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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 10, 2011 18:07:51 GMT -6
Clair approached Edessa's Spire again, nearing where she expected the training grounds were, Corona following his rider attentively. All of his tack had been cleaned, his hooves freshly trimmed, and his mane brushed. He shone nearly as brightly as Clair's own newly painted armor. This testing she had requested was not something that was done often, and so, she'd thought it prudent to do everything in her power to show that she took it very seriously.
It had been roughly a year and a half since she'd left Illia, barely able to thrust a lance, let alone be able to hit what she was aiming at. Oh yes, and she hadn't been able to fight from her pegasus' back, either. That time had been well spent, though, first in sacae, then into the north-western part of Lycia, where they'd witnessed the demise of Ostia, and the horrors which had spawned there. They had returned to Sacae then, and been forced to fight for their lives against the Inquisitorial Army, but with Sir Rayl of Pherae's help, they had managed to turn the tables against Etruria's High Commander Arriston, and had defeated him and his men.
Now they were in Illia, and would be heading south to stabilize Bern, but not as soldiers of Illia. They were there to make peace, if possible, and end all the bloodletting. And, not before Clair had an opportunity to see whether she had at last attained the skills to be considered a Falcoknight.
The gate she was to take loomed over her, two guards in fine plate, also looming over her small frame, flanked the entrance to where she was going: a yard where several pegasi, riders, and a few clerics or priests had already gathered.
One of the guards spoke up, lifting his gloved hand to her as he spoke. "Clair Feldsky. Pass through, but be aware that there will be one last arrival before you may begin."
She put a strong face on as she stepped through, but she was possibly more nervous right now than she had been at any other time in her life. In a way, this waiting was even worse than the battles she'd been in. Only when she reminded herself that this was her chance to take something she'd been chasing her entire life did she find the strength to continue. She jumped at the sudden clang of the gates closing behind her, and felt an instant impulse to rush back and try to claw her way out again, until she shut her fear down through force of will.
No. You wanted to find out just how good you are. What would that say if you fled before you even got to the test.
She approached the other group of flyers, and studied them. They were all older than her, most by at least six years. And they all had a sense of experience about them which Clair coveted for herself. In time, it would be hers.
One rider in particular, an experienced falcoknight by the looks of her, returned Clair's gaze without any concern at all. She looked to be in her late thirties and she had a full head of raven black hair, just reaching the beginning stages graying, trimmed shorter in the front and pulled back into a ponytail. Her armor was a white coloring with dark blue trim, but it had character to it. In addition to being of superb make and design, you could tell that it had been used and abused often. There were numerous small marks on her breastplate which even the best smithying would not remove, and even the gleaming steel sword girt to her side showed an uncommon number of nicks across the hand guards. She looked exactly how a pegasus knight should look: beautiful and dangerous. Like a goddess of battle ready to cross the field on her mighty war mount.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 10, 2011 19:56:39 GMT -6
The staring was starting to get a bit unnerving to the young pegasus knight when the woman started to approach. On her way over, Clair noticed a strange discoloration in the shine on the corner of the Falco's breastplate. It seemed to shine in a rainbow of colors, instead of merely reflecting light normally. The senior falcoknight noticed the glance and commented on it once she was close enough.
"Ever wondered what it's like to take a lightning bolt to the chest? It can warp metal, sometimes, you know. That's what I learned."
Clair inspected the section of armor closer, and did see where minor ripples in the armor had formed from the blast.
"I got lucky though, and it didn't affect my armor enough to ruin it."
The younger knight looked up, interested by the story. "Did it... hurt much?"
"The lightning bolt? No. It started dissipating the moment it touched me, but it left a scar where the armor scalded me. Right through my shirt too." The black haired woman paused, idly touching her side as she looked Clair up and down.
"Feldsky. I remember that name. You're the Doombolt's girl, aren't you?"
Clair felt a small smile tug at her lips as someone mentioned her mother. Hera Feldsky had been particularly known for dropping from the sky. Whether she'd been seen or not, the troop which fell under her lances usually scattered.
Taking the smile as confirmation of her guess, the woman went on.
"My name is Commander Terry Yrret. Hera was my unit's vangard, back before you. Then she got married, and went on to safeguard Arphen. I stayed in the field, and rose to the point that I'm often selected to choose the next candidates for the Falcoknights." Something about the Terry's demeanor changed, and she became much more serious.
"Listen, Feldsky. We Falcoknights are the best of the best of Illia's pegasus knights. If you aren't ready to uphold that standard, then you'd best back out, because it will ruin you."
Clair felt suitably warned now, but, even with her nerves kicking in, she knew that she'd never be satisfied with anything less than being counted among the best. The pegasus knight took a deep breath, and locked in her will on the task to come, focusing as she'd seen her parents do on occasion, and as Richter did.
"Commander Yrret, there is nothing in this world that will keep me from beating your test. I'm going to be a Falcoknight if I have to beat every knight here." Clair's words echoed her determination and focus. She only hoped her bravado wasn't made of all empty words.
"Well, that's good then. Because you'll be fighting every knight present." She smiled at Clair's momentary dumbfounded expression. There were seven other pegasus knights besides Commander Terry. How was she supposed to compete with this?
"I'll explain the test in more detail when our VIP arrives. He should be here shortly." Terry said, waving a hand in the air unconcernedly as she walked off to check on her pegasus.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 12, 2011 15:02:09 GMT -6
The wait wasn't long (a few minutes at most), but they could scarcely have felt longer to the falcoknight hopeful. She was supposed to fight all these other flying knights? She'd not even had much experience fighting in the air, and aerial sparring matches were already wrought with dangers. What were they thinking?! WERE THEY EVEN THINKING?!
Just to keep her sanity, Clair turned back to Corona and started stroking him, checking his tack, checking his feet, playing with his feathers..., anything to keep busy. She also inspected the other flyers, and their steeds here. There wasn't much that she could tell. They all seemed to move competently, as if they'd done this before, and they all carried sturdy basic equipment. Their pegasi seemed steady, and confident....
