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"I'd rather not squire. I don't know your capabilities yet, and I'd rather not kill you so soon after your joining my ranks. You attack, I'll defend."

Moving quickly, I brought my sword up to parry, my blade in my left hand, moving with it to roll my body towards my opponent throwing an elbow to her stomach, with my other arm.

((I only get them for posting too much.... 45 seconds is just too long of a time for me to not post sometimes.))

Rolling again with my parry, though in the opposite direction from the last roll, I swatted my opponent's blade upward and to the side, out-stretching my arm to swat a back hand at her face.

Connecting only enough to show that she could've been hit much harder, I spun quickly around once again and came to a stop with my blade at the recruit's throat. "I can say you've surprised me already. I didn't think you'd avoid my first attack." As I spoke, a short golden flare surged through my eyes. Backing away to start again, I spoke once more. "Have you ever fought with other weapons? Say a quarterstaff for example."

"I think you'd do well with a nicely weighted battle stick." I said, beckoning to the wall, as if calling someone to approach. As I lowered my arm a black staff with silver capped ends floated to the squire. Settling in mid-air before her, Maluc spoke before she could take hold of it. "This is a training staff I created. It will move with and for you, showing you how to fight with it. Don't assume that it's all the staff that will do the work though, it only assists to supplement your own dexterity until you no longer need it." Stretching my neck I readied myself again. "Now take hold of the staff and come at my with your best."

Moving quickly to block the first strike, my sword was almost batted away by the force of the blow. Holding it steady I flipped it downwards and blocked the second strike only just before it would've struck me. Just before being able to strike, my opponent had begun to retreat. Standing tall once again I smiled. "Much better, you didn't even give me a chance to attack that time, I'd say that's a large improvement over your recent work with a sword. Try again, and don't be so quick to flee this time." I said, actually readying myself for the attack this time.

"Said the spider to the fly." The words were said in a much more joking manner than they'd been thought. I was seized with the light of the realization. You're laughing away your shame. I thought self-satisfactorily. Effective. My shoulders rolled as I broke the tension in my lower back. My anger with myself quickly burned away any preconceived notions of dignity and therefore the lack of it. I inhaled, simultaneously lining up the staff in a manner similar to a battering ram, aimed straight at his chest. Rushing forward, I turned the weapon into a shaft, pushing it through the hold of one hand with the other, allowing me to stay relatively far back and leaving me with only one hand actually holding the staff. I was counting on Maluc to strike it to the side.

He was right. I used all the muscles in my wrist to continue the momentum created by the other weapon, swinging the staff behind my back and catching it with my previously empty left hand. However, instead of striking at his flank, I managed to swing the rod and divert the free end instead to his leg on the opposite side, in an upward scooping motion that would hit the inside of his left leg.