Riverfall was a wonderful place, especially during the late fall. Septimus loved the colors but the cooler temperatures felt absolutely splendid on her skin. The only con for Septimus during this time was that almost all of the beautiful burning colors were now almost gone. All of the shade that the trees' leaves provided were gone and the branches were almost all practically bare, preparing for the much colder winter. However, Septimus would take Winter over Summer and Spring any day. Most would find that strange but she would just call it normal coming from herself.
Either way, with the Fall season quickly leaving the dock and Winter sailing in quickly, Septimus decided it would be nice to get out and walk about and just enjoy it while it lasted. Something she did frequently now. In the end, it would be almost an entire year before Fall came back around. A lot could happen in a year, possibilities were endless. Some of those possibilities might just have her hung up for a while and keep her busy to the point where she couldn't get out an enjoy it. However, little did she know that a bit later on down the road she would encounter a man that definitely knew what he was talking about.
Riverfall's streets weren't exactly dead but they weren't exactly lively either. Little did Septimus notice this, however, because her head was somewhat in the clouds today with thoughts of more training, getting stronger, and getting faster. It was all possible if she followed the plan that she had laid out in her mind. However, this training wasn't like the training she had done previously. Septimus was thinking on a larger scale, like training with real people with real skills. Not dummy that set still every time you hit them. However, with the small amount of skill she had in shield and Broadsword she had a pretty good ways to go. With that being said, she needed someone that she could train with whenever she had nothing going on in her life but that always had a stronger skill in whatever than she had.
"Excuse me, miss! Are you all right?" Septimus hadn't been paying attention to where she was going and of course had been walking, completely running into a blonde headed man. "Oh! No, that was completely my fault! I'm sorry, I'm fine. Are you?" The man nodded with a chuckle "I'm perfectly fine. You seem to be dazing off a bit into space there, miss." Septimus nodded "Yeah, I was just formulating training plans in my head. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to!" The man shook his head "Seriously don't worry about it. I'm fine, really. And you said training plans?"
They almost instantly began walking together side by side as Septimus explained her situation while walking about "Yeah, I've got to be training and at least get skilled with my broadsword," she held up her sword then sheathed it once more "And my shield. I need to get ready for some hardcore training and eventually to the point where I can take on a skilled person in sword to sword combat. My goal is before the end of winter at least." The male newcomer smiled then looked at Septimus then back ahead "Well, I'm Jerrad Huntingson. Master in Broadsword, Expert in Longsword, and Competent in Shield. You ran into the right person, miss." Septimus nodded her head with a bright smile "Guess I did. Nice to meet you, Jerrad. I'm Septimus. Competent is Unarmed Combat, and Novice in all the rest. Squire for Syliras."
Jerrad nodded "Haha, well that can certainly change with hard work and dedication. Luckily, I'm an instructor for teaching in this area. We could start today, if you please to do so." Septimus looked at Jerrad with wide eyes "Are you kiddin' me? I'd love to if it wouldn't be a burden on you, would it? I mean, that would be absolutely amazing." Septimus, looked at her now freshly repaired muscles then back at Jerrad as he chortled "You caught me at a good time. Today's one of my off days and quite frankly I have nothing going on today. Do you have a favored training spot? I've trained and taught just about everywhere in Riverfall." With a nod, Septimus spoke up "I've come to enjoy the beach. It's comfortable on my feet and such once you get passed the sand and the sound of the waves are relaxing as well."
Walking on, Jerrad smiled, the two now descending down the steps towards the beach "Wonderful. My second most favorite training spot." Septimus tilted her head sideways a bit "Really now? What's your first?" Jerrad made a sound to signify he was thinking "I think I would have to say the Academy. Wonderful place, I think personally. However, I do like to get out sometimes with nature and train but with a friend of course. It gets tiring after a while, training with a dummy in the sand and you never get the chance to actually predict your opponent's moves leaving you lacking in that department. That's where a training buddy comes in. See, what you do is find someone at about the same level as you then you both train separately and work on different moves. Of course you mingle and such but you never show one another your techniques and moves until you enter a sparring match against one another. It helps you develop with someone else as well as create competition so you have somewhat a drive to train."
Septimus found that already he was helpful. She had never thought of something like that and it did make sense. Competition helped the drive to train and train harder so you could win, and never sharing secrets and tactics increased your need to be alert and ready for whatever your opponent. It was a smart tactic to do to increase your skill. And your opponent didn't have to have the same weapon you did either. It worked all around! The Kelvic nodded "I will more than likely try that, Jerrad. Thanks. Now I just have to find a partner, ha ha." She chuckled slightly because first of all she didn't know where to start with someone she could train with at her level just for fun for the upcoming season. She was more than likely to grow bored over the season when she wasn't training so why not replace it with more training? But in a more fun way?
"So what is your training style? How have you been training so far?" Jerrad was trying to collect enough information about Septimus to be able to successfully train her quickly but with a lot of good quality techniques. Another pro to the situation, it was a good way to pass time as they navigated through the crowd down to the beach. They were walking a lot slower than what Septimus was used to down towards the beach but Jerrad was walking slow on purpose. The less haste they made the better quality of information Jerrad could give Septimus. "I have been training though a variety of ways. However, one of my more common ways to train would be my dummy which I broke on the 60th. Never bought another one though and after that I kind of stuck to bodybuilding and resting for the battle. This is really the only season I've been doing a lot of work towards by Squire duties."
