Geddoe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
trueltning_fury) wrote2008-10-15 10:39 pm
trueltning_fury) wrote2008-10-15 10:39 pm
Prose log with Rahal
Who: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
trueltning_fury and bluelamphinian
When: about two weeks ago (whoops backlog)
Where: down by the dojo
What: Rahal's sparring application to join Geddoe's team
Rahal took a few more practice swings in the early morning air in the practice field near the dojo, reminding himself to remain calm. He had sent a note to Geddoe requesting to have his try out battle this morning, and he was anxious for the man to arrive. It was not that he was unsure of his own capabilities, it was just the prospect of taking a step towards DOING something that excited him. He took another swing and then a deep breath, seeking his center and his calm. Nerves before battle would only do him harm, not good.
Even though he had nothing to do and all day to do it, Geddoe was in the habit of rising fairly early anyway, a habit not even all of his leave-time could break. Admittedly, with Sigurd now free as well, the two were indulging in more lazy mornings than usual, but Geddoe could not turn down the request to spar with a potential teammate. He knew very little about the dragon-horse soldier, but he seemed likeable enough. What mattered, though, was what he was about to find out. He stepped down the broad stairway from the courtyard, finding a blue-clad figure already in the field.
Rahal turned and spied Geddoe, sighing in relief. He sheathed his weapon and waited for the man to come nearer before bowing. "Thank you for coming this morning," Rahal said graciously, straightening and flinging the end of his braid back over his shoulder. No loose tails or half-tails for this fight. He put his hair in a braid and would clip it up just before the match.
Geddoe grunted an affirmation. "Rahal." He glanced over the other man, noting his armor and weapon of choice. "This isn't anything too formal. Yes, I do want to get a feel for your fighting ability and strength, but joining the team isn't make-or-break on one sparring session alone." He clasped his hands, resting his elbow on the hilt of Wild Geese at his side. "If I like what I see, we'll have to make some short-range trips. There's always big mantikra up on Mt. Hei-Tou that could stand to be hunted."
Rahal flushed. "Sorry, Sir - I mean, Geddoe. Years of formal training are rather hard to set aside," he said, his cheeks red. "And of course I'm aware of that. But still, thank you for making time for me this morning. I know you could have... better things to be doing."
"Not really," Geddoe said with an aloof shrug. "Sleeping in is a luxury I rarely entertain." He swung his arms up and across his body to loosen them up, and then set his hand on the hilt again. "Are we ready?"
Rahal nodded. "Yes, S - Geddoe," he caught himself, reminding himself that formalities were not necessary. He backed up a paces from Geddoe and took out his weapon. Like Watari's, it was a katana, but Rahal held it much differently. Where as Watari held with the air of a striking snake, Rahal held it with the air of something more delicate, but was still deadly. He slipped into a ready position, his face serious and focused.
Geddoe whiffed a slight chuckle as he drew Wild Geese, all nice and sharpened since his last real bout with Kyle. "You're making me feel old," he quipped, "like some crusty old commanding officer testing a new recruit." Neverminding that that was exactly what he was doing. He stood at rest a moment, gauging the cavalry officer's stance, and then lunged in fast for a hard but plain old strike with his dominant hand.
Rahal was not a Commander for nothing. He was good figuring strategy on a map as he was on a field, and he was a bit surprised at the rather obvious move. He instantly parried without thinking, spinning to slide his blade along Geddoe's and try to get on the inside reach of the blade where he would have the advantage right off.
Geddoe used his free hand to block Rahal's body, pushing off from him and circling around to the right. It was a good reaction to his basic opening, meaning he could step it up a notch. He struck for Rahal's flank, bringing the sword up in a low sweep with just a flick of his wrist.
Rahal spun so he was facing the blade sideways and met it with his own, bending his knees to center his weight and keep himself from being pushed aside or overpowered since Geddoe was bigger and could very easily do so if he tried hard enough. Using his front foot as a pivot point and grounding center, he pushed his weight forward against Geddoe's blade to knock it up and back before moving into a slide and bringing his blade up to aim at Geddoe's thigh.
It took some effort to swing his sword around and parry aside the blow, but Geddoe managed clumsily, stepping backwards as he did to keep himself from getting cut. He realized he needed to take this more seriously, and lowered his head as he braced himself and struck in much shorter, faster swings, three in rapid succession with the last a backhanded swipe that seemed implausible for someone blind on the right, as it pivoted him slightly to present that side to his opponent.
