Stick a fork in your eye and lets twist! *jigs*

[Wayfarer]

It had been about a week since Ginae had decided to be a rat. He'd done his darndest and still she had managed to inflict another trainee on him, Baine as he was called. Still, Baine was easily a step above training women of the White Tower, even if not quite so easy on the eyes. Still, lying against the tree with his eyes barely open, he found himself drifting off in the afternoon. He always liked to nap, and he'd been there for a couple of hours waiting for his student.

 

Not that Baine was late, Aran had merely said that he had a student to see in the afternoon to slip out of some exercise. He'd gone into the town for a few drinks in the morning, then come back for lunch then to relax the afternoon away. Heavy training was overrated, at least it was for the time being. Besides, he would heavily train vicariously through Baine, the lad had seemed rather keen about it all.

 

The past week had been spent for the most part avoiding a great deal of his responsibilities. It had been his last ditch attempt to get out of teaching, but Ginae naturally would have none of it. He knew she enjoyed giving him another student, but that was alright because her uppence would come soon enough. There were plenty of things that he could do and he had in mi-

 

"Well hello there Baine, good to see you brought that treeslayer. Well, I assume you've already been taught how to take care of a blade being Saldaean and all? Excellent. In that case we can skip to something a bit more interesting. Howabout you show me what you can do with that big knife of yours? No no, not on me. There's an invisible trolloc standing next to you, drooling at the prospect of seasoning you with ice peppers. Maim it."

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

 

 

 

"There's an invisible trolloc standing next to you, drooling at the prospect of seasoning you with ice peppers. Maim it."

 

Baine tossed a mild glare at his mentor, who appeared to ahve been having quite a nice nap. This was the first time he'd actually been able to get Aran to let him actually do something with his sword besides use it to hold open the door. If Aran was testing him...Baine had no idea how he was doing. Maybe Aran wanted to see if he was patient? Maybe test his temper? Either way Baine refused to give in on his first test since arriving.

 

Pulling the "treeslayer" off his back, Baine held it out in front of him, towards the "invisible" trolloc. Envisioning a nasty wolf-headed monstrosity with the hands of a man in front of him was no great task, he'd seen a few of the beasts, but it still sent chills down his spine.

 

Lifting the tip of the blade over his head he brought it down in a wide arc slicing through what would have been the trollocs left shoulder, and torso, and right leg, and then the dirt. Baine felt heat rushing to his cheeks as he yanked his sword out of the dirt and lifted it again. Once more he swung at his imaginary Trolloc, this time mentally decapitating him. This time he at least managed to keep his sword out of the dirt, even if it did over-balance him a bit. He tried again, and again and again without stopping now. Everytime he was over-balanced by his weapon he heard Aran snicker and every ocne in a while mumble something about daggers. But mostly he kept quiet and watched.

After what seemed like what must have been an hour of doing nothing but swinging at in invisible foe, Baine hefted the sword to his shoulder and turned to Aran.

 

"So what's the verdict? Wait, lemme guess, 'that Treeslayer of yours could probably cut down a horse...if you could move it.' Am I right?" Baine mentally kicked himself in the rear for that last comment. The look on Aran's face wouldnt tell Baine whether he was amused, irritated, or just drunk.

 

 

- Baine

 

 

 

Aran just looked at Baine for a long moment, face indecipherable, before he burst out laughing. Curling up in a ball, he almost tipped over on his side he was laughing so hard, he had to hold out an arm just to keep himself upright while his other hand was busy wiping the tears from his eyes. Baine didn't seem overly amused, but Aran was easily amused enough for both of them. As his laughter began to fade, Aran was still chuckling as he pushed off the tree onto his feet and took clapped Baine on the shoulder.

 

"Oh dear Creator, that was good. I think we can both agree its time for you to perhaps put aside that marvellously long blade of yours for something a little more... compact?" Grinning, Aran pointed to a building on the other side of the Yards. "Put that mountainsplitter back in your room and meet me over in the armoury. We're going to pick out something more feasible for you to work with. Go on now."

 

Watching Baine trundle off, Aran headed towards the armoury. The large double doors were already open, so he strided on in to where all the weapons of the Warders Yards resided. Grey stone was at every side and underfoot, and everywhere were racks full of weapons and armour to be found. Wandering over to where the knives and daggers were kept, Aran was found to be juggling a few of the weighted ones when Baine arrived.

 

Putting those weapons away regretfully, Aran gestured for Baine to come over to him. He wasn't going to bother raising his voice to compete with the peal of hammer striking anvil as either Master Farrel or Mistress Aladith-Thewin were at work. "In here are all sorts of weapons to be found, even a few bouldersplitters like your own."

