Maximilian trains Krond

[Rob (Cast)]

(Chronologically after Max finishes training Joy in marksmanship) Max wipes the sweat from his brow from the training with Joy as he continues some meditation by the shoreline. It less to focus at this point and more to relax himself. He keeps an eye on the field as he is certain Krond will make his way from the camp in due time to head to the inn or train in the field himself.

[Krond Thuliaga]

Krond wakes up a little later than He normally does; sleep has been hard to come by in these last few weeks. He gets out of the tent he slept in and stretches his arms above his head. After eating a bit of breakfast at the knight's camp, he gets dressed and ready to begin his regular morning training; only this time he expects company. He takes Gram by the handle, shoulders it, and heads out into the middle of the field. After a few warm-up stretches he takes a stance and begins training his strikes; exhailing and grunting with every swing of his heavy blade. A few minutes pass and Krond notices Max sitting down by the shoreline in deep thought. Krond wipes off what little sweat had accumulated on his face and proceeds towards Max.

Krond walks up next to Max and sits down beside him. "Good day Max" he says, "nice day for training wouldn't you say?"

[Rob (Cast)]

Max opens his eyes, enjoying the sea air. 'Good morning there, Krond! Indeed, the air is right. I trust you are well rested and warmed up as well?' He rises from his position, dusting himself off. 'Now, remind me, what in particular might I assist you with?'

[Krond Thuliaga]

Krond also rises from his seated position, "well I was hoping you could teach me more about how to use this weapon" he says. "So far your instructions have been rather insightful and I can feel myself becoming more finesse in my movements. So with your guidance, I'd like you to take my training to the next level and show me more about how to use this specific weapon so that I can be more effective in a fight and hopefully deal more damage."

(OOG: just regular Hard Weapon 4 (Greatsword))

[Rob (Cast)]

Max studies the massive sword. 'Hmm. How tough is that blade, Krond? Obviously you would not use it for woodcutting, but could it take that sort of abuse? And be fixed up proper again, of course. If so, I have a method in mind. A weapon of those proportions is all but foreign to me, but I can think of certain ways to capitalize on its potential.'

[Krond Thuliaga]

"Gram has no trouble cutting through trees, but after so long it will dull the blade. It's nothing a good whetstone can't fix though. A couple months ago Gryz took the sword and went nuts with it in the woods; took a solid two hours to get it back to its original sharpness. So it can take the abuse. What did you have in mind?"

[Rob (Cast)]

Max nods. 'Very well. See, you obviously have the strength to wield that weapon and you keep that strength up yourself. You don't need my help there. Your combat instincts are also quite adept, and beyond simply sparring there isn't much to be done to force that forward. What I propose is an exercise that will augment these two things and allow you to yield the most force and potential from each individual cut. With a weapon like that you cannot rely on speed, so timing is paramount so that energy and spacing are not wasted. Now then, is there any unworked timber around? Also, a coil of rope, good, strong rope.'

[Krond Thuliaga]

Krond thinks for a second, "Ah ha! Gimme a moment." Krond rushes over to the knight's camp and scans the vicinity. After a minute of scouring the camp he finally finds what he was looking for; the bundle of rope that the knight's use to tie the canopy above the diner table. 'I'm sure they won't mind if I borrow this' he thinks to himself.

With that, Krond runs back over to Max. When he arrives he is a little short of breath. "I got some rope" he says with a slight wheeze. "Sorry . . . I hate running".

"There should be plenty of timber up the hill, just beyond Fairchild camp. We can make our way to it from the entrance to the woods between the Knight's Camp and the Faerie Circle."

Krond shoulders Gram and gestures for Max to follow him. "This way", he says. After a solid 10 minutes of trucking through the woods they both arrive at the spot Krond had in mind; it was a small grove of trees with mostly untilled earth. Some trees were great in stature but most others were barely 10 meters tall, the rays of sun were piercing through the branches and hitting their skin; warming them on this cool, autumn day. "Does this place look good enough for whatever it was you had planned?"

[Rob (Cast)]

Max looks at the larger trees looming over them, scanning the thicker branches in particular. 'Yes! This should do just fine. Though when I said "timber" I may have misled; are there any logs around here? I will gladly retrieve it, but the last part I shall need you to do. We are creating a pendulum, you see.'

[Krond Thuliaga]

"Oh! Well then no problem, allow me."

Krond picks up Gram and looks around for a decently sized tree that has already fallen. It takes him no time to find one as this area, in general, has fallen trees peppered throughout the forest. He walks up to the downed tree near its base where the roots still attach to the earth. He lifts Gram overhead and, with a few good swings, hacks off the log at the base; then, he hacks off a bit near the top creating a nice, clean log. He lifts it over one of his shoulders, takes Gram in his other hand, and walks back to Max.

"Kay, I got a log. Now what?"

