Completed Maximum Axage

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role play forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

This shining population center is considered the jewel of The Sylira Region. Home of the vast majority of Mizahar's population, Syliras is nestled in a quiet, sprawling valley on the shores of the Suvan Sea. [Lore]

Maximum Axage

Postby Wynn Argall on June 19th, 2014, 4:08 am

Image
The fourth day of summer, 514 AV

The sun beat down upon the training grounds, soaking those below in sweat. A beads of moisture traveled down Wynn's face, pooling in the divots between his neck and shoulder, his mail a veritable furnace fueled by the ruthless gaze of Syna above. His gauntlets creaked as he tightened his grip on the haft of his axe, bending his knees with an even louder protest from the protective armor about his knees. Before him stood Ser Titus Maximus, his hammer drawn, and his smile a seething mix of amusement and anticipation. Shaking his head to fight back against the endless rivulets of sweat that ran down his face and neck, Wynn flexed his legs for half a moment before charging forward with a slash at his opponent.

For a moment, it seemed as though the axe would land directly in the center of Ser Maximus's skull. A quarter of a breath's time passed during which Wynn considered shifting his aim so as not to lethally wound the knight. A blink later Ser Maximus had raised his great hammer as easily as a stick, slamming the pole of his hammer against the haft of Wynn's axe. The reverberation and recoil sent Wynn stumbling backwards; his hands felt as though a thousand bees had delivered their dying gifts directly into his nerves. He let out a shout of surprise, though his grip remained firm upon the axe - if for no other reason than he could not move a single digit. The other knight, wasting no time, advanced, lowering his hammer to trail behind his left side as he let out a fierce explosion of sound from within his massive lungs.

Letting the axe fall to the ground in front of him, Wynn used it to stabilize himself, finding it hard to focus with the panic rising from the impending battering that was charging in his direction. With the head of the axe already planted in the soft dirt, Wynn bent his knees to get a better hold of the weapon with both hands, grunting with the effort to raise the weapon as Ser Maximus swung his hammer in a diagonal upwards arc. Placing both hands far apart, Wynn drew the haft of his weapon up in a block against the hammer's swing. The handle connected with the haft as it had done before, but the sheer force of power behind Ser Maximus's swing slammed the haft into Wynn's armor with a powerful crunch of metal before his body was launched off of the ground to land a few feet behind where he'd been standing. Smashing into the dirt with a heavy thud, Wynn felt the air rush out of his lungs. The world flashed a perfect, terrifying black for a moment before the light returned, allowing him to once more see the bright blue of the Syliran summer sky.

"Well shyke, squire!" Ser Maximus's booming voice thundered down from somewhere over head. Wynn let out a groan that mixed with a body shaking cough that alerted him to the several hundred new bruises that had already begun to form over every inch of his body. "I got a little carried away back there. You alright?" Despite the knight's gruff exterior, Ser Maximus was not the sort of man to take pleasure in the pain and suffering of those weaker than him - even if he caused the pain and suffering in the first place. Blinking several more times, Wynn was able to fight back against his daze long enough to twitch out a nod that he was, indeed, "alright".

There was a sudden darkening of the sky, allowing Wynn to gaze up at the weathered face of his instructor. There was genuine worry upon it now as Ser Maximus's eyes perused the wreck that lay upon the ground.
"Are you sure? You look a little battered." Deciding he'd been lying on the ground for long enough, Wynn pushed himself up, immediately regretting the sudden change in elevation as his head began to pound. Wincing, he leaned forward, resting his head in his hands and shutting his eyes, as if cutting off his vision would somehow alleviate the pain in his head. "I'm ok..." His voice came out shaky and garbled as it trickled out from the mass of armor. He felt Ser Maximus place a hand on his shoulder. "What do you say we take a little breather, huh?" Wynn gave another, tender nod of his head.
Image
Last edited by Wynn Argall on June 19th, 2014, 7:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Wynn Argall
Player
 
Posts: 70
Words: 98630
Joined roleplay: June 2nd, 2014, 6:10 am
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Maximum Axage

Postby Wynn Argall on June 19th, 2014, 4:53 am

Image

After about a chime, the headache had faded to where Wynn felt comfortable raising his head to stare blearily at his surroundings. Ser Maximus had had Wynn meet him on one of the mostly dirt plains. There were a few areas where grass fought against the dark, packed dirt, but for the most part there were just rocks of varying sizes scattered here and there in no particular fashion or order. The main abnormality about the area was that it had a shallow pool offset to the upper right of the center. It was a glorified pond, but Wynn had seen plenty of knights and squires use it as a practice pit for marsh fighting, something he rather hoped he have to neither train for nor participate in.