 

Grinning, Aran began walking him through all the different racks, explaining the weapons roughly as they went. "Daggers, good for when you're up close, and most fighting is, though its not the best weapon of choice against a trolloc. The long knives and short swords are the best marriage of the two to be found for battles I find, in the press of battle or a large brawl you don't always have the room to use weapons of longer reach. Weapons like these longer blades over here, longswords I'll use on an odd occasion, I tend to stay away from the two handed blades though. They're quite handy once you get used to them, but in closed spaces they can prove hard to use."

 

"Over here we've got a variety of axes, from hatchets to two handed skull splitters. People often look down on them, but someone who has had decent training with one is someone to be worried of. Its much easier to get power through the momentum of the swing, and the longer axes can be hooked around a shield to pull it clear, or behind someone's leg to pull them off their feet."

 

"Bludgeon weapons are great fun, from the humble club and cudgel to mauls. Mauls I personally think are a bit much, though they're damn fearsome. A nice little warhammer though is quite handy, light enough to be quick but enough weight on the end to do alot of damage. Especially handy against someone using chainmail. Chain mail will only stop someone from being cut, it doesn't rob force from the blow, so bludgeon weapons are a great asset in that respect."

 

"Over here we've got staves and polearms. I don't mind using the spear myself, if you can stick the man and he can't get in reach to stick you, you're one step ahead. There are also pikes, halberds, alot of these weapons are more suited to battles than small fights, so while you'll learn about them, the heavier weapons may not be the best choice for you to learn first."

 

"Also, don't forget shields. They don't even have to be spiked like some of these to also be a weapon. While your opponent is watching your blade, you can club the man with the shield or shove him off balance. Depending on the grip and size of the shield, you can even punch with it. I only on the odd occasion use a buckler because I've always believed two blades are better than one, but they are handy during battles."

 

"Ah, I almost forgot, whips. People look down on them, but in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, in particular in conjunction with another weapon like a sword, they are terrible. Unlike normal whips, these tend to have heavy metal balls or even blades attached to the end, and they're alot thicker than the normal usually. They can be used to snare a person's legs, arms, whipcrack a man's eye out if one is good enough."

 

"And over here we've got more bludgeon weapons, but these also employ chains. I can't say I've been the biggest fans of morningstars and such, but I've seen people destroy others with these self same weapons. They can harness alot of power, and frightening to contemplate being on the wrong end of. While the chain can be the weak link at times, the sheer power from it can make such a weapon worthwhile."

 

Stopping the tour, Aran grinned at Baine as he spoke about his favourite subject, himself. "Me, I favour long daggers and knives. If the first few inches of a blade doesn't kill someone, a foot or two more isn't really going to help. I also cheat alot which helps. What we're doing here is learning the most efficient way to kill people, and shadowspawn. There's no one answer to it, a different weapon suits a different fighter. For example, because I'm a smaller fighter, I use smaller blades and rely on my speed and getting up close to larger opponents to win the day. Larger fighters may use larger weapons in order to take advantage of their extended reach, and so the considerations go."

 

"At anyrate, look around and when you find a weapon that particularly appeals to you, come outside with it, I'll be waiting out there."

 

Leaving Baine to pick out a weapon, Aran plonked himself against a wall as he sat and waited. Aran wasn't too concerned with how much time Baine took, as long as it wasn't too long. He had other things he wanted to do, like take another nap.

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[WhiteCastle_mmm]

With each description that Aran gave to him, there came an image to Baine's mind. An image of him in battle wielding the weapon being described. Doubtlessly they were all efficient in their own way, each with its special purposes and special weaknesses. He disregarded the swords, he already had one (unwieldy as it was). The flails and mauls caught his eye and he lingered over them for a moment before moving on. Automatically disregarding halberds and pikes Baine's eyes moved on to the staves. The ones that appeared to be capped with iron or steel seemed like capable enough weapons, but they still didnt appeal.

With Aran back outside, probably opening a fresh wineskin, Baine paced up and down the numerous rows before him and found himself staring at a large rack of axes. He hefted one after the other until he found one that was comfortable in one hand. It was slightly shorter than most of the others around it. It was larger than a throwing axe, but not large by any means. He took a couple swings. The thing moved fairly quick, seeming lighter than most of the others its size. And in comparison to the practice with his No Dachi it seemed lighter still. After further inspection Baine found a twin for it and lifted it as well. Holding one in each hand he took a couple swipes with both before settling on them and walking outside to find his mentor.

When he saw the the man leaning up against the wall he appeared to just be falling asleep, big surprise there Baine thought to himself.

"Well I think I've decided." Baine held the axes up, displaying them before his mentor.

