Solo Fighting harder or fighting smarter? Or was it...

[Bolivar]

Spring 42, 513AV The beginnings of another warm day it seems. Taking his place along the streets of Syliras Bolivar was mostly comfortable in the crowded city. It was a cultural shock to say the least for the isur raised Bolivar first walking in the city. People standing shoulder to shoulder with each other in such large parts of the city. Bolivar thought it impossible for such a feat to happen before his eyes. Yet here it was and little by little the new squire started to feel like an ant in an ant colony wading through the busy streets. Wearing his usual soldier's outfit Bolivar had already spent a good amount of time this morning trying to find a secluded area to call his own. A qauint glen or free space where he can be with his thoughts and training. Such a place though was a pipe dream the squire realized as he noticed the aggressive and organized way the knights ran the city. Though that option promptly extinguish Bolivar merely resolved the issue by exiting the city. Though seclusion and isolation with fellow squires and knights was not the Syliran way Bolivar could not help but put aside time for him to have days like this. Perhaps he still retained a portion of the Isur way rebelling inside him. It was exactly that which made the squire seem so queer among his fellow squires in Syliras. His ser patron even mentioned trying to be more social with the others but sometimes it was just too muc for him not to revert back to the old ways. People can call the Isur arrogant all they want. They think that we always have something to hide. In Bolivar's case it was just to feel himself every once in awhile. If they were to judge him for it that was just another trial for him to endure. Enough. Your already here just practice. Already situating himself outside of the city Bolivar kept walking along the wall until he was well out of distance to be disturbed by the rabble. Shrugging off his weapon, feeling the familiar weight and wood in his hands Bolivar checked what today's field conditions were. Wind is light going towards the castle. Ground is hard dirt. Soft in some ways but mostly stable. The only cover around is fifteen paces away and there are eyes on me. Above him Bolivar can sense the archers on the parapets looming down near him. Not giving them the satisfaction Bolivar merely ignored their presence while he was there. He knew he was at their mercy all too well. It would be best not to do anything exciting yes? Closing his eyes Bolivar took a deep breathe in before starting his training regiment. Rocking on the balls of his heels Bolivar pushed off as he tumbled to one side. Taking a bit longer then he wanted to regain footing Bolivar retaliated with a fierce overhead swing where he just was moments ago. Keeping a steady grip on his axe Bolivar bobbed and weaves every which way slowly giving ground to possible attacks heading his way. Finally bringing up his guard to involve his weapon Bolivar felt the familiar jarring effect on his hands until he felt he had a chance to strike back. Twisting his wrists along with his waists Bolivar put some authority into his horizontal swing before trying to resume his defense. His muscles groaned slightly in protest as he lifted the heavy axe head's height to parry a possible retaliation swing. Bringing up a horizontal guard Bolivar brought up his weapon to block an overhead strike before raising his foot up and shoving at an overzealous attacker back. Panting slightly Bolivar quietly tried to regain what little stamina he can before continuing on with the practice. There were no breaks during fights so he had to keep pressing on until there was nothing left for him to call on. Fighting shadows was not usually an enjoyable affair for Bolivar but feeling the crisp sea breeze on his lips and having a break from the crowded Syliran streets made this session at least particularly rewarding. "Come on! Strike faster, harder, deadly!" Simply don't give your opponent a chance. That was the point of some of the great sized weapons it seemed. Though his great axe was not entirely made of metal did not mean that the handle on the axe head was dead weight. Rather since there was less metal that meant there was less weight to lug around. Which meant Bolivar can manipulate his weapon faster then say a great sword. Less steel but presented itself witha much deadlier threat if Bolivar was better trained with it. Bringing his elbow down Bolivar threw out an underhanded cleave feeling powerful as he felt the force of the swing. That strike in particular would send a really good jarring sensation in his hands. After being hit by that an opponent feel immensely more tired then before. Seeing the conditions his perceived opponent was in Bolivar knew it was time to throw out his finisher. No fancy flourishes or outlandish speeches. Starting the motion from what looked like too far a distance Bolivar let go of his stabilizing grip from his left hand before twisting and thrusting his body up for the final hit. Though letting go of the great axe meant it would be harder to follow up with the attack Bolivar knew the strike was to be only used when his opponent was focused only on defending. Twisting and thrusting forward his own body added to the movement and distance the great axe reached with his right wrist guiding the motion with a snap before letting the weight on the axe end to do all the work. The resulting motion from all of these factors was a grand cleave from nearly three to four paces away. A sudden strong decisive strike would not likely have been read and the feeble guard put up if any would not be enough to stop the force of the swing. Recalling the motion once more Bolivar imagined the axe head burying itself deep into the opponent's body before retracting his arm and taking his stance once more. Though the squire was biased he thought the move had it's merit and even bordered on beautiful when executed perfectly. To take advantage suddenly and defeating them before they realized that Bolivar sent out a decisive strike fit the always planning squire. Strike quickly. Strike deadly. "I'd do well to try and put up a guard though. Always more opponents after the first."

