Taloum Watchtower

His feeling of dread was beginning to get annoying. Dimitri did not know if it was from the stranger that entered the camp, or if it was something else. He felt like he had to get away from any eyes that were on him and decided to enter the tunnels below the watchtower. Using his hands to ensure he made his way along the walls before his night vision kicked in, he made his way to what he could smell had a recent fire. This led him to the cavern with the granary and dilapidated smithy. He felt that he wouldn't be bothered here and sat down in the middle of the smithy, letting the cool air down here wash over him, helping to calm his instincts and nerves.

Dimitri has made his little home within the tunnels beneath the watchtower. Namely amongst the decrepit forge area. An out of the way location, but also a location easily accessed should one search for him. Though currently, he can be found amongst the main camp, looking over the raising defenses and those training. Noticing the Nishida was also out amongst those practicing their martial skills. He would approach Nishida in an attempt to spar with the Katashiman lord.

"So, your finally gracing us with your presence Mr. Nishida? I thought you would be too busy trying to figure out how best to get rid of the local bandits. Well, while your out here, care for a friendly bout?" Dimitri grabs a wooden two handed staff meant for training purposes, hoping for a friendly bout with the lord.

Dimitri could only grin as Nishida accepted the bout. "Heheh, excellent. This should be a good experience for us both. Though before we begin, we should agree on the parameters of the fight. I would like to suggest that neither armor nor magic to be used. Just weapon affinity and skill. In my case, i would need to wear a magic cnacelling ring to keep my natural passive magic at bay for the bout. Is that acceptable or would you like to amend it a bit?"

The smile never left his face while he spoke. He suggested such terms to help keep what he actually is from coming to light. Many beings have passive magical natures, so even with such a tidbit, Dimitri did not worry that he would be found out.

Dimitri gives Nishida a nod, his smile growing a little bigger. "Excellent. Just give me a moment to get my armor off and my magic suppression ring on." He would step to the side of the training area and took a few minutes to remove his armor. His face finally exposed to the entirety of the camp for the first time. His face seemed like one who has lived only 2 decades of life, with eyes that if one looked deep enough into, could see far more pain than one would expect. His Azure Black hair shining a bit in the sunlight with sweat built up from wearing the armor most of the time, and his red irises clear to see. Without the armor, he does not look stronger than the basic fighter. No overly large muscles, no bulging veins, he actually seemed like he would fit in with most soldiers.

Though when his shirt was removed, it became clear that he has seen a lot of combat. most of his torso is covered in a spiderweb of scars ranging from arrow holes to knife stabs, from sword slashes to even a large round scar that could be seen as where a ballista bolt went right through Dimitri. He returned to the ring and picked up the large wooden bow staff and readies himself into a stance meant to counter faster attacking opponents. "Alright, let us test each others finesse and skill." His face takes on a serious expression, no killing intent emanated from him, but it seemed he would not hold back either.

So, the warlord decided to dual wield, this could turn out very poorly for Dimitri should he allow this to go too far. Though Nishida did want to test himself, so a test Dimitri shall provide. The lord was just testing the waters to see how to proceed, letting an opening show too early would defeat the purpose of this bout. So Dimitri back stepped to avoid the blow and using the longer reach of his wooden staff, made a jab towards Nishida's arm wielding the katana. This strike was meant to disarm Nishida and numb his arm.

Using the momentum of one swing to swiftly move into the next is a basic but useful tactic when implemented well. With dual wielding, it can be deadly to lightly armored foes. With the jab being countered with the wooden wakizashi, Dimitri had no choice but to jump out of reach and re-evaluate his stance and attack pattern. Keeping this Katashiman lord at length. Depending on Nishid'a next move, Dimitri could close in, continue avoiding, or improvise some footwork to get into a better position.

So, the stances have shifted and it is now Dimitri who is meant to assault the opponent. With Shintaro expecting an attack, a distraction would have to be made in order to make contact. A three pronged strike with an aided drawback should be sufficient. The first step would be to start s[pinning his staff as the first layer of a physical illusion meant to have the opponents eyes on the weapon. The spinning would transist to a figure 8 motion moving faster and faster. While the first layer was cemented, his right foot would tense and solidify its hold onto the ground in anticipation for the actual attack. After a few seconds, the wooden staff would extend on Dimitri's right side, while his left foot shifted and kicked sand towards Nishida's face. Using the momentum of the kick, the staff would plant itself standing in the ground to create a stabilized platform. The right leg would spring forth from its tense state and with his hands gripping the staff, spin a kick towards the warlord's head to disorientate him. The final point of the assault would be to use the arms on the standing staff and make a small jump upwards while still gripping the weapon. Using acrobatics to release the weapon from the ground and bring his feet below him. Dimitri would use both the small amount of centripetal force from his flip as well as gravity to power his attack with an overhead slash.