Combat Weaves 3

[Quibby]

As the class arrived, person by person, Janine surveyed the yard. Today's weaves were complex, and mostly using elements in which Janine was not strong. However, they did not need much in the way of props with which to practice. Therefore, there was only a pile of short-cut logs for everybody to use. It had been a simple set-up, for which Janine was grateful. It meant that the various men working around the Tower had not been forced to work as hard. Turning her back on the pile of logs, Janine made a quick count of the women in the group. It seemed that everybody was there.

 

“Good morning, everybody,” Janine said, a small smile on her face. “Today's lesson is more far more complex than our previous lessons. As a result, many of you Accepted will be unable to make the weaves work. You may even be unable to create the weave at all. Do not feel discouraged if you cannot, as you are not into your full strength, yet.” With the caveat out of the way, Janine finished with, “Are we ready? Then I'll begin.”

 

Janine turned from the class and wove Air, using it to lift and move a log from the pile to an empty space. “This weave is reliant on your abilities in Fire and Spirit. Using it results in the object on which you place the weave exploding in a ball of fire. Some people call it Combust.” The explanation completed, Janine wove and touched the log with the weave.

 

The log exploded, a large ball of fire blooming from it, leaving a large scorch mark on the ground. Of the log there was no sign. “As you can see, the object is usually consumed completely when the weave completes. This weave has no practical uses; as you can see, trying to start a campfire with it would result in the eradication of everything around it. Instead, use this weave for crowd control. For those of you who are unsure of what that means, I'll explain. 'Crowd control' means that you are using a weave to deal with large numbers of Shadowspawn or, in very rare circumstances, enemies who wan to see you dead.” With a nod to the woodpile, Janine said, “Now, everybody take a log. If you cannot make the weave work, do not worry. As I said, some of you may not be able to do so.”

 

When the class had finished, Janine continued. “Today's class is mostly about Fire. Our next weave is useful for deterring people who are chasing you or for splitting an attacking force into manageable parts.” Turning to the empty space, now blackened by the practicing women, Janine wove Fire. With a blast of heat, a wall of flame erupted up from the ground, stretching several strides in height and length. “It is possible to control the height, length, and thickness of the wall. The thickness is an important dimension, as a brave man can jump through the wall and continue pursuit. Keep this in mind when using this weave while fleeing. Continue your escape, and do not wait to see what happens.”

 

“Now,” Janine said as the last gouts of flame sputtered out in the practice area, “we will cover two more weaves used in preparation for combat. As I said in our first lesson, if an Aes Sedai has time to prepare the battlefield, she is nearly invincible.” Again turning her attention to the grounds behind her, Janine wove another weave of Fire and touched the ground with it in several places, forming a wide square.

 

“This is a fire trap, and it does precisely what the name suggests. When someone or something enters the trap, it is blasted with fire, causing anything from severe burns to complete incineration, depending on how much strength you work into the weave.” Taking another log from the pile in a flow of Air, Janine tossed it into the trapped area. When it touched the ground, a white-hot flash of fire blinded Janine for a moment, but when it cleared, it was apparent that the log was completely incinerated. “These traps and wards can be used in several ways. Set it across a door to destroy anyone or anything trying to enter, for instance. Set it in midair across a small gap if it seems likely that an enemy will jump that gap. The uses for these sorts of weaves are nearly limitless.”

 

After the final woman completed the weave, Janine said, “Our final weave is a bit unique. It is called Static Field by some. This weave can be set as a trap, or you can attach it to yourself as a method of defense. This weave creates a field of static around you, causing anybody who approaches you to be shocked. This shock can be anything from a nuisance to lethal blast.”

 

Creating the weave from Fire, Spirit, and Air was simple for Janine, though she had to concentrate a bit to make sure that it would not be dangerous; lightning and anything similar came simply to Janine. “This field that I made will cause a small shock to anybody who enters it, similar to the shock you may feel when you touch metal after being in contact with wool for some time.” Stepping forward, Janine allowed the field to touch the first row of students, who simultaneously jumped away from her. Janine let the weave dissipate, then said, “Now, everybody attempt the weave, then you are free to go. Next week, we will be leaving Tar Valon for our final lesson. I have spoken with the Mistress of Novices, so you Accepted will be allowed to attend. Make sure to practice creating these weaves, even if you cannot make them work.”

 

Weaves covered:

 

Combust

Wall of Flame

Static Field

Fire Trap

 

You can find a weave table and descriptions here.

[Guest]

Myrrhi yawned and rubbed her eyes with her fists. Why did I stay up so late last night, again? She asked herself. Well, I know why! Silly me!

