Completed [Antinous Training Grounds] Moving With Purpose

[Orion Michaels]

21st of Fall, 513 AV
Antinous Training Grounds
11th Bell

Orion needed to change his focus. He needed something else on his mind, something to distract him. He'd made foolish choices both in his personal life and in the line of duty. The former were the sort of thing he was used to; Orion's life was riddled with regrets and mistakes. But the latter? Now that was something new. He was used to professional success, he was used to making the right call, and how he'd have that eating at the back of his mind. He'd severely injured Sera Alicia Frostfawn in an attempt to stop a leecher. What had he been thinking?

When he expressed his concern to Dinah, she decided to deal with it in the way she knew best. Intense training. She'd grabbed a handful of knights under her command as well as their squires and decided on a group training exercise and competition.

It was at times like this, Orion wished he'd kept his mouth shut.

"Alright young ones. And Orion. We're going to do one of my favorite drills." Dinah stood to the side of the group of squires and knights, clad in well maintained full plate. She'd painstakingly set up this course to ensure her troops were the best they could be. "This event tests quite a bit of your physical prowess. Speed. Strength. Combat ability. It's simple enough. All of you will start at this first red flag, sprint back to the blue flag."

Over by the blue flag were stone spheres, one for every participant in the drill. "When you get here, you're going to pick up the stone and as quickly as you can move, get to the the yellow flag. As you arrive, I'll pair you off into sparring partners, where you'll fight to theoretical first blood. The first solid blow wins. The loser has to carry both his sphere back as well as returning for his foes. The winner, on the other hand, gets to go back to the start and rest until the loser has managed to get both spheres over. If you lose, you get no respite. Simple enough, right?"

Some of the knights chuckled, some of them groaned, but all of them had been through this training with Dinah before.

The squires, on the other hand, stared at the woman, dumbfounded. She was insane, that was the only answer. Even Orion was surprised by what she was pulling out here. He'd done something similar a few seasons back, but the strength aspect was considerably different, and likely more draining. He was stronger than the last time he’d trained in this manner, though, so he hoped he could actually keep up.

”Go ahead and make sure whatever training weapons you need are in the sparring area. We begin in ten chimes.”

Orion wasted no time in laying out his equipment. He’d test out the skill of some of the other squires by using his broadsword, but if he were matched up against a knight, he had no choice but to use his long sword. He had no interest in carrying anyone else’s weight. With two swords and a kite shield, Orion was ready to begin.

He hoped.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion glanced down the line at the rest of the participants. It was somewhat shocking to see how enthusiastic so many of them appeared to be. Her training was brutal and exhausting, but even Orion couldn't argue its effectiveness. He'd never been in as good of shape as he was after a year under Dinah's watch. She hadn't ascended to her title by meandering about or exhibiting laziness. No, she'd worked hard and commanded respect. Her troops were ready to jump at her orders, and it was an amazing thing to see.

Orion, on the other hand, was ready to jump out in front of whoever he could. There was no way he planned on doing other people's work for them.

"Get ready..Go!" Dinah called out, raising her hand and lowering it as she began the exercise. With that, the group was off and she was walking over to the sparring area. 

Orion quickly lost sight of her as he burst forth from the starting area. The sound of the metal plate armor soon filled the training area as a dozen armored knights and squires pushed themselves across the span. Orion pumped his arms, trying to remember to keep his form correct. It had proven to be difficult enough a thing when done without the heavy knight armor. With it donned, the steely defense only added a new layer of difficulty, tasking Orion's muscles in ways he didn't think possible. 

As his feet pounded against the ground, he made every effort to not land on his heels, instead hitting the ground firmly with the center of his foot and rolling back. With every step he could feel the force transfer from his feet all throughout the armor causing it to bounce and adjust somewhat uncomfortably on his frame. Attempts at consistant breathing were met with failure as each jarring impact caused a break in his rhythm. 

This didn't matter; he was going to get to the stones first. 

The squire had started off at a blistering pace, flying past his competitors despite his body's displeasure with his decision. The burning started in his calves, but he could feel the burden weighing on him from his shoulders and below. Moving quickly in armor was not simple. Still, he pressed on, closing the distance on the next flag while pumping his arms, leaning forward, and putting one foot after the other.  His lungs sucked down precious air as he widened his lead with wide, lunging steps, though Orion didn't glance back to see just how far ahead he'd gotten. His focus remained forward, and on keeping his head and body moving and in the correct position. 

