The importance of preparation

In the wake of her numerous encounters with Sephiran, Talyssa had asked Artorias to teach her some ways to protect herself whenever she was out of Hallowed lands without her parents nearby. While initially hesitant, Artorias had eventually conceded to the wisdom in his daughter's request. Even if she was never a born and bred fighter like her siblings, Taly would someday soon be a fully grown wolf exploring the world on her own, and she had a right to the means of keeping herself safe. And so the Aegis had put together a special lesson just for his young daughter, tailored to her skills, her physical attributes, and her desires to be protected without becoming a warrior like her brothers were. Art had put a lot of thought and planning into what he wanted to teach her and techniques to show her. He just hoped that she would never find herself in a situation where she needed to use them.

It was a milder winter day in Auster, but gray clouds hung heavy in the sky, blotting out the sun and chilling the wind that whipped around the coastal lands. The giant ebony and azure alpha stood in the outdoor training rings, setting up a couple of practice dummies he'd made to be approximately the height of himself and one the size of Sephiran. It felt fitting given the nature of the lessons they were going to be having. On each, he had painted red marks at specific spots on the dummy's face, neck, and underside. Artorias had pointedly made sure to bring no weapons or armor with him to this lesson; Taly had wanted to learn means of self defense without the need to be carrying around weaponry like her brothers' swords or Dusk's tail blades. Pleased with the setup, Artorias sat on his haunches and called for Talyssa to meet him, hoping she would find these lessons to her liking and beneficial.

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