Well, this has certainly gotten out of hand.
My cheeks feel hot enough to use like a stove with how many people are watching me right now. Feels like half the village has stopped working just for this. All of them mingling near the palisade. Even bringing the other village kids out with them. Excitement apparent on their faces as they wait for the spar.
It's been two days since that night with Arric. And I'm currently sitting on a small wood crate outside the south gate. Ethel and Mrs. Bennett are currently helping me into my new armor. My legs, torso, and shoulders are already suited up while the two women are busy fastening on my arm plates.
Ethel even provided a spare gorget to protect my neck a bit more. Just a minimal one, so it isn't too uncomfortable. I can still move my head around okay, at least. But I'm wearing several heavy layers right now. Mail, padded, and now the plates. I haven't even stood up yet and I can already feel how weighed down I am.
[Leap Stride] should still work with all this, but it's stopping that I'm more worried about now.
"There we go! Can you rotate your arms for me?" Ethel asks as she finishes securing the last vambrace onto my right arm.
My lips purse as I raise my arms up and begin rolling them from my shoulder as best as I can. The layers make the motion quite a bit more difficult. Especially as the pauldron makes the rotation at its peak a bit awkward. And they already feel sore from the weight as well. "These are supposed to be light plates, right?" I ask nervously to the all too excited redhead kneeling next to me.
Mrs. Bennett chuckles with a wry smirk, "That they are. Lightest I can make them while still giving enough protection. You'll get used to them. There are quirks for armor specialization, or so I've heard." She says, raising a brow in Ethel's direction.
The [Knight] nods passively as she rechecks all the straps and buckles keeping everything in place on me. "Indeed. It takes a lot of practice. Any kind of plate armor will be awkward and heavy until you earn the [Armor Proficiency] passive." She explains before raising to a stand, looking satisfied. "It takes a long time to get it. But it's worth it. Even at the starting minor level, it makes a world of difference."
I lower my arms down and lift myself off the crate. Letting out a grunt as it takes quite a bit more strength than usual. My first step feels like my leg is stuck in loose mud. A frown forming on my face. "I don't know if I can move very well in this."
Ethel smirks at me while she picks back up her own gauntlets to strap on. Having taken them off briefly to help me. "That is sort of the point of this spar, Liore. You are clearly a front-line fighter, so armor is going to be a must. This gives you the opportunity to test yourself out and find a good balance." She remarks, finishing with her gauntlets before one of her mercenaries hands her helmet to her. "The best way to do that is to limit yourself. Put some weights on and learn to lift them. Shed what you don't need or impedes you too much."
As much as I hate feeling restrained and slow like this, she is right. So I nod my head and allow myself to sigh with frustration, at least. "Alright. Then let's do this then." I mutter in response. My eyes scanning the crowd of onlookers again, really wishing Thorpe or my mother were here. But unfortunately, both of them decided to stay away so they wouldn't distract me. Which only leaves me with Mrs. Bennett to support me. Which isn't too bad. But I feel like she's only here to make sure the armor holds up.
The [Blacksmith] in question approaches again to fasten my short-sword to my left hip before handing me my broadsword trapped in its sheath by a few extra straps on the crossguard. My hand instinctively raising to grasp the handle. Even with my fingers much thicker in the plated gauntlets, the leather grip conforms comfortably in my hand.
Mrs. Bennett gives me a rough pat on the back, which I barely feel through the back of the cuirass. "You'll do fine, love! I'll be right over there." She encourages briefly before running off to join the audience of villagers, off-duty [Guards], and the few mercs.
Ethel has donned her helmet but has kept her sallet up so I can still see her face. Her bastard sword in her right hand and leaning against her shoulder, still in its sheath like mine. "Firstly, what do you know of fighting someone in armor?"
I shuffle a bit in place as my feet get slightly numb from standing still. "Uh. It's better to use blunt weapons or go for the gaps in the armor, right?"
