☠ 6th of Frost, Year 122, A.o.S ☠
☠ With the arrival of Taidryn in his life, Læbirius found himself dreading the day that he would be put through a more rigorous training regiment. Before he was simply ok with doing just the basic physical activity to keep himself in shape, remembering the techniques and activities he would do with his mother and later on with his foster father. He knew that this was going to be on a totally different level than what he was used to, and was trying to mentally prepare himself for what was to come.
After some moments had passed Læ heard the sound of footsteps coming from his left and saw Taidryn approaching, carrying two sets of weapons, an axe and shield, one in his hands and the other set holstered on his back. They looked heavy, heavier than any weapon he had seen up till now. "Glad to see you here, and even more so ready for our training today." he greeted, planting the one set of weapons into the ground. "I hope you don't mind that we use live weapons for this little training session of ours. It gives the training a more real sense of authenticity if you ask me." he proposed, not that Læ could refuse him.
"Care to tell me what today's training is?" he had asked, curiously looking at the two weapons in front of him. Taidryn smirked and then proceeded to take the one affixed to his back off. "That little scythe of yours is nice and all, but if you want to truly be effective in combat, especially on the battlefield, you'll need a weapon that can end a fight quickly and something to keep you protected." he explained, coming to place the axe and shield in Læbirius's hands.
It took most of his strength to hold the axe, it being far heavier than he anticipated, yet Taidryn seemed to hold it with ease and in one hand no less. Læbirius was impressed by his strength but felt somewhat small in comparison to him in that regard. "I see, though I don't think I could wield this effectively." he began but Taidryn was not having any of it. "As a member of the upper caste, not to mention someone in your particular position, you need to be a well-rounded individual, not one of these squishy nobles who rely on others to protect themselves." he commanded, twirling the axe he held in his hand before performing basic swings.
"With practice, you will become good at wielding it, getting familiar with its weight until it feels normal in your hands, now let's begin." The older male put a little bit of distance between them, turning to face him. The two remained silent, eyes locked on each other in a staredown. As if a signal to begin, a gust of wind blew through the clearing, and both men took action. Not wasting any time at all, Taidryn ran forward, a precise arcing slash coming down at Læ's left side. He saw this and ran right for it, sliding just beneath the slash, holding the shield on his left arm up, catching the tip of the man's axe as it slid across the side of the metal sphere. Coming out of the slide, he shook his arm, the reverberations from the strike causing a sharp tingling sensation in his arm, smirking as he stood.
Springing into action Læ came in with several slashes of his own, a flurry of strikes to try and catch Taidryn off guard in some way, using the training he had gained from his foster father in scythes and trying to translate it into this new weapon. The hired guardian, however, was able to easily keep up with the mage's attacks, his eyes gauging Læbirius with amused curiosity. The fight between the two was probably the most nerve-wracking experience for Læ, especially with the use of live weaponry.
As he continued to fight he almost got ahead of himself, or in this case, got closer to losing his head, as Taidryn's axe came around in a precise arcing motion. Rolling out of the way he glared at Taidryn as the man twirled his weapon in his hands and Læ haphazardly readied himself for another attack. Blood began to trickle down Læ's face as Taidryn had managed to slice the left side of his head. "That shield is not just for decoration, it could be the difference between you keeping or losing your head."
This wasn't like the training session he had with his foster father back in kalzasi, no this one was for higher stakes. The fact that Taidryn was fighting him as if he intended to kill him really got his blood pumping, a fight or flight scenario and sadly fleeing was out of the question. The aspect of danger terrified him a bit, but if he was truly being honest with himself the brushes with death truly exhilarated him.
It was evident Taidryn was only being so aggressive because he wanted Læ to fight with everything he had, holding no reservations just because of who he was. He was forcing Læ's hand and the mage had no choice but to respond with the same killer intent, falling back into the mindset when he took his first life that night, slaughtering the bandits that made his early life a living hell. He had no other choice, lest he intended to be killed by the better warrior.
Taking the initiative, Taidryn came charging in, his axe twirling in his hand as he began to assault the younger mage with a flurry of strikes. The mage was doing his best to block the strikes with his shield, struggling to keep up, wincing as Taidryn's axe bit into his flesh with every failed deflection. Læ was a bit thrown off when Taidryn began chuckling, holstering his weapon as he gestured for Læ to come and join him as he flopped onto the grass of the courtyard.
"You have potential, but your fighting style is unrefined and wild, savage and brutal at best. That little sparring match just now was to see how much work will be ahead of me, and I think I have an idea."
Læ wasn't at all surprised, exhausted from what he had just been put through, as he scoffed at Taidryn's words. Though he could say if he was honest, he was happy for the little praise he was given, but would strive to improve his skill. Laying there in the grass of the courtyard alongside his guardian, Læ found himself staring up into the Frost sky as Taidryn spoke.
"In my time as a warrior, I've come to find that the world we live in is a cruel and terrible place, and I've learned that one has to be as brutal and fierce when fighting against the harsh reality we live in." he explained, holding out a hand as the wind seemed to reach out and meet Taidryn's fingers. Læ could understand that, he had his fair share of trauma. "Dont worry, when I'm done with you, you be a warrior no one will want to tangle with in a fight." he chuckled, folding his arms behind his head as they basked in the fresh air.
Læ relaxed as well, his body and muscles aching, throbbing pain coursing through his body like a storm. It felt good to lay there and allow the cool air to ease the heat that his body was giving off, and he was certain that if this was just an evaluation, the real challenge was yet to come. Though if Læ was honest with himself, he enjoyed using a new weapon, lifting up the axe to inspect it staring as he wondered how easy it be to take a life, to see the final moments of someone being cut down by a weapon like this.
A smile crept up on his face, his eyes glowing a chilling golden amber as he gazed at it. "I can't wait to master this weapon, should be quite the experience." he whispered, both warriors laughing in their exhaustion, and finding themselves too relaxed to do much else but basked in the nature and beauty of the Luxium. "Do not worry, you'll be just as good as me with it when I'm done with you, on that I can guarantee." he mused as Læ crawled over to return the axe and shield.
Taidryn shook his head no and he refused to take them. "Consider it a gift, another way of me trying to build some peace between us, besides you earned them." he said as Læ laid back down in the cool grass of the courtyard. ☠
"Common Speech"
"Vastian Speech"
"Vallenor Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"
