#mcd liochant

“You’re hiding behind that shield.” Garroth stated bluntly as he struck at Liochant again. They had been at it for almost an hour, but he seemed barely out of breath.

Liochant reeled back, an incomplete block causing Garroth’s strike to jostle his shield roughly and send a painful shock up his arm. Liochant looked down at the training shield, a simple plank of wood with some faded yet sturdy leather loops keeping it on his arm.

“Isn’t that the point?” He asked between panting breaths, his face beaded with sweat. “Of a shield?”

Garroth rolled his eyes. “A shield gives you more defense, but you’re limiting your options and slowing yourself down by staying tucked behind it constantly. It’s a weapon, not a crutch. For example-”

Garroth rushed forward suddenly, bracing against his own shield as he shoved into Liochant. Lio’s own shield clanged hard against his chest as he fell backwards, knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling out onto the dusty floor of the training arena. Garroth stood above him, readjusting his cape, the evening sun casting his long shadow across Liochant’s face.

“-A shield bash.” Garroth finished. “Simple, but good for getting more space, especially if you have a longer weapon.” He held up his weapon as an example, a long wooden quarterstaff with blunt metal tips. It was his go-to choice for training the new guards. The lack of sharp edges reduced the risk of any severe accidents, and the metal tips weighted it in a way that we could use it similarly to his glaive.

Garroth’s words were tinny and distant. Liochant was on the ground, gasping for air as he tried to right his breathing. The kicked up dust stung his eyes, making them water, and he had fallen onto his sword arm, so now both arms were aching.

“A real opponent won’t wait for you to get up.” Garroth scolded, his words coming in clearer. “Unless you’re yielding, I’d suggest you stand.”

Liochant grit his teeth. His armor now felt heavy and cumbersome as he tried to get up. His arms and legs felt weak and wobbly. He managed to get to his knees, then used his training sword to push himself to his feet, steadying himself slightly.

He was determined not to lose this opportunity. He had fought for weeks to get this one-on-one training session with Garroth. Every time he had asked, Garroth had made some excuse about patrol schedules or prior engagements. The only reason they were here now was because Lord Aphra had overheard Lio’s latest attempt and supported the idea, so Garroth had reluctantly agreed.

Garroth always acted strange around Liochant, seeming to want to avoid being alone with him as much as possible. He was also tougher on Lio than he was with the other trainees, using him to demonstrate certain advanced attacks or pitting him against two or three of the other students simultaneously. Last week Garroth had even made him spar with Lucinda’s apprentice, throwing him into a magic duel that he was completely unprepared for, which had left him with some nasty burns. There were some times when Liochant thought Garroth might just be trying to get rid of him.

But no, Garroth was just being tough, he was sure of it. I mean, this was Garroth Ro’Meave, runaway prince, champion of Phoenix Drop, who had stood up to and forced back an entire division of O’Khasis soldiers. Garroth’s story and the stories of his friends had become legend on the streets of O’Khasis. Liochant had been raised on those stories, he had left home for Phoenix Drop based on those stories. And sure, actually meeting them hadn’t been entirely accurate to the tales. Garroth and Aphra were more reserved than how he thought they'd be, he swore he could sense some form of tension between them, a tension that hadn’t receded in the month he had been there. Lady Katelyn wasn’t around much, she seemed to prefer to stay in Brightport, and even when she visited she mainly trained the children, leaving little opportunity for Lio to speak with her. And he had yet to see Zane or Laurance, and the first time he had asked about them it was made clear to him that they were a forbidden topic throughout the village.

But then again, those stories were told to him when he was a child, by friends barely older than he was, it was to be expected that they weren’t entirely true. Even if something had happened here, and he was sure something had, it couldn’t have changed Garroth that much. Garroth was a hero. If he was pushing Liochant this hard… it must be because Garroth saw something in him. And he was determined not to let his hero down.

Liochant blew a stray curl out of his face, brandishing his sword and shield, a renewed confidence on his face and in his stance.

“No sir, I’m ready to continue.” He replied, shifting back into the battle form Garroth had shown him.

