Back to Basics

Andariel left the blacksmith some time ago and was quick to make her way to the training grounds. From her feet Andariel wears a standard pair of black leather combat boots which extend up just below her knees. These are paired with a set of steel plated shin guards which protect the top part of her feet and up to just below the sleeve of her boots. The shin guards are buckled by several straps around the back side. Paired with her setup is a pair of simple black pants offering minimal protection except from the elements. On her top she dons a metallic gray arming coat which protects her torso and arms. The entire affair is shrouded by a short sleeve mail hauberk which had its sleeves ending just at her elbows. The rest of the hauberk extended down to her knees acting like a skirt. She wears a double leather sash around her waist to help distribute the weight of the hauberk, increase mobility, and stow weaponry.

On the far right of her uppermost belt she carries her arming sword. It was a standard arming sword with a leather-wrapped grip, steel pommel, crossguard, and double-edged blade tapering to a point. This was stored in a standard black leather scabbard. On the same belt to her left side is a small steel buckler hooked to her belt by an attachment. To her right side located before her sword on the second belt she carried a simple one-handed steel mace. Across her torso she wears a leather baldric which supports a two-handed ax worn on her back. It has a sturdy, oak shaft accompanied by a large crescent head. Her lower arms are protected by a set of black leather gloves which cover her hands entirely up to her elbows. Much like her boots these are supported by a pair of steel arm guards protecting the forearm and back hands.

Andariel herself is a tall, voluptuous woman standing 6'2 and weighing 160 lbs. Her skin is a pure white tone free from any blemishes, sun marks, or body hair. The only sign of hair on her body is from her head. Silky, jet black hair cascades down her back ending just at her tailbone. Her eyes are a golden amber and standard in appearance, which changes red when activating her Devil Eye ability gaining a vertical pupil as well. Protruding through her hair Andariel has a pair of white horns which extend outwards but curve just slightly inwards towards the end allowing them to serve as functional tools in combat if necessary.

She had everything she needed to perform as a functional knight. The only thing she lacked was combat efficiency. The tools and armor she carried were just tools. The effectiveness of her sword, mace, shield, dagger, and ax all depended on her individual skill. Admittedly she agreed they were a bit rusty. "Let me see...this area would do just wonderfully." Upon entering the training fields she came across one particular training area fitted with straw targets. Striking wood was a poor choice for the weaponry she had. Although it was just wood the steel blades would dull and potentially get damaged after prolonged abuse. That was no good. Andariel paced towards one of the straw dummies. "A warrior such as myself she always master their sword, for it is her true weapon." Her armored right hand reached down to her grip of her arming sword pulling the blade from its scabbard. It was a virgin blade, not having met the blood of any foes. It was in beautiful, pristine condition because of it. The edge was honed to be razor sharp as it tapered to a robust point. The sword was the most practical weapon as it offered the most agility and defense of the wielder.

It had a dangerous cutting edge to hew limbs, slice open victims, and run enemies through. Against heavily armored opponents it could be used as a mace in a pinch by holding the blade and using the pommel as a striking point. The more advanced technique were better suited for longer blades. For now, Andariel would focus on using the sword for its intended purpose. Her sword play would be useless without a shield which is why she also armed herself with a buckler. The buckler was a small round shield mistaken as a piece of armor, but to the experienced fighter a shield was just as much of a weapon as a word. Armor is a passive piece of protective equipment which is worn by the user. A shield such as the buckler is a movable, active defense which can very much be used for striking. With her other hand she'd reach down and grab the buckler by its grab. Unlike larger shields the buckler was held by a grab versus arm strap. This allowed the user to exercise greater combat flexibility.

Andariel prepared her stance standing two meters away from her target. She extended her left arm outwards with the face of the buckler facing her straw foe. The arming sword she wielded was held tightly in her grip with the edge of the blade resting on her right shoulder. This was a very basic stance which helped improved striking speed. She would mingled with the target first practicing the basics of her footwork. Side stepping, retreating, shifting around the target, etc etc. She ensured she maintained her posture when doing so and did not cross over her legs. That was a fatal weak point the victim could exploit. Fortunately she was an adept swordsman and did not fall for their basic mistakes a lot of new fighters did. Her coordination helped her immensely in practicing her movements and help minimize damage at the very least, if not, avoid damage all together when dealing with an aggressive opponent in close quarters combat. Next, she would practice striking.