When he had Ser Maximus had begun their sparring, the area had been mostly empty, but as their training had progressed, a handful of squires had trickled in, some feigning practice with their sword forms while others just outright watched. Wynn hadn't been entirely aware of them during his short-lived bought with Ser Maximus, but after having been knocked to the ground - quite literally - he found his cheeks turning a red that was not due to the heat of the day. The other squires had remained quiet, even during Wynn's unfortunate incapacitation, for which he was grateful; but he knew they did so out of fear of their own well being.

Ser Maximus plopped himself down next to Wynn, his armor clanking against itself as he got situated. "You know, kid," He raised a brow at Wynn, chuckling. "When you asked me to spar, I was so surprised, I just couldn't say no." Wynn ventured a weak smile, still not fully recovered with his intimate meeting with the ground. "All that training you've been doing looks like it's paying off." He gave Wynn a conspiratory wink, which Wynn interpreted as "you're getting better, but you're still nowhere near my level". Still, it was a compliment from one of the most martially impressive members of the Order, or at the very least it was a form of encouragement - which was almost, if not more, valuable.

Ser Maximus let the conversation settle into a comfortable silence as Wynn concentrated on getting his wheezing under control. When he'd asked Ser Maximus if he would be willing to "show him some moves", Wynn hadn't exactly been looking for a duel. The knight, however, seemed to have taken Wynn's inquiry as an all out challenge - well, as all out as a Sergeant Knight against a squire might. The entire sparring session could be summarized by Wynn swinging his axe about until Ser Maximus decided it was time to lay waste to his unsuspecting victim. All in all, it had been an experience Wynn certainly wouldn't forget, assuming his brain hadn't sustained enough damage for that to happen.

"Your form isn't terrible." Ser Maximus spoke out towards where he was facing rather than directly at Wynn, but he held a pensive look on his face as he verbally reviewed Wynn's performance. "But you're definitely lacking the proper strength right now. You're slow." He turned to offer a grin, slapping Wynn on the knee. "And you're a bit clumsy." By then, Wynn's head had cleared enough to allow him to nod with his customary vigor, his grey green eyes determined to take into account whatever criticism the knight might offer. "That aside, you're not wrong to use those downward slashes. You're not strong enough to properly utilize the horizontal and diagonal swings, but if you're going to rely on the slash, you're going to have to stop pussyfooting around and just go for it." Ser Maximus had a way of making all his words several decibels too loud and every sentence a combination of a laugh and a gruff reprimand.

Wynn tilted his head, not entirely sure what the knight was talking about.
"Pussyfooting?" Ser Maximus nodded, his voice rising with excitement as he became more and more invested in his explanation. "Yeah, pussyfooting. You're taking too small of steps. If you're not using the muscles in your legs when you're engaging, you're not engaging hard enough. You have to commit. You have to take the initiative into your own hands because you're already at a disadvantage being slower that most of the people you'll probably be facing." Ser Maximus cleared his throat, spitting into the dirt, before he continued. "I don't win fights by being more agile or swift than my opponents. I win because I smash 'em before they can figure out what's going on, before they can develop a strategy to beat me, see?"

Wynn's brows knit together as he tried to process the information.
"So you just... charge at them?" Ser Maximus let out his thunder of a laugh, clapping Wynn on the shoulder in a fashion that was suspiciously close to the way Linnae dealt with him. "It's closer to that than sitting back and waiting for them to make a move." He tapped the tips of his fingers together as he thought for a few ticks before continuing. "You need to develop... A feel for weaknesses. The best kind of fighters are the ones that are constantly evaluating their opponents, looking for hesitations or soft spots that they can capitalize on. Wynn raised a brow, frowning slightly. "I know, I know. It doesn't sound too knightly, does it?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "But it's petching effective. You and I, we have weapons that function best when they're exploiting weaknesses. My hammer," He gave a loving pat on the head of the massive weapon. "Your axe. They're heavy, powerful tools that smash and bash your opponents into submission. Or death." He added the last bit with a shrug.
Image
User avatar
Wynn Argall
Player
 
