RP:Illusion Brawl

Part of the Thy Kingdom Come Arc

Summary: A second sparring between Sykule and Dominic, as they work on their skills in preparation for the next march on Frostmaw.

Frozen Pathway

Sykule felt a bit weary as he walked towards the camp, greeting the friendly watchers as he passed. He had been out of the camp for a short while, but supposed nothing had changed while he was away. The boy decided to search about for somewhere where he could rest or maybe have a cold drink and chat with his companions.

Dominic stood overlooking the edges of the camp, gnawing at an apple and staring pensively across the frozen expanse. The sight of Sykule broke him free from his ruminations enough to greet the boy with a nod and a lazy wave. Another loud crunch of his apple disturbed the frigid silence.

Sykule saw Dominic from afar, and waved back towards him. He did not seem to be busy like most of the other soldiers, so maybe Sykule would be able to hang around and share his story with the man. He started to cross the outskirts of the camp, in order to greet his friend. "Hey there, Mr. Dominic, it's been a while. How are you?"

Dominic peered sidelong down at Sykule. His eyes were ringed with shadows, but he seemed no more worse for wear than he had the other day. "Just Dominic is fine. Formalities are, uh... well, they're not my thing." A shrug rolled across his shoulders. "I'm well enough. Just filling the time. What are you up to?" An inquisitive gaze searched Sykule as the man took another bite into his apple, then discarded the core.

Sykule looked up at Dominic, raising his hat for a better view. "Just came back to the camp after being out for some time. But it seems everything is still the same." And he would quickly get bored, again... He would usually read a book at times like these, but this is a war-camp, not a library. "So, what about you? keeping watch for something from up there?" Dominic once said he was not one to stay idle for too long, so maybe he had something on his mind.

Dominic shook his head. “Not officially, no, though I suppose another pair of eyes doesn’t hurt.” He hopped down from his prior position and scrutinized the interior of the camp, now. But whatever -- or whoever -- he was looking for, remained unfound. Green eyes settled back on the boy at his side. “I know that preparations need to be made. I’ve heard bits and pieces. And I know we can’t just rush further into Frostmaw without thinking.” Not that that kind of logic had stopped him from being reckless before. “But, uh… yeah, it’s all the same.” A sigh. “It makes me restless.” It was far from the only thing making him restless -- but he wasn’t so close with the boy that he’d openly share all of his troubles.

Sykule tilted his head sideways. "Hm...I see..." The boy said, crossing his arms. That gave him some ideas, and he couldn't help but smile at the man "If you're worried about being ready to take back Frostmaw, I can help. You helped me practice last time, and I would kindly repay the favor, if you wish." he paused to stretch one of his arms and let out a long sigh. "No need to waste time worrying about the future when you're able to strengthen yourself with that time. And being exhausted is a lot better than being restless, anyway."

Dominic’s eyes darted for the sky as he chewed on that thought. He’d... helped? Well, all right, then. “Yeah, I’m not opposed, if we can find somewhere where we won’t disturb anyone.” Shoving his hands into his pockets, Dominic stepped off for for the least populated area of the camp, assuming Sykule would follow. “Though I should warn you, I’m a…” A what? There was a word on the tip of his tongue and he shook his head, reconsidering it. “...A bit of a mess. Sometimes. I think I mentioned, the other day -- the illusion’s not really something I, uh, have full control over.” He wasn’t meeting Sykule’s eyes, gaze instead focused steadily on the way ahead.

Sykule nodded. He was aware of his illusion's independence, his curiosity towards it was actually one of the reasons he wanted to see what Dominic could do. "Don't worry, I can take it even if things get nasty. Also, I'm sure your... friend will be reasonable enough. Maybe he'll even enjoy it." The boy's pride wouldn't allow him to be afraid of a human, however skilled he might be. So he followed Dominic around, wondering where he would lead them. "What about you, do you have any other skills I should worry about?"

Dominic answered the question in the most minimal and evasive way possible, though it earned Sykule a quirk of an eyebrow. “Nothing you should worry about, no.” And that was that. Beyond the tents he led the boy, a meandering path with his eyes peeled for a suitably isolated spot. They’d stay near the camp of course, in case of any real danger, but Dominic wanted as few prying eyes on him as possible. Just in case. He finally tapped a boot on the cold ground, a spot with enough space surrounding them to spread out and spar properly. “This will do. Anything you need, before we begin?”

Sykule removed his hat and cloak as he walked towards a small rock nearby. "I believe I'm ready. I think I should warn you, if things start to get out of control..." He wasn't sure how to explain to him - The boy thought to himself as he looked down towards his hat - He was never sure how to tell anyone about what he really was. People usually freaked out or just started treating him like a freak afterwards. "Just don't panic if something really weird happens. But at least I want to try sparring without the need to use that..." He placed his apparel on the rock and walked toward the opposite end of the clearing. He stood there in a balanced stance, wearing only the lighter clothes he wore beneath the cloak, and no shoes. "Whenever you're ready."

‘Don’t panic if something really weird happens’... That quip earned Sykule a brief chuckle -- more like a sharp exhale of air through his nose and a slight twitch of the lips than an actual laugh. “Likewise.” Dominic pulled his hands back out of his pockets -- one fist brought with it a many-faced rune stone in swirling blues and greens -- and took one step further back away from Sykule before dropping into a crouch. A shadow burst forward from him and took form as it moved, rippling and writhing into the same figure as last time. Dominic’s eyes, but little else in common with the man who remained behind in his hunched position. The illusion attempted to close the gap between itself and the boy, sliding into a strike with one leg forward to try to knock him off balance, and ideally flat onto his back.

