Fight:Aela v Hildegarde
Part of the Festival of Aramoth Contest.
Snowless Training Yard
One would never know this patch of land once held the bloody remains of innocents killed long ago, for all have been cleared away and given proper burials nearby so that this area could be reborn. And reborn is has been, transformed from a battered street to a wide yard fenced in by a low, black stone wall. The yard sprawls out on either side of the iron gate that serves as an entrance, and the expanse seems to be sectioned off into four large rectangled areas by strange white lines drawn upon the ground--deeply embedded strips of marble, if one were to examine these closely. The ground itself is a peculiarity too, a soft, golden sandy surface without a single speck of snow upon it, as if the weather refuses to go near it. In fact, even the numbing chill in the air seems to be buffered while within the yard's boundaries. You suspect the four orbs of pulsing fluorite--white in the north, black in the south, crimson in the east, and cobalt in the west--that decorate the corners of the fence have something to do with this, riddled as they are with elaborate etchings of runes, sigils, and other arcane markings. Here lies the training yard for those learning the art of outdoor combat in Frostmaw, a blank slate to be altered as teachers see fit in instructing their students through the rigors of environmental conditions, for it takes no more than an adjustment upon the fluorite spheres to produce any arrangement of climates within their given battlefield. Rain, sleet, arid desert, howling wind, or boggy swamp, the four fields are infinitely mutable in their existence, as is to be expected of an institute devoted to the art of combat around the world. To the west looms an immense building, even by Frost Giant standards, with behemoth double doors of a darkly colored pine bearing the stern facade of Aramoth, God of War, chiseled across their collective front. One can safely assume this is the training academy proper, where various dojos, studios, and classrooms can be found, and unimaginable lessons attended by eager students of the art of War.
Aela , ever respectful of the God Aramoth and his battle standards has come to this place seeking further training in the battle arts. Her application for training was met with much derision and scoffing by those that run the training fields. Being a follower of Arkhen and woman on top of it has created a level of condescension toward the girl. Ignoring all of this, however, the acolyte prepares her armor and sword dutifully and prepares for whoever the trainers would send her way to spar.
Hildegarde had been on her way to deliver her package to the Queen with Sabjorn in tow, who had the burlap sack thrown over his shoulder. The knight was a bit slow, her armour cracked in the torso, having been pummelled by a warhammer but after Sabjorn received word from the Academy, she felt it would be wise to stop and see if they could offer assistance. Sabjorn would have been Aela’s opponent, if it weren’t for the fact a bandage was holding his innards, well, in. The Silver smiled at the sight of Aela, “M’lady Aela,” she called, “you are here to spar? I will gladly spar with you.”
Aela smiles at the sight of Hilde, offering the Silver a respectful bow. I was hoping to get some training from these brutes, but I think they are intimidated by the idea of fighting a woman." She shoots a look of defiance about her, daring anyone to protest her words. "I would welcome the chance to learn from one so distinguished as yourself, however."
Hildegarde glanced around at Aela’s words, watching Sabjorn snigger some. He had seen the dragon fight and some of the lady giants of Frostmaw: he knew women were a force to be reckoned with! The knight laughed gently, “I am not distinguished, m’lady, and I am sure you will be the one teaching me a lesson!” she said, hoisting up Winterheart in her hands, “But shall we dance?”
Aela smiles and nods, making the final adjustments to her armor and slipping her sword from its scabbard with a steely hiss. Setting the scabbard aside, she turns to Hilde and lowers herself into a ready stance, shield close to her body and sword leveled in front of her.
Hildegarde had learned from her time in Frostmaw that it was wise to give your enemy no quarter, which is why she immediately moved forward once the sword was drawn. Shaft of her halberd yanked upright, aiming for the paladin’s forehead in an effort to just outright knock her out, but she would not leave it at that: stepping back some after the potential attack to quickly regain space, her arm shot out with the halberd in an effort to slam the shaft of the weapon against Aela’s side.
Aela is taken aback by the ferocity of the attack, but allows her reflexes to take over. She dodges to the side as the shaft of Hilde's halberd sings by, barely missing the acolyte's head. The follow up move is met by Aela's shield with a resounding clash of metal against metal. The human girl winces slightly at the pain that shoots through her shield arm, but quickly disregards the pain as she spins on her heel and lowers herself close to the ground. As she spins, she shoots a leg out in a sweeping motion aimed at kicking the knight's feet out from under her.