The [Knight] smiles. "Certainly. If you are strong enough, a good blunt weapon will warp and crush plate armor like this. Rattling the wearer inside it, disorienting them, or even knocking them. Can make them quite vulnerable." She responds as she beckons me over to her with her free hand. "As for aiming for gaps, that is much less useful than you think."
My brows furrow at that as I approach. "Really? That's how it happens in some of the books I've read though?"
Ethel covers her mouth and genuinely giggles at that. "I can't blame you for that. It is a common thought. One that I have to clear up consistently with everyone I've taught before. And that includes myself as well when I was around your age." She admits sheepishly while scratching her cheek. "That is not to say that there aren't gaps you can exploit. There certainly are, and they can be quite effective. Especially if you can get in close or even knock them over. But that isn't as easy as it sounds."
She gestures to herself while lowering her sallet down to fully enclose herself. "Go ahead and take a look. Try to find a viable gap."
I nod quickly, unable to hide the excitement of getting to see her armor close-up. I've admired hers and Steppan's quite a few times since they arrived. My eyes immediately lock onto the crook of her arm between her vambrace and the upper rerebrace. But those are completely covered by the articulated lame plates that connect between her upper arm and forearm. A good spot to hit still though, as those plates are pretty thin and could lock the arm up if they're bent enough. But not a gap per se.
Next my attention switches up to her armpit instead, one of the obvious ones I always read about. She even lifts her arm for me when I do so. "The armpit is usually what I read about. That and the—uh—you know." My cheeks burn a bit as a point a finger downward. "The downstairs area..."
Ethel laughs, her voice a metallic echo inside her helmet. "You are correct. Both spots are usually the areas most effective. Where else do you see?"
I take a moment to circle around her, not really finding much else that is obvious. Most spots where I think a gap would be are covered. Even her neck is protected by her gorget and more articulated plates. So the only other spot would be the vents in her sallet and visor. "I suppose the openings on your helmet?"
She nods, the armor grinding against itself slightly. "That is true. I have had a couple close calls with knives or arrows stuck in there before. But they never make it all the way through. At least not quicker than I can stop them." The [Knight] raps a fist against her breastplate. "Armor like this is built to be difficult to get into. All the lipped edges, overlaps, slants, and rounds. It's practically booby trapped with spots to catch wandering blades. And even if a blade does end up going into a real gap, there are still several layers of thick pads and mail for it to get through. So they still have to have a lot of strength and leverage to make it work properly. Not to mention the armor enchantments that make all that even harder."
I listen with fascination, soaking up everything like a sponge. And I can see exactly what she means by just looking at it as well. She truly is entirely encased with so much that it's a wonder how she even maneuvers as well as she does. But I guess that's partly what the [Armor Proficiency] passive is for. She did say it helps with the weight, but maybe it lets her move easier as well. "It's starting to sound like armor makes you invincible."
She scoffs, "Hardly. I've seen plenty of people in armor just like mine be bludgeoned to death by [Bandits] or carved open by monster claws. Even with skills, enchantments, and full coverage; armor can only take you so far." The [Knight] admits bluntly. "Case in point. I am protected against a lot of things. But then the next thing you know, a teenage girl moving faster than a ballista bolt rams into you and sends you head over heels through the air."
A cold sweat runs down my back at that, averting my eyes from her unseen stare. "I'm—I'm really sorry."
Ethel chuckles and pats my shoulder with her free hand. "Water under the bridge. Besides. I put myself in harm's way and paid for it." She assures before she takes a step back. "But it did make me quite motivated to see what you can actually do. All I've seen you fight is jackalopes. So I'm wondering how well Auguste has trained you against other people." Her voice takes on a rather unsettlingly excited tone as she grabs her bastard sword with both hands and settles into a combat stance.
Seeing that, I can't help but gulp a little. "Uh. Well, I've sparred with him over a hundred times now, I think. But they never felt really serious." I admit, taking steps back myself and holding my broadsword in both hands as well.
