A Confrontation Between Two Sides (Closed)

MUSE

One. Two. Three. Each count was preceded by a downwards cut through the air by his sword; a nice, sweet sound was made each time the blade was brought down. It had good velocity to hit anybody who reacted late, plus it was able to close in fast enough on its target. More importantly, it had a decent enough cutting potential; it was enough to last the boy until the end of his career as long as he took good care of it which he already did. Repositioning himself for another strike, he brought his sword down; twenty. With that exercise done and any necessary stretching performed before the swings, the boy drew himself towards a training dummy, focusing his eyes on that target solely. For a person who had to fight up close, keeping his eyes on the target was of the utmost importance. Taking his stance, placing his longsword in front of him, his left foot behind the center of the force of gravity on his body and his right foot in front of the force, he exhaled and inhaled calmly, waiting for a moment in which he would strike. He had to get back into training like this with all the free time he had. Cutting, stabbing, free-hand combat, ducking, weaving, dodging, jumping, running, and many other core things were all necessary tools for him to close in on his opponent. Luckily though, with all of his spare time focused on combat, studies, and music, he had the capabilities of enhancing his fundamentals. Actual combat would come with an actual partner; thinking on the fly, reacting to a live partner, reacting to their movements and actions, they were all things that a Hunter needed to know for combat, at least that was this boy's train of thought. With those supporting details on his back, his grip on the blade tightened, refusing to let go of it for now as he dashed towards the object, imagining it as if it was a live opponent.

If it were a ranged weapon user, he'd weave left and right, making his advance back and forth, and then a quick dash to break out of his rhythm. If it was someone that was charging straight at him, Gawain'd places his sword by his sheath, using the maximum velocity he could get for a quick slash, causing the most damage, theoretically. If the opponent was going to jump down upon him, he'd check what their strategy would be: if they had a longer weapon than his sword, then he'd evade them for that moment, only to summon his Semblance and hopefully get them from behind for a quick distraction, if his Semblance didn't work, then he'd just wait it out; if they had a shorter weapon than his sword, then he'd jump after them, using his Semblance as a boost to hit them first, if his Semblance didn't, then he'd counter with an immediate upward arc. Each movement was precise, Gawain was shadowing his target almost perfectly on each attack, although this was all in his head as he made each movement in a practical loop. Once completing the last air scenario though, Gawain's eyes locked on his target as he charged forth with his sword down by his sheath, ready to cut his opposition diagonal. However, with the angle of his body indirectly corresponded with the angle of his feet, instead of dropping to his opposition's right for an upward slash to the left, he ducked to the right in one broken movement, kicking off of the ground as he made a horizontal cut. It was a surprise attack of a sort, but it was manageable in the very least. With a steady breathing pattern, Gawain stood there with his sword by his side, allowing his body to process what just happened.

Health and Aura:

Yin found herself leaning in the doorway of the training center. She had half expected it to be empty, but that wasn't the case. A boy from the tour was here. The mute no less. She became temporarily entranced by him. Enamored in his movements. The commanding expression. The his of his cold steal moving to meet a target. The foot work of his feint. She smirked to herself, giving a delighted sigh. Her eyes quickly scanned the room to make sure no one had seen her state of trance. Safe...

She made a walk towards the boy. She couldn't help it. She had seen his skills. She wanted a taste. Sheextended her hand as she closed in on the boy. "Yin Sterling. Our last meeting hardly held a proper introduction." She said with a smirk, and a tilt of the head. She had the sole intention of getting her blade wet, but there was no reason she had to be rude.

(Had to cut it short. Getting shoved out the door. >~< )

Catching his normal breathing once more, Gawain was ready to go for another set, attacking the his inanimate opponent once more, but, unexpectedly, the only other person, who Gawain didn't even know was in the empty arena, came up to him; she looked familiar, but he couldn't put his tongue on it. It was only until she was standing directly in front of him, her hand extended for a shake, a familiar smirk on her face, and her same intentional voice from the day they met that Gawain finally knew who this person was: Yin Sterling. On their first day there at the academy, Yin seemed like she wouldn't ever care or take notice of the boy, but now, there she was, standing in front of him. With no desire of ill intent between the two, Gawain sheathed his sword before shaking her hand with a calm smile on his face. Bringing out his notepad which was strapped to his sheath by the belt, he gave his own small introduction, followed by a small request as it was the training arena after all.