[Training:

Knight's Tale - 200 WC
Knight's Cudgel - 200 WC
Knight's Vanguard - 200 WC
Knight's Mercy - 200 WC
Knight's Tale: Riposte - 200 WC
Knight's Tale: True Strike - 200 WC
Knight's Tale: False Strike - 150 WC
Knight's Vanguard: Parry - 150 WC
Knight's Vanguard: Guard Breaker - 200 WC
Knight's Cudgel: Payload - 200 WC
Knight's Cudgel: Payday - 200 WC
Knight's Mercy: Quarrel - 200 WC
Knight's Mercy: Dilute - 200 WC
Knight's Charge - 200 WC
Knight's Footwork - 150 WC
Knight's Poise - 200 WC

1,098/3050 WC Remaining]

Andariel practiced her footwork until she got it right 100% of the time. She didn't want to waste all of her time practicing footwork to master it today. She knew in order to truly master something she must apply it in real world situations under stress. For now she can at least say she accomplished the foundations of her fighting. She'd stop in front of her target, eyes focused down on her victim. She'd perform a basic strike with her sword striking the left outside of the dummy's arm. As expected, the dummy would buckle and lose a bit of straw due to the strike. Fortunately the straw target did not give much resistance meaning she wouldn't completely decimate the target in a single strike. This allowed her to play around getting a feel for striking something with her sword. This gave her a feel for real combat application versus swinging at air. This also allowed her to practice moving and striking together in succession. Stepping forwards she'd thrust while maintaining the guard with her offhand. A lot of the time people would attack their aggressor when an opening presented itself. By becoming skillful with both sword and shield she could actively defend herself while attacking the foe. This of course required immense focus and muscle memory with her technique so when an opening presented itself she could react.

After going at the dummy of a few minutes she'd step back and resume her old stance the way she had it before. Her heart rate was elevated, but she was far from exhausted. It would take hours of extensive practice to really put her out of commission. "The basics are essential, however, I must practice my more advanced technique to consider myself an adept with my blade. Nobody obtains glory by taking their first steps." With her sword in hand she'd practice an initial downwards stroke using the blade the strike the target at the top of the head. It was an ideal target as a head strike usually guaranteed death. However, even a basic forehead protector offered enough defense to stop a sword strike in its path. Despite that it was still a viable target. Being struck on the head with a bar of hardened steel was still a powerful weapon in itself even if it doesn't slice into bone and brain matter. The speed of her attack exceeded expectations slicing the head open as straw poured from the cavity. "Oh my..." The target had little life expectancy before she had to move onto another target. Still, she could get as much value out of this one with a few more practice technique.

She'd practice her thrusts the same way. These were just a tad bit slower but carried a bit more stopping power. It was necessary to breach light armor and make the thrust much more difficult to parry. Momentum and strength was key when it came to a thrust. They were ideal for striking weak points or delivering a precise, fatal wound. She would alternate between her three moves she practiced: the True Strike, False Strike, and Riposte. They were the foundation of what she needed to learn to become a true apprentice of the blade. She would practice these strikes several times for several minutes until she was fully confident in herself to apply these in combat scenarios. Of course she would practice these on her own time later today and for the future. But for now she was at least competent with what she learned.

Andariel sheathed her sword after completely decimating the straw target. Not much was left of the target. A pile of straw remained on the ground beneath where it was suspended from as hanging, torn pieces of cloth which initially held it together also laid with the straw and draped from the target stand. "Next should be the mace. As the knight's secondary weapon it is ideal for thrashing armored targets or overpowering strong opponents. The mace also serves as a more non-lethal option when it comes to controlling a crowd. A sword can be quick and painless if used by an experienced swordsman...a mace is not so much that." For Andariel there was not much finesse to be considered. The user focuses on striking down with as much strength as they could muster. It was not a skillful weapon, but instead a modifier version of the most primitive club. She'd draw her mace from her sash, the steel ball weight at the end of the steel shaft. The mere thought of being whopped by the mace was a natural deterrent on its own. The mace shattered bone, pummeled organs, and broke apart skin and muscle on contact. The stronger the user was the more powerful the tool was.

Having the buckler in her hand she practiced the same procedures as usual. She'd hold the shield out before her and practiced her footwork as a warm up once again. She had to remain agile above all else. If she practiced her fighting style and ignored her footwork she might develop a bad habit of not remaining light on her feet. In a real scenario that could spell death for her. Fortunately she was a wise warrior and went through the motions even if they seemed amateur. Doing her warm up she would be ready for action. She held the club at her waist this time, opposite of her sword stance. The mace was very effective anywhere, which meant as long as she made contact she would make points. Performing an uppercut swing she'd strike the straw dummy on the chin forcing the head to bobble. Returning with a diagonal slash the mace's head would strike the side of its neck. These were all lethal strikes on their own. Good for the dummy that it was not a conscious being.

