RP:Hildegarde's Advice For Linn
Part of the Thy Kingdom Come Arc
Summary: Linn seeks out Hildegarde to talk about some of the training they'd discussed. Hilde gives the enchanter a few tips, and Linn offers a mana crystal. The same thing Desparrow offered. Again, Hilde refuses the gift.
Rolling Hills
Linn had visited the war-camp in Xalious a couple times before to see the progress, though he didn’t spend much of the day in the village at a time. After his passes through he would either vanish out into Sage or into the mountains to the north, but today he came through the camp once again perhaps looking a little sullen, the weight of a number of responsibilities beginning to press on him. He wore his usual gear and armor in that state of passive readiness, continuing to watch the bustle of preparation and gathering in the camp. Every now and then he’d speak to one of the giants or other supporters for the former steward, though the conversations remained brief as he kept moving through, likely not to stay for too long like the previous trips.
Hildegarde was mulling over the various offers of help and assistance she had had over the past few weeks. Some came from unsightly sources, but aid was aid; the offer of help was never to be sniffed at. Of course, one should never accept help quite so readily, particularly from a dubious source. So here Hildegarde mulled: at the heart of a military camp manned by giants, humans and elves alike. She sat there with her short-sword in hand, whetstone in the other. Her motion of sharpening the blade had eventually ceased as she fell into a state of deep thought; her blade resting across her knees as she hunched and stared off into the distance thoughtfully.
Linn continued passing until his path took him across Hildegarde, bringing him to a stop as he thought for a second about how much –she- was dealing with as well. Being a part of a war was one thing, leading it was an entirely different matter. After giving her a bit of time for her own thought he began making his approach, having to narrowly skirt his way by one of the giants with a small apology. The big guy didn’t really seem to care. He barely took a couple more steps before his eyes suddenly opened wide in shock and he took in a sharp breath, stumbling sideways into one of the nearby structures. His hand went up to his neck as if holding it closed, heavily panting as the color in his face drained as if seeing ghosts.
Hildegarde thoughtful staring was interrupted by the sudden sharp breath and stumbling of someone in the camp. Discarding the whetstone, she rises to her feet and sheathes the short-sword before immediately weaving her way through the gathering crowd of giants and other humanoids of the camp. “Linn!” she called, immediately closing the gap between them as she reached for him to grasp him and support his weight. “Linn, are you alright?” He obviously wasn’t alright, but he had no evident wound or injury that she could see; so the question needed to be asked.
Linn seemed to be in an entirely different world as Hildegarde rushed up to support him, the ragged breathing continued as she tried to figure out whatever might be wrong with him. “I’m…” he drew his hand against his neck away to look at it, becoming immediately puzzled that it was… clean. Speechless, he patted against that same spot on his neck a couple more times, trying to find the blood that he could have sworn was there. A blink. “I guess I’m fine.” came a few weak words; was he just losing his mind with everything going on as of late? With a shake of his head he took a deep sigh to recompose himself as he straightened back onto his own support. “I have no idea what that was. That was just strange.” Just as quickly that feeling of death came it was gone, leaving him feeling rather normal, if just a little weirded out by what just happened. “Sorry about that.” Now it was a little awkward as he tried to figure out how to address the steward in the wake of his ordeal.
Hildegarde continued to support Linn until he composed himself and seemed to stand alone just fine. “You looked panicked. And you seemed to expect a wound,” she said thoughtfully, her voice gentle and concerned but not trying to henpeck at him for an answer. “Do you want to come sit down? Maybe get some water?”
Linn shook his head and shrugged. “It felt like I –had- one, if that makes any sense. “ When Hildegarde suggested to get some water he nodded over to one of the clearer areas to take a seat. “That would be nice.” Once they had set down he’d retrieve his canteen from his pack to take a drink of his own before he smiled weakly, “You looked like you were thinking about something before that little incident. All of the preparations going well I hope?”
Hildegarde led Linn back over to the main hubbub of the camp, setting him down upon a log that wasn’t so far from the camp fire. She watched him for a moment, as if to make sure he did take a drink from the canteen. “If you need something to eat, let me know,” she told him, obviously concerned about that little episode he had just had. “Ah, I was just thinking about the fight to come, you know. War is never easy.”
Linn nodded and sighed as Hildegarde spoke about the coming fight. Fights… this was one that he was obligated to take part in, but at the same time he needed more than ever to keep himself alive and well for other responsibilities that were popping up. “I’ll be fine. War definitely isn’t an easy thing to deal with. Let alone going against a city named for it.” A weak laugh before he turned back to the former steward. “You know, quite a while back you spoke about some kind of training for me. That kind of fell to the wayside with, well, liches and such. Though if you’ve got some time now it’s something I would like to do. My tricks aren’t going to save me forever in a fight once they start catching on.” Another sigh at the unfortunate reality of things. Cheap tricks could give a real edge, but they also relied on novelty to make a real opening for him to strike through. And that novelty never lasts long.