The exception to the rule was Commander Yrret. By contrast, she carried a lance which seemed to gleam like silver, and her sword was clearly made of sterner stuff than iron. Her pegasus was nearly as large as Corona.
...Nearly. Corona was still the largest pegasus present, and that would give Clair an edge. The others may be able to turn sharper corners, or pull off smoother maneuvers, but Clair's Corona would still be able to out last, out fight, and out pace the others due to his sheer size advantage.
Clair could see the others sizing her up as well, when there was an interruption. Clair turned and saw none other than Lord Ethan, the Illian lord in charge of the aerial divisions of the armies, striding onto the field, with his guards.
He lifted his hands and spoke, cutting them all off before anyone could even manage to move.
"At ease. At ease. I'm only here to watch. Officer Feldsky caught my attention today, and I thought I'd come by to see this competition." He paused for a moment, before turning a more authoritative voice onto his commander.
"Commander Yrret, please explain your test to Officer Feldsky."
Clair noticed that Lord Ethan was referring to her by the rank she held in Richter's forces, and silently gave thanks as she remembered what she'd been through already.
"Yes M'lord." Commander Yrret snapped out in response to the order.
"Officer Feldsky. Your objective is to Ascend to the top of the spire. There, you will find a streamer tied to the spire, which you must retrieve a piece of, and bring to me on the southern landing platform." Commander Yrret pointed off up to a wall nearby which seemed to be bulged out into a wider space. So far, the test was sounding pretty easy. Grab the streamer and go. She'd had harder tests in basic training than this, but that didn't explain the presence of the other seven pegasus knights, or the priests and clerics.
"As you are attempting to do this, these seven other riders will attempt to stop you, jostle you, knock you from your steed's back or injure you. Remember. This isn't a training. It's a test. No punches will be pulled, and no do-overs will be given." Commander Yrret pulled herself up into her saddle, before turning a level gaze back to Clair.
"You're gonna fly the guantlet today, Girl."
Clair was left astonished and speechless by the whole thing.
Are they really going to try and stab me? What about Corona, and the other pegasi? What if someone falls? Isn't this way too dangerous? Questions tumbled through the pegasus knight's mind until Ethan implied a question which solved all the problems.
"Commander Yrret, I believe you still need to explain the safety precautions, yes?" The wind continued to whip as he spoke. The clouds darkened yet more, and Clair was sure that there would be rain soon. What better way to celebrate her chance at becoming a falcoknight than rain, thunder, and lightning.
"Of course, M'lord. I was getting to that. Safety precautions, such as they are, are these. Shots to the head and neck of both pegasus and rider are forbidden as too dangerous for the practicality of this test. Everything else is fair game. In addition, there are a dozen clerics, priests, and bishops stationed around the region, each is equipped with a physic staff, and a rescue staff, to prevent any loss of life. If you fall off of your pegasus, you will be rescued, and are not permitted to return to the field, so don't fall off."
Well, at least there was a likely hood that no one would be permanently injured due to this event. Clair had never heard of something like this being done. Either it was kept secret, or the tester had cooked it up especially for her latest candidate.
"Is your first objective clear?"
First objective?! Clair was surprised by the fact that there was more, but now that she was beginning to understand it, it was becoming more of a challenge. Se felt more focused, determined. She felt like it was merely a puzzle which she needed to find the right combination to solve.
"Yes Commander. What next?"
Commander Yrret raised an eyebrow at the sudden shift in demeanor. Clair was actually beginning to feel confident. Before it had seemed like some giant looming un-faceable challenge, but now... All she had to do was out fly seven pegasus knights. That's all.
"Once you have made it to the southern landing pad, You will have to face me in single combat, and convince me that you have what it takes to become a Falcoknight."
Oh... well if that was all. "Commander, I hope you're made of stern stuff. My Commander didn't teach me how to lose."
Ethan chuckled a bit on the sidelines as the rest of the group watched the brazen display of confidence going on before them.
Yrret herself looked somewhat amused as well. She'd heard similar statements before, and had grown accustomed to them. "...I doubt your commander has ever had to face one of my Falcoknights, Officer Feldsky. Don't blame me for your wings getting clipped today."
She gave the signal for take off, and the seven other pegasus knights leapt into the sky finding their places before the competition could truly begin.
"I'll see you on the Southern platform, Feldsky." Ethan said, taking his leave towards the walls.
"Begin!"
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 15, 2011 17:22:22 GMT -6
Corona would have loved to have leapt straight into the air as soon as he saw Commander Yrret's pegasus take off, but Clair restrained him. She couldn't afford to approach this without care. Looking up, she inspected the formation of the seven pegasus knights. Four were flying at a lower level, while three were flying above, ready to seal up any gaps that Clair would try and exploit. She could also see the flags whipping from the spire's battlements, and the buffeting of the pegasus knights. The winds were still kicking, if it continued to get worse, then they might call off the test. Too much wind, and a pegasus would simply be blown out of the air.
Her time was cut short when the four riders started steadily descending towards her. With them lower, it might prove easier to get past, but only if she was already moving at a fair clip.
"Corona-!" Clair had already shifted in the seat, and Corona had already interpreted it has his command, when Clair called out to her mighty pegasus. He reared back on his hind legs and spread his wings above him, ready to sweep them down and drive into the air. It was something the young rider had felt so many times before, and yet not felt. The sensation right before being flung into the sky, forcing one's way up through the lower airs to the wind scoured skies was something that would always remain an invigorating experience.
"Like the wind!" Down came Corona's wings, thrusting the pair into the sky to meet their challenge, rising on the strong wings of Clair's winged steed. The downdraft from Corona's wings kicked the dust and snow particles still gathered near the foot of the spire, up into a miniature storm, but the pair of skyriders were gone. The pegasus knights above her swept down to connect, but were surprised to find their target dipping downward into a dive again, and heading away from them. So close to their quarry three of the four gave chase, diving after Clair and Corona.
