Jarvan walked through the halls of the training barracks, looking around, a thin grin on his face as he reminisced about the days long past when he had first graduated from the academy. My unit had been stationed here for several days until we had been ordered into Runeterra. Jarvan paused in the doorway of one of the main enlisted men's bunk halls. Most of the men were already headed down deeper into the building for dinner that evening, though a few shouts and the laughter of men could be heard from down the hallway. The room was long, a fire crackling at either end to keep the room warm against the chill of the snow and the winter winds outside. Jarvan recognized the room as he wandered a few steps in, running his hand along the stone wall. Bunks lined each wall, leaving a large open area along the center where two tables sat, end to end, massive benches along either side.
Memories of watching his soldiers play card games, stories being swapped, and letters being read from loved ones as soldiers played small instruments and laughed among themselves fluttered in Jarvan's mind. They would jump to their feet to salute, but Jarvan would call them down as he walked among them, watching the excited expressions on each man's face. A mix of green troops and veterans had been blended together to form much of the unit, and with his noncoms' guidance and his encouragement, the Lieutenants had been doing everything they could to promote the troop morale. Jarvan had gotten them some of the best accommodations, and the company quartermaster had rationed out an extra week's worth of tobacco and liquor for the troops as the days crept down towards their departure date. Jarvan strolled to and fro among the men, slapping shoulders and giving the men encouraging words. Some may have been green, but they had been training for months on end, and Jarvan could see it in their eyes: they were ready to fight.
He paused and listened to jokes as men laughed and boasted, laughing along with his men and mingling without interrupting. Jarvan purposefully ignored where men ducked beneath the covers and female giggling sounded from beneath the sheets, giving the men a stern look, but not scolding or calling them out. They had blown away the standings of a number of records as a unit, such as the standing record for a ten-league forced march, the physical fitness exams, and even the combat acuity tests. Jarvan had run his men hard during training, but the men had taken it all and gobbled it up and asked for more.
Jarvan sighed to himself as he looked down the long room, a pang of pain and grief settling on his shoulders as the silence of the room caught up with him.
"It takes you back, doesn't it?" Vorscham leaned in the doorjamb of the room, watching Jarvan silently as the prince reminisced.
"It seems like only yesterday that Exemplar Company had only just been formed and had completed its training." Jarvan said softly, examining a soldier's uniform tunic as it hung on the end of a bedpost. "It's strange how little things have changed, and yet things still feel so distant."
"Time may have stopped for you, sir, but for the rest of us, the clock kept on ticking." Vorscham moved into the room, glancing around at the sorry state of the bunks. "I ought to go kick my platoon in the ass for leaving their quarters in this state." He sighed and shook his head, looking to Jarvan as he shook his head. "These new kids are used to the peace. They're not driven like we were when we were young."
"It can't be helped." Jarvan said, shrugging. "These may be the very best Demacia has to offer, but they're still just kids, most of them fresh out of the academy, right?" Vorscham nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"There aren't many veterans who have actually seen combat anymore." He shrugged. "Only the noncommissioned officers and some of the career troops are actual combat vets. The rest are greenhorns, even if they're the cream of the most recently graduated crop."
"Combat actions against Noxus ended after the ceasefire was signed, correct?" Jarvan said, looking to where Vorscham shifted from foot to foot, trying to relieve some of the pressure on his bad leg.
"Your incursion over the border and the subsequent operations were the last direct conflict we had with Noxus, aye." Vorscham said, his frown darkening. "Everything since then has been cloak and dagger games that stay out of the limelight. Some soldiers under my command remember when the news came back about you, but even then, most do their three years and got out. This newest lot isn't really much to talk about either." He scowled and shook his head.
"That's no way to talk about your own men." Jarvan said, chuckling, gesturing towards the door. He and Vorscham began walking through the halls slowly as they talked. "They're Demacians. It can only be so bad."
"There is a little bit of truth to that, yes, but I don't like it, sir." Vorscham said, shaking his head. "Times are changing and not for the better. We've been training harder and harder over the last few weeks, and our time spent training has almost doubled since you returned. My men have improved substantially, but I still have to wonder why all of this training and all of these preparations are necessary. Are we going to war, sir?" Vorscham stopped and turned to Jarvan, a serious glare on his face.