Hildegarde smiled as he spoke of fighting against the City of War. “I’ve fought giants before,” she said gently, “and others but I have no love for war. But this war, this is the one war I must find my passion for,” she said thoughtfully. Yet as Linn mentions training of some kind, the Silver chortled a little; “Training I threatened you with if you could not protect someone dear to me,” she retorted. “But going against a giant, well, tricks will only get you so far. A giant isn’t at your level. They aren’t going to be as easily distracted because, well, they needn’t necessarily look at what you’re doing. They might just want to squish you.” That was a grim prospect, but a sadly real one. “First, you have to think. What’s your weapon of choice?”
Linn nodded in understanding for Hildegarde. “Just stay focused on who your real target is. I think you understand that well enough though.” At the idea that the training was a consequence for not protecting Josleen he couldn’t help but begin chuckling. He probably put her in more danger than he did protect her from it at this rate! When the steward began describing the situation he was going to be dealing with he refocused on the task at hand, meeting her gaze intently. When she asked about his weapon he paused for quite some time. It was a surprisingly difficult one for him. “Whatever the situation calls for really. But if I had to choose one…” he fished into the pouch at his left to retrieve the strange violet crystal with its swirling sinister darkness trapped within. “It’d be this one.”
Hildegarde smiled at his first comment, but didn’t reply to it. She had heard it often enough and didn’t have a kind word to say about the phrase now! “And what does it go? I’m not asking for a demonstration,” she clarifies quickly, “only an explanation. Tell me what it does and how quickly it does it.”
Linn looked at the crystal for a brief moment when asked for an explanation on what it does. “It projects force magic. Much of the time I use it as a shield, and makes a solid hammer, but it’s able to form itself to do much else that I might need. It’s fast because it doesn’t really have –weight-. It’s a bit of an odd thing to use for a weapon really, but it’s something I’ve worked with for years now.”
Hildegarde shook her head, “I don’t mean how fast it moves due to weight or lack thereof, I meant how quickly can it be activated,” she rephrased the question for him.
Linn lifted his head in a motion of ‘ahh’ when Hildegarde clarified. “Fast enough. I’m used enough to it that I could lead right into a blow or a block from it being inactive.”
Hildegarde nodded as he answered. “And when a giant grabs you, what then? Because they can grab and crush you with a single hand, what will you do with your legs and arms and everything held tight and compressed? So tight that you feel like your own head will pop off of your shoulders.”
Linn stayed silent for some time, trying to figure out the solution to a grab. His particular weapon had its reach that could work independently of his movement with enough focus, but it wouldn’t stop a giant. “My best bet would be to slip out.” A blink, the memory of the last time he was grabbed flashing through his mind, the failure of his magic. “But that doesn’t always work. And I wouldn’t be strong enough to open their grip back up.” Come to think of it the strength needed for such a thing would be incredible. “Could try grabbing their hand in return with this.” He held up the crystal for view, “or make a shot in return that will force them to let go.” None of the solutions were easy or clear. It was indeed, a difficult situation.
Hildegarde nodded at his proposed solutions, neither praising or slating them. “When you’re held that tightly, it’s going to feel like you can’t breathe. In fact, it will be harder to breathe. And then, that leads to the panic. Those quick and sharp breaths that are only going to cost you time,” she said carefully. “Training isn’t all about physicality and superior fighting moves. It’s about thinking; about being that one step ahead. That’s how you win the fight, by thinking ahead, by having the sense to take in what’s there and use it to your advantage,” she told Linn. “If it were me,” she said, bringing her hands towards her chest, “about to be grabbed, I’d keep my hands like this,” she holds her hands close to her chest; her palm facing outward as if in a sign of miniature surrender. “The giant’s palm is going to wrap around you. They’re going to press *hard*. It’ll hurt like hell, but you need to start pushing back; push until that crystal cuts into their hand and lodges there. From there, only when it’s in the flesh, do you activate it. They’ll let you go.”
Linn nodded at Hildegarde’s conclusion. “Leave options open. Strike back. Never waste time.” A simple principle, but always hard to execute. When he began thinking about just what burrowing that crystal into an opponent’s flesh meant he grew somewhat… nervous, evident by his gaze settling on the crystal with a slight sense of dread. That was an entirely different activation, one he still didn’t know the entirety of. “I’ve always been one to throw those thoughts off. Give them a situation that one would never reasonably expect.” Another pause as his head tilted, taking in the contrast.
