The Tiny One

"One more!" called a voice in a small clearing away from a communal fire. "C'mon, two outta three!"
A feminine voice sighed and the sound of a pair swords being unsheathed followed. "Fine. But don't expect it to help you much."
There was the sound of the clashing of swords, several cries and grunts of effort, then a small thud and a shout of victory.
"Told ya so!" the female shouted good-naturedly.
"Three out of five?" the other voice offered.
The girl laughed. "Boss, I've already beat ya twice. C'mon, let's go and have something to eat."
Into the ring around the fire stepped the combatants, a tall, lanky goblin with a scruffy beard who was rubbing one arm somewhat resentfully, and a tiny girl in a tattered skirt with a short sword hangin at each hip, smiling out of a frame of tangled brown hair, blue eyes glittering jovially.

((this is a roleplay, btdubbs. Jump in.))

Then a red headed warrior wearing new chain armor with leather pauldrons holding a beautiful gleaming sword and round sheild came out of the forest into the clearing in which the ring was. "Hello mind I use the ring to train in my new armor? Feel free to join me after your lunch."

A glowing pair of eyes opened in the forest, watching the fiery haired, armored man approach. A rumble could be heard, as words came from the spot below the eyes.


"Mind your place, youngling. Or you'll be training against me."

Hearing the voice the warrior spins on his heels and fighting postion. "State your name and purpose!"

The girl rolled her eyes as she sat down by the fire, slicing off a bit of the animal dangling over it by a spit with one of her swords. "Oh, calm down, both of you. Drake, he asked permission, don't go spitting fire at every stranger you see or you'll have no friends. And you," she turned to the newcomer. "If no one else wants to use th ring you may. I'll come out in a minute."

"Thank you my lady," he said as he studied the little humans size. She was small but something about her told him she was a great fighter. He stepped into the ring with a few swings and menuvers to warm up. "My apologies to the voice,drake you said his name was? I meant no disrepect. I'm Niall prince to Soluna. Well... I was that is... Thank you for the use of the ring". He began quicker moves and combos with the sheild.

"You know him?" the girl asked, only half looking up from her food.

"KEYLIK!!! Old friend how be you What brings your travels here? This kind.....girl is letting me use her practice ring. I apologize maam I never got your name"

"Atlantia," she answered him through a mouthful of meat. Her goblin friend had sat down beside her and was eating now, too. Their manners were largely identical, except for that in between hunks of meat, Atlantia would wiper her mouth with her hand and then wipe her fingers on her skirt. The goblin simply ate.

The burning eyes winked at the small one, and the rumbling words rolled forth from the shadows again.

"Seems we have a full house for once, eh little sister? And you should know that I never imply roasting people. I prefer training them if they accept, and crushing them if they don't."

The eyes shrunk and disappeared, and a large man strode from the woods. Darkness covered him, it seemed, but a closer look would show that he merely wore a simple black tunic and pants, a red ring belt, and carried a single sword at his waist. Made of obsidian, it shone black, if such a thing was possible. Of course, in these lands, much was possible. In a more normal voice, he continued.


"So, Niall, was it? And this is your friend, Keylik? You should know me, old friends. Honestly, how many Drake's do you know?"

"Hello Drake I didn't reconize your voice and hello to you Atlantia" ajusting his sheild. "I'd love to train with you Drake"

The warrior grinned toothily at Niall, and unsheathed his sword, twirling it end over end a few times to loosen up his arm.

"Very well, old friend. Let's dance once more, you and I."

With that, he leapt at the shieldman, slamming the shield hard with his sword over and over, the obsidian meeting the steel, sparks from the attacks dancing into the night.

The girl ducked as sparks flew past her.
"To the ring, you two! You don't fight near the fire; you know better than that!" She wagged a greasy finger at Drake, then licked it off and continued to eat, rolling her eyes.

The Dragonwalker rolled his eyes and blocked a few strikes from the red head, then landed a solid kick to the shield, shoving him into the ring to continue his assault. In between blows, he growled low at the young woman.


"Just because.....I protect you.....doesn't mean you can.......boss me around."

"No," said the girl in between bites, "But you do what I say anyway, don't you?" She tossed a winsome smile his way, though she doubted he'd notice while he was fighting.

With A quick step to the left he moved out of the line of attacks coming from drake. "Aye my lady. You've become stronger since our last bout drake. Been training hard?"

The warrior spun around the shield and drum rolled the other's armor with the flat of his blade, then slipped backwards. He grinned and winked at the red head.

"The more I fight, the better I'm able to survive the next battle. You've been training as well, it seems...but your footwork is still lacking. Think, if your enemy is moving forward, and you only step to the left, how easy is it for him to roll past your shield and find your back? Especially if you're going up against another shieldman."

Drake dropped into a guarding stance, picking up a large shield that had been sitting outside the ring as he did so.

"Even when sparring, you should always be looking for the kill, Niall. Always."

"I must be used to fighting with someone at my side. Ill mix my footwork up". He begins bouncing on his toes to warm up his legs. "But please teach as we spar and yes I have been training. My fathers men have increased there pursuit of me". He enters a fighting stance "now let's begin" using faster feet he unleashes a fury of swings and cuts

The Dragonwalker grinned behind his shield, and easily blocked without attacking.

"How many of your father's men will use small, mobile shields like yours? You'll have to open up or manuever around it."

He rushed forward, sword arm back, and pummeled Niall with his shield, deadening the blows from Niall's sword.

Shaking off the hit "fine then" he drops his sheild and charges with a series of expert cut and stabs. Seeing that his oppnent was far bigger yet more top heavy than he is he swipes the leg of drake sending him on his back. Then offering a hand to get him up.

Drake took Niall's offered hand, and then planted a foot in his gut and sent him flying over his head.

"Never think that just because you've beaten them, they'll surrender. Especially those who don't want to let go of what little power they think they have, such as your father."

Getting up, he tossed the shield to the side and switched to his off hand and waited for the coming attack.

"No honor in sparing my friend?". Standing up. Realizing he was hungry "I say train with the tiny one for I need nurishment"

"One second," she said upon hearing herself being mentioned, then finished her food and stood up, wiping her fingers again so they wouldn't be slippery on her swords. Then she strolled across the clearing and through the narrow wall of undergrowth that separated the common ring and the practice ring, taking her own sweet time and meticulously making sure her hands were dry before unsheathing a pair of glittering short swords, identical except for the colors of the mystic designs that swirled up the flat of each blade--her right hand gleamed in blues and silvers, and from the pommel stood out a silver crescent moon. Her left hand glared gold and red, with a sun shining on the pommel. Yin and Yang.
"Alright, Drake. Now be nice, you don't wanna actually break me," she teased, twirling the two swords with an easy fluidness.