“Drop the shield.” Garroth ordered. “We’ll be doing a proper spar now, and you’ll need a lot more work before you can use it for real. You can dual-wield, or go get a two-handed weapon.”

Lio’s confidence faltered slightly. The last hour wasn’t proper sparring? He was already bruised and aching, and that was apparently Garroth going easy on him. He thought Garroth would be impressed with, or at the very least respect, his resilience, but if anything Garroth seemed annoyed that he had chosen to continue.

Still, Liochant did as he was told, placing his shield back on the weapons rack. He eyed the array of wooden weapons he had available to him. Daggers, staffs, spears, and swords of varying lengths and styles, all simple but well-maintained. He looked over them carefully, wanting to make the best choice.

He could never beat Garroth in range; he wasn’t strong enough yet to effectively control the longer weapons. And with his large shield, Lio doubted he’d be able to force through Garroth’s defense, even if he picked something heavy. And he had already proven to be terrible with daggers. But maybe, if he could get in close, keep himself light and quick, he could have a chance.

He grabbed two wooden short swords, testing their weight in his hands before settling on them and walking back to Garroth, who was readjusting the grip on his shield and staff. His expression was stony, unreadable. The white scar across the bridge of his nose was stark against his skin. Lio had always wondered what caused it, but he had learned quickly that there were a lot of off-limit topics in Phoenix Drop. He wasn’t eager to risk that scar being one of them.

“Standard rules.” Garroth stated, doubling checking his weapons as Liochant got into position in front of him. “A lethal strike or incapacitation counts as a point. Best out of three. Weapon up.” He ordered, raising his quarterstaff in his right hand out to Lio. Liochant did the same with his left sword. The weapons made a soft clacking sound as they crossed. Garroth’s eyes finally met Lio’s, teal eyes under a slightly furrowed brow.

“Begin.”

Garroth took two quick steps back, shifting the angle of his staff as he did so that it was resting on top of Lio’s sword. Before Lio could react, he wrenched his staff down, pulling Lio’s weapon with it. If Garroth had been using his glaive, he probably would’ve been able to apply enough force to disarm him. As it was, Lio was pulled off balance, knuckles white as he tried to keep hold of his sword as it was forced outwards and into the dirt. Garroth turned, his body now sideways to Lio. He swung his staff back, the opposite end now facing Lio as he brought the staff above his shoulder and drove the reverse strike right at Lio’s chest. Panicked, Lio swung his other sword across his body, just barely deflecting the strike upwards, flinching as the staff tip shot over his right shoulder, inches from his face. He made a jab at Garroth with his first sword, but Garroth had shifted sideways with his stroke, almost entirely covered by his shield. Lio’s blade bounced harmlessly off.

Garroth suddenly forced his arms down, bringing his staff down and inwards, the weapon catching the crook of Lio’s neck with shocking force. His left leg buckled and he fell to his knee, feeling the staff slide off his shoulder as Garroth shifted the weapon back into a more natural grip and thrust it at Lio’s neck. Lio crossed his swords in front of him in an attempt to block, but the staff tip sailed above the crossed blades. He turned his head and braced for the blow, but after a moment opened his eyes to see the staff tip inches from his throat. Garroth stared down at him, his expression unchanging.

“Incapacitation.” He declared. “First point goes to me.”

Lio rubbed at his neck, feeling a small knot where Garroth’s staff had struck. He waited, expecting some form of critique or praise for his performance, but all he got was an order to stand up and return to his base position. He felt a slight twinge of annoyance at this. How was he supposed to improve for the next round if he wasn’t told what he did right or wrong?

“Sir?” He asked tentatively as their weapons crossed again. “Is there anything I should change for this round?”

“Yes,” Garroth responded. “you shouldn’t let me get the point this time. Begin”

Lio quickly pulled his swords back, determined to not let Garroth control this round. He shuffled backwards, skirting around the range of Garroth’s staff, assessing his form. Garroth took a couple test jabs with the staff, but Lio skipped out of the way. They circled each other, both waiting for an opening, Garroth keeping his shield between him and Liochant. Lio knew he’d have to be smart to break Garroth’s defense.