Orion was the first to arrive at the stones. He forced deep breaths as he positioned himself by the sphere, bending down at the waist to wrap his arms around the rugged object. As he used his legs to drive himself up, it was at that moment he realized just how serious Dinah's course was. It was too serious. Way too fucking serious.

A groan escaped Orion's lips as he lifted, every muscle in his arms back, chest, and legs tensing as he brought the heavy weight to midsection. "S-shyke," he muttered, slowly turning where he stood. One foot at a time, rotating slowly as the massive stone bore down upon him. Once facing the next flag, Orion paused for a moment, though he knew it was a foolish waste of energy. What were at a time long strides would become short, choppy steps. Confidence was replaced with trepidation. 

The squire adjusted the heavy stone in his grasp, trying to get his arms under it a bit more. It would task him more, but allow for an easier grip. At the time it seemed like a good tradeoff. With the stone pressed tight against his body and his arms just below center mass, Orion stepped forward, his body screaming in disagreement with his choice. It was going to be a long morning. 

[Orion Michaels]

Orion continued to enjoy his lead over the rest of the participants, though he couldn’t quite glance back to see just how quickly he was losing that advantage. If there was an area in which Orion didn’t know how to pace himself, this was it.

The squire pushed himself forward, one strenuous step after the other. Fingers were interlaced with one another as he tried to keep his grip on the annoyingly bulky stone. By grasping it low he’d made it simple to get his hands together, but also carried a much larger amount of the burden on his arms. It was a choice he was quickly regretting. When he’d began the distance between the stones and the sparring area seemed so small, but now he was sure it spanned further than the Suvan Sea. Muscles tensed up and down his legs and in his arms and chest while he walked, fatigue quickly showing its ugly face. Orion knew he would recover quickly after he was free of the weight, but that didn’t make it any more enjoyable during the process.

Orion struggled onward, taking deep breaths with each movement. Although he’d not admit it at the time, he preferred this sort of work out to the training he’d done with Ser Iros. It seemed more practical to strengthen someone’s ability to move than their ability to stand still and lift things. Both were useful, but the current drill would have a more frequent application. The squire adjusted the stone in his grasp, bucking his body to try and get underneath the weight a bit more. The satisfying burn traced throughout his chest and biceps as he got into a slightly, and although only momentarily so, a more comfortable position.

For a few ticks he felt more at ease, like he could easily finish up the course. Then his arms nearly gave out, causing him to stumble forward and cross into the sparring area. He quickly squatted down and laid the stone against the floor, panting as he rose back to standing. Only a moment later he heard a second stone fall to the ground just at his side. It was one of the knights that was participating in Dinah’s fun.

”Looks like it’s you and me, Ser,” Orion said through ragged breaths. All he received from the knight was a toothy grin and deep breaths of his own. Shaking out his arms, Orion made his way over to where he’d set up his equipment.

Shield….broadsword…..where’s my long sword?

”Looking for something, Orion,” Dinah inquired, though the tone in her voice suggested she knew the answer to his question.

”One of my weapons is-“

”Missing? I suppose you’ll have to make do with what you’ve got, hmm?” Dinah smiled at him and nodded, her grin eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint he wasn’t used to seeing from her. ”Let’s not waste time. Get ready or I’ll call your match forfeit and send you across with those stones.”

Orion didn’t need to be told twice. He strapped on the shield and grabbed his broad sword, turning to face the immensely more talented knight. ”Take it easy on me, huh?”

”Not a chance, squire. I’ve got no intention of carrying my weight back across. A nice breather awaits me at the starting point.” He raised his sword and shield to acknowledge he was ready and waited on Orion to do the same before advancing.

Without armor on, without a crest, Orion only knew the man to be a knight. There was no way to tell if he was ranked, or what rank he was if that were the case. The stranger wasn’t extremely young, and he’d been battle tested. Scars of varying depth and color dotted his exposed flesh, wrinkles and wear beginning to show on his skin. Deep green eyes showed signs of weariness, and short black hair had hints of greying throughout its coloring.

