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Post by The Sovereign on Sept 12, 2006 12:40:55 GMT
Excellent Trysten, and congatulations- you have made it to Elite. If you wish to rank higher (ie. try for the position of second in command or commander, you will have to partake in non-promotory traning posts)
Well done
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Post by Lady Alianna on Sept 23, 2006 18:29:45 GMT
OK Sapphire. I have to say that I'm a little confused by your posts. Have you not read the army rules at all? I suggest that you do, but just to explain why I cannot accept this post to count towards anything, I will list them below.
First of all to join the army, you must apply at the recruitment office and be accepted by the Sovereign. Secondly, to even be considered to train as a dragonrider you must reach page in one of the other divisions first.
These are the two main reasons. I appreciate that this must have taken you a long time to write so it's up to you whether you choose to leave this post here or delete it. Please, please, please read all the rules about joining the army and dragons before you write about them again. Thanks.
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Post by Sapphire on Sept 23, 2006 18:47:19 GMT
I want to keep the post but do the work then PM you when I'm ready!
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Post by Lady Alianna on Sept 23, 2006 18:59:16 GMT
OK, I'm unsure what you mean by 'do the work' and you'll PM me when your ready for what? If you want to join the army, you'll have to apply in the recruitment office and you will have to apply for either the swordsamn, spies, archers or cavalry division. Depending on how good your training posts are for them, you might be offered to join the dragon riders or mages, if not, you have to continue in that division until you reach elite. Then you may apply for the higher divisions. As for this post, I don't see the harm in leaving it here, and unless any of my fellow admin have a problem with it, it can stay. If you have any other questions, please don't reply here (as we're clogging the thread) but PM me. *Edit: This post can only be saved for later if you make it in the dragonriders division (which is difficult), even then, this post is wrong in the basics for training so I don't think you can use it. Please read either Scarlets, Carmens or Nelras (our resident dragon riders) posts for more info, and read the 'dragon' thread*
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Post by Sapphire on Sept 25, 2006 20:00:13 GMT
Post For Saphire as Swordsmen
Saphire walked onto the training grouds where all you could here were the clash of swords. She walked behind a man and he backed up and ran into her. He turned and yelled at her. She grit her teeth and looked for the Sovereign. She spotted him and jogged towards him. She nodded her head to him. "Good day." she said. "Good day Saphire." he said. "Shall we get started?" he said.
He led her to a few straw men and wooden men. He looked at her and said, "Draw your sword." she did as he said and then watched him stab one of the straw men where a real man's heart would be. She nodded and did as he did. "Very good." he said and then took his sword and moved the wooden ones. He took the sword and shoved it rather hard through the wooden man. "You have to have a little more force to stab these." he told her. She nodded and tried to stab through the wooden man. The sword hit the place but didn't go through. But instead ricashayed and made her fall on her hind in. She stood back up. "A little more force." he instructed. She nodded and ran at him. Her sword sliced through and she jerked it out. "Nice. Now shall we move on."
He led her to a horse that was tied up. He told her to mount. She did so and watched him mount another. He galloped at a wooden man and sliced it in half. She nodded and galloped towards it also slicing it. "You have learned to face the wooden ones now you must defend yourself from other humans." he said. A different man ran towards her. "Block the blow!" the Sovereign instructed. She rosed her sword to block an empact from a battle axe. She whipped the horse around and blocked another blow. The men stopped and she turned to face the Sovereign again. "Good. Now lets see if you can block ariel attacks."
All of a sudden tons of arrows came flying at her. She began swing her sword to defend herself. She did quite well on this task. She then saw a flaming arrow shooting towards her. She swept the side of the sword towards it shooting it to the side. She then her the slow beating of clapping. He nodded his head and smiled. He then jumped from the horse. "Now you must defeat me in a battle to knock the sword out of my hands." he said. She got of the horse and rose her sword into battle position.
The tip of the Dragon Sword touch his. He took the first swing throwing it close to her hands trying to make her let go. She just pushed the sword towards the ground. She rose it and began to swing quite powerfully. He fought back at the same pace. She tried a different tactic. She jumped behind him and he turned around to face her. She quickly swung at his feeling an impact. One hand fell off the sword but the other stayed on. "Good tactic Saphire. Keep it up." he said. She thought for a second. She flicked her sword to the side and swung as hard as her could at the tip of his sword. The handle pushed back causing him to let go.
