Completed Back in Business

[Ricky Maze]

Back in Business
Summer 82nd 514 AV, 12th Bell
Location: The Wave Guard Head Quarters

"Sergeant Ricky Maze ready t' report fer duty!" Ricky stood before his representing Lieutenant in the offices, she was a blonde woman that stood at the chest level towards Ricky with her hair tied into a pony tail. Her posture literally drooled authority and experience on the field of duty as she stood before him, her proud demeanor and firm expression exactly to be what Ricky expected when he finally returned to the one job he loved doing the most.

"At ease Sergeant Maze," She told him with only a twinge at the corner of her lips, she wasn't going to break into a smile just yet, "Good to see that you'll be back for your duties, has everything you need taken care of been tended to?"

"Yes Ma'am! Me trip t' Syliras 'as healed me completely an' Oi'm ready t' serve Zeltiva an' 'er people once more!" Ricky spoke with determination and enthusiasm, with a grin on his face to follow as he awaited orders.

"Good. We'll need someone to patrol the entrance to Zeltiva tomorrow and a few days onward, today though-"

"Permission t' speak Ma'am?" Ricky intervened with a slightly apologetic look on his face, a stunned look on the Lieutenant's face before she granted him the right. "Wit' all due respect Oi'm 'appy t' be 'ome an' Oi proudly serve Zeltiva, an' will gladly patrol any part o' de city Oi'm assigned. Only t'ing is Oi wish t' serve me pride by trainin' an' honin' me skills t' furt'er serve Zeltiva, so Oi must request t' spend more time den usual practicin' me skills."

The Lieutenant gave a sharp look of consideration at him, the smile she worked so hard to hide finally broke through, as she returned his request with an answer of her own. "Very well. You'll still be needed for watch Sergeant, but I'll see to it you're given more time to train as you please. Training Guardsmen and recruits is something you could be assigned to as well. You can start today if you like."

"Yes Ma'am," Ricky nodded in appreciation, "thank you." He was then given his dismissal to carry out the task he had set himself for the day, the Lieutenant quick to take one final call of his rank to stop him before he continued any further. After she had his attention once more she would bid him a "Good to have you back Sergeant," before returning to her own duties. With that said and done Ricky smiled and headed onward towards the training grounds to where he could start his practices, a practice longsword and large round wooden shield taken from the armory to resume the practices he started back when the year began.

[Ricky Maze]

When he came to face the practice dummy he was left alone to train with, Rick took a moment to reflect back upon some of the techniques he was learned to practice with. Things like his lunging strikes and flourishes, all of them were basic yet useful techniques he knew how to do and could pull them off well. But when it came to more... arsenal techniques, if he were to refer to them as that, he hadn't any real honed tricks other than the simple Mortal Draw... and that was by far the most riskiest move one would dare use. So he had to focus more on techniques in general, expand his horizons some and learn of more simple ways to dispatch his enemies, and then from there build onto those ways to sharpen his edge and make a finer swordsman out of himself yet.

The shield had definitely needed more consideration as well. Sure he was capable with blocking, able to knock an opponent back or stagger them with a bash. Yet there had to be more use for it other than soft offense and prime defense, and then there was also more to using his poor acrobatic skills to just roll around and dodge blows. Given he learned how to use back attacks to make an opening, which was only average in use depending on the armor and defensive nature of the opponent, he definitely needed to have a little more tricks up his sleeve. The first he wanted to work on were the basics he already knew, and seeing as how he started with the Lunging Strike he knew, he figured now was the greatest time to finish that practice while he was deep in the learning. Oi need t' work 'arder on me ot'er skills. Oi'm good wit' de sword as o' now, but me ot'er skills are de most lackin....

He wasn't beating himself up about it nor feeling less confident with himself, now that he had realized just how experience he was with the sword. Given it was the first thing he practiced before he departed from Zeltiva on his journey with Odis, it was to be expected that there would be a significant difference in the amount of experience he's gained with the blade. Of course that didn't mean he was less determined to improve all his other combat skills, since they too weighed into account the chances of victory when in battle. Thus he sighed for a moment and took in a deep breath, the shield equipped on his left arm as the sword resided in his right hand. The dummy was right before him but there was space between him and the target, space that required him to either jump or dash over to clear quickly. Space that he intended to make count when faced with this much distance with a real enemy.