But even more telling than his physical features was the way he held his blade. It darted back and forth quickly, like a rattler’s tail giving warning. He seemed ready to strike and Orion wasn’t sure if he could interpose with his shield in time. He’d find out soon enough.

With his own shield and blade ready, their little dance could begin.

Orion got things started, closing the distance between them by darting forward and lifting his shield to chest level. His right arm shot up, the broad sword rising above his head so he could gain the angle he needed for a powerful overhead, downward slash. The only problem was that Orion was still only thinking an attack ahead with this weapon. The squire was just starting to get comfortable with the new weapon, the broadsword which Dinah now seemed intent on him becoming proficient with. The grip didn’t feel nearly as strange as it once did, the weight of the blade was a bit more natural, and he was much more at ease with the smaller reach. All that said, he may as well announce every attack he decided to make, for his body did so without his knowing.

The knight shifted his stance subtly, lining his feet and torso to be able to absorb the blow easily with the steel shield. Almost simultaneously he brought his sword back to strike at Orion. With his sword blocked, and the natural motion of his strike pushing his own shield off to the left, there wasn’t much he could to do regain control. The squire jerked his left arm over to try and block the attack, getting there just in time. The metal training sword crushed into the side of Orion’s shield, sending it flying back from whence it came, opening the squire up once again for an attack. This time the knight wouldn’t miss.

He brought the longsword back and despite Orion’s best efforts to bring the sword down to block it, he couldn’t move in time. Pain rippled throughout his body as the sword connected with the side of his ribs, dropping him to a knee in an instant of agony.

”The winner is Ser Livingston! Go enjoy your rest. Orion, take your stone over, then run back over for his. Have fun.”

[Orion Michaels]

This is bullshyke.

The training was completely unfair, with an unacceptable amount of randomness about the matchups. Here he had bested all the other participants in getting to the sparring area, and he was punished by facing someone far more skilled in the art of combat. As a result of that, he was double punished by having to carry Ser Livington's weight.

Orion wiped his hands on the sides of his pants as he arrived over the first of the two stones he was tasked with moving across the course. Shaking his arms out, Orion tried to get himself mentally prepared for the rigors of the training Dinah had set out before him. His muscles already ached in anticipation of the weight, but he had no choice in the matter. It had to be done.

Bending at his waist, the squire squatted down in front of the stone, his knees sticking out on each side of the rough sphere. Orion once again wrapped his arms around the weight, fingers interlacing as he brought them together. With as firm a grip as he could muster, he exhaled loudly before sucking in a deep breath and lifting.

If his body could have groaned, it would have.

Although he was considerably stronger than he'd ever been, by constantly changing the way he was tested Dinah found new places for Orion to hurt, ones he didn't even know that existed. It was absolutely horrible. Orion's face flushed red as he muscles tensed all throughout his body. His legs were burdened with the actual lifting. Quadriceps, thighs, calves; the entirety of the muscle system all fired off at the same time to aid in powering his body back to standing. All the while his arms had the unenviable task of supporting the stone itself.

Like his last carry, Orion had more of the stone above his arms than below it. He preferred the easier way to grip, rather than more even distribution of weight gained by grasping it around the middle. His arms still burned from the last trip, however, and it wasn't going to get any easier as he went along.

Orion's back arched slightly as he began to move forward in an attempt to span the seemingly endless distance. The fibers of his back fired up and down with each step as the struggled to stabilize him with each movement.

This...is...ridiculous..

Orion's breaths were short and choppy, as he quickly inhaled and exhaled while moving as expeditiously as he was able. The weight of the stone slowed him considerably, however, and the awkward position he found himself in was doing little to help his legs have the room to really propel him across the ground. Still, he was making pretty good time, and despite the strain on his body and the sweat pouring from his brow, he made it to the other side and let the stone fall to the ground with a loud thud.

Dropping into a low squat, Orion tried to stretch out his muscles for his return trip, but Dinah’s shouting ruined his moment of rest.

”I don’t think so, Orion! Sprint over here and let’s get moving. Ser Livingston is waiting on you, after all.”

Orion sighed and rose back to his feet, looking back across to where the second stone lay. That one was going to be trouble, of this he was sure.

[Orion Michaels]

The first step was the worst.

