[F11 - PP - Shield & Beat] Clashing of the Titans

[Shield 0]

Shield stood on the edge of his garden, watching the waterfalls careen out of sight down into the mountain valleys of Aincrad's eleventh floor. The spray kept the air alive with sound and moisture, so much that the cool mountain air left an impression on both the ears and the skin. Shield's statuesque form stood out as a dark outline against the white mist. Both of his hands grasping the winged top of his most essential piece of equipment, the Manticore Mask, which he leaned on like a handrail, its lower edge pressed slightly into the dirt. It was a significant day. His young upstart of a companion had been running his mouth about how Shield had lost a few steps in his absence from the front lines. Shield, having a reputation to uphold as a skilled and exceedingly humble tank, felt the need to correct him. While Beat had issued the challenge, Shield had chosen the time and place.

In all reality, this was just a friendly sparring match between friends, and although they would gladly say the same to anyone who asked, they would not dare admit that to one another. They, after all, had been rivals far longer than they had been friends, and there was far too much pride on the line to say it was a friendly match, but it was impossible to mistake - they were both excited to square off again. There were no buffs allowed. Batman rules of prep time were not allowed. It was raw skill against skill. While Shield knew that Beat would be able to keep pace with the earlier rounds, he was curious to see how well he'd be able to keep up with some of the later rounds he had planned.

Despite their pride and their rivalry, on some level, Shield knew this wasn't a fair contest. While Beat's skill was undeniable and he had held his position as the top DPS on the front lines in his time, Shield had long since left him in the dust on actual experience. It was something he didn't like to bring up to Beat often. While trash talking was not uncommon, it was always kept vague. He would never admit to the younger player just how far he had sprinted ahead, but Beat was perceptive. He clearly knew and had every awareness of the odds. Still, Shield had done what he could to come up with a method to keep things on a more even playing field. All that he needed now was his opponent.

@Beat

[Beat 0]

Beat arrived at the settlement on the eleventh floor, grinning ear to ear and a quite literal hop in his step. Horus flew behind him as he took the familiar walk to the former location of his home and shop. Beat's hands flew through the air and he spread his inventory out in front of him, his eyes moving back and forth as he assembled what he believed to be the most sustainable set of equipment he had. His damage was not the issue and nor was anything Shield could do himself, but the resilience that Shield's abilities  afforded him as well as the pure defensive skill that came from eighty-eight levels of experience was something Beat was looking forward to challenging himself with. An uphill battle was something Beat had always enjoyed and something that was incredibly rare in Sword Art Online without risking one's life.

There's a sight for sore eyes

At his increased pace, it didn't take Beat long to reach the garden where his companion stood, though his gaze was simply admiring the familiar surroundings as he approached, "Been a while since I've been here. Can't say I don't miss it from time to time." Beat's blood began to simmer as he pumped himself up for the long awaited showdown.

[Shield 0]

Shield left his shield where it was, still leaning on it with a cool intensity. The thrill of a proper combat was always something that could make him bristle, providing there was no skin on the line. But this wasn't that kind of fight. It wasn't life or death. It was training. In a sense, it was fun, some of the only actual fun that he and Beat had had together in some time. Fun that wasn't fun 'but.' There was no quest, no mission, no objective outside of just letting the exercise be what it was.

"Do you need a minute to stretch first?" he said, straightening up, though still leaving his shield propped against this hands as it stood on the ground. "We wouldn't want you to pull anything in the middle." His foot slipped under one of the lips at the bottom edge of the shield and with a hike of his knee, he tossed it up to his right hand. He held the shield steady and slid his left into the strap and held onto the grip. He strode forward with heavy-booted steps, crossing into the center of the garden where the paving stone paths all met. From here, there would be plenty of room to fight and attack on the move.

[Beat 0]

"Isn't that what you old people have to do so you don't hurt your back or break a hip?" Beat said coyly, giving Shield a wink before summoning his spear and giving it a few swings and thrusts, the sound of metal ringing as it cut through the air. He was in good condition and his preparation had been made simple thanks to their agreement to not use any sort of buffs. This was a test of skill and while their stats and equipment would certainly play a part, Beat was much more interested to get the chance to test the maneuvers and skills that relied less on the mechanics of the game and more on the intuition and skill of the player. 

