Worthy Core

That afternoon, a small crowd had formed in the stands next to the Association's training yard. A very small crowd, consisting of Mother Elance, Priestess Lilly, and Laeniel the Accountant, to be precise. They were all huddled up in their winter clothing and for the most part not looking particularly excited to be out there, although Laeniel does maintain her smile as she cheers on her husband. "Courage and valor, Parker! Beat up the girl! Throw her into the slush!"

Sable and Parker both attempt to hide slight smirks at the elf's cheerleading, and the Paladin takes an extra moment to study the man standing across from her. The Headsman was a heavy armor user like herself, but the differences between their equipment were stark. The Church of Bounty contributed a significant amount towards Sable's gear, and anything the Church didn't provide, Sable was more than wealthy enough to cover herself, not to mention adding in the occasional bit of dungeon loot. Parker meanwhile was perhaps a bit closer to the average Challenger in terms of gear, or even a little below average. His armor didn't gleam, it didn't all exactly fit a single fashion design, and some of it bore marks that were probably there long before he acquired the item for himself. He wore it well though, moving comfortably even in the chilly weather, and Sable has few doubts that the man had probably spent as much time in it as she had in her own.

There is one thing that's slightly confusing her, however. "So, just to confirm something for me real quick, Parker. Your Challenger class is Headsman, right?"

The bearded man gives her a quick nod. "That's correct, Paladin. I assume you got my paperwork from the Association to confirm my statements?"

"I did, yeah. But it's an axe-wielding class, right?"

"That would be correct."

Sable nods a little slowly. "So...where's your axe?"

As if he'd been waiting for that question, the man finally grins. "Well, as this is just a spar, my usual weapon wouldn't be quite appropriate. Even if I were to pad the blade, it's quite heavy, and the impact alone could be quite dangerous."

The Paladin swings her own wooden sword in response. "Right, right, but are you going to go grab a training weapon, or what?"

"Unfortunately, none of the training weapons quite suit my fighting style. Fortunately, that's not exactly an issue for me. I just wanted an excuse to provide something of a demonstration."

Sable raises an eyebrow. "A demonstration of...?"

Without another word, Parker reaches out a hand towards the nearest rack full of wooden training weapons. There's swords, spears, shields, and even an axe or two, if apparently not of the sort the man prefers to use. All of them begin to shake, rattled by an unseen force, and after a few moments - they splinter. Shards of wood fly through the air, with a former spear haft landing in Parker's grip. Piece after piece of wood then continues to embed themselves into the top of the haft, fusing together as they do so. After about five, perhaps ten seconds, a smooth 'blade' has been formed with only the discolorations in the wood showing that they were once taken from separate sources. It's not small, either, with the slightly curved blade being perhaps a foot and a half long from toe to heel, and the head being a foot or more deep.

At the sight of it, Sable's other eyebrow joins the first. "That...was way more magic than I was expecting from a melee class. What sort of trick is that, exactly?"

Parker begins to swing the new weapon a little before he answers, testing its balance. "It's a common Master-level skill for classes closely tied to the use of a single specific weapon, something I've learned recently. Spearmasters, Master Swordsmen, and so on, usually learn spells to ensure that they're never left entirely disarmed of their key piece of equipment. I can do the same from stone, lower qualities of metal...even glass, if there's enough of it. Or more materials, if I get more practice and can expend more mana on the spell."

Elance harrumphs from the sidelines. "Very fancy an' all, but we're not covering the Association's bill for all those weapons you just broke!"

Laeniel turns her smile on the dwarf sitting next to her. "That's alright, we're fully prepared to invest our savings into this venture if need be. And my husband does like to show off from time to time, even if he often denies it."

The man in question shrugs. "Seemed like a relevant part of my skills to display. That said, are you ready to get to it, Paladin?"

"Oh yeah. Show me what you got!" Sable raises both her shield and sword, but stays on the defense as she waits to see how Parker reacts. She's not terribly familiar with axe-wielders, given that Paladin classes almost always go for the typical shield-and-sword setup, but she does know that they tend to be rather offensive in nature. They are, of course, also a melee class, so the man will need to close the distance if he wishes to strike her.

So it is that Sable is rather surprised when Parker swings his wooden weapon and an arc of golden light flies from the blade, directly in her direction. She quickly ducks behind her shield and it holds fairly easily, but it does ring as if the weapon itself had struck it. "Okay, now what!? I'm starting to think you're just a wizard with an axe-shaped staff or something!"

Parker laughs at her description as he begins to circle her. "Have you sparred with many Master-class Challengers, Paladin? I'll admit, I hadn't run into many myself before I took up the training program."

The woman shakes her helmet-covered head. "Not a lot, no. The Church of Bounty's not really a martial church, we've only got a couple Master and Supreme-level Paladins in the entire organization. And most of those are basically retired from combat work. Why?"