Garroth had liked using him as the example for the other trainees, so Lio had gotten some up-close experience with how Garroth preferred to maneuver. He thought back to previous training sessions, and remembered how Garroth had appeared to move worse to his left. Not by much, but there was a small hesitation. And he’d sometimes see Garroth rubbing his left knee after training. A past injury? He wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter. It might just give him an edge.

Lio took a breath. His plan was risky, essentially riding on Garroth having a bad day, but it was all he had to go on.

He rushed in, dropping to his knee as he got close, skidding in the dust as he slashed at Garroth’s right side with his right blade. Garroth shifted his right foot quickly, turning sideways and putting enough distance between them that Lio’s blade came up short. Garroth swung his shield across his body, the edge slamming into the base of Lio’s sword, sending it clattering out of his hand and onto the ground. Lio looked up, seeing Garroth’s staff coming down, directly at his face. He rolled right, coming up on Garroth’s left side. He brought the hilt of his remaining blade to his cheek, driving a reverse strike at the armhole of Garroth’s chestplate. He expected Garroth to block it, but to his surprise, his plan paid off. Garroth hadn't been able to shift left as quickly, and his blade hit the thin chainmail under Garroth’s plate, eliciting a small wince of pain. Lio smiled.

“Lethal strike,” He said breathily. “Point for me!”

Garroth examined his side, seemingly taken aback. He looked over at Liochant, his expression calculating. Lio saw him glance down at his left leg, then back over to him. Garroth’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Liochant thought he was being subtle, not immediately going for his left side, but it seemed Garroth knew that he knew.

“1-1.” Garroth said. “Next point wins. Retrieve your weapon.”

Lio fetched his lost sword, taking his time as he tried to strategize for the final round. No way was Garroth going to leave his left side open again. And even if he overcompensated with his shield on that side Lio doubted he’d be able to get a hit on Garroth’s right, he had barely dodged his staff last time. It seemed his best chance was just to remember his training and hope for an opening.

“Cross.” Garroth ordered.

Their weapons met.

“Begin.”

Apparently eager to avoid the slow start of the previous round, Garroth immediately drew his staff back and thrust it at Lio’s midriff. Liochant jumped back, the weapon coming up short by a few inches. Before Lio had any chance to counter Garroth advanced and jabbed at him again. Lio dodged, shifting sideways. He swung his swords down, deflecting the staff to his side. Garroth staggered slightly from the force applied. Seeing the break in Garroth’s defense, Lio moved in, swinging both swords down at Garroth’s right arm, hoping to disarm him. Garroth brought his shield over, deflecting Lio’s strike, though Lio noticed he was quick to bring it back to its original position. Garroth's demeanor was slightly different this time, he was moving more urgently, keeping his defense tighter, breathing with more effort. Lio felt a bit of excitement at this. He must have made Garroth a least a bit worried if he was trying harder.

Garroth brought his staff back up. Rather than another jab, he brought it out wide, swinging it down towards Lio’s left arm. Lio tried to bring his swords over to block, but Garroth’s staff struck his upper arm with an audible whack. Lio cried out, feeling a painful tingling radiate through his arm nerves and down into his fingers. The force was enough to bowl him over, though he was able to roll with the momentum and come up on his knee. Garroth attacked again, and although Lio was able to deflect it, his left arm ached in protest at the sudden movement. He rose to his feet, backing out of range, dodging yet another jab in the process.

The two circled each other, Lio’s mind racing as he tried to reassess the situation. With his dominant arm injured, his chances had just gone way down. But even if he wasn’t hopeful about winning, Liochant was determined to still put up a good fight in whatever way he could.

Garroth was keeping his defense tight, seemingly content with slowly wearing down Lio with smaller attacks. He kept his staff outwards, jabbing at Lio any time he tried to advance, forcing him to step back. Lio could feel the pain in his left arm growing, his grip on his sword becoming less reliable as his arm grew dull and heavy. He doubted he’d even be able to even make an attack with it, much less a successful one. It went against all his training, but he did the only thing he could think of. He threw the sword.

His sword wasn’t at all designed to be thrown. It careened awkwardly as it flew and Garroth smacked it out of the air with his staff easily, sending it skidding off through the dirt. But it had drawn Garroth’s attention, and Liochant used the brief distraction to charge.

