A small arena constructed who knows when. Since the Sentinels became a constant presence they decided to take over the place for use in instructive training. Although not entirely theirs festive fights do take place here from time to time. It is also not uncommon to see people have grudge matches here to settle disputes, even wayward adventurers use the grounds as a means of training with one another.
( All RP that takes place here will be combative in nature. If done well, a GM or Admin may award Acclaim for it. If combat is story driven then it will be GM's discretion. This is also an open zone for everyone, so not only will it be utilized by me for the sentinels, consider it a sparring ground so you can battle a friend. All damage done will be virtual unless the parties involved specifically say other wise.
If someone want's GM monitoring for a sparring match just ask anyone of us and we may comply depending on our work load. )
The most likely question for Alexander Deerfield at this moment and the cacophonous pounding on his barracks door echoed in his room. After the fourth or fifth knock a not so familiar face walked in.
" 'Ey..you..get up, it is time for the recruitment training. Commander Zaedus will be present so make sure you go over your armor again."
Said the man. He was young probably no more than 17 yet he carried himself like he was older. He wore similar armor like the female from yesterday was except he had an ornate pin clasping his cloak together rather than being attached to the pauldrons like hers was.
If Deerfield looked to his right the armor stand that held the armor in question. It was simple at best, just a chain shirt with a purple waif of cloth draping from the right shoulder. When worn the cloth only went down to maybe his waist.
"All potential Recruits, don your armor and fall in line out side your rooms and make haste."
Came another voice, a female. By the sound of it, it was that girl from yesterday at the tavern. What ever the case the order was given.
A few minutes passed by and the sound of jingling chain could be heard with the resounding echo of shutting doors. Standing in a line down the hall were five recruits, Deerfield included. They were escorted through the Sentinel compound and lead to a well used arena. Inside the fighting ring had been cleared for today's events and Sentinels old and new lined the seats as they were brought in. Captain Draxius stood next to Zaedus at the arena's podium. He placed his hands on the railing and looked down at the five.
"Today you will be your entrance challenge. On a standard day you would be facing me. However the Commander has decreed that today will be a unique challenge for he has chosen the opponent."
At that moment Zaedus unsheathed his blades and drove them downwards embedding them into the stone of the podium. He unhooked several belts as his chest plate fell form his torso, Drax nearly buckling under it's weight. Zaedus stood on the railing all that adorned him were his gauntlets, his armored belt with a piece of purple silk hanging down, and the faulds from his leggings.
He leapt down landing with ease and took a few paces forward. He pointed a finger at Deerfield.
"You..step forward state your name to your peers."
Deerfield had been so excited, he hadn't slept much anyway. When the door-banging and the rest started, he did as he was told with devotion. He tried to greet the others, especially the four other recruits, giving them a nod, glance or smile. But everything went so fast, as it should have. There was no time for niceties, and before he knew it, they were standing in the middle of the action, on display before the Sentinels, those who they wanted to become part of.
He was very impressed when the Commander did what he did. He hoped he wouldn't have to combat the hulking warven without some sort of weapon. He didn't think there was a chance of victory, but he would try his best in any test that was given him. The only thing so far Deerfield wasn't so happy about was the chainmail. He did appreciate the protection in battle, but in close quarters combat, chainmail tended to cause more wounds then it prevented, being so flexible and hard. He had gotten a fractured rib in a mere tavern brawl once because of that stuff, and brawling with a this warven would prove far worse.
His knees shaking with excitment in the beginning, the shaking was otherwise motivated when Zaedus came towards them after his impressive leap, pointing his finger at the recruit. He closed his mouth tight but couldn't avoid grinning a bit. He pushed his knees straight to stand still, maybe a bit too stiff, just like his reply "Sir!" Then he remembered to step forward and did so ungracefully. "My name is Deerfield, Alexander!"
Last Edit: Jan 29, 2014 4:26:40 GMT -5 by Deerfield
She started dancin' real slow, like she was puttin' on a show.
Wet sweat was pourin' off her skin, her body made me wanna sin.
Right then my buzz was kickin' in, she had a devil's grin.
