Two Warriors Unfettered By Magic

Talonia. A place that was rather famous, or perhaps infamous from a different standpoint, for serving as a hub where countless mages not affiliated to any guild and fortune-seeking mercenaries sought to make a name for themselves or make a quick jewel through the various avenues where large sums of currency changed hands at both a frequent and rapid rate. A certain Billiam Feyson and his apprentice baker Martian Moonie came to be here for various reasons, the main reason being that it was the prime time of the year where travelers and locals alike would be buying and selling food items, tourists would be sampling the wares of vendors and likely post reviews through their iLac devices, and Billi would have the opportunity to sell his baked goods. As a bonus side business, the head baker also did small trades deals on the side, selling items from Fiore that were hard to come by in Talonia at prices slightly higher than what he paid to buy them and repeated the same process but in reverse.

Billiam found himself traveling towards the well-known waterfalls here because he, and especially Mars, was trying to keep in physical shape so that they would have, at the very least in the barest minimum capacity, the ability to defend their homesteads from would-be hoodlums. It came as a surprise to Billi that someone, a member of the Silver Wolf guild no less, was offering an opportunity to have a shared training session with him, to which the flustered baker responded with, "A-ah, sorry Mister...er... Lora... but I'm just here accompanying a friend of mine who might be more your speed..." Waddling up to meet his boss, landlord, and big brother-figure was Martian Moonie, the domesticated barbarian who was late to his own training due to some last-minute chores he had to finish in the branch store they were currently maintaining. The boy was a manlet, standing at a whopping height of 5'7", clad in a simple red robe for his normal attire, his chef hat, and his characteristic bowl cut.

Appearing less imposing and more unassuming than his boss, the young strong-arm of the duo bowed in greeting-- a gesture taught to him by his boss in his crash-course lesson in manners-- to both Billiam and this new acquaintance of his. "This here is Martian Moonie, he's a bit of an enthusiastic brawler despite how he looks... I think he's been able to do Wizard commissions as a side job but I don't know how he does it." It was at this point where Billi made the mistake of introducing Mathis as a member of a Wizard guild, which immediately incited Mars's ire as his anger manifested as a shimmering heat haze, only for Billi to quickly try and cool him down by saying, "W-wait, he's a fighter like yourself, I mean he looks pretty strong and that kind of strength can't be magic, can it?" Funnily enough, the trick worked and the madlad non-mage managed to cool down before the baker added in, "I'll catch up with you guys later, there's something I gotta take care of back at my shop"

With that, Billiam left Mathis alone with an odd training partner. Mars breaking the moment of silence with an introduction of his own, "Martian, I am, yes." In a waddling encirclement, the feral boy took a good look at this stranger before him, making clicks of his tongue and occasional mutterings of "Da Wae..." as he did so. Nodding as though confirming something, the red fighter pointed in the direction of the waterfall, "Go to, yes?"


Word Count: 604
Total Word Count: 604

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Before proceeding towards the waterfalls, Martian took a quick check at the stuff he carried in a small satchel he keeps somewhere on his robes. The items contained within the small carrying case were a myriad of bobbles and things that didn't appear to serve any real purpose. Small stones that were worn smooth and glossy from repeated polishing, a crumpled up piece of paper that happened to be the very first receipt of the first items he's ever purchased in a store in Magnolia-- which were fruits of all things-- and a small whistle. Returning the satchel in his robes, the peculiar youth looked to this Mathis fellow and listened in on his interests pertaining to the various fighting styles that were present all throughout Fiore. The apprentice baker was quick to express his exuberance when he heard the other man offering to have a friendly fight between the two of them by nodding his head excitedly.

"Fight good, yes", the boy's eagerness was palpable as he gave a silly round of clapping, "Make better, yes!" Mathis's next comment, his observation that Mars carried no combat weapons on his person, only served to confuse the idiot fighter as he tilted his head in his puzzlement. Mars lifted up his hands and looked from one to the other as he curled them into fists before looking towards his new companion and wiggling his fisted hands slightly right in front of him, an indicator to Mathis that he is never unarmed... For his arms were still attached to him, as were the hands he used as his primary instrument of violence.

