Closed [Training Grounds] One Day, at Squire Camp...

[Kreig Messer]

OOCPermission to use Ser Lucius Antinous granted by Nightmare

33rd Day of Spring, 8th Bell.

Much like a parrot that seems to repeat its words, so too did the begining of Kreig’s days seemed to repeat themselves as he stood before a wooden post armed with a heavy wooden longsword and a round shield, his form drapped in a familiar set of full plate that had been borrowed from the armory, his body weighed down by the heavy weigh much like a over-burdened packmule. That’s not to say Kreig couldn’t move around in it easily enough, having grown somewhat used to the blasted thing, but it was simply one of those things that he’d rather do without.

‘Not much I can do about it, I suppose’ Besides Kreig in front of a row of posts were other squires geared much like himself although the style of their swords seemed to vary. While Kreig couldn’t tell how they looked like beneath their armor, he guessed that it more than likely they were the younger squires of the order who were either born into it or signed up for it by their families. This left Kreig certainly feeling a tad old, knowing that he amongst perhaps a half dozen squires he was perhaps by far the oldest. Nevertheless, he pushed that thought out of his mind as the voice of one of the knights rang out behind them.

Kreig felt himself gulping when he saw the man; He was an aging man, his hair graying in some places yet physically speaking he was much like Kreig, or rather much better than Kreig. He carried himself with a dignity that only few could rival, as if he were saying ‘These are my grounds, and you lot here? You belong to me’ And there was nothing exaggerated about that. For you see, the man whom now oversaw bits of their training was none other Lucius Antinuos VI, leading weapon master of the namesake grounds and on these grounds he was a GOD amongst them. Even Loren Dyers would have to listen to him on these hollow grounds.

“ Alright, you lot. You here must be wondering why your patrons brought you here before me. I’ll tell you why in three simple words: You. Lack. Skill!!” Kreig felt a stinging sensation in his chest when he heard that, mixed with awe and surprise at seeing someone who could give Ser Titus a run for his money when it came to being loud. His eyes glanced, just glanced, briefly to try and see if other squires felt the same as he only to suddenly meet the foreboding eyes of Ser Lucius infront of him, his angry-looking eyes seemed to be looking through his soul before he continued pacing and sending similar looks of disdain to the other squires.

“ You’re patrons tell me otherwise, but I tell them with no sprinkle of tenderness that they are wrong. You lack skill, that is why they came to me; To make you gain skill even if I have to kill you to do it” Kreig felt like punching the man, but doing so would be tantamount to mad stupidity that Kreig did not possess and a shame to his Patron’s name, at least he thought so, so he refrained from following that impulse as he stood at attention.

“ From your patrons I am sure you’ve heard many things about me, about what I expect from anyone who seeks tutelage from me. I tell you now that what they say is an utter understatement and I expect a hundred times more. You are mine till I allow you to leave these grounds, and when you leave these grounds I expect you to hold a pastiche of skill that at least makes you look like bloody proper squires, is that understood?! I said; IS. THAT. UNDERSTOOD?!?” Startled by his words, raise in volume and just how much worse than the stories are turning out to be, Kreig and the squires replied in one resounding sentence that gave one glimpse of what torture they were about to enter.

“ SER, YES SER!
x

[Kreig Messer]

“ Good, at least you sound like squires, so this should make things go smoothly” He said, his tone hinting the opposite of his proclaimed satisfaction. From a cart the weapons master pulled out a broadsword and shield, Kreig’s eyes widened as he suddenly felt the aura of intimidation the man exhumed by simply wielding them. While he was sure his fellow squires felt the same degree of sudden awe and fear, he bet few of them could see what he saw. It wasn’t just how the man held the weapons; It was how he appeared to have no oppenings even as his sword and shield were lowered and approached a wooden post across from the group of squires. Kreig knew that if the man were suddenly attacked now he could simply knock his attacker way like a wasp. The motion of his movement showing that in an instant he could shift into a battle ready stance and no one would really notice.

“ Now, to simply get you lot warmed up. Watch me perform this sequence and I do mean watch, you’re about to perform it on the posts behind you. Understand?” The way he emphasized the last word immediately elected a ‘Ser, yes Ser’ From them all as they observed with no small amount of dread. Kreig himself gulped in fear, realizing far more that he shouldn’t dare miss this as Ser Lucius took his stance. His shield raised whilst his sword was ready to go on the offensive. The man’s first strike was a single handed overhead strike that came at a collar angle, in fact he all but called it that and thus marking at the first part of the sequence they must recall, it was followed by a simple looking shield bash that was more than enough to break someones nose. After that came a waist strike that was characterized by a horizontal swing then immediately by a diagonal chop to the calf. In sequence that was ; collar, bash, waist, calf and Kreig could only be more astonished by the ease they were performed, for Ser Lucius it all seemed unto like breathing and it was performed with such clarity that it seemed to burn themselves into the squires minds

“Now, what you saw was simple. So simple that my own children could do It in their sleep. Unfortunately, you aren’t even children. You are gnats and now I want you to see practice this sequence a hundred times” He glared at the squires again, this time not even asking if they understood as they realized just what that glare meant and showed it by responding with….