"Even I don't know, Proudmast." Jarvan said, shaking his head. "What I do know is that we are preparing for war, and soon, I will be marching to Kalamanda with my father." Jarvan's face was a grim mask. "I don't know what the city holds, but I fear that whatever it is, it won't be good. Even if we do not wish for war... I fear that war may be upon us."
"That explains some things, at least." Vorscham said, shaking his head and sighing. "Our weapons and armor recently got reissued and the new equipment is heavier than what is normal for a company of troops.
"How good are your troops, Proudmast?" Jarvan said seriously, returning a soldier's salute as the man snapped to attention as the prince and the Lieutenant passed.
"They're green but they're strong." Vorscham said, running his hand over his chin with a thoughtful frown. "Maybe not as good as we were, but close. They don't quite have the drive or the motivation, but they train hard and they perform extremely well." He had a thin smile. "A while back, my unit was chosen to demonstrate Demacian Martial Prowess to a panel of delegates from across Valoran. Officially, two of my three units cleared the killing house in record times, the third was only a few seconds short."
"Standardized room clearing or random?" Jarvan said with a grin, looking over at the lieutenant. "The record only counts if it was randomized as per the academy guidelines."
"We randomized it and then ran all three platoons through separately as a bit of a competition." He chuckled. "They beat the academy record. Your record."
"Room clearing can be fun." Jarvan said, remember how he had set the Killing House record when he had led an understrength squad through the stage. "Who was it? You, Garen, I and a few of the others, right?" Vorscham nodded, grinning thinly. "I remember that now." Jarvan chuckled, shaking his head. "And unofficially? Who holds the actual record?" Jarvan grinned, narrowing his eyes as he waited for the Lieutenants answer.
"Shyvana completely blitzed the record when she garnered the attention of one of the diplomats." Vorscham shook his head. "Seven fucking seconds." Vorscham said, shaking his head. "She also completely ruined the stage, but had it been an official attempt, she would have held a record that could have never been broken."
"That's unfortunate..." Jarvan said with a grin lingering on his face.
"She surprised everyone, especially the king. I was speechless myself." Vorscham shrugged. "She's strong and brash, much like you, but she is still untrained and she doesn't know how to use her strength."
"Then we must teach her." Jarvan said, nodding his head and sighing. "I'm going to be relying on you, Proudmast. You've done well so far, but she needs the experience. I want you to help me give it to her. She has the strength, but she needs the experience that only real combat can give."
Vorscham frowned momentarily, but finally sighed. "I'll do what I can to see that she does not have any rest, but it is just as you say, my lord, it is experience that only combat can give. It takes many warriors years to see enough combat to garner enough experience to join the ranks of the elite. She has power and promise but she is green, Jarvan."
"So help me fix that!" Jarvan said, grabbing Vorscham's shoulder and grappling it. "You and I can train her in the art of war! Please, Proudmast, I'm asking this as a friend, not as your prince."
Vorscham cast him a withering gaze, a frown lingering on his face, but he relented, his shoulders slumping and his head hanging. "Fine." Vorscham grunted, shaking his head. "I will do my best, but do not expect me to go easy on her."
"I thank you, friend." Jarvan said, nodding.
"You might not when I'm done." Vorscham said, running a hand over his jaw. "How long do we have to prepare?"
"I wish to have it set by the time we are to leave for Kalamanda." Jarvan said, grimacing. "It is not long, I know."
"That's less than two weeks!" Vorscham shook his head, taking a step back. "You do not ask for hope, you ask for a miracle."
"You speak as though it is impossible." Jarvan growled. "I have faith in her strength, and Alicia does as well. Why do you not see it?"
"I've said this before, I do not doubt her strength nor her willpower." Vorscham said, shaking his head and sighing. "I doubt her experience. You know it as well as I do, Jarvan, she's aggressive and ambitious, but that aggression often works against her. For every step she takes forward, she takes a step backwards. She is learning to fight, but were it not training, she would be wounded twice... even thrice as often as she has already suffered. That is not something you can teach over night!"
"She shall learn!" Jarvan assured Vorscham. "I have faith."
"Faith does not win fights." Vorscham muttered, shaking his head. "Fine. We'll do it your way."
"Thank you, friend." Jarvan said, clapping his shoulder with a broad grin. "You have my appreciation."
