8th of Searing 4622
Warm rays of the sun were coating the lands as far as a man could see. The air is dry and the grass is starting to turn brown due to a recent heatwave coating the land. Much to the dismay of the many farmers of Daravin, seeing as some of their crops begin to slowly wilt, even as they try to ensure it's survival. But such was not the concern of Hugo Abreo at the moment, at the moment he was standing in a small clearing, one surrounded by dry shrubbery and a handful of trees which irregular amounts of shade onto the open space. He was currently standing in the shade, looking at his companion opposite him. The only person here clad in proper armour and who was sweating quite a bit, yet despite the large amount of sweat dripping of his face the person still had a smug and almost patronizing look on his face. "So Hugo, you are sure you want to do this? You sure you don't want to read a book or practise some magic? Isn't this 'unbefitting of your class' " Hugo groaned as his own words from years earlier were thrown into his face by his companion.
"I know what I said back then, and I know I got punished enough for my hubris by my grandfather. You don't have to remind me of my unwise words of years ago. Regardless, being able to properly handle a blade is an important skill in the events of assassinations and in case I ever need to go on an expedition or campaign. Something that is quite likely with the return of the blessed Achra, praise be their benevolence and the word of Ulen" Whilst this was the truth, it was not the complete truth. The event that had caused Hugo to go practice the use of his sword for the first time in years were some of the dreams that had plagued him since the start of Searing. His dreams were extremely vivid and felt almost real. Every cut and bruise felt as if they were truly plaguing his body, and he experienced a lot of them. His dreams this month were odd, him being faced with some of the spectres of his past, Lord Pascal as he died due to his frail condition, his grandfather Mattis's body, cuts and stabs wounds scattered across the corpse as they were when Hugo saw them and there was Maxim. Maxim, his occasionally distant but formerly loving father, with pale, sweaty skin and vomit-crusted lips and a dark look on his face. In these dreams, they mocked him and told him he would not survive, that he would be buried in an unmarked grave and forgotten by history. But that was not the worst part of his dreams, because often after he was mocked by his loved ones other things would begin to appear. Vague dark shapes, humanoid but with monstrous appearances, the edges of their forms ever-shifting and with dark red eyes, each wielding blade with (impractical) but wicked-looking edges and curves. Weapons to inspire dread as much as they were intended to bring death to those who stood on the opposite end of it. And ever so slowly, with bleeding cuts and broken bones, Hugo would come to face these creatures. He could not use magic in these dreams but he could use a sword, but that was not enough. These opponents always managed to defeat Hugo and his dreams were always ended as he 'died', most often by some sort of decapitation.
These dreams provided ample motivation for Hugo to begin improving his sword skills, perhaps if he could improve his skills and face off better against this demon his dreams would be less painful and dreams would come more swiftly. Admittedly the chance of this was unlikely but combined with the factors that were mentioned earlier they provided ample motivation for Hugo to begin improving his blade skills. Specifically using a longsword, a useful weapon when combined with his magical skills and a weapon that was well suited to learning the basics of melee combat. Admittedly the use of spears and others polearms was also appealing but with his resonance abilities and future speed, it might be better to possess a weapon that possessed a smaller profile and was less unwieldy. Thus now he was standing in the shadowed clearing holding a wooden sword in hand, faced on the opposite side with a well-built man with a slightly olive complexion as was common to the people of Northern Daravin. The man's face was sharp and with little fat, a hooked and irregular nose (presumably from being broken) and a facial scar on one of his cheeks. This was Bertrand, the last Valran and retainer left to 'the house of Abreo. Well, there was Angelique but she was not a retainer so much as the house servant, helping Hugo and Bertrand with their daily tasks and keeping their shared cottage clean and both men fed and in proper appearance. His relationship with Hugo was complex. The Abreo retainer followed Hugo more out of a sense of duty and honour rather than any great personal appreciation of the young man. Perhaps it would be earned in time, but with the many japes and the tone to which he spoke to Hugo, it was clear the elder held no great respect for the younger.