Rahal parried the thrusts, the speed taking him by surprise, the blade nearly nicking him several times. He could see the presentation of what seemed the weakened side - however, he doubted Geddoe (who if reports were correct had been around for some time and was a very skilled and veteran fighter) would present the side by mistake. It would make more sense for the presentation of the side to be a trap, with the first three thrust and swipe as a setup - not unlike feinting an attack from the land to drive the enemy towards the water where the real force was hiding. He locked Geddoe's blade with his hilt and went to stalemate, not taking the risk of the seemingly very open opportunity though the stalemate was to his disadvantage since Geddoe had the sheer power advantage in this fight.
Geddoe held the locked swords for a moment, using his hidden advantages to gauge the situation before reacting. He didn't present his good eye to Rahal, relying on his hearing and the vague sense of a body next to him. He completed the turn and disengaged their swords only to throw his shoulder into Rahal, intending to knock him back if not down - but he reserved his full strength so as not to send the slighter man sprawling.
Rahal had not expected the such a move, and it did indeed knock him down. But just because he was going down did not mean he was defenseless. He went with the force, pushing into a backwards somersault away from any immediate attacks and came up crouched low and his sword up in guard position to allow for quick, life-saving reactions if he needed them as he got his feet back - if Geddoe let him.
The slightest smirk curled Geddoe's lips as he rushed his opponent, seeing him get up so quickly and smoothly. He went for the fast, shallow swings again, looking to see how well Rahal blocked or even parried from different directions and how well he recovered from his disadvantage.
Even though remaining low had it's own problems (basically given Geddoe the high ground), Rahal remained crouched in what he sometimes referred to as the turtle maneuver. It was all defense. By staying on his toes he could pivot to intercept attacks and throw them off, and at the same time this bought him time to think up some way to get the advantage to his side. It was not fool proof - he was sometimes late to the interception, receiving a few nicks but nothing that threatened his ability to fight in any way, shape, or form. After several prolonged minutes of this, he finally saw his opening with one of Geddoe's numerous shallow swings. He caught the blade, then surge up with the power of his calves and thighs. He spun, bringing his sword about and putting himself in towards Geddoe. He turned the sword so the hilt faced Geddoe as he made to tackle the man with his shoulder or drive his hilt into the man's kidney area.
Impressed with the move, Geddoe rolled with it, lunging backwards so the blow wouldn't connect and grabbing for Rahal's jacket with his free hand. Momentum almost sent him crashing to the ground with the commander on top of him, but he transferred it from his torso to his arms, seeing as he had a grip of something like a hood on the back of the coat. He yanked hard, pulling Rahal first towards him and then flinging him away as he circled around in the opposite direction. It was clumsy and unsatisfying, but Geddoe preferred it to a hilt in the kidneys, armor or no. The move separated them from each other neatly, leaving both the space to regain their footing and decide whether to attack or brace next.
Rahal recovered quickly, and decided giving Geddoe time to think was not good for his health. Deciding quickly, Rahal lunged forward and began his own series of swift attacks. Unlike Watari, who seems to attack for no reason other than to force a mistake, Rahal's strikes were swift but calculated, his eyes always following the movements of arms, blades, and body, his blue eyes bright as he absorbed responses and took them into account in his calculations as he began the next assault.
Geddoe held his ground and blocked the strikes, studying them in his own way. He didn't try very hard to parry any of them back at Rahal, he just wanted to see what the man could do. He was impressive, to be sure. Precise with a sword, almost to the point of finesse. Yet, he refused to allow Rahal any kind of advantage, for simply rolling back and letting his opponent beat on him was no way of finding out whether he could actually hold his own against a skilled fighter. He just kept blocking, betraying nothing of what move he might finally make to get out of the rain of strikes.
Rahal's brow furrowed as he rained strikes down on Geddoe. The man was parrying them well, but he did not seem to be preparing anything, no way of getting out from under them. That was strange... and unnerving. Rahal didn't think going for Geddoe's blind side was a good idea - if he had a blind side, he would have concentrated much of his training learning to protect if as well if not better than his good side, so no go there. That left the eye-side. And if Geddoe would not give an advantage, he would make one. He came in for another of blow, but at the last second dropped the angle of his blade so it became a thrust down towards the knee. At the same time, he shifted his weight to his front thrusting foot and pivoted, still keeping the blade aimed at Geddoe's knee, trying to turning himself behind Geddoe.