The [Knight] raises her sword diagonally in front of her. "We'll work with that. I want you to come at me seriously. No holding back. Use any tricks you want."
After what happened the night before last, I'm a bit apprehensive to do that. But I can't back down from the challenge. If she wants serious, then I'll give it to her.
The crowd by the wall falls into whispers, seeing that the actual event is about to begin.
Ethel and I stare ahead at one another for a brief moment longer before I bend my knees. Letting myself fall forward at a good enough angle to activate [Leap Str—
THUD
And my face speeds towards the ground much faster than usual and plants firmly into the dirt...
Everything is quiet for a moment until someone in the crowd finally snorts and bursts out laughing. Causing many of the others to follow suit. The loudest being most definitely Mrs. Bennett, whose laugh is far too boisterous to forget.
I let myself lie in this position for a good few seconds, just so I can let the immediate shame be washed away by the wave of frustration afterwards. Sighing heavily while picking myself back up. "Didn't account for the extra weight." I comment, spitting out bits of dirt.
Ethel, to her credit, hasn't changed her stance and nor did she laugh. "Take your time. You will get used to it."
I nod slowly, raising myself back up onto one knee as if I'm about to stand. But instead, I lean forward again and spring straight into an angled [Leap Stride] towards her. And just as I thought, the momentum is still the same even with the added weight. So in the midst of the stride, the armor feels like nothing. The ground becomes a blur below me as I rotate and attempt to slash out at the [Knights] knees.
But she was definitely ready for it, tucking and rolling out of the way entirely, causing me to speed right past her and roll to the ground. Bouncing a few times through the strides impact resistance.
Even worse, I don't even have time to get up as [Threat Detection] flares. Ethel's shadow already over me before I've even come to a stop.
So I skid my boots down into the dirt, activating another stride to bounce myself away from her. But just as it begins, her gauntleted hand grabs the collar of my gorget. And her arm guides my momentum up and over her head. Just to drive me straight back into the ground.
The direct force of the impact resistance having nowhere else to go but down, digging a small crater and scattering dirt in a shower around us.
A dull pain radiates over my back as I lay there. My brain swimming in my skull while I stare wide-eyed up at the armored woman above me. My body frozen in complete shock.
Did—did she just snatch me out of my [Leap Stride]?
Ethel let's go of my neck and quickly snaps up her sallet, panic evident on her face. Just as shocked as I am. "Liore, by God, are you alright?! I didn't think you would hit the that ground that hard."
I blink a few times at her before clearing my throat. "I'm good. I'm okay." I assure, groaning as I sit back up. The ebbing pain subsiding slowly.
"Good lord! You're supposed to train the poor girl, not cripple her!" Mrs. Bennett shouts furiously from the sidelines, having started to run towards us. The crowd looking quite pale and worried behind her.
So I give a quick passive wave and a thumbs up in their direction while standing myself back up. "It's fine! I'm alright!"
The crowd seems to relax a bit with my assurance. But are still obviously wary of the situation now.
Mrs. Bennett more than anyone. "Are you sure you're alright, love? That was horrifying to watch. The brute nearly put you six feet under. Very literally!" The [Blacksmith] asks with genuine concern while shooting Ethel some vicious glances.
I smile wryly and nod to her. "I'm okay, Phillipa. I promise. It's actually kind of my fault anyway."
That doesn't seem to satisfy her entirely, but she at least takes a step back to the crowd. "You better be. Or else I'm gonna have words with this woman."
The [Knight] grimaces at the threat and reaches over to brush dirt off my armor, still looking a bit rattled. "What even happened there? I'm strong, but not that strong." She states with a gesture to the little crater below me.
I take a few deep breaths to get my heart rate down first before answering. "The skill that lets me jump around like that has a set momentum every time I use it. That coupled with its impact resistance, all that energy still has to go somewhere if I hit something too sturdy to move. So it ends up just going into whatever I hit instead." I explain, giving the crater a gesture as well. "Which happened to be the ground."