His body was not accustomed to what the doctor turned squire was putting it through, and as a result he felt like a mess with each movement. He’d run the corridors of Syliras. He’d run them chasing rogues. He’d run them after his daughter. He’d even put chains over his shoulders and forced himself to go on. Yet this was putting all that to shame. There was nothing remotely natural about the way he was stressing his body. The aches and pains that he was experiencing were his body’s way of telling him to stop and ensuring how much they disagreed with his choice of activity.

So, yes, the first step was the worst. At least until the second step.

Orion’s arms pumped back and forth as he took long strides back to retrieve the next stone. While he was tired, he hadn’t begun to sacrifice form quite yet. Each step he took he was careful to hit the middle of his foot, allowing the impact of his body slamming against the ground to be spread throughout his frame, rather than being absorbed his toes or heel alone. His body remained mostly upright, though he did lean just forward to relieve some of the strain as well as keep him properly balanced and moving forward. Most importantly, and most difficult of his tasks, Orion kept his head up and eyes on his destination. This was the best way to ensure that the rest of his form remained consistent and proper.

Even with his best efforts, it was still exhausting. His entire body was still reeling from the miniature boulders he was being forced to lug around, and now he had to sprint all over the place between the two flags all while maintaining the energy required for his next bout. Dinah’s training was harsh and unforgiving, as always.

Air rushed past Orion as he lumbered towards the sparring area to pick up the second stone. The squire sucked in deep breaths, trying to pace the breaths with his steps, inhaling for three full iterations of his steps, and exhaling for three as well, each time the left foot hit counting as one. All the time he patron had forced him to run around Syliras had finally started to pay off, even if his body wasn’t ready for the combination of running, carrying such weight, and fighting.

It seemed like forever, but Orion finally arrived at the second stone, grabbed it, and returned it to the other side, finally allowing him to return to the starting point. There waited the majority of the winners of each spar. Most of the losers were still struggling to move the stones back to their point beyond the first flag. When he crossed the start line, Ser Livingston took off to complete another round, and after taking ten ticks for himself to catch his breath, Orion repeated the whole process once again.

He burst forth from the beginning once more, trying to make up time he’d lost carrying the second stone back. Orion was determined to continue his success at the non-combat portion of their training. Sweat dripped from his brow as the blue eyed man sucked in breath after breath. He would keep his arms and legs moving, arrive at the stone, carry it over, and then pray to the gods that he faced someone he actually stood a shot against. Carrying two stones over again, or rather not having to do so was hopefully enough incentive to ensure he was victorious in his one on one spar.

[Orion Michaels]

Throughout the next few agonizing chimes, Orion completed his sprint and arrived at the heavy stones. Fatigue had reared its ugly head, making each movement more difficult than the last. Tired muscles cried out as he continued to task them, work them, and push them to their limits. Orion’s arms were weary, but he summoned all the strength he could muster in order to lift the rock once again.

What he had learned regarding muscles while working with Ser Iros was quite simple. You had to push your muscles to the point of failure, and not an inch further. While it seemed an obvious thing, there were certain subtlies that one could not overlook. The body needed time to recover, and if that opportunity was not given, the risk of injury would only worsen. This training would certainly lead him to the very limit of his ability.

Veins popped out in his arms and neck as he strained himself in bringing the weight from its place on the ground. Orion sucked in a breath, bent as his waist, and wrapped his arms around the boulder. He drove up with this legs, wincing as pain crept throughout them. The squire was familiar with his body, however, and knew that this was the sort of pain he wanted to feel. Well, perhaps not wanted, but it wasn’t a bad pain. It was his body being tested, his fibers suffering tiny tears as they buckled under the stress of his efforts. They would, however, come back stronger and more powerful.

He hoped.

Orion forced short, desperate breaths through his lungs and mouth as he stumbled towards the sparring area. Calves, thighs, shoulders, back, and arms all burned as he trudged onwards. He could feel his grip slipping and his muscles giving out. Too long had he carried the stone in the off center manner. His arms weren’t strong enough to support so much weight for so long. No longer were his fingers interlocked. The weight had eroded his endurance and forced his hands to dig into the stone with everything they could muster.

