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| Mount Up! [FIN]; [P] Vyse | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:31 am (374 Views) | |
| Ollie | Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:31 am Post #1 |
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The afternoon reddened into evening. The winter grass of the plains waved in a halfhearted way, rather sick of the chill weather and wishing spring would get on with it already. Instead, a brown and white horse bearing a grey cloaked rider strode over the plains, heading toward a recently raised structure that dominated the grassland. The rider stopped some ways from it, staring up at it with hooded eyes, mouth masked to hide the slight grimace underneath. This was a bad plan. He knew it. He didn't know anything about using any weapon besides his fists and his bow. He could ride, but he couldn't do anything besides that. Beyond that, the teacher of this school...Ollie worried that he'd recognize him, and he wasn't certain that would end well for anyone. "But Tand say you should, and you thought you should," a voice spoke, unheard except in his mind. A small winged snakelike creature lifted its head from Ollie's shoulder. "You worry about Sir, yes?" Yes, Sir Justin Prancealot, the Istani rent-a-horse gelding who somehow became the steed of someone who could fly at will and move at impossible speeds. It likely made little sense, but Ollie grew fond of the laid back horse. The issue was Ollie himself often ended up in....dangerous scenarios, and Justin couldn't be placed somewhere safe in the interim all the time. Eventually, he was going to get hurt or worse. It was expressing that worry to his somewhat mentor and immortal friend, Tanderous, that he was given the suggestion to go to this school. Here, he was told, he and Justin could learn how to fight as a team. At the very least, Ollie thought, Justin could learn to fight and defend himself. The issue was the teacher, Vyserial Noclan, the merchant, beserker, tiger rider, and patricidal dread of much of Cascadia's upper class. Ollie never met him formally, but there was always a chance, that damn chance, that Noclan knew him despite that.... He pushed forward anyway, feeling the heavy weight at his belt. If nothing else, he hopefully brought enough to buy not only tuition but silence. If not....honestly, Ollie didn't feel his secret was worth killing over, but it would make things...problematic. He'd have to run and hide, probably in Istan. He disliked Istan. It was too damn hot there all day long, then it got too cold at night. He passed through the front gate, having to stop to open the latch to the great doors before passing through. Within, as the last of the sunlight began to fade to dark blue, he didn't see anyone about. Perhaps he should have come during the day, but he didn't want to push Justin, and once he was here he might as well see if this Noclan was a night owl. Besides, the gate was unlocked. "Hello?" he called out, feeling Justin shift slightly under him, reflecting his nervousness. "Is anyone here?" |
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| Vyse | Tue Feb 5, 2013 4:35 am Post #2 |
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Vyse was a rather simple man, he enjoyed fighting, he enjoyed ale, and he enjoyed the company of his family. This time he had a flask of ale, his mount and partner, Umbriel, her cubs, and his four blades at his hips. He was doing a simple patrol around the the academy grounds when he heard a man call out, Umbriel rushed towards the gates, skidding to a halt when she came across the man riding a horse. Vyse nodded to him, "Yeah, but you shouldn't travel the Debon Plains at night, nasty pieces of work wander around after dark. So what can I do for you?" His stomach gurgled a bit and he decided it might be best to take the conversation elsewhere, "Do you mind following me after closing the gate? I'm a bit hungry, you want anything sir? Oh, I should introduce myself, I'm the Master of this school of mounted combat. I'm Vyserial Noclan, but please call me Vyse, and who are you sir?" With the introductions done, Vyse started towards the a small hut near the east wall, that was where they kept most of their dried foods, sealed away in boxes, pots, and crates, but Vyse planned on snacking on some dried fruit and meat, he needed something to sate his hunger. |
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| Ollie | Tue Feb 5, 2013 11:30 pm Post #3 |
