FVN Before the Storm: Act 5, Chapter 4
Before the Storm: Act 5, Chapter 4
Before the Storm: Act 5, Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Stop! Do it again. Keep both hands on your weapon!
But I cant reach her, Captain.
You can, Ludmila said. You have over two metres of reach even with both hands on your weapon. That is more than enough to land a solid hit.
Mmh
On the training grounds of the Royal Army base in Wardens Vale, Ludmila walked up and down her row of Ranger recruits as they sparred with their quarterstaves. She stopped to observe the boy she had just addressed. He was paired with a juvenile orc who stood just over two metres in height, but lacked the bulk of an adult.
The boy, Cornelio, made an aggressive set of attacks. At the end of his offensive, however, he still couldnt get past his opponents weapon.
Aeelas too tall, Cornelio panted. Her arms are longer than mine. If you let me lunge, I could score a point.
Then go ahead and try, Ludmila said.
Cornelio and Aeela once again assumed their stances. Their weapons clacked against one another as Cornelio probed for an opening. After several light exchanges, he suddenly released his left hand on his weapon and threw himself into a picturesque-looking lunge. At its full extension, it would have allowed him to strike at a target around four metres away, but Aeela merely swatted the weapon aside and brought her own down on her opponents shoulder.
Cornelio went down in a heap, groaning in pain.
Glasir, Ludmila called.
Coming~
Glasirs sweet voice drifted in from the other end of the row of trainees. She knelt beside the fallen boy and examined him for a moment.
Your collarbone is broken, the Dryad said.
Ya think? Cornelio said through his gritted teeth.
You Humans are so fragile, Glasir gave the boy a poke.
How would you feel if your bones got broken?
Im a Dryad. I dont have any bones.
The familiar glow of healing magic washed over Cornelio. He pushed himself back up to his feet, looking more annoyed than anything else. Overall, injuries of that severity happened a few dozen times a day, mostly because the new trainees hadnt figured out how to hold back yet.
When you lunge, Ludmila said, you sacrifice control and leverage for reach. It might seem like a good idea, but it usually never is. Your opponent will easily take control of your weapon and then they are free to do whatever they want with you.
Then I cant beat her, Cornelio grumbled. Shes taller, stronger, and heavier. We cant do anything about that.
Aeela may be everything that you say she is, Ludmila told the boy, but she is still subject to the same rules as everyone else. Understanding how your weapon works is the first step to defeating your opponents.
Cornelio frowned down at his quarterstaff before picking it up off of the ground.
Most people believe that the advantage of a polearm is in its reach and power, Ludmila cast her voice over the row of trainees. But that does not fully explain how the weapon works. A polearms versatility and leverage are what makes it the king of the battlefield.
Do we need this training at all, Captain? Another student asked, We have bows.
Rangers are skirmishers, Ludmila replied. You must be proficient in both ranged and melee combat. Taking down an opponent at range may seem ideal, but you will not always find yourselves in ideal circumstances for ranged combat. In more than a few cases, engaging in melee combat may even be preferable.
Then how do I beat her? Cornelio asked.
Aeela, Ludmila said. Assume your defensive stance again.
The Orc nodded, gripping the lower third of her staff and threatening her opponent with the opposite end. Ludmila called for the other students to observe.
I believe everyone here should be familiar with levers from helping their families around the house, she said. Levers also form out of body parts and weapons. Your arms, legs, feet, and even fingers function as levers. Aeelas quarterstaff is also a lever. When considered as such, where would one pull on the lever to exert the most force?
The end of it, a student down the line said.
Cornelio, Ludmila said, give the lever a pull. Aeela, do your best to hold the staff still.
Cornelio came forward, leaning his staff against his shoulder so he could grip the end of the Orcs weapon. He gave it a yank. It seemingly moved without resistance. Aeela furrowed her brow, grunting in effort as she tried to regain control of her weapon. Cornelios eyes widened as he released one hand and discovered that he was still able to overpower the Orc.
Now, Ludmila said, try it with your weapon.
By then, several other pairs of students were already experimenting with their own staves. Cornelio tested several grips before figuring out how much leverage he needed to control the end of Aeelas weapon with his.
Captain, Aeela asked, if I apply the same knowledge, wont we go back to the original problem?
No, Ludmila answered. Your raw physical strength will give you an inherent advantage, but, now that everyone is exploring the principles that drive their weapons, they will always be aware that options exist to counter or at least mitigate your advantage. In your case, initiating a grapple is the best action against a much weaker opponent in single combatunless theyre a Monk or something similar.
I see, the Orc nodded. That makes sense. I can just trample them while they puzzle out how to deal with my weapon.
For now, Ludmila said. As everyone gets stronger, the relative gap in power between you will shrink and youll have many techniques and Martial Arts at your disposal. The key to learning those, however, is a strong martial foundation and the mental and physical discipline to go along with it.
The average Orc had double the physical strength of the average Human, making them similar to the Beastmen that had invaded the Holy Kingdom. She supposed that they were Beastmen, after all. Aeelas growth relative to her fellow Rangers was a topic of keen interest to Ludmila. Was she better off growing as a Ranger, Orc, or some mix between the two? Could her Racial Class growth even be controlled? Unless Orcs were a sort of natural warrior, it would be a tradeoff between raw physical attributes with a handful of other natural advantages and access to a greater variety of Job Class perks.
Ludmila had the trainee Rangers continue experimenting with their new knowledge until the end of the morning session. Once the class was dismissed, she rode back to the harbour village on a passenger wagon with Glasir.
How much mana did you use this time? Ludmila asked.
About half, Glasir said. Were practising ritual magic this evening, so it shouldnt be a problem.Visjt for new updates
What about your work around the village?