[Rob (Cast)]

Max looks around at the thicker tree branches above. 'One moment,' he says, having grabbed the length of rope and fashioned a loop knot at one end. He whips it over a big, sturdy branch overhead and then loops the hanging half through, tugging on it to bring it taut overhead. There is still a good amount of slack on the ground. 'Now Krond, if you don't mind suspending that log. Tie it in here so that it may swing freely, at about mid level of your torso I would say.'

[Krond Thuliaga]

Krond ties the log as Maximilian instructed; fascining the rope around it, then hoisting it up so it suspends around chest height. It swings gently in the air as Krond stands back and admires it for a moment.

After a few seconds Krond says, "awright, let's do this thing". He grabs Gram and walks up to Maximilian, "How is this gonna go down?" He says with anticipation.

[Rob (Cast)]

Max looks approvingly at the log rig made up. 'So, Krond, what I want you to do,' as he speaks he grabs hold of the log and draws it back with him as he steps. 'Is use this log as a moving target as I push it and allow it to swing back and forth. However, it is not so simple as hitting it. As you move about, positioning yourself and setting up for swings, I want you keeping two things in mind: one, I want any and all cuts you make into this log to go with the grain of the wood; splitting, not chopping, as it were. And two, focus on making only counter cuts; that is, watch the log as it swings and travels past you, positioning yourself at the moment's notice to move out of its way and strike back against it at the same time. Make sure to cut into its path as well as cutting it in pursuit as it goes past you. This itself should come out of necessity as it swings about, as I will be on the sidelines here and giving it momentum if need be. We will be able to judge your cuts afterwards by examining the log itself and also by seeing how chaotically it is thrown about by your strikes. This training's purpose: precision in foresight, performed in the instant. We will do this until the log or your sword arm fails. Any questions?'

[Krond Thuliaga]

Krond shakes his head, "Nope; seems fairly straightforward" he says confidently. Krond takes a few steps back and readies his stance, sword pointed forward in the standard guard position.

"Ready when you are Max". His grip tightens around the handle as he speaks.

Max, already holding onto the log, releases it; the butchered spruce swings hurriedly in Krond's direction. Surprised at the speed it travels, Krond fumbles as he tries to swing Gram at the incoming log; but, the timing was horrendously off and the log makes direct contact with his chest. Krond takes the hit hard as the impact from the log nearly winds him, bringing him to his knees. Max quickly grabs the log again before it makes its returned trip. He moves it gently to it's center position where it won't swing so much and checks on Krond.

"Are you alright Krond?" he asks.

"Yea, just a little winded is all. I'll try again once I can catch my breath."

[Rob (Cast)]

Max waits for Krond to recover. 'When I was in the ranks this was an exercise my mentor showed me. It makes you think differently about your opponent, as a force to be respected rather than just another sword moving towards you. At least, that is what she said.'
As Krond gets his breath back and returns to stance, Max swings the log back at him again, the end shooting straight in its path.

[Krond Thuliaga]

Krond tries to hit the log that’s swinging at him once again, and again his timing was off; only this time he has the good sense to shift out of the logs way and avoid it. The log moves past him and Krond readies his stance one more time to try and hit it on the way back. This time he hits the log, but on the rounded surface against the grain rather than the flat of the log with the grain. Gram embeds itself into the old spruce and gets stuck. It takes Krond several seconds to get it out.

Frustrated, Krond sighs a great sigh; this is harder than he had anticipated. Up until now he’s just been forcing his way through his opponents with his brutish strength. True his movements have become more finesse as of late, bit this technique requires patience, precision, and no small amount of foresight; something Krond does not particularly excel in.

Max grabs the log again and pulls it back at the ready, waiting for Krond’s go-ahead to release it. Krond takes his stance yet again, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. For a second he remembers an old lesson his father taught him a long time ago, his voice echoing in Krond’s head:

“Remember Krond, it’s not enough to overpower your opponent. One of these days your going to fight someone quicker and more clever than you, and if you force yourself through him you’ll tire yourself out quicker.” His father’s words resonate with him, “be patient, observe his movements, and stroke when the time is right.”

Krond opens his eyes, Max is still holding onto the log waiting for Krond to be ready. Krond widens his stance a little lower to the ground and starts in a horizontal king’s stance with Gram in a sort of battering position. Krond nods to max, “let it go” he says. Max releases his grip on the log and it careens once more at Krond. Krond marks the spot on the log he wants to hit with his eyes and waits for the right moment to swing; with a quick pivot in his feet and a giant sweeping motion with his oversized sword, Krond makes contact with the flat of the log and splits it at least a foot down the middle. A good hit.

Krond grins widely at his strike and lets out loud “huzzah” upon hitting his mark. He looks to max, “not a bad hit am I right?”