It was a mistake. The size difference between Corona and the other pegasi allowed him to quickly begin outpacing the others. The oncoming winds tore at Clair's hair, causing it to stream out behind her. A high pitched whistling was coming from where the wind passed through her armor, until she shifted a bit. The three pursuers had changed position from above and behind, to only behind as they tried uselessly to keep up. She "felt" that it was going to be time to climb soon, and quickly snatched up her slim lance from where it was lashed to.
The wind shifted, and Corona shifted with it, causing him to climb altitude rapidly. Not rapidly enough though. One of the pursuers had managed to catch up just enough to throw a lance strike out at Clair. The impact bounced off the Etrurian-made armor, but it was enough to shake the falcoknight hopeful. That's right.... They were playing for keeps here. Striking true. That's why all the staff users were scattered around the area.
Clair decided to return the gesture, twisting in her seat, and striking with her left hand at the enemy knight. The target swerved away in time, and Clair missed. She'd lost both time and momentum, from the manuever and had nothing to show for it. At least the other pursuers weren't close enough to cause any immediate trouble. Disgusted, Clair turned back to the front, only to see two knights bearing down on her from above. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw dual spearpoints aimed at her and incoming.
"Scales!" For sky's sake, she needed to be aware of all of her opponents. Throwing herself to the side, and pulling the leads on Corona's harness in the same direction, Clair directed Corona into a downward corkscrew dive, avoiding the oncoming attackers, but losing what height she'd gained. Suddenly there were more coming at her from the front, and she pulled a reverse corkscrew to head in the opposite direction. Compared to what Corona had picked up originally, she was moving at a snail's pace, but at least she hadn't been knocked from her saddle, like -
The Falco hopful lashed out at one of the riders as she passed by and struck her full on the chest plate with the slim lance, producing a resounding clank before the girl fell off the back of her pegasus with a yell. There was a "zap" noise, and a flash of light before Clair saw the fallen rider vanish, transported to safety by the rescue staff. One down, six to go, and a streamer to fetch still. And now she was surrounded by the other riders. Whatever the end result, it would be only a matter of time.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 21, 2011 21:51:31 GMT -6
The flurry of white wings around Clair increased, the resulting rustling of feathers becoming nearly audible around the young, blond-haired sky rider. An impact from a spear struck her shoulder guard, and she felt it glance off, sliding down her arm and leaving a trail of red. The pain from the cut was sharp, unexpected, and reminded her that there were healers waiting to do their job. Another spear passed through the fringe of Corona's wings, but caught no body. It merely ruffled his feathers a bit.
They had fallen too low in the sky. They needed to get up higher again, or else they wouldn't be able to maneuver enough. The falco candidate wouldn't direct Corona vocally though. Not unless she wanted to give away information to the other riders circling her. Instead, she used her posture, and shifted her body position to urge Corona to press straight up into the sky. Even so, she could feel the wind tugging them along on its course through the skies.
One of the pegasus knights attacking Clair came into range as Corona's great wings surged downward, and Clair struck out left-handed hard enough to leave a silver colored scrape on the knights armor. As the opponent tried to circle to counterattack though, Clair struck again and knocked the woman's lance from her grip, sending it to plummet to the ground, and getting her out of the game for a few moments. Another knight swept in, just over top of Clair, and tried to scrape her off of Corona's back using the hooves of her own winged steed, but that wasn't a wise decision. It would certainly hurt to be hit like that, but it presented the entire underside of the pegasus to the person below. It was a test to see if Clair would take the shot at a steed in the same way as a soldier. The answer? Of course! Not only that, but she did'nt go for the easy but less productive stomach shot. No, she snapped that lance of hers straight up into the bottom of the wing joint, sending the flying pair tumbling through the air until they were whisked away by another rescue staff.
Finally, Clair saw something. It was like she was reading their movements before did them. The strike from above which she'd just foiled had been a distraction so a rider could set up a similar shot on herself. With a jolt, Corona whipped himself into a tight curve and turned in the air and avoided the trap while passing close enough to smack one of the enemy riders loose from their saddle with one of his massive wings. It was down to four enemies, one just recovering her weapon, and Clair was starting to read them like an open book. She wasn't even sure she needed to deal with them before going after the streamer any more.
"Corona! To the top, Let's go!" Clair was certain that she'd won the first section of the test already. There had been a few tight spots, and there still might be a few, but she wasn't willing to let a few pegasus knights beat her! She had more important things to worry about than these knights! What about the Bernese wyvern riders she'd run into in Bern? She had to be ready for them.
Ignoring the knights which she'd left below her for the present, Clair surged upwards on Corona's back, riding him until the top of the Spire of Edessa came into view, as well as the streamer tied there for her to take. The winds gusted, blowing her hair across her face until she shook it out of the way, but she grabbed it. Now she just needed to get to the Southern Landing, far below.
Oh.... those pegasus knights are still in the way.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 23, 2011 18:54:38 GMT -6
It was a strange parody of the beginning of the contest. Now, Clair was high above, watching as the four pegasus knights below circled, watching their higher opponent warily. She hadn't realized how easily she had stood out against the stone of the region surrounding the tower. Height was an advantage against flyers as much as it was against infantry and cavalry.
A particularly strong gust jolted her back to the moment. Corona spun 180 degrees before he recovered from the wind force leveled against him. Clair only managed to hang on because she grabbed the front of the saddle out of reflex, and hunched over it, lessening her aerodynamic profile. As she released her grip, fingernails parting from the freshly made impressions in the saddle leather, she realized that the only way Corona had pulled himself out of the frisbee spin was because he'd angled himself into a dive. Now they were starting to angle straight down. Well, almost. Corona was holding back a bit.