Hugo shoved aside his thoughts and focused on the more immediate situation. Specifically, his attention shifted to the lesson in sword fighting that Bertrand would be giving. The man in question now looked upon Hugo with a smile that some would almost call sadistic. Whilst others would fully call it sadistic. "Alright my lord time to get down to the basics. First, get your sword into the basic stance." Hugo had to scratch his memories for a bit, but after some recollection, he did remember this basic knowledge at least. He held the sword out in front of him at a 45-degree angle and pointed at his opponent.
"Good you remember that at least, now remember that there are 4 basic areas where an attack can come from. Although 5 is really more accurate. The 4 main ways you can be attacked from. These are your upper left, your upper right, the lower left and the lower right. There is also a straightforward stab from the centre but that is something more from shortsword and from spears." As Bertrand announced each area that an attack could come from this was accompanied by a harsh tap on the shoulders, legs and then in the middle of the chest. "This might be easy to remember whilst you are practising here, but when you are in actual battle it will be far harder to recall and be less import than one huge factor, reach" Then in a swift movement Bertrand's wooden sword hit Hugo's shoulder even as Hugo tried to deflect it. "With some exceptions, the person who has the longest reach in a battle has a huge advantage. They are able to in nearly all cases have the first hit and thus the initial advantage. This reach is a combination of your opponent's height, length of their arms and their arms. See what I did there....." As Hugo gave an unimpressed look, with a tiny smug grin Bertrand frowned and continued on with his lecture. "" Specifically how long their weapon is. The length and design of a weapon determine what the effective range of its use is. A spear for example will function well at a relatively long range, but if you get close..."" Bertrand then got uncomfortably close to Hugo, centimers removed. "But if you get closer to them, then their spear will be ineffective. Their effective range is now behind me, allowing my longsword (or preferably a shortsword at this range) to harm them within their effective range." Bertrand then stepped back and allowed Hugo to feel a little bit more comfortable, now that his retainer was not so close to him and didn't almost touch his skin.
"The immediate danger a spearman or any other person faces is mitigated with the use of a shield. I don't have one with me right now to demonstrate but you have to trust my word. A shield will protect a larger part of their body and can be used to bash an enemy but it has trade-offs. " Bertrand cracked his knuckles and then made movements with imaginary weapons and shield to demonstrate, as well as using his wooden longsword as an example. "This is seen when I use my longsword with a shield, sure my side is more protected but now I can't attack from the side of a shield as well without leaving myself exposed." Bertrand demonstrated this by doing a slash over his shield, which didn't flow and didn't really work. "Having a shield limits the amount of direction you can attack from and wielding a long weapon with one hand is cumbersome and impractical. As such a shield is most often combined with a shortsword and a spear. They are each thrusting weapons and have less range of motion, but are quite effective when used in formation and in an army. "
Bertrand then rolls his shoulders. "Now it is time to put all that knowledge into actual practice. Now we will attack each other with wooden longsword, keep in mind the directions where attacks can come from and the effective reach of your weapon. Our swords have the same length but because you are a bit taller than me you have a slightly longer reach. For now try blocking my attack, for each direction try something like this." Bertrand then showcased what parry would work for each side. Bertrand then grinned "Well, time to get to the action."
These words were followed by swift movement as Bertrand rushed into action, before Hugo could react he felt a harsh pain on his side, specifically at about hip level. Hugo grunted out a sound of pain and Bertrand took several steps back. "Alright, that was to show that you always have to pay attention to your surroundings and how swift an attack is, but now I'll do it a lot slower so your lordship can keep up." Hugo and Bertrand then each extended their wooden longsword in the basic position, each carefully moving around and testing each other out. Bertrand first allowed several of his attacks to be blocked, before having one of his attacks blocked and making the movement of the block follow into a second attack which hit Hugo. "Alright time to stop for today your lordship. You didn't do too badly but there is a long way to go." Bertrand sheated his sword and after both men had some water to drink they went back towards the cottage.
