Battle Buddies

[Balthazar Black]

13 Ymiden 720

He was in the castle again, that much was clear, but Balthazar had no idea what room this was. This was not the dojo. Instead it seemed to be some sort of banquet room. There were two tables on either side of an open space leading to another perpendicular table at the head of the room. At the back of the room, a large arched doorway sat inviting any and all to try and venture beyond it but Balthazar was more interested in his current surroundings. The two tables running parallel through the room were covered with different foods from all over the world and the table at the head of the room sat empty. Who had this banquet been prepared for? Balthazar wondered idly as his eyes continued to scan the room. There were banners hanging from the walls depicting different elements.

One banner held a burning heart sigil, another held a stone heart sigil. Two others held sigils of odd spiraling shapes that Balthazar couldn't figure the origin of but in the end he decided it didn't matter. This was not the island. There was no warrior shrine here. Just food, tables, some chandeliers, and a bunch of eating utensils. Balthazar looked around the room once more and then slowly crossed to the table on his right. He knew this was a dream unlike many of the other ones he'd been having lately. Maybe he might finally learn something useful with his time asleep. If he governed an alchemy kit into existence, would he be able to really practice? It was something Balthazar put to the test while another dreamer entered his domain.

Balthazar sat at the table at the head of the room and began conjuring bottles, powders, and various other materials he thought he might want to play with when suddenly the door on the far end of the room opened and a familiar face came through.

[Praetorum]

Date: 13th of Ymiden, Arc 720

Status: Excited

Weapons: None

Armor: None

No Current Magical Effects

To wander Emea again was a luxury Praetorum had nearly forgotten, after all those dreamless days. With no destination in mind, Praetorum simply wandered as he pleased, basking in his newly regained freedom. Praetorum did not feel good—after everything that had happened, he expected it would be a very long time before he could feel anything even remotely close to it—but he did feel peaceful. There was a meditative calm to just walking, so he did, his mind barely registering the sights and dreamscapes he passed. Prae had breaks yet to enjoy this place, he knew; in the material world, he and his companions  were waiting on a ship that would not arrive until daybreak. 



Prae didn't know how long he wandered—losing time had become a more common thing, these days—only that when his feet came to a stop, he was standing in front of a familiar building. A roof of curved red tiles, walls of paper set in wooden frames, a statue of some sort of beast on each side of the door. 



And most familiar of all, a glowing mark on one of the walls, in the shape of Praetorum's handprint. He reached out, touching it, and felt the essence of his own brand coursing through him once more, confirming what he had known the moment he'd laid eyes on the dreamscape: this was Balthazar.


Balthazar... it must have been at least an arc since he'd seen the man in person, and almost half an arc since they'd last sparred in this very dreamscape. How much had the man improved since that time, Prae wondered? Where had he gone, what had he done? He recalled the martial artist saying something about Viden—how had he fared there?


Stepping up to the door, Praetorum slid it open, and stepped inside.


The chamber within was far larger than the house outside, but Prae had long learned not to care about such things in Emea. It was a dining hall, similar to....


Similar to....


Prae closed his eyes as nausea welled in him, cloudy memories returning just sharp enough to cut into his mind. There was a reason Prae tried not to think on his time in Niflheim. Shaking his head clear of those half formed recollections, Prae looked again, wanting to assure himself this was a different place entirely. 



His breathing steadied as he took in the details of the place. Banners decorated the walls, bearing sigils unfamiliar to Prae, and across the entire length of the hall were two tables piled high with food—real food, not bread and gruel and half boiled wood chips. And at their head...


Prae smiled. "Balthazar." He called out to his friend, striding down the hall towards the martial artist. "It's good to see your face again." Was he lucid now, Prae wondered. As he drew closer, he thought he saw a clarity to his friend's eyes that hadn't been there when he'd been unconciously dreaming. "How did Viden treat you? Did you find the person you were looking for?"


[Balthazar Black]

13 Ymiden 720

The lucid dreamer recognized his Ithecal friend almost immediately though it had been so long since they last met. Balthazar was good with faces and names. It helped him remember who owed him favors and who he owed favors. It helped him with a lot of things. Things the large man before him knew nothing about. When had they last met? Balthazar wondered as he came around the table at the head of the room to greet his old friend from Yaralon. Praetorum's words gave easy answer to Balthazar's internal questions. Balthazar cast a single glance back at the table of reagents he had begun preparing. His plans to practice alchemy would have to wait. When Praetorum was around there was only one thing really worth practicing.