Revealing the page that he wrote his hello to Yin, Gawain hoped that she was going to accept his offering for a spar. That day was one of the few days that Gawain decided to dedicate that day of the week to training, and he needed to spend his time as best he could: a duel was the best way to spend the time. So, Gawain stood there, waiting a response from Yin as he held his notepad outwards; a calm expression lied on his face as he stared at the girl in front of him with a few birds chirping outside in the afternoon to break the silence.

A smile curled across Yin's face. She couldn't believe her luck. Well, that would certainly saved her the trouble of looking like a blood thirsty psychopath. Then again. Maybe they could reach an understanding here... They both wanted a partner, and it could benefit to have a regular cadre opponents. For this moment it was to begin with Gawain. She had to note the differences. Gawain's movements were swift, and elegant. Yin's were harsh, yet meticulous. Gawain seemed to favor a blade, while she used Dust. Then again, perhaps he just wasn't wasting dust on an opponent that didn't exist.

She noted the phantom notes of ferocity. The oh-so intense silence. There was a silent understanding she supposed. The battle must have began the moment they spoke to one another. "We both have the same intent then. Guess I shouldn't tarry." She decided aloud, and stepped a meter or so away from the boy. She drew her blade, her eyes lingering on the glistening well-kept steel at her side, before sweeping it up into a ready position. She couldn't help the tingle in her spine. Her first academy opponent. She hoped he was good enough to beat her. An easy opponent held no interest. "On your ready."

MUSE

With Yin's answer given, Gawain gave a small smile before it quickly faded to a calm expression. Despite their altercations when they first met, he could feel that their standings were going to improve between the two. After all, a combat situation between the two could definitely improve the way they saw each other; Syne was an academy for training Hunter prodigies, not for creating idiotic rivals that meant practically nothing, right? So, with Yin taking her stance at an approachable distance away from Gawain, he placed his pen back in the notepad's spiral binding before placing it back on his sheath, held in place by his sword belt. With an exhale of breath, with a closure of his eyes for a moment of peace, with his right hand gripped on the hilt of his sword, he readied his mind for the spar ahead. This was going to be his first duel at Syne, but really, it was his first duel in forever. He mostly trained on his own back then, only ever fighting someone when it was ordered by the class he was in, and even then, he found no enjoyment; everyone despised him. Here though, here at this academy, at this exact arena, Gawain could possibly find that enjoyment that was ready to be unleashed from all the training that he accumulated through his mind, his body, and his sword. With sudden draw of the blade, Gawain's eyes flashed wide open, staring at Yin with a dedicated expression as he took his stance, truly ready. He was going to put his all into this; he was going to succeed and prove to himself that he could make it in this world of kill or be killed.

In an immediate instant, drawing his sword to his side, he dashed forward, placing one foot after the other, one foot after the other as he raced to attack; Yin's weapon was longer than his which meant that he'd lose if he wasn't able to strike before she could. Plus with his own engagement, and her dedicated look, she wasn't going to let such an easy strike pass. He could already feel her blade descending upon him, even though nothing was there; however, the tension was already high in the room. Locking his body a bit lower, Gawain kept his eyes up at Yin, watching to see her next move as he drew himself into her striking range, then it was his striking range; her blade was going to be brought down at any second, but Gawain prepared himself ahead for this. Immediately bringing his blade into a defensive position along the arm it was being held in, he kicked off of the ground immediately, pushing him back the meter, give or take a few tenths as he immediately drew forth his left hand for his Semblance. With a sudden appearance behind him, Gawain placed both of his feet against the object as well as his free hand, kicking straight off of it. As his body turned into a variant of a bullet, Gawain readied his sword over his left shoulder, ready to strike against Yin's right side. It didn't matter if Yin reacted to the feint or not; Gawain was ready to strike for real this time.

Health and Aura:

Yin's eye's remained locked with Gawain's for a while. He seemed collected under pressure to say the least. Not that there was much to be had yet. This would be nothing like the school-yard scraps from before. She was better now. And her opponent more-so. He wasn't an emotional train on a tantrum. He was calm, and serious about the conflict.