The sky knight looked ahead, downward, and saw that her opponents were starting to react to the dive, believing it to be an approach. Now that she'd already started the downward path, and had lost altitude, this was likely to be the best chance she'd get.
They'd already descended about a hundred feet, but they weren't positioned over the landing well enough. They had to maneuever over a bit before they'd be postitioned above it. Shifting her weight backwards slightly, and giving a brief tug on the reins, Corona flattened out and whirled through the air, before entering another steep dive heading straight down towards the objective.
It was kind of amusing, actually. Only a year before, Clair had been afraid of dives like this. She'd been capable of pulling them off, but she absolutely hated them. Corona on the other hand..., or hoof, had absolutely loved them. During the battle against Ariston, she'd conquered her fear of dives, and even lost the dislike she had carried for them. Now, Corona was the one holding back, staying just a touch away from completely vertical as they fell like a bolt through the air, and Clair was the one unsatisfied. There were four pegasus knights rising to intercept them, and the blond haired Falcoknight wanted every bit of speed she could muster, down to the most miniscule bits.
There it was. Clair had just considered herself a Falcoknight, and she wasn't about to take "no" for an answer. She'd reach out and take that recognition at the point of a lance, and that was that. It was a strange time for the thought, but suddenly she remembered hearing the pride in her mothers voice when Hera had spoken of being a falcoknight.
A tiny bit of chaos struck suddenly, when Corona, already heading straight down, suddenly fell forward into a front flip, tucking his wings like an only slightly awkward pro, and snapping his wings open again as he turned back around to an upright position. The result was that they went careening away, completely out of the path of the approaching pegasus knights, at nearly the same speed they'd been at in the dive. Clair simply hung on for dear life, but somehow made it look intentional all the while. After a swcond or so of recovering, she corkscrewed Corona back and downward, coasting into the landing pad in style as the knights still flew through the air above, trying to decide whether they should feel awed or disappointed.
Clair had no trouble deciding what to feel. Her answer was to feel everything at the same time: triumph, amazement, surprise, and a little fear. Certainly adrenaline. She didn't even know if there was a name for the stunt she- well, Corona, had pulled.
Nearby was Lord Ethan, watching her with renewed interest. Also nearby was Commander Terry, the falcoknight conducting the test. Where there had been a humoring, almost condescending smile on her face at the start, now her lips were pulled back into a thin grim line. She felt threatened by this young upstart, and didn't want to lose.
Breathing hard, Clair raised the streamer that she was still clutching in her tight grip, the one that she was supposed to deliver to the tester, and waited for an acknowledgement of some sort. The wind still blew strongly, carrying their hair, the Pegasi's manes, and the Lord's mantle in the wind, before a brief nod was given to Clair. In a moment, the second part of the test would begin.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 24, 2011 23:23:06 GMT -6
Commander Terry Yrret rode forward, coming out mid way onto the platform, her halfcape blowing out straight to the side as she turned her pegasus into the wind, reducing the buffeting on the creature. The turn also revealed that the Falcoknight tester was now holding a silvery colored lance, and quite a fine weapon at that. This was in addition to the steel sword hanging at her side. All in all, she was equipped like a warrior, and had the look to match.
"Feldsky. You've surprised me, and it's been a long time since I've been caught off guard. Your aerobatics are exceptional for one as new to the trade as you are, but now you need to convince me that you're no pushover in battle. You will try to defeat me, and I will decide if you are talented enough to be considered a Falcoknight."
Clair listened, catching her breath.... She'd been looking forward to this for a quite a while now. It was the chance to test herself against one of Illia's renowned Falcoknights. Clair listened as she prepared to challenge her opponent, and take on the expectations she had of herself.
"Can we just get on with this! I've got alot to take care of in the south." Clair snapped out. The tension building around the moment, loosening her tongue to levels unappreciated until now.
Commander Yrret did not appear to appreciate her tone though. The Falcoknight's brow drew together into a dangerous looking ridge of dangerous angry bumps.
"Very well then. A duel until one of us yields or is unable to fight any longer. You and me." Commander Terry gave a quick smile. Not a happy smile, so much as one of anticipation. It would be an interesting fight. Clair had good experience, but Terry had many years of experience and practice. She still had the advantage.
"Begin."
With a sudden charge, Terry's pegasus burst into motion, turning and pushing straight through the wind at its target. Corona saw it, and decided to meet the charge head on, taking Clair along for the ride. Honestly, the younger blond-haired falcoknight had no idea how to go about fighting in this situation. She'd had little to no ground jousting experience. Fighting from the ground? Plenty. Fighting infantry while mounted? A fair amount. Aerial strikes were simple to pull off for her now.... But that other person was riding at her at a gallop, aiming a long pointed shaft at her! What do you do?! For a pegasus knight, this was not a good maneuver.
"Corona! Turn away!" Clair's yell over the mighty wind could hardly be heard by those few watching from the sides, but her excited urgings to turn aside brought her pegasus about quickly enough, albeit, reluctantly. As he turned, Corona tossed his head, ready to jump straight into a head on battle, but Clair had a good deal of conviction that that was a bad idea.
Turning back, Clair entered into a circling pattern, and jabbed her lance at her opponent. It was quickly deflected by an upward swing from the Commander's lance. This repeated for a few moments before Clair suddenly had the tables turned on her. Terry's lance arm was stronger than Clair's and Clair had to resort to using both arms to get enough power to successfully block the attacks. Even using both arms to move her lance more quickly, a few strikes got through, glancing off of her chest piece as she twisted to avoid the blow at the last second, and a couple small piercings on Corona. Normally, this would have fired Clair to raise her offense, but the Falco-hopeful was already spending considerable efforts fending off the flurry of attacks from her opponent.