"You are a quick thinker and will make a fine warrior. I wish you the best of luck and hope you will accomplish you duty." he said. With that they each bowed to one another. He mounted his horse and rode back to the office. Leaving her standing there. She sat under a tree awaiting the answer.
620 words in this posting!
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Post by Nelra on Sept 25, 2006 21:05:12 GMT
Post for Page in the Dragon Rider’s Division with Lady Alianna
Nelra strode purposefully onto the training grounds, her dragon, Storm, trotting along beside her. She was eager to begin her training for the day, but upon scanning the grounds she saw no sign of Lady Alianna or her dragon.
“I guess we’re a tad early.” She remarked out loud to Storm. You should use the time to run a few laps around the track. came the dragon’s reply. Nelra nodded in agreement and set off around the track at an easy jog, increasing her pace, till she was running by the time she completed her fourth lap. When she stopped after her fifth lap, Lady Alianna was there, waiting with Garnet.
“It’s good to see you remembered something from last time,” Alianna said. “Storm will be working with Garnet again. We are going to start with some sword fighting from dragonback.” Alianna led the way to a couple full sized wooden dragons while Garnet and Storm took to the sky. Nelra stared up at the wooden dragons for a moment before copying Lady Alianna, and climbing up the side of the dragon.
She settled uncomfortably into the seat. It was a much wider seat, and much higher up than she had thought possible. “So, what do you think?” Alianna asked once Nelra had gotten as comfortable as possible.
“Well…it’s sure a lot different than horseback. And it’s hard to imagine that Storm could possibly ever be this big.” She replied.
“She will, just wait. Now let’s get to work. There’s not much difference from fighting on horseback to fighting on dragonback. The main difference is how high up you are. Also your dragon will be a much better fighter than even the best warhorse. We’re going to work with blunt swords again. It will be pretty much the same as last time. Are you ready?”
Nelra drew her blunted sword and nodded before lunging towards Alianna. Their blades met in the air and Nelra drew back again. She could already tell this would be much different than when they were on foot. For one thing, she didn’t have quite the same freedom of movement, though that was partly because she was on a wooden dragon.
Nelra was about to make another move when she heard a screech. She looked up to see Garnet showing Storm rolls and twists in the air. For her distraction she got a hard rap in the side from Alianna’s sword.
“Don’t get distracted!” Alianna told her sharply. “Now, let’s go again.” Alianna raised her sword, Nelra following suit. They both lunged at the same time, their swords clashed in mid air. Alianna drew back, but Nelra continued forward, delivering a sharp blow to Alianna’s arm.
“Good! Always try to take advantage of situations like that!” Alianna congratulated her, before she struck again. Nelra blocked her easily then went to deliver a blow of her own.
I’m getting better at this! she thought happily. Of course you are. That’s what this training is for. Storm replied. Nelra and Alianna continued to trade blows until Nelra’s arm had started to feel numb. Alianna called a halt and told Nelra to take a few minutes to rest before the continued. She gladly accepted the break and shook her arm out, while Alianna disappeared, presumably to get some more equipment.
Alianna returned a couple minutes later, carrying a long bow, which she passed to Nelra after climbing back onto the wooden dragon. “Let’s see how good you are at archery.” Nelra accepted the bow and carefully fit an arrow onto the string. She took aim at one of the targets, and loosed her arrow. It flew several feet over the target.
“Aim lower. It’s just like shooting from horseback, so treat it the same way you would that.” Alianna said helpfully. Nelra simply nodded and set another arrow to the string. This time she dropped her aim a few inches. Her arrow hit the outermost ring of her target.
Not bad, she thought, but I can do better, though it would be easier if the targets were taller.
She continued with this exercise, slowly marching her arrows towards the center of the target, while Alianna offered advice every now and then. Having finally reached the center, she thought she would try to see how good her aim was when she was shooting fast. She picked five arrows and laid four of them in her lap, the fifth she set on the bowstring. She picked an unused target, so she would be able to see how good she did. Her first arrow shot towards the target, the other four following in quick succession.