"I suppose you'll see yourself if you ever class up, but there's limits to how much you can grow just from exercise and combat training!" With that said he does finally step forward and take a swing at the Paladin's legs, though she hops backwards to stay out of range easily enough. "Of course, everyone's got the usual spells and enchanted items to improve their strength and speed. Wouldn't be able to use a weapon this ridiculous without it. But even that has - limits!" He swings again, an overhead blow, which Sable deflects with her shield rather than blocking entirely.

"So are you saying every class eventually evolves into being Mages? Not sure I've really noticed that. Some tricks here and there, sure..."

"I'm no Mage, my wife would probably have a better head for that business than I. But as I understand it, Mages attempt to learn the underlying rules of our world, whether it's in breadth or a specific element. But weapon masters? We attempt to represent the very concept of our art. I don't just wield an axe anymore - I Am The Axe; Head, Belly, and Knob." Parker's words aren't just a statement, but a spell, and as he lifts his weapon high a magical axe three times his own height forms above him. As he drops his own axe, so falls the mystical construct, and this time Sable has to roll out of the way entirely to keep from being smashed. The spell fades quickly, but as Sable looks back she spots a deep furrow carved into the cold mud of the training yard.

"...Okay, enough of letting you show off." Deciding that it's time for her to see how Parker handles on the defensive, Sable charges in for an assault of her own. While she has a number of abilities allowing her to boost her own physical strength, she holds off on them for now, testing to see how he does against basic swordplay. Knowing that swords have the advantage in a very close melee she gets up almost into the man's face, but to her surprise he doesn't back away. The Paladin stabs forward once, then swings towards his chest, and at each attack Parker does some of the most economical dodging she's ever seen. Her stab misses his side by a hair, and her swing does actually scrape against his chest plate - but so lightly that even in a spar she'd be hard-pressed to call it a proper hit.

"I'd say you're reacting slow, but somehow that doesn't feel right. You like cutting it close?"

"Close only counts in yardball and fireballs, Paladin - when facing a blade, any miss is as good as a mile. Besides, I'm hardly disarmed at this range - as you'll see!" Sable is expecting the man to try and swing at her with the head of his weapon, but instead he goes at her with his knob. With a quick thrust the bottom of his long-handled axe is placed under her shield and between her legs, and with a quick twist the Headsman manages to catch her behind the knee. With surprising force he lifts her leg into the air, and when coupled with a shoulder-check against her shield the Paladin finds herself slammed onto her back before she realizes what's happened.

She's hardly out of the fight though, and quickly rolls aside before her opponent has a chance to finish her off. Unfortunately, when she does climb back to her feet she realizes that she now is at the ideal range for an axe-wielder, and before she has time to dodge the wooden axe again slams into the back of her leg, this time using the heavy wooden head. Again, she finds herself collapsing into the training yard's cold mud, and this time she has to lay there for a moment and groan. "Ugh. You are a lot faster with that thing than I'd expect."

Parker smirks as he offers her a hand to help her rise to her feet. "Well, as I said, it's magical boosts that got me this far - I hardly used such a large weapon in my Advanced days! Besides, that confusion you're feeling is one of my best weapons - a lot of monsters underestimate my speed, as has the occasional unwary bandit."

Sable frowns as she examines the Challenger's weapon. The magically-assembled tool is already showing serious signs of wear from the handful of impacts its taken so far, and she has doubts that it would last for a second spar. But rather than his current weapon, it's the man's ideal equipment that the Paladin is pondering. "Your normal day-to-day axe...anything special? Enchanted?"

Parker gives a half-nod. "Slightly - a bit of durability and lightness. Honestly, the enchantments are perhaps only Advanced-tier, though the weapon itself is sized for an Expert or Master's use. Never had the funds for anything particularly fancy, though. Does my equipment matter for my application? I'd assume the dungeon doesn't care."

The Paladin shakes her head. "That's actually what I'm thinking about - I'm imagining what it'd be like to go against you as a dungeon boss. I'm assuming you'd be a Floor Seven boss or maybe even lower, so I doubt she'd hold back on your gear. If you had a monster's strength, and then some sort of seriously magical axe to go with it...well, you might only be a level thirty Master, but with her gear I bet you'd be able to handle most other Masters you'd come across."

The Headsman grins at her assessment. "I do like the sound of that. So if you're considering my future in the dungeon, does that mean I've passed the Church's combat capabilities test?"

Sable gives a half-nod of her own. "Honestly, I can't see anything I'd fail you for. I'm only an Expert myself, but even just being able to match me on the field would probably be good enough - I don't think the dungeon's putting that much emphasis on pre-existing skills. Especially since she'd like to recruit you for, y'know...other considerations. Still, I'd feel like I was slacking off if I passed you after just five minutes. Up for another round or two?"

The Headsman steps back and readies his weapon with a smile. "Whenever you're ready, Paladin."