Fight:Kasyr Trains Karasu

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Behind the Barrier

You are now standing in the battle zone, where you could be in grave danger. You quickly duck every now and then to ignore a zap of lightning flying onward to an opposing foe. This room is magically sealed, to prevent actual physical or mental harm from the spells, but the visual aspect of them is a little frightening. You notice the wall is lined with many books, some probably from the library you saw earlier. There is also a rack with many rune engraved or magically enhanced quarterstaffs, but you notice a monk shake his head at you as he notices you eyeing them. This part of the room is larger by far than the area on the other side of the barrier, where most of the teachers stand and watch their students practicing. The only mentors you see on this side are the ones teaching hand to hand or weapon combat. Your only retreat is through the invisible barrier to the west.


Kasyr draws his left hand up to his neck, casually cracking it first to one side then the other, a rather pensive expression on his face the whole while. To be entirely fair, he hasn't spent all that much time poking around this edifice, but the design of this particular room stands out, given his familiarity with a similar chamber. Still, he'd at least put to the time in his office to good use, given he was now armed with something -other- than the beaten up longsword he'd picked up off the bandit that had tried to mug him, now armed with what looks to be a rather large broadsword strapped to his back. ...And a mug of whiskey in his hands. That's uh, that's definitely for preparation, too.

Karasu grimaces as Kasyr downs the whiskey. "You're not taking this seriously!" The teenager whines, having to resist stamping her foot to avoid looking completely like a child. Her armor is piled off to the side, where a young elf she appears to be in the middle of bullying polishes the brass. This is, in fact, the same elf she and Quintessa had caught trying to steal dangerous runes from the Guild's supply a few months back. Her tail swishes from side to side impatiently, and she decides to try to get the jump on him first. She steps forward and starts with a faked kick to his right knee, and a very real punch aiming to knock the drink up out of his hands.

Kasyrs' expression doesn't change much, other than a lifted eyebrow, and a broad shrug at her exclamation- but the moment her leg snaps out, he's already in the process of backsliding, though only so much as was necessary to get out of the range of what turns out to be a feint. This also serves to draw him most of the way out of the intended direction of the punch, knocking it askew, instead of out of the Kensai's hand. That said, it doesn't really do much about all the Whiskey he has in his mouth, which he proceeds to spew forth in a stream at Karasu, albeit with the addition of his non mug wielding hand coming up beneath it, and generating a few errant sparks with a snap of his finger. Sparks intense enough to light up the alcohol being sent at her. "Lesson one. You can weaponize anything." There's an appraising glance at the leg she'd started to make her kick with, before he mutters something quickly beneath his breath and hurls the mug, which upon close examination is very much a metallic mug, at the hybrids head. Or..rather, just off center. Unless she gets startled and stumbles into it, it's more likely to whiz right behind her head, sparking, but harmless. "Two. Distractions -are Useful." Though it only shoots off so far, as the electric energy in it is promptly called upon to rejoin the crux of the electrical energies contained within the kensai, effectively reversing it's momentum, even as Kasyr begins to shuffle off to the side to keep the back of Karasu's head in line with the mugs returning arc. "Three. Weaponize -everything-."

Karasu is shook. It's only by pure instinct that she dips down out of the way of the makeshift flamethrower and propels herself forward on her hands to hook her legs around his neck, intent on using the momentum to throw him. He sidesteps quickly enough for her to miss, and she cartwheels back upright in time for the mug to barely miss her ear. Karasu tries to think fast and begins drawing her swords when-- BONK! The metal cup falls to the floor and rolls away. Karasu follows soon after. The elf in the corner starts laughing hysterically at the sight of his mighty feline tormentor taken down by a cup.

Kasyr has been spared a situation that would have been the antithesis to thick thighs saving lives, and by extension, spared Karasu any sort of dumb banter related to it. That said, he still has reason to grin like an idiot when his little combat maneuver finds its mark, though he's at least courteous enough to crouch down and provide a bit of a wellness check, "Still with me?" The courtesy aspect of things is somewhat muted when he proceeds to poke at the demi-feline with his sheathed sword, prodding at her shoulder in case she's just playing possum. "I mean, most of us warrior types -are- supposed to be hardheaded, but still."

Karasu winces slightly when her shoulder is prodded. He knows she's faking it! She raises her torso and throws her arms out, locking her hands around his neck to throw him against the ground... And it fails. The half-feline just kind of dangles there uselessly, too light without her armor to actually do any kind of gravitating damage. Her expression shifts from mortified, to humiliated, to furious. "Aaargh!!" She lets go of him, landing rather ungracefully on her back before scrambling away to get back on her feet. With a deep breath that seems a little more similar to a bull snort, she starts an incantation. The room grows dark, and the shadows under Kasyr grow darker, seemingly rising to the floor and latching onto his ankles to prevent movement as she runs in for a flying kick.


