Training Day & Night

[Aarias]

70th Winter 512 AV
A Day Fit For Training
Part I - Sword Fighting

The massive axe strikes the air in half as Aarias turns away from the blade. He knew that it was only a matter of miliseconds that could cost him his head. With alert eyes, he sidesteps the would be blow once again. The giant comes closer in his vision as he quickly turns and, with control, taps the leather armor encasing Nightstone's ribs as instructed. It signals to Weykan that he is fast enough to clear danger as well as strike a spot that is open.

"Good!" Comes the rumbling voice from his instructor as they circle one another like hungry cats. "Now again! Show me the speed in sidestepping towards the enemy!" The blow comes from his left this time, a scream let out from Weykan as he aims right for Aarias' head. If the trainee misses or miscalculates, he could lose an arm, hand, leg, or even his own head.

"Roll!" Shouts Nighstone once again and the world does a summersault as Aarias instantly lunges to the right, being sure to guide himself into a neat forward roll by his arm. His chin is neatly tucked into his chest, the weight moving over his right shoulder. Once the world is upright again, Aarias bounces up, quickly turning and settling into a forward leaning stance.

The world around him comes into focus and stops its panoramic spinning. A shadow lunges at him, only the glint of the opponent sword seen in his line of vision. His battle-ax discarded on the sidelines. The Falchion in his grip moves up, horizontally blocking the blow. The vibrations travel up his arms, energizing him to quickly turn his wrists to left and swing down in a "C" motion to try and snag Nighstone in his side once more.

The stale afternoon air lingers over the two as they pause once a clean block as been administered and Nighstone has stepped back and out of Aarias' range. They stare daggers at one another, the moist sensation collecting on his forehead and the rest of his body. The chill of the morning had long faded, the burning sensation of a tough days practice burning through Aarias' muscles.

"Every minute you waste." Weykan starts to explain, his longsword dipping below his waistline, "The enemy has time to rejuvenate as well. Fast and relentless attacks. Learn to keep your endurance up to par? No! You must be better than just average. Be impenetrable with your endurance and unstoppable." He sinks into a low stance, awaiting Aarias to strike.

Aarias nods, "Understood, Master Nighstone."

"Well, come on then, fight me! Don't give me time to rest up and savior my strength. Hurry up! Your useless." Comes the snarl of his voice, making Aarias' anger bubble inside of him. His lips twist into a frown as he repositions his grip on his Falchion.

Aarias knows he wields a weapon that holds the weight and power of an axe but the versatility of a sword. Nighstone will be counting on him to use his skill wisely with the first few blows. Kill them as soon as possible and look for striking spots that they leave open. His movements rarely consist of thrusting at close enough range. But his more prominent use of the sword is a wide cutting range, swinging his sword above his head to either come down in an easy sweep or quick slice.

He shuffles into range and tries to give a sweeping slice to Nighstone's left side. Within a blink of an eye, he feels the sword become unbalanced as the weight of the blade is smacked down with a vertical cut by his master. Adapting on the spot, Aarias uses his lack of balance and takes a chance, spinning with his right foot leading him around to offer another attack. His attempts are parried easily by his opponent.

"Mix up your technique. I can see what you're about to do." Aarias' eyes are focused on Nighstone's body, trying to see where he will slip up and allow space for Aarias to strike him. No such opportunity comes. "MEET MY GAZE!" He shouts, quickly throwing jabs, uppercuts, and swings at Aarias faster then he could even try and block them. The pricks of pain come from his right arm and left side, most likely drawing blood. "Don't make me tell you again." Nighstone warns, wishing for Aarias to pay attention.

They spar for hours in the War Storm Pavilian. The shouting of training warriors and the singing of arrows can be heard across the Diamond Clan. Master and apprentice circle one another, shouting orders and quickly completing them. The only time the two would stop is for Aarias to suck breath back into his lungs, giving his throbbing arms and burning legs a quick rest. Today is sword fighting but what will the night bring?

[Aarias]

70th Winter 512 AV
A Day Fit For Fighting
Part II - "Eagle Eye" Bow Training

After a hearty meal with the other warriors, Aarias reports back to his master as ordered. Nighstone is not a man to be kept waiting so even though Aarias would have loved to stay and keep the conversation moving along, his duties pull him away.