Posts: 70
Words: 98630
Joined roleplay: June 2nd, 2014, 6:10 am
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Maximum Axage

Postby Wynn Argall on June 19th, 2014, 6:44 am

Image

Though Ser Maximus had sat in on plenty of Wynn's solo axe training sessions, he'd mostly just shouted out form corrections. The insights into how the axe was actually supposed to be used in real-time combat were both astonishing and many. He did his best to catalog what it meant to wield a great weapon, to determine and exploit weaknesses, to smash and bash. Ser Maximus seemed content with his lesson, standing up and shouting across the way over Wynn. "You there! Yes- No!" He waved his arms about before pointing in the direction of one of the squires that had been on standby during their match. "You. That's right! Get over here!" Ser Maximus gave Wynn a sly grin before glancing up and shouting in his booming voice, "With your weapon." Despite the initial flinch at Ser Maximus's voice, Wynn couldn't help but grin at the sound of disappointed frustration in the knight's voice. He was much more accustomed to those sort of things happening to him, not others.

When the squire finally joined them, Ser Maximus gestured for Wynn to stand up, which he quickly did so. Turning around, Wynn's eyes met the familiar face of Eddard Stanlinsa. The other squire offered Wynn a quick smirk before Ser Maximus spoke to the both of them.
"I want you to spar with each other." He gave Eddard a raise of his brow. "That won't be a problem, will it?" Eddard shook his head, offering a "No, Ser." "Good! Wynn, grab your axe and remember what we talked about." Wynn nodded, hobbling over to gather up his axe, he returned with the weapon slung over her shoulder.

Eddard had already drawn his sword and shield, his smirk returning as Ser Maximus retreated to a safe distance away.
"So, little Whimpy Wynn managed to leech himself onto The Hammer?" He sung his sword in a circle, laughing at his own taunt. "Gotta say, that's impressive even for you." Dropping down into his stance, he spit on the ground and sneered. "Ready to have you butt handed to you?" Doing his very best to focus on Ser Maximus's advice, Wynn ignored the other squires taunts. Instead, he focused upon where Eddard was placing his weight, how tightly he held his sword, where his buckler was connected to his arm. From what he could tell, the other squire's weight was fairly evenly distributed, he had a strong grip on his sword, and the buckler was strapped firmly to where it should be.

Wynn frowned, uncertain as to what weaknesses he was supposed to exploit. Ser Maximus gave them their cue, and Wynn decided if he couldn't figure out what his opponent's weaknesses were, he'd just have to make some. Taking the knight's direction to mind, Wynn tensed his legs for a brief tick before launching himself forward in a lunge, letting his axe swing down much quicker than he remembered it moving. The action took Eddard by surprise, and though he raised his shield, the axe swung down, smashing into the shield with a crack and sending Eddard to the ground with a surprised yelp. With his axe stuck in Eddard's shield, Wynn stared down at the other squire for a brief moment before he realized he had the upper hand. Without giving it much thought, Wynn released his grip on the axe, hustled over to the prostrate Eddard and cuffed him with his gauntlet.

Ser Maximus shouted out over the two of them between fits of laughter.
"No no... Wynn... You can't just..." He paused, his chuckles interrupting the point he was trying to address. "Get up, squire, and Wynn; get that axe outta his shield, alright?" Wynn nodded, raising his brows at the glare he received from Eddard as he pushed himself to his feet. Eddard grabbed the shield while Wynn heaved on the haft until it came free. During that time, Ser Maximus had rejoined them. "This time, let's stick to using our weapons, yes?" He gave Wynn a slap on the back followed by another chuckle before he moved back to where he'd been standing.

"You're dead." Eddard had not found Wynn's little stunt to have been half as amusing as the knight. Giving Eddard a glare of his own, Wynn gripped the haft of his axe once more, this time a plan formed in his mind. As Ser Maximus gave them the go-ahead, Wynn lunged forward once more. As predicted, Eddard's shield swung up to defend against the downwards strike. Grinning, Wynn brought the axe swinging down on a diagonal from his left shoulder to his right foot. Having brought himself too close to his opponent, the haft of his weapon made a full connection with Eddard's body rather than the head of the axe, but the force behind the blow was enough to knock the other squire off balance and to the ground, as he had been preparing to brace from a strike from above.