Hildegarde winced at the resounding clash, her ears ringing mildly from the sound. The ringing sound was enough to put her off focus for a moment, which was all it took for Aela to sweep the knight off her feet! She landed with an ‘oomph’, but rolled to the side in an effort to evade any follow up attacks: Winterheart swinging in a wide arc as she forced herself up to her feet, shaft of the weapon aiming to sweep upwards and batter against her hip and across her torso, swinging back down to wallop her right shoulder. The Silver was avoiding using the axe-head of her weapon.
Aela : As the knight falls to her back, the acolyte rises to her feet as her arm drives the blunted sword downward toward the Silver's head. The blade instead clatters against the ground as her target rolls out of the way and back to her feet. Anticipating a higher strike, Aela raises her shield as she draws her arm back and swings her sword in a broad arc toward Hilde's shoulder. The arc is brought up short, however, as a sharp pain rips through Aela's hip. Dropping to one knee, the girl raises her shield to ward off any further blow, as she breaths deeply and draws her consciousness within to keep the pain at bay. All of this is done within two heartbeats, allowing Aela to reassess her attack and launch herself upward on her good leg. As she pushes up, she tilts her shield forward and extends her shield-arm using the bottom rim of the defensive piece to aim a blow at the Silver's chin.
Hildegarde winced as the blade made contact with her arm – rather than her shoulder – and led to her staggering back some in an effort to make room, trying not to let her friendly concern for the woman get in the way of their fight as she dropped to her knees! Winterheart shifted position, tucked under her arm and held tight against her chestplate by her elbow as her now free hand unsheathed Oathkeeper, as the shield surged for her chin! The knight attempted to evade it: dropping down to the side, but the shield bashed her cheekbone and made her head ring. The Silver had, however, become angry at such a blow, lion-head pommel of Oathkeeper smashing into the ground as she fell, making the ground itself tremor and crack at Aela’s feet in an effort to send her off balance, the knight inhaling deeply until she heard the ‘click’ in her throat, hoping the paladin would fall so she might roll to her side and send a blast of that paralytic gas straight to her face.
Aela grimaces inwardly at the crack of her shield against Hilde's cheek. Drawing her sword high as if pointing to the birds above, she attempts to follow the blow with a downward strike with the pommel of her sword upon the knight's chest. The last thing that the acolyte is expecting is for the ground to split beneath her feet. The last thought running through her mind before she falls backward is, "That is not fair!" Landing with a loud grunt upon her back, Aela quickly rolls to the side and decides that, if it is magical stuff that Hilde wants, the acolyte will oblige. With barely a thought, she draws her consciousness further within and seeks the divine light within. Once found, she submerges herself within and allows holy fire to wash through her. Outwardly, her connection with the divine is evidenced by her blade and shield bursting into a blinding white light.
Hildegarde had meant to expel the gas on Aela’s face, but the blinding light put her off course and forced it to billow helplessly to the side and away from the paladin. The knight staggered to her feet and closed her eyes, the light having rendered them relatively useless for now: she would have to depend on her highly sensitive hearing. The beating of Aela’s heart, the sound of her breathing drew the knight uncertainly toward her, booted foot coming to stomp down on her gut; butt of her halberd moving to join the motion of her foot. But Hilde was tiring quickly, the cracked – or broken, she could not yet tell – ribs she endured the other night in battle made it painful to breathe so much, it sent a burn through her lungs and it depleted her stamina more quickly.
Aela : Once the connection with the Divine has been achieved, the acolyte is no longer in control of her actions. Her body acts out of the God's volition, rolling once to avoid the booted foot of the knight along with the shaft of the halberd. After the initial burst of light, the holy light would subdue to a soft glow of a white aura about the woman. Pushing herself back to her feet, Aela's arm lifts once more in a high arc toward the knight's exposed side, a trail of light following the arc of the sword.
Hildegarde, given that she could not see, was open to the paladin’s attack. The paladin had picked an excellent side too, having picked the one where her armour had cracked. The sword sank into her side, crunching through metal and biting flesh. The knight cried out with pain, stumbling and dropping to a knee, “I yield,” she said, in an effort to end their spar before more blood was shed.
Aela is thankful that she had chosen to use a blunted sword for the battle. At least the wound on the knight would be minimal. With Hilde's words, the acolyte's consciousness surges out of the light and comes back to her. Unfortunately, with the return to consciousness, the woman is washed in the pain of her own injuries and sinks to her knees, breath drawn through her teeth with a loud hiss. In spite of this however, she looks upon Hilde with concern. "I hope that I did not inflict any serious wounds, Milady..."
Hildegarde shook her head, offering the paladin a smile, “And I hope that I have not hurt you grievously, m’lady, for I would be most upset if I did.” The Silver groaned as she forced herself to her feet, “I endured wounds the other night in battle, but it is nothing, truly. Do you wish to see a healer, m’lady? I can summon one from the academy.”