She looked me in the eye and said: You give me the urge!
To do a little day drinkin'
A little bit of love makin'
A whole lot of world shakin'
'Cause it's never too late to get low down dirty!
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Low Down Dirty
Zaedus nodded, he went to the next and repeated the process.
"Ambrose Sir!"
"Markus Sir!"
"Edward Sir!"
"Godrick Sir!"
Spouted the other four. Zaedus nodded at them all as they stated their names. He took a few steps forward and looked towards Godrick pointing another clawed hand at him.
"You...step forward and draw sword."
"Yes Sir!"
The man took two quick steps and unsheathed the sword at his hip. He drew it clumsily, nearly dropping the damned thing. His nervousness was evident and Zaedus took note of it with a concerned lowering of his brow. Though he did know how to hold it, he stood in a squared stance with the blade out forward, a typical stance. He had some training at least.
"Have you any questions Godrick or are you ready for your challenge?"
Zaedus asked, folding his arms over his chest purposely lifting his chest to make his big frame a little more so. The man went to speak but stopped himself short then spoke.
"Yes sir, my question is; What is my challenge?"
Zaedus cracked a toothy smile, his shoulders bouncing slightly in a soft, silent laugh. He unfolded his arms and assumed a defensive stance.
"Me.."
The man went pale as soon as Zaedus said that. Another smile.
"Your win condition is first cut. If you can manage you will find a life amongst the sentinels. Failure will mean for you to attempt later. You have two minutes."
Zaedus looked to Drax and nodded then turned to face Godrick.
"BEGIN!"
Zaedus did not move, rather he waited. Godrick, still nervous, slowly approached the Warven Commander hesitant to do anything. Seeming to find some gusto he ran towards Zaedus raising his blade up high in attempt to bring it downwards.
Too slow.
"OOOFFF"
The strike down had barely began before the sound of escaping air from Godrick's mouth as he was frozen in pain. He dropped to his knees gasping as Zaedus stood to his left fist still clenched.
"Your strike was too obvious and your guard nonexistent. Try again."
Zaedus hoisted the man up, lifting him off of the ground and tossing him back a few feet like he was a rag doll. The landing made Godrick loose his blade sending it clanging on the ground. He still seemed to be recovering from the blow as he went to retrieve his blade, coughing every few seconds.
He quickly remembered his was on a time limit and, to the best of his ability, regained his composure and charged yet again this time feigning a shallow strike to the legs but lost his coordination as he was not but a pace away.
The slight disadvantage gave Zaedus the upper hand once more, side stepping the awkward strike to the right and bringing his knee to connect with the recruit's side. The resounding crack from the strike was sickeningly audible.
There went one rib.
Godrick rolled to his left clutching his side and yowling in pain.
"Do not falter! Why are you hesitating?"
Through painful gasps Godrick managed to spit out a few words.
"Never...been...in...a..real..fight. Just scared."
The following growl displayed Zae's frustration. He reared back his leg and kicked the man sending him rolling away.
"Fear will be your undoing, conquer it or you will die."
Zaedus looked at Drax standing on the podium to which brought Drax to drag his thumb across his neck to signify he was out of time mainly due to the kid's injuries. Zaedus turned and looked at the others and pointed at Godrick.
"That is the outcome of fear of battle. Do not show fear or it will be your end. Whilst you are here focus on your task it is simple: deliver one blow that brings blood."
He pointed to Edward.
"Prepare yourself, and make not a mockery of my time."
The ensuing challenge started off the same as Godricks, a too telegraphed attack that led Edward rolling in the dirt. However Edward showed more promise than Godrick. He was faster to recover and adapted slightly to Zae's movements. The challenge ensued but was interrupted briefly when Drax called the thirty second warning.
It was ten seconds later that Edward managed to fulfill his challenge but not before being sent reeling from a blow to his face. He stumbled a few steps back and collapsed, his nose pouring blood.
He was out cold.
Zaedus turned his right fore arms to see the gash dripping with fresh blood. He nodded.
"Pass."