Soon it was even a task to lift his feet, barely clearing an inch from the floor. When it got to that point, Orion arched his back further, and began to slide across the ground, one slow, tedious step at a time. Relief washed over the squire’s face when he finally crossed the flag, and not a tick passed after he cleared it did the stone come crashing to the ground. Orion let out a loud exhale, taking in deep, long breaths to allow his body to recover. His face had turned red and he was more than drenched with sweat at this point. Worst of all, he knew Dinah was watching him like a hawk. He’d barely let the stone go when she was calling for him to come over and spar.
The squire dejectedly obliged, though he made no effort move quickly. Instead he struggled to suppress whispers of thirst that teased his senses, as well as trying to get the appropriate color back into his face. Fair, white skin was the name. Not this puffy red tint that he suffered as a result of his efforts

”Get yourself ready, Orion. Squire Norris will be your next foe.”

[Orion Michaels]

After arming himself, the elder squire turned to face his opponent for the spar. As the previous one, it would be to ‘first blood.’ First to score a significant blow to their foe would claim victory.

Squire Norris was a short, stocky lad in his late teens. The running had proven to be quite the test for the youth, but the stones on the other hand were no match. The squire was strong. A low center of gravity, genetics, and a perfect build for projecting power made him quite the formidable foe. The way he hefted the stones or even just picked up his shield and mace demonstrated nothing but power. Orion had quite the test on his hands.

”Looking forward to a good match, Norris,” Orion finally managed after getting his legs under him once more. He felt like they were going to give out with one wrong step, and now he had to fight this mountain of a teenager.

”Looking forward to watching you carry my rock, Michaels,” he retorted.

Gods, is everyone here an ass?

Norris wasted no time in moving on Orion, and it seemed as though he was simply going to bull rush him over and beat him into the ground. If Orion had fresh legs it wouldn’t have been an issue, but the squire was sluggish in his movement. Fortunately for Orion the other squire was dealing with the same fatigue he was facing, so his lateral movements, which were already slow, were even slower.

Orion slid his feet to the left, to try and clear the charging beast. While he did manage to get out from in front of the brunt of his attack, the squire did make a poor tactical choice in his direction of avoidance. Norris was right handed. By moving to the left, he stepped right into the squire’s monstrous swing. Orion jerked his shield up just in time to intercept the mace head. The impact streaked throughout the squire’s body, as he was nearly upended by the massive force generated.

Whoa, this guy is taking the spar a little too serious.

Struggling to keep his balance, Orion stumbled several steps to the side as Norris was slow to turn around. He was breathing heavily, fatigued not by their brief combat, but the training in general. While Norris was gathering himself to reengage Orion, the squire put his hand down behind him to help him regain form. He twisted his body as he did so allowing him to move from a crouched position to a fully upright position as he took several long strides to give himself some distance from the other combatant.

As Orion turned to face the other squire, he raised his shield arm to stretch out his shoulder and shake off the pain from his previous attack. The clash of blades from a short distance away momentarily distracted the squire as he glanced over to see Ser Livingston dispatch another who had the unfortunate pleasure of facing him in a battle of steel. It was both a relief and a frustration that he’d been unlucky enough to fight him first.

Turning his eyes back to Squire Norris, Orion began to make his way towards the large teen, his shield raised to deal with the mace. His broadsword was up at chest level, angled toward and just in front of his shield, giving Orion a solid front guard. Norris began another charge, his predictable, straight forward attack identical to his last. Orion once again sidestepped to the left, this time bringing his sword arm back to slash across the teen’s midsection. His left feet planted firmly against the ground while the toe of his right foot dragged across the carved stone floor. The hacking slash led with the front of his broadsword, the forearm swing whizzing through the air across his foe’s gut.

Norris’ shield blocked Orion’s swing with a simple shift of his arm. At the same time, his own weapon came up at the ready as he set to swing on Orion once more. His adversary had foolishly moved into his sweet spot once again, and the thundering mace blow came raining down upon Orion

His shield was already in position to block the incoming attack, but he was unbalanced from his stance, so when he accepted the blow he wasn’t prepared to completely absorb its force. He tried to shift his weight to redirect the mace away from his body by pushing his arm out and angling the shield face downwards. Despite his best efforts, however, the metal ball struck the shield flush, sending Orion tripping over backwards. His feet desperately pattered against the ground, trying to keep the man upright but he’d been leaning too far when the attack collided. He could do nothing but embrace the hard floor beneath him.