Kasyr really does try his best to keep a straight face when she's in the process of dangling off him, but it's -incredibly- difficult. Which is why he finds winds up winking and offering a little wave, "That's definitely a different take on hanging off my every word." Not that she really needed any help to hit the higher ends of vexed, but the Kensai's basically compulsive about irritating opponents until they make sloppy mistakes by this point. His cheekiness tapers off a bit, when he finds that his attempt to shuffle back and gain a bit more room doesn't quite work as well as he'd like, the effort nearly sending him tripping over his own feet due to the manner in which his mobility has found itself abruptly hampered. The patter of feet alert him to the imminence of Karasu's counterattack, snapping him back into focus enough that he can rise the sheathe of his broadsword into the path of the kick, using a combination of the very tethers of tenebrous energy that were holding him down, as well as the absurd weight of the armoured trenchcoat he was wearing to avoid getting jostled from his position. Grunting with the impact, the Kensai's next motion is simply to heave the sword up as quickly as possible, hoping to disrupt Karasu's balance before she can properly rebound off the weapon, one fist snapping out to catch her in the kidney. "Okay, well. Rapid Study. I can work with that." Kasyr might also look a little bit like he's concentrating really hard- and it's true, he is, because there is totally a lesson here, and the words are on the tip of his tongue, and just aren't coming.

Karasu lands on the broadsword with her toes, using the momentum to slow herself down to prepare to fight back. Her feline tail twirls in an effort to coordinate her balance, and she improvises. Instead of rebounding with her feet, she latches both hands onto his thrown out fist and somersaults over his arm. Her knee goes out in the process, aiming for another kick in the face in the process. Once she's on her feet, her swords are drawn and ready to attack again. The lack of concentration on the shadow spell has caused it to dissipate already.

Kasyr gets an expression of dawning realization- if only because he finally recalls what he was going to saying, "Right. Play to your strengths. And you-" And then he promptly eats a knee to the face, his head snapping up with the impact, even as one of his hands shoots up to wave wave off the air in front of himself. Holding up a finger as though to request a pause, he adds, "Your enemies strengths. Oui." That said, his hand drops down, and he promptly lurches in Karasu's direction, fully intent on shoulder tackling her with the combined weight of himself and the coat. Whilst he is in part expecting her to retaliate with her blades- the Kensai's more than willing to play chicken with his student, fully poised to slam the sheathed blade he's still wielding into her weapons should she try to attack him, and use the raw force to create a better opening.

Karasu freezes up. She doesn’t want to stab him! That would be like stabbing Shishi! In a game of chicken, Karasu is always the loser. The woman jumps backward, using the force of the wall behind her to kick off and leap over the Kensai. Rather than slash at him like she would in a real fight, she taps the sword to the back of his trenchcoat. “Ignis.” The fur lining bursts into flames!

Kasyr notes the change in posture, and the reticence towards causing him harm- something which is filed away in the back of his head, especially in the face of the ruthlessness she demonstrated against the Razurath. Unfortunately, hero worship does not in fact provide Kas Plot armour- given that Karasu's swift escape from being mashed into the corner has resulted in her ... maiming. His. Friggin. Coat. Also the whole, fire right near his face thing, given the fur trim lining of the coat burns -quite- readily. Hissing a curse under his breath, the swordsman shrugs the coat backwards- briefly holding it between himself and Karasu to avoid any sort of follow up attack, in case anything's coming hurling behind him. The smouldering coat also happens to serve rather nicely as a temporary veil, granting the Kensei a moment to loosen the sheathe upon his sword. Thus, the moment the coat's dropped, the Kensai winds his sword forward in a pre-emptive thrust meant to coax Karasu into keeping their distance- whilst simultaneously launching the sheathe towards her. That said- unlike the earlier mug, this motion isn't empowered by magic- meant instead to play with her expectations, and distract her as he followers her lead and kicks off the wall. The difference is, whereas before he was weighed down by the considerable weight of the coat, he's now a -lot- lighter on his feet as he comes in to try slam the flat of the broadsword against her stomach.