Zaedus closed his eyes for a brief second as if concentrating. Soon his wound closed as the dripping blood seemed to come to life in a snake like tendril crawled back into the wound and sealing it. He looked to Markus and ordered him to begin.
The challenge seemed to be a bit of a mix from Edward and Godrick. The man was timid but manged to stay away from the launching fists and legs of the commander. However it was suddenly over when Markus went in with a sweeping strike only to have Zaedus side step and grab hold of his wrist.
Another crack from the violent twist, followed by another from a knee to the chest. Markus was then sent flying from an overhead throw. Like Godrick as soon as he stopped rolling a few sentinels scurried out to drag him off to a pair of healers standing on the side lines.
Ambrose was next. This fight was on the other end of the spectrum from the others. Ambrose has proven he had training in sword play. He was also a deft acrobat, dodging and rolling away from Zae's strikes. It was barely even a minute before Zae's voice rung out saying pass. Ambrose looked confused as he stopped then nearly went white when he saw what the commander meant.
A small droplet hung from Zae's snout the pink pin prick right above it. By the looks of it he had barely dodged a thrust to the face. Zaedus then looked to his final contender.
Deerfield had been grinning the entire time, looking around at the spectators to confirm that this was actually happening. When Zaedus asked him if he was ready, he smiled, "Yes Sir!"
He respected his fellow recruits for their efforts, especially the first one, Godrick. Being the first, maybe Alexander would have hesitated as well, for he had no idea that the warven could heal himself in that way, and he didn't want to seriously harm his future Commander. But he had watched all four fights, and learned from all of them. Zaedus showed no hesitation, and there was no need for anything of the sort on the side of the recruits.
He acknowledged the fact that the warven could probably rip him apart like a fried chicken, but also realized that the challenge set was do-able. Just a cut deep enough to draw some blood. Of course, on the other hand, Deerfield was probably going to bleed ten, or twenty times as much. But this blood sacrifice was definitely worth a ticket into the ranks of the Sentinels.
He became serious when he stepped forward as took his stance, soon Drax would start counting the time. He had been in life and death battles, and he found further confidence in the very small chance of actually dying or losing a limb. Still, he would have to devote full concentration to the encounter. Therefore, his stance was one he did not use in normal battles. He took a more defensive position, pointing his sword into his opponents direction. He would glady accept a blow or injury of any manner, but he would cut whatever touched him. That's all he focused on for now.
When the fight began, he started moving towards Zaedus, trying to get close enough to maybe do a quick stab or small swing. Deerfield hoped he had too much pride infront of the Sentinels to keep a distance. Eventually, there would be a blowfrom the Commander, major pain, but also the desired cut, or so he planned.
He would try this maybe for half a minute or a minute, depending on what happened. If these procedure promised no success, then he would have to be more offensive.
Last Edit: Feb 1, 2014 12:07:41 GMT -5 by Deerfield
She started dancin' real slow, like she was puttin' on a show.
Wet sweat was pourin' off her skin, her body made me wanna sin.
Right then my buzz was kickin' in, she had a devil's grin.
She looked me in the eye and said: You give me the urge!
To do a little day drinkin'
A little bit of love makin'
A whole lot of world shakin'
'Cause it's never too late to get low down dirty!
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Low Down Dirty
Zaedus made no outward motion to signify an attack. Upon Deerfield's approach he made a quick nod and watched. If it was one thing Zaedus did was analyze a foe. He looked for all sorts of things; posture, stance, scent, sounds.
Even the slightest change in heartbeat was enough to sometimes signal an attack if the opponent was so inclined. He stopped the circling he and the man across from him had been doing. He crack another toothy grin.
He bent down low digging the claws of his feet into the ground and shot forward. The power behind the push was enough to deeply gouge the sandy earth.
Deerfield was leaning back on his strongly angled right leg. He gripped his sword tightly with both hands close to his face, searching for any undefended area to thrust it into. He focused heavily, but his breathing was calm and rhythmic.