Weykan's tent was not too far away from the Pavilion site and it was an easy downhill walk from where Aarias ate. His cloak nibbles at his heels as he quickens his pace, stopping right in front of the open tent flap.

"Master Nighstone?" He calls to the shadows inside the belly of the poorly illuminated tent. The air is quiet and ominous. He said to meet him here! Where is he? Aarias chews the thoughts internally before calling again for his Master to advance from the darkness. He would, no doubt have his hair bound in an assortment of colors, the long black hair taken off of his shoulders.
Still, there is no answer. The feeling of fear grasps Aarias' stomach as the seconds tick on. Weykan was not the sort of man you keep waiting.

Aarias' eyes catch the renowned curvature of a longbow snuggling against the outside of the tent and a shoulder quiver with only three arrows. His right hand reaches out, his intentions are to wrap his fingers around the smooth yew wood. Before his fingers could touch the longbow, the sound of a singing arrow thumps into the ground next to him. Instantly, Aarias jumps out of his skin, a hand moving to the hilt of his Falchion. His sharp eyes scan his surroundings but he doesn't see where the arrow came from.

"You know it's rude to touch someone's equipment without their permission." Nightstone chides him cooly, walking right up to Aarias with his bow lowered by his right side, quiver strapped to his leg. "Next time you attempt it, I may just shoot an arrow through your hand." He warns his apprentice as he bends down and tugs the arrow free from the semi-frozen ground.

"I apolo-" Aarias starts to explain but Wekyan cuts him off quickly with ease.

"Did I ask for your apologies, Aarias? Did I summon one from your throat? I think not. Take your things and follow me." The tall Drykas Watchman throws half of his cape over his left shoulder, turning on his heel and starting in the direction of the Pavilion.

"Right away, Master Nighstone." Aarias grumbles, snatching up the bow and quiver. As he jogs to catch up with Master Nighstone's large steps, he places the leather strap over his head. The quiver falls to his mid back, stretching diagonally across. It takes all of his energy to resist the curious thoughts brewing in his mind of what he will be doing with three arrows.

"Master Nighstone?" He finally builds up the courage to ask. The larger man doesn't even turn around when he answers.

"What is it, Stormshadow?"

"Won't I be needing more arrows?" Aarias tries to put his words as tenderly as possible but his Master shoots him down quickly.

"Count your arrows. What is your number?"

"I have three arrows, Master Nighstone."

"You have three arrows because that is all you'll need. Now stop asking questions. You are a fool and I need not waste my time answering your blabber."

Those words hit Aarias hard in the chest, the small fire of his anger igniting. As they walk, the younger warrior does his best not to stare daggers at Weykan's back. Knowing the Watchman, he will likely know the exact look Aarias would give him without even turning around.

As the sun settles over the horizon, the starts illuminate the field of grass as the pair reach the top of a hill. The bright moon casts a pleasant glow across the Sea of Grass. As Aarias looks out, he sees two parallel lines of posts. One line stands seventy to one hundred meters away from one another vertically. When looking at it horizontally, they fifty meters to seventy away from one another. These long posts sticking up into the air have one or two torches radiating light from the tops. They are staggered parallel lines when moving from the left column to the right one.

"You have three arrows." Nighstone repeats. "There are more scattered out there - your job is to bring me back twenty of them. The trick is that you have to collect all twenty from the posts. If your arrow does not make it, you have to re-fire it. Two arrows are laying near every post. You must use your eyes, finding the arrows and even more so when firing the collected arrow at the opposite post. Understand?"

His despotic gaze warns Aarias not to question him. With a bow of Aarias' head, Nighstone is confident with the instructions he had given. "Take your arrow and ready it to be fired. Do not worry about an armguard - you won't always have one to protect you." He orders.

Aarias quickly liberates an arrow from the quiver, tilting his bow in his hand so he may notch it easily to the flax string. The weapon waits to be released in the small arrow rest. His keen eyes notice an orange dyed feather as he brings his arm out in front of him and draws back the string. The arrow is snug in between his pointer finger and middle, his ring finger helping to draw the string back.

"Fire, rinse and repeat. Use all your arrows. Go for distance and aim in the expanse between the poles."