“SER, YES SER”

They all turned around, chosen training swords in hand and shields ready as they face the post. Then suddenly, including Kreig, were hit by a realization of just how many swings and bashes they had to perform. He may have said a hundred times for the sequence, but for each strike that meant 400 overall. In addition, if anything they were told about Ser Lucius was true….than it wasn’t just going to be a hundred for the sequence.

With silent glums of resignation, the squires began their drilling whilst the instructor suddenly began calling out the sequence. Kreig, already decent with his longsword, faced little trouble with the strikes with the sword save for a lack of precision. He faced more trouble with the shield bash however, unable to place the same amount of power as Ser Lucius had put in his and with the same amount of accuracy. In a way, Kreig was heavily inspired to do the training despite this; containing a heavy desire to surpass the weapon master’s skill whilst also trying to avoid failure… not because he was afraid to disappoint the man, but because what would happen if he DID fail.

With a bit more vigour, he lifted his blade again and performed the sequence as it was called out, Swing his arm high and at an angle to perform the collar strike, ramming his shield forward to perform the shield bash, swinging horizontally at the waist and finally a chop at the calf. It would have been better to practice this on an actual human-shaped target by the post was thin and tall enough to mimic the size of a human. It seemed like an eternity since they began however, with each passing chime marking a sequence or two. They were on the 25th sequence, however, when they were suddenly called to a stop.

There was a look of disappointment on the Ser Lucius’ face, but a deeper look said otherwise…..he felt no disappointment; he knew exactly what he was getting and knew well enough they wouldn’t listen if he didn’t at least act the part. “ I knew you lot were useless, but I at least expect dregs like you to be as smart as gnats. How wrong I am, it seems” They all winced, as they realized on or some of them made unacceptable mistakes in the Knight’s eyes. Kreig briefly panicked if it was because of his shield bash, the man was certainly going back and forth enough to pick up on that.

“ Some of you, not saying who on account of them being morons, don’t seem to know how to use a shield properly. ” Yes, definitely Kreig and probably someone else. The Weapons master approached the post with sword and shield still in hand and with a slow, meticulous and annoyed motion showed just what he was doing wrong “ Now, it seems like some of you morons think they have to move their shield away from their sword arm as they strike. Now I don’t think your patrons are the ones to blame, because they have BRAINS somewhere. You, on the otherhand, seemed not to. So why I’m bothering to train you, I don’t know. But I gave my word to return you broken and by the gods that is what I will do.” With that said he repeated the sequence, this time with a slow, precise, clarity. Kreig could see the movements of the wrists for each swing, the movement would clearly add more power to the swings and chops they were performing.

But what caught his eyes the most was the way the shield was swung, or rather pushed forward, keeping the wrist rigid in place whilst letting the arm do much of the swining. This kept the shield relatively in place and centered as it crashed against the post. But that was not the only thing, for the wholst duration of his attacks, the shield moved very little ,I f at all, from Ser Lucius. With each attack it stood in place with only the briefest of movements to allow for sword swings, and perhaps thrusts, whilst still obscuring his body, shield and sword arm.

“ Now, for some reason, some of you lot think you have to move your shield away to perform certain types of attack. No, that is a falsehood brought on by your naiveté and ironclad inexperience. The purpose of a shield is not only to protect your body, but also protect you whilst you are on the attack.” He emphasized his words by showing them the calf chop whilst still holding the shield before him and obscuring his hand, showing exactly what he meant “ Now, that doesn’t mean there aren’t attacks were you will be able to use the shield in the same manner But those aren’t our concerns for now. Now get back to training ” He finished with that glare that once more made them erupt into the ‘ser, yes ser’ bit.

Despite Ser Lucius intimidating attitude that made Kreig want to punch him and then hide under his bed, Kreig appreciated the fact he learned new things from him as he and the group of squires turned to face their respective posts once more and resumed their sequence, the thudding of wood against wood ringing in their part of the grounds.

x

[Garland]

Garland was with their little rabble of misshapen squires that were just a bit slacking in their work, he actually had an excuse this time, he had a child on the way, and he needed to take care of the mother, honestly, she would more likely get drunk or smoke Temper for the whole day than to actually prepare for the pregnancy. She was drunk during the new year's party, and honestly he wanted to be mad at her, but he couldn't, she was just so... simple, like a puppy causing mischief and a mess, but just smiling and wagging its tail when it's master would return.

He snapped out of his weird little trance of April looking like a puppy making a mess, it was a very, VERY accurate description of her though. The speaker acted like he owned the entire city, and honestly, Garland took it as a challenge, and stared at their trainer through the slits of his helmet. This 'Lucius' better know what his talking about, Garland didn't want to disappoint his Patron, but if this person was as good as everyone says, than he would have only a few complaints with this man.

“ Alright, you lot. You here must be wondering why your patrons brought you here before me. I’ll tell you why in three simple words: You. Lack. Skill!!”

