Survival! the trials of combat! (Attn Eqwina)

[The winds of Time]

Belig got up from his bunk in the barracks and stretched big as he got dressed. After donning his trainee uniform he hefted his round shield and walked out the door into the yards. It was about an hour before dawn but Belig put on the heavy weight vest and iron rod that he used for a sword weight. He ran his normal five miles and swam about two miles up river. When he got back he removed the weights and picked up his practice broadsword. Using shield and sword he went through every motion and technique he had learned from kynwric, and a few moves he had come up with on his own. When Belig was finished it was about two hours after dawn. Belig made his way towards the mess hall and ate quickly and in silence as was his habit. After he finished he went out into the training yard to meet with his teacher for the day.

 

Survival class huh? a requirement for all trainees but I'm the only one signed up. Belig made his way to the arranged meeting place and waited for his teacher to arrive.

[Eqwina]

Thera had a great love of teaching Wilderness and City Survival classes, something she had not done in some time. Lately her days seemed filled with endless stacks of paperwork, and spars; with every free moment being spent with Lyss.

 

Jasine had not taken near the interest in the child that Thera had, but then she had expected as much. He had not carried a child, or felt the closeness she had…that and he was still young. Not much over 20 he had never been truly ready for a child, though he had been a wonderful father.

 

Buckling on her sword and leaning down to kiss Lyss on the head, she ducked out into the morning sun. Being a mother was agreeing with Thera, in every way. Her temper had improved again and she had a spring in her step. The trainee’s were enjoying the lighthearted Thera, much as they had when she first married Jasine, but like all good things it could not last forever.  So, they relished in the moment while they could. Stopping to chat with Dragar and check the morning roster she saw that one Trainee had signed up to spar with her. “He must be new” She scoffed at her assistant as she traded her katana for a practice lathe.

 

Crossing the yards she saw the subject of her..’duel” and smiled. Next to teaching city and wilderness survival classes she loved the chance to teach battle survival. It was a true test of what the trainee was made of.

 

“Belig, so glad you were brave enough to sign up for this with me.” Clapping him on the back she led him over to the edge of the sparing ring. “Tell me trainee. What do you think it takes to survive in battle?”

 

[The winds of Time]

The hair on the back of Beligs neck rose as he saw the mistress of trainee's cross the courtyard. He could tell by her stride that she was in a light mood but had a deadly grace that made her seem to be able to strike anywhere.

 

 

“Belig, so glad you were brave enough to sign up for this with me.” Clapping him on the back she led him over to the edge of the sparing ring. “Tell me trainee. What do you think it takes to survive in battle?”

 

Belig was surprised at the direct question and then pondered the question as he walked into the ring.

 

"Ma'am to survive in battle one must have three primary things. First they must have a strong body, one to endure the trials of being hit, and being able to continuously attack. The second thing for survival one must have is a clear mind. A distracted mind can lead to destruction as your thoughts race to cloud your judgment at the wrong moment. The final thing that a person must have is the will to win.  There are people who go into combat who just try not to die, those people will not take the necessary chances to come out alive. A will to win gives a person the will to do their all, and that gives the warrior a mindset to take the chances needed to survive."

 

Belig tugged at his shield straps again, waiting for a sudden attack if the mistress of trainees decides to jump right in. He waited to hear what she had to say about what his brother had taught him.

[Eqwina]

Thera had a wry grin on her face and she shook her head slightly, making her curls dance around her face. It was yet another sign of her good temper, which any trainee in the yard more than a week would recognize.

 

“You think that surviving a battle can be boiled down to three simple steps? I do not think everyone would agree with you, but…..” Unbuckling her sword belt she went to prop it on the fence and she took up a practice blade. “I am willing to let you try and prove your theory to me? Do you have these three things Belig?”

