In Nomini Patri

[Malchius Zeal Pitrius]

30th of Spring 512 AV If you'd think Dalouhe Zeal Pitrius would be bedridden or taking it easy after being severely wounded during the Zith Ambush on Sultros, you'd be deadwrong. This morning, Malchius' father „Dalouhe“ was as diligent as ever. Malchius hadn't expected to see his father up from bed, let alone straining his body already, but there he was...Setting the table with an unhealthy, drained skintone as he tried to remain stable, eventhough he was as wobbly on his feet as a newborn deer. „ Didn't the healer say you were to remain in bed, and rest, for at least another two weeks?“ „I'm fine. Thanks for caring.“ His father answered with a grimace, seemingly under the impression that his son was faking concern. Malchius simply sighed as he dropped the subject and walked over to the table, placed some food on his plate and silently started to eat. His father tried to hide his pain and instability as best as he could, but it was painfully obvious for Malchius to see. He knew that his father wouldn't appreciate him outing concern for his condition, so he kept quiet as he finished his breakfast, waited for his old man to finish, and then cleaned the table. „So, what's the schedule for today?“ Malchius asked while walking around and tidying up, doing his best not to make eye-contact and roll his eyes at the stubborn old man. „Since it's been a while since you've been supervised, lets do an all-round approach today. To see where you stand and freshen things up.“ „We'll start with a light body work-out, follow up with a solid weapon training to fully utilise the minor morning-exercise, and finish with a rehearsal of basic Summoning knowledge. I'm also going to learn you something brand-new, a minor addition to your repertoire, but I'm sure it'll come in handy.“ Malchius' held back asking what the 'mysterious' subject was going to be, since he knew that his old man wasn't going to tell him anything he didn't want to say. Considering he refrained from stating what kind of knowledge or ability he'll try to add to his son's list, he didn't have any intention of doing so before this afternoon. Not allowing himself to dwell on the matter, Malchius started to prepare for the morning exercise. He had already put on his most comfortable pants for working out, and that was about as much clothing he needed during the training. He started by stretching his body and muscles properly and the way it has been ingrained into his very essence since he was a young boy. After doing so, he proceeded to ask his father what kind of body building exercises he should do today? Meaning he wasn't sure whether his father wanted to see a 'Strength' or 'Endurance' work-out. „Let me see how much you progressed in the Strength department“ „Sure thing, 1 rep / set and 5 sets, coming right up! I'll do 5, so you can't call my new record a fluke!“

[Malchius Zeal Pitrius]

Malchius walked over to a primitive version of the 'Pulldown', this device was solely created for the trainigg of one's Latissimis Dorsi. Meaning 'The Broadest Muscle Of The Back'. It was handily and with ingenuity made. A machine that aides one's body building training, both Strength and Endurance can be trained on this machine. Which one you train depends on the amount of weights you use, the amount of repetitions you do in 1 set, the amount of sets you do and the time of resting you take in-between the sets. The Pulldown: The pulldown usually uses a weight machine with a seat and brace for the thighs. The starting position involves sitting at the machine with the thighs braced, back straight and feet flat on the floor. The arms are held overhead at full extension, grasping a bar connected to the weight stack. The movement is initiated by pulling the elbows down and back, lowering the bar to the neck, and completed by returning to the initial position. The device is primarily made of wood and steel. With some other minor materials used for things like grip and cushioning. Seating himself on the stool and glancing over at his father to check if he was watching, Malchius grabbed the handle with both hands in a reverse grip and steadied his breath while maintaining focus on the task at hand. With an expression on his face that screams it was anything but easy to do effective Strength Training, Malchius lowered the handle towards his chest by utilizing his explosive strength, held it there for two or three seconds and then slowly let the weights pull the handle back up and out of his grasp. The slow retraction of the handle and the weight of the steel attached to the steel cable, pulling the handle out of Malchius' hands, is more effective than just letting the handle slide back upwards fast. It had something to do with straining your muscles for a longer period of time or something. Either way, the first round was done, he was out of breath and already sore from this one pull but equally pumped and satisfied. Exercising always gives a good feeling.