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"I'm not really a 'sir,' Mr. Noclan," Ollie said, eying not only the six limbed man and his enormous tiger, but the three smaller, but still too large to be anything near normal, tigers weaving behind them. Dear gods, he let it breed. How much bigger are they going to get? "I'm Campton. Ollie Campton." He steered Justin to follow Vyse, turned abruptly to push the wooden gate shut, then trotted Justin after Vyse. The horse himself didn't want to get near a quartet of tigers that were almost all bigger than him, but Ollie rested a hand on his neck, sending a pulse of power into the gelding to calm him. "I'm not actually hungry, either," Ollie added once he was again abreast of the man. "I ate on the road." This was truth. Noclan was correct about there being unsavories on the plains. Ollie met a small group that decided to not wait until nightfall to begin their work. Unfortunately for them, he was one of the nasties, as well, and far nastier than some cutthroats trying to con Ollie to give up his goods only to kill him anyway. That last part of their plot, along with the knowledge they've done it before, came to him from the fly dragon around his neck. The dragon constantly scanned the minds of those around him, and usually relayed that information to Ollie. However, this time the dragon was silent, not revealing whether Noclan recognized him or not. Ollie wanted to sigh aloud. He felt he sat on pins and needles not knowing what Noclan knew of him, but he'd learned the dragon had it's own odd code of ethics when it came to mindreading. It felt free to read thoughts with impunity, but refused to reveal what it didn't consider "relevant" to Ollie. From its silence, whether Ollie's cover was blown or not seemed to be one of these annoying, obtuse "irrelevant" points. "My mentor," Ollie started up again as Vyse drank from his ale flask. From the tales Ollie heard of him, he was slightly surprised he wasn't holding four. "He suggested I learn about mounted combat and suggested your school. I'm...not sure it's the best course...but I thought maybe it'd be helpful for my horse, at least, to learn it. I have gold to pay up front, Mr. Noclan, and I apologize for arriving so late. The trip took longer than I expected." He also wanted to be able to fly himself and Justin clear if that became a necessity, and he could only do that at night. That tidbit could be kept to himself, he decided. |
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| Vyse | Thu Feb 7, 2013 9:29 pm Post #4 |
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He listened to Ollie as they moved closer to the hut, only opening his mouth when he dismounted his tiger, "Well you came to the right place, I can teach you how to fight on a mount, but I won't be able to teach you much in one night. I can at least teach you how to keep steady while on your mount, just tell me what kind of weapon you use and we can start working before to long." Vyse often did special night training, it allowed him to fight calmly even when ambushed by bandits in the night... or that was what he told himself, the real reason was that he didn't want people to see him fight at full strength, he didn't want to scare the students. Vyse listened to Ollie's preferred way of fighting as he rummaged through the supplies, snagging a few apples and a fistful of jerky. He nodded slowly as he ate the food, "Alright, the best way to learn is to just do it. So just follow behind me and Umbriel, I'll take up a sword in one of my hands and lead you around the training grounds near here. Just follow me and try to make the same turns I do, I just hope you can run the obstacle course at night." With that Vyse mounted Umbriel as he ate, slowly drawing his longsword. Umbriel started forward as her cubs ran off, probably going to the stables to sleep for the night, but before they would get started, Vyse turned his head to Ollie, "Just keep your weapon out and try to attack the dummies as best as you can. Now follow me." With that Vyse went off, eating jerky as he rode, the obstacle course was nearby and was mostly just dummies that spun around when hit or wooden beams and signs. With that in mind Umbriel kept up what she thought was a slow pace... but to the large dire tigress, slow could be considered quite fast. Vyse easily gave short slashes and quick thrusts to dispatch the dummies before they could hit him, he just hoped his new friend could do the same with his own choice of weapon. |
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| Ollie | Thu Feb 7, 2013 10:57 pm Post #5 |