"Well, I suppose as the damage dealer, it only makes sense that I lead off right?" he said, taking up his usual, aggressive stance, spear in one hand and held out, ready to charge as soon as his companion gave him the go ahead. He raised an eyebrow as he had a second thought, "Unless you'd like the honors?"

[Shield 0]

"First round is straight forward," he said, ignoring the taunts Beat came back with. "You land a partial hit, it's a point. I make you eat thorns, that's a point. You land a clean hit, that's two points. I knock you off balance, that's also two points. If either of us gets disarmed, that's another five points and we reset in the middle. First to ten takes it." 

Shield didn't have any other words. They had met, exchanged verbal jabs, and heard the rules. The two of them had already begun sizing each other up. The more time they gave each other, the more they were allowing the other to read something about them too. Instead of addressing Beat's last question, he let Manticore Mask do it for him. Its eyes flashed a menacing red. With one long stride, Shield had closed half the distance, and with the second, he was within striking distance. In a move that he knew would frustrate any DPS, he tucked himself in behind his shield, his entire body disappearing behind it like an eclipse.

The mask surged forward, its angry face and glowing eyes blocking him from view. He was the sports boxer, a defensive machine, tucked safely behind his gloves. To an amateur, it was boring TV. To an insider, it was tactical. Textbook. Only a quarter moon of his face was visible between the manticore's wings, just enough for an eye to peek out. Even the angle of the shield blocked view of his feet from Beat's vision.

...White's king-side knight to bishop three....

Edited May 16, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Beat's eyes widened and he lowered his stance as he listened. Shield had done what he always did and had thought this out. It was a good idea for their first training exercise. It was exactly what Beat had in mind. It had the added effect of removing their level difference from the equation for the most part since a lot of the advantages of begin a higher level in a fight was energy pool size and the amount of hit points each player had. "Pure skill, I love it!" He said excitedly. 

As Shield made his second stride, Beat seized the timing between steps and drove his spear into the ground as he leaped into the air, propelling himself up and forward, over Shield while making sure to stay within striking range as he passed over his companion. I'm not as linear as the game allows me to be. His form shifted rapidly as he proceeded to pepper Shield with strikes from above, continuing the assault as he landed behind the tank, hoping the continuous change in angle would find a crack or two in those iron defenses as each strike probed for an opening.

Edited May 17, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

A spear planted into the ground.

Pole vault? Black queen side pawn to knight four...

By the time Beat was fully airborne Shield's hand was already on the hilt of his sword. He pulled it from the sheath and swiped it up into the space between the two players, using the turn of his shoulders to pivot in tighter behind his defenses as they angled upward. He was still at spear range, so his sword would never reach Beat, but...

Parry.

He circled the tip of his sword, binding it with the spear head, occupying it just long enough. His front foot dug in, and he swung his right in a wide arc, turning his base to face the other direction as the manticore turned skyward, catching a hail of spear strikes on its face. 

He's in the air, so he's gotta land. Can't beat him there but...

Shield pushed off with his back leg launching in the direction opposite his last move. Pole arms love distance, so Shield needed to be closer than that distance when Beat landed. He'd be putting himself in a nasty spot if the spear found just the right angle, but aerial maneuverability wouldn't allow for a perfect offense.

Pawn forward two - pawn threatens bishop... I can risk that hit if it means getting in his face...

Edited May 16, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Beat watched as Shield pushed through his hail of strikes, glad that Shield's defenses were living up to their name so far. Immovable object indeed. As he landed, he ceased his flurry, realizing that Shield's progress had not only changed direction, but was relatively unfettered by his efforts.

He'll be too close for conventional strikes, but this weapon is way more versatile than people give it credit for. 

As he drew back his spear, he allowed his hands to slide up the shaft, reducing his range, but dramatically increasing his swing speed and flexibility, something he would need at the closer range. "Fine, we can play closer to your range for a bit." Using his Spear more like a staff now, Beat brought the blade of his spear down diagonally, giving Shield something to guard against as he closed in and hoping the increase in swing speed would give him pause. Beat's true attention was on Shield's next move, wondering where this gambit was going. Maybe I just need a closer look at those defenses. 

 

 

[Shield 0]

Shield's parry had yet to recharge. It had only been a matter of moments, and it would take time for that clock to run down. Beat was winding up for an attack with his half-staffed spear. A downward swing? Diagonal. Problem for Shield. Not only that, but with the power Shield had put into his stride to close the distance, there wasn't enough time to stop even as Beat began to swing...