When she looked her arrows were all over the target. “Not bad for a first try,” Alianna remarked. “You can try some more next time. You should probably get some rest now, your arms must be aching by now.” Now that she’d stopped, Nelra did realize that her arms felt like they were on fire.
She climbed slowly off the wooden dragon, her feet hit the ground just as Storm and Garnet arrived back. Storm came rushing at her, clearly pleased with what she’d done. Guess what I learned today? All kinds of maneuvers to keep from getting hit while in the air! the dragon remarked happily. I saw Nelra replied, as they started off the field.
Nelra turned back to Lady Alianna after a couple steps. “I have a question. When I’m on dragonback, how is an opponent going to get at me, unless they have a dragon too?”
“Well, they could try dragging you down to the ground, or climbing up your dragon. And if there are enough of them they just might succeed. Just because you have a dragon doesn’t make you invincible. And besides, you’d likely have to be on the ground to fight them in the first place. Now go get some rest, or you won’t be able to make it here for your next session.” Alianna replied. Nelra obediently turned around and walked off the field, Storm gliding along beside her.Word Count: 1021-including title
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Post by The Sovereign on Sept 26, 2006 13:05:21 GMT
Accepted Sapphire, you have made Trainee in the Swordsman Division. The only way to improve your post would be include a little more detail and if possible- try to vary your sentance legths using commas and semi-colons. It just makes it easier when you're writing a long piece like this.
You may change your signature accordingly.
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Post by carmen on Sept 28, 2006 7:14:38 GMT
Post for Page in the Dragon Riders division with Lady Alianna
Carmen walked onto the Training grounds, her Red hair blowing through the wind. Nexa was not at her side, but she had a sword at her side. Her bow was also at her back in her quiver of arrows. Another windy day? Carmen thought. Then Nexa landed beside her. She had flown there that day. Do you remember everything from the last lesson? Nexa asked, looking up at Carmen. Of course! Carmen thought back to Nexa. Then Garnet landed with a thud in the middle of the Grounds. Lady Alianna slid off Garnet’s back with ease and walked towards them, pulling off her helmet.
“Good day Carmen!” She said, holding out her hand. Carmen took it with ease. She was much more confident today. Lady Alianna looked at her and asked. “Is that a sword?” Carmen smiled with pride. “My first one,” She pulled it out for Lady Alianna to inspect it. “Hmm…” She took it from Carmen and held it up. “It will do for now.” Then Garnet’s voice came into Carmen’s head. I must take Nexa and we will learn flight patterns and Dragon History today. Nexa nodded too Carmen and flew off after Garnet. “Come Carmen!” came Lady Alianna’s voice from behind.
Carmen helped Lady Alianna pull one Dummy Dragon. “You’re not riding?” Carmen asked. Lady Alianna shook her head. “Today I’ll act as the enemy from the ground, but first, lets do archery.” Carmen saw some familiar looking targets. “I want you to hit them, not through the middle, but to see how fast and how close you can get.” Carmen prepared her bow and quickly took an arrow and shot it through the center of the target. “Good,” said Lady Alianna, her praise not as emphasized as The Earls. “Now climb on that dragon” Lady Alianna said. “I want you to fire that shot again, while I move the dragon, because your dragon will never be still in battle.” Then, while getting used to the hight, Carmen took another arrow and nodded to the Lady to signal she was ready. Lady Alianna began to shake the dummy. Carmen focused and looked at the target as though it was one of those moving ones again. She fired and it hit not even an inch from the center. Carmen felt pleased with herself, but the Lady was not.
“You took to long,” She said, not looking very happy. “If I were a real enemy, you would’ve been dead by now.” Carmen looked towards the ground, but the Lady shook the dragon again. “No time for moping! Get up and try it again!” Then she muttered to herself, but Carmen could hear. “Didn’t Christoph teach you anything?” Carmen looked up again and gained that concentration quicker. She fired and it hit through the middle. “Good, but try faster,” the Lady said. Carmen fired again and again, each time getting faster. As soon as she was out of arrows, The Lady stopped moving the dragon and looked rather tired.