"I had that once before and look where it got me." Vorscham muttered, rolling his eyes. His hand played over the side of his face, but he shook his head and gestured for Jarvan to follow. "Come. We have much to do." He picked up his pace, heading for the training courtyard, Jarvan following after him, steel boots clicking on stone floors.
"Proudmast, do you still blame me for what happened?" Jarvan said, frowning as he grabbed the lieutenant's shoulder, forcing him to turn and face him. "Proudmast..."
"I hold you in no ill will, sir, but were I to speak freely, I might have other words to say." Vorscham said with a thin grin. "You are an insufferable fuck whose head is far too big for your own good. It was back then and it still is now. You may not have given me this wound, but it was your decision to leave me behind while the rest of you marched to war. For that I will never forgive you." Vorscham shook his head and pulled away from Jarvan. "Now I am damned to this fate, training soldiers for as long as I have this fucking limp." He pulled away from Jarvan, shaking his head and grumbling to himself. "We have training to do. Come." Jarvan started to open his mouth to speak, but he finally shook his head and snapped his jaw shut, following Vorscham through the building.
"A lance is a difficult weapon to fight against if you do not know how to deal with it." Alicia said, frowning. "You have two options when you do not have a weapon of equal or longer range: Close the distance and force them to change weapons, or disarm the lance user."
"Most lance users carry more than one weapon?" Shyvana said, frowning slightly.
"Most do, though some don't." Alicia said, shrugging. "Xin and Jarvan don't actually carry a secondary weapon, though I believe the prince carries a knife or two with him when he fights."
"So what happens when I get within range of a lance user who doesn't have another weapon?" Shyvana said, raising an eyebrow.
"Both Jarvan and Xin will know how to handle a lance in close quarters." Alicia said, shrugging. "But they also use very different styles of fighting when it comes to lances."
"Jarvan's lance is bladed and he uses it to both cut and crush, where Xin seems to favor a more thrust heavy approach, correct?" Shyvana held a spear in hand, examining the long barreled weapon, turning it over in her hand as she looked it up and down. Again, the standard Demacian spear was nowhere near as heavy as Jarvan's lance; it wasn't light though. She grimaced as she spun the weapon in a flourish, turning it end of end in hand as she'd seen Jarvan do once before, letting the bladed tip carve a path of a bent infinity loop through the air. As the blade came back around and then started to swing up over Shyvana'a head, she brought it down and across her body is a great, sweeping stroke, extending her reach as far as she could.
"You learn fast." Alicia said with a grin. "Jarvan and Xin's fighting styles exemplify the two main fighting styles of lances in open combat. Traditionally, lances and pikes were used as defensive weapons against charging cavalry, with massively long shafts to give the infantry as much space as possible to defend their lines when the charge came. It was all about letting the cavalry impale themselves, charging on an out stretched weapon."
"That's brutal..." Shyvana said, looking at the sharpened tip of the weapon and grimacing.
"War seldom is not brutal." Alicia said, shaking her head. "But back to the point. Jarvan wields his lance more like a glaive than a lance, spear or pike. But his weapon is also one of a kind and quite deadly in that respect."
"What is the difference between a lance, a spear and a pike?" Shyvana said, holding her weapon at the ready and looking at Alicia. The gunny sat perched on the low wall that surrounded the open training ring in the courtyard. She had a whetstone in her lap as she sharpened a sword, examining the blade with every swipe of her sharpening stone.
"Well, a pike is for defense against horses." Alicia said, frowning slightly. "The weapon is usually fifteen or more feet long, and it is extremely cumbersome. It is really only of use in massed numbers, when an army charges or is charged against on the open field of battle. It can be used against horses or men, and it is good for impaling, but not for swinging. It's usually a simple weapon made in great numbers that is discarded when the lines reach one another, if it is not broken within the first few seconds of two military forces meeting. A pike is usually carried with a sword and then a small shield, smaller than a buckler, called a manifer, that can be used in open combat, but not impede a pikeman's use of his primary weapon. It's light in weight to make up for the massive size and cumbersome nature of a pike."