 

Her first plan had been to get to bed early so she could be fit for her third Combat Weaves class. But, then, she had opened that book about Kandor History. This one had been written by a Sister of the Green Ajah, not by a Brown, which was quite surprising. Green Sisters didn't write much. That didn't mean that the content was of a lower quality. It was more the opposite. For the Accepted delight, the writer had decided to center herself on the battles the Kandori had fought in the past, all this with a dynamic style that made her ideas flow one after the other. She only presented the most important details, trying to make sure that the reader would understand why the smallest things could have an impact on the country strength. It was so refreshing! The first pages the Accepted had read had been so captivating that she had kept on reading well after the middle of the night, completely forgetting about her next day schedule.

 

It seemed to Myrrhi that she was not the only one to be tired. The other Accepted arrived one by one and not as chatty groups like before. Lessons were getting more and more intense lately.

 

Janine Sedai was waiting for students. She stood in the middle of the training ground, right next to a pile of logs. This is pretty different from the past lessons, the Accepted noticed. Maybe we will have to fight each other this time? Myrrhi sighed. She didn't like to team up with other people during her classes, and especially not Aes Sedai. She felt shy in front of others and her best results were the one she had gotten by herself.

“Good morning, everybody!” Janine was wearing a small smile. It worried the Accepted but before she could try to analyze further the situation, the teacher went on. “Today's lesson is more far more complex than our previous lessons. As a result, many of you Accepted will be unable to make the weaves work. You may even be unable to create the weave at all. Do not feel discouraged if you cannot, as you are not into your full strength, yet."

 

Myrrhi opened her tired eyes wide. She couldn't help but feel very frustrated at those words. She wanted to ask Janine why she would present those weaves if half the class would not be able to follow. Before voicing her question, she prudently looked around to see if others were feeling the same way. The students Aes Sedai were watching Janine, no reaction nor emotion could be seen on their faces. The Accepted on the other hand were either smiling - probably thinking that they would manage to create the weaves anyways - either showing signs of nervousness. None of them looked to be as frustrated as Myrrhi. Better not to make a fool of myself... she thought as she decided to keep her mouth shut.

Janine started the class. Immediately, she opened herself to Saidar and channeled a weave of Air. So far, nothing to worry about. Myrrhi breathed out, happy to see that nothing fancy had been channeled yet.

Janine used the Air thread to lift one of the logs and to move it to an empty space. “This weave is reliant on your abilities in Fire and Spirit. Using it results in the object on which you place the weave exploding in a ball of fire. Some people call it Combust.” As soon as she was done with her explanations, Janine wove the threads she had described and made the log disappear in a large explosion.

 

Sweat glistened on Myrrhi's forehead, not only because of the force of the explosion. She was good with Spirit but Fire was a huge weakness for her. When came her turn to pick a log, she felt her hands trembling. As expected, the Accepted never managed to channel anything useful. Out of anger at her own failure, she kicked her log away. This earned her a glare from Janine and a trip to the Mistress of the Novices after the class.

 

The next weave to be presented was the Wall of Flame. It seemed to be a very interesting weave. It could scare enemies or be used to facilitate an escape. To weave it, strength in Fire was needed and Myrrhi didn't have it. She failed once more. 

Her bad luck went on with the third weave, the Fire Trap. Of course, this one was also a pretty interesting weave on a battlefield. Janine explained how it could be used when facing a large group of Shadowspawns. Myrrhi knew that the Sister was right. She didn't have to wait for Janine to try it on a log to know that this was something she would have to master to make real damage. But the weave needed Fire... once again.

 

The young Accepted was ready to abandon the class. She had been grumbling and cursing now for the best part of the lesson when Janine presented the last weave, the Static Field.

“Our final weave is a bit unique. It is called Static Field by some. This weave can be set as a trap, or you can attach it to yourself as a method of defense. This weave creates a field of static around you, causing anybody who approaches you to be shocked. This shock can be anything from a nuisance to lethal blast.” To prove her point, Janine stepped towards a row of Accepted allowing the field to touch a couple of them. The poor girls simultaneously jumped away from the teacher, crying out.

Even if it required Fire, the Field also needed Spirit and Air. Those were Elements with which Myrrhi felt more comfortable. Indeed, she managed at last to channel something resembling what Janine had taught that day. She didn't manage to hold the weave for long, but she was happy with what she had achieved.

 

Ready to get back to the tower, Myrrhi stopped in her tracks when she heard Janine explaining that the class would be leaving Tar Valon for the next lesson!

The Accepted was so happy that she jumped in the air and cheered with the other Accepted. She didn't like them much but to be allowed to leave Tar Valon for a couple of hours was something she had wanted to do for so long!

 

This day is better than I thought, the girl laughed, her failure forgotten ... at least for now.

[Guest]

*** sorry for the double post ***

Edited April 17, 2016 by Chaelca