He brought his sword high, gripping it with both hands as he swung it down at Garroth’s shoulder, aiming for the chink between his pauldron and chestplate. Garroth dropped to his knee as he blocked with his staff, their weapons meeting with a loud crack. It was a quick move, almost impossible considering he had just deflected Lio’s thrown sword. Unless, Garroth had already predicted where he would attack. Lio feared that he had just fallen for bait.

Lio bared down on Garroth’s staff, but even using just one arm Garroth was able to keep his staff in its blocking position, his arm trembling slightly. Liochant searched for an opening, but wasn’t eager to let up his pin on Garroth’s staff, even as the pain in his arm grew with the continued effort. They were locked in a standstill, Lio’s mind racing as he tried to think of the next thing to do.

His main focus was on Garroth’s staff, but Liochant suddenly caught movement in his peripheral vision. He saw Garroth’s back leg shift, and saw him tuck his left shoulder into his shield.

“Good for getting more space.”

Lio’s reflexes kicked in before he even finished processing the thought, jumping back and moving his sword to block as Garroth shot to his feet and slammed his shield into Liochant. Even being more prepared for it this time, the force was still shocking. Lio moving with the shield took away some of its power, but that didn’t stop him from being flung backwards. He hit the dirt floor with a rough thud, but managed to roll with his momentum, ending up on his back. Garroth was several paces away, but was rapidly closing the gap as he charged at Lio, his staff held high above his shoulder. Liochant’s left arm throbbed, the pain making his vision spotty, and he realized with a cold dread that he had lost his remaining sword, seeing it resting in the dirt a few feet away. Close, but just out of reach. He was defenseless.

Garroth was practically on top of him now, and from the look in his eyes Liochant feared he wouldn’t hold back his attack this time. He looked like he wanted to hurt him. Lio’s heart pounded, the pain and the fear making what was supposed to be a friendly sparring match suddenly feel all too real. He saw the evening sun glinting off the metal tip of Garroth’s staff as he drove it down, the weapon moments from slamming down on him and sending him straight to emergency treatment.

Fueled by panic and adrenaline, Liochant rolled swiftly to the side, kicking at Garroth’s legs as hard as he possibly could.

He hadn’t planned on doing it; it was a survival reflex more than any legitimate strategy. The fact that this was a simple competition had been obscured by his panic and frenzy. All he was worried about was getting out of danger. He certainly hadn’t planned on it actually working.

He felt Garroth’s foot catch on his ankle. The impact clanged painfully, eliciting a gasp of pain from him and a grunt in surprise from Garroth. At the same moment Garroth’s finishing attack was driven into the dirt where Lio had just been, sending a shockwave up Garroth’s arm. Either the trip or the misstrike probably wouldn’t have been enough to bring him down on their own. But together…

Garroth’s expression shifted from cold concentration to shock as he fell, his staff being wrenched out of his hand by the sudden shift in forces. He hit the ground hard, rolling several paces before coming to a stop.

The pain from his ankle was enough to bring Lio back into focus. He scrambled for his weapon, snatching it out of the dirt and sprinting at Garroth. Surprisingly, despite the painful fall, Garroth had already managed to rise to a kneeling position, holding his shield up, though he was obviously unsteady. Lio swiped at the shield as hard as he could, managing to knock it aside. He brought the blade of his sword to Garroth’s face, the tip hovering inches from his nose.

They paused there for a moment, both breathing heavily. Garroth stared at the blade in front of him, his face seemingly frozen in shock. Lio panted as he tried to steady his breathing, feeling his fear turn to excitement.

He had just beaten Garroth Ro'meave.

“Incapacitation!” Lio cheered. “That’s-”

-------

“-two for me.” Laurance declared, taking his sword tip off of Garroth’s back, who was sprawled in the dirt. Laurance walked around and crouched down in front of his face. “Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but does that mean I just defeated Phoenix Drop’s Champion?”

Garroth spit out a mouthful of dust, grumbling as he propped himself up. Laurance gave him a smug smirk.