A moment came when the two battling pairs came close together, and Terry's pegasus raised it's wings, catching Clair unawares, and knocking her right off Corona's back. Her head felt light from getting hit by the wing. People tended to think of pegasus wings as bird wings, but the truth was, those giant white wings were muscle and sinew, and far less tender than most non-riders thought. They'd been known to crush human bones before, when the impact was just right. Corona danced away from the zone, as Terry continued prodding at him, until Clair waved him off from the ground.
"You let me get too close, and let your guard down, Feldsky." Terry leveled her lance at Clair as she lay on the ground. "In a real battle, you'd probably be dead now. You could stop here, you know. You'd still make quite a talented pegasus knight-"
Clair kicked the lance straight up in the air as Terry continued, and quickly did a backwards roll. She just managed to get to her feet, and back up a step as the lance came in again for another strike. Another strike shot in at her, and Clair threw herself into a side roll, grabbing her slim lance before scrabbling back to her feet, and facing her opponent again, from the ground.
It seemed like an awfully long way up to where her opponent sat for the short pegasus knight. Terry's pegasus was nearly as large as Corona, and Terry herself still had a reach advantage over the younger knight. Clair wasn't ready to give up though. That appeared to be the right choice.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 25, 2011 16:26:56 GMT -6
"Well, you aren't giving up yet. That's good, but how will you deal with this situation, Falcoknight?" Terry rode her pegasus forward, silver lance still leveled at Clair. The pegasus had it's head lowered into the wind as it approached. She could easily believe that it was ready to smash her with all of it's strength though. Pegasi had a good deal of neck strength too, when compared with a person. An impact from a pegasus' head would hurt more than most would think.
Clair continued backing up, carrying her lance in both arms, until she felt a prickly pain creep over one of her arms. The blood from the wound earlier was freezing over. That could cause some serious trouble for natural healing. Thankfully, there were priests and clerics here to see to her injuries afterwards. As she glanced down she also noticed that the fresh new paint job on her armor was being ripped away by the consistent strikes at the metal. She gave a partly amused, partly annoyed grin before turning her gaze back up to the tester.
"Well? Back up much more and you'll walk off the tower."
Terry was right. If she didn't do something soon, then there would be no place left to go, but Clair couldn't see any useful attacks at the moment.
Focus. Watch the opponent, and strike them. Richter's words mixed with her mother's advice from years before, and Clair took a few deep breaths. This is what she should have been doing from the beginning, she belatedly realized.
The distractions of the roaring wind, and the hair gusting around dissipated to mere background noise, when compared to the symphony of her opponent's movements. Every little twitch came into detailed focus, being weighed, gaged as a threat, used to plot a potential chart of motions. Clair's own slim lance began moving in a random pattern, dancing back and forth so it was impossible to tell just where she would finally strike. Clair noticed something. Whenever Terry's horse took a step forward with it's right leg, her lance would dip, ever so slightly. If timed properly, It would be conceivable to attempt to shunt Terry's lance up against her pegasus' neck, trapping it there. It was better than backing up more.
That's just what Clair did. Moving like lightning, she dove in, holding her lance across her body as a shield against incoming attacks, and slipped past the tip of the silver lance. Terry's lance started to come away, and her pegasus started to step away, but Clair forced her weapon against the pegasus' neck, trapping the silver lance there. Only then did she realize that she had Terry in a difficult position. The haft of Clair's slim lance was right up near Terry, and with just a little bit of force....
Clair slammed the blunt end of her lance into the side of Terry's head, knocking the falcoknight from her seat. Not only that, but with the lance still trapped between Clair and the pegasus, she had to let go of that as well. Things couldn't have turned out much better than that.
Holding her head with one hand as she stood, Commander Terry wiped a small amount of blood from her head before quickly drawing the sword at her hip. and waved her own pegasus away. This had become a ground battle now. A true duel between Clair, the falcoknight, and the elements. The time for words was over, and Clair intended to push the advantage which she'd fought for and taken.
Terry stepped in, almost as fast as Richter had been, and struck. She was aiming at Clair's lead hand, but ground work was something that the blond-haired pegasus knight had had extensive training in over the past year.Even once she'd become adept enough to fight from pegasi back, the battles she'd been in had occasionally proven to hazardous for aerial combatants. That fact, coupled with sparring her swift and determined commander had made her more dangerous on the ground than in the air even.
Clair's hands simply were not where Terry's sword had struck. Instead, she'd moved back a step and shot a lance strike out in retaliation. The enemy Falco, true to the reputation of Illia's elite had blocked quickly and in perfect form. This trading of blows continued for a while, until Clair began to realize that she wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. In desperation, Clair threw a straight line thrust directly towards her target's center. A long scraping noise covered the field before the lance deflected off to the side, and Terry stepped in, and brought her sword around into a lance smashing strike, shattering the weathered old weapon, and causing it to fall from Clair's grip.
Both combatants seemed surprised by the blow, but oddly enough, Clair was the one that reacted quicker, steeping in to grab Terry's weapon and wrench it right out of the Falco's grip.
"Enough! This has been a superb battle, but don't you think that Officer Feldsky has proven her worth today, Commander Yrret?" The girl and the woman looked over to see Lord Ethan stepping towards them in his heavy mantle. They looked startled, as if they had forgotten that anything else existed.
"Uhh... Yes My Lord. I apologize. It seems that I forgot the purpose of this battle in the heat of the competition."
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 25, 2011 20:33:20 GMT -6
"See to them." the blond haired lord waved at the healers positioned nearby, and they set into motion, not just on the Illian knights, but on their great steeds as well.
Clair felt a lump which had begun to form on her head shrink down and dissipate, as she watched the gash on her arm reknit itself under the frozen blood. It hurt for a moment, but then she brushed away the ice and saw that her arm looked as fresh as new. Not even a scar remained. That was one benefit of having such powerful healing magic used on her. As she looked up, she could see similar restorative effects taking place on Commander Terry. Most notably, on her forehead, where Clair's spear had left an injury.