Warm rays of the sun were coating the lands as far as a man could see. The air is dry and the grass is starting to turn brown due to a recent heatwave coating the land. Much to the dismay of the many farmers of Daravin, seeing as some of their crops begin to slowly wilt, even as they try to ensure it's survival. But such was not the concern of Hugo Abreo at the moment, at the moment he was standing in a small clearing, one surrounded by dry shrubbery and a handful of trees which irregular amounts of shade onto the open space. He was currently standing in the shade, looking at his companion opposite him. The only person here clad in proper armour and who was sweating quite a bit, yet despite the large amount of sweat dripping of his face the person still had a smug and almost patronizing look on his face. "So Hugo, you are sure you want to do this? You sure you don't want to read a book or practise some magic? Isn't this 'unbefitting of your class' " Hugo groaned as his own words from years earlier were thrown into his face by his companion.
"I know what I said back then, and I know I got punished enough for my hubris by my grandfather. You don't have to remind me of my unwise words of years ago. Regardless, being able to properly handle a blade is an important skill in the events of assassinations and in case I ever need to go on an expedition or campaign. Something that is quite likely with the return of the blessed Achra, praise be their benevolence and the word of Ulen" Whilst this was the truth, it was not the complete truth. The event that had caused Hugo to go practice the use of his sword for the first time in years were some of the dreams that had plagued him since the start of Searing. His dreams were extremely vivid and felt almost real. Every cut and bruise felt as if they were truly plaguing his body, and he experienced a lot of them. His dreams this month were odd, him being faced with some of the spectres of his past, Lord Pascal as he died due to his frail condition, his grandfather Mattis's body, cuts and stabs wounds scattered across the corpse as they were when Hugo saw them and there was Maxim. Maxim, his occasionally distant but formerly loving father, with pale, sweaty skin and vomit-crusted lips and a dark look on his face. In these dreams, they mocked him and told him he would not survive, that he would be buried in an unmarked grave and forgotten by history. But that was not the worst part of his dreams, because often after he was mocked by his loved ones other things would begin to appear. Vague dark shapes, humanoid but with monstrous appearances, the edges of their forms ever-shifting and with dark red eyes, each wielding blade with (impractical) but wicked-looking edges and curves. Weapons to inspire dread as much as they were intended to bring death to those who stood on the opposite end of it. And ever so slowly, with bleeding cuts and broken bones, Hugo would come to face these creatures. He could not use magic in these dreams but he could use a sword, but that was not enough. These opponents always managed to defeat Hugo and his dreams were always ended as he 'died', most often by some sort of decapitation.
These dreams provided ample motivation for Hugo to begin improving his sword skills, perhaps if he could improve his skills and face off better against this demon his dreams would be less painful and dreams would come more swiftly. Admittedly the chance of this was unlikely but combined with the factors that were mentioned earlier they provided ample motivation for Hugo to begin improving his blade skills. Specifically using a longsword, a useful weapon when combined with his magical skills and a weapon that was well suited to learning the basics of melee combat. Admittedly the use of spears and others polearms was also appealing but with his resonance abilities and future speed, it might be better to possess a weapon that possessed a smaller profile and was less unwieldy. Thus now he was standing in the shadowed clearing holding a wooden sword in hand, faced on the opposite side with a well-built man with a slightly olive complexion as was common to the people of Northern Daravin. The man's face was sharp and with little fat, a hooked and irregular nose (presumably from being broken) and a facial scar on one of his cheeks. This was Bertrand, the last Valran and retainer left to 'the house of Abreo. Well, there was Angelique but she was not a retainer so much as the house servant, helping Hugo and Bertrand with their daily tasks and keeping their shared cottage clean and both men fed and in proper appearance. His relationship with Hugo was complex. The Abreo retainer followed Hugo more out of a sense of duty and honour rather than any great personal appreciation of the young man. Perhaps it would be earned in time, but with the many japes and the tone to which he spoke to Hugo, it was clear the elder held no great respect for the younger.