"A spear is a lighter weapon that is weighted to be thrown, and typically is the smallest of the three." Alicia said, cocking her arm back and making an overhand tossing motion. "It can also be used to stab and slash, though it usually only has a small bladed head, like that of an arrow, so using it to slash isn't really a realistic possibility for most users. If you are well trained with your weapon and you know the reach of it impeccably well, you can use it to slash, but again, it's not really good for that. Because it is made to be thrown, it doesn't always have the same strength as a lance or pike and it can break easily if misused. This light weight and small size makes it good for quick, powerful stabbing motions to impale and gut enemies. It is designed to be used with either one or two hands, typically one handed in conjunction with a large shield as a front line soldier. Again, spear users often carry a sword or a short sword in reserve in case they have to throw their spear or it breaks in combat. A spear is extremely versatile, and while it does not have a distinctive fighting style of its own, there are hundreds of different adaptions of the same basic concepts: Thrusts, throws and swipes."
"Which leaves lances." Shyvana said, examining the weapon she carried in hand. She twirled the standard issue Demacian lance end over end, examining the weapon closely as she caught it in both hands, extending the weapon forward in a quick thrust and then sweeping down and then back up in and circular motion that could have easily beheaded an unsuspecting opponent. She froze, holding the lance high, her hands spread out along the barrel to give the power she needed to her swing. She exhaled as she came down from her stance, again examining the weapon. It was weighted surprisingly evenly, though there was a noticeable difference in the head and the actually shaft of the weapon, the tip of the weapon was much heavier. The lance's bladed head started at a sharpened point and gently curved backwards in a recurve, jutting out once in a barbed blade. It curved down again, the head continuing to grow wider as it reach down just under half the length of the entire weapon. The head was not solid metal, hollowed out in some places to improve the weight distribution. The glittering silver head was beautifully forged, and the steel was polished and razor sharp.
"Yes." Alicia said, nodding earnestly. "Lances have their origins with the cavalry and when jousting was a popular sport."
"My father spoke of how the courts of old would hold great jousting tournaments for the hand of a fair lady." Shyvana said, smiling lightly. "Men would come far and wide to compete for her hand, brave knights, seasoned warriors and even royalty would sometimes compete to see who was the strongest."
"Yes, lances were a chivalrous weapon, designed for one on one combat where both opponents faced each other, saluted, and then charged, aiming to knock the other from their horse, or even kill them." Alicia said, nodding as she continued to work the whetstone over her blade. "It may have been a chivalrous sport, but it was also brutal. Jousting used wooden lances that would splinter under so much force before impaling most men's armor, but that was a lance used for jousting. A modern lance is a bladed weapon, with two or four bladed sides encompassing the long head that often time comprised a third to half the length of the entire weapon. The lance traces its roots back to horse-based cavalry, giving riders the means to skewer and smash the enemy lines in a charge with the hopes that they would be able to strike their opponent before said opponent was able to get within reach of the horse or the rider. It could be thrown over short distances, but the weight of the reinforced shaft meant it wasn't much good for distance. Rather, the heavy weight and sharpened point was amazing for throwing from a charging horse to pierce shield and armor and flesh of the front lines, and then often continue straight through to the second line, or even the third in some case."
"That's not a wound you get up from." Shyvana shivered, looking at the weapon, imagining getting skewered by the broad head through steel armor and then having it completely tear through her and into whoever stood behind her. Alicia nodded.
"In the olden days, hundreds and hundreds of years past, after the fall of the last great Ruined King, Demacia wasn't much more than the collection of farmlands and villages that made up much of the western continent of Valoran." She raised her blade up, examining the length of the sword to ensure the blade had been sharpened to a straight edge. "What little standing army there was, mostly horsemen on loan for the regional lords and their own defensive troops, was comprised of cavalry. It was designed to be a mobile fighting force that could react to attacks and bolster the outer villages, not a standing army like today. Though, back then our enemies were just as disorganized as we were, so the threat largely came from land disputes and roving bandits, sometimes foreigners, sometimes disillusioned remnants of the Ruined King's army." She shrugged. "As Demacia evolved, eventually there was need for a standing army. While little remnants of it show today, the heavy Demacian usage of lances harkens back to those days."
"It's amazing that a tradition like that has survived this long." Shyvana said, examining the spear she held in hand. "Is there no longer cavalry that uses spears?"
"Demacia maintains a surprising amount of cavalry, compared to the other states in Valoran." She said thoughtfully. "Though with the advent of mechanical weapons such as crossbows, and the widespread adoption and militarization of magic, Cavalry has faded slightly for many nations that used to maintain cavalry in the past."