The thrust required a hard, fast, downward slash to block, leaving both men wide open to anything except a blade. In this, Geddoe had the advantage, because mercenaries fought dirty. He snaked his left arm under Rahal's sword arm and grabbed, lunging foward and trying to pull the commander up and over his left shoulder. If it worked, he would throw the man to the ground. If it didn't, he could put Rahal in an even better position to retaliate, but he could handle that.
In this, Rahal had to thank Roog. Roog was stronger physically than Rahal, and thanks to spars with him he'd learned not to panic in these situations. He used Geddoe's attempted haul to his advantage.... and snaked his free arm around the man's neck, hooking him at the elbow and holding tight, wrapping a leg as best he could around Geddoe to give him some leverage. It was not the best choke-hold in the world, but it prevented putting Rahal in a far worse position if Geddoe's technique had worked, and bought him time. He was under no illusions that Geddoe could not shake him off - he surely would - at least then they might be on even footing, which was better than a total disadvantage.
Thwarted, Geddoe took a second to re-evaluate his position. Rahal was no weakling, but if allowed to keep a hold on him like that, it could turn out poorly. There was only one good way out of it: down. He dropped to a knee and simultaneously elbowed backwards, figuring he'd get Rahal in the gut or the thigh, depending on how unbalanced this put him.
Rahal took the elbow in his gut, and damn it hurt. Geddoe would have heard the exhalation of breath, but he wasn't giving up his position just yet. He endured the pain, though it made him wheeze, but until he had his sword arm back he couldn't risk loosing what leverage he had, even though it was now weakened by the shock of the blow.
Geddoe was in an even better position now to throw Rahal completely over him, so he jabbed Wild Geese into the ground at his feet, got a hold of the commander's jacket with both hands, and flung him as hard as he could. The exertion would cost him precious stamina, but it would be worth it.
Rahal went with it, landing hard, knocking breath from him again. But he knew better than to keep down. In a real fight, the enemy would not be generous enough to give him time, and either would Geddoe. Gasping for air he couldn't get - he immediately rolled out of the immediate danger zone and straight to his feet and up to guard position. Attacking now was a death sentence - he needed his breath back and his balance before he could go on the offensive again.
Geddoe rose slowly from his kneeling position, making no move to retrieve his sword though it stood right before him. He regarded Rahal for a long moment and then nodded. "That's enough. I don't need to hurt you to prove anything further. I've gotten what I needed."
Rahal waited a moment, his battle strategic mind for an instant thinking it was a feint, but then remember this was a spar and Geddoe had no reason to attempt to win with something like that. He took a deep breath and relaxed, sheathing his blade and bowing. "Thank you for the match," he said around pants. The hit to his gut still hurt.
"You all right?" Geddoe tried not to grin, though he had rather enjoyed the physicality of that match. "Give yourself a minute. I probably hit you pretty hard, I forgot to pull the punch."
Rahal straightened, touching a hand to spot Geddoe had elbowed. "It is all right," he smiled. "I'm used to it. Miakis and Roog are both stronger than me physically, as sad as that might be to admit. I'm used to those sorts of beatings in spars." He coughed a few times and caught his breath again. "I must say that was refreshing."
"Refreshing," Geddoe repeated with a wry laugh. "Right. You don't have to gloss anything over for my sake. Be honest, Rahal. I prize that more than decorum any day." He finally plucked Wild Geese out of the ground and gave the tip of the blade a brush with his glove to clean it before sheathing it. "So you favor a single-bladed sword. You're pretty good at getting cuts in, all things considered. Do you have any runes?"
"I carry a Water Rune, and my sword is imbued with Water Rune pieces," Rahal replied, and then smiled. "And I was being honest, Geddoe. I haven’t gotten a good spar in some time. My Commandership kept me behind a desk more often than not. Getting out and doing something was refreshing for me."
The mercenary shook his head. "If there's anyone who can't afford to get rusty, it's a commander. Or a captain, or anyone in command. It takes more than mental skills to lead any troop." Geddoe began to pace a little, both to think and to cool himself down after working up such a sweat. "Another Water user. I'm starting to feel surrounded by them," he mused. "So, tell me. If the team were attacked, which position would suit you best? Short range, rear line?"