“Lets try some sword skills from the dragons back.” Carmen felt her sore arm coming back again as The Lady taught her the moves. “Instead of hitting across, like you would if you were on the ground, you must slant the sword downwards and aim for the head. They will be more likely to get killed if hit on the head.” Carmen practiced on a dummy for a while, in the mean time, wishing she could have been riding Nexa. Then she shot back to reality when Lady Alianna said, “Focus Carmen!” She then aimed perfect and sliced off the dummy’s head. “Good,” The Lady said. “How sore is you arm?” she asked honestly. “Quick sore, Mam,” Carmen replied quickly. “You will have to warm up next time before you come.” She helped Carmen down from the dummy and they put it away together. “Our next session will be after the ball and we will make Nexa her first saddle. You won’t be flying though,” She added, seeing the look of joy on Carmens face. “No lets go over some of those sword moves that we did last time.” Carmen nodded.
Her sore arm was getting tired after all the practice when Lady Alianna said, “Switch arms.” Carmen put her sword in her left arm. It felt strange to her, but she tired. She was much worse, and Lady Alianna kept screaming instructions. “Now left and right and up. Don’t forget to move your feet there and…” They went on and on. Finally, when Carmen felt like collapsing, two shapes appeared at the top near the castle. One was quite small, the other bigger. Garnet landed with a huge “THUD!” as Nexa flew over to Carmen. I must tell you all about dragons history, I’m sure you’ll find it very interesting and the… But she was interrupted by Garnet. You should have already told her, young one. “That’s right,” Lady Alianna said. “From now on you must remember to share everything. Do you understand?” Carmen nodded, “Yes M’ Lady” She said. Then The Lady got onto garnets back and they flew off. Do you think I can be like her someday? Of course you can
~876 words
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Nouhime Saito
Peasant
It's pointless to fight a worthless battle.
Posts: 19
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Post by Nouhime Saito on Oct 3, 2006 3:50:25 GMT
Post for Trainee in Archer Division; training with Earl Christoph [[Hope I did this right. = / ]][/center] “Like this? Sir Earl?” Nouhime held the bow within her hands, giving her commander a confused looked. She frowned when she heard him chuckle. “No, You’re holding it incorrect. To become an archer, you must know how to hold the bow.” Earl Christoph spoke in a polite matter. He could easily tell that this was her first time ever wielding a bow. She had only started training not to long ago, and already she felt like it was the worst. Her arms felt as if they were nearly falling off from the warm ups she had done earlier. Nouhime heard her stomach grumble and exhaled deeply, dropping the bow on the floor, “I can’t do this . . .” “No, no. Don’t forfeit to the bow. Hold it like this.” Earl Christoph spoke once more. This was his fourth time showing her how to hold the bow, and she still had not got the hang of it. He walked behind her and reached over to grasp her hands, showing her how to hold it properly, where her elbow should be bent and where her hands shold be placed. He let go of her hands once they were in the proper position and handed her an arrow, “try to shoot this again.” ‘ He’s probably angry with me . . .’ she thought while looking at the grassy floor beneath her, this wasn’t her first time trying to shoot an arrow. Many hung about in the floor, scattered all over. She placed the arrow in the right position and pulled back the string, letting it go once she thought it was powerful enough to hit the target, which was an apple that was still hanging from the tree. The arrow pierced through the air firm and strong, it wasn‘t long till it hit an apple. She gave a big smile and glanced over to him, “Look!” she exclaimed, “I hit an apple! Am I finished?” She slumped over as she watched him shake his head back and forth. “You hit an apple, but not the apple. You‘re aiming for the apple beneath the one you just now shot. You’re getting the hang of the power, you just need to focus on your aim,” he spoke observantly, “stick out your index finger and rest the arrow on that. Also, you can try using you index finger to help you aim.” he handed her another arrow. Nouhime nodded her head and took hold of the arrow, placing it in its proper place. She pulled back the string and extended her index finger and bit her bottom lip as she adjusted the bow-and-arrow to where she thought was perfect aim and released the string. As the arrow was released from her grip she shut her eyes tight, not wanting to see the results incase she had failed to hit the apple once more. If she did, this was about the tenth wasted arrow she had used in just short moments. Her eyes slowly cracked open once she heard an object hit the floor, and smiled as she saw that the arrow finally hit the target. Not saying a word she stole a glance over to her commander and saw that he too was smiling. “You did great, Nouhime.” he complimented her, “now pick up your fallen arrows and that‘ll be all for today.” he said as he walked away. Nouhime nodded her head and walked over to the apple she had just hit. She bent over and picked it up, removing the arrow once she stood and took a big bite of it. Turning around she took another bite and began to gather the arrows. [ ]] [/color]
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Post by Lady Alianna on Oct 10, 2006 18:21:26 GMT
Well done Nelra and Carmen, these were both good posts which I will accept towards your training for page. You may both change your signatures. I also have to apologise for the delay in my getting back to you, and thank you both for being so patient.