When Zaedus went low and dug his feet into the ground, the recruit instantly saw an attack coming. He lifted his sword slightly above his face, leaving his left side in the front undefended. His ribs, his hip, maybe his left leg, those were obvious targets. Maybe too obvious? He wanted to provoke an attempt at these areas and sacrifice them for the sake of drawing the warven's blood.
However, even though he foresaw an attack, the sudden forward dash still widened his eyes in scare. As he saw the Commander become so big so quickly, he screamed. He yelled as loud as he could exhaling as long and as much as he could. He did this not to inspire fear in his opponent, but to counter the fear in himself. When he screamed like this, he was unable to think. Thoughts of fleeing or consequences did not occur to him. There was only his instinct, and he had already chosen between fight and flight.
Everything went so fast. He waited for the attack, tightening the muscles on his entire body as he exhaled without moving. There would be no need for action beyond the thrust or swing that was to come when Zaedus came within range to deliver his attack. He trusted he would be able to complete the challenge upon the first chance, since he wouldn't be able to handle many total blows.
She started dancin' real slow, like she was puttin' on a show.
Wet sweat was pourin' off her skin, her body made me wanna sin.
Right then my buzz was kickin' in, she had a devil's grin.
She looked me in the eye and said: You give me the urge!
To do a little day drinkin'
A little bit of love makin'
A whole lot of world shakin'
'Cause it's never too late to get low down dirty!
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Low Down Dirty
(( Ok, comparatively, after looking at characters sheets, Zaedus is obviously much faster than Deerfield however he is not operating at peak performance. That said you will have to be quick on your feet and think a step ahead. This will not be one sided I promise you that but, after all, this is initiation and Zaedus doesn't mess around. Just remember he hit's like a freight train with those gauntlets of his. ))
TWAANG
The sound of metal on metal ringing as Zaedus stood over Deerfield, his left arm outstretched to the side from swatting the blade aside. Zaedus just lowered his eyes in that brief moment, that calculating gaze ever so cold.
Pain.... a vast amount of it. Radiating somewhere in the belly, as Deerfield would look a fist buried in his gut would what he would see before being brought down to a knee from a light sweep.
That was it.
Zaedus turned his back and walked a few steps away.
"Get up...dismiss your fear boy."
Zae's tone was surprisingly calm. Earlier he had been harsh and demeaning to the others, was he being nice? Was this the way he was when anger stepped that line?
Deerfield would not know.
"You have 10 seconds to get up, and to strike, or I will."
Oh, that made the recruit angry. "Dismiss your fear, boy" It rang in his head again and again. Regardless if he was really afraid or not, it made him bitter and angry that his opponent thought he was afraid. In a way, it hurt more than the ache in his gutt, though standing fully upright just wasn't in it for now. "Dismiss your fear, boy" pff, that was easy for him to say, being a century old, 10 ft high wolf monster and all.
Then he heard the Commander's voice again, "You have ten seconds to ..."
Deerfield didn't perceive more than that. He refused to fail, and ten seconds was all he needed to hear to get him on his feet again. He kept his torso angled forward to minimize the sensation of pain that was still remaining in that area. This automatically made him half as small as he dashed forward with small but strong steps, pulling his sword behind his back.
Shortly before he arrived in striking range less than half the givin time later, he made a full twist to the left, meaning the first swing went through thin air approximately at the height of his hips, if Zaedus didn't move towards him. He looked over his left shoulder to see what Zaedus was doing and how he was standing, making his second blow a serious attempt to slash at his opponent. At what angle and height would depend on what he saw, he left the final decision to the last moment possible while still being able to use the momentum of his twist. If Zaedus would still just be standing there, the swing would target the area at the top of his legs.
Last Edit: Feb 7, 2014 6:35:06 GMT -5 by Deerfield
She started dancin' real slow, like she was puttin' on a show.
Wet sweat was pourin' off her skin, her body made me wanna sin.
Right then my buzz was kickin' in, she had a devil's grin.
She looked me in the eye and said: You give me the urge!
To do a little day drinkin'
A little bit of love makin'
A whole lot of world shakin'
'Cause it's never too late to get low down dirty!
