Sabertache stood in the abandoned training ground. Pretty much everyone who had used this place before had ran off to the South once the pass was open, ready or not. Several were turned back by the guards positioned at the mouth of the tunnel; many snuck past and were probably killed. Maybe somewhere there was a group of survivors. But for now, the nomad's thoughts were here.

He hadn't used this place himself in a while. There were dummies everywhere, a few obstacles that needed repairing, a pond that needed cleaning. None of that matched the demands of an actual fight, however. Maybe, by a stroke of luck, he would be graced with someone's presence.

An arrow sprouted from the chest of a nearby dummy. A few feet behind Saber, Leth nodded in satisfaction at his handiwork and neatly set his bow in its place on his back.

"Hey, Saber." He said with a nod, then regarded the dilapidated state of the training grounds around them.

"You look like you're itching for some action. Don't suppose these dummies are going to quite cut it, eh?" Leth chuckled. "I'm probably not the most ideal choice for a sparring mate, as I don't use melee tactics very often, but my rapier work is a little rusty and could probably use some practice. I'm willing to bet you'll knock the snot out of me, but I'm alright with a one-on-one if you are." He said, patting the rapier at his side meaningfully.

A little smile crossed Saber's lips. "Dummies aren't exactly the challenge I'm looking for, no." He drew his own blade, taking up the sheath in his free hand to use as a shield. Divine providence seemed to strike again; wherever you were, somebody you knew always happened to show up. And a sparring match sounded good right about now.

"I'm a little rusty myself, don't worry." He centered his weight, looking steadily at his old friend. "Whenever you're ready."

Leth smiled, threw back his hood, and drew his rapier, casting a momentary flash of light to be reflected on the ground at his feet. He paused momentarily to examine the blade; it had been some time since he last used it. He also drew the small hunting knife at his belt and held it in his off hand ( Duel Wield, if it matters ) He studied saber's movement for a moment before stepping forward and bringing his light blade across in a small slash/thrust movement, lunging into the attack, which was aimed at saber's midsection. He made sure to gauge his attack power carefully, so if his attack landed, he would only produce a thin cut.

OOC: Matter, it does not

IC: A fairly simple way to start the fight; no worries, there was actually something familar and reassuring in what was sort of a sparring tradition. Sabertache easily flicked Leth's blade aside, letting the momentum of his parry carry him into a 360-degree spin. His left hand had a firm grip on his sheath still, and he lashed out cleanly with it, stroking towards Leth's back.

Leth knew his attack would be blocked; it was the standard opening maneuver for any friendly sparring match. What happened next though was always up for grabs. He carefully watched saber's movement as his blade was pushed aside, and saw what he was doing. As Saber spun around, Leth put all of his weight into his toes, crouching down to avoid the oncoming slash. At the same time, he swung his rapier around himself in a wide sweep, aiming for his opponent's lower leg.

Of course, Leth dodged the counterattack, making the only sensible strike possible from the crouch he had been forced into. It would have been much, much easier to evade the rapier if Saber didn't happen to be spinning at the moment, but he tried to make do, jumping into a fruity little hop over the blade. Breaking the engagement, he let the momentum carry him a few steps away, then planted his right foot opposite Leth, sheath held before him and saber wavering above his head in waiting.

He backed off... let's try something new. Leth quickly thought before lunging at saber once again. This time, instead of the standard swipe/thrust common to rapier combat, Leth brought his rapier towards Saber in a feint, anticipating that Saber would block with the sheath, then brought his other hand holding his hunting knife up in a subtle stabbing maneuver towards Saber's gut.

Oddly enough, Leth seemed to be repeating himself. Definitely not what Saber expected from an experienced Vagabond. He deflected the rapier with his sheath, as per usual, and was definitely a little caught off guard when the dagger came into play. Luckily, he still had his own blade left, and it wasn't too difficult to bring his blade around. Still, the small dagger came closer than he would have liked. Pushing Leth's secondary weapon aside, his sheath came around again at head level, the only real assault the mercenary could launch at the moment.

So close that time. Leth thought as he rushed to bring his rapier up in a parry. He tried to be sure he blocked with the flat of the blade, so as not to damage Saber's sheath, but the attack came in to quickly and Leth was just able to bring his weapon up to block, nevermind what direction the edge was facing.

Hope that didn't damage it... He thought briefly, before bringing his rapier around to separate the two weapons. However, instead of changing his stance and coming in with a new attack, he kept his weapon on its circular path, so that it came around a full, swift swing at Saber's midsection.

OoC: I guess we're the only ones still around

Well, that may hurt the sheath a bit.

With the said scabbard deflected, he couldn't help but wince. That unpleasant vibration had gone up his arm; it probably wasn't anything too serious, though. The rapier was coming around again; that was the priority. His block was simple, holding his saber vertically to stop Leth's steel with a clang. His left hand still raised, he brought the sheath down towards his partner's wrist.

Leth saw the attack coming just in time to move his hand out of the way, but not quite quick enough. Saber's sheath hit against Leth's Rapier as he was pulling it back, throwing Leth a tad off balance. He stumbled and fell off to his left, being led by the weight of his weapon. Thinking quickly, he let go of his sword, pushed himself away from the ground with his now free hand, and made a low sweeping kick at saber's ankles.

Well, that was unexpected. When the sword droppped, it didn't even cross his mind that it may have been intentional. So, understandably, it was a bit shocking when Saber suddenly found his feet coming out from under him. He flailed his sheath arm out to catch himself, diverting his momentum just a tad to roll slightly upon landing. Pushing off of his bruised arm as swiftly as he could, he rose to a squat, jabbing out a little haphazardly in defense with his sabertip.

Yes! Finally, a successful- OH DIN, SWORD. Leth, still mostly squatting on the ground, found himself frantically pushing himself backwards with all the haste his body could muster. Also, out of pure instinct, he brought his knife up in defense. Saber's awkward haphazard thrust was not quite orthodox in manner, and Leth's hasty defenses kept him from being cut open, but ended up causing him to lose his grip on his knife, which then was flung a few feet off to his right. Leth rolled backwards and up onto his feet, now armed only with his Rapier. The knife was a tad too close to Saber for Leth to feel confident in going in for it, so he simply raised his rapier, calmed himself, and awaited Saber's next move.

The breathing room allowed Saber some much needed time to rise out of his squat and assess his body's condition; some slight bruising, but nothing of much concern. It would probably be a good idea to remain just a little more conservative, however. He scuffed his feet a little forward, bringing his saber down in a feint before swinging it overhead to come in from the left instead.