Rahal slipped into tactical mode without thinking. "My range personally is short. I tend to prefer front line engagement with my sword. Mounted upon Flail, I have a wider circular reach and Flail's natural weaponry makes her devastating on land and sea. She can easily deal with creatures her own size and bigger, and humans are little more than a bother when she's armored up. Because I lack physical strength, pairing me with a stronger partner is conceivable, and I am trained in strategic leadership from the back lines if I must remain there, though I do not prefer it. I also have training as a field medic, though my knowledge is limited and meant only as a temporary solution till proper medical treatment can be administered." Behold his speech he made for his interview to become Captain, at least part of it.
Geddoe nodded, though only one part of that whole spiel drew his attention. "Flail, huh. Hm. I hadn't considered that. I haven't worked with a mounted fighter before - skirmishes in the Fire Bringer war notwithstanding," he added as an afterthought.
"I had wondered if it might be a concern," Rahal noted. "I rarely go anywhere without her, though I am capable of fighting unmounted. Even when not used for combat, she can carry supplies and be used to transport the injured if they can't walk. She could be an asset if used properly, but that is your decision as Captain."
"Well, I wouldn't ask you to just leave your mount at home in order to join the team," Geddoe sighed. "It'll be a consideration. I'll have to weigh that along with everything else." He gestured with a nod toward Rahal's likely bruised gut. "Feeling any better?"
"As I said, I'm used to rough treatment," Rahal smiled. "I'm fine. I'll soak in the baths later and perhaps go to the infirmary for some bruising cream if it does not subside." He reached behind his head and undid his clipped braid, his blue-black locks falling about his shoulders. "What about you?"
"None the worse for wear," Geddoe shrugged. "My stamina is back to normal, a little sparring session like that won't bother me much." He did the single head-nod again. "Good work. I'll let you know if I plan to take a group out, maybe after Stallion gets back and you're free."
Rahal began to bow, but thought better of it. Geddoe said he didn't like the formalities so much. Instead, he made it into a steep inclination of his head. "Thank you again, Geddoe. Perhaps we can spar again if you have time."
"Oh, I'm sure I'll have the time," Geddoe smirked, turning on his heel and raising his hand in a loose sort of salute. "Until then, Rahal."
"See you, Geddoe," he called back, turning towards the baths. He didn't think customers would appreciate a sweaty and battle-sore delivery man.
trueltning_fury and bluelamphinianWhen: about two weeks ago (whoops backlog)
Where: down by the dojo
What: Rahal's sparring application to join Geddoe's team
Rahal took a few more practice swings in the early morning air in the practice field near the dojo, reminding himself to remain calm. He had sent a note to Geddoe requesting to have his try out battle this morning, and he was anxious for the man to arrive. It was not that he was unsure of his own capabilities, it was just the prospect of taking a step towards DOING something that excited him. He took another swing and then a deep breath, seeking his center and his calm. Nerves before battle would only do him harm, not good.
Even though he had nothing to do and all day to do it, Geddoe was in the habit of rising fairly early anyway, a habit not even all of his leave-time could break. Admittedly, with Sigurd now free as well, the two were indulging in more lazy mornings than usual, but Geddoe could not turn down the request to spar with a potential teammate. He knew very little about the dragon-horse soldier, but he seemed likeable enough. What mattered, though, was what he was about to find out. He stepped down the broad stairway from the courtyard, finding a blue-clad figure already in the field.
Rahal turned and spied Geddoe, sighing in relief. He sheathed his weapon and waited for the man to come nearer before bowing. "Thank you for coming this morning," Rahal said graciously, straightening and flinging the end of his braid back over his shoulder. No loose tails or half-tails for this fight. He put his hair in a braid and would clip it up just before the match.
Geddoe grunted an affirmation. "Rahal." He glanced over the other man, noting his armor and weapon of choice. "This isn't anything too formal. Yes, I do want to get a feel for your fighting ability and strength, but joining the team isn't make-or-break on one sparring session alone." He clasped his hands, resting his elbow on the hilt of Wild Geese at his side. "If I like what I see, we'll have to make some short-range trips. There's always big mantikra up on Mt. Hei-Tou that could stand to be hunted."
Rahal flushed. "Sorry, Sir - I mean, Geddoe. Years of formal training are rather hard to set aside," he said, his cheeks red. "And of course I'm aware of that. But still, thank you for making time for me this morning. I know you could have... better things to be doing."