...but he had just enough time to redirect just a little.

This came with risks. Let's see if they payoff is worth it.

Planting his leading foot, he pushed off to the side to step off the line of his attack while advancing further into Beat's space. With that step, his body rotated. Turning his body, the window between the pointed wings of Manticore Mask twisted with him. His shoulder wasn't going to be able to avoid the hit. He could tell just from the angle, but if Beat committed to the attack for a truly clean hit and let his spear get too far into the turning wings of the shield, he risked his spear binding up between them. At the same time, as his body turned, he kicked off with his back foot to power it.

There was a cost to this motion. While the shield was occupied with Beat's spear, it left his flank open towards Beat. However, a good tank was never without a defense, even if that defense was actually an offense. With that exposed side of his body came his thorny shoulder, and that same rotation indented to catch Beat's weapon also shoved his shoulder forward center mass of Beat's upper body.

Knight advances to queen four to threaten black bishop. Discovered attack! Queen checks black king!

Edited May 17, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Beat was glad he had made Shield choose a gambit path, one that offered more of a trade than anything else. Still, he could see the reason Shield had chosen this path. There were multiple payoffs if things went his way, but Beat saw an opening afforded to him buy a skill he did not frequently use to such an effect. 

He was never going to make this easy, we knew that. 

Beat committed to the strike on Shield's shoulder, feeling the blow crash against his armor. As the wings of the shield began to trap his spear he activated his skill.

Quick Change! 

In an instant, Beat swapped the positioning of his hands, his right hand now furthest up the shaft as his spear disappeared and another appeared in his hands, the blade now on Shield's exposed side, though still holding the shaft closer to the blade. Doing this meant accepting the other part of the deal. He lowered his stance and leaned into the shoulder charge to avoid losing his balance when the inevitable impact came.

Bring it! 

Beat took a small hop as Shield's weight crashed into him, allowing the force of the charge to push him backwards through the air as he allowed his hands to move back down the spear shaft to take a swing at the tank's exposed side as he retreated through the air. Skidding to a stop, Beat peeked at his health bar, confirming that Shield's thorns had indeed gone off. "Nice shot! I didn't know you could deliver thorns like that!"

[Shield 0]

While Shield hadn't anticipated a quick change, as soon as the spear vanished, he knew there would have a fraction of a second where Beat was empty handed.

Clever move, but that's cheating. You can't castle once you've been in check!

As his shoulder made contact with Beat's torso, he felt a solid connection, but also solid resistance.

He's posted up. Not going down easy. That's fine.

In the window he had, he dropped his own center low, the bending of his body providing just the little space he needed to bring his shield between them once again. Normally, his features remained impassive. It was a defense he had learned in his old life. While normally this was muscle memory, now that his face was so close to Beat's, there was nothing impassive about it. His face was the face of a man who was entirely focused on combat. With his barrier safely in place, and the range too close to maneuver all the way around quickly, he doubled down on his assault. His body tightened like a spring, and with the full force of his legs, back, and core, he thrust his shield forward, leaping parallel to the ground through where he had felt Beat's center of gravity to be.

Rook lined up to take pawn, threatens check on king...

Edited May 19, 2020 by Shield

[Beat 0]

Beat's eyes grew wide as he watched Shield prepare to turn his shoulder ram into a full on charge. The younger player could blame the man for wanting to keep the fight at close range and being in the air limited his options, at least for anything preemptive. 

Alright then, defense it is. 

Beat met Shield's charge head on, the shaft of his spear guarding him as the Shield crashed against it. The sound of Metal crashing against metal echoed through the garden as Shield's charge forced him backwards. Beat's feet returned to the ground, his stance allowing him to maintain balance as they began to slow. This was when Beat made his play.

Here my chance!

Kicking off with his back foot as he turned his hips outward, Beat moved to the side and in the opposite direction of Shield, allowing the bull-rushing tank to pass by as Beat's body turned to follow. To pad his efforts, Beat kept the pressure from his spear against his opponent as long as he could, his spear pushing against and guiding Shield along his course and making turning to follow such a quick change in direction and momentum difficult. He clicked his tongue as he was forced to accept the fact that Shield's defenses had bested him that round. 

Not much of a chance to attack through that though. That's the defense I remember. 