The moment he moved Yin's mind meticulously scanned his paths of attack. As he fired into her like a bullet, she could see he already controlled the direction of the battle. She needed the momentum to beat someone so evenly matched as another first year student, and more importantly for him not to have the upper hand when the distance was closed. She would strike first. A flicker of aggression broke the icy calm of her expression, as she activated her semblance for a surge of spiritual strength, and spun a flourish towards Gawain. An explosion of wind would engulf the area towards Gawain. She hoped to knock him off his advance, and would make her charge directly after.

HP/Aura:

Just like that, Gawain was knocked back out of the air, being hit with the brunt of the attack. She had utilized her Semblance, and after that a strike of Dust came directly for him, wind. It was stronger in the air, but nevertheless, it would've still fully hurt if he was charging at her from the ground. In the impact of the attack though, Gawain was sent flying back the entire meter he closed in, only to land on his back as he suddenly gasped for air. The force from the Dust was strong, extremely strong to Gawain. He wondered if he didn't have any chance at all in this battle, but that was just quitter's talk. He couldn't just give up like that, not after what he had been through to get to Syne. Rolling himself backwards, Gawain flipped himself back up as he readied his sword, recovering his steady breathing as he waited for Yin's approach. After that attack, he had to go on the defensive or he was going to blindly run into another attack from Yin, possibly that time without knowing what would hit him. Gawain's entire mind was on that fight, not letting a single eye off of Yin, relaxing a single muscle as that fight was a deciding factor to himself if he was ready for the life ahead.

Health and Aura:

Yin smirked at her handiwork, but charged after Gawain, not planning to let him gain the upper hand. He recovered to quickly for her to strike him prone, but he would need to be defensive for now. She was already fighting her viscous instincts in her nature of fighting. Dirty fighting. Eyes, throat, and groin all seemed like wanting targets. Her mind told her to mutilate him. She would need to develop a mindset for sparring, or she might have a serious issue in the future. For now she pirouetted with her blade fallowing behind her head in a full arc to strike him, using her semblance to feel a surge of strength. He was fast enough to be in a defensive stance. She could already tell this battle. They each had their own strengths. She was likely outmatched with a blade, and didn't have enough dust to beat him. Never the less, this adrenaline was too good to waste, even if she was to lose.

HP/Aura:

Yin was already on the offensive, right from when he was overcome by her counterattack; she wasn't going to let up no matter what, but neither was Gawain. He had only a few seconds to react, seeing Yin's spinning blade as an immediate threat; the angle of the attack with the technique Yin was deploying couldn't be determined until the the blade was brought to its target. With that, Gawain's eyes and mind focused on the approaching target as he waited for the attack. Her Semblance came mid-charge, but for a reaction, Gawain had none as he could feel her blade already in range. It improved her capabilities in some way or form, but what specifically, he had to figure that out later as her blade was coming at him right away. Drawing his sword for a slash against hers, Gawain could feel the impact of her sword against his diminished strike. Pushing him back a couple of centimeters, Yin was indeed a force to be reckoned with; however, whatever strength that lied in her swordsmanship, Gawain wasn't ready to just be beat like that.

Immediately from the clash, Gawain gathered his strength and angled his blade on top of Yin's, pushing it down the ground as he thrust his sword forward at Yin; a quick follow-up was given, either to increase the damage or put a considerable space between the two so he could take the rhythm of the fight, Gawain took one step forward and immediately raised his back leg and threw it out straight in front of him, primed directly for Yin. Confirmation or not, hopefully, it guided the battle in his favor.

Health and Aura:

Yin recoiled from the loud clang of their blades connecting. He seemed to have shrugged off the brunt of the attack, but there was still some cost from his block yet. She flourished her blade behind her back to keep her offense, but it was too late. Gawain was already implementing an attack, and strong. She sacrificed her offense, bringing her blade to bear against his, mentally mourning being stuck in an offensive stance while defending. When the connection was made, Yin was knocked clean from her feet. She was expecting him to hit hard, but not that hard. As she landed she quickly recovered using a bastardized back-spin, and with another surge of spirit threw a second gust of wind towards Gawain to give her proper time to take a defensive stance.

She huffed in her place, licking a lip. Her thirst for this battle was nearly a physical need now. Gawain wasn't a disappointing opponent to say the least. She happily noted that his prowess easily made up for his inability to communicate. Or... At least in most situations.