Another offer was made, a courteous gesture made by the traveling mage to either fight unarmed like Martian or alter the weapon he was using into something deemed more appropriate or preferable. Shrugging his shoulders, the domesticated barbarian simply replied, "Sharpsies use, Handsies use, yes", continuing to move towards the waterfall, Mars added in, "Fight is fight, yes." When finally reaching the waterfall, the sounds of falling water crashing against the rocks below being almost as mesmerizing as the water's pristine clarity, Mars raised his head up and took in a deep breath. Naturally, he absorbed the various sounds around him, the smells, the overall resonance that allowed him to sense the presence of life surrounding him in a 60-meter radius.

This was an area that, while it permeated with the smaller presences of wildlife scattered all throughout the environment, it was particularly suitable for the two fighters to compare their skills and abilities with each other. After doing some light stretches, Martian Moonie took on a battle stance, both hands curled into fists and raised slightly in front of his face, his left foot frontmost while his right positioned further behind as he faced Mathis. His stance was such that he could readily strike with his dominant hand and do so with the force and leverage afforded him through how he moves his body when he throws a normal punch.

Word Count: 501 
Total Word Count: 1105

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Upon the terms that they each agreed to, the two fighters ventured further up the mountains and closer towards the waterfall so as to have their friendly duel and compare each other's fighting styles. Underfoot was the crunching of gravel, loose rock, twigs, and some withered shrubs that withered due to lack of sufficient sunlight. The waterfall off in the distance gave off a faint yet constant sound as the body of water crashed down onto the unyielding stone floor below. The day has yet to reach its noon as small birds flew and perched onto trees and small creatures skittered about on branches or in the naturally hollowed areas where such animals made their niches. The two would situate themselves as the two stood back-to-back and began moving a number paces forward and in the opposite direction of the other. Their sparring match was to start a fashion similar to a formal duel, its beginning was announced by the sound of a pebble falling down from the waterfall and clattering against an exposed rock that stood just above the circulating water of at the fall's base.

Turning around, the two immediately would go to their preferred opening move, the experienced swordsman likely on the defensive so as to observe his opponent and learn to undermine the other's rhythm. Martian, on the other hand, was surrounding himself with a heat haze that gradually focused itself as a crimson bio-luminance that was visible to the naked eye, the red glow focusing itself around Mars's fists, signifying the concentration of his body's inherent strength. Charging forward, the footfalls of the young brawler were shockingly heavy, as each step was as thunderous as they were frequent, they were akin to the tremors that precede a sizeable earthquake. 

As they came to blows, the swordsman would block the punches and kicks he could and attempt to dodge the ones he couldn't guard against in time. Very likely, the melee-oriented mage was able to anticipate the strength of his opponent, but it seemed even he couldn't have foreseen the sheer ferocity of the red-clad weirdo's attacks. They were beastly, erratic, and were made as though he boy aimed to kill rather than have a friendly spar. Mars had almost no sense of pacing which, given the current situation, was irrelevant. Intuitively, the apprentice baker could tell that he was facing against an opponent who was his superior in every aspect of close-quarters combat, their first exchanges only serving to attest to what his instincts have told him. 

Likewise, the swordsman would take note of Martian's resilience against the physical attacks that he was able to connect, judging the extent of his opponent's prowess as akin to an average B rank mage. Their match would come to an abrupt end as Mars spewed out a strange red vapor that seemed to be a sort of minor toxin, as exposure to it caused the man with pale hair to have a mild fit of coughing, his eyes stinging and his skin being subjected to a burning sensation where the vapor touched him. The wild hobo took this opportunity to get off six heavy blows before the other combatant responded in kind with his own counteroffensive. 

Both of the sparring partners stopped to take a breather as soon as the red vapor dissipated, each of them expending enough effort and gaining sufficient insight on what the other is capable of that they agreed that this was a good point to stop. The two would part and go their own ways, The swordsman going to wherever he chose and Martian returning with his boss Billiam back to Magnolia the next day, the two adherents of fighting and martial prowess said their goodbyes, leaving behind some promise that they would compare their skills and growth should they meet again someday.

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Word Count: 640
Total Word Count: 640