[Shield 0]

There was resistance, slowing his leap, and then a sidestep at the critical moment. The pressure had succeeded in that it had forced Beat to compromise his offense, but his stance had held, for now. Shield planted the fist of his gauntleted sword hand in the dirt, slightly pivoting and coming down on his feet like a lazy half-cartwheel. It wasn't a graceful maneuver, but a roll would have brought his shield and the ground into conflict and taken longer to bring him around.

With Beat's speed, that's out of the question. I'd get tagged for sure. Not that he'll give me a break even now...

As his body righted itself, he removed his sword hand from the ground, bringing the blade swiftly upward as a defensive swipe to cover the opening on his flank before he could bring his iron wall defense about. By the time the slash was complete, his shield were up, and he shrank and disappeared behind Manticore Mask once again. His feet were scarcely on the ground when he began moving again.

Can't let up. He can easily score on offense and defense. The same cannot be said for my scoring.

Like a train, Shield charged into the breech once more, keeping his hips low and his shoulders hunched and forward, his shield hugged tight to his forward flank.

Black king retreats to the side. White rook pushes to pursue.

[Beat 0]

Oh no you don't! I won't let you get back into your range. 

Beat had just gotten back to his ideal range and he wasn't about to let that advantage go any time soon. Beat's feet worked to stay at his range as the pair of them left the boundaries of the garden, their speed making their movements difficult to contain in such a limited area. Beats spear glowed for a moment before he brought it across, launching a wave of pale yellow energy towards his pursuer, "Weeping Moon!"

Time to go back on the offensive!

Beat dug his back heel in and reversed directions with a mighty push that kicked up the ground beneath him, He was propelled forward as he chased his wave of energy, preparing to release another sword art, Imperial Southern Cross! His spear suddenly turned into six shimmering, white weapons as they all seemed to strike simultaneously, attacking from different angles to try and get around Shield's barrier as his lunar attack came in. The sword art ended with one, final thrust aimed directly at Shield's center of mass to attempt to halt any forward progress. 

 

[Shield 0]

Shield stayed on Beat, letting the blows rain down on his defenses. Clearly, neither of them could let up. His shield cast an eclipse of the weeping moon that protected his body, the light washing past harmlessly on either side. He had more heft, but the power necessary to absorb the force of impacts from monstrous foes had conditioned him to carry it efficiently. It wasn't as good, but the advantage of maneuver was on the pursuer, not the prey. Any turn Beat could take, Shield could cut the corner. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to keep him from gaining further dustance.

When the next sword art came his way, covering many angles at once posed a challenge.

Divide and conquer...

The two most central and the two on his left, he brought up his shield to deflect. The two on the right, an outward sweep of his blade to knock them aside. He was wide open for the last strike, which meant one thing.

Let's trade pieces, you and I.

He rushed into the attack, taking it straight to his abdomen. The power Beat put in to stay him, he used to his advantage. Since both fighters were committed to the attack, it made closing the distance between them much easier. When he had run as far as he could up Beat's spear, he tightened his core like a stone wall, clenching his abdominal muscles around the shaft of the spear. With all of his might, he brought the shield that had been knocked to the side up and around down across his body, aiming the stalwart shield directly for Beat's hands.

You can quick change a spear that I've caught, but let's see if it can save you when you can't hold onto it yourself! Trade - white rook for black queen!

[Beat 0]

He took it on purpose?

Shield's rushing into his attack had been an unexpected development, but he knew Shield would not make such a move without a good reason. With how quickly they had been maneuvering around each other, it felt almost like one of those turn based strategy games,each of them making moves, defending, then trying to outmaneuver each other. Shield used calculating strategy while Beat used unrivaled instinct and intuition. Beat's eyes went to the shield, seeing the storm that was coming. 

I know a trap when I see one!

A red aura enveloped his body as his spear filled with energy once again and his speed increased dramatically as he lowered his center of gravity, "MIGHTY CHARGE!" In an instant, the two players crashed together, the shield connecting with with Beat's shoulder, causing the flames from the Manticore Mask to envelope him while the Charge skill and his sword art continued to propel him forward. Beat's muscles flexed as he attempted to use his momentum and the leverage he had left on his spear to lift his companion into the air before turning his body and spear to slam Shield to the ground.

Edited May 22, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

"Oh? So we're going back? Alright." They were two forces applying along the same lever. Beat had a slight leverage advantage, but only because he was a little bit shorter.

Just like wrestling, this is going to come down to who's got a lower center of gravity so...