[Bolivar]

"I Imagine thy as mine enemies hundred upon thousands of times. So that you do not fall out of memory. Perhaps I should be gratful that I came across the pair of you. Because now I understand what it means to carry the burden of knowing I ended your lives. I dare not wish that fate openly to anyone anymore." Reciting his small battle prayer Bolivar bowed his head in respect to the images of a sword wielding man and his spear toting partner. His initial journey after leaving Sultros was not a happy tale but perhaps that was for another time yes? Knights do not dwell on the past with their enemies right before him. Bring the familiar weight to it's rightful place Bolivar got up from his resting position. Rocking on his heels he prepared himself for the second bout. The first trail in his routine was a confidence booster and warm up of sorts for the real training portion of the day. Showing off your mastery against an opponent who did not know better. Then face yourself against those that well knew the which end held the pointy tip and how to use it. Sometimes they would triumph over Bolivar but he did not fret when he fell. In time he would completely surpass them and be considered unmatched under the sky. This particular fight they were armed with pretty heavy shields to block with. Presenting yourselves as stubbrn today eh? I'll break your guard. Strafing slowly Bolivar quietly relayed the field conditions once more in his head. Groundwork still the same as before. Two opponents. I have almost a foot of steel on the longswords man but the spear has well over a foot on me. I shall proceed with caution. Nothing could be done about that slight advantage the spear had over him. Bolivar would just have to push on against it. Take out the swordsman first then work on the spearman. The spear presented less of a threat alone then the swordsman. Keeping them both on his same side Bolivar rocked on the balls of his feet, lips wet with anticipation. "Come on." Footwork is key when facing down your opponent. Positioning himself so the three formed a line Bolivar pushed forward a step before bearing down his greataxe on his first combatant. Combining both offense and defense the larger weapon Bolivar had on the longsword meant that he could use the extra reach to swing somewhat safely at the swordsman. Though understanding when to attack and when to defend were paramount when using a two handed weapon. How Bolivar used this to his advantage was what makes or breaks the squire in this fight. Aiming the farthest most tip of the axe at the swordsman's head his opponent ducked to the side giving way to his ally behind him. Following the swordsman's movements Bolivar was only mere centimeters away from where the heavy spear thrusted. Shifting hiss weight to the side Bolivar almost ran to keep the spear man positioned behind the swordsman. Though he did not appreciate that the spearman was free to poke holes in him it was in fact the lesser of two evils. Keeping them like this was meticulous work but the mixed blood knew the importance of their positioning. With the swordsman in front of him the spear man would not be able to swipe at Bolivar being so close to his partner. Only stabs from one direction can be applied to Bolivar and those themselves were easy enough to avoid. All the squire had to watch for was which direction they were coming from. Sweat started to run them through the mixed blood's body as his mind quietly antagonized him too make the next move. Like a vanguard Bolivar rushed forth to break the pair's tag team defense. Again and again and again! The swordsman's shield would come up as Bolivar kept up a fast rhythm with his vicious swings. Alternating the swing's rhythm, timing and direction made it so the guy in the back had a harder time to get a bearing on Bolivar. The jarring sensation now coursing through him Bolivar smirked finally as he was the one setting the pace. Just a bit more. Finally the furious, consecutive strikes was too much on the swordsman's shield arm. Lowering slightly with each strike applied to it the swordsman pushed back at Bolivar sending a swipe aimed at the squire's head. Bobbing to his left Bolivar saw this as his chance and ducked the boy. It was now or never he would have to strike at him from behind lest he find himself in a horrible position. Bringing his great axe up Bolivar was about bury the axe head in the man's spine before noticing the spear man perfectly aligned with the isurian bred squire. Already Bolivar could see the perfectly positioned stab that would pierce his heart. Swaying back to the right Bolivar used the momentum of the bob to swing back from behind the swordsman. A low sweep followed using his wrists to get a good blow in Bolivar hamstrung the swordsman. Though not his intended plan Bolivar thought it was a good follow up given the sudden strike. One down. One more to go.

