Danny reaches the castle courtyard with III beside him, the kiln investigation still taut in his thoughts. Nearby, Audree arranges bright cloth and cups while Mara reviews audience preparations with Tomlin Reed.
Audree
Perfect timing! Training makes excellent waiting entertainment, provided nobody knocks over the audience benches.
III steps into a clear patch between the courtyard stones. She demonstrates a light, precise advance, shifting her weight through angled footwork before feinting high and stopping a controlled strike a finger’s breadth from an empty mark.
III
Balance first. Make the opponent answer the movement, not the weapon. Then change the line.
Mara Vale
A clean lesson. The first clear tap decides it, yes? No bruising, no wounded pride recorded in the testimony.
III nods and settles into a compact stance, one foot poised to pivot. Audree quietly gathers the nearby props, while Mara watches the distance between III’s shoulders, hips, and hands with thoughtful attention.
III
Your turn, Danny Black. Show me how your warrior style answers this.
✓ Quest Accepted
Earn III's acknowledgment in the sparring exchange
“I circle III lightly, then change my line with a controlled tap.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Melee Weapons, rolled +2)
Danny circles III lightly across the courtyard stones, keeping his feet quiet and his shoulders loose. His superstitious caution makes him check each angle twice, but does not break his rhythm.
Arcane Aptitude carries a clean adjustment through his balance as he changes the line. His bracers answer with a small protective boost, lending his arm the strength for a precise touch.
III shifts to answer the feint, but Danny changes direction with the movement rather than against it. His controlled tap lands clearly against her shoulder before he withdraws.
III
Clean. You made me answer your feet, then changed the line before I could close it.
III gives a brief approving nod and resets her stance. Mara follows the exchange with keen attention, while Audree lifts both hands in delighted applause without disturbing the benches.
Mara Vale
A clear tap, and no injury. That is a lesson worth recording.
III
Again, if you want. This time I will watch the change instead of the opening.
Quest Complete
Earn III's acknowledgment in the sparring exchange
“You start to speak the 3 first then. Said it all right, let's make it it much interesting. Simple as this. A simple touch on you is simple. But I get to pick where to touch after all. This is going to be a challenge for me. As it is for you. You have to touch my chin right here. And on that is. Will I go for that? The backside of yours, you know. If I win. Look at that backside, eh? No matter where, here we are. What do you think we're? Earth going again? And for the combat again.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Melee Weapons, rolled +4)
Danny Black
All right, III. Let’s make it more interesting. A simple touch is easy, but I choose where. You touch my chin, and if I win, I go for your backside. Then we spar again.
Danny settles into the courtyard stones and raises one hand toward III’s chin, making the challenge’s terms plain. His superstitious caution checks her feet, shoulders, and exits twice before he commits.
Arcane Aptitude carries a sharp adjustment through his balance, while the bracers lend his reaching arm a small, steady boost of strength. He changes line with the opening rather than chasing it.
III pivots to intercept, but Danny reads the movement and slips past her guard. His fingertips touch her chin cleanly before he withdraws to measure.
III
That is one point. You chose the target clearly, and you reached it without turning the spar into a grab.
III’s approving glance is brief, but her stance opens for a heartbeat afterward. Danny has gained a genuine advantage: he now knows her first defensive pivot exposes her left side.
III
Your turn to defend, bun bun. Try the same challenge again, and see whether you can keep that advantage when I expect it.
“I defend against three for once and. Then I turn and smack that bottom of hers.”
FAILURE (Good Agility, rolled -1)
III darts in for the expected touch. Danny defends against the strike, but Superstitious makes him check too many angles, costing the instant he needs.
Arcane Aptitude steadies Danny’s footwork as he turns, and the Bracers lend his arm a small burst of strength. He slips past the first line and reaches for III’s backside.
III reads the turn before his hand arrives. She pivots sharply, leaving his smack to meet empty air, then catches his wrist and redirects the momentum into a controlled step beside her.
III
You defended well enough. But you turned toward the target I showed you, not the opening I offered.
She releases him and taps two fingers against her own left side, the flaw Danny noticed now revealed as deliberate bait. The failed attempt has changed the exercise: that opening cannot be trusted.
III
If you want to touch the target, make me give it to you. Do not chase the first gap you see.
III resets her stance, keeping her left side covered while her eyes remain alert and amused. The next useful path is clear: force her balance to change before attempting another touch.