 

Twirling the blade in one hand she stepped into guard stance. “Who knows, it may be that you will manage to touch me.”Smiling at her student Thera fought the urge to laugh with glee. How long had it been since she sparred with a young student? Long enough that she found herself awaiting it eagerly. The Grandmasters she practiced with were all dead calm, as she was, stone faced and focused, each move a calculated dance. Trainee’s were seldom so precise, and most still carried passion on their sleeves, and wore anger like a badge. Spars with them were often…interesting. If nothing to truly test her skills.

 

[The winds of Time]

Belig looked at Thera with a puzzled look as she made her statement and dropped into a relaxed guard stance. She's going to toy with me. I'll show her I am no easy prey. Belig assumed a strong offensive guard stance, clearing his mind except for the image of a river. He relaxed his mind, and loosened up his body. Eyes intent Belig began to circle Thera.

 

I must give it my all, for that is what my opponent deserves. I will strike her down like all foes before me, and I will win. Belig tightened up his grip on his practice broadsword, and begun analyzing Thera's pose and stance.  Loose one hand guard with a two handed sword. Light weight and nimble on her feet. Confident.  Belig finally made a judgment call and brought his shield up tight as he charged forward, bringing his practice blade upwards in a deadly arc on Thera's left side.

 

so it begins.

[Eqwina]

Thera bounced on her toes waiting for her young student to make his move. She could see him weight and measure her, before raising his shield and advancing. She side-stepped his blow with a grin and tapped him on the arm, the leg, and the wrist in quick succession using The Cat Dances on the Wall. The form took quick wrists and was used to buy time. Had the blade been steal instead of lathes the cuts would have been minor.

 

“You have to keep your mind empty, you must allow yourself to feel the next form….do not over think it.” Thera instructed as she moved swiftly from one form to another. She appeared to dance across the practice yard, her lathes moving in perfect time.

 

Thera began The Creeper Embraces the Oak moving slower than she would have normally, to give her student a chance. The blade was high, and then low, circling, searching for an opening in which to strike.

 

OOC: Have fun! But remember Belig is only a WS 3 and Thera is a WS 17. Hitting her will not be easy and will come at a price  ;D

 

[The winds of Time]

As soon as Thera moved, Belig could tell that she was indeed toying with him, and giving him chances to strike back. Focus, everyone has a weakness. It just takes time to figure out what that is.  Belig tightened up his guard and got some distance from Thera, observing the moving blade that was in the form of Creeper embraces the Oaks. Beligs eyes took in information and processed it. Loose handed grip that can be immediately tightened or changed.  blade changing directions every two beats.

 

Belig moved forward, marching as though in a line of warriors alongside him. he then quickly thrusted his practice sword forward three times at the head, chest, and pelvis. Thera parried easily and moved forward with a quick strike towards Belig's head. Belig moved as fast as he could, and felt the practice sword graze his uniform as he extended his left arm forward to bring the edge of the shield up into Thera's gut. Thera managed to slip by the attack but was grazed on the side as she brought down the practice sword downwards to smack Belig's back. Belig felt a good sting as thera's blade caught him as he rolled forward into a guard stance. Focusing his attention on blocking thera's next two attacks with his shield, he quickly regained his footing. Belig saw an incoming thrust and parried it with his blade, pushing forwards with the swords still touching as he forced Thera's blade over his shoulder. Thera's eyes widened in surprise a bit and quickly jumped back to avoid belig's shield from crashing into her.

 

Belig took this chance to press forward as he continued with an onslaught of thrusts and slashes. Thera blocked and parried easily and countered with her own strikes that constantly made contact with Beligs legs and arms. In the flurry Belig continued to advance, pressing forward and never giving a step. Thera's lathe hammered away at both shield and practice sword. Each throwing Belig a bit off balance or changing the tempo of the exchange. Belig continued pressing forward though, not thinking but running off the instinct that he watched his father and brother instill in him and his brothers since childhood. Thera's blade started getting faster and faster, and Belig had to maneuver his shield several times to turn potentially debilitating blows into just a bump or a graze. Belig's pulse raced and roared in his ears as his heart beat faster with each blow

 

