saw the whites of Terric's eyes he curved the blade into a horizontal slash.

[Locke]

Terric

The students watched in wrapped anticipation. Kiris Jakes stood with three fingers above her head.

“Three”

Felix seemed to be straining at an invisible leash.

“Two”

Terric braced himself for a reckless charge.

“One!”

The young woman brought her hand down in a chopping motion before back peddling frantically.

Instead of the rush, Terric had expected, the man circled with the air of a prowling lion. He moved to keep the same distance with his opponent. There it was, a shift of feet, a clenched jaw, the way he raised his sword. His long legs ate ground rapidly as he swung for Terric’s left shoulder. Terric met the attack with an explosive force of his own, batting the sword away with his buckler.

In the Void, options spread out before him. He stabbed low for a debilitating stab to the gut. Disengaging, he said, “You aren’t dead, keep fighting.” Light on his feet he rushed in with a series of thrusts, deliberately missing and overextending himself. Would he take the advantage or let it pass? Felix wouldn’t learn anything if Terric just knocked him down all over the sparing arena, he had to give the man a chance to experiment, to attack and defend, to fight.

[Felix]

Felix

The Lathe was battered away with a force of strength from the small buckler Terric held. Felix was thrown off balance from the explosive force of the deflection. In the embrace of Ko'di he felt the stab of the blunted spear when it smacked his stomach. It felt as if it happened to another person, distant. He staggered from the one two punch from the actions. He had not been fast enough and underestimated his opponent. Terric had skill and years of practice in the Aiel Waste to aid him.

Felix's memories of his training from his family were distant and unhelpful. Too much time had passed and a shift in focus. If he wanted to live up to his namesake and bring honor to his line he needed practice and discipline.

“You aren’t dead, keep fighting.” The aielman instructed. A moment of hate flashed through the void from the beast it urged him to use the source to rip apart the man. It was subdued with a sharp nudge and floated to the background. Even the beast knew he needed concentration. Resolve burned in Felix's eyes.

A moment is all it took for him to steady his feet and fall into the alternating guard stance as they circled. Terric rushed in with a series of thrusts, the movement overextended him and seemed to off balance him. It felt calculated to Felix as he watched in the void.

His body reacted by a quick spin to the left and he brought his sword in a fast horizontal slash directed at the mans back. His momentum would make the strike powerful and painful but if Felix did not recover from the shift in balance he would be vulnerable to a swift counter.

The action gave him a passing view of the other spars going on around the Dedicated and Ji. Some of the trainees stood in silence as the battle flowed. No doubt they hoped to glean some instruction from the movements of Terric.

[Locke]

Terric

Crack! The pain as the lathes cracked across his back washed across the Void and was gone. “Good, exploit openings,” he said it as much for his students as he did for the Dedicated. Disengaging, he dropped back into his stance. They each had one point. Watching the way his opponent held his sword, Terric knew he could end this fight shortly. Never draw out a fight, it was a lesson his students needed to learn.

Buckler first, he edged back in, eyes, on his opponent’s. No matter which way he turned to attack or block, Terric would see. He lunged forward, feet kicking up a spray of sand, spear flicking out towards his eyes like a blood snake, causing him to flinch, bringing the sword up to defend. Pulling the spear back, he jabbed twice into the man’s torso. Two. Three. Fight over.

Terric stepped back lowering his weapon. Eyes on his opponent, he asked, “Now tell me. What did you do wrong? Also tell me what you think you did right.” Wizened old Vishik had drilled that question into his students. A warrior had to be able to be honest with himself, a warrior also cannot become absorbed in self-recrimination.

[Felix]

Felix

The sword connected with a crack across Terric's back. Felix stabilized his balance after the swift strike and moved back away from the Ji. He went back into his defensive stance of alternating High and Low guards, positive that he was ready for any attack that could come his way.

“Good, exploit openings,” Terric called out as he moved into a defensive stance himself.

The pair circled for mere moments before Terric rushed forward and took Felix by surprise with a sneak sand-attack. Terric followed by a spear attack directed at Felix's face. Felix reflexively brought his practice sword up to block the attack. He was stunned when the spear jabbed him in the stomach twice more signaling an end to the first round. Felix dropped to his knees in defeat.

Felix's first response was to grasp for the source. He wanted to flay the Aielman alive for the humiliation that the man had caused him. He stopped short of seizing Saidin and made an effort to compose himself. He focused on Ko'di and pushed his anger and humiliation into the flame, centering himself.

Terric stepped back and asked Felix a question. “Now tell me. What did you do wrong? Also tell me what you think you did right.”

Felix took a moment to collect himself before answering the Aiel. When he was sure he had his emotions and face in check he rose in one solid motion with a flat face that showed no emotion.

In a clear steady voice he responded to Terric. "My mistake was underestimating you after the first opening you gave me. I was not on guard and fell for your ruse. Now I was correct in using my momentum from the dodge to counter with an attack. I used the strength from the movement to amplify the strike. Round Two?"

After he got the assent from the Ji Felix moved back into his alternating stance. He had to think of some form that would allow him to test his opponent for a weak point. There had to be a way to get under the guard of Terric's buckler. Felix moved into the form The Cat Dances on the Wall to test for weaknesses.

Felix closed ground in short order and became more aggressive but not enough to let his guard down. He used short attacks, ones that could be withdrawn without losing balance or causing an opening. His sword went point first towards Terric in a feint at chest level then pulled back out into a horizontal attack with a flick of his wrist. He watched Terric through the series of attacks for any sign of an opening ready for a strong full strike.

[Locke]

Terric

Terric danced back from his opponents much more aggressive assault. The practice sword whipped forward in series of quick slashes and thrusts. At least the man was learning to follow up. He wasn’t committing to an attack, however. He could feel the rush as the suede wrapped tip whipped past his cheek. While Terric was undeniably faster than this Dedicated, but he couldn’t keep dodging back forever. In the Void, he could see several paths ahead. As was his custom, he took the least expected and most reckless. Letting is legs drop out from beneath him, he threw himself into a sideways roll, out of Felix’s direct line of site. Climbing to a crouch, he swept his leg out knocking his feet out from under him. He lunched forward ready to drive his spear home, but his opponent had rolled out of the way. A flicker of frustration crossed the Void as his spear stuck sand. As both men climbed to their feet, Terric kept the pressure up, spear questing for his opponent’s heart.