With this, Jerrad gave a slight nod of his head, taking in this information and slowly processing it to try and give best results. As a matter of fact, this is what he did beforehand with his clients so he could pair of their interests and techniques with his own to see what he could do. However, this was usually done in a formal place where the two would have a serious and professional conversation before training. On the other hand, that's not exactly nor close to what they were now doing which was walking down to third and final tier to get to the beach where they could begin their training. "Wait, what kind of weapon are you using for us to train?"
With a slight smirk, Jerrad pulled out his broadsword that had a slighty different hilt design than hers but the blade was about the same in weight, Septimus' being slightly lighter that was originally forged for her father's fighting style which she had either genetically or coincidentally inherited as well. "Broadsword, just like you. Except for the fact that you have a shield," here he knocked on Septimus' shield "And I only have this, which luckily I am fortunate enough to be ever so heavily skilled in." Septimus shook her head "Well you see, I don't have that much experience as I have only recently began working with equipment such as this." Here Septimus held up the shield and the sword then looked at Jerrad with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, so what techniques have you been working on? Like what moves were you practicing on your dummy?" Jerrad was once again, working on his techniques and tactics he could work with Septimus on to try and improve her condition as it was. "One of my main techniques is the Triangle Stance where I can then use my shield and do a screening technique which then lets me come through with my sword and cut across the chest of my target." Jerrad looked at her with a pretty impressed face, his lips were perked and his eyebrows were raised "Well, Miss Septimus, whomever taught you that sure knows what they're doing, that's for sure. Now we can teach you other techniques for defense as well as offense now that those are out of the way. Of course, after a thorough evaluation of how well you can fight one on one. But have no fear, I'll go easy."
Jerrad asked Septimus a few more detailed and intricate questions pertaining to how long she trained, how she trained, and a lot of other questions that he could leech information from and see how to help her. Soon after passing over a few hundred cobbled pathways and the like, Septimus and Jerrad reached where a good solid ground turned into soft and unstable sand. They walked a good ways away from the port and where no one was around when Septimus removed her shield from her back and unsheathed her shield. Jerrad unsheathed his broadsword as well and smirked but it soon faded into a serious expression as they both held their swords out in front of them, blade to blade then began circling.
Septimus looked at his blade then at Jerrad who caught her and made the first move in which Septimus almost instantly counterattacked with her shield as she rolled her hips into the Triangular Position then pushed her shield forward, screening Jerrad. Jerrad, however, counterattacked that by using his sword to push against the shield and send it flying backwards a bit, still in her hand. For a split second Septimus was exposed in which Jerrad went for it. But Septimus saw it just in time and used her broadsword to block the restrained cut attack that Jerrad had attempted. He was pushing her backwards, putting her on defense and him on offense. Septimus needed that to change and she soon got back into her stance where she used her shield to screen but instead of coming across with a cut attack on the chest like she had failed to previously, Septimus angled her shield upward and came below to cut at his shins and ankles area.
Jerrad didn't know exactly what she was doing but after a second of not coming from above, he had an idea that she was coming from below and jumped. However, Septimus pushed forward right as she saw that he had jumped and knocked him flat on his back in the sand. Right when Septimus realized that she had actually managed to knock him down, he was in a vulnerable spot with the wind knocked out of him from the unintended blow and she took advantage placing the sharp point of the blade of her sword on his chest "I got you this time, Jerrad. One to zero." She then let him up and held out her hand to help him up in which he performed a moved she would've never suspected. He grabbed her arm and sent her tumbling towards the sand, her shield cushioning the blow somewhat. He then took his sword and came down as she used her sword to keep his sword from touching her body "Wouldn't be so sure of that, Miss Septimus."
Septimus grunted through struggle then chuckled through clenched teeth "Yeah, I would." Septimus used her sword then pushed forward against him, the weight of the sword balancing unequally on her hand as she gained balance once more. Then kicked him away with her feet. What had started out as a friendly sparring match had developed into a full out prove your pride sparring match with no intent to kill or harm seriously though. Jerrad was on his back again but was up within seconds as Septimus grabbed her shield from behind her back then jumped up and entered the fray once more. Jerrad wasn't letting on easy anymore and was steadily exposing her to his 90 points in Broadsword. Septimus was definitely on the defensive side, just protecting herself from his hardening blows. With every hit, his strength and effort behind it grew stronger to the point her shield was right in front of her face. But there was no way she could compete with his skill. She was a low leveled novice where he was almost a maximum level in Broadsword. It was to the point where Septimus was just holding her shield up to save herself from being pummeled.
Septimus had had enough of being hit repeatedly and when one thing you were horrible in failed, it was time to move onto a strength. In this case, her unarmed combat. Adrenaline was beginning to course through her body whether she wanted it to or not. This was fueling her energy into her instincts which were beginning to talk. The more hits delivered the louder they talked and it would get to the point where they would scream. Septimus pushed the shield at Jarred, pushing him back some and stunning him from the unexpected blow coming from Septimus. Septimus scooted around the shield, letting it clatter to the ground then entered Jarred in a headlock then dealt a blow to his back near the spinal chord in the right spot like she had been taught in which he then was instantly knocked out, snoring. Septimus sighed and caught her breath then walked over to the waterfall and grabbed a handful of water, throwing it on Jarred's face.
He woke up within a few splashes then shook his head still a bit dazed then looked at Septimus "Nice blow." he said with a chuckle "You ain't bad, Miss Septimus. Not bad at all. Not like I thought you would be and that's a good thing. Your better. Sorry I began getting too rough on you there. I wanted to see how long you would put up with the blows but then you swing around and yeah. You're good, ma'am. Especially for a woman."