"It was the first of the Rune wars that brought about the change, was it not?" Shyvana said, her brow creasing slightly.
"Yep." Alicia nodded in response, sheathing her sword and leaning forward to look at Shyvana. "Tales tell of how great spells lit the sky with every color of the rainbows, cast from miles apart, aimed at completely exterminating entire armies at once. As the spells grew stronger, so did the barriers that were designed to protect against them. Magicians and sorcerers labored endlessly to fashion the largest and most devastating attacks, and the worst of them were capable of leveling entire cities from hundreds of miles away. But barrier spells grew stronger too, and it devolved into battles of attrition. Whoever could hold their barrier the longest or who could throw the most magic at the enemy until exhaustion wore the mages out. When the smoke and magic had cleared, armies charged each other to make war on the field of battle, charging over smoking, cratered fields and the charred remnants of those unable to mine appropriate defenses. It was a horrifying waste of time and energy." Alicia shook her head, frowning.
"Is that why the Institute of War was formed? To monitor and limit such uses of magic?" Shyvana said, leaning on her lance now as Alicia lectured on the history of war in Valoran.
"The institute was actually formed after the conclusion of the third and last of the Rune wars." She said, a deathly serious glare on her face. "More and more powerful magics had been created year after year, every side looking for some way to defeat the enemy soundly, rather than the wasteful habits of an endless war of attrition. New types of magic called 'breaker-spells' were discovered shortly before the third Rune War. Breaker-spells were designed to attack the user of the magic by breaking barriers or channeling through the magic of the user being attacked. It was horrifyingly effective, rendering thousands of magicians and sorcerers dead or powerless. But that wasn't the worst part." Alicia frowned but pushed on with her story. "There were side effects to this 'breaker magic'. It completely destroyed anything it touched, and even the smallest uses were capable of destroying entire cities if cast wrong. Hundreds of thousands died in the fighting, and there was so much mutually assured destruction, that both parties finally declared a cease fire to stop the breaker magic from killing and destroying anything else." She shook her head and sighed. "Not long after, the Institute of War was formed to regulate and settle disputes without causing undue harm to the people of Valoran, or Runeterra herself."
"This breaker magic... does anyone use it today?" Shyvana said softly, leaning towards Alicia from where she had sat on the wall next to her.
"It's considered a taboo, and it is banned among all of the city states. It is not easy magic to master, so only the largest of the city-states were ever able to wield it, so I do not believe it survives to this day." Alicia said shrugging. "Some historians believe that the city of Icathia and the deserts of Shurima were once a vibrant paradise of temperate farmlands and lush valleys that were destroyed millennia ago by the use of breaker magic employed to defend against an onslaught of dragons that threatened to besiege the entire nation."
"Kampf led that attack." Shyvana said, looking to the ground and frowning. "For seventy days and seventy nights he lay siege to the cities of Shurima, though my father never spoke of why the siege ended. I believe it was also the origins of why dragon kind hated human kind so much, but he would never tell me."
"That was the dragon you and Jarvan slew, correct?" Alicia said, wide eyed in wonder. Shyvana nodded her head. "I have to think that would have been the origin of the hostilities. If rumor and conjecture is true, then the siege was lifted when Shurima mages used breaker magic to devastate the attacking dragons. They lifted the siege... but they also destroyed the entirety of their country and much of dragon-kind. It was a whole-sale slaughter. Had it not been for the belt of mountains formed by the great barrier, all of Valoran could have been destroyed."
"I suppose that fits all of the little bits my father left out of his stories." Shyvana said frowning. "I never took you as a historian, Alicia." Shyvana said, glancing at the young woman. Alicia blushed lightly and glanced away.
"I like history." She said with a shrug. "Most people don't really share my enthusiasm, so I usually keep it to myself."
"I think it's interesting." Shyvana said bumping her shoulder against the gunny's shoulder.
"How did we even get on that subject?" Alicia said, shaking her head and grinning sheepishly.
"We were talking about lances and it turned to cavalry and then magic." Shyvana said, standing up and stretching, raising the lance above her head."
