PART XX - SWORDPLAY, INTERRUPTED
Callie and Pixyl were actually having a lot of fun with their swords. Pixyl had proved a great counter for Callie, as she quickly had to learn to parry and then riposte against Pixyl’s random attacks. It took a little bit, and she got whacked several times, but eventually she was able to see the Pixie’s attacks forming early enough to get the correct counter in the way.
After a few minutes, again by some mutual unsaid understanding, the role of lead switched from Pixy to Callie. For Pixyl, it was easier for her to adapt to Callie’s attacks, her experience helping see them coming. Once they both had the sequences down without a called cadence, they then started to toss the lead back and forth. First Pixyl would use perhaps twenty different sword or step movements, and Callie would take command of the match and randomize twenty or so of her own.
As the lead passed back and forth, they became comfortable, beginning to speed up their cadence. It reached a point where Callie’s Instinctive Dodge triggered on a few occasions, because things were happening too fast for her to counter. They sped up even more, playing all the sequences at almost twice the speed they had begun. Random actions, requiring the appropriate counter-random action.
The clash of wood on Ether grew faster and faster, and you could tell by a change in the hum of her swords when Callie had to dodge one of Pixyl’s swings, the sword meeting only air. As the two girls traded blows, sidestepping or switching sides occasionally, they started to first giggle, and then openly laugh, having an absolute blast sparring with each other.
One by one, the other students stopped fighting, either from the change in the rhythm of the short ones’ swordplay, or the loud laughter coming from them. Olin whispered something to Reynard and Celeste, and the three Trainers slowly walked up to each pair of confused students, telling them to step to the side to make room for the dueling Gnome and Pixie.
The two short ones were in their own world, doing their sword dance even faster now, too fast for the eye to follow their weapons. Unconsciously, the two realized there was more room for sparring and slowly they gravitated towards the middle of the cleared area. The rest of the onlookers backed away to make as much room as they could, while a neighboring class of recruits, the two Elven Geomancers, became distracted enough from their training that their instructor called a break so they could join the crowd.
Soon, Pixyl and Callie were no longer sticking with the moves they had been taught, instead each started to put their own personal spin on each swing, changing it slightly. This led to even more chaotic swordplay, actually making Pixyl’s Instinctive Dodge skill activate.
Once again, Olin whispered something to Lena, and her face lit up at the suggestion.
“Dregorio,” Celeste whispered to the Catkin. “Pretend the Pixie is part of your combat squad.”
“Okay,” Dregorio hesitantly replied.
“Your Striker is under attack! What do you do to help?”
“Taunt, of course,” he responded with no hesitation.
“Well, get ready to go out there and Taunt the Gnome,” Celeste ordered, this becoming a teaching moment. “I’ll tell you when.”
“Major!” Reynard snapped out, suddenly unhappy, but Celeste dismissed him with a wave.
Dregorio swallowed hard, suddenly under assignment in front of four other class groups. He took a couple hesitant steps into the fight area. Readying his fake swords, and looking to Celeste for the signal.
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Callie had found a hole in Pixyl’s sword skills. She was using the same sequence of attacks over and over; she had become predictable. No wonder Olin called it sloppy! Now she just had to figure out how to exploit it … and there it was. Callie pulled back slightly as Pixyl swung towards her, causing the Pixie to over-extend. That left an opening for her swords to smack her on the thigh or take a jab to her shoulder. It was like chess, you just had to think a couple moves ahead, and Pixyl would be forced to block one or the other.
In the space of only a frozen moment, Pixyl realized too late she had been suckered into a fateful mistake. She was going to get hit by one of Callie’s practice swords, either to her side or shoulder. She was out of position for her Ethereal Shield, too. This was going to hurt, particularly because she wasn’t wearing her armor today. Wait … armor …
ETHEREAL ARMOR
The thought called out and the Ether answered. Pixyl’s body was instantly covered by her green spell, which with a crash absorbed both incoming attacks effortlessly. The sudden mana drain in response to the hits surprised her though, and Pixyl let her guard down entirely for a distracted moment, staggering slightly.
“Now,” Celeste said sharply.
Dregorio called forth his new power, having no idea what was really about to happen, and launched it towards the Gnome.
TAUNT
Callie suddenly stopped her fight with Pixyl mid-swing, turning to the asshole cat standing a few meters away being an utter asshole. “You want to fight?” Callie snarled, glaring up at Dregorio and pounding one of her swords to her chest like a gladiator. “You want to fight?” she demanded again, this time even louder and this time with definite anger. “Fine! I’ll kick your fuzzy little ass!” She charged the Catkin, ready to smack him with one of her cute training swords … for a reason that was completely unknown to her.
“Oh shit!” Dregorio yelped. He raised his swords in front of himself and caught Callie’s falling overhand blades. Callie’s next attack forced him to back away, completely on the defensive against this really pissed off Gnome. Callie lunged again, and the Catkin took off, running around the edge of the area, Callie right on his heels.
“Come back and fight me, kitty!” Callie yelled out.
As Dregorio ran by Celeste, the Major moved to intercept. She grabbed Callie under her arms and lifted her off the ground, holding her outstretched like an angry, squirming badger. Callie grunted and hissed, still focused on the terrified Dregorio.
“Let me at him! Let me go!” Callie snarled, trying to break free. “I’ll smash his fuzzy little face in!”
“Cast Blur, you idiot,” Celeste said, barely able to get the words out over her laughter.
Dregorio looked around, seeing everyone else was in various stages of giggles, and then looked at the rabid, determined face of the Gnome, Callie Archer.
BLUR
The image of Dregorio wibbled and wobbled for a few seconds, making it difficult to pin down his location, but immediately Callie stopped squirming. The Blur effect faded, returning to the face of a very confused Catkin.
“What happened?” Callie said, wondering why she was suddenly being held in the air. Then she remembered. She had wanted to beat the crap out of Dregorio. Why would she want to do that? What had he done to make her so angry at him? He had done something, that was for sure, and definitely deserved a good beating. And why was everyone laughing?
Pixyl had joined the rest of the recruits and was laughing along with them. She’d never seen a Taunt used before, but the image of the poor, terrified Dregorio, nearly twice as tall as Callie, being chased around the field by the tiny pink-haired Gnome waving two small, wooden swords in the air was just too much. It took nearly a minute for everyone to calm their laughter.
Celeste set Callie down. “Okay, everyone. Someone explain what just happened,” she asked, instructively, working to push aside the last of her giggles.
“The Little One almost kicked his ass,” Dermic said, still trying to catch his breath and leaning against Nola for support.
“True,” Celeste said, “although running away isn’t generally a tactic we encourage.” This, of course, just elicited another round of laughter.
“Let’s talk about this from a combat standpoint.” Olin said, trying to reground the conversation.
“The Catkin did something,” Kaisess said. “Something that made Callie chase after him instead of continuing to fight with Pixyl.”
“Correct,” Major Celeste said. “It’s called a Taunt, and it allows a Guardian class, like Bladedancers, to direct the target’s attention to them. In this case, Dregorio used it to pull the attacker’s attention away from an ally.”
“So she could chase him around the field,” someone added from the back.
“She was terrifying!” Dregorio said defensively. “Look at her!”
“Hey!” Callie snarled, eyeing the Catkin. “We can go again if you want, Puss-in-Boots!”
“See? She is absolutely terrifying!”