Shield dropped his hips like a ton of bricks and reversed the grip on his sword, tucking his lower back and beginning to roll. However, once he reached the ground, the point of the spear stuck into the soft ground.

Let's see you try to lever against an immovable fulcrum.

Shield continued until he was up on his shoulder blades. He hooked the guard of his sword through Beat's elbow on one arm and grabbed for the young man's wrist with his shield arm, At the apex of his backward rocking motion, his leg, still tucked from the roll, extended to its full length, kicking for the center of Beat's chest. With the same motion, his arms strained to rip Beat's arms away from his weapon so the intended kick would send him sailing over the top of Shield and past his planted spear.

You can move to attack to try to save her, but I'm still in control of the center of this board! She's running out of save ground!

 

[Beat 0]

Beat felt Shield's weight as he began to drop his hips making a sudden change in plans. Doubling down on the lift was certainly doable, but an alternative plan that seemed far better came to mind as the pole began to sink in the air.

Letting me trap you on my spear was risky, letting the ground hold it and you in place for me was a mistake!

With Shield stuck on his spear and the momentum of his charge, the spear stuck hard into the ground and dug deep any mobility Shield had would be slow and limited. Beat's hands immediately left the pole and he kicked off to Shield's left, both hands grabbing the Manticore Mask and pulling the man's arm and shield out and away as hard as he could to disarm the older player as he sent a hard side kick at the tank's torso to propel him away or at least give Beat extra leverage to remove the shield from his opponent's arm. 

I don't need my spear to win this!

Edited May 23, 2020 by Beat

[Shield 0]

No, you can't have my queen. Sorry.

While he had released the handle, the strap for the Manticore Mask was still firmly around Shield's forearm. He felt the pressure from Beat's grip, but instead of trying to fight it, he redirected it. It was like rotating his forearm to break a wrist grab by throwing out his elbow and bringing his hand closer to his chest. Suddenly the path of least resistance for the strap was not towards his wrist, but towards his elbow. Now, it was like defending against an arm bar - all of Beat's force from his legs and core were levered against the inside of his elbow. 

The strap had snapped to the furthest point, right to the middle of his joint. His move had been timely, but it wasn't enough to stop him from losing the Shield though. Not on its own. Without an anchor point, his hand would be ripped wide from his body, and he'd lose it completely. There was still some slack in the system before that would give though. The force of Beat's jump wrenched his body by the arm, rotating him on the spear so that his head was pointing roughly the same direction Beat was headed. He needed something to hold onto. Something solid. He didn't have time to look. All he could do was reach and feel for a point to grip. His fingers, clasped hard onto the collar of his armor, and he held on for dear life. His arm strained, as did the links of his maille. He grit his teeth hard, closing his eyes with the force of the pull, but he did not give.

Opening one eye a crack, he whipped his sword arm around, pointing it along the edge of the shield at Beat's fingers. "You abandoned your spear," he grunted out, a triumphant smile. "It may have been intentional, but choosing to let go of something I was trying to make you let go of is still a disarm. If you'd have managed the shield with the same move that you used to abandon the spear, I'd have let you have the points, but you were close and only that."

VERY close...

Shield moved his sword and released his grip on the other hand, going limp on the ground and panting. "Two clean hits to you, and thorns and a disarm to me," he heaved, still gassed from the strain from that final exchange. "That's four point for you, six for me, and a reset. Now... would you mind un-sticking me from the ground? Take your time, no rush."

[Beat 0]

Beat exhaled sharply as he released the Manticore Mask, noticing how close he had gotten to success. The exhale was part disappointment, but he was slightly winded for the effort. They had executed a large number of moves in a very small amount of time. That sort of effort did not come without exertion and the fatigue that came with it. Still he wasn't far behind and it wasn't over yet and there was a permanent smile plastered on his face. He had not had this much fun in years. 

"Well, you're close. You got me twice before the disarm." He said, pointing to the glowing red marks on his body, "and that kick registered as an attack and was certainly clean. So that puts me at six and you at seven." He placed his hand on his spear and dismissed it rather than going through the discomfort and effort of pulling his spear back through his friend his eyes wide and intense. 

He offered his hand to Shield and pulled him up, "Been a while since we got to go at each other like this hasn't it? Remind you of anything?" he said as turned to head back to the garden to reset. He was practically reliving his Crossreign days and he had his hopes on what Shield's plan for round two would be.

Edited May 23, 2020 by Beat