HP/Aura:

With the impact of the swords, Gawain was once more brought into his rhythm; he had to control the pace of the fight or Yin would end up carrying herself through to the end. Taking his stance once more after the kick, locking his eyes on Yin immediately, he noticed a familiar movement of her body, only to find that it was the same attack she used to land the first hit; however, with an immediate crouch, spreading his legs, Gawain applied all of his strength into his right foot, kicking off the ground to evade the attack. His body flew straight off the floor to his left. With the separation placed between the gust and him, Gawain prepared for his charge, waving his hand as he summoned a Glyph in the air where he could jump to with an ease, but with force at least.  Maybe one more time.

Dashing once more towards Yin's right, Gawain began his approach with his sword held the same way it was at the start; his eyes locked dead on with Yin's, Gawain drew his blade forward when he was within range, only to transition to his back foot forward for an immediate hop backwards onto the Glyph that lied in a reachable distance away from them. From there, he made his launch quick, jumping directly at Yin with a downward strike, a helm breaker of the sorts, using both the force of gravity to decrease her reaction time for a block. Even if it was the same strategy as the start, Gawain had the rhythm on his side this time; the intensity from the situation allowed for feints, and that's what Gawain did, all for just another attack. Hopefully this time, the boy succeeded in his tactic against such a considerable opponent.

Health and Aura:

Yin frowned inwardly. He fought like a coward, and dressed like a knight. Gritting her teeth, she put everything into her defensive stance. Though she wasn't sure her semblance would be able to shrug off this blow. But she refused to back down. Not against this. She wound up her blade to meet his over her head. Another loud clang echoed into the corners of the arena as the two blades contested each others owners. Yin swiftly arced her sword off to the left, diving to the left to disengage her opponent. Gracefully rolling to her feet, and slid her sword back into it sheath. "I've lost my taste for this battle. May we fight properly next time." She spoke in a monotone that had an odd possession of venom flicking from it somehow. She made her way from the man in rough steps, nearly abusing the well used floor of the arena.

MUSE

The sound of their swords clashing against one another was a melodic sound of combat. It showed that there was a fire in each of their hearts; however, what came next was a surprise for the mute boy. Having reached the ground and continued in the clash with his opposition, when he saw that Yin swiftly motioned away from him, sheathing her sword and disengaging in combat, Gawain was just flabbergasted. After hearing her uncaring, rather contemptuous, at least it was to Gawain, monotone voice, Gawain simply stood there, staring at Yin with a hurt look. Reaching out to her with his free hand, Gawain wanted her to come back, to tell her to continue and train more with him, but knowing that he was a mute, and would most likely annoy her more by running up to her with a written response, Gawain retracted his hand, sighing to himself as his sword was settled into its sheath.

Just like that, he was alone once more. Yin was a great fighter, though; she put feeling into each strike, and it truly gave Gawain a feeling a combat. It was sad to see her go though, knowing that he did something that annoyed her. Hearing her voice say such hurtful words did point a sting in his heart. Fighting properly. Gawain wondered what those words meant; he wondered what went wrong with that battle as he stared down at his dominant hand. A training partner was all he needed and Yin was more than capable of filling that spot, but for now, all Gawain could do was contemplate and move on. With a solemn step, he soon left the room, clearly affected by Yin's words.

Yin spared a glance over her shoulder to see Gawain's silent pleading. His strength, and skill. Even his spirit. He was a worthy opponent on any scale. There was a moment of hesitation. The boy obviously had something to say, so why not hear it out. It isn't like she wasn't enjoying the fight. Her fingers coiled about the hilt of her Severance. So comfortable in contrast. Like slipping back into a warm bed in the winter. Perhaps she had a poor choice of words, or shouldn't have said anything at all?

Giving a few squeezes of thought, she let her hand drop from the blade. No. That swordsman. His conviction in combat, and ability to juggle tenacity with a gentle approach. That was her goal. She would not let him off so easily. Anything went in a real battle, but sparring was a measure of honor. Petty cut and run tactics weren't something she could stomach. She couldn't fathom the disrespect. She would let him learn until next time.

[Temp Exit]

(I honestly think we should just use this thread for the future sparring matches as well. xD )