The only way I would say for you to imrove on your posts is to make them a little more original, try to be a little more inventive with your training sessions. But on the hole- two very good posts, well done.
Please wait at least 5 days before posting for advanced.
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Post by Scarlet Aldsilver on Oct 14, 2006 16:07:59 GMT
Scarlet’s first post for Advanced, training with Lady Alianna in the Dragon Riders division.
For the first time, Scarlet was to commence training actually on Meral, as opposed to using one of the uncomfortable wooden dragons. Lady Alianna greeted her with a few words, and then set about describing the content of the training session.
Firstly, she showed Scarlet the two different types of dragon saddles, and explained the when she would need to use each one. “This one,” she began, indicating a thin leather saddle, “Is light and is for flying and practise. It simply adds a layer in between you and the dragon’s scales. I expect you’ve felt how rough the scales are, and so, without the right protection you could easily wear away the skin from your legs. Although- this wouldn’t be suitable for a fight, as it offers no protection for either you or Meral.” She moved onto the next saddle, which Garnet was modelling. “Now, this type of saddle is perfect for battle- It’s light enough not to restrict your dragon’s movement, but it also offers more protection, and this ridge here,” she said, pointing to a lump at the front end of the saddle, “This prevents you from flying out of the saddle if Meral has to lurch forward and catches you off guard. Then, there is one other type of saddle, which I don’t have here to show you. It’s a ceremonial saddle- good for nothing really. Its all for show and is based around comfort and style.”
“This saddle is for Meral.” Alianna said as she passed Scarlet one of the light leather saddles. The leather was a light brown and looked worn. “At the moment you’ll have to use one of the army’s spares, as Meral is growing so quickly, but as soon as he reached full size you can get your own.”
The next few minutes were spent teaching Scarlet how to put on the saddle, which contained many different sized buckles. Lady Alianna double-checked all the buckles were done up securely before acknowledging Scarlet needed no further teaching on buckling.
“Right then, lets start” the lady said, clapping her hands together. Scarlet climbed up onto Meral’s back and they made their way towards the target boards which were arranged in a large circle with the targets facing outwards.
Meral came Garnets deep rumbling voice I want you to run around the targets at varying speeds and changing directions. “And Scarlet, your task will be to get an arrow to hit every single target. You only have three extra arrows to the number of targets, so you can only afford to miss three times.” Scarlet nodded, and then was jerked backwards as Meral charged forwards, she just about had time to cling onto his neck and pull herself upright.
“Slow down a bit…” she muttered under her breath. Meral just snorted. Gripping on tightly with her thighs, Scarlet loaded her bow slower than normal, as her main priority was to not fall off of the charging dragon. She fired the first arrow, without really aiming for one target in particular, and it hit, as did the second. She was just about to release the third when Meral skidded and kicking up a cloud of dust, changed direction at the last minute. The arrow flew high into the air and landed nearby to Lady Alianna, who, to Scarlet’s embarrassment was laughing. It was harder now, as she couldn’t just aim for any target, she had to make sure she chose ones without arrows already in them. Her next three arrows all found a clear target. Although the following arrow hit a bullseye in a target she had already hit. Now she had two arrows left, with one target to go. As they approached the target she judged the speed, so that her timing would be perfect and just as she released the arrow Meral skidded to a standstill and Scarlet fired the arrow about three feet in front of them. She swore loudly, to which Meral retorted language little one. From that position, she fired her last arrow, which hit the last remaining target and then Meral turned and headed back towards Lady Alianna.
