Post by Ringulf on Nov 8, 2010 23:44:44 GMT -5
(OOG: Whitby, the summer before the Harvest faire, Year 655)
The dust in the training yard swirled and got into the eyes and mouths of the students as they trained.
The 10 students that faced each other were deeply involved in a scrimmage type elimination match.
What looked like chaos to the casual observer was in actuality a very intricate and strategic melee. the students fought in groups though their instructors had made it plain that only one would win and that was the last one standing.
So it seemed that a lesson in battlefield diplomacy was being taught as well as the lesson of survival of the fittest.
The weaker opponents were selected early as fodder for the stronger ones as they took them out in single combat, but as 10 became 6 one could see there was now 3 groups of two facing each other.
A pair of identical twins fought side by side and they were quite tough as one fought left handed the other right handed and they joined up so that their shield arms came together. This made a rather devastating mini shield wall that was giving the rest of the field a bit of difficulty. The other pair consisted of a tall boy with a pole-arm and a girl with twin maces who was short and stocky with red hair and green eyes she was very aggressive and barked out orders to the tall pikeman as they attacked the third couple and defended from time to time the hit and run attacks of the twins.
The last group was made up of two young men about the same hight one a bit heavier than the other The big one used an axe and shield and the other a sword and shield. The youth with the sword and shield was deftly defending himself from the pikeman and even though the pike man had such a long reach the youth with the sword and shield with the black hair and the different color eyes, was not pulled out of position or deceived by the mace wielding girl who would from time to time aggressively strike at her opponent with one mace and the swordsman her partner faced as well. each time the swordsman repelled her attack the pikeman would commit to a thrust.
This last time the girl had thrown a strike that landed on the axemans shield and with her left hit the swordsman's shield as well
It would have been just the same as all the other attacks but for the fact that the swordsman had seen the twins coming in for another hit and run attack, so he took the mace on the shield, waited for the pikeman's lunge and drove between them forcing them apart.
The girl was jammed up by his shield work and pressured by his partners axe, and as he swept away the low strike of the pole-arm he saw the twins level a double attack at the tall pikeman's exposed flanks.
As the two hits struck home the pikeman collapsed in the dust.
behind him he heard the sickening thwack of a mace as it connected with the outside of the axeman's thigh below his shield and another as his shoulder was struck by the offhand mace and he to was crumpling to the ground. The swordsman had turned to engage both of the twins alone, The highland girl jumped to his side and screamed at the twins as well.
"We ca' teahk em t'gether Darcey! Go right!
The black haired swordsman took the twin on the right side so that he was striking at the sword side of the left handed twin. he heard the double thuds of Maggie's maces as she attacked on the left.
Then without warning all three students turned on Darcy.
He deflected the right handed twin with his shield and struck a killing blow to the left hander between the neck and shoulder with his sword, however the right hander did come down on his arm with his well aimed blow.
That was not the end of Darcy though, he was crumpled by the shot to the back of his head from a grazing mace.
He felt Maggie jump over his falling form actually using his back to propel herself up and onto the last twin as she tore away his shield with her right mace and stuck her left into his unprotected solar plexus.
All fell to the highland girl who raised her maces in the air and let out a whoop of victory.
"You are watching our third year students Your Excellency, these are the very best of the group, I am surprised Maggie defeated all this time, Darcy is the better swordsman I would have put money on him even against the twins!"
"Oh it wasn't the twins prowess or his ability with a sword that defeated young Darcy, it was the guile of the female to let him do the dirty work until she was in the position to take him out and cover her attack on the last remaining opponent. Obviously as an individual the twin was not her match. I should be recruiting her right now, I may yet but not this time. I will speak to this young Darcy fellow after he has revived a bit but before the pains of his betrayal have dissolved. vacate the court of all but him discreetly and I will...engage him in conversation." The tall black cloaked figure said to the Battlemaster.
"Yes Your Excellency I shall, many thanks for your...donation." Said Sir Rodney and he walked off to leave the cloaked and hooded man their in the shadows of the gallery arches watching as the downed opponents were being helped to their feet and the wooden training weapons were collected from the field.