Garland rolled his eyes and sighed. Right... Let's see what this guy is made up of. With that he watched their trainer skeptically, he exerted an air of confidence, an air of power, and just general strength of the situation in general. Garland watched the other squires practically shaking in their boots, he held strong, he had faced worse than an angry trainer.

He had faced a horde of Yukmen, fought Dhanis and half-Dhanis, he had fought probably the most bloodthristy pacifist he had ever known, these weren't the greatest of achievements, but it was more than most of the squires here, probably. There were a few seasoned faces among the crowd, but most just looked... weak. It was ill to think of his brothers-in-arms as such, but they looked like they were FORCED into the knights as punishment.

He knew about Lucius, though not personally, he was a genius on the battlefield from what he has heard, other knights say, he could best anyone and at any number in the grounds. He was a living legend on the battlefield, but feats alone would not get him the respect Garland would give, he didn't give that out easily, at least not as easily to authority figures, he was a rebel of the knights, he had heard people talk behind his back, "The rowdiest squire in the city" They would call him, and they were right. He had been in bar fights, disobeyed orders, abandoned his posts numerous times. He was actually surprised he hasn't been kicked out of the knighthood yet.

His criminal record was probably one of the longest a squire had ever gotten, even before he joined he was already a nuisance to the knighthood, and peace itself. In fact, he was surprised he had gotten into the squires.

“ You’re patrons tell me otherwise, but I tell them with no sprinkle of tenderness that they are wrong. You lack skill, that is why they came to me; To make you gain skill even if I have to kill you to do it”

Those words stung at Garland's heart, he prides himself on his swordsmanship, and his prowess at fighting, he had only lost four times, one was through an insane bloodthristy woman with spiked gauntlets and greaves, Archalist, Asen though she cheated and kicked him in the balls, and Nivel, though that last one could have been a draw. The other times he lost were as a team. He didn't blame his teammates for the lost, he just didn't really count them as actual spars.

He was close to challenge Lucius to a spar, but he was already under a lot of heat, he could feel the eyes of his Patron, eyeing him from somewhere, hidden. The hairs on the back of his head were standing on end.

“ From your patrons I am sure you’ve heard many things about me, about what I expect from anyone who seeks tutelage from me. I tell you now that what they say is an utter understatement and I expect a hundred times more. You are mine till I allow you to leave these grounds, and when you leave these grounds I expect you to hold a pastiche of skill that at least makes you look like bloody proper squires, is that understood?! I said; IS. THAT. UNDERSTOOD?!?”

"SER, YES, SER!" You arrogant shykehead.

“ Good, at least you sound like squires, so this should make things go smoothly. Now, to simply get you lot warmed up. Watch me perform this sequence and I do mean watch, you’re about to perform it on the posts behind you. Understand?”

Garland watched the simple movements of their trainer, it was no secret that there was extreme skill and power and finesse with just holding the weapons, but to show them how to attack their targets was something else. The sheer skill and muscle memory of Lucuis' movements were something to admire, but Garland didn't really care about skill with dummies. Dummies don't hit back.

“Now, what you saw was simple. So simple that my own children could do It in their sleep. Unfortunately, you aren’t even children. You are gnats and now I want you to see practice this sequence a hundred times”

"SER, YES SER!" With that done, the rest of the squires turned, with their weapons in hand and followed what Lucius had done.

Garland had his shield in his left hand and his training sword on his right hand, copying Lucius' attacks as well as he could. A strong diagonal slash to the neck, followed by a shield bash, then a strike to the waist then finally an attack to the leg or calf.

Garland did the sword slashes passable enough, but his shield was basic at best, it was to his chest, but as he attacked, he would push his shield away to attack with his sword, he moved fast enough so it wouldn't be a problem to less experienced fighters, but he had a small opening, no matter how small, it was still an opening.

After each successive set, Garland's movements became faster and faster, his swings faster, and his single opening getting smaller, he felt stronger with each attack, each swing fueling him with the desire to strive forward, to better himself and show that Lucius was wrong! But then, they were called to stop, the sweat was just starting to pour out of his forehead, as they were called to stop and shut up.

“ I knew you lot were useless, but I at least expect dregs like you to be as smart as gnats. How wrong I am, it seems. Some of you, not saying who on account of them being morons, don’t seem to know how to use a shield properly. Now, it seems like some of you morons think they have to move their shield away from their sword arm as they strike. Now I don’t think your patrons are the ones to blame, because they have BRAINS somewhere. You, on the otherhand, seemed not to. So why I’m bothering to train you, I don’t know. But I gave my word to return you broken and by the gods that is what I will do.”

Garland watched silently, making sure to get every detail of Ser Lucius' attack, his shield had not moved at all during his attacks, it seemed stupid at first, seeing as a shield might hinder the sword swings, but as Garland watched, he began to see that it was barely hindering Ser Lucius at all.

Garland needed to try this. It would help in some of the fights he had been in.