Kay... Oi can either charge at me enemy like Oi was tacklin' dem, or Oi can leap at de air an' lunge t' lop t'eir skull in two. Given Oi need t' work more on de leapin' part, He looked at the space between him and the target and imagined two more targets in place, Oi can learn 'ow t' make dese lunges really count 'afore Oi go takin' on de main target. He raised his sword straight up and bent on his knees as though he was about to jump, initiating the balanced stance he would take as he gripped the hilt of his weapon with both hands. Of course even though he had the shield in his left hand, he felt this technique was better off being done with two hands... considering it involved swinging at both his left and his right. Grip de blade wit' yer left hand first Rick, it'll make it easier t' swing when yew attack. He thought it out as he played the motions in his head, first the kick off to push forward through the air would start, and given there could be two to three targets to hit, the first was pictured to his left where he would pull the blade over to that side first.

That strike would in turn be quickly made right after the leap was started, and was to follow with a rounded strike to the right to overwhelm the next target, which meant during the process Ricky would be better switching the grip with his right in turn. Then finally he would bring the blade up as quick and high as he could as he went into the descent, and in turn smash the weapon into the third and main target with all his might. This was a tricky move he would have to practice often, especially if he wanted to get it down. Today though he would test it to see if such a technique was possible, seeing as how he could grasp the method it followed down in his head. Now all that was left was to see if his body could follow the instructions his mind laid out for him.

[Ricky Maze]

He started off with a dip of his upper body so that when he kicked off for the jump he'd gain just a little bit more altitude once in the air, his blade brought over into a harsh leftward swing from the right as his first invisible target had been smashed, the control over his blade more finer now that he had his left hand over his right hand instead. The crossover in which the blade returned from his left in a rightward strike involved a swift smash into the secondary target, which was supposedly hit with the right timing where there such a thing actually there to hit. All that remained was the third and final target he was bound for, the main target that was said to be the actual focus of this attack.

With the dummy still and his approach swift Ricky had to bring the blade behind him and rotate its direction upward so that he would pull it over his form, the last incoming strike believed to be the deadliest blow he would inflict upon an individual if he were to ever actually attempt this in real combat. With the blade brought over from above and headed in a downward arc as Ricky's descent gave momentum, he felt the blade smash into the head of the dummy and the metal of his weapon rattled from the impact of it all. His feet had hit the ground in the same instant the blade had landed on the target, which left cause for only his downward pull when he intended to use it on an actual individual... which he certainly hoped would never be the case. Both his hands hurt harshly from that blow seeing as how his sword smashed into a simple wooden bucket, once he looked up to see the results of his attack he soon found that there was definitely more effectiveness to it than he anticipated.

The wood of the helmet had been split completely in two from where the sword had impacted, and with the force of the blow strong enough to break it the very edge of the sword had been embedded in the hay like material that was used to construct the head of the dummy. Damn! He released the grip of his hands and shook the right one a couple of times, surprised to see the sword remained locked in place even after there was no hand to hold it there. This was really a devastating attack to use and the results were something Ricky didn't even want to imagine, if this dummy really had the blade lodged within its "head" then the same could be said to the skull of the intended target he would try it on. Alas it was something he dreaded the idea of now, seeing as it could result in an untimely death even when it hit the shoulders instead. Somet'in Oi dun wanna ever resort t' usin', but seein' as 'ow problems occur... it'll only be a last resort.

He grasped the hilt of his weapon once more and with a couple of yanks he managed to shake it free, he then concluded that he probably managed to actually cut into the post of the dummy too, the pole that stood the whole thing up for practice to begin with. When he managed to pull his blade completely out and looked at it, he figured that would do in terms of practice for the day. He then decided to pay the armorer that the Wave Guard had to see if his blade needed any repairs made from that last blow, and then took to rest as he would later collect the weapon once more and return home after the end of his shift.

[Perplexity]

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Ricky :

Skills:

Tactics | +1 EXP
Weapon: Longsword | +1 EXP

Lores:

• Tactics: Assessing A Combat Maneuver
  Longsword Technique: Charging Lunge Strike

Comments :

As always you're very detailed in your approach to things, Ricky. It was interesting to read the motions. If you have questions, comments or concerns please contact me at your earliest convenience.