“Since when has tripping ever been allowed?” Garroth accused, rising to a seated position and trying in vain to wipe the grit from his face.

“Since I decided to make sparring actually interesting.” Laurance replied, twirling one of Garroth’s curls around his finger and letting it bounce back, sending more dust sprinkling down onto Garroth’s face.

“Not exactly honorable.” Garroth retorted, pushing his hand away playfully. “Is that how they train guards in Meteli?”

“Nope, that was a patented Laurance original.” He bragged.

“Ah yes, tripping, so original.” Garroth responded sarcastically.

Laurance shrugged. “Hey, you fight to win, I thought that was obvious. What, did they not teach you that in your fancy academy?.”

Garroth rolled his eyes, then sighed. “Putting aside your clear disregard for the rules…I guess you have a point there. Fine, you win, enjoy rubbing it in my face.”

“I will, very much so.”

“Great. Now are you going to help me up or not?”

-------

“That was an illegal move!” Garroth snapped, his face going red as he roughly shoved Lio’s sword to the side and out of his face. He rose to his feet, looking down at Lio with a scowl of disdain. “Go put your weapons back, this session is over.” He ordered harshly.

“What?!” Liochant shouted incredulously, finally losing his temper. “That’s not fair! You never said that wasn't allowed! Besides, I got an incapacitation, why does it matter how?”

“Real warriors don’t need to fight dirty to win.” Garroth said with contempt, turning away from Lio as he retrieved his staff and brushed the dust off his cape. “I gave you the benefit of the doubt with my leg in round two, but you clearly don’t value fighting honorably.”

Lio clenched his fists, his knuckles going pale as heat rushed into his face.

“Or maybe you just can’t handle losing.”

He had said that louder than intended.

Garroth didn’t turn around, but Lio saw his posture shift. Liochant’s anger quickly faded, replaced by fear as Garroth dropped his staff and shield into the dust at his sides.

“I-I’m sorry Garroth.” He said, looking down at his shoes, trying to make himself as small as possible. “I spoke out of turn. It won’t happen again-”

Garroth whipped around, storming towards him. Lio squeezed his eyes shut, readying for Garroth to strike him, but no hit came.

“Look at me.” Garroth ordered, his voice icy.

A cold sensation washed over Liochant. He took a shaky breath, willing himself not to cry as he raised his head and opened his eyes. Garroth glared down at him.

“You can drop the whole ‘plucky kid trying to make his mark’ act. It won’t work on me.”

“...What?” Lio’s voice was small, confused. He had barely processed what Garroth had just said.

Garroth stepped closer, eying Liochant with accusatory suspicion “You think you’re so clever just because Lord Aphra bought your sob story. Well I don’t believe it for a second. Why are you really here? To spy?”

“No.”

“Find our weaknesses?”

“No, of course not!”

“How much did my father pay you?”

“Nothing! I’m not a spy!” Liochant felt his voice breaking. “ I…I just wanted to help. Like you did…when you came here.”

Garroth’s expression softened for a moment, almost a look of pity.

“…Look,” He started. “you don’t want to be like-”

He cut himself off, turning his face from Lio’s for a brief moment. Lio heard him sigh, then let out a faint chuckle. Somehow, that was even worse than him yelling. When he turned back, he was smiling, but his eyes were full of contempt.

“Nice try kid.” He said sarcastically. “You know, it doesn’t even really matter why you’re here. As if I would ever trust someone like you.” The final words were dripping with venom, his false smile dropping. He stepped even closer. Lio forced himself to stand straight, willing himself to not fall apart.

“Listen close, I’m only going to say this once.” He jabbed his finger at Lio’s chest with each sentence.

“This is not your home.”

“These are not your people.”

“And I am not your friend.”

Liochant wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn’t. He didn’t even have the willpower to look away.

Garroth paused for a moment, breathing hard. Lio thought he saw the slightest shift in Garroth’s expression, but then Garroth turned away, picking his weapons up off the floor. As he stood up, he said one last thing, not even turning to face Liochant.

“You don't belong here kid. If you had any respect for this town, for those stories you like to tell, then you’d leave.” He placed his weapons back on the rack, and just like that he was gone.