"Now, for some reason, some of you lot think you have to move your shield away to perform certain types of attack. No, that is a falsehood brought on by your naiveté and ironclad inexperience. The purpose of a shield is not only to protect your body, but also protect you whilst you are on the attack. Now, that doesn’t mean there aren’t attacks were you will be able to use the shield in the same manner But those aren’t our concerns for now. Now get back to training"

With that little rant done, Garland got to work. He looked over to the squire on his right, noticing the look of slightly being ashamed on his face, very subtle, almost unnoticeable. He whispered to him. "Name's Garland, and don't worry about the little shield thing. It was something minor, it would be best to move pass it."

[Kreig Messer]

Kreig shook his head; he must’ve let bits of disappointment show on his face for the youth to his right to speak to him “ Little it may be, mate. This is training after all….but what if it ain’t?” Kreig retorted before resuming. Indeed, since this was training that meant he shouldn’t brood over little mistakes, but it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t fix them. They’d stopped on twenty-five previously and no sooner did he begin did Ser Lucius shouted out the sequence for them to continue. It seemed to continue with more intensity, most of them redoubling their efforts either out of respect or fear of Ser Lucian, perhaps both. For Kreig, it was definitely both as he saw many things from observing the man just now; Most importantly he saw passion, a passion for his duty that he’d probably not trade for the world. It seemed to him it was also mixed with a desire to impart each squire everything that will keep them alive in the future.

Kreig didn’t want to think too much about the philosophy about as he went about swing down his sword to neck for about the tenth time since they resumed. But he realized that in this learning environment they were in he has to be tough and stern, perhaps sometimes gentle when need be but for all others a stern taskmaster that wanted to for his future brothers and sisters to work hard. With a loud bash, he struck his shield against the post, keeping it centered as he did so just like Ser Lucius had done then followed it the waist and calf strikes; carefully keeping his shield as centered as possible without exposing himself and his wrists.

By yahal, he wasn’t quite sure just how much they reached but the combination of heavy armor with the heavy wooden swords and shield proved to be a very tiring thing to. Particularly as the weight itself would hasten the fatigue the felt along with the tiring of the muscles in their arms. Kreig didn’t note much about the other squires currently, but he could feel that it was becoming an effort simply to keep his own strikes on target. Competent with the longsword he may be, but he wasn’t as precise as his own patron, who was no slouch with the same weapon. He was certain that if Sera Natasha was in his place then she’d be able to keep her strikes as swift and precise as she did during their spars and by the end of it would just consider it a warm up. It would be disheartening to think that if Kreig wasn’t so stubborn, attempting to will an effort as he performed each part of the sequence.

Time passed, how much the squires did not nor did Ser Lucius or any Patron present cared to tell them, but by the end of it Kreig felt pretty sore though, yet determined to continue with whatever would be thrown at them as he finished the final sequence with a final, and loud, chop to the calf.

x

[Claudia Blackwood]

Claudia was in the training grounds with a bunch of other squires. Each of them was armed with a heavy wooden sword and a round shield. The whole bunch of them stood before a wooden post. Claudia was clad similarly to the squire beside her, a pale lanky young man with honey-coloured eyes and dirty blonde hair in a suit of full plate. The only difference was that the man beside her was probably more comfortable in the armour than she was. She had not quite gotten used to the heavy burden, and it added extra weight which in turn required extra effort for every action she did. She wished that she could just wear a suit of chainmail instead of being in full plate all the time. She kept that thought to herself though, as letting that out would just give people an excuse to call her weak.

Her thoughts was broken when the booming loud voice pierced the air. The harsh voice said ‘These are my grounds, and you lot here? You belong to me’ Claudia swivelled her head around, trying to locate the owner of the voice. Her gaze locked upon the sight of weapon master Lucius Antinuos VI. He was as fierce as he was old. His reputation was legendary, and she took a quick gulp as she thought about they were going to go through under him. The voice continued,

“Alright, you lot. You here must be wondering why your patrons brought you here before me. I’ll tell you why in three simple words: You. Lack. Skill!!”

Claudia blinked several times in shock. The man sure was frightening. He seemed to want to scare them into oblivion or something. Turning her head slightly to peer at the squires on the either side of her, she noticed that they were faced front, full concentrating on their target, although she was pretty sure she wasn't the only spooked by the older man. He then went on

“From your patrons I am sure you’ve heard many things about me, about what I expect from anyone who seeks tutelage from me. I tell you now that what they say is an utter understatement and I expect a hundred times more. You are mine till I allow you to leave these grounds, and when you leave these grounds I expect you to hold a pastiche of skill that at least makes you look like bloody proper squires, is that understood?! I said; IS. THAT. UNDERSTOOD?!?”

To which the squires all answered in unison. She added her voice them echoing, "SER, YES, SER!"

“Good, at least you sound like squires, so this should make things go smoothly. Now, to simply get you lot warmed up. Watch me perform this sequence and I do mean watch, you’re about to perform it on the posts behind you. Understand?”

Claudia watched the weapons master perform a series of attacks and moves. He moved with such an air of confidence and ease, one might think the moves were an easy feat to achieve with nary an effort to it. The way the sword moved in his arm was as if it was just an extension of his arm. She wondered if he could perform attacks with his eyes closed, and judging from the ease of the display he had just shown, he most probably would.

“Now, what you saw was simple. So simple that my own children could do it in their sleep. Unfortunately, you aren’t even children. You are gnats and now I want you to see practice this sequence a hundred times”

The squires acknowledged with the same common reply once again, and they got down to training on their targets, trying to see if they could replicate in any way what was just shown to them. Claudia had her shield in her right hand, and a sword in her left, and she tried copying the moves that was shown the best she could. A strong diagonal slash to the neck, followed by a shield bash, then a strike to the waist then finally an attack to the leg or calf. She managed to get the hang of the sword swings after a series of unsuccessful attempts, but the shield ones took her even longer than the other two squires on either sides on her. By the time she had finally managed to achieve an acceptable level of replication, her training mates had already progressed onto increasing their pace of their moves. They seemed to be a lot better trained than her as well. Perspiration had begun to flow freely, had coated her in a layer of glistening sweat. Her tunic was soaked, but she still remained focus on the task on hand. The weapons master voice then rang out, calling for them to halt.

“I knew you lot were useless, but I at least expect dregs like you to be as smart as gnats. How wrong I am, it seems. Some of you, not saying who on account of them being morons, don’t seem to know how to use a shield properly. Now, it seems like some of you morons think they have to move their shield away from their sword arm as they strike. Now I don’t think your patrons are the ones to blame, because they have BRAINS somewhere. You, on the other hand, seemed not to. So why I’m bothering to train you, I don’t know. But I gave my word to return you broken and by the gods that is what I will do.”

And there he went again, insulting them yet once more. By this point, the insults had grown old, and no longer seem to faze her. She just listened to him as he ranted on and on. He then went on to talk about the shield techniques that he had observed them doing.

"Now, for some reason, some of you lot think you have to move your shield away to perform certain types of attack. No, that is a falsehood brought on by your naiveté and ironclad inexperience. The purpose of a shield is not only to protect your body, but also protect you whilst you are on the attack. Now, that doesn’t mean there aren’t attacks were you will be able to use the shield in the same manner But those aren’t our concerns for now. Now get back to training"

She had lost track of the number of rants they have had at his point, and she just went back to training and practicing, involving the use of her shield now, more than before, even trying to use it as a form of weapon, rather than just a piece of armour. She heard the squire next to the young man introduce himself as Garland. She peered closely at Garland, before giving him a quick wave, "Hi Garland, remember me? We met at the party."

Claudia then tossed a smile at the young man with the blonde hair, introducing herself as Claudia.

[Garland]

“ Little it may be, mate. This is training after all….but what if it ain’t?”

"Better to fix it here than on the the field, eh?" He said with a smile and returned to practice, following the sequence again, using his shield more effectively, blocking his attacks while he was attacking. It was strange, but he could see that it was effective and with enough practice, incredibly useful in a fight.

"Hi Garland, remember me? We met at the party."

Garland turned his head to face the bright eyed girl he saw at the party. They didn't exactly meet, more like he saw her, she saw him, she gets dragged off by her flowery mouthed boyfriend to a corner like a dog hiding his food from the other dogs.

"Vaguely, sorry to say. I do remember you being dragged away by your boyfriend I think." He said and turned his head back to the training post, striking again and following the pattern he was shown. "It started with a 'C', Clara? Coral? Claudia? Yes Claudia." He turned back to her and gave a big toothed grin under his helmet. Right, the helmet is just a problem that needed to be fixed.

He took off his helmet and set it down beside the training post, his sweat dripped down his face, it was still fairly cool in the season, but the training and the very hot helmet was just very annoying and did absolutely nothing for him. "We should talk and train, unless we want to get an earful from Ser loudmouth over there."

He motioned over to Ser Lucius though very subtly. He raised his blade again striking the post on the head area aiming for the neck. "Haa!" He then smashed his shield as hard as his could on the post and then follow his attack with an attack to the waist then a slash to the calf. It was a basic combo, but very effective.

"I didn't know you were a squire, Claudia. Though, I expected your significant other would be hounding you wherever you go, he seemed... clingy." He said, trying his best not to miss a beat, but fighting and talking was difficult, especially since this was a juicy topic. "Well... I assume he is your boyfriend."

He gripped his sword tightly, tensing for another attack. He would break the post if he kept this up. He followed with the sequence again, and again, it had almost become a muscle memory, though he still had difficulty recovering after his attack, there was a lull between his sequences that seem to only get larger as time went on, he was wearing himself out with how strong his attacks were.

By the end, he was panting, sweat pouring down his face like a river, he was soaking wet, he needed a bath after this, luckily the bathhouse is free to all squires and knights. "W-Well..." He said with a ragged breath. "How are you, Claudia. Do you know him?" He said to male squire next to him, he still didn't know his name, but he most likely forgot since all the squires don't want to disappoint Ser Lucius the loudmouthed trainer.

[Kreig Messer]

Ser Lucius kept a watchful eye on the squires, they were all a mixed bag of individuals, he could see. Some order born, some not, as was the norm these days with squires. He put on thick when he ranted, thick enough that he’d rolled his eyes at how absurd his own performance was, but it was necessary in its own way; for one thing he could tell if any of the lot were the sensitive kind and how would they fare against a long-winded rant with breaking down. So far they held up, in fact downright ignoring it whenever it became apparent that he was insulting them too much. Yes still, they seemed to be listening to the important bits and paying good attention whenever he showed them something, which was a very good thing where he was concerned.

His mind currently wandered to the three squires to his right, watching them as he shouted out the sequence for the attacks, pacing back and forth behind the column of squires. He particularly stared at the duo he knew as Claudia and Garland, the latter having already been here for a bit of time whilst the former should have been fairly knew. It irked him to see them talking when they SHOULD be focused on TRAINING, Garland in particular seemed to be of the rebellious variety if what he’d been told about him held any mirth. Claudia has yet to fully adapt to squire life he imagine but that would be fixed soon enough. With his back turned and him observing the other squires, he’d heard Garland remark him as ‘Ser Loudmouth’ Oh that was too perfect, Garland may not have realized it but he’d just brought about the instrument of further training.

Kreig shook his head at Garland’s casualness in this particular situation, attempting to chat and train the same time was just asking for trouble if he didn’t pick up the kind of instructor Ser Lucius was. He was trying to focus on performing the sequence, sweat covering his body beneath his armor as they approached the end of the final stretch. He could hear that Garland was becoming tired next to him, something that Ser Lucius no doubt picked up upon. He was putting in too much effort, not pacing himself, in contrast some squires were putting in less than they should… lacking confidence in themselves rather than any sign of laziness. Kreig didn’t know what to make of the Claudia girl however, although Ser Lucius merely saw here as being ‘fresh’, meaning it was simply a need to train more rather than anything perfectly sever. Behind their backs he whispered to a knight assisting, requesting what was anyone’s guess “ For the record mate, we don’t know each other. Name’s Kreig by the way” Any further words would have been interrupted as the familiar voice of Ser Lucius began to speak.

“Alright, all of you stop. You’ve reached the end of the drills so take a few deep breaths; you’ll need it, and listen well for what I’m about to say” He no longer shouted, which set a change of atmosphere. Those perceptive enough to notice would perhaps view this as a good thing, the wiser ones would note that it could be prelude to something worse. His voice was still firm, but it dripped with wisdom that was formerly hidden by over-stretched rants, his eyes looked to each and every squire with a piercing gaze that set Kreig’s spine to a shudder. For Garland, he set his gaze for but a tick longer as if he were sending a message of some sort, a message that just spelled trouble.

“ I am pleased to note that none of you lot seem to care for overzealous ranting, tuning it out in favor of more useful words. Let there no be doubt, I am pleased about that. But some of you seem to take it as me simply being a’ loudmouth instructor’ ” He quoted but made no effort to stare at the offending party, leaving his gaze at the squires as a whole but there was little doubt to any patron present at who it was. Kreig winced, knowing now to expect trouble even if it wasn’t directed at him “ I assure you, I am anything but” He ended coldly, which sent far more of an impression than of the rants combined.

“ Throughout the drill, some of you have showed far too much confidence….an over-enthusiasm in your drills that have left some of you over-exerting yourself, not pacing yourself when you should in other words. Some have shown the opposite, less confidence and more doubt which has left your attacks lacking, yet even then they seemed tired. I let you know, this is unacceptable, a lack of stamina means you cannot outlast an opponent, and believe me that can end rather poorly ” He raised his right hand and waved it briefly, signaling for a couple of rookie knights to bring in large, heavy packs filled with stones “ I’ve set the tone of your next training, which would also serve as a disciplinary action for some who think it wise to speak during training. They know themselves well and they will find that their packs are a bit heavier than the rest” With that said, the knights approached and handed them each their respective packs “ After a few chimes, we will commence running. You will wear these packs on your backs along with your armor. This should build up you muscle properly as well as your endurance. We will spend an entire bell running, I expect you to keep up diligently.” He said as he was handed his own pack “Till we begin, I will allow you to speak with one another and suggest that you leave to drink plenty of water. If any of you think it wise to remove any of the rocks in your packs in an effort to make this easier during this time, I will know and promise you this…… You will not leave this grounds till late evening and with no dinner; keep that in mind for I will not repeat it.” The last part of his words were emotionless, bridled not with strictness but with a clarity that spoke just how much of a torture would be if any one was actually stupid enough to try it.

Kreig gulped involuntarily, looking at the two younger squires besides him and said “ We are in irrefutably deep shyke.” And it was at that moment he left to drink as much water as he reasonably could in the time frame given to them, pack in hand. Whether they would follow or not as left to them but he knew when to take an opportunity when given.

x

[Claudia Blackwood]

Claudia turned to look at Garland as he replied her "Vaguely, sorry to say. I do remember you being dragged away by your boyfriend I think." He went back to give several strikes to the training post before resuming "It started with a 'C', Clara? Coral? Claudia? Yes Claudia." She gave him a quick nod. "Yep, that's me, sorry about that dragging thing. He tends to do that." She saw his grin and gave him one of us back in return.

She turned back to training; before Garland spoke once more "We should talk and train, unless we want to get an earful from Ser Loudmouth over there." Oh gods, that was not going to end well. Bad-mouthing the instructor, she could just see the trouble they would get in, if he finds out about it. Garland went on, "I didn't know you were a squire, Claudia. Though, I expected your significant other would be hounding you wherever you go, he seemed... clingy. Well... I assume he is your boyfriend." She replied as continued her strikes, "Yes, I just became a squire at the start of spring, not too long ago. Yes, he is my boyfriend, and he does seem clingy. But he just probably wants me all to himself." She then gave him a shy smile in response.

She could see Garland perspiring heavily, but then again, they all were. Despite her long hair being tied up into a braided bun, sweat was pouring down her neck, soaking her clothes. She would definitely need a relaxing day of rest in the baths that was for sure. Garland spoke again, asking her if she knew that squire next to her. "No, I don't know him; I don't really know anyone here but you."

All of them trained for several chimes before Ser Lucius gave the order to stop the drills. “Alright, all of you stop. You've reached the end of the drills so take a few deep breaths; you’ll need it, and listen well for what I'm about to say" He didn't seem to shout this time, and that made her even more worried and afraid of than when he was yelling out at the bunch of them earlier. She had a strong feeling that she was not going to like what was going to happen to them next. He started again, talking about their performances that he had observed so far.

"I am pleased to note that none of you lot seem to care for overzealous ranting, tuning it out in favour of more useful words. Let there no be doubt, I am pleased about that. But some of you seem to take it as me simply being a loudmouth instructor. I assure you, I am anything but."

"Throughout the drill, some of you have showed far too much confidence….an over-enthusiasm in your drills that have left some of you over-exerting yourself, not pacing yourself when you should in other words. Some have shown the opposite, less confidence and more doubt which has left your attacks lacking, yet even then they seemed tired. I let you know, this is unacceptable, a lack of stamina means you cannot outlast an opponent, and believe me that can end rather poorly. I've set the tone of your next training, which would also serve as a disciplinary action for some who think it wise to speak during training. They know themselves well and they will find that their packs are a bit heavier than the rest. After a few chimes, we will commence running. You will wear these packs on your backs along with your armor. This should build up you muscle properly as well as your endurance.

We will spend an entire bell running, I expect you to keep up diligently. Till we begin, I will allow you to speak with one another and suggest that you leave to drink plenty of water. If any of you think it wise to remove any of the rocks in your packs in an effort to make this easier during this time, I will know and promise you this.. You will not leave these grounds till late evening and with no dinner; keep that in mind for I will not repeat it."

When Ser Lucius was done talking, Claudia gave a silent groan, and a soft sigh. This was all her fault, if she hadn't talked to Garland; he wouldn't have gone on and gone on, attracting the attention of the weapons master. Now they were all in for a real world of hurt, especially the two of them. Claudia shoulders sagged, as she crouched down, physically exhausted, and now mentally exhausted at the thought of what awaited them next. Grabbing her extremely heavy stone-filled pack, she gave the two squires on the either sides of her a forlorn look.

Training had gone to shyke.

[Garland]

“Alright, all of you stop. You’ve reached the end of the drills so take a few deep breaths; you’ll need it, and listen well for what I’m about to say. I am pleased to note that none of you lot seem to care for overzealous ranting, tuning it out in favor of more useful words. Let there no be doubt, I am pleased about that. But some of you seem to take it as me simply being a’ loudmouth instructor’ ”

He looked over to Claudia and Kreig. He hid a small guilty smile and stiffened up. Of course he would hear someone talking when there's wooden weapons hitting wooden posts He thought sarcastically, and pushed the thought out of his head, his smart mouth got them into trouble, the least he could do was use his smart mouth to try and get Claudia and Kreig off the hook.

"Throughout the drill, some of you have showed far too much confidence….an over-enthusiasm in your drills that have left some of you over-exerting yourself, not pacing yourself when you should in other words. Some have shown the opposite, less confidence and more doubt which has left your attacks lacking, yet even then they seemed tired. I let you know, this is unacceptable, a lack of stamina means you cannot outlast an opponent, and believe me that can end rather poorly. I've set the tone of your next training, which would also serve as a disciplinary action for some who think it wise to speak during training. They know themselves well and they will find that their packs are a bit heavier than the rest. After a few chimes, we will commence running. You will wear these packs on your backs along with your armor. This should build up you muscle properly as well as your endurance.