[Malchius Zeal Pitrius]

„Not bad, not bad at all! You shattered your old record, like you said, but lets see how long you can keep going with this weight. I'll give you half a minute to rest in-between each rep, consider this a little test. I want to see more than just strength now! Determination! Pride! Ambition!“ „Ugh, I knew this wasn't going to be a 'light' work-out....But fine, I'll show you what I'm made of!“ The first one counts though! Malchius said before turning on the stool and staring down the damn machine that was about to test the things his father spoke of, which were of no small importance to Malchius. He considered himself a serious, devoted and determined Isur in order to reach his goals. Whether or not those goals were admirable or even allowed to persue, wasn't important to him. Malchius felt he was above the limitations and short-sighted rules placed upon him by his race and its rulers. Either way, he had mentally prepared himself to fight 'till his last breath before relinquishing the handle of that damn machine. With a serious, even angry, look on his face, Malchius took hold of the enroped handle and straightened his back before commencing the deathrun. The first three reps went without more effort than he'd normally have to use for the Strength Training, but then it started. The next two reps became noticeably longer and more painful, he had to strain his joints and muscles in order to pull the steel up by the cable and letting the weights slowly sink back was even worse. Come on, two more, you can do it! With a red sweaty face and gnashing teeth, Malchius completed another rep while cursing everything and everyone he could think of in his mind. Blaming them for his pain and using that anger to keep going. His father was standing by quietly as his son pushed himself past his bodily limitations, proud and worried at the same time. Once the 30 seconds were up, Malchius used his remaining pools of strength, stamina, endurance and willpower to achieve his goal with a loud, beastial roar. Breathing fast and heavy, body hurting all over and with a woozy mind because of the exhaustion, Malchius sat on the stool as his father approached him to help him get up. Malchius shook his head before his father reached him though. N-not yet! More! I can...More! His father made half-assed attempts at persuading Malchius to stop, but he was too thrilled to see his son was indeed of a good breed! Once Malchius finished his last rep. He sat there, too exhausted and in too much pain to even look up or do anything but focus on things besides the pain in his body. The sweat was shimmering over his body and stinging his eyes as they slid down face, he could've sworn he felt his bones grate against eachother as his muscles were being shred apart. Eventhough he felt like that, after resting until his body was able to move and his mind able to think, he didn't feel any unnatural pain when moving his body. Besides the obvious pain, especially in his back, that anyone would feel after pushing their body so hard. 8 reps with very little down-time on a weight-setting that you're not accustomed to and that is quite above your normal level of ability, would hurt any novice body builder.

[Malchius Zeal Pitrius]

After the morning routine of honing his body, Malchius took a bath and soaked in the warm water for a long time, letting his muscles rest while his mind relaxed aswell. After the bath he took a short nap but he couldn't sleep properly for some reason, constantly turning and thinking with closed eyelids. He was in a state of half-sleep/half-awake for the entire time before he finally decided it was a waste of time and got up. Seated on the edge of the bed, he stared at his desk, contemplating whether or not he felt like researching a bit about Summoning. Deep down he already knew he felt like reading up on the worlds and their denizens, the ones written in the tome anyway. He was certainly grateful for the informative and well-written tome his father had given him. Granted it took his father long enough to accept that Malchius wasn't going to follow in the arcane footsteps of his father. The first time Malchius had talked to his father about his lack of interest and ambition to specialize in the magic-tree of Reimancy, he had been bombarded with furious tirades about how he should listen to his more experienced father and that it didn't matter what you like to train in, once you start to train in something and keep honing the skill, you learn to like it sooner or later. Malchius had been headstrong and stubborn in his decision though, he had no intention of becoming a Reimancer, he wanted to become a Hybrid, as he called it. That basicly means someone who doesn't specialize in one skill above all others, but someone who has a wider array of specializations, at the cost of being slower in specializing in them since he has more skills to invest time and effort in. The mid/end-result however, is a more versatile and powerful battlemage than those who decided to specialize in one branch. After discussing the matter countless times and for a grand total of 'too damn many' hours, his father yielded and promised to support his son in his decision and would help him in whichever skills and magic he wanted to specialize in. Malchius was instantly enthralled with the possibility of becoming both a melee and magic user, he had little to no interest in mastering a craft or trade, opting for the more combat-oriented future. It didn't take him long to decide on his favorite weapon, The Broadsword. It was a diverse blade, most broadswords are double-edged and are able to stab aswell as slash. Malchius also liked that it was possible to pair a Broadsword with a Buckler, or other type of shield. When Malchius found out about a magic-tree that specialized in other worlds and summoning their creatures to do his bidding, he became more and more obsessed with the magic and everything about it. The very nature of dealing with other, unknown, worlds seemed surreal to Malchius, he couldn't wait to learn more of it. So that were Malchius' decisions on which skills to learn and master. Before he focused on other ones ofcourse, he wasn't going to limit himself to only two specialties when there are so many wonders and possibilities in this world. Let alone other worlds!