The dust in the training yard swirled and got into the eyes and mouths of the students as they trained.
The 10 students that faced each other were deeply involved in a scrimmage type elimination match.
What looked like chaos to the casual observer was in actuality a very intricate and strategic melee. the students fought in groups though their instructors had made it plain that only one would win and that was the last one standing.
So it seemed that a lesson in battlefield diplomacy was being taught as well as the lesson of survival of the fittest.
The weaker opponents were selected early as fodder for the stronger ones as they took them out in single combat, but as 10 became 6 one could see there was now 3 groups of two facing each other.
A pair of identical twins fought side by side and they were quite tough as one fought left handed the other right handed and they joined up so that their shield arms came together. This made a rather devastating mini shield wall that was giving the rest of the field a bit of difficulty. The other pair consisted of a tall boy with a pole-arm and a girl with twin maces who was short and stocky with red hair and green eyes she was very aggressive and barked out orders to the tall pikeman as they attacked the third couple and defended from time to time the hit and run attacks of the twins.
The last group was made up of two young men about the same hight one a bit heavier than the other The big one used an axe and shield and the other a sword and shield. The youth with the sword and shield was deftly defending himself from the pikeman and even though the pike man had such a long reach the youth with the sword and shield with the black hair and the different color eyes, was not pulled out of position or deceived by the mace wielding girl who would from time to time aggressively strike at her opponent with one mace and the swordsman her partner faced as well. each time the swordsman repelled her attack the pikeman would commit to a thrust.
This last time the girl had thrown a strike that landed on the axemans shield and with her left hit the swordsman's shield as well
It would have been just the same as all the other attacks but for the fact that the swordsman had seen the twins coming in for another hit and run attack, so he took the mace on the shield, waited for the pikeman's lunge and drove between them forcing them apart.
The girl was jammed up by his shield work and pressured by his partners axe, and as he swept away the low strike of the pole-arm he saw the twins level a double attack at the tall pikeman's exposed flanks.
As the two hits struck home the pikeman collapsed in the dust.
behind him he heard the sickening thwack of a mace as it connected with the outside of the axeman's thigh below his shield and another as his shoulder was struck by the offhand mace and he to was crumpling to the ground. The swordsman had turned to engage both of the twins alone, The highland girl jumped to his side and screamed at the twins as well.
"We ca' teahk em t'gether Darcey! Go right!
The black haired swordsman took the twin on the right side so that he was striking at the sword side of the left handed twin. he heard the double thuds of Maggie's maces as she attacked on the left.
Then without warning all three students turned on Darcy.
He deflected the right handed twin with his shield and struck a killing blow to the left hander between the neck and shoulder with his sword, however the right hander did come down on his arm with his well aimed blow.
That was not the end of Darcy though, he was crumpled by the shot to the back of his head from a grazing mace.
He felt Maggie jump over his falling form actually using his back to propel herself up and onto the last twin as she tore away his shield with her right mace and stuck her left into his unprotected solar plexus.
All fell to the highland girl who raised her maces in the air and let out a whoop of victory.
"You are watching our third year students Your Excellency, these are the very best of the group, I am surprised Maggie defeated all this time, Darcy is the better swordsman I would have put money on him even against the twins!"
"Oh it wasn't the twins prowess or his ability with a sword that defeated young Darcy, it was the guile of the female to let him do the dirty work until she was in the position to take him out and cover her attack on the last remaining opponent. Obviously as an individual the twin was not her match. I should be recruiting her right now, I may yet but not this time. I will speak to this young Darcy fellow after he has revived a bit but before the pains of his betrayal have dissolved. vacate the court of all but him discreetly and I will...engage him in conversation." The tall black cloaked figure said to the Battlemaster.
"Yes Your Excellency I shall, many thanks for your...donation." Said Sir Rodney and he walked off to leave the cloaked and hooded man their in the shadows of the gallery arches watching as the downed opponents were being helped to their feet and the wooden training weapons were collected from the field.