"Viden?" Balthazar repeated curiously. He quickly searched his memory for the short time he'd been in that city of scholars. Balthazar shook his head. "That was a long time ago, my friend." How was he going to explain all that had happened in such a short span? One event at a time. "Viden was cold and she wasn't there. I found the woman I was looking for in Scalvoris and we... settled our differences." That was an easy way to put it and he could allow Praetorum to draw whatever conclusions he wished from it. Isabella was once again a trusted ally. Allies. It made Balthazar think of the curious specter in the waking world watching over his body right now. That was their agreement. She protected him while he slept and in return he would protect her anchor. A simple agreement that would only last so long as Nimue was content to be carried around by another old Yari. Balthazar shook his head, dispelling the thoughts from his mind to continue speaking with his old friend.

"I've been living in Scalvoris for a while now. I got a real job working with the Elements- that's what they call their military." Balthazar had been drawn into the Element Hall under the belief it was a school for Defiance mages. All and all it worked out. "But you know how I get with the Rupture spark, so I'll be doing a little traveling this season. What about you? How have you been since we last met?" Surely his friend was getting up to some equally interesting adventures as well. Defiers of their might seemed drawn to elemental disasters...

[Praetorum]

Date: 13th of Ymiden, Arc 720

Status: Hopeful

Weapons: None

Armor: None

No Current Magical Effects

Prae blinked at Balthazar's response. Had it really been that long? Time was.... strange in Praetorum's mind, at least when it came to this last arc. Not just his imprisonment, but the trials he'd spent after that in a daze, his mind recuperating from the things it had experienced. He focused, trying to remember just when their last dream had been. He'd still been traveling then.... to Etzos. That had been in early Vhalar, hadn't it? Yes, he remembered that clearly—Clarissa had wanted to see Melrath as the leaves turned from green to gold. 



Two cycles. Prae shook his head. It still felt recent to him, a memory still fresh when they had taken him to Niflheim and time had smeared into a blur of blood and screams and fighting. 



It didn't matter. He was free now. And it sounded as if these two cycles had treated Balthazar much better than they had Prae. "The Elements?" Prae couldn't help but smile at that. "How fitting." Had Balthazar taught them his martial forms? It was a meaningless pun, for a group called the Elements to use defiance inspired combat, but one he quite liked all the same. 



"Perhaps our paths will cross in the waking world again, if you're traveling. And if not..." Prae's smile faded slightly. "Stay safe."


He sighed as Balthazar asked about his own travels, exhaustion washing over him for a moment before he shook it off. "I went to Melrath after we last dreamed together. It was a.... a strange place, that revered spirits rather than the Immortals." That, it had turned out, had been the least of his problems there. "I don't know what happened to them during the time Emea was cut off, but it made them distrust mages, and those touched by ether. In the chaos, a rogue mage with... a great deal of political power was able to abduct most of the mages, marked, and stormtouched under the guise of protection from the angry public."



Prae's voice was even, but behind him his tail lashed in agitation. "It was not a pleasant experience." That was all he was willing to say of what had happened in Niflheim; such memories were best left as far behind as possible. "So now I'm heading back to the Eastern continent, to Rharne." Towards a damned hard fight, if the rumors were true. Well, if they were, perhaps it was just as well that he encounter Balthazar again like this. 



"It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to practice hand to hand combat." Prae admitted. Funny, that had been the situation Balthazar had found himself in when they'd last met, hadn't it? "Care to help me sharpen those skills again?"

[Balthazar Black]

13 Ymiden 720

"Perhaps they shall." Balthazar responded cryptically when Praetorum suggested that their paths might cross in the waking world. In truth, Balthazar had no idea how to navigate the Untold yet so he could never be certain where he was going to end up but maybe Chrien would smile on him and put him somewhere he needed to be. Then Praetorum told him of the Ithecal's journey. Melrath revered spirits instead of Immortals? Balthazar could see how that would be problematic. He'd encountered two Induks recently that showed him spirits were incredibly unreliable things. Faldrass... the mountain king... Balthazar had more negative interactions with spirits than positive and if he were to held by Melrath law well... he would certainly have an unpleasant time there. "It sounds as if they should be more concerned with their political system than mages. I've found that people everywhere find reasons to distrust mages but I'm glad you made it out of whatever ordeal you had in Melrath." Praetorum had also mentioned Rharne... Balthazar had heard... dark tales from Rharne. He'd never been but he knew a trader who refused to go because of the danger.