Drawing the axe back to its ready position on his shoulder, Wynn beamed down at the dazed Eddard. Ser Maximus hurried over to join them, checked on Eddard to make sure he wasn't seriously injured before turning to Wynn and clapping him on the shoulders.
"Much better, kid. You used his weakness against him." He chuckled a little throwing a disdainful look down at the grumbling Stalinsa, "Or more like your own weaknesses."

Wynn was rather happy with his accomplishment. While true he hadn't quite figured out what all Ser Maximus had been talking about, he had managed to understand fighting required more than just proper form and strength. One had to think and reason on top of the rest of it if one was going to succeed. Offering a hand down to Eddard, Wynn gave him a happy smile.
"Good effort!" The hand was brushed aside as Eddard staggered to his feet. "Is there anything else I can assist you with, Ser?" Completely ignoring Wynn, Eddard turned to address Ser Maximus.

The knight just grinned a similar smile to Wynn's own and shook his head.
"No. That will be all, squire." Eddard nodded and walked off back towards the other squires with as much dignity as he could muster. With the adrenaline starting to fade, Wynn was once again reminded of his own bumps and bruises. The heat of the day hadn't let up all that much, and he realized he was incredibly thirsty. Ser Maximus let out a content sigh, making a gesture for Wynn to follow him as he began to trek across the dirt field.
Image
User avatar
Wynn Argall
Player
 
Posts: 70
Words: 98630
Joined roleplay: June 2nd, 2014, 6:10 am
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Maximum Axage

Postby Wynn Argall on June 19th, 2014, 7:12 am

Image

"That little scab has been throwing around his name for awhile now. It's nice to see twerps like that get chopped down to size." Ser Maximus gave a grunt of a chuckle at his own pun. "The slap to the head was a nice touch too." Ser Maximus bumped Wynn with an armored elbow, a muffled clank denoting the comraderie. "If you keep this up, you'll be a master axeman before you know it."

Wynn gave Ser Maximus a happy, but weak nod. As they had been walking, a sudden wave of nausea had begun to pass over him. Despite desperately wanting to share in with Ser Maximus's mirth, Wynn's stomach had something else it wanted to say. The knight went on to chat about something else, but Wynn was far too focused on the fact that his entire body felt as though it was going to explode before he leaned over and spilled his breakfast all over the dirt. Ser Maximus stopped to stand and watch with surprise as the whitish brown liquid poured from the squire's mouth to pool onto the ground.
"Thought you were just bein' quiet."

Coughing and heaving up a few more mouthfuls of bile, Wynn wiped his mouth on his gauntlet, offering Ser Maximus a weak and sickly smile.
"Usually I am..." The other man laughed, shaking his head. "Let's get you back to the dorms so you can get cleaned up." Wynn nodded weakly, turning to face the mess he'd made as another wave of nausea hit him. "Are you all right to head back, kid?" Wynn held up a hand to signal he wasn't quite finished. Three heaves and two splashes later, Wynn spit a couple times before slowly standing up and nodding. "...Alright." Ser Maximus just shook his head, his grin growing wider. "You're certainly something else." Unsure how to take the statement, Wynn just nodded again, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other as they made their way back to the dorms.
Image
User avatar
Wynn Argall
Player
 
Posts: 70
Words: 98630
Joined roleplay: June 2nd, 2014, 6:10 am
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Maximum Axage

Postby Radiant on June 22nd, 2014, 3:39 pm

Image

Wynn :
Experience
Skill XP Earned
Observation +3 XP
Socialization +3 XP
Weapon: Great Axe +3 XP
Body Building +1 XP
Endurance +2 XP
Tactics +2 XP
Brawling +1 XP


Lores
Lore Earned
Titus: An Extreme Drill-Sergeant
Titus: Wields A Warhammer
Eddard: Squire
Waraxe: Powerful Cleave
Combat: "Pussyfooting" Is Bad
Tactic: Constantly Evaluate Your Opponent
Tactic: Feint Moves


Loots
+3 Shield Points



Notes :
Nice and intense thread, Wynn! Good job! :D

Just a note, please increase your font size. It is too small for my 1024 x 768 screen to read comfortably. :)

Enjoy your grades! :D


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. :)
User avatar
Radiant
Sailor Radiant
 
Posts: 2195
Words: 781936
Joined roleplay: July 2nd, 2013, 1:39 pm
Location: DS of Syliras
Race: Staff account
Office
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 2
Featured Contributor (1) Extreme Scrapbooker (1)


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests