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Post by Earl Christoph von Trapp on Aug 23, 2006 11:05:07 GMT
O.K Carmen, that's fine. You are now a page in the Archers Division.
Remember, you can't apply to be a dragonrider until you have at least 20 posts though.
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Post by Scarlet Aldsilver on Aug 23, 2006 11:14:24 GMT
Scarlet's Post for Trainee in the Dragon-riders Division with Lady Alianna
Scarlet arrived at the other end of the training grounds to where she had practised with the Earl. She spotted the Lady Alianna with her dragon Garnet waiting for her by the equipment sheds.
“Good morning Lady Alianna,” she said politely, “And you too of course.” She added, bowing to the large red dragon. “Her name is Garnet., replied Lady Alianna with a smile. “And what have you named your dragon?” “His name is Meral.” Scarlet replied. Meral looked up at Lady Alianna and Garnet, then moved closer to Scarlet’s leg. “Well, obviously Meral is too small to practise with, so we will be using an imitation dragon. Just to give you a feel for things O.K?”
They walked over to a cluster of large wooden practise dragons, which were being used by a few riders. They stopped by a spare one in the corner.
" Right then Scarlet..." began the Lady Alianna "Riding a dragon, is quite different from riding a horse" here she paused to lay one hand onto Meral’s head "Just as..." she continued, "Attacking a straw dummy is quite different from attacking an actual enemy. For a start the enemy can think for and defend for itself. From Dragon back, you will be higher than on horseback. In many ways this is an advantage, but it is harder to aim blows at the enemy. Also you may have to fight from air." She motioned for Scarlet to climb up onto the dragons back. Scarlet moved closer, unsure of how to get up. "Is that how big Meral will grow?" Scarlet asked, as she tried to climb up one of the dummies back legs. Alianna nodded, looking somewhat amused at Scarlet’s attempts to mount the dragon. "See these grooves?" she asked, indicating the dragon's side, these will help you climb onto it's back. Obviously, Meral will be a little more mobile than this dragon." she joked. Scarlet smiled as she pulled herself onto it's back. She sat in the uncomfortable seat surprised at how high up she actually was. How on earth will I reach enemies from up here? She thought, distressed at the prospect. Then she had a more comforting thought: Or should I say, how will enemies reach me up here!
Alianna sat on Garnet beside Scarlet and explained the different moves that were open to her from dragon back, “Of course” she explained “As you can communicate mentally with your dragon you can inform each other on what you are doing, which is a big advantage. With a dragon, you are never alone in battle. But you must remember to work with your dragon. Anyway, I’m getting side-tracked…you will learn more of these things, further on in your training.”
Scarlet spent the next hour practising the techniques Alianna had shown her on the straw dummies. Her arms began to ache, so she asked if she could have a break.
“Let’s practise some archery then.” suggested Lady Alianna and replaced the straw dummies, with archery targets. Before releasing the first arrow, she remembered the mistake she had made from horseback. She was even higher up now, so she aimed much lower than normal. The arrow sailed over target board by an inch, impaling one of the straw dummies Alianna had moved out of the way.
“Not too bad…” said Alianna, and then demonstrated from Garnets back. The arrows moved from her quiver to bow to the centre of the targets in one quick fluid motion. Scarlet was impressed and a little jealous of Alianna’s skills, but also determined to practise her own until they were equally as good. By the end of session, she was able to hit the targets, although twice she fumbled with the arrows and dropped them. Once she almost dropped the bow and the arrow she released flew one-foot forwards impaling itself into the back of the wooden dragons head.
“I think we better stop there Scarlet.” said Alianna with a grimace. You were good once you warmed up, but your arms are getting tired. Don’t worry; all you need is a little more stamina then you can concentrate more on technique.” “O.K.” Scarlet replied. She looked around puzzled, then added, “Where’s Meral?” “He’s with Garnet, trying to improving his vocabulary. You should find him easier to speak too now he knows more of your language. I want you to speak with him as much as possible between now and our next session." “Thank-you.” replied Scarlet with a smile, “I will. See you soon.”
Wordcount: 750-ish
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Post by Trysten Aradar on Aug 23, 2006 20:17:44 GMT
Second Post for Advanced in the Spies Division with The Sovereign
After his last session, Trysten had realised that it would be a good idea to build up his arm muscles, so when The Sovereign walked into the training grounds to meet him that afternoon, he found Trysten doing push ups with his feet on a bench.
He realised that Trysten hadn’t noticed him, so he allowed the young man to continue, listening to the murmurs of “121… 122… 123…” until Trysten collapsed at 125.
“On your feet, boy!” Valros commanded, with a smile on his face. Trysten immediately leapt to his feet, shocked at having been caught unawares.
“I’m sorry, sir…” he said, willing his breathing rate to return to normal. “I didn’t realise you were here already.” Valros shook his head, and smiled at Trysten. He admired his dedication.
“That’s quite alright,” he said as they began walking. “But you have until we reach the box to get your breath back.” Trysten wondered what The Sovereign meant by “the box” but didn’t ask. He knew that he would find out soon enough.
They arrived shortly after at what appeared to be a sandbox, about 6 metres in length. Trysten frowned slightly, unsure as to what they could be doing. The Sovereign began to take off his cloak and his belt and sword. Trysten did the same, still not knowing why. As The Sovereign started taking his shoes off Trysten decided to ask what they would be doing.
“Well,” Valros began, placing his shoes beside his other belongings. “I think that it’s time we worked on your combat techniques, and this is where we are going to do that. Take off your boots.”
Trysten did as he was instructed and began to unlace his boots. He was glad he warmed up before he started doing press-ups, but he knew that he would ache in the morning. He stepped into the box and stood a few metres away from The Sovereign.
“You’ve said that you have some previous combat experience, so let’s see how much.” As Valros finished speaking he ran at Trysten and attempted to grab his arm. Trysten span around and got out of his grasp. The Sovereign smiled slightly.
“Not bad,” he said, as they took positions opposite each other again. When ready, Valros came at Trysten again, and they fought each other for a minute or two, both breaking any holds that the other made, until Valros flipped Trysten over his arm and he landed on his back.
Trysten coughed slightly, and picked himself back up. If he hadn’t landed on the soft sand he may have had the wind knocked out of him, but he was lucky. He didn’t wait for an invitation to begin fighting again. He was starting to get into it. Ducking under The Sovereign’s arm, he twisted round and managed to trip him from behind. This continued for a few more minutes until Trysten was on the floor once again, and Valros offered his hand to help him up.
Trysten ran his hands through his hair to get the sand out. It stuck up slightly, giving his appearance an odd look. Valros was walking over to the side of the box, and for a moment Trysten thought they were done. The Sovereign returned holding four wooden sticks. He held two out to Trysten.
Within seconds The Sovereign had swung at Trysten with his own two sticks. Trysten had to move fast to block him. They paced slowly in a circle around each other, Trysten never blinking, constantly trying to predict the next move. This time it was Trysten who made the attack, hitting first with his left stick and then with the right. They broke apart again, until the next clash. This time it lasted longer, each one trying to beat the other. Trysten was beginning to get more confident and span round to avoid the attacks with one stick, leaving his other free to make his own attack. They continued like this for a while longer, until Trysten hit Valros across the chest. His attack was blocked, but it gave The Sovereign the perfect opportunity. Locking Trysten arm, he twisted round until he stood behind him with his sticks pulled across his throat. Trysten breathed out. He was on his knees with his back arched. His own sticks dropped from his hands. There was nothing he could do; Valros had won. The Sovereign released his grip, and helped Trysten up.
“You’re a worthy opponent, Trysten,” he said to him, as they both stood getting their breath back. “You have proven that you do not need any help with your combat skills. I am pleased with your level of skill.”
Trysten bowed his head. “Thank you, sir,” he said, looking at Valros once more. “I enjoyed today’s session.”
He walked out of the grounds happy in the knowledge that he was progressing further through his training.
[[814 words]]
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Post by Lady Alianna on Aug 24, 2006 15:18:46 GMT
Good post Scarlet, you are accepted. You may now add 'Trainee' to your signature.
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Post by The Sovereign on Aug 24, 2006 15:20:16 GMT
Very good post Trysten, you have made the level of Advanced. You can change your signature accordingly. Please wait at least 5 days before posting for elite.
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Post by Scarlet Aldsilver on Aug 26, 2006 13:52:13 GMT
Scarlet’s Training for the level of Page in the Dragon riders Division with Lady Alianna
Scarlet arrived eagerly with Meral at the training grounds, as a warm-up, she ran the length of the grounds twice, stopping at the wooden dragon dummies to stretch. Last time, she hadn’t warmed up and pulled almost every muscle in her arm. She could see Lady Alianna walking across the other side of the grounds; Garnet wasn’t with her.
Do you think I should ask about learning magic yet? She asked Meral You can ask, he replied, But I think Alianna will concentrate on the physical side of things first. Besides, magic will be something that comes when we have a stronger link. Mmm replied Scarlet thoughtfully. It was hard to imagine her and Meral having a closer link, everything in her mind she shared with him. There was nothing he didn’t know.
Alianna reached them, and although she had walked quite a way, she wasn’t even out of breath. “Meral, you will be working with Garnet in the Dragon Keep. She will be teaching you flying manoeuvres and the history of dragons. It is important to know about your race, as you only learn so much from instinct.” She turned to Scarlet as Meral flew off. “We will continue with the Dragon dummy, you will be improving on what we did last session.” Scarlet climbed onto the dragon's back. Lady Alianna made her go through all the attacks she had learnt from last week, and demonstrate them on the straw dummies.
“Well done,” Alianna replied when she had finished, “That is all you can learn fighting enemies from an unmoving dragon. We will practise different moves next lesson, when Meral is big enough to sit on. For now we will move on to archery.”
Scarlet sheathed her sword, and reached for her bow. It was elven, and like every thing that the elves made, it was light and beautiful to look at. Lady Alianna had moved the target boards into place, and then moved back, out of the way. Rouge strands of hair flicked across Scarlet's face, as she took an arrow from her quiver. Narrowing her eyes she concentrated hard and pulled back her arm level with her ear, at the same time checking that she was aiming low enough to hit the target board. Just as she released, the whole dummy gave a sudden jolt and Scarlet was pulled backwards, the arrow flew high up into the air and landed (without harming anyone) on the training circuit. Using the dragon’s neck, she pulled herself upright, then twisted in her seat to see what had happened. Lady Alianna stood at the dragon's rear, and Scarlet realized with some amusement that it had been her who pulled the dragon backwards.
“Shooting is hard when your dragon is moving, is it not?” she commented with a raised eyebrow. “Very.” Replied Scarlet, with a slight smile. “In battle…” she continued, “…you will not have time to sit there and concentrate, you have to load, aim and fire all within a matter of seconds. Have a go, I won’t move the dummy this time.”
Scarlet removed an arrow from the quiver, fitted it into the bow, aimed, pulled back and fired. Bullseye! She thought happily.
“No, no, no.” said Alianna disapprovingly, “That took far too long, you could have been shot five times in that time. Try again.” Scarlet repeated the procedure until her fingers were bright red, but she could go from removing an arrow, to hitting the target in under 3 seconds. “Much better.” Alianna praised, "Now lets try with the dragon moving." Even though Scarlet was prepared this time, her first five arrows still missed the board. After she got used to the movement though, she found that she could concentrate more on accuracy and hit the target every time. She climbed down from the dummy and Lady Alianna sent her to retrieve the arrows.
“Lady Alianna, when will I learn magic?” she asked, as she returned with a full quiver. “Not quite yet, perhaps in a few training sessions. If you’re interested in magic though, I would suggest that you look in the library and read up on it.” “Yes…I will…” replied Scarlet, distractedly as she had just seen Garnet and Meral flying towards them. As Garnet landed, then entire grounds seemed to shake.
Scarlet, asked a deep voice, that she realised must be Garnet’s, What is the name of the infamous dragon who rebelled against is own kind, destroying hundreds of precious eggs and almost wiped out it's own race?
“I…I…have no idea…” she stammered, shocked by the question. “In the future Scarlet,” said Lady Alianna flatly, “I expect you to know everything that happened in Meral’s training sessions. It is imperative you both share what you learn.”
“I will.” Scarlet promised. As will I added Meral.
"Good," replied the Lady, and climbed onto Garnet's back. The huge dragon beat it's wings and with one push from her back legs, they were airbourne. Scarlet was almost blown over from the downdraft. She stood watching them until they were no more than specks in the sky, then left with Meral, explaining to him what she had just learnt.
Wordcount: 850ish
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Post by Drakan Thrice on Aug 30, 2006 16:26:05 GMT
Final post for Elite in the swordsman division
Drakan strolled into the training grounds. Probably for the last time. He felt both a sense of pride and sadness. As pleased as he was to have made it to the top of the army, he would miss the rush he got from brandishing a sword.
The training grounds were quiet and Drakan felt very nervous as he walked through them. He could see the great forest looming on the other side of the field. He unsheathed his sword and gripped it tightly This is it he thought.
Finally Drakan reached the edge of the forest. In all directions were thick clumps of trees and plants. He wasn’t sure which way to go at first but remembered back to his last training session. Valros had taken a left turn here and Drakan chose to do the same. His grip on the sword was tightening with every step he took and he almost wanted to find a monster. After about 30 minutes of constant walking, Drakan came to another fork in the path. When he had been in the forest with Valros they hadn’t come this far and this time Drakan wasn’t sure which way to turn. He decided to turn right and go deeper inside. He hadn’t got far along the path when he came to a clearing. It looked safe enough and Drakan put down his pack and pulled out a flask. Suddenly an almighty crash sent both Drakan and his flask flying in opposite directions. It was hard to tell whether it was the ground or Drakan who was trembling more. Pulling himself up, he grabbed his sword and held it in the air. “Come on then!” he shouted.
Before him several trees were felled as a mighty creature walked out snarling. Saliva hung from its mouth and its scales were dark but gleamed in the dappled sunlight. It was at least three times the size of Drakan and walked on all fours. If it had the power to knock trees down, it could crush Drakan with a flick of its huge yellow claws, and Drakan knew this. But that didn’t stop him.
Picking up his sword he ran at the creature. As he did so the monster flicked his tail, knocking Drakan backwards. Quickly he was back on his feet trying the same trick. The monster once again flicked his tail, but Drakan had expected it. He dropped into a crouch and managed to skid below. Now he was behind the beast. He drove his sword deep into the flesh above its ribs. A loud groan rang through the forest and many birds flew up into the air. Drakan didn’t notice though, he was too busy slipping round the beasts side. Before he had reached his destination, the creatures heart, the monster noticed and knocked him back again. Drakan could see he was going to have to get rid of the tail. So, running forwards again he twisted his body and sword round and rammed hard into the tail, which was coming straight for his head. With a loud crack and a shower of blood, the sword tore through the flesh and scales of the tail and left the creature screaming in pain. Drakan knew that the creature was in far too much pain to hurt him now and simply walked up. Although it was unlike him, he felt no remorse for this beast. He drove his blade through the creatures heart and left.
Drakan felt strange after that. Although it was a swordsman’s purpose to kill, he had never done so before. And the thing that scared him the most was the fact that he had barely realised what he was doing.
He soon came to a small stream running through the forest. He cooled his face in the water and cleaned the blood from his hands. He refilled his almost empty flask and finally washed his sword. The water was soon running a dirty pink and Drakan felt slightly sick. He didn’t know how he was going to e able to battle in wars when killing beasts made him queasy. He sat with his head in his hands until he heard a rustling from behind him. He turned just in time to see two goblins about to pounce on him. As he stood up one of them threw a small spear, Drakan luckily managed to avoid the projectile weapon, ad grab his sword. The imps pulled their own blades out and cackled. Drakan seemed to have forgotten his earlier fears of killing and aimed a heavy slice directly for an imps head. Somehow the other goblin had predicted such an attack and managed to use its magic to protect its partner. Drakan hit a force so strong that the shock waves made his arms vibrate. He knew he was outnumbered and out skilled. He had no magic.
As time went on Drakan tried harder and harder to make contact with the goblins skin. But each time he felt that force. The goblins knew that Drakan couldn’t harm them, and seemed to find the battle fun and amusing. Drakan was getting angrier and angrier. He knew that he had lost this battle and with one final attack he was about to give up. However as he rammed his sword against the force field, blue sparks emerged from his blade shattering the barrier like glass. The goblin was killed instantly. The other one, looked on in shock, muttered something about magic and was gone.
Drakan was left drained, and confused. Was that magic he asked himself. Never in his life had he used magic and he as sure that it wasn’t all about to change. He hadn’t felt a magical presence, more of a newfound strength. He wondered if maybe, there was something magical about the sword that he now held, bloodstained. It had come from Valros himself…
Drakan had to muster every last bit of strength he had in order to get back to the stream and clean himself. After a drink he felt slightly more alive. Grabbing his pack he walked slowly back the way he had come. He passed the beast without as much as a glance. He was no longer afraid of killing.
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Post by The Sovereign on Aug 30, 2006 19:56:54 GMT
Congratulations, Drakan, your last post has been accepted, and you have reached the rank of Elite. You have now completed your training in the Swordsman Division of the Army.
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Post by Lady Alianna on Aug 30, 2006 20:01:35 GMT
Scarlet your post has been accepted, well done. Please wait at least 5 days before making your first post for Advanced.
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Post by Trysten Aradar on Sept 3, 2006 23:45:12 GMT
First Post for Elite in the Spies Division with The Sovereign
Trysten ran into the training grounds and tried to spot The Sovereign. He couldn’t believe that he was late for his last supervised training session. He swore under his breath when he couldn’t see Valros, and hoped that he hadn’t given up waiting and left. Something didn’t feel quite right about the training grounds; Trysten could feel it in the air. There was no one around, but although this wasn’t unusual in itself, Trysten could sense that someone was watching him.
He ran over to a nearby hut that contained various types of training equipment. Crouching by the door he surveyed the area. The sun was low in the sky so he could see every shadow thrown by the buildings and objects in the grounds. He narrowed his eyes and studied every detail he could see. The hut he had chosen to hide next to was located next to the wall that surrounded the training grounds. He had instinctively run there because he knew that no one could be hiding behind him. If someone was watching him, they had to be to the front. He turned his head, so that he was out of the wind, and slowed his breathing. He couldn’t hear anything close by.
Looking around cautiously, Trysten scrutinised every object and every shadow, looking for a possible culprit. Then he spotted it. Near to the middle of the grounds there was another equipment shed, but the shadow on the ground was slightly misshapen when compared to the uniformly cube shaped hut. Trysten could just make out a small triangle shape in the corner, which he guessed was someone’s leg. It took a lot of skill to spot it, but Trysten knew that one of the key points of being stealthy was your shadow. The person behind the shed had apparently forgotten this. All Trysten needed to do now was reach the shed without getting spotted himself. The ground was sloped upwards slightly from his position, and this gave him an advantage. From his crouched position, he lay on the floor on his stomach. Luckily the distance between the two huts wasn’t too far, but Trysten knew that it would still be hard work. He began to commando-crawl across the grass, pulling himself with his arms, and pushing with his knees. Even though he was too hot, he was glad of his jacket; he knew all too well how commando-crawling could slice your arms if you weren’t careful (and sometimes even if you were).
When he reached the top of the slope he could clearly see the hut a few metres in front of him. If he moved any further forward he could be spotted by whoever was on the other side of it. He needed to move fast. He carefully thought out his next moves in his head. After a silent count of three he jumped up and ran silently round to the other side of the hut. He immediately grabbed the culprit and held him in an arm lock. This lasted for about 3 seconds, at which point Trysten realised who he was holding in an arm lock. He released his grip instantly and bowed his head with a look of shock on his face.
“Sir! I apologise! If I had known it was you I would never acted in such a disrespectful way!” He risked glancing upwards to see just how angry The Sovereign was. When he realised Valros was smiling he lifted his head back up as a wave of confusion washed across his face.
“There is no need to apologise, Trysten,” he informed him, appearing to be quite amused by what had just happened. “This was all a test. I purposefully hid behind this hut to see how you would react. I didn’t really know if you would even notice, but you acted impressively. From the second you ran off I wasn’t sure if you were still in the training grounds. But you successfully caught me unawares, and for this I congratulate you.”
Trysten bowed his head again, allowing a slight smile to play across his lips. The last thing he had ever expected was to be congratulated for stalking The Sovereign of Erivale, by The Sovereign himself.
The Sovereign began walking round to the front of the equipment shed and opened the door to remove two wooden sticks and what appeared to be a blindfold. He handed this and one of the sticks to Trysten.
“I know this is your last training session with me, and I feel that we should work on your other senses, as you may not always be able to rely on your keen eyesight,” Valros explained.
Trysten tied the blindfold tightly around his head, and closed his eyes, to ensure that he couldn’t see at all.
“By using your other senses you will need to avoid being hit by my stick. This means you need to know where I am, and when I will attack. Understand?” Trysten nodded, and held his own stick firmly with both hands. He lowered his breathing so that he could barely hear it. He tried to block out all other thoughts from his mind, and concentrated completely on trying to locate The Sovereign. Spinning around he lashed out with his stick. He made contact with little more than air. Taking his defensive position again, he allowed himself to concentrate harder. A second later he swung his stick to the right and was rewarded with the satisfying sound of wood hitting wood. He smiled slightly too himself. The next thing he knew he had been hit between the shoulder blades. But instead of waiting for another attack he span round and took a swing of his own. In his head he could visualise the typical moves used in combat, and because of this he managed to defend himself admirably. There was no chance of him winning the fight, as Valros still had the advantage of sight, but by the time they finished Trysten was easily able to know where his opponent was at any time.
“Thank you for all of your help, Sir,” he said to Valros when they were ready to leave. He bowed his head as way of respect. The Sovereign smiled at him.
“You have been an impressive student, Trysten. And I am confident that you will make an exceptional Elite Spy. I wish you luck with your last session,” he said, and shook Trysten’s hand. Trysten nodded in acknowledgement, knowing that soon he would be an Elite.
[[1088 words]]
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Post by carmen on Sept 5, 2006 0:22:38 GMT
Post for Trainee in the Dragon Riders division with Lady Alianna
Carmen walked out onto the familiar training field, Nexa following behind. Where we go? Asked Nexa. We’re going to do training. She knew she would miss the handsome Earl, but was excited about training with Lady Alianna. She didn’t see the Lady there, so she, and Nexa, waited.
Suddenly, Carmen saw a dragon appear above the castle. It flew down to the Field and landed with a thud. It was magnificent. Its red scales glimmered in the sun, and Nexa’s little eyes sparkled in admiration. Lady Alianna slid off the back of Garnet and took off her helmet. She left it on the ground next to Garnet. She walked to Carmen, whose hair was messed up from the wind of the Dragon. “Hello, Rider Carmen,” She said politely. “I’m Lady Alianna,” She said, addressing her. “And this is Garnet.” Carmen was speechless. “Uh.Ya…umm,” She blushed and her face was the same color of her hair. “It’s wonderful to meet you,” She tried to bow, and then thought maybe she should curtsy, so she got stuck in a bow/curtsy kind of thing. She slowly stood up, feeling stupid. “Don’t worry,” Said Lady Alianna, in a kind voice. “It’s good that you’re nervous.” Then Carmen heard a wise voice in her head. Now we should begin the lesson. She guessed that it was Garnet’s voice.
Carmen watched Nexa approach Garnet. “Good,” came Lady Alianna’s voice again. “You and Garnet will train by yourselves until you’re able to ride on Her back,” Carmen then realized that she hadn’t told Lady Alianna Nexa’s name. “Her name is Nexa,” Lady Alianna nodded. “Now we shall get started.”
Carmen watched Garnet and Nexa on the other side of the field. He had to bend his neck so far just to speak look at her and she was being very playful. “Here we are,” Said Lady Alianna from behind Carmen. She appeared to have two huge wooden Dragons. “Well?” The Lady said. “Climb on,” Carmen walked towards the one closest to her and climbed up the notches on the side. She realized that it was much higher than on Ginger. “High, isn’t it,” said Alianna, who had climbed up onto the other one. “Do you know how to attack enemies from the top of a dragon?” She asked. Carmen shook her head. “I’ve never been on a dragon before,” Lady Alianna smiled. “Christoph told me that you’re a great archer, but have you ever held a sword before?” Carmen blushed again, and shook her head. Lady Alianna got off the dragon and grabbed a sword from the supply shed. She handed it to Carmen, who held it like a blunt stick. “Be careful,” came Alianna’s warning.
She taught Carmen, on dragon back, how to use a sword. When the sun began to sink on the horizon, Carmen’s arm hurt terribly. She felt like she had broken it. Then Garnet walked over and said something to Lady Alianna, but Carmen couldn’t hear. She looked up at Carmen and said. “You may get down now,” Carmen climbed down, and a purple bullet streaked through the air and landed in her arms. I have so much to tell you! Nexa said happily. You may tell her later Young one, Garnet said in her wise voice. “I expect you to tell Nexa everything you’ve learned,” Lady Alianna said, informally. “You must share everything with her,” Garnet lowered his head. You too, young one. Carmen bowed again, and Lady Alianna said last. “I expect you to have a sword next time you walk onto this field in two days time,” Carmen turned around smiled at the Redheaded Lady and her red Dragon. “I will Master,” She said Nexa flying excitedly around her head.
~632
OOC:I fixed it up, and yes I've read Eragon and I was going to ask you if it was along those guidelines.
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Post by Nelra on Sept 5, 2006 22:45:23 GMT
Post for Trainee in the Dragonrider's Division with Lady Alianna
Nelra walked onto the training grounds, her dragon, Storm, flying along beside her. She stopped at the Dragon riders’ area where Lady Alianna stood waiting.
“Hello Nelra. Send Storm off with Garnet, they’ll do some training together until Storm is bigger,” Alianna said, pointing to a large red dragon. Storm flew off to join Garnet. “Now to start, you see that track over there? I want you to run two laps around it, to build up your stamina.”
Nelra sighed and set off around the track, completing the two laps easily. She returned to Alianna. “Ok, what next?” she asked.
“You need to know how to defend yourself against another armed attacker. I know that you do well against straw dummies, but you’ll be very hard put to find someone who won’t attack back when you attack them. So we’re going to work with dull swords today. Here.” Lady Alianna handed her a sword. Nelra ran her finger along the blade, it left no mark. “Are you ready?”
Nelra nodded and brought her sword up into a guard position. Lady Alianna did the same. “Now, on most less experienced fighters, and some of the experienced ones, if you watch them closely, you’ll be able to see there muscles move, giving you a hint as to what they are about to do.” Nelra nodded, making sure to watch Alianna closely. She gave no sign of doing anything, so Nelra made the first move.
She swept her sword up and brought it down towards Alianna’s left shoulder. Her cut was blocked, jarring Nelra’s arm. Nelra backed off as Alianna swept her sword in towards her waist. Nelra blocked it, but barely. Alianna brought her sword up again, moving in for another cut. Nelra took advantage of the opening. She succeeded, hitting Alianna on the hip.
“Good, take advantage of any openings your opponent leaves when moving to hit you, it may be the only time you get to hit them. Though, if your opponent is a better swordsman than you, they may not leave a big enough opening.” Alianna said, as she backed away from Nelra.
Alianna came in quickly, slicing at Nelra’s sword arm. Nelra wasn’t quick enough and got hit painfully on her elbow. “Pay attention! If you let your mind wander in a real fight you’d be in big trouble! If you don’t think you can use that arm switch your sword to the other hand. It’s a good idea to know how to use a sword in both hands anyways.” Nelra nodded and switched her sword to her left hand, her right arm was throbbing and she doubted she could do much with it at the moment.
They continued on in this manner, hitting and blocking, with Alianna giving advice in between. Nelra worked hard, learning quickly. She collected a lot of bumps and bruises, Lady Alianna not so much. When they finally stopped, Nelra sat down, breathing heavily.
“You did well for your first time. If you can find someone who wouldn’t mind sparring with you, take advantage of it. Practice all you can, and run some everyday to build up your stamina.”
Storm came speeding towards them, skidding to a stop on the ground infront of Nelra. Did you have fun today? Storm asked, as she checked Nelra over. Well, I guess you could call it fun Nelra replied, standing up. The two of them set off, Storm filling Nelra in on everything she’d learned.
Word Count: 580-ish
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Post by Lady Alianna on Sept 7, 2006 16:30:21 GMT
Nelra: This is a good post. I particularly like the details about the sword fight. The only improvement would be to include more about the actual dragon-training. If it wasn't for the small mentions about Storm at the beginning and the end, it would be hard to tell that this is a post for dragon riders and not the swordsmen division. Please bear that in mind for your next training post. Carmen: I will accept this post, but try to take a leaf out of Nelra's book and include more description about the fights in your training sessions. Please try to remember that dragons are very wise creatures from birth, the only reason they can't speak properly is beacuse they don't know our language. For examples for how your dragon's should behave, see Scarlet or Nelra's posts (Or see if you can get your hands on the book, Eragon as that is what I am basing dragons on in this site.) Also, just for future reference, my dragon is a female You may both change your signatures accordingly. Please wait at least 4 days before posting for Page.
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Post by The Sovereign on Sept 7, 2006 16:41:31 GMT
Good post Trysten, you have made the first level of Elite. I like the way that you are always thinking of original ideas for your posts. Well done! You may post your final Elite post in at least 3 days time. Remember that this post is undertaken alone, and not with a commander. This post is also the most harshly assesed by moderators, so please bear that in mind when writing it! Good luck.
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Post by Trysten Aradar on Sept 11, 2006 21:43:19 GMT
Final Post for Elite in the Spies Division
Trysten had approached Valros early that morning to check the arrangements for his final training session. But instead of being told that he could proceed, Valros greeted him with some rather unexpected news. One of the Spies in the Division had been captured whilst on a mission to the outskirts of The Shadowlands. The Sovereign told Trysten that the information that the missing Spy may have obtained could be of great importance to Erivale. Trysten knew now that the task of recovering the captured Spy had fallen to him.
The sun was just beginning to rise when Trysten slung his pack over his shoulder and walked out of the stables with a horse that he’d borrowed from Drakan. He walked out of the Palace area and then mounted the horse. He wasn’t used to riding, but he knew that he couldn’t afford to waste time walking. It would take him at least a day to reach the last known location of the missing Spy, and he needed to get as far as he could before nightfall.
He rode for hours, trying to take as few breaks as possible. But by the time the sun had begun to set, he could tell that his horse wouldn’t last much longer if he kept pushing him. They’d stopped on the edge of a forest, and Trysten took the horse by the reigns and led it in a bit further. At least then he wouldn’t be completely out in the open. He couldn’t risk lighting a fire, and he left his boots. He didn’t want to be caught unawares, so he ate what little food he had packed in silence, feeding an apple to the horse. With his back against a tree he fell into a very light sleep. He knew that one of the perils of travelling alone was having no one else to keep watch during the night, but he hadn’t had much choice. He kept his hand on the hilt of his knife and managed to sleep relatively well considering he was constantly on edge. By the time the sun had begun to rise, he was already riding again, drawing ever closer to the Shadowlands.
He reached a small village on the outskirts of The Shadowlands a little later in the day. The sky was dark and thunder cracked on the horizon. Trysten dismounted from the horse and walked towards a tavern. He stepped inside the small building and squinted in the dark surroundings. As he had expected, in the corner there was a small fire crackling, and hunched in a chair was a cloaked figure. He wasn’t worried about attracting attention as he walked across the room; in his dark clothing he fitted in perfectly. He stood silently before the cloaked figure. They made no move to see who he was.
“I have come to find a Spy,” he began. He knew that the man before him would understand where Trysten had come from, and he hoped that he would be able to help him.
“Oh. How very fortunate,” the man said, with little emotion in his voice. Trysten waited for him to carry on talking. He knew that standing in front of the man instead of sitting in a nearby chair left him in control.
Suddenly the man reached out and grabbed his wrist. Trysten made a move to pull away, but the man beckoned him close with his free hand. Trysten rested his fingers on the hilt of his knife as he kneeled down. The man’s voice was low and he sounded as though he was around the age of thirty. He spoke quietly, but Trysten could make out what he was saying.
“Ride to the West. Carry on until you reach a building. That is where they take Spies,” the man released Trysten’s wrist as he finished speaking, and Trysten bowed his head in thanks and left the tavern.
He had been riding for hours across wasteland, until eventually he caught site of a building on the horizon. He dismounted the horse, and ran forward. He spotted two guards walking across the roof. Reaching into his pack he pulled out his crossbow and arrows. He silently loaded it and took aim at the first guard. He waited until he had the perfect shot and then fired. It hit the guard in the chest. He fell to the ground instantly. The other guard on the roof ran over to his fallen associate and Trysten took his second shot.
He slung his pack across his shoulder and began to sprint to the building. He expertly made his way up the side and pulled himself onto the roof. He ignored the bodies of the guards as he went over to the hatch in the roof, and silently dropped inside. The guard patrolling the hallway never stood a chance. Trysten silently came up behind him and hit him over the head. Then he waited in the doorway of a small room. When the next guard walked past he ambushed him, and pulled him inside.
“Where is the Erivale Spy?” he questioned, forcefully. The guard made no response, despite having Trysten’s arm under his neck. Trysten pulled tighter until the guard made gagging sounds. He released slightly and repeated his question. This time the guard replied, and Trysten threw him into the corner, and locked him into the room.
Stealthily he made his way through the fort, looking for the room the guard had described. Eventually he located it. But there were two guards at the door. He only had one chance. It was only a matter of time before they found the other guards he had attacked, and he needed to leave long before that happened. Running along the corridor, he kicked the first guard with so much force he was sent flying to the ground. He hit his head hard on the wall and lay motionless. The other guard ran at Trysten and they began to fight furiously until Trysten caught the guard in a hold and plunged his knife in-between his ribs. Not stopping to think, he kicked the door of the cell down, and stepped inside. The missing Spy was hung against the wall; his arms attached to it by chains. Trysten walked over and adeptly picked the locks on the chains. The Spy was in a bad way. Trysten put him over his shoulder, thankful that like himself the Spy was slight of build. He made his way over to the window and looked out. He wasn’t too far off the ground, and he didn’t have time to find another exit. Tying his rope to the chains on the wall, he began to climb out of the window, as quickly as he could. When he reached the ground he ran as fast as he could to find his horse. He put the Spy on the back, and then climbed on himself. He could hear a horn being blown in the fort as he began to ride away as quickly as he could.
As they headed back towards Arinesse he tried as hard as he could to block out the thought of the dried blood on his shirt. He knew that as hard as it was, he would have to do it again, and he wouldn’t hesitate.
[[1219 words]]
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