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"Um...My fists?" Ollie said, then rubbed his head. "Except that wouldn't work well on horseback, wouldn't it? I knew a bit about the sword, but that was ages ago. I guess the only other weapon is my bow. I've heard of mounted archers, but I've never shot on horseback." Noclan munched down on a pair of apples and a few strips of jerky as Ollie spoke. Ollie wondered how they tasted. He could ask for some, he supposed, but not being able to swallow it might cause a bit of a scene. Noclan finished another piece of apple. "Alright," he said after swallowing. "The best way to learn is to just do it. So just follow behind me and Umbriel, I'll take up a sword in one of my hands and lead you around the training grounds near here. Just follow me and try to make the same turns I do, I just hope you can run the obstacle course at night." "I can see fine, yes," Ollie said, "And I should be able to steer Justin through." Justin did not want to follow the giant tiger. All its equine instincts suggested they should be fleeing from the predator. Ollie calmed him again and guided the gelding after Noclan and his infamous mount. At least the other three chose to run off. They approached a fenced in course with various tight turns and dummies, signs, and posts that, with their bright markings, were meant as targets. "Just keep your weapon out and try to attack the dummies as best as you can," Noclan said, turning to Ollie. "Now follow me." Without any more introduction, the dire tiger sprinted out, heading through the course with ease, its rider striking with his four swords at the various targets. "....Is he insane?" Ollie asked, staring. He touched the brooch clasping his cloak and extracted the dark brown bow stored there. Not hopeful, he did notch an arrow into the string, but with this course he had two choices. He could either fire at the targets, remaining stationary, or he could guide Justin through the dark maze, using his eyesight and hands to lead the horse. Unless Noclan accepted him stopping at each dummy to draw and strike, he wasn't going to manage a single hit. As it was, Ollie settled for holding his bow, but running Justin after the tiger instead, calming him as they followed the twists and turns of giant cat scent. The various signs, posts, and dummies went unmolested as he passed, moving far slower than Noclan's breakneck speed. It was dark, after all. Turning one of Justin's ankles would not be productive. The reached the end, and Ollie walked Justin to let him cool down. "I'm sorry," he said. "Like I told you, I don't know anything about fighting while mounted, and I can't fight and steer Justin simultaneously." He patted his horse's neck again to reassure him in the face of the tiger. "I do have the coin to make teaching me worth your time, though, Mr. Noclan, and I can get more if it's not sufficient." |
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| Vyse | Sat Feb 9, 2013 6:01 pm Post #6 |
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Vyse finished the course pretty easily, he had slashed the dummies pretty easily, even if he was using only one blade. When Ollie came up behind him, he explained that he couldn't even fight while mounted... that was something Vyse didn't understand. Vyse finished off the last of his food, even eating the apple cores, "Uh... I don't really know what you mean... I just... do the things I do. I learned all of this stuff just based on instincts and going into combat with Umbriel... you could say I'm the worst teacher ever, but I think I can work something out." He started Umbriel towards the obstacle course and nodded to Ollie, "Just watch closely and carefully, try to memorize my movements, that will give you a good idea on what you need to do with your own partner." Vyse had Umbriel turn back to Ollie and start to run, moving from left to right, hopping, stopping, dashing, swerving, she did every maneuver, over and over again. Vyse moved with her, he rode with no saddle and easily stayed on with just the power of his legs. He moved his upper body to best help her movement, but Umbriel seemed to dictate her own movements, there was no orders, they moved as if they knew what each other thought. When Umbriel stopped near Ollie, Vyse smiled, "Like that... I guess? Well, you really just need to trust your mount to make the correct movements while you make the necessary reactions. If you've got some good reflexes then it should be easy. Give it a try around the obstacle course a few times, let your partner lead, you just need to follow his movements." Vyse wasn't a good teacher... being a man of instinctual fighting and following his instincts even while riding, he could really only show people what to do and hope his students could figure out how to work with his teaching methods. |
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| Ollie | Sat Feb 9, 2013 6:48 pm Post #7 |