Karasu feels so very proud of herself. That's the first time she's summoned fire with only one word of an incantation. The fur is an unfortunate casualty, but surely, she could simply replace it with the fur she has to brush off her tail. This was not a ploy to get her childhood hero to wear her fur like some kind of demented trophy at all. The red herring works all too well against the predictable halfling. She turns on her heel, ready to deflect a rebounding attack that never comes. The sheath bounces against the far wall of the arena, and by the time she has turned to face him again, the flat of the broadsword has made impact. With a yelp, Karasu flies across the room, slamming into the back wall. Having dropped her swords in the scuffle, she holds up her hands and winces. "I think you just broke my rib." Kasyr plunks the sword down into the ground tip first, and leans on it heavily, following the way Karasu bounces against the wall and the ground with the sort of self-satisfied pleasure that a painter might get once they're done painting. "Play with your enemies expectations. This works well in combat, as a wartime strategy, et even politics." He pauses after that, scrutinizing the halfling feline for a few long moments, in part trying to get a gauge on her physical condition at a glance, but also feeling out if there's some aspect of her emotional state that might betray some fiendish plan to... ..pounce at him again, this time with a broken rib. "...Not a battlefield." He exhales, his expression growing slightly softer at the churning emotions his empathy does come across, and then makes his way over to the feline. Setting the sword down near the sheathe, he then lifts up his hands if only to inquire, "Mind if I look at that?" While his hands rest in the air, he can't help but add, " And ...I wouldn't feel too bad about this, I've torn people in half with the blunt end of a weapon before." ...Really reassuring Kas. "...They, uh, weren't training sessions. Je vous Promets."

Kanna winces, her hands trembling in an attempt to be brave through the pain. It really is broken this time, and there's an overwhelming amount of emotions emanating from her. Humiliation and shame are the main themes of these emotions. "Expectations. Got it. I didn't flinch at the first cup, so of course I'd flinch at the second thing." She cracks a lopsided smile, which quickly turns into an embarrassed scowl. "What, no, you can't look!" Her voice cracks while she protests. There's an awkward pause when she realizes that in a real battlefield, she probably wouldn't have the option of whining about the gender of the person tending to her wounds. "Hengun. Get out. I want an iced coffee." She addresses the elf who is still in the training room. He opens his mouth to object and she side steps around Kasyr. "To the parents of Hengsun, we regret to inform you that your son is a DIRTY LITTLE THIEF." The elf pales and nods, fleeing the room. A natural intimidation roll. With a scowl, she lifts up her shirt enough to show the area that is quickly turning a deep violet red.

Kasyr stops beating himself up over his teaching practices the moment Karasu demonstrates that she still has enough spunk in her to turn one of her fellow students into a minion, "Hrm. There's a story there, I'm sure- and convenient wait stuff in the meantime." That aside, Kasyr does take note of Karasu's reticence, something that has him simply focusing his attention towards his face, while his hands simply move by feeling- settling on the point where the damage was done so he can his work. Normally, the Kensai doesn't dive too deeply into the invocations he offers up to Daedria when he taps into the ability to heal- and yet, for the sake of hastening the process, he starts to hum something, weaving the simple bit of music into the process of recovering his student. It's effective enough at setting things back in place- though, having something break in reverse is likely an uncomfortable enough process. When he's done, he offers the spot a few testing taps, before blinking, and then stuffing his hands into his pant pockets. "..Anyways. So, you took in some of those lessons. Did you notice anything else? Either details about how I fought, or your own strategies? I'll admit, whilst I've had apprentices- it's always been a bit of a more personal experience, et this is my first time as a formal teacher. So, bear with me, since I'm trying to figure out how to best, sort this process out." For all the confidence the Kensai can normally exude, there's a weird sort of hesitance in that acknowledgement, those oft perky ears of his seeming to droop along with it.

Karasu yanks her shirt down the second he finishes. "Phew. I knew you were strong, but I didn't think you'd actually break something going easy on me." She examines the semi-idol's face as he hesitates in his speech. "Its..." She snickers. "Its your first time?" She straightens her ears. "No, no, it's not funny. It's just... Surprising. Ah, well... It's hard to learn from you using a broadsword because I don't do broadswords, I like having both arms able to... No, nevermind. The part with the whiskey really threw me for a loop, though! That was really good!" Somehow the tables have turned and it is now Karasu trying to cheer him up.

Kasyr gives Karasu a flat look, for a moment, his ears flattening back further, before they promptly rebound as he offers a subtly coy look and shoots back, "And to think I shared it with you." Whatever mischief he'd mustered does find itself subdued again not too long after, as he runs one of his hands through his hair, "Most training partners or " There is some heavy airquotes here, "Students... i've had, have been in informal settings, tu sais? I'm a warrior, et, certainment, I have been buried in books due to my time as a politician. But being an academic, et figuring things out in a way that...es ..replicable. Et takes into account imparting things in a more.." He looks as though he can't find the word, biting the tip of his tongue as he gestures, before finally waving it off. "Well, you're not always going to be fighting the same style of weapon you're using- learning to adapt to enemy tactics is important, either for things like dueling for sport, on the battlefield or in a clandestine manner. All of those require different kinds of thinking." Scratching at his chin, the Kensai adds, "Improvisation -will- take you far, all the same. Like the whiskey, yes. ...I wasn't the only one holding back, quand meme. You made yourself more vulnerable from your own hesitance to risk doing me harm."