"Not really," Geddoe said with an aloof shrug. "Sleeping in is a luxury I rarely entertain." He swung his arms up and across his body to loosen them up, and then set his hand on the hilt again. "Are we ready?"
Rahal nodded. "Yes, S - Geddoe," he caught himself, reminding himself that formalities were not necessary. He backed up a paces from Geddoe and took out his weapon. Like Watari's, it was a katana, but Rahal held it much differently. Where as Watari held with the air of a striking snake, Rahal held it with the air of something more delicate, but was still deadly. He slipped into a ready position, his face serious and focused.
Geddoe whiffed a slight chuckle as he drew Wild Geese, all nice and sharpened since his last real bout with Kyle. "You're making me feel old," he quipped, "like some crusty old commanding officer testing a new recruit." Neverminding that that was exactly what he was doing. He stood at rest a moment, gauging the cavalry officer's stance, and then lunged in fast for a hard but plain old strike with his dominant hand.
Rahal was not a Commander for nothing. He was good figuring strategy on a map as he was on a field, and he was a bit surprised at the rather obvious move. He instantly parried without thinking, spinning to slide his blade along Geddoe's and try to get on the inside reach of the blade where he would have the advantage right off.
Geddoe used his free hand to block Rahal's body, pushing off from him and circling around to the right. It was a good reaction to his basic opening, meaning he could step it up a notch. He struck for Rahal's flank, bringing the sword up in a low sweep with just a flick of his wrist.
Rahal spun so he was facing the blade sideways and met it with his own, bending his knees to center his weight and keep himself from being pushed aside or overpowered since Geddoe was bigger and could very easily do so if he tried hard enough. Using his front foot as a pivot point and grounding center, he pushed his weight forward against Geddoe's blade to knock it up and back before moving into a slide and bringing his blade up to aim at Geddoe's thigh.
It took some effort to swing his sword around and parry aside the blow, but Geddoe managed clumsily, stepping backwards as he did to keep himself from getting cut. He realized he needed to take this more seriously, and lowered his head as he braced himself and struck in much shorter, faster swings, three in rapid succession with the last a backhanded swipe that seemed implausible for someone blind on the right, as it pivoted him slightly to present that side to his opponent.
Rahal parried the thrusts, the speed taking him by surprise, the blade nearly nicking him several times. He could see the presentation of what seemed the weakened side - however, he doubted Geddoe (who if reports were correct had been around for some time and was a very skilled and veteran fighter) would present the side by mistake. It would make more sense for the presentation of the side to be a trap, with the first three thrust and swipe as a setup - not unlike feinting an attack from the land to drive the enemy towards the water where the real force was hiding. He locked Geddoe's blade with his hilt and went to stalemate, not taking the risk of the seemingly very open opportunity though the stalemate was to his disadvantage since Geddoe had the sheer power advantage in this fight.
Geddoe held the locked swords for a moment, using his hidden advantages to gauge the situation before reacting. He didn't present his good eye to Rahal, relying on his hearing and the vague sense of a body next to him. He completed the turn and disengaged their swords only to throw his shoulder into Rahal, intending to knock him back if not down - but he reserved his full strength so as not to send the slighter man sprawling.
Rahal had not expected the such a move, and it did indeed knock him down. But just because he was going down did not mean he was defenseless. He went with the force, pushing into a backwards somersault away from any immediate attacks and came up crouched low and his sword up in guard position to allow for quick, life-saving reactions if he needed them as he got his feet back - if Geddoe let him.
The slightest smirk curled Geddoe's lips as he rushed his opponent, seeing him get up so quickly and smoothly. He went for the fast, shallow swings again, looking to see how well Rahal blocked or even parried from different directions and how well he recovered from his disadvantage.
Even though remaining low had it's own problems (basically given Geddoe the high ground), Rahal remained crouched in what he sometimes referred to as the turtle maneuver. It was all defense. By staying on his toes he could pivot to intercept attacks and throw them off, and at the same time this bought him time to think up some way to get the advantage to his side. It was not fool proof - he was sometimes late to the interception, receiving a few nicks but nothing that threatened his ability to fight in any way, shape, or form. After several prolonged minutes of this, he finally saw his opening with one of Geddoe's numerous shallow swings. He caught the blade, then surge up with the power of his calves and thighs. He spun, bringing his sword about and putting himself in towards Geddoe. He turned the sword so the hilt faced Geddoe as he made to tackle the man with his shoulder or drive his hilt into the man's kidney area.