The power behind the arrow is released, sending the singing shaft clear into the air. With the best of his ability, Aarias catches onto the spinning orange tail come to a stop as the arrowhead imbeds itself in the ground. The same process is done two more times, wishing to beat his initial distance.

"Feel the power behind the string - the bow is a monumental instrument of destruction. Harness it. Now run to your farthest arrow and start by the closest pole." He steps forward, pointing out the poles to Aarias, "One, two, three, four..." comes the numbers, starting with the furthest pole to the left and working his way back to the closest right one. "And ten. I will call out a number, you run to that pole as fast as you can, collect the arrows and shoot at the pole across the field. If you grab one of your orange arrows, I'll take a finger from you." He takes Aarias' shoulder and pushes him forward. "Go!" He orders.

Aarias quickly bounds down the hill, his heartrate already increased because of the daunting task ahead of him. Remembering the order of the numbers, not grabbing the orange feathered arrows and hoping he at least hits the pole across the way with his aim. The cold wind fills his lungs are he bounds down into the valley and across the dry field to where his furthest arrow lies.

"Five!" Comes the shout from the hilltop. A jolt of energy or perhaps fear ripples through Aarias as he quickly counts the number of poles in his stationary position. The thumping of an arrow hitting the earth ring behind him. Of course there is a catch! It can't be that easy. On top of it all, he is going to be shooting arrows at me! Springing into action, Aarias darts to pillar five, his eyes frantically searching for an arrow sticking out of the ground. With beginners luck, he finds the dark blue feather standing diagonally upright and then the second one a few feet away.

Grabbing them both, he runs to seek shelter against the pole, knowing Master Nighstone has a whole arsenal of arrows up on the hilltop. With shaking hands he repeats the steps he went through on the top of the hill. Notching the arrow, pulling the string back, aiming, environmental factors such as wind and then *woosh!* the arrow is released from his fingers. The satisfying sound echoes of the arrowhead splintering the post. Aarias sighs in relief. Only nineteen more to go.

In the dim of the night, Aarias trains, being constantly shouted at by Nighstone for not drawing the arrow back enough or standing awkwardly while trying to hide from his arrows. This game, soon Aarias will know it be called Eagle Eye, went on for hours and hours. By the end, the warrior was forcing himself to jog from post to post, his legs wobbling underneath him from the strain.

When completing one game of collecting twenty arrows, Nighstone would tally up his score with misses, shots, run time, aim... etc. For his first time, Aarias did not do well. It only made Nighstone push him more and more, requiring him to do pushups and crunches for each arrow he failed to strike against a post.

By the end of the night, Aarias collapses from the strain in the middle of running to pillar number seven. When Nighstone sees this, he only scowls and shakes his head. "Pathetic!" He shouts from his hilltop perch. Throbbing muscles don't allow Aarias to stand even though he knows he must. He has to finish but the fatigue is too much, the hard ground feeling oddly soft and comfortable.

Nighstone rushes to Aarias and uses the toe of his boot to flip Aarias onto his back, the panting warrior dripping with sweat. Nighstone squats next to him and snatches the bow from Aarias' hand. "Number seven." Is the only thing he says, knowing it will mean a shameful thing to Aarias from now on because he did not complete the course one more time on top of the handful of runs he has already done tonight.

His Master shakes his head and clicks his tongue, standing once more to leave Aarias laying on the ground with his chest heaving and mind spinning. The pain radiates from his left forearm, knowing the skin is raw and bleeding from the burn the string makes when it slaps against skin when firing.

"I have to do better next time." He breathes up to the stars, "Zulrav guide me."

[Jackalope]

Aarias

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Acrobatics	+1	Nightstone is Unforgiving
Observation	+2	Importance of Keeping Your Eyes on Your Foe
Weapon: Falchion	+2	Tactic: Don't Let Your Enemy Recover
Tactics	+1	Master Nightstone's Game: Eagle Eye
Weapon: Longbow	+1
Running	+2

Witty Remark Here

Straight to the point training thread, but that's not a bad thing. Be careful about overplaying your skills, asy ou have zero in acrobatics. Those side rolls should be a lot more difficult. Otherwise, good job. Keep it up. Put a little more deatil into things if you want more XP, though. Saying you did the training isn't the same as actually writing about the training. Give some more detail and the results will come rolling in! If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.