"If half of what I've heard about Rharne is true, you'll need the practice." Balthazar replied with a somewhat smug grin. While Praetorum had little time to practice his unarmed skills, Balthazar had plentiful time. Between the fight clubs, surprise assassins, cases with the Elements, Induk fighting, and casual training with actual weapons, Balthazar had learned a lot. He was glad to have the opportunity to share some of that knowledge with an old friend. Balthazar looked around at the grand hall around them. "This isn't as conventional an arena as normal... but it could be fun to improvise."

[Praetorum]

Date: 13th of Ymiden, Arc 720

Status: Ready to r-r-rumble

Weapons: None

Armor: None

No Current Magical Effects

Prae laughed at his friend's undisguised smugness. Now that was a look Prae was well familiar with, having practically grown up in the military—knowing that your skills had improved, and itching to show off to someone who could appreciate it. 



He considered their surroundings, the tables somewhat cluttered with food and utensils. It would certainly make for a dynamic battleground, if possibly a messy one. Still, this was Emea, where any and all mess was impermanent. And truth be told, Prae wanted to fight in a dining hall like this again. His last few experiences.... had not been a pleasant one, to put it mildly. But Balthazar was someone he trusted, and someone he enjoyed sparring with. Perhaps fighting here with him would help dull the stress of the memories he'd made in Niflheim. 



"This will certainly work as a sparring ring. Although perhaps the food should go." It seemed like Balthazar had gained some experience with dreamwalking since their last meeting, seeing how he had been lucid when Prae had entered. Changing his own dream had been one of the first things Prae had learned to do, so perhaps Balthazar could do so as well. And if not, Prae was always happy to share what little he knew. 



He tapped his muzzle, considering. Last time, they had had something like a scoreboard, but Prae hadn't found that particularly useful, even though he was the one who had suggested awarding points for takedowns. Likewise, the circle that had marked their reach had been more or less ignored by the two fighters. It would, Prae decided, probably be best if they simply fought freeform. That being said though.... 



"I think footwork is the weakest part of my fighting style." He said. "Would you mind if we marked our steps, so after the fight, I can get a better sense of how we're moving during it?"


Whether Balthazar agreed or disagreed, Prae would settle into a familiar, Solum resting stance. "Let's begin."

[Balthazar Black]

13 Ymiden 720

Perhaps the food should go? Balthazar looked at the table around him and as he scanned them, the food seemed to slowly disappear. It was immediate, and it didn't happen in just one glance, but every time one of them looked at the table there would be one less item of food until they were laid bare. Balthazar wasn't always one for subtly but he didn't frequently make such large changes to his dreamscapes. Then Praetorum mentioned footwork and requested some manner of tracking it. "I think I can manage that." Balthazar said as he knelt down and pressed his palm to the stone floor. A white ripple spread throughout the ground, blanketing the floor in what seemed like a thin layer of sand. Thick enough that they could see their footprints in the snow but not thick enough to really hinder their movement through it. It was orange sand like the sands of the Scalvoris beaches.

Once that had been done, Balthazar stood and eyed Praetorum in his defensive stance. Solum. One of the four forms he'd created to better harness and manipulate the elements. Praetorum may have learned the form but Balthazar had created it. Earth. That was the element that Solum was meant to invoke but Praetorum wouldn't be calling on the earth here. Not in this dining room... not in this dream... which meant the form was vulnerable. Unfortunately Balthazar was limited as well. He couldn't open with a low blast of wind as he thought to. Instead he had to make a physical attack. He adopted his open-palm stance for just a trill, and then moved in.

Balthazar immediately made use of his surroundings and improved acrobatic skills. He bounced forward to the left and then to the right, closing the distance between the two of them. However when he moved to the right, he stepped onto the bench running along the table where the food had been and used it to propel himself up into the air. Then, without missing a beat, Balthazar attempted three quick kicks to Praetorum's chest before gravity took hold to bring the mage to the ground. Solum was a more rigid form and if Praetorum wanted to practice his footing, Balthazar was going to make it difficult. He'd keep Praetorum's guard high, and then make his feet work. Which he did when gravity brought the mage to the ground. Balthazar hit his back with a dull thud- he knew by now how to cushion the impact, and then swung his legs at Praetorum's feet while on the ground.

[Praetorum]

Date: 13th of Ymiden, Arc 720

Status: Making a move

Weapons: None

Armor: None

No Current Magical Effects

Balthazar was as fast as ever, it seemed. Maybe even moreso than before; he was closing the distance between them about as quickly as before, but he was zigzagging far more—leaving a trail of clear footprints in the orange sand as he did—hiding his intentions and forcing Prae to keep careful track of the man's movements. As soon as Balthazar stepped onto the bench, though, Prae was able to grasp the gist of the man's plan; to unbalance him by striking high, and likely following that up with another attack of some kind. 