Belig finally burst forward into a combative roll as Thera moved with a sideswipe for his head. As her blade flew above him, he rolled on his back and locked his legs around Thera's, trapping them in a pincer like hold that sent her stumbling backwards. as she fell the lock brought in some leverage to shift Belig's weight upwards and his body asceneded like some fun house lever reset itself. as he came upwards he brought his blade into a slash aimed at Thera's right shoulder moving down to her hips. His hit connected lightly with Thera's shoulder as she shifted the leverage that Belig was using to get upwards, and threw him head over heels past her head and spinning in the dirt. She then quickly got up and was on Belig in nearly the blink of an eye. Five blows rained down on Belig's body as her hits connected with almost bone shattering force. Belig back peddled as fast as he could and tried to parry and block. Each time the lathe connected with his shield he could feel the shock in his sword arm, and his sword was thrown wildly and had almost no effect parrying the blows. Belig took each hit with a grunt and then tried to return some of the blows. most of which was no where near close to his target, but helped him get back into pace. Soon he was parrying and sidestepping in time with Thera. Still taking hits but less than before.

 

Belig dodged a thrust past his shield and moved forward before Thera could bring the blade back toward her. He quickly brought up his knee, aiming for the thigh as her lathe changed directions to hit his side three times. His knee connected with Thera's thigh and sent her stumbling back a bit, but Belig pressed the advantage and spun into a rear kick, using his sword and shield as a counter weight to make him spin faster and harder. Thera grunted a bit as she caught the kick with her left arm and brought the lathe down hard on Belig's back. She did this a couple more times before Belig twisted and managed to pull his foot free. Panting he stumbled back a few paces, bringing his shield up into a heavy guard position as he tried to catch his breath.

 

(OOC: Your turn, I got to have a nice chunk of fun, but now it's time for you to show me how you really fight. Beligs not going to submit, he's made that promise to himself and he'd rather run himself into the ground first. His stamina is weakening but it's still a slow process.)

[Eqwina]

Thera growled at her own misstep and struck Belig harder than she normally would a trainee. She was supposed to be teaching him how to fight and yet her own lack of concentration had made her falter. Had this been fought with real blades that would have been closer than she liked to come to bared steel.

 

Turning quickly she caught him in the chest with her elbow before dancing back and searching for another opening in which to strike. In quick succession she drove him back until they faced each other, paces apart on the field. “Do you still think your three rules are enough?” Laughing she advanced on him again striking him on his thigh and driving a boot into his chest. It cost her being hit with his shield, but her blow knocked the wind out of him and made him stumble back and hit the fence. Advancing quickly Thera brought out her dagger and crossed it with the practice lathes, pinning his head between the fence and the two blades. “Your rules are good ones Belig, and will serve you well, but in order to win you must also know how to lose.”

 

She saw the confusion in his eyes and stepped back, allowing him to regain his footing. Sheathing her dagger she stepped back into guard stance and waited for his advance. He came at her again, attempting to strike high and then low. Again she moved in close and this time the butt of the lathes knocked him in the chin as her knee connected with his stomach. Over and over again she rained blows down on him, beating him until she was sure his ribs would be black and blue. “You did not listen Belig.” She chided as she continued the assault. His defenses earned her a few bruises, but nothing like what he was facing. Finally she began to feel as if she was abusing him and simply let her ‘blade’ fall. Dropping her arms allowed him a quick succession of strikes, but Thera took them with barely a grunt.

 

“In everyone’s life there will be a time when they are given the choice to stay and fight…or to run. No matter what your young heart and hot blood may tell you there is no shame in running and no shame in loss. You have been taught about Sheathing the Sword, yes? That is still losing, but when the cause is worth it, it’s a choice we make. Do you understand? Sometimes in order to survive you must flee.”

 

Walking over she picked up a water skin and drank deeply before tossing it to her trainee. “Do you understand Belig?”