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Low Down Dirty
Zaedus thought, seeing Deerfield get up, at least he had determination. His eyes flashed with slight excitement as he back stepped from the horizontal slash. He had managed to step forward for the counter.
Zing.
He went wide eyed for a second and looked down to see a bit of fur and the lower bit of the cloth hanging from his belt fall to the ground.
Well...that was close.
He lowered his eyes and gave a toothy grin. He should have expected the pivot, it was something he would have done. Feign a strike to follow up with a more powerful one using the momentum of the first to fuel the second.
This one knew how to fight as well.
He stood with his left shoulder facing Deerfield, his right leg back. Zaedus just simply motioned with his hand to Deerfield to strike again.
The young man growled in disappointment as he frantically ran to where the weight of his weapon pulled him, to his left. He was trying to get away from harm's way, expecting another confrontation with a gauntlet. Still no success, the tip of his blade pulled not a drop of the desired liquid behind it.
When he finally looked to Zaedus, he was motioning with his hand, just that. Maybe his attack had impressed him? Maybe ... He frowned.
Deerfield clenched his teeth and took an offensive stance, thinking his chances were probably better when he attacked. He guessed it was also what the Commander was looking for, the whole thing being a test of skill. The Sentinels wanted to see what he had. Just staying on the defense wasn't going to impress anybody. He felt stupid for overthinking a strategy to draw blood. "...and here I go thinking to much again." he quietly said to himself, stopping any further unnecessary electro-chemical activity. Every second was precious.
Feeling better about himself, and having almost lost his memory of the recent punch in the gut, he charged in an all out attack. He had never given up his low position, and dashed towards the warven frontal but low, pulling his sword behind him to his right, almost dragging it along the ground.
He kept to Zaedus's right. He wanted to get close enough that warven couldn't throw his full body into a punch or kick. He kept his sword behind him because Zaedus had smacked it aside before. When he would get in range, he would pull the blade upwards, attempting to slash it through his opponent, or confront an incoming arm or leg. Deerfield already expected Zaedus to somehow parry it, and intended to continue running past him to try and slice at his right calf.
She started dancin' real slow, like she was puttin' on a show.
Wet sweat was pourin' off her skin, her body made me wanna sin.
Right then my buzz was kickin' in, she had a devil's grin.
She looked me in the eye and said: You give me the urge!
To do a little day drinkin'
A little bit of love makin'
A whole lot of world shakin'
'Cause it's never too late to get low down dirty!
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Low Down Dirty
Deerfield's strategy was a sound one. Once he was near striking range all seemed well. Zaedus had not moved during the approach, and seemed as if he wasn't. However the Warven had a trick up his sleeve, and his final one he would play. He appreciated the skill of this young man, he was tactical, when it sunk in, and he was able to analyze previous enemy tactics to betetr adjust for the next strike.
Indeed the boy had merit, at least enough for Zaedus to warrant the thought of inducting the lad.
Zaedus issued out a roar and with those brutish gauntlets let out a savage two handed strike upon the ground kicking up the loose dirt into a fine dust. Once covered he leapt back sweeping the ground with his leg to thicken his shroud.
"Hmm...should have done that sooner"
He thought as he side rolled and attempted to step to his left trying to analyze Deerfield's movements from before.
Nope
Yup that hurt,a lot. Like holy flarb that hurt.
Zaedus let out a grunt of pain followed by a low rumbling growl. He looked down to see his error, instead of dodging it he foolishly rolled right into it, as he found it buried in his side. As the dust settled he saw Deerfield, no doubt once the man before him saw what had happened he would be shocked.
Zaedus looked back down at the blade plunged into his side, good thing it wasn't too deep. The compression of his ribs from the roll must have helped it from going any deeper. Zaedus grasped the blade near his wound and with a grunt and yell he pulled it out.
Still on his knees he gritted his teeth from the pain. He fell to his rear from his knees and placed a hand over the now profusely bleeding wound. Slowly but surely the bleeding slowed as a soft red light emanated from beneath his hand.
The blood slowly crawling back up his side. A few minutes later the wound has closed leaving a bright pink patch of skin where the gash had been. His face was covered in sweat as if the mending had caused more stress than the fight did.