Sykule waited until the illusion was close enough before jumping backwards, trying to avoid his kick. He was fast, but not enough to avoid being hit. The kick hit him mid-air around his thighs, sending him further backwards, though his momentum absorbed most of the force. The boy managed to land on his feet, the pain on his leg wasn't that great, but that would certainly leave a mark. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to take his mind away from the pain, and clear his thoughts for a second, Once he was able to concentrate he opened his eyes and darted, trying to flank Dominic's illusion. He used the same trick to mirror his own image he had used before. To anyone watching the boy, it would appear that he had just split in two, each one of his clones reaching around Dominic's illusion from one side. He hoped the trick would be enough to distract his target as he jumped towards him ready to hit him with an elbow-strike.

Dominic’s illusion, without being sure which was the ‘real’ Sykule, treated them both as equally threatening. As they leapt forward, the shadow dropped to the ground to dodge the blows, falling back with his weight on a hand placed to the side and behind him. From that position he pivoted into a backwards somersault, kicking his legs up at the jaws of Sykule’s twin illusions on his way up and over and back away from them. The retreat was the main goal of this maneuver as he sought to keep both illusions in front of him, but if his legs hit their marks while he moved, so much the better.

Sykule realized, too late, what was about to happen. His strike missed and he found himself too close to his clone, close enough that the illusion was able to hit them both. The kick hit him straight up his chin, knocking the boy backwards with excruciating pain. Sykule felt down to his knees, spitting his own blood on the ground. He wasn't very fond of bleeding. His opponent was faster, stronger and well trained, unlike him. "Well... Screw it." The boy said, supporting himself with one of his hands on the ground. His pale-gray eyes were now completely reptilian and he had a wild grin on his face. "Let me level things a bit." he spoke, as his whole body trembled slightly, his pale skin being covered by in white feathers and his head started to twist and shift into a different form. In a matter of seconds the boy was now a feral wingless draconian the size of an grown adult human, with talons were his hands and feet would be, and the same wild grin. "Now that's better" he spoke in a silent, mental voice towards Dominic, and possibly his illusion. He then charged forward on all fours, faster than he could before. aiming to tackle his foe and strike him with his tail.

The shadow-man squinted at this transformation, his entire countenance tensed in thought as he took another few steps backward, nearing his host but not quite enough to put Dominic in harm’s way. Though they’d seen a great number of things -- Lithrydel seemed full of variety -- a draconian form hadn’t yet been one of them. As the telepathic voice reached Dominic, the illusion wavered a moment, flickering out of existence and then blinking back in as though nothing had happened. It was enough; they were more than caught off guard. Sykule’s attacks met their target, the tail lashing through the illusion’s body with a force that would have been incredibly damaging... were it real. Instead, the shadow dispersed as it was hit, a twisted cloud of thick smoke that quickly diffused into the air. Dominic rose from his post with sweat glistening across his skin and a pounding heart -- a physical toll exacted by the illusion’s combat, even though Dominic hadn’t been touched at all. “Score one for you. Again?”

Sykule was still breathing heavily after the attack. He may have overreacted a bit. The dragon then stood upwards, and scratched his feathery neck. His jaw was still sore from the hit. His gray eyes then turned upon Dominic, and he responded with the same telepathic voice as before. "You could count it as two to one, he did hit me twice and Dragon blood is not easily spilled. It appears that my little secret was spilled as well." He now stood slightly taller than Dominic, and his clothes seemed about to rip apart. As he spoke, his face was emotionless, but his tone of speech was clearly friendly. "But I believe that's enough practice for me for today, I'm still a bit tired from the travel. I'm sure we could do this again another time, if you wish."

Dominic exhaled, relief seeping into his muscles. He hadn’t been quite sure that Sykule would be ... tame, in this form. And the mental speech was unnerving -- as if he didn’t have enough of that already! He wondered if the draconian could read thoughts as well as he could send them; Dominic’s own secrets wouldn’t stay buried long, if so. “Didn’t want to actually injure you,” he murmured apologetically. “It, er, defeats the purpose of sparring if you get too hurt to fight in the real battles. But... yes, another time.” The man swiped the perspiration off his forehead, all the while piercing Sykule with a contemplative side-eye. “And... for the record, your secret stays safe with me. I’d want the same, if it were me.” Dominic said this blithely and with a reassuring half-smile, as if he carried no such secrets, as if his earlier words and actions had never hinted at them. It was a paper-thin deception with no real purpose other than to extend the charade a while longer.

Sykule laughed, or at least that was what it somewhat sounded like in his dragon form. "Don't worry, my wounds are lessons. There's no point in sparring if you don't have something to learn from." He walked towards the stone where he left the rest of his belongings and picked them up with his nimble claws, placing the hat upon his head, which seemed a bit ludicrous in his draconian form. "It's not really a secret, I'm proud of what I am. It's just more convenient this way, people treat me differently when they get to know what I am. And that's what being an Illusionist is about." he spoke, while slowly turning back into his human form and putting his cloak upon his shoulders. "It's about tricking people into seeing what you want them to see, so they don't expect the unexpected." This time his voice came from his mouth, while he turned slowly towards Dominic, still with a childish smile.

A mild mumble of agreement passed Dominic’s lips. “Mm. I can’t say I’ve ever thought about the theory behind any of this. No formal training, as I think I’ve mentioned before. It makes sense, though.” The stone he’d been holding returned to its resting place in his pocket, and Dominic turned for the camp’s interior. “Well, uh… I’ll see you around here again soon, I’m sure.”

Sykule made a quick farewell gesture with his hand. "Until next time." the boy told his friend, then he turned around and headed for his own quarters, in the camp.