[Bolivar]

The swordsman not knowing what hit him collapsed clutching at the meat of his lower leg in anguish. Stepping away from the swordsman Bolivar perked his head back at the spearman seeing a grand swipe aimed at his body. Too low to duck. Have to block. Putting up an awkward guard Bolivar found himself stumbling on his footing as he too fell on his back. His mind screaming for him to get up Bolivar panicked slightly at his position as he swatted away a stab dangerously close to skewering him. Getting a knee up Bolivar finally saw his chance as he went for a parry to deflect the spear aside. Charging three steps in Bolivar started swinging with the same pressure that he used on the swordsman not too long ago. Bolivar's steel hitting the spearman's the jarring sensation he felt was very different from hitting the swordsman's small shield not long ago. With each swing it felt like he was getting pushed back rather then pressing forward. Finally after the third swing the spearman retaliated. Shoving Bolivar away with the shield arm the spearman clutched his spear closer to it's tip to send a stab in Bolivar's way. He could already see the painfully warm sensation shooting through his right shoulder. Blinking in anguish Bolivar clutched at the intended wound almost wonderingly. Now...what have we learned? A spear in the right hands can strike at a warriors a good 6-8 feet away from them.Though that did not mean they could not bring the spearhead closer to them in closer range. Mentally cursing at himself for forgetting that tidbit Bolivar returned to his ready stance to once again fight the dissolved pair. This time he would have to be more cautious having sustained an injury. As more strikes came at him Bolivar used his weapon as a giant parrying tool. Until he found his initiative Bolivar would play this defensive game with the spearman. Finally he mimicked a parry that he felt right was timed properly before as he aiming a full on swing on the shadow's head. A quick duck to avoid the swing and a small hop back from the spearman and Bolivar was back to square one with the spearman. That's what spearman do. They want you to hurry and get impatient. Make more openings for them to capitalize on. Taking a calming breathe Bolivar waited for the spearman to start the preceding once more. The pair were being really stubborn today. Constantly reminding himself of the other's position Bolivar weaved in and out of stabs and swipes the spearman threw out. To break past that tower shield's defense I am to make a decisive strike. To do that I have to be well past that stabbing motion that this guy can do. Always a predicament when it comes to fighting. Finally a chance presented itself after the spearman made a strike too hastily seeing Bolivar step closer then he wanted. Flicking away the attack almost contemptuously Bolivar went full on pouncing on the spearman for his prize. “Raaaahhhhrrggrghhhh” Putting every ounce of reserve strength into this swing Bolivar brought up his axehead suddenly as he jumped bring it down as hard as he can when he landed. A feeble guard was given finally as only the edge of the shield managed to intercept the blow. Deflecting it slightly to his right Bolivar hewed a good portion of the spearman's shoulder in the process. No look of triumph reached Bolivar's face as he looked upon the pair defeated. Looking back at the swordsman Bolivar knew that that opponent would have most likely expired given his injury. Leaving the great axe imbedded in the spearman (ground) Bolivar stepped away as he mused exactly how to kill a man with wind djed. Imagining the dripping sensation from his scars Bolivar opted against the extra strain from practicing reinmancy. This training session was already a good one. Now with the light fading away Bolivar started to head back into the gates as Leth's presence started loom over the land. Feeling he versed himself well in battle tactics and situations today Bolivar pried his great axe from the loose dirt whistling nonchalantly. Bolivar recalled the times when his swings felt just right and when were the times to take the initiatives. Bolivar recalled the times when he had proper positioning and why it was so much easier to attack and defend given such an advantage. Bolivar even now recalled how his patron wanted him to do a few extra chores that were suppose to be done this afternoon. “Aww crap. I knew I missed something.”

[Accolade]

Bolivar

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Greataxe	+ 3 XP
Acrobatics	+ 1 XP
Tactics	+ 1 XP
Observation	+ 1 XP

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Knowing a finisher
•	Fighting 2 v 1, (shadows)
•	How a spears works

Notes :

Interesting thread there. I've never read a training thread like this. Keep writing!

The Sylir has spoken

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.