[Malchius Zeal Pitrius]

Returning from memory lane, Malchius pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the desk. Organized in a tidy matter, his blank book to scribble down important notes in and such was placed near the right topcorner of the desk, just above his quill and ink pot. While on the left of the desk rested his recently used Broadsword. He had dubbed it 'Bulwark' after having raised his sword, for the first time even, while defending the Sultros Kingdom from the beastial Zith who had tried to raid it, moments after the Djed Storm. He had chosen the name Bulwark in honor of Sultros. The obvious symbolism behind the name is that he shall alway raise arms to defend his Kingdom, his Clan and his kin. He gave Bulwark a quick glance, going over the properly crafted steel blade and neatly decorated hilt, Malchius was proud of his sword and made a mental note to keep it in good shape so that it will remain in good state. It's his most precious belonging, right after the tome that he had been gifted by his father after he finally acknowledged that his son practiced The Art of Summoning. The tome's appearance is nothing to write home about. It's clearly a well used, yet kept in relatively good shape, tome wrapped in leather and with a bookmark made of red and yellow fabric. But regardless of its appearance, it's still a great book for any novice Summoner to have, and being Malchius' very first tome...Automaticly makes it a phenomenal book in his eyes. The tome is written by someone who Malchius has never even heard of, but considering the overall quality of writing and in-depth articles, Malchius finds it safe to assume the person who wrote it has actual and pretty trustworthy knowledge about Summoning. The presumtion is only reinforced by the fact that the limited knowledge that Malchius had gained through other sources, corresponded with some of the articles written in the tome. The tome handles the most basic aspects about Summoning, examples of such articles are: " The proper way of drawing/painting a Minimal Circle!" " How to activate the Circle" " Controlling the Leash with responsibility and safety in mind!" But the tome also has more advanced articles, or so Malchius believes anyway...The truth is that most of those articles are basic aswell. but for a mainly self-taught Summoner, like Malchius, those articles contain information that seems very valuable. For instance, Malchius didn't knew any coördinates of any Common World even, until he received this tome. Out of nowhere, Malchius had been given the astral coördinates of five worlds. Without anyone informing him that those coördinates are basic knowledge amongst Summoners, he believed that the tome was of great value and that he had been given a treasure cove of Summoning information. But there is one good aspect about the tome, a risky one though. The good is that by each article about a Common World, are also tips and tricks listed on how to 'deal with the summons' and there are also articles written with information about the summonable beings. The risky is that Malchius, being completely in the ban of the tome and following each word by the letter, might follow incorrect instructions or believe faulty information. Which can potentially be extremely dangerous. Tonight will be the first time that Malchius will attempt to actually summon a being from a Common World, instead of simply memorizing the coördinates and practicing on creating Minimal Circles. The tome's credibility will be tested tonight, with Malchius' life possibly at stake.

[Malchius Zeal Pitrius]