That was another thing that bothered her. She'd carried that lance since before she left to go to Sacae, and now it was shattered. Sighing, she bent over to pick up the spear tip, grabbing it, and shifting it to a grip where her skin didn't have to touch the chilled metal, and then placing it in a small satchel attached to Corona's tack. She shouldn't be so sentimental about it..., BUT THE STEEL WAS STILL USABLE. That's it....
"It's a bit too cold and windy up here for easy words. Meet me in the bottom chamber of the tower, knights."
With that, Lord Ethan strode over to a set of stairs, his guards in tow, and started descending them. The healers, their charges taken care of also started to disperse, leaving Clair and Terry alone on the roof with their steeds.
The older falcoknight stared at Clair, as the younger knight still stood there, stroking Corona where he'd been injured a few moments before, and checking to make sure all was well.
"You did well, Clair. Clean up that mounted combat some, and you can go far.... I underestimated you. It's been too long since I was out in the open skies, on duty."
"Well Commander, I had the best teachers." Clair believed that, but that wasn't the only thing involved, and Terry caught onto it.
"You may have had good teachers, but the student decided that she was going to succeed. You've made you into what you are now: A Falcoknight. Congratulations. Now let's go and meet up with Lord Ethan."
Clair smiled at hearing it said outloud. She was a Falcoknight now. The best of the pegasus knights. Illia's Ace in the Hole. Scampering aboard Corona, she joined Terry in gliding down and around to the entrance on the ground. It wasn't a particularly smooth glide, the young Falcoknight noted. They'd finished just in the knick of time, and the storm was really setting in now. She was glad as they rode into the base floor of the tower, which could accomodate mounted riders.
As they went inside, they dismounted, and approached Lord Ethan, where he was standing out of the wind.
"Excellent performance. Both of you. I can't spare much more time here though, so we should get under way. Terry? Is she good?"
"Yes, my Lord. Quite satisfactory."
"Good." The Illian Lord turned his deceptively youthful gaze onto Clair, and spoke to her. "Clair Feldsky. Stand before me."
Clair moved forward. She could feel herself starting to shake in sheer excitement at what was happening, until she locked herself down.
"Falcoknight. It is a title given only to those pegasus knights we deem capable of the highest degree of skill in the field. It takes great talent to achieve this honor. A Talent which is usually found in those beyond your years yet you have proven yourself worthy. Due to the nature of your circumstances, we do not offer you the position within the Illian fleet which normally is offered to falcoknights, however, we do acknowledge your skills, and confer on you the title of Falcoknight."
If there was an audience, there would have been a pause for clapping, but since there wasn't and the man doing the honors was in a hurry, there was only a brief pause before Lord Ethan went on.
"It is also the custom to provide a new falcoknight with a large enough cash bonus to begin her career in earnest. We see no reason to withhold this benefit from you."
The Illian Lord reached within his robe, and drew out a small chest with a lock and a key attached to it, and walked forward until he was close enough to shove it into Clair's hands. This was what he had to do, actually, so startled and surprised was she by all of this. She'd not known about any of this.
"I'm sure that Commander Terry can provide you some advice about how to go about spending that, Falcoknight."
Ethan gave a small smile as placed one of his hands on her shoulder as he walked past., and then disappeared out into the wind, heading back towards the main building. Clair's response of choice was to just stand there for a moment, before looking over at Terry, who was standing with her weight shifted onto one leg, watching Clair.
"... There's money? How much?" Clair felt a little bewildered and lost, honestly. Money was great, but what was she to do with it.
"Open it." Terry answered simply.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 26, 2011 15:32:38 GMT -6
OoC: Definition: elysian - 2. being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods; "her pies were simply divine"; "the divine Shakespeare"; "an elysian meal"; "an inspired performance"
Clair looked around for a place in the large room where they were standing where she could set the box down for further examination. That, and it was getting heavy. Seeing a weathered old table in one corner of the room, Clair approached it, and set the chest down with a loud bang. Much louder than what the new falcoknight had expected. Commander Terry joined her at the table by the time Clair turned the key, and raised the case's lid.
It wasn't a very large box, only about a foot in length, and about 4 inches in width, but inside was nestled something very valuable to any aerial cavalry unit. All falcoknights owned an Elysian whip, and now Clair had one of her own.... Not that she'd ever use it on Corona. He was far too responsive for that, and honestly, if you had to use a whip to control your beasts, it would be a bad idea to try and ride one through the sky. Underneath that treasure hidden under the cord of the whip was a large sapphire. It was absolutely the most expensive looking rock she'd ever possessed. The shining blue gem looked like it could be used to outfit her for the next year, or longer with the price she could fetch for it. The last thing in the box were notes. Several notes. They were of the sort that would be completely unappealing to inspect for most people, but which frequently turned out to be important. Clair picked them up, and looked them over.
"They're credit slips. Take that to the treasury here, and they'll exchange it for the amount listed." Terry said, speaking up for the first time since she'd approached.
"Do you know what you're going to do with that?"
Clair took a moment, considering what all this could be used for. Anytime funds in these amounts came into use, it was smart to take a breath and really think about the possibilities. She thought of her need and of Richter's needs. The needs of the army. It was relatively small, and, while she would certainly need a new weapon to replace the easy to use slim lance, it wasn't a weapon for her that would serve the army best. They needed more personnel..
"I think we'll need numbers more than anything else, in Bern. Commander Yrret, do you know of any other mercenaries in the area who I could hire with this?"
"Soldiers are a good choice...." The older falcoknight glanced up, as if reading information from an invisible chalkboard on the wall. "There aren't any that I can think of. All of the normal mercs from the area are either already in Bern, or are off on other business. But," Terry raised on of her arms from where they were crossed across her chest, and tapped her chin for a moment.
"You know, I heard that there's a class of squires that arrived recently. Perhaps you could take them with you."
Squires? Clair remembered her own time as a squire with embarrassment. It was true that she'd been incredibly inexperienced back then, so she shouldn't be so hard on herself, but the memory of how helpless she'd felt back then made her want to do nothing more than forget.