Karasu seems to think on this for a while. "But I don't -want- to hurt you. I suppose I could try other weaponry again. I do have other weapons I didn't use this time, just because they're made for a little more maiming than sparring." As they discuss, the elf runs back into the training area. "Okay, I got the cowowoah!" He trips on one of the abandoned pieces of armor, and the coffee goes flying, landing everywhere except Karasu's mouth. Drenched, the now healed spell blade rises to her feet. At this specific moment in time, she seems to have little hesitance for causing bodily harm as she prepares an elbow drop on the poor student, Kasyr forgotten. "Mother--!!"

Kasyr was adjacent to Karasu. Kasyr has thus also been covered in covfefe. Whilst his reaction isn't quite as immediate as the hybrids, he looks steamed all the same. ...And not just because of what's produced by the scalding liquid he's wiping off himself, with the help of his scarf. Really, it's such a shame that as Karasu is doing this act of vengeance, the Kensai can't say a damn thing because he's getting his face clear. Such a friggin shame. It's only after the whumpf of impact that the Kensai drops the scarf from his face and rises properly from his feet, "...If you're done, I'd like to pick your brain over where to go from here. -If-. You're. Done." The look Kasyr is giving the kid could curdle someones blood right now.

Karasu looks up from the middle of what looks like a signature dwarven wrestling move that Hengsun is desperately trying to tap out of. In the distraction, he withdraws his wand and recites a spell in the elven language. A snowball that seems to have emerged from nowhere splatters against her neck and she yelps, jumping up off of him. "Ugh!!" She reaches up behind her soggy hair and lobs what remains of the snow at the kid. "Yeah, that works. Maybe after a change of clothes, though? Oh, wait, watch your step." She asks, holding a sticky hand out to Kasyr to take out of polite habit.

Kasyr doesn't really notice what's off about the offered hand. He -is- mocha flavoured too, currently- and honestly, it's less squicky then most battlefield fluids. The other adept is given a second look and a fairly curt, "Shoo?" before the swordman redirects his attention towards Karasu, "I simply wanted to pick your brain on what bit of training you wanted to start with. I can certainly work with your swordsmanship, et if you're certain that those weapons work best for you, we could even see about figuring out how best to compliment your fighting style. You know, with ge..eee..ar." Kasyr's giving his coat a sidelong look, since it's still smouldering- which provokes him into releasing Karasu's hand, and promptly stomping out what's burning on his coat, before he retrieves it. "Figuring out your fortes casting wise et the like seems prudent as well. ...You visit Frostmaw, often?"

Karasu considers this for a moment. "I hate going up there, actually. Never liked the cold." She comments idly, wringing out coffee from the sleeves of her shirt. "I'm generalized, I think. None of the instructors ever noted that I had an affinity towards a particular element. I'm the student, whatever you think I need to work on, I'll go along with it."

Kasyr nods a bit, dusting off his coat as he does so, "Well, I do think I'm direly in need of some pelts from that region for my poor abused coat." He is -definitely- hamming this up a bit. "That aside, What sort of spells have you been passionate about learning more of, or, find easiest to implement in your style of fighting." The Kensai pauses for a moment, and then gingerly nudges the feline in the shoulder, "You might want to look into empowerment to some degree if you're aiming on trying to throw me, enfin."

Karasu stares at the floor. "That... -was- empowered." She lifts her sleeves to reveal rune-marked bracelets. "I guess not enough, though." The halfling scratches the back of her head. "Sorry about your coat. I uh, can probably fill in the burnt patches with my fur. Purple would look great on you!" She teases. Getting serious, she asks, "How about stealth spells? I'd have a major advantage if I could sneak up on an opponent."

Kasyr eyes the bracelet for a few moments, before his attention draws back up to Karasu, "Hrm. An enchantment, or just a shortcut for using empowerment spells?" Whilst the Kensai's more than capable of discerning the properties of a weapons, magical or otherwise, the moment he needs to try and figure out anything else, well... "Mmm, that works- maybe leaning away from elemental spells for the moment for more practical ones. The question is figuring out how long you could sustain them." Looking more pensive then anything, then swordman begins to shuffle his way towards the exit, plucking at one of his ears the whole while, "I'll see if I can find you some decent reading material. In the meantime- get me a decent pelt enfin. Preferably not yours. I'd rather not be known as the teacher that shaved down his pupil." And then he's making his way the rest of the way to the door, with an offhanded wave.

Karasu blinks. "Wait, what kind of pelt do you want?"