Impressed with the move, Geddoe rolled with it, lunging backwards so the blow wouldn't connect and grabbing for Rahal's jacket with his free hand. Momentum almost sent him crashing to the ground with the commander on top of him, but he transferred it from his torso to his arms, seeing as he had a grip of something like a hood on the back of the coat. He yanked hard, pulling Rahal first towards him and then flinging him away as he circled around in the opposite direction. It was clumsy and unsatisfying, but Geddoe preferred it to a hilt in the kidneys, armor or no. The move separated them from each other neatly, leaving both the space to regain their footing and decide whether to attack or brace next.
Rahal recovered quickly, and decided giving Geddoe time to think was not good for his health. Deciding quickly, Rahal lunged forward and began his own series of swift attacks. Unlike Watari, who seems to attack for no reason other than to force a mistake, Rahal's strikes were swift but calculated, his eyes always following the movements of arms, blades, and body, his blue eyes bright as he absorbed responses and took them into account in his calculations as he began the next assault.
Geddoe held his ground and blocked the strikes, studying them in his own way. He didn't try very hard to parry any of them back at Rahal, he just wanted to see what the man could do. He was impressive, to be sure. Precise with a sword, almost to the point of finesse. Yet, he refused to allow Rahal any kind of advantage, for simply rolling back and letting his opponent beat on him was no way of finding out whether he could actually hold his own against a skilled fighter. He just kept blocking, betraying nothing of what move he might finally make to get out of the rain of strikes.
Rahal's brow furrowed as he rained strikes down on Geddoe. The man was parrying them well, but he did not seem to be preparing anything, no way of getting out from under them. That was strange... and unnerving. Rahal didn't think going for Geddoe's blind side was a good idea - if he had a blind side, he would have concentrated much of his training learning to protect if as well if not better than his good side, so no go there. That left the eye-side. And if Geddoe would not give an advantage, he would make one. He came in for another of blow, but at the last second dropped the angle of his blade so it became a thrust down towards the knee. At the same time, he shifted his weight to his front thrusting foot and pivoted, still keeping the blade aimed at Geddoe's knee, trying to turning himself behind Geddoe.
The thrust required a hard, fast, downward slash to block, leaving both men wide open to anything except a blade. In this, Geddoe had the advantage, because mercenaries fought dirty. He snaked his left arm under Rahal's sword arm and grabbed, lunging foward and trying to pull the commander up and over his left shoulder. If it worked, he would throw the man to the ground. If it didn't, he could put Rahal in an even better position to retaliate, but he could handle that.
In this, Rahal had to thank Roog. Roog was stronger physically than Rahal, and thanks to spars with him he'd learned not to panic in these situations. He used Geddoe's attempted haul to his advantage.... and snaked his free arm around the man's neck, hooking him at the elbow and holding tight, wrapping a leg as best he could around Geddoe to give him some leverage. It was not the best choke-hold in the world, but it prevented putting Rahal in a far worse position if Geddoe's technique had worked, and bought him time. He was under no illusions that Geddoe could not shake him off - he surely would - at least then they might be on even footing, which was better than a total disadvantage.
Thwarted, Geddoe took a second to re-evaluate his position. Rahal was no weakling, but if allowed to keep a hold on him like that, it could turn out poorly. There was only one good way out of it: down. He dropped to a knee and simultaneously elbowed backwards, figuring he'd get Rahal in the gut or the thigh, depending on how unbalanced this put him.
Rahal took the elbow in his gut, and damn it hurt. Geddoe would have heard the exhalation of breath, but he wasn't giving up his position just yet. He endured the pain, though it made him wheeze, but until he had his sword arm back he couldn't risk loosing what leverage he had, even though it was now weakened by the shock of the blow.
Geddoe was in an even better position now to throw Rahal completely over him, so he jabbed Wild Geese into the ground at his feet, got a hold of the commander's jacket with both hands, and flung him as hard as he could. The exertion would cost him precious stamina, but it would be worth it.
Rahal went with it, landing hard, knocking breath from him again. But he knew better than to keep down. In a real fight, the enemy would not be generous enough to give him time, and either would Geddoe. Gasping for air he couldn't get - he immediately rolled out of the immediate danger zone and straight to his feet and up to guard position. Attacking now was a death sentence - he needed his breath back and his balance before he could go on the offensive again.