Its been pretty quiet since the temple staff moved in. Ive only been asked to do little things here and there. The rest of the time, Ive been working on setting up new plots.
Once they arrived at the village, they disembarked from the carriage and stepped onto a wagon lot that was now decorated by Glasirs plots of dirt. Patches of grass and small wildflowers added a bit of colour to the grey granite expanse of the harbours bedrock, which was not only appreciated by the citizens, but also by the local wildlife.
The Sorcerous Kingdom, however, is not chained to that paradigm. Our armed forces are peerless and the economic burden that the military imposes is extraordinarily light. As a result, the vast majority of our resources are dedicated to advancing our civilisation in economic, industrial, and societal fields. Because of the advantage we enjoy, the strides that we take need not be tied to population growth. The effects of this cannot be understated. Perhaps most importantly, it divorces us from stresses that cause primal behaviours to unconsciously manifest, allowing us to create a culture where people can master their nature rather than be slaves to it.
Hmm Glasir stood up and dusted off her hands, I guess that makes sense. Its better than being little more than a pack of animals without ever realising it.
I would say so, Ludmila said. There are many first steps to accomplishing this, which all involve laying down the cultural foundation for such a society. For the harbour, it means creating a place where people from all walks of life can exist alongside one another without the characteristic segregation that occurs between them. A cultural consciousness that is well-informed of how the world around them works is instrumental in having people police their own behaviours.
After checking on a few more things outside of the manor, Ludmila went inside. She walked straight to the office to check with Nonna for any work that had come in.
Nonna, she said, is there anything new that requires my attention?
No, the Elder Lich didnt look up from her desk. Elements throughout the territory have been unable to keep up with the recent surge in administrative efficiency.
Thats good.
Is it?
Ludmila rolled her eyes and left the office. As always, the administrative Elder Liches assumed that more was better, trying to squeeze as much as they could out of their respective jurisdictions. It was half a wonder that the Imperial Administration didnt lease them en masse.
Back in the hall, Glasir was sweeping dirt and dead leaves away from the kitchen. The hall itself looked more outdoors than indoors, having grown a thick carpet of grass that Glasir identified as compatible with the other plants. It made for an interesting method to clean the place, as most things could simply be emptied onto the grass. Aemilia had accidentally left her stockings there one night and they vanished by the time she woke up in the morning.
Everything that Glasir adds to the ecosystem is pretty voracious. It may not be a bad thing to have this ecosystem integrated into other urban centres.
Lord Mare may have been planning just that. He presumably placed Divine Ash saplings around the Sorcerous Kingdom for teleportation purposes, but most of the locations were towns. E-Rantel had its Divine Ash planted on the island in the centre of the pond in the Demihuman Quarter.
Im going to school now, Glasir said.
Have fun, Ludmila smiled as she checked over the Dryads appearance. Are you going to be out until you come back from the Lizardman village?
Mhm. Since its ritual practice, things are probably going to run extra late. The last time, they used up all of our mana making Cure Disease scrolls.
That seems prudent. You never know when you might need them.
Glasir waved to her as she went out the door. Ludmila returned to her office, determined to get ahead of her work. When the shrines bell it was a hand-held one marked the dinner hour, she came out to mingle with her people. She found Olga and Raul seated at a table in the square across from the restaurant with the most current rendition of the villages crab dinner. They started to rise at her approach, but she motioned for them to be at ease.
Good evening, Lady Zahradnik.
Good evening, Ludmila replied. How did todays practice match go?
The awkward silence was answer enough. It appeared that Raul had lost again. Ludmila pulled up a chair to sit between her two apprentice Commanders.
Is he still holding back? She asked.
He is, Olga answered. He is half as aggressive as before.
He is right here, Raul said.
No, he is not, Ludmila replied, He is still languishing in loser land somewhere.
Olgas mouth fell open at Ludmilas verbal jab, but Raul only pouted. A larger class of apprentice Commanders couldnt come sooner: Ludmila suspected that Raul would have recovered far more quickly if there were other boys around to stoke his competitive spirit.
So, Ludmila said, what is the actual problem? I somehow do not think that you believe that you are being too aggressive.
I was too aggressive, Raul replied. I got too aggressive and it made me stupid. The Elder Lich is still angry at me for losing its Skeletal Dragon.
It got angry at you?
not exactly. I apologised and it said that it was fine, but it was definitely depressed over it.
Can the Undead even get depressed? Olga frowned.
Of course they can, Ludmila told her. Still, it is not a reason for you to lose your aggression. Aggression is an essential facet of every Commander. You must understand how to make it work for you, not avoid it. As for the Skeletal Dragon
Ludmila looked around the square, finding a group of Necromancers enjoying their meal nearby. Isabella looked entirely focused on sucking the meat out of a crab leg.
Isabella.
The Necromancer froze and looked in her direction.
Do you know anyone who can create Skeletal Dragons? Ludmila asked.
Skeletal Dragons? Yeah. Hold on.
Ludmila exchanged looks with Olga and Raul. She hadnt expected the immediate response.
Hes coming, my lady, Isabella called out.
He is? Ludmila glanced about.
Yeah, I told him that you wanted someone who could do the thing, so hes coming over to do the thing.
What is the thing?
She could only assume that Isabella didnt know what was involved in the creation of a Skeletal Dragon. Hopefully, they had what was required in Wardens Vale.
Thatssudden, Ludmila said. What was he doing before?
He runs a butcher shop somewhere in Karnassus, Isabella replied. Easy way to get materials, yeah?
I see. How long until he arrives?
Well, I told him he could stay with usthats alright, right?
Yes, of course. My offer extends to everyone. So long as he follows the rules. I can prepare a place for him.
In that case, hell be dragging all of his crap with him. Give it a couple of months.