[Training:

Knight's Tale - 200 WC
Knight's Cudgel - 200 WC
Knight's Vanguard - 200 WC
Knight's Mercy - 200 WC
Knight's Tale: Riposte - 200 WC
Knight's Tale: True Strike - 200 WC
Knight's Tale: False Strike - 150 WC
Knight's Vanguard: Parry - 150 WC
Knight's Vanguard: Guard Breaker - 200 WC
Knight's Cudgel: Payload - 200 WC
Knight's Cudgel: Payday - 200 WC
Knight's Mercy: Quarrel - 200 WC
Knight's Mercy: Dilute - 200 WC
Knight's Charge - 200 WC
Knight's Footwork - 150 WC
Knight's Poise - 200 WC

2,206/3050 WC Remaining]

The club did not cause much external damage to the straw dummy. Andariel practiced for thirty minutes on mace technique, which more or less was stress therapy. By striking the dummy as hard as she could she effectively pulverized the straw within it. Although the dummy did not suffer much on the outside it was notably soggier and lacked integrity. Andariel stashed her club back on her belt. "That leaves one last technique to master. I won't be able to use my ax today...maybe another time." Although she adored her ax and considered it her primary weapon she simply did not have enough energy or focus to get an effective session out of it. The ax was perhaps the perfect weapon on the battlefield. It sacrificed a bit of speed versus the sword for more stopping power. Likewise, it sacrificed stopping power compared to a maul for speed. It was a weapon of balance. In the hands of a skillful warrior it allowed one to intimidate their foe. Andariel was fairly muscular and tall. Something about large, two-handed weapons was a great deterrent to enemies. Andariel chalked it up to the fact that they were guaranteed to be lethal after one strike. A thrust from a sword or even a slash could be survivable.

Being struck by a large ax solidified ones fate. It would either leave a deep, gruesome wound or successfully split the victim in two. Whatever their fate it was not one to be a painless experience. But that was not to come today. Instead, she focused on her last resort weapon: the dagger. "Most civilians carry a knife of sorts, whether it be a tool, self defense, or both. It is the most fundamental tool for people over thousands of years. My dagger is designed to breach armor. Its thick, stiff stiletto decreases the most resistance when entering an object or opponent. For me, it's a last resort weapon. I'd rather cut my opponent down while they're still standing. But I can't always have my way." Andariel stashed her buckler onto her sash and drew her dagger into her right hand. It was more of a stabbing spike than a knife. As she stated the stiletto was designed to breach armor. This meant she required a narrow, thin blade that did not flex on impact. That was the only way to have the maximum success chance in breaching the toughest armors.

The dagger had a flat pommel which aided in two-handed support by driving the into the target and pushing down on the plunger to maximize penetration. The knife was also capable of skirmishing. Although it did not have an edge it could still very well cause lacerations by using the tip to cut. However the dagger was most effective when used to stab and pierce the foe. Andariel stood before her dummy and practiced her footwork once again. She'd hold the shield out before her and practiced her footwork as a warm up once again. She had to remain agile above all else. If she practiced her fighting style and ignored her footwork she might develop a bad habit of not remaining light on her feet. In a real scenario that could spell death for her. Fortunately she was a wise warrior and went through the motions even if they seemed amateur. Doing her warm up she would be ready for action. She held the knife at her waist this time, opposite of her sword stance and very similar to her club stance. However, she held the knife in a reverse grip versus a straight grip.

Taking a step forwards from her footwork practice she would lunge her knife forwards striking the abdomen of her target with the point of her blade using her other hand to drive the point in further. It was obvious that the blade, being specialized in entering targets, had no trouble stabbing through the soft, supple straw dummy. She pierced the dummy with the stiletto all the way up to the guard of the blade. She'd grin before pulling the blade out. She was just about done. She needed to practice a few more moves before she could consider herself an apprentice. Although she could not successfully practice on move she had in mind since her target did not and could not resist she was confident she would have no trouble applying her technique in a real life situation if she practiced enough here. She'd perform a few more basic technique with her knife before stashing it away in her belt. "I feel that is enough training for today. I should have picked up some bath soap and lotions before training. Now I don't feel like going..." But unfortunately, her day did not end here. She would leave to the market place to pick up her essentials before making a final respite.

[Training:

Knight's Tale - 200 WC
Knight's Cudgel - 200 WC
Knight's Vanguard - 200 WC
Knight's Mercy - 200 WC
Knight's Tale: Riposte - 200 WC
Knight's Tale: True Strike - 200 WC
Knight's Tale: False Strike - 150 WC
Knight's Vanguard: Parry - 150 WC
Knight's Vanguard: Guard Breaker - 200 WC
Knight's Cudgel: Payload - 200 WC
Knight's Cudgel: Payday - 200 WC
Knight's Mercy: Quarrel - 200 WC
Knight's Mercy: Dilute - 200 WC
Knight's Charge - 200 WC
Knight's Footwork - 150 WC
Knight's Poise - 200 WC

3,144/3050 WC Remaining]

[Exit]