Scene #1574: Sword and Board 101: An Introductory Beating

Owner	Pose
Amalthea	The Ring of Philosophy is good for myriad purposes. Its instanced training rooms, the varied locales it can recreate for discussion or training purposes. On calling her newest apparent student to the Ring, Amalthea has set a fitting stage. Set atop the battlements of an old stone castle overlooking the sea. A salty wind blows across the ramparts, as the gentle hiss of the waves and water below lap at the cliffside beneath the illusory castle spawned by the Ring. Amalthea is here, waiting atop the battlements in full armor, a heavy, silver set of full platemail decorated in wings and aerodynamic curves, one hand resting atop the heavy form of a thick, well worn, and well-used kite shield with the design of a prancing unicorn upon it.
Kirika	As the Ring opens up to let Kirika in, the kitsune shuffles in hurriedly, albiet well prepared for this. She has traded her jacket for an armored vest with surcoat underneath, and she carries a well forged broadsword and shield. The weapons are a gift from Faruja, something given last Christmas. They're nothing compared to her main sword, Kinugiri-ken, but they will suffice for her purposes today. The Kitsune hurries to Amalthea, panting hard as she skids to a stop and bows to the Unicorn, a cloud of dust kicking in the air as she stops herself just short of colliding with her teacher. "Forgive me, sensei! I was not expecting you to begin our lessons so soon...!" She says, before she kinda just...presents the shield and sword. "So..." Cough.
Amalthea	Sensei, huh. Gauntlet-clad fingers drum on the rim of Amalthea's shield as she tilts her head to glance up. However the Kitsune's arrival and meek-seeming presentation of her equipment for inspection seems to draw a baleful look from the ancient knight. "Well. What are you doing? Strap it on." She grunts her instruction, hoisting her own heavy shield and sliding her arm into the harness. "Not I'm going to ask you again. What is the purpose of a shield?"
Kirika	It's pretty clear Kirika's in for a nasty instruction. SHe's done this before, when she was a teenager. Already she's shy once again, trying not to make too poor a first impression with the teacher. She straps the shield onto her arm, trying to make sure the fit is just right on her left forearm while she tests the heft. It's a heavy shield, heavy for a human anyway, but in her hands she has a better time with the weight given how strong she is. "A shield...a shield is used to protect the user from harm, while the sword is used in battle for offense." She states. Her other hand dances on the hilt of her broadsword, waiting for a chance to draw it when the training proper begins.
Amalthea	Fingers curl around the grip inside the shield and Amalthea casts that lone, endlessly deep, eye upon Kirika, brow raising. "That's one way to see it." She murmurs, before holding up her free hand, two fingers extended. "There are just two things wrong with that statement now listen up." The first: "A shield does not protect the user. A shield PROTECTS. It is the user's duty to defend themselves, it is the shield's duty to protect anyone and anything behind it; not simply the wielder, but everyone and everything the wielder holds dear. The sword is not representative of the knight, as many may think, it is the shield. The shield is the symbol of a knight, moreso than armor or a blade. A shield is the knight's strength; it is a wall of resolve, a fortress unto itself that makes the knight standing on his or her own a very bulwark for the weak. A shield IS protection." She curls her finger, leaving one point left to move onto. "Two..." Suddenly, she's in motion, swift and vicious, Deceptively fast despite that heavy mail, which contrarty to popular belief, provides an almost perfect range of motion. That very shield in her hand swings out in a blur of silver-blue, and getting hit by it is, literally, like being hit by a wall, as she apparently aims to just smash Kirika off her feet, if the Kitsune isn't fast enough. "A shield isn't JUST for protection."
Kirika	Kirika listens, head tilted as she's given the rundown. Shields are a rare thing in Kasun, given how battle implements were developed over time. SHields there were magically projected fields of energy, mobile cover for archers and riflemen to hide behind as spearmen and other foot soldiers moved through to engage the enemy up close, for regular military tactics. Youkai and sorcerers meanwhile can project barriers on their own, or even alter their personal reality enough that they could never have been in the direction of fire, for example. She curls fingers around her sword's hilt as she detects a subtle hint of movement from the Unicorn, and when AMalthea blurrs first, Kirika is about to move as well before she finds herself too slow to evade AMalthea's strike. The shield smashes her up front, and she is knocked off her feet as she stumbles back a few paces. Blood trickles from a nostril as she tries to regain her footing, and she mutters, "So I see..."
Amalthea	With that very important first lesson imparted, Amalthea rolls her shoulder, a hissing puff of steam venting in a soft whistle from her shoulder as she re-adjusts her hold on the shield's grip. "Now that you've learned lesson one, get on up so I can ask you another question to move into lesson two." The unicorn moves on smoothly. "How do you use a shield in the face of an oncoming blow?"
Kirika	Kirika stands to her feet, shaking off the hazy feeling as she regains her focus and narrows her crimson eyes. The shield in her hand tightens as she braces herself for an inevitable next strike. "Raise it up to deflect the incoming strike with a parrying motion, I would assume?" She says, sword now drawn and held in her right hand with a practiced grip. It's bit of a far cry from using both hands to grip her katana, that's for sure. The blade at least seems balanced enough to be used in one or both hands, depending on the situation.