Either way, there is one more training session at hand before then. While it's training, it's with actual weaponry so keeping yourself focused is essential. Since his father was of the opinion that training with wooden weaponry is simply a means of keeping your actual weapons in good condition, which was not a good enough reason to ignore the benefits of training with actual weaponry. Not practicing with your standard gear will have two main effects on you. First, you won't be accustomed to your weapon's weight nor 'soul' and will have a noticeable handicap against a foe that has those things. Knowing your weapon's weight and using it after having practiced with it so often that it had become a detachable part of your body, gives confidence and expertise. Second, during training you will be more focused since even a minor error could result in an injury or worse, which in turn will result in more expertise. The training will also have effect on your ability to remain focused, which is a nice bonus. That's why Malchius has practiced with Bulwark ever since he had learned the basics, which was trained with wooden weaponry since before you learn the basics, training is more prone to accidents and the basics-training should focus more on memorizing the basic manoeuvers until they come natural, rather than the other aspects. Today his father was going to oversee Malchius' manoeuvers, stance and finish the training with a short spar. As regrettable as his father finds it, he's still in no condition to overexert his body so he can't actively aide during Malchius' training nor spar with him for a long time. Meanwhile, Malchius had positioned himself in the center of the room, Bulwark gripped firm in his fist and tip pointing slightly downwards while his other hand held the strap of his small steel shield tightly. While having little to no experience in using a shield, in the wake of recent events revolving the Zith, Malchius took it upon him to practice in the way of the Shield more diligently. „Good, now show me the most favorable method of approaching an enemy who's ready to fight back!“ Malchius proceeded to stand in a semi sideways stance with his shield raised high enough to cover his torso and neck while also covering his swordarm, positioned slightly behind his body in a downwards arc. Approaching in this stance, Malchius limits the targetting area of the enemy by positioning himself slightly to the side while having his shield cover multiple parts of the body aswell as shielding, and hiding, his swordarm. That way you hinder the enemy while providing an extra advantage for yourself by hiding your swordarm, making it more difficult for your enemy to predict an attack. The slightly rear-positioned sword is also in a good position to strike because it's hidden and also already winded up for a powerful slash or thrust. Good, now show me what you do if your enemy reacts by circling you in the direction of your swordarm. Without stopping in his tracks or hesitating, Malchius changed his stance to a different one, raising his shield until it covered his throat, uppertorso and lowerface. His blade was now smoothly repositioned to the front, guarding the area beneath the shield and in a good position to swiftly lunge or thrust when gotten in-range of the enemy. Good, there are other options aswell but this is definitely a viable one. Malchius' father proceeded to drill the stances and best reactions to changes on the battlefield, into Malchius. Until he finally had gone over every stance that Malchius knew and over plenty of possible reactions to the enemy's movements and situations. While the training wasn't physically intensive, focus was difficult to maintain for such an extended period of time and whenever Malchius didn't react quickly or smoothly enough, he got reprimanded by his father sternly. Having received enough time to relax and rest, the sparring session was about to start.

[Malchius Zeal Pitrius]

" Alright, we'll start the spar with you having turned your back towards me. 'Fair' fights are rare and so this is a good training for when you're caught off-guard. " Malchius nodded in agreement and turned his back towards his father without a word said. For some reason Dalouhe Zeal Pitrius took the stance and 'aura' that Malchius seemed to give off to be very insulting, eventhough he was the one who ordered Malchius to take this stance. Gritting his teeth and tightening his grip on his steel flanged mace, Dalouhe kicked himselff off the hardwood floor with a steel glare in his eyes, and lunged out at Malchius... With the intent to kill his own son. If it wasn't for Malchius' focused stare on the floor, in order to see the changing shadows cast off by his father's assault, and his intuitive reflex to raise his shield...He'd be a broken heap of bones of meat by now. The force of the impact sent tremors through Malchius' shieldarm and the flanged part of his father's mace had pierced Malchius' shield and shallowly stabbed him in the fore-arm while penetrating the wound deeper with unrelenting force and oblivious frenzy. Malchius' first reaction was one of fear and confusion as the force behind his wounded father's attacks were so brutally raw and bloodlusting, something he had never expected nor seen from his father before. Realizing his father had lost it, for some reason, and noticing the bloodshot veined eyes of his, Malchius retalliated with halfhearted yet intense assaults with Bulwark. Downwards and sideway slashes cut up the air of the usually relatively calm Zeal House. None of them dettered Dalouhe from his slow but steady gap-closing movement. Eventhough Malchius was on the attack, he was the one being driven into a corner. Batting the onslaught of slashes away with his shield, Dalouhe's fearsome glare never broke away from his son's fearing and disbelieving stare. " Fa-Father, get a grip! " Malchius' heel struck something while being forced backwards, making him realize he was nearing the wall of the room. In a brazen move of rage and fear, he launched himself at his father with a barrage of longwinded but powerful slashes and ending his assault by slamming his shield against his father's face with a sudden rushed leap forward. Effectively knocking his father off-balance and sending him backwards onto the floor, slamming his head against the hard wood in the process. "What? What happened?!" Malchius panted heavily, lowering his shield and Bulwark as he explained what just happened to his father. ...I can't believe it. Why would I lose control like that?...I'm sorry son, I thank Izurdin that you're alright! Enough trained for the day, lets just take the remainder of the day off and tomorrow we'll spend the day on Summoning...I need some rest! With that said, Malchius went to his room and stowed his weaponry away before sliding onto his bed and falling in a deep slumber after the straineous and dangerous 'training' he just underwent.