It's Still a Hiding Spot, But For a Knight Now

[ArronTheLythcolMechanic]

Flustered Knight Anon

The deafening sounds of the arena made Arron cover his ears the best he could as he watched in awe at the knight's battle.
"...Damn..." he said softly. The young man knew that Talbot was an accomplished fighter from the adventure they had both set out on, but seeing him fight still filled him with amazement. He also knew that, his friend was about to dance circles around his lumbering body. What Arron had in strength, he heavily lacked in skill.

 

[Flustered Knight Anon]

ArronTheLythcolMechanic

It took some time, but Talbot eventually knocked aside the weapons of his opponents, and knocked them off of their feet to land in the growing pile. He frowned, certain that these were not "some of the best" as the king had stated before. These men were skilled, truly, but they were all hand-to-hand fighters. Pawns, knights, rooks, but no bishops. To him, it seemed like the king and queen had no intention of defeating him in these rounds, they merely wished to tire him and injure him just enough in preparation for his final battle. The knight wiped some blood from his face to clear his vision, awaiting the next fighters.
"You're on." the woman said, giving Arron a small shove in the right direction.  

[ArronTheLythcolMechanic]

Flustered Knight Anon

The shove made him stumble slightly as he walked out into the arena. Glancing around for any exits before he locked eyes with the knight.

 

[Flustered Knight Anon]

ArronTheLythcolMechanic

Talbot was surprised when he saw Arron standing before him. It took him a moment to realize it was him, but the eyes peeking through the knight helm along with his size gave him away. He held his sword tightly in his hand regardless, staring Arron down with determination in his eyes as the metal gate behind the mechanic closed, blocking off the only exit.
"And now, the final battle! The intrepid slave has bested many opponents, and now he comes to face his friend in battle!" the king announced loudly from his place within the stands.
"Who will prove the stronger fighter, and who will fall."
A chorus of cheers filled the arena upon the kings words.  

[ArronTheLythcolMechanic]

Flustered Knight Anon

"...L-Let's make th-this quick o-okay?" he said getting into a fighting stance. The knight would know that Arron's stance was in very bad form for a sword fight. He hoped that the defeat was not going to harm him so bad & that only his pride would suffer defeat.

 

[Flustered Knight Anon]

ArronTheLythcolMechanic

An ominous feeling lingered in the air as Talbot looked toward his friend. He felt every eye in the arena bearing down on the two of them, imposing and cruel, but he felt their gaze was dangerous too somehow. Still, he nodded, then began to cautiously approach Arron with his sword stretched in front of him.
A specific set of eyes from the spectators were suddenly locked on Arron, though from where among the crowd, it was unsure. An unknown force suddenly began to take hold of him, and started forcing his body into a proper stance. The white kingdom was not the only one with magic-users on their side.  

[ArronTheLythcolMechanic]

Flustered Knight Anon

The mechanic blinked, realizing that his body was moving on its own. He tried to fight against the magic user, as well as trying to give a sign to Talbot that something was wrong.

 

[Flustered Knight Anon]

ArronTheLythcolMechanic

Talbot froze when he noticed the strange movement Arron had suddenly taken on. It was very unlike what he was used to from his friend, and he worried for him.
"Arron... are you all right?" he asked quietly. The stance Arron held suggested someone that was well versed in swordplay, which Talbot was certain the mechanic was not.
The magic held strong, and began to force Arron forward in a steady stride towards the knight. It was stilted from the resistance, and there was little power behind it at the moment, but it was obvious that the one behind the magic was holding back.  

[ArronTheLythcolMechanic]

Flustered Knight Anon

"It's a-a spell! I-I c-can't... control my-my body!" he yelled at Talbot in a fit of desperation. Arron continued to try & resist the spell, trying to give the knight some time to think of a plan.

"...This is bad Boyo... REALLY bad... if this guy finds out about being able to crystallize, we're in such deep trouble..." warned the counterpart. Lyth was also trying to help the mechanic resist the spell anyway he could.

 

[Flustered Knight Anon]

ArronTheLythcolMechanic

"Ah... oh no..." Talbot realized the plan all too late. He began to look around the arena in search of the culprit responsible, but he didn't have much luck, as the only indication would be someone staring at Arron, and at that moment, nearly everyone was.
The control grew more intense, and the one taking hold of Arron's body forced him into action against Talbot with a flurry of slashes using the sword. the movements were not fluent due to resistance, and they were anything but precise, but that was what the previous battles were for.
Sure enough, Talbot was immediately thrown off, just barely able to dodge a slash. He jumped back, using his sword to block blows directed at him.
"Arron... if you can, look for someone suspicious. We need to find the person controlling you so that we can stop them. They'll likely have a complete view of the arena from where they are so they won't lose sight of you."  

[ArronTheLythcolMechanic]

Flustered Knight Anon

The mechanic scanned the crowd for the culprit. He assumed it was someone who was in the higher ranks of the kingdom. Someone who would have known about the plan from the king & queen beforehand.
"If-If you can... kn-knock me out..." he said to his friend, "...Is-Is your father still seeing thought y-your eyes? C-Can he do anything?" Arron was afraid & it showed in his voice.

 

[Flustered Knight Anon]

ArronTheLythcolMechanic

"He merely changed the colour of my eyes, he was not gazing through them. And now the spell has ended. I'm unsure if he can do anything to help in this situation." Talbot responded as he dodged and blocked attacks. He took quick, shallow breaths, still tired from the earlier battles, and fresh blood slid down his face from his wounds before.
The control became more intense again, circling around Arron's limbs like a tightly coiled snake. The more he fought it now, the more painful it would become. The centre of the control could be felt at his chest, as that was the largest point to be seen from a distance.  

[ArronTheLythcolMechanic]

Flustered Knight Anon

The pain made the mechanic tightly close his eyes, however he continued to try & resist the control. The pain was wearing him down. It would not be long until Arron could not resist the control. However, an idea came to him.
"...We-We need to break th-this person's l-line of sight to-to me... Is any of th-the downed soldier's wearing a-a cape or something?" he asked.

 

[Flustered Knight Anon]

ArronTheLythcolMechanic

A particularly strong slash sent Talbot stumbling backward, and he was unable to recover his footing in time to avoid a second slash. The blade made contact, creating a thin slice across his left bicep, causing him to cringe, then quickly block consecutive attacks afterwards.
"If... cloth was all it took, your clothes would be enough. The bishop needs to have their eyes closed, or turned away. That's the only way." he said through clenched teeth.  

[ArronTheLythcolMechanic]

Flustered Knight Anon

"Cr-Crap..." said Arron, "...T-Talbot I-I have rods in my back. Th-That sh-should bring me d-down if th-they were h-hit..." Arron did not know how much control the bishop would have if his body went down from injury. He was running out of ideas.