A dark bandit den

Krylancelo frowned. He did not like the idea of returning to that forsaken cavern. I suppose it must be done. We need to figure out how to protect her as we travel during the day. perhaps i could conjure a parasol or some sort of covering? Something to keep the rays from reaching her skin. Krylancelo held out his hand, a faint shimmering of light appeared from his outstretched fingers and spread forward a few feet in front of him. The shimmering coalesced into an unadorned silk parasol. He inspected the conjuration and carefully handed it to Faylen.

"This should suffice long enough to get you back into cover. It may even be sufficient to protect you for the journey. If not, we will have to think of something else."

Gothmog rolled his eyes at the parasol, but Faylen pointed out her bound limbs before he could, so he let it go. He picked the woman up as if she weighed no more than a small child, and began heading towards the bandit's den.

"You both are going to have to learn how to survive if we are to make this journey. We will not be able to stop in towns or inns or any of that so long as she is with us. Krylancelo especially, you need to learn some damn situational awareness. And how to fight without magic or special gifts, both of you."

His tone suggested this was non-negotiable. Gothmog was not in the habit of helping those who refused to help themselves, and that applied to these two more than any others he had met in a long, long time.

Krylancelo would awkwardly catch the blade, Fumbling with it for a moment before it inevitably fell to the earth below. He would then hastily pick up the blade and hold it before him in a defensive stance. He had of course seen people use swords before and he had the general idea of how to hold a blade. Krylancelo would stand there feeling the weight of the blade, never taking his eyes off of Gothmog. He knew that the big orc would not go easy on him, and he expected he would end up face first in the dirt before long. Nevertheless, Krylancelo would suddenly dash forward with surprising speed. Krylancelo grew up working the fields, so he was rather athletic, especially for a mage. The moment he was in range of the orc he would bring the blade sweeping across towards the lower half of his midsection, which was just about chest height for Krylancelo. He hoped that the determination and quick attack might catch the orc off guard. Krylancelo knew that he would need to utilize speed and his size in this fight. It was his only real hope of landing a hit, and avoiding getting crushed by Gothmog.

In reality, Krylancelo's attack would appear swift, but clumsy, and the only way it would be effective is if Gothmog happened to be surprised by Krylancelo's sudden tenacity.

Krylancelo's aggressive assault had slightly surprised, and slightly impressed, the Orc Captain, but it was still foolhardy. He sidestepped the attack completely, sticking a foot out to trip the mage, and should he be tripped, the flat of Gothmog's blade would come around to smack him in the backside.

"Come now Krylancelo, speed and swiftness are good, but you have to know what you are doing to use them!"

"You aren't listening Krylancelo. In a fight, you can't be distracted by thoughts! All that matters is you and your opponent."

Gothmog sidestepped again, using his sword to deflect the other one and allowing Krylancelo's momentum to carry him forward once again. The orc turned to face him with a hard look on his face.

"Clearly a living opponent is too much for you. We shall practice technique than. Up on your feet Faylen. You will need this lesson too."

Krylancelo stumbled past Gothmog. He turned around ready to strike once more. He halted when Gothmog mentioned that he needed to work on technique first. This made sense. No point learning to cast a fireball before you can manifest a spark. Krylancelo took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He would continue to keep his blade in a defensive position. Krylancelo was determined to always be on his guard around Gothmog. He would prove to both the Captain and himself that he was capable of learning swordsmanship.