Geddoe rose slowly from his kneeling position, making no move to retrieve his sword though it stood right before him. He regarded Rahal for a long moment and then nodded. "That's enough. I don't need to hurt you to prove anything further. I've gotten what I needed."
Rahal waited a moment, his battle strategic mind for an instant thinking it was a feint, but then remember this was a spar and Geddoe had no reason to attempt to win with something like that. He took a deep breath and relaxed, sheathing his blade and bowing. "Thank you for the match," he said around pants. The hit to his gut still hurt.
"You all right?" Geddoe tried not to grin, though he had rather enjoyed the physicality of that match. "Give yourself a minute. I probably hit you pretty hard, I forgot to pull the punch."
Rahal straightened, touching a hand to spot Geddoe had elbowed. "It is all right," he smiled. "I'm used to it. Miakis and Roog are both stronger than me physically, as sad as that might be to admit. I'm used to those sorts of beatings in spars." He coughed a few times and caught his breath again. "I must say that was refreshing."
"Refreshing," Geddoe repeated with a wry laugh. "Right. You don't have to gloss anything over for my sake. Be honest, Rahal. I prize that more than decorum any day." He finally plucked Wild Geese out of the ground and gave the tip of the blade a brush with his glove to clean it before sheathing it. "So you favor a single-bladed sword. You're pretty good at getting cuts in, all things considered. Do you have any runes?"
"I carry a Water Rune, and my sword is imbued with Water Rune pieces," Rahal replied, and then smiled. "And I was being honest, Geddoe. I haven’t gotten a good spar in some time. My Commandership kept me behind a desk more often than not. Getting out and doing something was refreshing for me."
The mercenary shook his head. "If there's anyone who can't afford to get rusty, it's a commander. Or a captain, or anyone in command. It takes more than mental skills to lead any troop." Geddoe began to pace a little, both to think and to cool himself down after working up such a sweat. "Another Water user. I'm starting to feel surrounded by them," he mused. "So, tell me. If the team were attacked, which position would suit you best? Short range, rear line?"
Rahal slipped into tactical mode without thinking. "My range personally is short. I tend to prefer front line engagement with my sword. Mounted upon Flail, I have a wider circular reach and Flail's natural weaponry makes her devastating on land and sea. She can easily deal with creatures her own size and bigger, and humans are little more than a bother when she's armored up. Because I lack physical strength, pairing me with a stronger partner is conceivable, and I am trained in strategic leadership from the back lines if I must remain there, though I do not prefer it. I also have training as a field medic, though my knowledge is limited and meant only as a temporary solution till proper medical treatment can be administered." Behold his speech he made for his interview to become Captain, at least part of it.
Geddoe nodded, though only one part of that whole spiel drew his attention. "Flail, huh. Hm. I hadn't considered that. I haven't worked with a mounted fighter before - skirmishes in the Fire Bringer war notwithstanding," he added as an afterthought.
"I had wondered if it might be a concern," Rahal noted. "I rarely go anywhere without her, though I am capable of fighting unmounted. Even when not used for combat, she can carry supplies and be used to transport the injured if they can't walk. She could be an asset if used properly, but that is your decision as Captain."
"Well, I wouldn't ask you to just leave your mount at home in order to join the team," Geddoe sighed. "It'll be a consideration. I'll have to weigh that along with everything else." He gestured with a nod toward Rahal's likely bruised gut. "Feeling any better?"
"As I said, I'm used to rough treatment," Rahal smiled. "I'm fine. I'll soak in the baths later and perhaps go to the infirmary for some bruising cream if it does not subside." He reached behind his head and undid his clipped braid, his blue-black locks falling about his shoulders. "What about you?"
"None the worse for wear," Geddoe shrugged. "My stamina is back to normal, a little sparring session like that won't bother me much." He did the single head-nod again. "Good work. I'll let you know if I plan to take a group out, maybe after Stallion gets back and you're free."
Rahal began to bow, but thought better of it. Geddoe said he didn't like the formalities so much. Instead, he made it into a steep inclination of his head. "Thank you again, Geddoe. Perhaps we can spar again if you have time."
"Oh, I'm sure I'll have the time," Geddoe smirked, turning on his heel and raising his hand in a loose sort of salute. "Until then, Rahal."
"See you, Geddoe," he called back, turning towards the baths. He didn't think customers would appreciate a sweaty and battle-sore delivery man.