“Not bad Scarlet.” She said, “I would suggest you practise riding Meral so you’re more comfortable on his back. But your technique was good.” “I don’t see why Meral had to twist and turn like that” she complained, “In a real fight, he could tell me if he was going to change direction.” “That’s very true.” replied Lady Alianna with a smile, “And Meral could have told you then, I didn’t tell him he couldn’t”
So why didn’t you! Scarlet demanded You never asked came the mocking reply
Scarlet scowled, but after a while had to see the funny side and rode over to the straw dummies, where she practised fighting them from Meral’s back. Alianna decided that Meral could also fight as he would in a battle, and any dummy that stood in front of them was either ripped or torn apart by his strong jaws and claws. Scarlet slashed and jabbed at the dummies to their sides, protecting Meral’s flanks and delicate wings; any dummies left behind them, were bowled over by Meral’s mace-like tail.
As the walked back towards Lady Alianna, leaving nothing more than a field of trampled straw and a few wooden poles behind them- Meral said:
We make a good team you and I Scarlet smiled in reply.
917 words
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Post by Matthew Sparkle on Oct 18, 2006 0:10:29 GMT
Post for Trainee in the Swordsman division with The Sovereign
Matthew walked onto the training field. He saw that the Sovereign was nowhere in sight. He decided to warm up, so he dropped to the ground and did 20 push-ups like his father had told him to before every sword lesson.
When he stood up he saw a handsome man with brown hair. He realized him as the Sovereign and bowed. The Sovereign had a delightfully hearty laugh. “Hello young sir. As you know I’m Valros, but you shall refer to me as the Sovereign,” Matthew stood up strait and nodded saying, “yes sir,” Valros smiled and said, “Well lets get started. First do that warm up course,” He pointed to an obstacle course. “And I’ll time you. After that, we’ll go over the warm I want you to do before you come.” Matt stared at him and took off his sword belt. “Go!” The Sovereign shouted and Matt ran towards the course.
Matt saw first a platform he had to jump too. He jumped, slipping and hitting his arm on the platform instead. Wearily he got up from the mud and kept going. He climbed onto the platform and saw that next there was a rope for him swing across a pile of mud. He swung across and went to the next obstacle. It was a fence with barbed wire that he had to crawl underneath. He did that, getting himself all muddy. When he got up he ran back to the Sovereign, because it was the end of the course.
When he reached the Sovereign, Matt collapsed in front of him, muddy and tired. Valros chuckled and Matt stood up wearily. “That was a good run for you first time. You didn’t do it as fast as Draken Thrice, but it was good.” The he started to examine Matt hurt arm. “Is it broken?” He asked. Matt shook his head, too exhausted to talk. “Good. Now for those exercises.”
He handed Matthew his sword and pulled out his own. It was a long sword with a beautiful hilt. He held it up and it glistened in the Sun. This gave Matt new confidence. He held up his arm to match the Sovereign’s. “The next session we do, I’ll leave out a special swordsman’s dummy. You can do this warm up on it. Then I’ll face you and teach you new moves.” Matt nodded and Valros continued. “First of all you must swing the sword to your right, like this,” Then he demonstrated. Matt took in everything he said. “Now you try,” and that’s what Matt did or at least tried. “Good, good,” Came the Sovereigns encouragement.
He showed Matt three other exercises to practice and then sheathed his sword. Matt’s arm was in pain, but he didn’t think it broken. He sheathed his sword too and picked up his sword belt. The Sovereign smiled at him, but Matt didn’t have enough energy to smile back. “Lad,” The Sovereign said before leaving. “What is your name?” Matthew looked at him, confidence in his eyes, “Matthew Sparkle, sir,” Then he bowed and departed.
~523 words
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Post by Lady Alianna on Oct 19, 2006 18:50:17 GMT
Congrats Scarlet, you've now made the first level of advanced. You can post for the second level in three days time. Only when that has been accepted can you change your signature though!
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Post by Earl Christoph von Trapp on Oct 22, 2006 20:57:20 GMT
Accepted Nouhime!
You have made the position of Trainee in the archery Division. You may adjust your signature accordingly.
You may now post for the next level.