He stood slowly, his actions telling that it was still painful to move about. Not a full heal one would notice but enough to get him moving about. He looked to Deerfield waving his hands to dismiss the two healers who had rushed to his aid. He nodded.
(( Alright Deerfield, we shall have a few more posts left before I call this. Unfortunately due to system revamps factions may go out the window, it depends on how it is re-worked. No worries though, I think you did a great job and as a GM I will award you acclaim for your efforts in the roleplay. You stayed in your character concept and applied it with excellence in my opinion. So let us wrap this up and carry on with the story, worst case scenario factions get scrapped but your character will have made a loyal companion! ))
The move caught the man by surprise. Deerfield had not considered it possible for anybody to use the given environment to his advantage. It was an empty arena, after all. But Deerfield was not one to consider the details, and Zaedus proved him wrong in his estimation of the possibilities. He hadn't joined the Sentinels yet, and he already learned from their leader.
The sand and dust was a strange sensation. Maybe a wiser person would have retreated from it, but Deerfield just squinted and rushed on through it. Quite a gamble in retrospect, but a defensive manouver would have proven simularly unsure. The risk was worth it though, at least from the perspective of the human achieving the set goal. The warven let blood.
But indeed, it was a shock for the leather worker. When he opened his eyes entirely, the dust still not settled, he saw his blade dug into his opponents body, and immediately let it go, backing away a few steps. He had gone all out, but he didn't actually want to kill the guy. He hesitated, fearing a vengeful answer to the successful attack, but when Zaedus pulled the sword from his side, Deerfield immediately came closer and tried to apply pressure to the wound to somehow attempt to stop the bleeding. Then the warven's magic kicked in and all action taken by the man seemed for naught.
He stared in disbelief as the Commander stood up, even if exhausted from the use of magic. "A miscalculation?" He repeated the words to himself.
"Aye, maybe." He didn't believe in the possibility of calculating a fight though. There were always too many unknown factors that could potentially play key roles is victory or defeat. Well, unknown to him. Indeed, there was much to learn for the tanner. Indeed, he had talent and experience in swordplay and actual killing, but he was no veteran or seasoned combatant.
If it had been anybody else, Deerfield would have asked again if he needed any assistance with the treatment of the wound. But this was the Commander, and the ones he commanded were watching. He would not be the one to indicate any weakness in the huge warven. He didn't even bother retrieving his sword. He stood up straight as he had in line with the others. Standing there alone across from his opponent, he simply said, "May I assume then that I fulfilled the requirements of the posted challenge, Sir."
It wasn't posed as a question. Despite the words it sounded like a simple statement.
He grinned slightly as he held back his teeth from smiling.
Last Edit: Apr 6, 2014 17:41:40 GMT -5 by Deerfield
She started dancin' real slow, like she was puttin' on a show.
Wet sweat was pourin' off her skin, her body made me wanna sin.
Right then my buzz was kickin' in, she had a devil's grin.
She looked me in the eye and said: You give me the urge!
To do a little day drinkin'
A little bit of love makin'
A whole lot of world shakin'
'Cause it's never too late to get low down dirty!
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Low Down Dirty
((I see that the field was cleared for the Sentinel recruits, but Im not sure if the stadium itself was on lock down for this event. If so, ignore my post))
Redblade was in need of physical training. He had just started learning magic, but he did not want to lose his edge on hand to hand combat. After over-hearing some people talking about the matches that went on at this arena, he had thirst for a fight.
Walking towards the field he notices that there were a lot of uniformed soldiers everywhere watching a match taking place at that moment. He decides to take a closer look and hopefull get an idea on how the matches took place. Seeing as there were nothing but these so called Sentinels that roamed the streets, he figured it was some type of recruiting or training going on. He took a seat on the arena seats above and watched the match.
GM NOTE:: Redblade is a known felon and escaped criminal. This can and should effect all interactions with certain people that would be aware of his status. Especially the Sentinels.
"I fought the law and then I was broken out... Is that a bad thing?"