Hildegarde never particularly enjoyed fighting, but she knew enough and fought well enough to be considered formidable. Not that she liked to think of herself as such. “Always think ahead, Linn. Try to use your size to your advantage, keep out of reach or make yourself awkward to reach. Don’t isolate yourself. If you isolate yourself in combat against a giant, you’re likely to die.”
Linn stayed silent for some time, thinking on his track record of fights. Parts of Hildegarde’s advice were simple enough to process and execute, that ‘thinking ahead’ thing was a doozy though. Isolation was another tough one with close combat. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.” A sigh, the words were really worthless; whether or not the lesson was learned would be seen when it was really tested. Eventually he finally smiled again with a weak chuckle. “Is that going to be it for my training today?
Hildegarde shrugged her shoulder, “You don’t fight with actual weapons. You’re more mage than physical fighter, I can’t train a mage,” she told him. “And I am no giant. I would be preparing you to fight against someone you aren’t facing,” she said softly. “I do not go to Frostmaw yet. My advice to you right now is to buy boots with blades. Come back to me for more when you have those boots.”
Linn released a weak ‘heh’ at Hildegarde’s judgement on just how he fights. It was true enough. Perhaps continuing to develop his own oddities was just the best route to giving his opponents an unsolvable problem. When she finally mentioned bladed boots he tilted his head sideways with an inquisitive look, “Boots with blades, what for?”
Hildegarde smiled at Linn when he posed his question, “Because if you can’t move your arms and get that crystal, you’ll want to try and cut something. Wiggling your legs, knocking your boots together to made a spring-blade come forth and cut your foe? Difference between life and death.” The Silver paused for a moment before speaking again, “I am known for my honour and fighting honourably. But I know that when it’s necessary to win and live, you do what you must.”
Linn ’s mouth swished from side to side at the idea. “Backups. Something I don’t need hands for.” Bladed boots weren’t an exact solution that he liked, but they were a decent one. And they gave ideas for more contingency plans. “Makes sense. I’ll see what I can do about it.” A long pause followed as he seemed conflicted about something. Eventually he looked around, looking for anyone that may be eavesdropping on the conversation. If he found none he’d speak up again. “This isn’t what we are talking about, but I want to let you know of a potential resource we may have. I… recently came into possession of a very large amount of mana crystal, more than I know what to do with. If you need some kind of big spell we can possibly use it as a power source. That said, we may not be able to use all of it. Some of it may already be needed to… make up for what it’s done already.”
Hildegarde nodded at his words, “You always need a back up plan, especially something you don’t need your hands for,” she said in agreement. Yet as Linn began to talk about a mana crystal, the Silver immediately shook her head. “Desparrow offered something similar and I turned it down. I’m turning this down too,” it wasn’t out of some notion that she didn’t need it, but more that she wasn’t a magic user. She couldn’t use it and she didn’t want to employ something she couldn’t quite control herself. “I intend to win this war through combat, not magic.”
Linn rubbed his brows when Desparrow’s offer came up. Figures. Eventually he nodded. “Okay. I’ll do what I can to keep it safe then. But please, I don’t want anyone to know that this exists unless necessary. You’re one of the few people I am willing to trust with it, and if the wrong people hear about it and find it, it can do a lot of damage. I just hope I can get rid of it soon.” Another nervous sigh and a shake of his head. What in the world did he start with that damned lycan?
Hildegarde said to Linn, "If you do not find someone to keep it safe, speak to me again. I will destroy it."
Linn shook his head weakly. “This isn’t something that can just be destroyed. The safest way will be to make sure the energy does something we want it to do. But for this much? There isn’t a lot that can use it up. The most we can do is find something that it could be used productively for. Hopefully something like that comes soon.”
Hildegarde shook her head in reply, “It can be drained of magic. The magic can be removed,” she told him, “I have experience in destructive objects. I… I was in service to many destructive mages, so I know a thing or two, Linn, don’t assume that a knight who is more brawn than brain doesn’t have some idea,” she said with a smile. “Like I said. If you have no option, keep me in mind.”
Linn cracked a weak grin. “You’re gonna have to drain a lot of magic.” Another sigh before he nodded. “Thank you for the offer though. When there isn’t a potential need for it anymore I’ll take it to you if it’s left. At the very least it can be kept safe to be used over time. The tools that can be made from something like it are truly wonderful.” Silence as he chewed his lip, finding the end of everything he wanted to ask. “I think I should be going. Thank you for all of your time and, we’ll have to see about all of those backup plans soon enough.” Putting his canteen away he rose back to his feet, whatever bout had brought their attention together in the first place long past.