[Rob (Cast)]

Max's face lights up. 'Not bad at all, Krond! Keep in that mindspace though.' He goes to catch the log. 'Remember, if an opportunity is not there, do not force it. It is alright for the log -or enemy- to circle around and swing back if need be. Timing and patience beats speed. While you want to create opportunities you must also realize when doing so will compromise your own stance or situation.' Max tugs the log back again and gives it another shove, this time giving the log a bit of a spin.

[Krond Thuliaga]

Krond notices the change in the log’s trajectory; if he were to swing now he’d miss his mark. While keeping his stance nice and low, Krond shuffles to the side; avoiding the log altogether. As the log begins to move back towards him, Krond readies his strike and keeps his stance low. On its way back, Krond notices an opportunity to strike. He swoops his blade in a horizontal cut once again and nails the log on its flat surface; another good hit. Only this time to force of Krond’s swing sends the log in a random direction and it’s spinning only intensifies.

Due to the speed of the spinning, Krond is forced to avoid the log until it slows down enough for him to strike at it again. After nearly a minute of shuffling around this log waiting for his time to hit, an opportunity presents itself. Krond charges his swing, shuffles as the log moves past him one more time, and on the way back he strikes it yet again. Krond has finally gotten the hang of what Max intended this training to be.

For the next hour or so, Krond repeats this exercise until his strikes land more consistently. After several hacks and slashes on this poor old spruce log, it could no longer endure the torment it was receiving from Gram until finally it gets cleaved in half down the middle. Panting, Krond drops Gram on the ground while he finds the nearest stump to sit and rest. He takes his waterskin pouch and guzzles back most of the water contained within.

“I just need some time to catch my breath” says Krond, “I’ll get another log ready shortly”.

Krond gestures to Max, inviting him to sit with him. “You want some water?” he says as he hold out his waterskin.

[Rob (Cast)]

Max also is breathing heavily, having played second to the log being thrown every which way. He nods to Krond, taking a swig of water. 'Thank you.' He sits crosslegged on the ground in a patch of leaves. 'You are progressing quickly. How does it feel thus far? Is this exercise helping you focus? This is a very specific method so it is good to give your own feedback, if you please.'

[Krond Thuliaga]

“Gram is a heavy blade so it takes a lot of energy to even use the thing. This exercise is helping me understand that waiting for the right moment can be fundamental in a battle. You just saw that I lasted almost an hour swinging it around; normally, i’d Be winded in the first 20 minutes. Plus, it’s helping me with my accuracy, trying to hit the small face of the log takes a lot precision. All-in-all I think the method is quite effective, almost as if it was made for a weapon as big as Gram.”

Krond takes the water back from Max and takes another swig, “so you mentioned something earlier about you being ‘in the ranks’? Are you a military man?”

[Rob (Cast)]

Max nods. 'Well, I was. A long time ago. Those days are behind me now. Permanently, might I add.' He nods his head to his empty left shirt sleeve.
'There is still plenty to do however. Threats are ever present regardless of one's station in life. I am glad to hear you find this exercise suitable, to that end.'
Max's brow furrows, as he seems to be considering something. 'Whatever is coming... are you worried, Krond?'

[Krond Thuliaga]

Krond’s gaze shifts from Max to the ground. His eyes grow somber, “of course I’m worried; terrified even.” He says, now looking back at Max, “I only came to this island on a whim, and now I find myself on the front lines against an enemy I can’t even comprehend: forces from another dimension. I didn’t even know that was possible, nor do I know what to expect next. I think any sane person would be worried.”

Krond takes another swig of water from his water-skin, “but the way I see it, I can either be scared and run away or I can do something about it. And the only thing I know how to do is fight, so i’ll train; hard. Hard enough so that whatever comes our way I can fight back and protect my comrades.” Krond gazes intently at Max, “wouldn’t you agree?” He says as he passes the last little bit of water left in the water-skin to Max.

[Rob (Cast)]

Max accepts the drink. 'I agree. Even with our backs against a wall we may still stand and fight with dignity. If even one can be slain, I'd say we will have done our part.' He stands up, and starts warming back up. 'Are you ready for another round? It is your call, but do listen to your body.'

[Krond Thuliaga]

Krond stands up and stretches his arms above his head, “yup. I’m good for another round.” He walks over and picks up Gram, “i’m Gonna eat like a king tonight.”

Both Max and Krond continue their training exercise for the rest of the afternoon before succumbing to hunger. The sweat drips from Krond’s face as he finishes up the training with some good ol’ fashioned stretching. “I’ve learned quite a bit today” he says, “but I still feel like I have a way to go. I’ll keep practicing this drill while your travelling and let you know how it’s been going when you return.”

Krond shoulders Gram and turns to Max, “shall we eat? Ya never know if we’re gonna get visited by critters tonight. We’ll need our strength.”

[Rob (Cast)]

Max nods, also sweating from the work. 'I myself am famished. You did good work, Krond, your stamina is impressive especially considering that weapon. Keep practicing and I'm certain your technique will be refined even further.' (Consider this my signing off on hard weapon training!)

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