"Right..." Alicia said, nodding. "Lances. Well now that you've got a good grasp on why we use them, we can actually get to how we use them." She laughed lightly and Shyvana smiled, stepping back into the arena. "A lance combines the slashing of a glaive, but also the stabbing and the possibility of throwing like a spear. It is also a much sturdier weapon than a spear, made to withstand repeated swiping or slashing blows. It is similar to an ax in that respect, where it is a heavy weapon made for slashing and maiming, but it is also decidedly less brutal and more utilitarian than that of an ax."
"I see..." Shyvana said, frowning slightly.
"Demacia uses swords and lances as her primary weapons for the field of battle." Alicia said with the nod of the head continuing on. "Demacian lances are not weighted for a horizontal carry like that of a jouster's weapon, rather they tend to be weighted for heavy strikes and attacks where the weapon is used to slash and maim, where the heavier weight of one end proves to be useful. Jarvan uses that to his advantage. That's why most of his attacks tend to be slashes and crushing blows that come from high, down across his body. Xin uses a more traditional fighting style of linear assaults and unrelenting attacks. Where Jarvan looks to smite a foe with a single, exceedingly powerful attack that breaks through their guard, Xin wears them down by attacking so many times he finally finds a chink in their armor."
"His attacks were powerful and direct." Shyvana said, frowning.
"Xin knows that to let the battle drag on for too long means that eventually you would have the upper hand." Alicia said, shaking her head. "I think he recognizes his age and your youth and power. If you can drag the fight out long enough, it will turn in your favor as he tires."
"How long will that take?" Shyvana asked.
"Hmm..." Alicia shrugged. "An hour maybe? It could be as short as twenty minutes, but Xin rarely lets his opponents last longer than a few minutes. If you get past that... it's anyone's bet what could happen."
"So how do I get to that point?" Shyvana said, frowning.
"That's where we come in." Jarvan said as he stepped out of the barracks, a smile on his face as he looked to Shyvana. "Vorscham and I are going to be putting you through your paces to try and subject you to as much combat as possible over the next few weeks. When we're done, you should be able to take Xin on and go toe to toe with him long enough to overpower him."
"It's strange to see you back in your armor after so long." Shyvana said softly, looking the prince up and down as he stepped into the arena.
"I had to get a few things patched, but it still fits me just like a glove." Jarvan said, nodding. He enfolded her in a hug and then looked down at her armor. "Hopefully Poppy will be done with your armor soon, as well. That will always help."
"I hope so." Shyvana said, her hand hesitating over her chest. "He managed to pierce straight through the chest piece. Any deeper and he would have gone straight through me."
"I saw the holes." Jarvan said, shaking his head. "Now then. Who do you want to go against first, Vorscham or I?"
"Umm..." Shyvana frowned.
"Let me go first." Vorscham said, holding his hand out for the lance that Shyvana held. She handed it over and nodded, moving over to the wall and pulling on her gauntlets. "I fight a bit closer to a traditional lancer style than the prince." He said, shrugging. "Besides, I bet she wants a chance to get back at me for the first time I wiped the floor with her ass." He chuckled gutturally and limped into the middle of the arena, holding the lance at his side.
"I had completely forgotten about that." Shyvana said, shaking her head and grinning as she tightened the last enarme over her forearm, her hands settling over the leather wrapped iron handgrips. She stepped into the arena opposite him and grinned at Vorscham. She kept one hand slightly behind the line of her shoulders, only exposing one of her shoulders to him as she gently rocked from foot to foot, settling her feet into a fighting stance. She kept her other arm, the left one with the manifer, forward of her body in a mid-body blocking position. She bowed her head to Jarvan and then Vorscham, flames bursting to life on the buckler, as if molten fire was pouring from the metal dragon's mouth and eyes.
"Good, the first part of the duel is always a salute to the official and then your opponent." Vorscham said, raising his own lance into his fighting position. He raised the shaft of the lance up over his shoulder, only offering the dragoness a single shoulder as a target area. The heavy pauldron wouldn't prove easy to break through as far as armor went, and then she still had to deal with the range of his lance. Swept back at a shallow edge, the lance served as a wedge that allowed Vorscham to deflect targets upwards and to the sides, sweeping them off rather than having to take them head on with matched force. Shyvana started to pace slowly, thinking of how best to approach the defensive position.
"You may begin." Jarvan announced, stepping back towards the wall and Alicia to watch, one fist posted on his hip and then other on his lance in case he had to sweep in and stop the fight. "Who is your money on?" Jarvan quietly asked Alicia.