 

[The winds of Time]

Belig listened intently to what Thera had said and thought.  To win, you must know how to lose? I know that one can learn much more from a loss than a win, but the lost may also cost you your life...  Belig caught the water skin and kept pondering over the conundrum while taking a good long drink.  He thought hard enough that he couldn't feel the pain of being hit so many times through the blanket of his thought process as each bit of information he had learned through the exchange went through his head.

 

In order to survive, one must be able to retreat... but what of your foe? Would not a truly malicious foe follow? To torment or destroy the weakened soldier?  Belig looked down at his lathe and his shield, both were riddled with indentations and splinters. The shield even split a little on the side.  A retreat maybe a loss, but its a worthy move... Belig's mind was calming now and his logical thinking that his mother had drilled into him was showing more and more.

 

"A retreat is a worthy move for two reasons. One is the defense of your own life, or the life of others. The second is the protection of the mission. It matters not if a foe follows, for a retreat is necessary in the here and now. to fight another day is a chance to complete the mission."  Belig blinked as he realized that he had thought out loud.

[Eqwina]

Thera nodded intently and smiled slowly. It seemed as if her beating had loosened him enough to make her lesson sink in. “Yes Belig. There are times where you must stay and fight or surely you will die. There will also be times where your opponent will not fight fairly and you must slay him or die, but the most important lesson you can learn is when to flee.”

 

“Never let hot blood or foolish pride lose your head for you. It is not a pleasant way to die. If you can learn when to fight and when to run you will be unstoppable.A clear head and constant thought will take farther than a sword ever will”

 

Grinning a little she hefted her sword offering to spar again. “If you would like we can spar again? Or perhaps you would like to visit the Sedai for healing? If not I have herbs that will do just fine for you.”

 

[The winds of Time]

“If you would like we can spar again? Or perhaps you would like to visit the Sedai for healing? If not I have herbs that will do just fine for you.” 

 

Belig got up and loosened up a bit, stretching his muscles and feeling the dull throbbing of where he was hit. He could feel the pain dully in his mind as he kept his mind blank other than the gentle river. "Sure I can go a couple more rounds. And thank you for the offer of herbs but I have some of my own. One of the skills I learned from my mother and i seem to have a rather nice talent for it."  Belig strapped on his shield again and picked up his lathe, and dropped into a guard stance. "I await your first blow." Belig said smiling. In the back of his mind his muscles protested a bit but again he ignored it.

[Eqwina]

Thera shook her head and smiled. "I seem to think that you would spar all day if I allowed it Belig.We will spar until you manage to strike me once, then you will go bathe and take your herbs. I will not have you exhausting yourself."

 

Raising her blade Thera advanced quickly,set to tire him out quickly.Even if he wanted to spar just for fun, he needed to rest. No one could take a beating like that and not need some time to recover.

[The winds of Time]

Belig saw the oncoming advance and moved forward to meet it, as he caught her sword on his shield his arm protested a bit, but he kept going. He moved forward still, not slowing he crashed his weight into Thera. His whole body seemed to beat like a heart, the dull throbbing telling him he was a fool. As Thera backed up, recovering her stance, he pressed forward swinging his practice sword in a arc for Thera's legs. He watched and saw her back step as she brought a swing up for his chest, Belig let his sword rise a bit more before pressing forward into a thrust. Belig felt the blow to his ribs when his shield didn't get to it's place in time as his sword grazed her shoulder.

 

"There, one blow." Belig said smiling. He backed off and so did Thera and Belig looked down at the blade. The splinters showing obviously meant that this practice weapon was done. He looked then to his shield, the wood was now just as splintered and the splits in the wood felt as though they were going to fall off at anytime. Belig then looked at thera and bowed deeply. "I thank you Thera, mistress of trainees, for this battle today." Straightening out Belig blinked a couple times as the world blurred a bit. "Do you wish to borrow any herbs for your injuries?"

[Eqwina]

Thera tossed her praoctice lathe and smiled as it landed cleanly in the racks. "Thank you Belig, but no. I do not need any herbs." Grabbing up her waterskin she headed back to her office to check on the afternoon reports.