"You think I should hire squires for Bern? Would they even survive?"
Terry merely shrugged her shoulders, and backed away a few steps. "I don't know, but you were a squire on your first mission, and look at you now. My advice is that you hire the squires and turn them into your own command. You shouldn't be stuck under the command of anyone, and hey, Commander Feldsky will sound better to the Bernese than Officer Feldsky, or Subcommander Feldsky." With that, she started to walk away, but turned back at the last moment. "Hey, Edessa's storms can be pretty rough this time of year. I'd wait until it clears up. Probably tomorrow afternoon sometime." And then Terry was gone, out the archway.
Clair stood there for a moment, considering what she'd heard. She had been a squire at the start, and she'd survived, but she'd always thought it had more to do with blind luck than any kind of skills which had kept her alive. And forming a unit? Taking on the job of Commander? She had a career she wanted to build, that much was true, but she'd never considered herself trapped under Richter's command... Still, she'd planned on doing something of this sort at some point. Why not now?
Clair picked up the box, closed, and locked it, before tucking the key away into a pocket on her belt for safe keeping. As she took Corona out into the wind, the new falcoknight looked up and realized that she wouldn't be flying anywhere this night. As Terry had said, a storm really was setting in, and the wind was kicking up pretty high. With that, she resolved to go and deal with the treasury tonight, and then head back down to the city proper to find an inn.
The business at the treasury took a bit longer than Clair would have preferred. The man in there had insisted on going over the documents over and over again, almost like he believed that someone would dare try and used a forged credit slip in the Spire of Edessa, the home of the countries rulers. Finally, she'd gotten fed up with all of his continual checking and rechecking, and had slammed the orange Seal of Illia down on the table, demanding the gold she was entitled to. That had gotten him moving rather quickly, something that left Clair feeling slightly pleased with. If he'd just cooperated in the first place, pulling out the Seal wouldn't have been necessary in the first place.
Sky forsaken Bureaucrats... Clair thought to herself as she slipped inside the inn door. She'd barely had time to drop her stuff after getting Corona situated at the stables when there was a knock at her door. Tired, irritable, and yet curious about who might be knocking at her room, she opened the door, but saw only a package wrapped in brown paper on the floor.
She picked it up and carried it inside after glancing up and down the halls for signs of anyone. The note fastened to the outside had a bit of script on it which read:
Clair. I've had this stashed away in my closet since I was only a few years older than you. I imagine you could put it to better use than I'll be able to. Don't forget to get yourself a pair of boots too. -Terry
Now particularly interested, Clair peeled back the wrapping and found an entire set of pegasus armor painted a brilliant white with red trim. It all looked incredibly well crafted. Better than the Etrurian work she had now, which had been made specifically for her. Also, unlike most Illian work, it wasn't strapped armor. Instead, it fully enclosed her torso from the solar plexus upwards, yet didn't seem to be overly restrictive. The pauldrons didn't protect as much around the front or back as her current set did, but they were even less restrictive than her new breastplate appeared to be. She smiled as she saw the form of the armor. This was something made for one of Illia's pegasus knights. That was for sure. Not one of the bulky armor pieces she'd worn for the last year or so. The last piece was something that she just sat and held in her hands, staring at for a time. It was a helmet. Not just that, it was beautiful. All sorts of red decorations covered the snow white helm, and gold fasteners held a multitude of white feathers to the sides. It was a work of art, but it clearly looked and felt as if it was crafted to use. All of this....
This had turned out to be a day unlike any Clair had ever expected to live, but it wasn't for nothing. She had a job to get back to in the morning. Now if she could just get to sleep....
OoC: Timeskip to morning.
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Katelyn
The "Before" years
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Posts: 13
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Post by Katelyn on May 27, 2011 3:50:36 GMT -6
ooc: Well, I guess I'll give it a go.
Katelyn let out a sigh, the usual ruckus in the mess hall of Edessa seemed to have kicked itself another notch up with the arrival with the recently graduated squires, compared to the last time she had been there. Food had gotten scarcer, due to the rebels in Bern, but she could still enjoy her food, if not in peace. She was half tempted to yell out for everyone to shut up, but there would be no way that it would have helped. All of the graduating squires were told to find work and most likely catch a mercenary contract with some merchant.
The mess hall was filled with every kind of soldiers, from battle scarred veterans, to newly graduated squire. What was their chances to get a mercenary contract on their first day after graduating. In any case, she didn't know that almost everyone in the mess hall already had assignments, if you didn't count her fellow squires.
The porridge tasted alright, though it was far from what she had in mind last night as they graduated. Either way it would seem it was all she could get for breakfast, before she'd need to gather some of the other squires to look for a job. At least that way it was more likely they would get a contract, as no sane merchant would hire a single squire.
She eyed the door to the stables, closely watching it to see if she could catch a glimpse of Hesha, her mothers pegasus, though she could not. On the other hand she caught a glimpse of her own mount, Equus. She smiled as she remembered the day when her mother brought the colt, and she was told to take care of him. She had done, and now Equus was far larger than her.
Katelyn finished the porridge, picking up her plate, she left it by the counter as she passed it towards the stable door. The familiar smell of manure filled her nostrils as she left the ruckus in the mess hall. As she approached Equus she grabbed the comb and started grooming Equus.
The silence was crushing compared to the sound in the mess hall. Most of the sound in the stable was that of the few horses of the squires, and the occasional pegasus held there. She continued sliding the comb across Equus's body, not worried the slightest that he'd hurt her. When she got to Equus's legs, he'd raise them, just enough for her to check the horse shoes, as he knew what was next. She could have spent hours grooming Equus, but Katelyn had work to do, or rather work to find work, as she took the roundabout way into the mess hall through the large wooden door in the stable, and into the chill air.