"It depends on who attacks first." Alicia said, frowning. "If Shyvana does, she may lose the fight early, but I think Vorscham's patience will hold out a bit better than hers."
"I have to agree." Jarvan murmured, watching as Shyvana stalked around Vorscham, the Lieutenant only pivoting in place rather than matching her pacing. "She's looking for an opening. Let's see if she gets suckered in by Vorscham's trap."
"You're not charging in blindly." Vorscham said aloud, continuing to keep his lance tip down along the ground and pointed at the dragoness. "It's good to see that you've learned something from these past few months."
"I know when to brawl and I know when to wait." Shyvana said softly, keeping her guard raised. "I'm also trying to judge my strength against yours to see if I can take you in a flat out fight at this point."
"Well here I am." Vorscham said, grinning. "Come and get me... or maybe you're too afraid?"
"A month ago I would have taken the bait." Shyvana said with a thin smile. "Even a week ago I would have charged you with the intent of making you eat your words and my fist, but now I won't be goaded so easily." She laughed lightly, but didn't take her eyes off of him. She stopped and started to pace back around, going the opposite direction this time. Vorscham continued to match her, but there was a little more effort this time as he lead with the gimped leg, his turns weren't quite as smooth. "I also noticed you've stopped calling me Chickadee."
"I personally think you've earned your place." Vorscham grinned. "But if you keep this chickenshit pacing up, I might just have to give you a new nickname." His foot hit the ground and he limped slightly, and Shyvana launched her attack.
A ball of fire with a head like a dragon cut through the air as Shyvana charged, flames cloaking her legs as she accelerated on a bed of heat. Vorscham snarled as he brought the lance up and slapped the bolt of flames out of the air. It exploded in a shower of fire and sparks as Shyvana came in low and fast, arcing her run and leaning into the turn as she started to bring her gauntlet up in a rising strike aimed at Vorscham's stomach. He hissed, sweeping a leg back to brace himself as he swung the lance back down towards Shyvana's head. She parried with her manifer, bouncing the lance up and taking Vorscham by surprise as sparks bounced along the ground, the dragoness dragging it up the length of Vorscham's lance to keep it high and out of the way.
He gritted his teeth and then swung the lance up as Shyvana brought her fist up to his stomach, dropping his high arm down to knock the manifer aside. The elbow guard on his vambrace bounced the manifer down slightly as he windmilled his lance up and about, sweeping the shaft around and down, striking Shyvana high on the arm. She hissed but took the strike, following through and landing a punch that glanced off Vorscham's chest plate as he turned. Shyvana rolled, taking some of the force of Vorscham's lance and rolling into it, using the momentum of her charge to roll away and get clear. She landed on her feet and threw another bolt of flame at Vorscham, charging behind it again.
Vorscham tried to sweep the flames aside again with his lance as he did before, but he wasn't going to be able to bring the lance across quick enough to swipe the flames from the air. He kicked backwards and landed on his bad leg, sinking down slightly further than he meant to as the flames passed just in front of him, pain playing across his face. He tried to let his leg drop to turn the momentum into a spin to orient him for her attack, but she was too close. He gritted his teeth as the first strike landed in his side, the Lieutenant expelling a breath, hard. A second blow landed quickly in almost the same spot, followed by a lightning quick follow up blow, as if he had been hit once and then twice more instantly. He snarled in pain as he tried to back away, but Shyvana, flames swirling around her, kept close to him, following as he swept backwards, trying to catch his breath and back away. Shyvana was unrelenting, pouring fiery blow after fiery blow into his guard, but he was only able to parry some of them with his lance. He continued to back away, desperate for a bit of range to bring his guard back up, but he was on the back foot and Shyvana had an immense advantage at this close range.
"She's pressing hard." Alicia said, a smile on her face. "She really doesn't want to give him a chance to counterattack or reform his defenses."
Jarvan nodded, watching Shyvana practically chase Vorscham around the ring. "She's attacking in a set pattern though." Jarvan murmured, frowning slightly. "Which means she's either trying to force Vorscham's hand or she's lost in the moment."
Shyvana forced Vorscham back past the two observers and Jarvan shook his head, grinning slightly. "After seeing the look on her face, I'm a bit inclined to believe it's the second of the two."
