Power and Purpose

Artorias waited patiently for Fern to get her armor on and sword back in place over her back. He positioned the situation to her, the conundrum she would have to solve on the fly when facing down such an opponent. Despite the time that had slipped between them with everything going on, the two wolves fell easily back into the banter and habits their training had before their break, as if no time had passed at all. While he explained the quandary to her, he saw the keen interest and curiosity in Fern's eyes. She was still young and innocent when it came to matters of combat, and no matter how much training they did, there was nothing that could prepare you for the real thing. Had she even spilled the blood of another or taken the life of another wolf yet? Part of him hoped she would never need to face such a feat. A more realistic part of him told him that was a foolish hope. He gave Fern all the time she needed to assess her target and make a battle plan. In the real world, she wouldn't have this luxury of time or study, but for their lesson today she could take as much as she needed.

Fern returned to her starting position and began to list off areas of weakness and vulnerability she had found. The head and neck were good answers, except for the fact that their target was wearing a helmet. Fern reassessed herself and settled on the neck, just below the jaw. The Aegis gave a curt nod and let the girl continue. Gaps in armor along the torso; small targets, but viable all the same. He had deliberately not left a lot of openings for Fern to exploit. The purpose of this training was for her to be able to identify weaknesses, but also to demonstrate how tricky they could be to exploit and see if she could accomplish it. She also chose the legs and tail, good targets that would be less likely to be guarded, but also difficult to hit because of their motion and agility. When Fern finished, Artorias nodded and rose to his paws, considering her options.

"Not a bad assessment," said the Aegis, fixing his fiery gaze on his apprentice. "Remember, in the head of battle, you won't have the luxury of time to make these sorts of assessments. You'll need to be quick and decisive, or it might cost you a valuable initiative advantage, or even your life. It's important to select your best means of ending the fight quickly and decisively. You know your skills the best; play to your strengths and guard your weaknesses. Your opponent will be doing the same." Artorias stepped up to the dummy and pointed to the neck she had identified as a weakness. "The neck and throat are a great option, but are also often the hardest to hit. A creature will instinctively try to protect this area, and when wearing armor like this, it leaves you with a thin sliver of opening." Next came the gap between the armor on the torso. "The same applies here, although it's far trickier for an enemy to protect their side if it's left open. The only caveat is you will need to be able to maneuver yourself into a position that lets you get a strike in too."

Artorias returned back to Fern again and stood beside the smaller fae. "If you can cleave a leg, you've won the fight already. A crippled opponent is a dead opponent. I wouldn't bank so much on the tail though. If you're able to get behind your opponent to reach it, there are far better targets you can pick. And as we know from my brother dearest and your sweetheart, losing a tail isn't always a death sentence." He gave a low chuckle and smirked to Fern, then motioned with a paw towards the dummy. "Go on, show me how you'd take down this opponent. Use whatever methods you found and see what works best for you." Artorias left the floor open for Fern to decide her approach. He would stand off to the side for now to analyze her form, her maneuvers, her actions and reactions. This would likely not be an easy feat, but it would be a valuable lesson to the monochrome girl.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"