Orion’s butt plopped against the ground, but he was given no time to grumble about his fortunes. The flash of metal coming at him prompted Orion to raise his shield once more. When it crashed against his guard, the squire found himself rolling over to his left side, the speed and power of the strike taking care of setting him in motion. Now resting on his back, looking up at Norris, Orion could take solace in one fact:

He hadn’t lost the spar yet.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion could feel the wind of the mace cutting through the air as it narrowly missed the side of his head. When Norris raised his weapon to finish beating Orion into submission, he’d immediately tucked his arms in and thrown himself in a messy roll away from the bulky teen. It was a good thing he’d done so or at best he was going to have a caved in skull. The blue eyed squire took in deep breaths as he tried to keep himself from getting beaten down, struggling back to his feet while Squire Norris advanced on him once more.

Dinah watched her squire scramble about with an amused look on her face. The corners of her lips turned skyward in the hint of a smirk as green eyes shifted between the two warring combatants. He’d come quite a long ways, but he had so much further to go. Using a weapon he wasn’t familiar with, fighting a much stronger foe while exhausted, and holding his own while doing so; those were things she hadn’t expected to see from Orion so soon. He kept making tactical errors, though, and she hoped he would realize the mistakes he was repeating without her needing to intervene.

Back on his feet, Orion only had a tick before Norris was upon him again. The girthy squire figured that if it had worked so well twice, why not go for a third. Bulky and lumbering, he rushed at Orion with as much speed as he could muster. Orion found himself on his heels once more, trying to dance across the ground to avoid dealing with the full force of Norris’ mass. As he came into range, Orion focused not on the weapon or shield of his foe, but instead his arms. They were where his attacks would come from. When the mace came up, rather than slide directly into the path of the weapon in an attempt to avoid the charge, Orion moved away, to the right.

The attack came from Norris, as expected, but instead of catching him with the full brunt of the swing, the very end of the attack flailed weakly at Orion. As he skirted away, Orion raised his shield high, twisting his arm so the face of his guard was angled mostly at the ground. He then lowered the steel shield with as much force as he could muster, driving it into the mace and the hand of his ‘enemy’. Norris yelped in pain as the crushing blow landed on his arm, but Orion didn’t stop with that.

When he delivered the shield strike, Orion had stepped forward with his left foot, leaving both feet planted firmly against the ground. His knees were bent slightly from the driving attack, and Norris’ side was open as he lurched pasted him. The broadsword came back in his grasp, Orion twisting at his waist to build up power for his strike. A solid, even swing was unleashed as Orion let his body try and return to a more natural state. His torso snapped back towards its normal resting state, flying past neutral and to his right side as his sword-arm followed. His forearm remained at a near right angle as it approached Norris’ side, and then like a cracking whip, it straighten out and enhanced the force of the strike right as it impacted with his foe’s midsection.

Norris doubled over, dropping his mace and clutching his side as Orion lost the grip on his blade. The blue-eyed squired dropped to a knee himself, gasping loudly as he tried to catch his breath. It had only been a few short exchanges, but they had left Orion exhausted. Both of the squires had gone full force and while there could only be one victor, both could claim lessons learned from that encounter.

”Good job, Orion,” Dinah said, walking over to help the two men to their feet. ”Go take your breather. Squire Norris, you know the drill. Get to carrying.” She motioned Orion back to the start. He gave her a bit of an incredulous look, unsure if he could go again, but Dinah wasn’t about to let them quit so soon. They had a full day of training ahead, and the squires had so very much to learn.

[Radiant]

Orion :

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Acrobatics	+1 XP
Body Building	+4 XP
Running	+3 XP
Endurance	+4 XP
Weapon: Broadsword	+3 XP
Weapon: Shield	+3 XP
Tactics	+2 XP

Lores

Lore Earned

Sera Dinah Is An Effective Drill Sergeant

Ser Livingston: Syliran Knight

Norris: Squire

Loots

+2 Shield Points

Notes :

Woah! That was intense! Good job, Ori! Enjoy the grades!

My radiance is not bright enough?

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