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Ollie stared. He could feel the skin below his left eye begin to twitch. Tand assured Ollie that Noclan was a great teacher of mounted combat, and here the man was telling Ollie that he didn't know how to teach a damn thing. Ollie let out a groan. He'd risked his cover and anonymity over this? A halfwit, psychopathic insect man who even swallowed the cores of apples? Noclan did seem apologetic about it, at least. It seemed he was used to getting students who already knew of mounted combat, and he was willing to stay up a bit longer to offer the only sort of instruction he could: a chance for his students to see a master at work. And Noclan was a master. He barely did anything to guide his tiger. He focused on striking the targets, the tiger on navigating the maze, and the rider flying off during a tight turn or a sudden leap just....didn't happen. Ollie still felt annoyed. He wished Tand told him that Noclan was not any sort of master of teaching, at least. He'd wandered in here with the exact wrong expectations. Noclan and his tiger returned, Noclan grinning. "Like that... I guess?" he said, unsure. "Well, you really just need to trust your mount to make the correct movements while you make the necessary reactions. If you've got some good reflexes then it should be easy. Give it a try around the obstacle course a few times, let your partner lead, you just need to follow his movements." "I suppose?" Ollie said, shifting on Justin. The truth was, he didn't trust Justin to know what to do. That was why he was in this school, so Justin could learn how not to get killed in a fight. Noclan's personal style and philosophy, however, suggested he'd have to actually risk the horse getting hurt. At least on a course, it'd be in a controlled environment. "I guess I'll just have to practice, then." He looked over at the merchant. "Mr. Noclan, would it be possible for me to just...try running this course at night, when no one else needs it? I work mostly at night, so that'd fit my schedule. I'd be willing to pay for the privilege, of course, and I can work more on, well, trusting my mount, and having us working together on more than just traveling." Edited by Ollie, Sun Mar 3, 2013 10:06 am.
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| Vyse | Fri Feb 15, 2013 3:19 pm Post #8 |
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Vyse stay on Umbriel's back as he listened to Ollie's request, a chance to run the course at night, that should be fine. Vyse nodded, "Yeah, I don't mind letting you run the course at night, I'll even get a few practice weapons laid on nearby so you can learn to fight from your mount. I'll have a spear, sword, and club set out tomorrow. I'll even stay up with you, just in case your horse gets hurt and needs some medical attention, I'm not some master healer, but I know a thing or two about animals, so I'll do my best to actually help you. I'm just more confident in teaching things about becoming a Charger. Hold onto the horse with your legs, I know people can easily guide horses after training them to turn from the pressure placed on their sides. So it might help with guiding the horse if you apply pressure to one side of it when you turn a specific way, that way your horse can learn that 'pressure on this side means turn this way'. That way it should make it easier to turn without guiding the horse with reins." What he gave was fairly common knowledge and Ollie probably already did what Vyse was suggesting, but to Vyse it was a brilliant little bit of information, then again for him a single light tap to Umbriel's side could convey when, how, and where to turn and also whether or not it was friend or foe. Vyse knew he was a poor teacher for plain mounted combat... but he could at least try to help Ollie out. |
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| Ollie | Sat Mar 2, 2013 6:51 pm Post #9 |
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"Oh, ah...yes, I see," Ollie said. It seemed Noclan did have some skill at teaching. Everything he suggested were things Ollie, who'd only learned how to ride and not more technical aspects beyond staying astride and basic navigation. It was that, or Noclan was stating things that were, in truth, so simple that he never thought to mention it to Ollie before. Either way, the vampire was going to keep his own reaction to the revelations ambivalent and focus on incorporating them into his riding style. Part of that, however, meant retraining Justin. He was certain Noclan's method would work, but Ollie had a means to speed the process up. Hey, could you tell Justin what I'm trying to do when I nudge him to turn? Ollie asked. The dragon grumbled. "Not gonna be your speaky thing for Sir all the time," it answered in Ollie's mind. I know, and I doubt Noclan would let that happen. He's obviously of the mind that the rider and mount shouldn't have that much separation. Just, you know, get Justin to understand what I'm doing so we don't go through the whole "Trial and Error" learning thing. The dragon grumbled again, but acquiesced. Ollie grabbed his bow again, dropping the