The sun was still rising as she made way to the main entrance, the fresh air felt like heaven, in comparison to the closed, and nearly strangling air within the stable. She looked around at the soldiers patrolling, the streets, and an occasional sentry who tried to look awake despite having stood guard the whole night. She stifled a yawn with her left hand, as she leaned against the wall just by the entrance, and hopefully soon a fat merchant would arrive and hire her, and some of the other squires, so that they could get over with it, hopefully not experience anything dangerous. After the contract she would be a full pegasus knight, which probably was the only goal she had. Though it was a bit ambitious to expect that she'd become a pegasus knight without ever having fought while riding Equus, but anyone who'd hire them would of course not know of that.
ooc: My first rp post on this forum, has finally been done!
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 27, 2011 10:54:49 GMT -6
Clair Feldsky had gotten up extra early the next day. She'd not slept particularly well, due to all the events of yesterday. It had been exciting and physically rigorous. Never-the-less, the excitement of the day before carried through to the next day. She still had things to do.
She didn't bother putting on her armor this morning as she probably wouldn't be needing it. Instead, she switched back to the casual outfit she'd picked up a few days earlier. After yesterday, ad with the days ahead, it would be nice to be out of armor for a little while. She did carry her killer lance with her though. She'd learned early on that danger could strike at any time. Not just on the battlefield.
After hurrying through getting herself ready for the day, she headed out, and stopped in at Corona's stall to check and make sure he had everything he needed. The day was far nicer than the storm of the night before had been, which was good. She'd be able to catch up to Richter today, if things stayed nice.
By the time most people were hitting the mess hall, or the taverns, The Falcoknight had gone out and placed orders for the last bits of gear to go with her new armor. Boots, a pair of halfgloves, and a few extra sets of clothing to go under the armor. She'd almost stuck with the pants and shirt, but at the last moment, something had changed her mind, and she'd altered a couple of the orders to the miniskirts which seemed to be the hallmark of the uniform of Illia's skyknights.
The goods were to be sent to her room in the inn, so when Clair left, she headed to the mess hall of the barracks. She grinned a bit, as she walked up the road. She wondered how Richter would react to all these events when he heard. And also what he'd feel about her forming her own unit and becoming a Commander. She hoped he didn't get the idea that she was... trying to take over his place... or something.
The mess hall seemed like a good idea to start looking for anyone that she could hire. Of course, she'd been told about the squires, but she was going to keep her eyes out for anyone she could get.
While she was trying to decide how to find anyone she could hire, she approached the main entrance to the structure, almost missing the fiery haired girl standing near the entrance. As Clair did spot her though, she recognized a similar expression on the girl's face to what was on Clair's own. They were both looking for someone. Maybe this was one of the squires?
Clair looked over from the where she stood in the entrance to where the girl was. Now or never. "Hey! Are you looking for work?"
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Katelyn
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 13
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Post by Katelyn on May 27, 2011 14:46:38 GMT -6
Katelyn yawned, as she looked around, watching people come and go, and entirely ignoring her. A few fat merchants eyed her with what only could be called contempt. A slender merchant eyed her for a moment and then approached. "Are you looking for work, miss?"
Katelyn gave a short nod, as the man started asking her some basic questions, in his thick Ilian accent. "So you are an experienced fighter?"
She gave a start at the question, not really sure what she was to do. "I... I'm one of the newly graduated squires." She regretted telling the truth as she saw the man back away. "Then I have no need of you." He said, making way past her and into the mess hall." As soon as the man disappeared, she found herself staring at the ground, trying to figure out how to explain that even squires might have their uses. As she did, she suddenly heard a woman's voice.
Katelyn looks around, taken aback as she looked towards the blonde haired woman who had asked her the question she had been waiting for. She brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, as she curtsied, "Yes, I happen to look for work, and since you're asking, I hope you have work for me, or happen to know someone in need of able bodied... Squires." The last word came reluctantly, as it would probably ruin any chance of getting work from the woman.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 27, 2011 17:09:55 GMT -6
Clair's face registered slight pleasure at having found one of the squires so soon. While it was true that a fresh recruit wasn't going to know much about how to fight, or even camp life, they were normally ready to learn. Clair, herself, had certainly been ready. Indeed, she'd practically taken every chance she could get to get more knowledge, skill and experience.
"Right. You're one of the squires I heard about." Clair walked over to the girl, out of the mainstream traffic. She'd keep looking for other mercs, but if there were as few unassigned fighters as Terry had suggested, then it would be better to see if she could get these squires now.
"I do have work, and I'll take squires. What's your name?"
The eager attitude that the girl had reminded Clair of her own beginning when Richter had hired her in Sacae.... Th difference was that Richter hadn't realized just how much of a rookie he'd been getting. She'd even managed to snag a position as his assistant at that early time. She saw it now, though she hadn't back then. He'd not trusted the Etrurian subordinates he'd been assigned. Clair had come from an outside source. So he could trust her more than the Etrurians he'd been infiltrating.
Interesting how things had all worked out now....
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Katelyn
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 13
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Post by Katelyn on May 28, 2011 17:27:46 GMT -6
Katelyn stared at the woman, her eyes widening slowly, as her jaw dropped. "You take squires?! Are you sane? I mean... I'm Katelyn. " Her cheeks reddening lightly, due to the faint blush which appeared on her cheeks.
"What kind of work is it?" She asked curiously, starting to dry wash her hands. If the woman knew the limits of a squires capabilities, it probably wouldn't be such a big task, maybe escorting a caravan from Edessa to Arphen, or something pretty much safe like that.
"And, uhm, how many are you going to take, and when might we be leaving?" She said, somehow getting her face appear less, nervous, giving the woman, a rather casual grin. "Oh, oh, and before I forget to ask, we need the contract, kind of, so that when we finish we have proof that, we actually, uhm, finished. " With that she placed her hands behind her head, appearing to be at ease, just to hide her mixture of both eagerness and nervousness.
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