We will spend an entire bell running, I expect you to keep up diligently. Till we begin, I will allow you to speak with one another and suggest that you leave to drink plenty of water. If any of you think it wise to remove any of the rocks in your packs in an effort to make this easier during this time, I will know and promise you this.. You will not leave these grounds till late evening and with no dinner; keep that in mind for I will not repeat it."

Easy... I've was raised through taking heavy stuff through long distances. He thought to himself, though back then, he was just hauling wood from the forest back to the city with the help from his old boss' pack mule, and they never really ran, his boss and friend was a very old man, they took a brisk jog at best, and whenever he got tired they would stop, though Garland could never really relax in the forest, monsters everywhere, lowering your guard equals your death.

He looked over to Claudia and picked up his waterskin, uncorking it and taking a sip of the cool contents. "Sorry about that. I'll fix this, but let me catch my breath first." He sat down and cracked his knuckles. "I haven't seen you before Kreig. Are you new to the knights?"

He dragged his heavy bag of stones across the ground and set it down next to his backpack, he tried to hide it, but he was very tempted to take out some of the stones, though the threat of not getting dinner and extra laps were more than enough to deter him.

He looked over to Ser Lucius, he noticed that Kreig and Claudia had fuller looking bags of stones as well. "Sorry again. Excuse me while I go and talk to Ser Lucius about something." With that he walked up to imposing knight and trainer with little trepidation, he was afraid, but not by much, superiors were always chewing out Garland for something he had done, be it disobeying orders or insulting one of the knights by 'accident' and other minor disturbance. To him, this was just another knight that had heard him say something he shouldn't have, though maybe a lot more than just a common knight.

"Ser," He said with a small salute. "I would like to request to take on the burden of the two other squires that were caught by my wild comment." He said with a straight, somber face. "It was I that had said that you were a loudmouth, and I will take full responsibility for my actions, all I ask is that I would take Squire Kreig and Squire Claudia's extra stones as punishment. They had done nothing wrong, it hardly seems fair ser."

[Kreig Messer]

Kreig shook his head at Garland, slightly miffed that he allowed himself to be caught up in such a simple mistake “ Been here for a couple of years, I suppose I’m the oldest of the current group of squires here, much to my chagrin[/blue]” Which wasn’t quite a horrid thing, simply something that made Kreig feel…. Old. Pushing that thought out of his mind as he focused on drinking enough water that he wouldn’t faint of dehydrations. He shook his head at Garland as he left them to speak to Ser Lucius, for Kreig that spelt trouble but to whom he did not wish to dwell.

He looked to the girl “[color=blue] Claudia, is it? I’d take the chance to drink, if Ser Lucius is serious about what he’s saying, then going in without drinking your fill ain’t goin’ ta be good for yer health, Savvy?” He advised, before lowering an iron cup into the barrel and taking another drink. Running with little water in the system spelt bad news, Kreig knew, since you’d be sweating it all out while running . Doing so whilst wearing armor and carrying rocks on their back only doubled that so he wasn’t taking any chances.



Ser Lucius was busy talking to a patron of one the squires present when Garland approached. Noticing this, he excused himself to give Garland his full attention. He looked over the young man, despite his somber look and respectful attitude, Lucius couldn’t help but feel that there was disdain. He couldn’t be so certain of course but he thought it a safe bet all things considered. He sighed mentally, wondering why ALL the young squires thought he wouldn’t notice whenever they’re slacking.

He listened to him admit his fault, to which he gave an appreciative nod. It was always good to own up to your guilt, however if Garland had observed the Weapon Master’s methods earlier then he’d probably know how a slim chance that is. It was even slimmer considering that he wanted to carry the duo’s extra rocks which would effectively double the weight of the lad’s own sack. Lucius sighed internally again, squires never failed to remind him of how often they were the sculptors of their demise.

“ I have listened to your words, Squire. As admirable as it for you to admit your folly, I have eyes along with my ears just like you. There has been more than one folly during this training, as I walked back and forth watching you lot train; I know it was Claudia who initiated conversation. I know Kreig was also involved, however brief because I saw it with my own two eyes.” He said, his voice only slightly louder yet no anger tanged with it….but disappointment , something he made sure Garland would not as he looked him square in the eyes Nevermind the fact that all three of you have been told of my methods, warned that I am a harsh task master” He reached behind the squire to take hold of his bag and lifted it up before him “ You have effectively insulted not only your patrons but the other squires training alongside you, as if the training was just some stupid jaunt that serves no purpose, to you that may not be true, but in their eyes it might as well be. They are training to earn the measure of skill needed to survive, not only to hand out the hammer of justice but to SURVIVE just one more day and protect of the back of your comrade who does for you the same.” He shook the bag a bit, the sound of stones thudding about serving to emphasize a point “ This bag here, filled with stones, weighs nothing compared to the danger you have already seen a knight must face on a daily basis, seen or otherwise. I do not favor to you by letting you shoulder it all, nor them by implying they cannot handle it. So again, no, you shall all do it and let this be a lesson unforgotten.” He moved his hand forward, handing the bag back to the squire.

“ Go drink some water, we begin in less than a chime”

x