[sorry for the delay]
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Post by carmen on Oct 24, 2006 5:43:51 GMT
First Post for Advanced in the Dragon Riders division with Lady Alianna
Carmen and Nexa walked onto the training field. Lady Alianna was waiting there, with Garnet beside her. “Welcome,” Came the Lady’s strong voice. “Good day Rider Carmen, Are you ready to begin?” Carmen looked at Nexa, and he dragon nodded. Go ahead. Ask. Carmen stood forward and said, “May I do a few laps around the field before beginning to warm up.” She looked into the Lady’s eyes. Finally, after a small pause, Lady Alianna nodded and Carmen ran. While she ran she felt three heavy pairs of eyes on her back.
After finishing her laps, Carmen stood in front of Lady Alianna and Garnet and said, “I ready now my Lady,” Lady Alianna showed one of her rare smiles, “Good!” She walked Garnet’s side and beckoned for Nexa and Carmen to follow. Carmen couldn’t help but giggle at the pounding of Nexa’s feet. This is a travel saddle, came Garnet’s voice into Carmen’s head. It was equally as powerful as Lady Alianna’s. Carmen looked at Garnet’s saddle; it was brown and sort of grungy looking. “It’s made out of sturdy materials, like animal hides and skins. It’s great for traveling long distances and quests.” Then Lady Alianna grabbed a travel saddle and threw it over Nexa’s back. It tickles, Nexa said in Carmen’s head, which brought out her bright smile.
After adjusting Nexa’s saddle to fit and showing Carmen how to do it, Lady Alianna climbed onto Garnet’s back and beckoned Carmen to do the same. After climbing onto Nexa’s back and fitting her feet into the stirrups, Carmen looked for further instruction. Lady Alianna unsheathed her sword, with Carmen following her. “Do you remember the maneuvers I showed you?” Carmen nodded. “Good, Now you’ll practice slicing the heads off of those dummies as you and Nexa ride past.” And then you’ll hit the targets at the other end. Carmen nodded and said. Ready? Nexa replied, yes! Before running towards the dummies.
Carmen, although the wind was in her face and it was biting cold, loved training that day. She leaned for the first dummy, just missing it’s head and grunting as she swung over to the other side and out of pure luck got the next dummy’s head off. Then, using the skills she gained from further training, she sliced the next ones head off directly and the rest of it fell to pieces. Next came the archery, Carmen’s strong point. She told Nexa to stop and she got her bow ready with her quiver too. She prepared herself quickly and told Nexa to get on the move again. Nexa ran forward and although it was rocky, Carmen managed to hit the first target barely. The second one was easier because she was used to the feeling. The last one, with a lot of concentration, went strait through the middle.
Then Nexa ran back to Lady Alianna. “Good,” Lady Alianna said, content. “But I might get you to run the course again. You took a little slowly on the archery section and you missed the first dummy.” Carmen was aware of these mistakes. And Nexa, Carmen felt the dragon shift beneath her. You could have easily taken to dummies head off with your tail after you passed. But also remember not to let Carmen control you, if you think you should do something else, then debate a bit, but make it quick or you’ll be dead. Carmen saw Nexa’s purple head nod and Carmen watched Lady Alianna get off Garnet. Carmen climbed off Nexa as the dragon stirred. That was fun, she said in Carmen’s head, blocked off from Lady Alianna and Garnet.
“Carmen,” Lady Alianna said. “You’ll come with me and we’ll do some things by ourselves.” Nexa followed Garnet-saying goodbye to Carmen. “So, how are you and Nexa getting along?” Carmen was slightly surprised about this question. “We’re getting along alright. We had a fight a few days ago, but we’ve forgiven each other. She’s like me best friend, but more. She’s like my sister. A sister that I can share all of me secrets with and it doesn’t embarrass me.” Lady Alianna nodded. “Good, that’s good.” Then she saw Carmen’s confused face and explained. “I’m making sure that you’re mental link with Nexa is stronger and I’m sure Garnet’s asking Nexa the same questions.” Carmen acknowledged Lady Alianna’s concern. “I will not make you and Nexa re-do the course, but be ready next time and plan what you’re going to do.”
Nexa flew over to Carmen and landed with a thud. Carmen jumped and ran to her side. I can’t wait for you to ride me, it’ll be great. Then Garnet cut in. All in good time, young one. Carmen bowed for Lady Alianna and was leaving, when she hear Stop! In her head. She turned around to Alianna and Garnet. “Remember Carmen, you and your dragon are a team.” You must look out for each other, you are family, Garnet finished.
~842
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