But knowing what was coming was not the same as knowing how to react to it, and Prae hesitated just a hair too long over his next move, still somewhat hazy on how to best use the strengths and weaknesses of these forms. By the time he decided he should back away and strike when Balthazar landed, it was too late;he was only able to take a single step back before Balthazar's feet were coming towards his chest—head height on a human—and he was forced to pull up his arms to absorb the impact. He tried to grab at the man's feet to drag him down onto the ground, but the human's form was good, drawing his feet back as soon as they impacted, and Prae wasn't able to lay a claw on him. Then, the man landed on his back, and immediately transitioned into a sweep at Prae's feet, forcing him to take a step and a hop back, laying down his tail to help him balance. 



The difference in Balthazar from their last spar, in Prae's opinion, was night and day. They had been around equally matched last time, at least in martial skill, but the human had soared to new heights in the time Prae had spent imprisoned, his movements smoother, his attacks quicker. And beyond that, there was a vague sense that these martial styles had shifted from being a tool to an extension of the man, much the way Prae had grown to feel about his shield. Prae was sure he had jumped higher too, although admittedly last time they hadn't had any environment to bounce off of. 



He shook the thoughts from his head, trying to clear his mind and return to a meditative state. No time to think. Thinking only slowed his reflexes, and he couldn't afford to be at anything less than his best against this Balthazar. Stepping forwards, he began his counterattack.

[Balthazar Black]

13 Ymiden 720

Solum was a style that normally attacked with punches, but that wasn't the only offensive move it had in its repertoire. Stepping back forwards, Prae brought his leg down in a stomp. Normally, the move was just another way of dancing the earth as desired, but now, Prae used it for a much more direct attack, aiming to pin down one of Balthazar's legs before he could stand.

Prae’s foot found the target it was looking for, crashing down onto Balthazar’s foot just as he tried to shift his swinging momentum upward and get back into his feet. The result was that Balthazar stumbled, but he did not stop. With one foot trapped under Praetorum’s, Balthazar quickly used his other leg to try and hook a kick around Prae’s leg to buckle his knee and bring him down to Balthazar’s level.

Prae was an old hand at rooting himself to the ground to keep his balance, but with one foot on flesh instead of stone and sand, his weight and reflexes betrayed him; his attempts to recover from Balthazar’s hook only sent him crashing to the floor. So much for Solum, at least until he got back on his feet. Mostly unharmed by his fall—one did not spend arcs as a legionaire without learning to take a few bumps—Prae rolled over, trying to get back onto his feet, while his tail lashed out to try and wrap around Balth’s arm.

Praetorum’s tail struck out and found only the air, with Balthazar having thought similarly to his friend and rolling away to create a safe distance between them for Balthazar to return to his feet and assume a similar stance to Praetorum’s Solum, only his arms seemed a little looser. From that stance, Balthazar awaited Praetorum’s strike.

[Praetorum]

No Current Magical Effects

Getting back onto his feet, Prae launched immediately into a simple, straightforwards attack, looming over Balthazar as he threw a straight right at the human’s shoulder. Prae knew he couldn’t match Balthazar in technique or speed, but when it came to raw strength and weight, he had the advantage, and intended to use it. 

Balthazar’s body shifted to the left as Prae’s fist closed in, causing it to sail past the faster fighter before Balthazar’s right fist lashed out towards the bottom left of Praetorum’s abdomen. His fist wouldn’t land as hard or be nearly as impactful as Praetorum’s but like the Ithecal, Balthazar was leaning into his strengths and trying to use his speed to keep ahead of Prae’s punches- but he couldn’t do it forever.

Prae caught a glimpse of the blow, but ignored it after a heartbeat of consideration. Given the size difference, it was worth it for Prae to take a blow in order to land one. Growling in pain as the human caught him neatly under the rib, the ithecal changed tack, stepping closer in and pulling his fist back to try and elbow the human in the temple. The attack was slower than he would have liked though, the change in momentum throwing him off, and he wasn’t able to land a blow on Balthazar. 

However his change in momentum seemed to throw the white haired mage off as well. As Praetorum wrenched his elbow back at Balthazar’s head, their feet tangled and Balthazar tripped- crashing into the floor and rolling aside to get back up on his feet.

Being larger and heavier with an extra limb served Prae well here, and he only stumbled backwards as they tripped over each other, catching himself with his tail before he could tumble to the ground. So much for footwork, he thought dryly to himself. Still, an advantage was an advantage; as Balthazar rolled to his feet, he found himself facing a palm strike aimed at the centre of his chest.