"What, you don't like fighting as much as she does?" Alicia said, nudging the prince in the side. "Or perhaps you've got something else you wish she approached with as much enthusiasm..." She giggled as the prince blushed slightly.
"Funny." He muttered, watching as Shyvana continued her assault. "She's playing at something here." Jarvan narrowed his eyes, watching the dragoness's rapid attacks and hard press. Just what are you planning, Shyvana...
Shyvana struck with a hard left, Vorscham swinging his lance up in time to bat it aside as Shyvana stepped forward to try and get inside his guard circle. She attacked with a quick right, letting flames billow around the buckler as she struck, casting the flames across Vorscham's guard. He had caught the blow with the shaft of the lance, but Shyvana was already bringing up another attack to strike at his stomach. Vorscham brought his hands apart and dropped the lance, sweeping down and across the try and catch both Shyvana's attack and her legs as she finally varied her attacking pattern.
Shyvana stopped dead in her tracks, extending her leg and sinking to the ground as she brought her arms across her chest. The head of Vorscham's lance cracked over her pauldrons and bounced along her arm guards, Vorscham taking the brief moment of respite to put a few steps distance between them as Shyvana dropped to the ground. What are you...
Flames exploded from Shyvana's hands as she launched herself upwards, kicking off with her rear leg to launch the attack forwards rather than just up, her body rotating about her hips. She uncrossed her arms and she ended the flames from the gauntlet, starting her spinning, Vorscham brought his lance up across his body to guard against the attack, bracing as Shyvana let her gauntlet sweep out. She slammed the gauntlet onto Vorscham's formed guard, the force of the blow staggering the lieutenant as she brought the gauntlet down like a wrecking ball, her arm swinging around her body.
Vorscham's lance snapped.
What!?
He slid backwards along the ground, trying to keep the distance, but Shyvana had already landed and had spun about, coming up. Her gauntlet landed squarely on Vorscham's chest, winding him and sending him arcing through the air. He landed on the ground with a heavy thud, the two sections of his lance bouncing to the ground around him.
"How..." He gasped for breath, his chest burning as he greedily sucked in breaths, trying to return oxygen to his lungs.
Shyvana stepped up, standing over him, flames pouring off her gauntlets menacingly. Her chest rose and fell much more calmly than he would have thought and there was a wild look in her eyes. She started to raise a hand up and Vorscham closed his eyes, expecting another blow, but after several long seconds, it never came. He opened his eyes and looked up as Shyvana pulled her gauntlet off and extended a gloved hand down to him. He blinked in surprise but took it, his entire body aching now. Shyvana hauled him to his feet, grinning as he staggered and nearly toppled over.
"Easy there, LT." Shyvana said, shaking her head as she draped his arm over her neck and helped him to the wall, lowering him down to the stone. "You alright? I think I hit you a bit harder than I meant to."
"I'll say." Vorscham wheezed, undoing the buckles on that bound his cuirass together, pulling it off and finally taking a deep breath. "God fucking damn." He said after several long, deep breaths. "I couldn't breathe."
"No wonder." Alicia said, eyeing the cuirass. The chest piece had been crumpled in around his chest and while it had absorbed some of the blow, it had also been crushing down around his chest. "She obliterated this thing." Alicia cast the ruined cuirass aside, shaking her head. "I'm going to have to deal with the paperwork on that now, as well as the lance." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Thanks, Shy."
"Sorry." The dragoness said, blushing slightly. "I kinda got a bit ahead of myself."
"I'll say." Jarvan said, chuckling. He set a hand on the top of Shyvana's head affectionately, grinning as he looked down at the dragoness. "I don't think I've ever seen a fight quite as ferocious as that. It was well fought." She blushed a deeper shade of red but she smiled happily.
"I do believe you got your revenge." Vorscham said, wincing as he ran a hand over his mail hauberk. "I'm probably going to have a bruise on my entire damn chest from that." He grunted and shook his head, wincing again. "God damn that hurt."
"Sorry, sir." Shyvana said meekly.
"Nah, don't be." Vorscham said after a few moments, grinning slyly as he eyed the shattered lance and then looked up to Shyvana and then the prince. "I was wrong, prince..." He looked back to Shyvana, wearing a confident smile. "If you keeps this up, you're going to smoke Xin."