reins instead of gripping them in a fist. He sat up straight on Justin. Did he ever feel precarious. He knew that a rider should be gripping with the knees to stay upright, and he was, but having the reins in hand was always a nice extra bit of assurance, and even the fact he was a vampire couldn't quash the human fear of falling from such a height at high speeds. Okay, Ollie thought again. This, he tapped with both heels against Justin's side, means "go," alright? Justin twitched a bit at the sudden heel tapping, but the fly dragon must have spoken into the horse's mind, and Justin began to move again. It wasn't fast, just a trot, but Ollie was focused more on precision than speed this time around, as well as getting accustomed to not using his hands to steer. They came to a turn. Ollie squeezed with his right knee and relayed the meaning of the action to the dragon, who told Justin who, after a few moment's delay, made the curve. This was repeated again at the next turn, but with the left knee. Slowly, they navigated the maze, Justin's responses to his nudging taking less and less time until, the fly dragon informed Ollie, it simply stopped relaying the meaning because Justin was getting annoyed at being told something it already knew so many times. Ollie took Justin back through the course the opposite way without speaking to Vyse. He moved up to a canter, and also raised his empty bow towards the various targets. He didn't fire. He wanted to become used to directing Justin, who was at least not going to run itself into the course's barriers if he didn't pay full attention to their direction, and focusing on potential targets. It was far from the smooth motions of Noclan and his tiger, but it was far closer to an actual warrior than his first run through. "I think it'll take me a bit longer to put all that into practice," Ollie said, taking Justin back toward Noclan as they exited the course. "But it was quite beneficial. Thank you, Mr. Noclan." |
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| Vyse | Sat Mar 9, 2013 5:08 pm Post #10 |
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Vyse watched Ollie go through the course twice, he seemed to get a better hang of moving without using the reins. When Ollie finally came over to Vyse he thanked Vyse and told him it might be a little while longer before he could use it in actual combat. Vyse nodded, "Yeah, but your horse is a fast learner, once the both of you trust each other in combat, remember to ask me for training to become Chargers. I even have armor made for the Charger's mounts, that way your ally can have even more protection." Vyse stood up and stretched, nodded to Ollie, "I'm going to bed, but feel free to stick around and keep on going. After a few days of running the course you should be ready for real combat. Now as for pay... you don't have to pay. I train Chargers, you're not a Charger... yet... so until then I refuse to take your money." With that he started to walk away, speaking his parting words to Ollie, "Well goodnight. I hope your training goes well." Vyse yawned as he walked, it was time for him to go to bed. |
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| Ollie | Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:52 pm Post #11 |
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"Th...thank you, Mr. Noclan," Ollie said, bowing his head as the man and his tiger finally retired. It was strange, to say the least, finally meeting the man he'd only heard of one on one at last. He was just as strong and eccentric as he'd been led to believe, but Ollie could believe that he wasn't such a ruthless boor as rumors stated. He was certainly....unsophisticated, but he supposed that was part of the reason the elite of Cascadia hated the man. Noclan came in, killed his father - an utter taboo - renounced his family name, and refused to play the political games of the merchant leaders. Yes, that'd be adequate reason for them to hate Noclan. They've socially exiled people for less, and it was only the more galling to them since Noclan didn't care that he was exiled from the inner circles. For the rest of the night, Ollie took Justin through the maze, acclimating himself with weilding not only his bow, but a practice sword and shield as well while navigating the course with his horse. When Justin grew too tired, Ollie practiced on his own, recalling lost lessons on swordmanship and beginning to get a fell for a few other weapons. When the dawn rose, there was sign of neither dragon, horse, or man, but that would not be the last time Noclan's Charger school would be graced by its new night school student. Ollie, however, had no plans to ask to become a charger until he felt that he was ready. |
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2:38 PM Jul 11