Ethel's brows furrow in thought. "Wait. Is that why it did so much damage when you ran into me? Because of the armor and my [Steadfast] skill?"
I can pretty much guess what the skill she mentioned does, so I nod. "The sturdier it is, the more momentum gets sent into it. Especially if I'm hitting it straight on. But thankfully I diverted myself enough that night just to hit you in the side, so I bounced off you instead."
She scratches her cheek nervously. "That is a truly nasty skill you have there, Liore. And that isn't even with that kick you can do."
My lips form a thin line at the mention. "Yeah. And I can kick even harder when I'm mid-leap. But I haven't tested that yet. Kind of scared to. The normal one is already pretty strong, but it takes a lot of stamina out of me."
The [Knight] nods slowly before she taps a finger on her chin and smiles a little mischievously. "Actually, now that you mention it. I would like to test that kick. The same one you used on that [Highwayman]. I've been wanting to see how well I can take it."
I raise my brows at her. "Uh. I don't know if I'm comfortable doing that. I really don't want to hurt you again."
She waves her hand passively. "I will be fine. If it didn't kill him when he didn't expect it, I highly doubt it will me. Besides, I've been kicked by enough monsters to be pretty confident." She assures, looking very certain of herself.
And that certainty is more than a little contagious.
I suppose I'm pretty curious myself how well someone like her can handle it. But can I really blame myself for being apprehensive judging by the last two times I've used it?
I kicked those guys really hard…
My eyes look back up at her patiently determined expression, and I just can't say no. "Okay. But just once."
The [Knight] pumps her fist. "Marvelous!" She exclaims before jogging over to the spot she had started at before and turns around to face me. Dropping her sword to the ground and snapping her helmet shut. "Alright! Come at me!"
Her excitement actually makes me chuckle a little, which definitely helps. So I set my sword down as well and ready myself. Wanting to get a good running start.
I focus on the armored woman a few meters ahead of me, squaring herself up and gesturing me towards her like she's taunting a bull.
And with one last long breath, I bolt forward as fast as I can on my own legs. Which, even with the armor on, is still pretty fast.
Then, once I'm close enough I jump on my own power and lean back into a drop kick, tucking my legs in and activating [Spring Kick]. My legs immediately shooting forward at speed and connecting my feet with her breastplate.
But instead of just dropping down to my back, I suddenly find myself sailing backwards and hitting the ground back where I started the sprint. While Ethel skids back several yards, her greaves digging deep grooves into the dirt before she finally falls back onto her ass with a loud metallic rattle.
Well, I guess that answers that question. She was sturdy enough to actually rebound some of the force back at it. That is actually really good to know.
Unfortunately for me though, there was no impact resistance because I wasn't in a leap. So that tumble really hurt. Leaving me feeling like a sore pretzel with how sprawled out I am in the grass.
The [Knight] coughs and stumbles to her feet, slotting her visor up again. "That—that was quite intense. About as bad as an adult jackalope I'd say. Perhaps a tad bit weaker." She wheezes out. "You good?"
This time I stay down where I'm at, but still raise my hand to give a thumbs up. Even if I can't entirely agree with its message. "Could be worse. Definitely learned some important limitations."
Ethel smiles as she walks over and leans down to offer me her hand. "Then I think we are making good progress. You're welcome."
I stare at the hand for a brief moment, conflicted on if I should really get up or if I can just pass out right now. But then I think I pass out way too much to begin with. Need to work on that.
My hand raises to grasp hers, and the strong armored woman pulls me to my feet to help dust me off again. "Up for more?"
The question, despite my sore body, doesn't stay long in my consideration as I crack a smile at her. "Hell yes."
I think I might have been needing a good spar more than I anticipated.
This definitely counts as venting, I think.