Amalthea	The one-handed use of an arming sword is quite different from the usual eastern styles of the two handed katana indeed. But with a free hand there's so much more one can do. Precisely like... You know. Using a shield. Amalthea hasn't even drawn her blade, and for this, she won't need to, as she pats her hand firmly on the face of the heavy plate in her grasp. "Well look at that, I don't have to teach you every thing." She snorts with amusement. "But yeah that's right. In general you don't want to take hits full on, on your shield. If it's not durable enough it's going to break. If it IS durable enough, chances are your arm ISN'T." With that imparted, she motions at Kirika. Then at herself. "Come at me, sis."
Kirika	Popping her neck, Kirika nods grimly as she lunges towards Amalthea. Her blade isn't as elegantly used as it would be had she been fighting as usual, but she can definitely swing a sword no matter what kind it is. The broadsword swings at Amalthea when the unicorn bids her to do so, and she grunts in effort as the blade comes down diagonally, putting enough strength behind the blow to sunder lesser warriors. Luckily, Amalthea and Kirika both are a step above the regular footman. However, her shield isn't anywhere close to the face right now, as it curls up at her side. Oops.
Amalthea	There is a very specific way to use a shield. And in that moment Kirika steps in to swing at her, Amalthea displays just how it's done. Rather than hiding behind her shield, the unicorn brings it up. A smooth half-swiping motion that meets the sword at an angle, rather than directly. Using the force of the impact against itself, she jinks the plate in her wrist, and with a ringing slide of metal against metal, smoothe deflects the stroke, while stepping in at the same time. Kirika makes the mistake of apparently forgetting about her own shield, and already Amalthea intends to just punish it, right arm swinging in a sudden sucker punch that's going to make the kitsune see stars if she doesn't remember it in time. "Lesson three: Shield up at all times. Don't hide behind it, but keep it floating in the face of incoming attack."
Kirika	While Kirika may be easy to fool once, she's not so easy to do so a second time. As the sword bounces off Amalthea's shield, sending the blade's handle vibrating in Kirika's hand, she notices a fist coming her way. THis time, she's prepared enough to know what to do. She lets the sword lower as she tries to keep the tingling in her grasp from getting too annoying, and she raises her shield just in time to knock the fist off-course, a ringing echo of metal on metal as she tanks the punch. Her blade immediately raises up, the point aimed at AMalthea as Kirika assumes a defensive stance, her shield begining to raise a bit higher than before in preparation should she need to block again.
Amalthea	Clever girl. A ringing SMASH rewards Kirika's thinking on her feet when the unicorn's gauntlet connects with the kitsune's shield. But if the blow hurt Amalthea's hand in any way, she doesn't show it. Merely jinking backwards with a rather nimble backstep, the unicorn at least knows when to dish out positive reinforcement: "Good! Like that!" It is NOW that she draws her blade; a smooth and practiced motion as she hoists her shield up directly in front of her. She seemingly goes against her own advice and hides behind it. But only for a moment; as she uses the fact that people cannot see THROUGH shields to adjust her grip, before stepping forth, shield shifted aside for an upwards arcing diagonal swipe to try and get under Kirika's defense. "Lesson four: A shield is your wall. Unless your foe has x-ray vision, you can use it to prepare an ambush at any time."
Kirika	Kirika's heart picks up in speed as the sparring grows in intensity. She only has to glance downwards for a second to know the sword's coming up for her, and her shield blurs as she moves it down to block the strike, a mere shove to keep it from hitting her from below. Then the shield raises up, and behind it, Kirika's sword arm does as well. THe blade strikes downwards under the shield's concealment, the latter only moving out of the way at the last moment as Kirika takes a swing. The shield remains close by for defense as Kirika rears back again, this time thrusting with the blade towards Amalthea's chestplate.
Amalthea	Lessons quickly turn into true sparring indeed, as Kirika gets a feel of how to work with the combination offense and defense offered by a sword and shield together. And the ringing clash of Amalthea's blade batted aside despite her sneaky stroke seems to earn a grin of approval from the old knight. Not that she's done though. However the Kitsune's attempt to recreate a similar stroke from behind and below her plate is... Met by blade. The flat of Amalthea's sword whistles through the air in a sudden slap to beat aside the oncoming thrust. "Lesson five: Your sword is just as much a defensive tool as your shield at any given time." Grunted as her shield suddenly 'punches' straight forward with that wall force, as she slides her sword back into its scabbard. "That's enough for now. Practice what you've learned in a controlled environment, and we'll see how you do in a few days."
Kirika	Even as she's knocked back a good bit from that strike, Kirika manages to find her footing once again in time for the duel to be called there. That grin gives Kirika some encouragement alright, and as Amalthea sheathes her sword, so does the kitsune. Kirika's tail swishes side to side as she bows before her teacher, and she gives a nod. "I will endevour to prove a successful student under your tutelage, Lady Amalthea." She says. She has a good way to go, but she's willing to put in the effort.