Hugo shoved aside his thoughts and focused on the more immediate situation. Specifically, his attention shifted to the lesson in sword fighting that Bertrand would be giving. The man in question now looked upon Hugo with a smile that some would almost call sadistic. Whilst others would fully call it sadistic. "Alright my lord time to get down to the basics. First, get your sword into the basic stance." Hugo had to scratch his memories for a bit, but after some recollection, he did remember this basic knowledge at least. He held the sword out in front of him at a 45-degree angle and pointed at his opponent.
"Good you remember that at least, now remember that there are 4 basic areas where an attack can come from. Although 5 is really more accurate. The 4 main ways you can be attacked from. These are your upper left, your upper right, the lower left and the lower right. There is also a straightforward stab from the centre but that is something more from shortsword and from spears." As Bertrand announced each area that an attack could come from this was accompanied by a harsh tap on the shoulders, legs and then in the middle of the chest. "This might be easy to remember whilst you are practising here, but when you are in actual battle it will be far harder to recall and be less import than one huge factor, reach" Then in a swift movement Bertrand's wooden sword hit Hugo's shoulder even as Hugo tried to deflect it. "With some exceptions, the person who has the longest reach in a battle has a huge advantage. They are able to in nearly all cases have the first hit and thus the initial advantage. This reach is a combination of your opponent's height, length of their arms and their arms. See what I did there....." As Hugo gave an unimpressed look, with a tiny smug grin Bertrand frowned and continued on with his lecture. "" Specifically how long their weapon is. The length and design of a weapon determine what the effective range of its use is. A spear for example will function well at a relatively long range, but if you get close..."" Bertrand then got uncomfortably close to Hugo, centimers removed. "But if you get closer to them, then their spear will be ineffective. Their effective range is now behind me, allowing my longsword (or preferably a shortsword at this range) to harm them within their effective range." Bertrand then stepped back and allowed Hugo to feel a little bit more comfortable, now that his retainer was not so close to him and didn't almost touch his skin.
"The immediate danger a spearman or any other person faces is mitigated with the use of a shield. I don't have one with me right now to demonstrate but you have to trust my word. A shield will protect a larger part of their body and can be used to bash an enemy but it has trade-offs. " Bertrand cracked his knuckles and then made movements with imaginary weapons and shield to demonstrate, as well as using his wooden longsword as an example. "This is seen when I use my longsword with a shield, sure my side is more protected but now I can't attack from the side of a shield as well without leaving myself exposed." Bertrand demonstrated this by doing a slash over his shield, which didn't flow and didn't really work. "Having a shield limits the amount of direction you can attack from and wielding a long weapon with one hand is cumbersome and impractical. As such a shield is most often combined with a shortsword and a spear. They are each thrusting weapons and have less range of motion, but are quite effective when used in formation and in an army. "
Bertrand then rolls his shoulders. "Now it is time to put all that knowledge into actual practice. Now we will attack each other with wooden longsword, keep in mind the directions where attacks can come from and the effective reach of your weapon. Our swords have the same length but because you are a bit taller than me you have a slightly longer reach. For now try blocking my attack, for each direction try something like this." Bertrand then showcased what parry would work for each side. Bertrand then grinned "Well, time to get to the action."
These words were followed by swift movement as Bertrand rushed into action, before Hugo could react he felt a harsh pain on his side, specifically at about hip level. Hugo grunted out a sound of pain and Bertrand took several steps back. "Alright, that was to show that you always have to pay attention to your surroundings and how swift an attack is, but now I'll do it a lot slower so your lordship can keep up." Hugo and Bertrand then each extended their wooden longsword in the basic position, each carefully moving around and testing each other out. Bertrand first allowed several of his attacks to be blocked, before having one of his attacks blocked and making the movement of the block follow into a second attack which hit Hugo. "Alright time to stop for today your lordship. You didn't do too badly but there is a long way to go." Bertrand sheated his sword and after both men had some water to drink they went back towards the cottage.