[Wayfarer]

Opening his eyes, Aran pushed off the wall and took the axes from Baine. Hefting them for a moment, testing their weight, Aran grinned as he handed them back to Baine. "You're going to be quite the brawler with those weapons. They aren't known for finesse, but they're versatile and people are more used to fighting someone with a sword or a spear than those. When you do end up using them, you'll be wanting some gauntlets, chain perhaps so its easier to change your grip. Without a hilt on a weapon, you'll always want some protection for the hands."

 

Proceeding to walk away, he kept talking as Baine fell in with him. "Its just mainly common sense for taking care of them. Make sure the blade is sharp, oiled well, and always check the haft. There is nothing worse than having the haft break on you while you're trying to apply your axe to someone's skull just because you got lazy and didn't check to make sure the haft didn't need replacing."

 

Finding his tree, the one he had dubbed Faith sometime ago, Aran took up his customary position. Oddly enough, he gestured for his trainee to sit down next to him, which he did. "I know we spoke at the inn, but lets be clear about this. Why do you want to train with weaponry? Its not something you should take on lightly, especially if you later become a Tower Guard. Or if you're really unlucky, a Warder. What do you want for yourself really?"

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

[WhiteCastle_mmm]

"You're going to be quite the brawler with those weapons. They aren't known for finesse, but they're versatile and people are more used to fighting someone with a sword or a spear than those. When you do end up using them, you'll be wanting some gauntlets, chain perhaps so its easier to change your grip. Without a hilt on a weapon, you'll always want some protection for the hands." Baine caught the axes and took a mental note of that, and planned to return back to the armory to look for some suitable type of armor and gauntlets.

Baine listened closely as Aran described the maintenance of his new weapon(s) of choice, and he was right, it was mostly common sense. As they were walking Baine examined the hafts that were currently on the axes, noticing a few small nicks but no damage that really warranted replacing them any time soon. Aran took his usual sentry post, seated at the base of an ancient looking tree and motioned for Baine to join him. Baine took a spot up against the base of the tree just next to his mentor. It was actually remarkably comfortable. He could begin to see why it was so much more prefferable than walking the walls. The grass was soft underneath him and the bark of the tree made a good back scratcher.

"I know we spoke at the inn, but lets be clear about this. Why do you want to train with weaponry? Its not something you should take on lightly, especially if you later become a Tower Guard. Or if you're really unlucky, a Warder. What do you want for yourself really?"

"Well you may call it unlucky, but my ultimate goal is to be a Warder. I want to follow in my uncle's footsteps. My father absolutely adored him, and he died nobley in battle protecting his Aes Sedai. I know you preffer napping and drinking, but to me serving as a Warder is a calling that I plan to embrace to my fullest extent. I know it seems like a boyish dream, but I've already come this far on my own. Some would say that in itself is an accomplishment." Baine paused and tossed a pebble and hit the neighboring tree. "I just want to be a Warder, I've never wanted to run my fathers estate, and I have no political aspirations whatsoever. I've dreamt of it since I was small. So the only thing my home in Saldea holds for me are the horses I guess. But I brought one with me so I guess I'm set for a while." Then in a moment of curiosity Baine asked his own question. "What about you? You don't seem very enthused about being here."

 

Baine Draksun

Tower Trainee

[Wayfarer]

Aran laughed at Baine's question, it was rather astute in some ways. "Its a living. Protecting Aes Sedai is much like protecting anyone else, except your charge is usually more resentful of you because with their one power they do not think they need assistance. Women are proud, Aes Sedai especially so lad. But, the company in the guard is good, and knowing you have people that would be willing to put their blade alongside your own is a good feeling."

 

Turning his head so he could see Baine better, Aran's smile lost a little of its mirth as he adopted a more serious tone. "While the Warders fulfill what some would call a necessary service... You might do well to get to know them. They are good people, but they lack the sam camraderie that the Tower Guard have, and that is because their loyalty is to their own Aes Sedai above all others. If you do eventually choose that life, its an irrevocable choice. So should you decide to be a Warder, all I'd say is this. Let only an Aes Sedai who is worthy of you bond you, because make no mistake, there are plenty who are not."

 

Noting the people wandering towards the Mess Hall and the position of the sun in the sky, Aran grinned. "Seems like its lunch time, I'd suggest you head over now while the queue isn't too big. Before you do that, put your chosen weapons away in your room. I'll see you later in the day. Go on."

 

 

Watching Baine wander off towards the Barracks, Aran relaxed as he let himself sleep, just a nice nap would do him.

 

 

Aran

Tower Guard

 

OOC: Rightio, you just need one last post contemplating what was said and you're done this req :) Check your PM's