4th of Frost, Year 124, A.o.S
ϟ His body was still sore from the training of the previous day, but he was welcomed by the sun that lounged overhead even in the cold season of Frost. The second part of his training was underway as Aya requested he be there before the stroke of noon. Barakael waited alone as the only other people within the training arena were Aya and her left-hand man. The fledgling gladiator was rather curious about what training method his sponsor had planned for him, but he would find out soon enough. As Barakael waited, the sound of footsteps coming from behind him entered his ears, and he quickly turned to see Aya's right hand, Veltali, smiling as he approached. The man was a beast in terms of stature, even for a human, almost meeting Barakael at eye level. He was physically a tank, and the young lion knew this was going to be one hell of a workout. "I pray you are prepared for what's to come. I will be testing your limits and hopefully helping you break beyond them as well." he greeted, his voice jovial and as grandiose as his smile, as he waved at his young charge.
"Care to tell me what today's training is?" Kael inquired, his pact weapon coming into his hand with the crackle and snap that came with static electricity. He smirked and looked his charge over, circling him as he inspected him. "The goal is to strengthen your combat instincts and your body by learning a fighting style our Lady Aya developed during her time within the Golden Legion. By doing this, it'll build muscle memory and will make you a fierce combatant." he explained, causing Barakael's inner flame to be stoked with excitement.
He chuckled, calling forth his pact weapon, a spear that roared with the fury of a great beast. "Beastial brutality in graceful form. The Three Beast combat style has been broken into three different forms, given its namesake, each with its own set of techniques. There is the "Phoenix Style", the "Dragon Style", & the "Chimera Style". While the styles themselves are unique in their own way, we like to put our own flair into whichever of the three styles one chooses to learn." he would add, going through the different motions as he spoke about each one.
"Another unique trait of this fighting form is that it glorifies animalistic brutality and the domination of the fight itself. For a practitioner to use this form of combat style means that two combatants will enter the confrontation, but only one will come out alive, the other, a bloody mess crushed beneath their brutality." he noted, the end of his spear pointing at Barakael at the end of his explanation. "Now let's begin." He would lunge at Barakael in that same breath with brutal force that could only be equated to the name of the style, a dragon.
Even with his strength pulled back, it was still a lot to contend with, bracing behind his pact weapon with each hit. The ferocity that Veltali was giving him had Barakael on the defensive, so much so that he began communing his aether with the ground beneath him. Chucks of earth flew up to his defense, catching some blows that he couldn't parry against himself. After several more flurries of attacks, Veltali clashed with Barakael's mace. "See, the style of the Dragon is to be as brutal as possible. he said with a flourish of spear.
"The Dragon Style compels the fighter to overwhelm their opponent by applying constant pressure with crushing attacks." he spoke as he motioned for Barakael to mimic what he was doing. He would guide the young gladiator through the motions of the dragon style. The few of us who tend gravitate to this style are often lacking in finesse in a fight but make up for this lack of flair in raw power, often able to take almost any opponent down with a single strike and to a further degree shatter bones. This makes those kinds of fights exciting to watch and wildly unpredictable.
Every word spoken was demonstrated, each moveset more brutal than the next, and a style that Barakael liked a lot. Next came the Phoenix style and getting some distance. He would then show some introductory moves, such as fluid and rapid motions. It was fast, and Kael wasn't sure how well he would be able to utilize such a combat style. He figured he could augment his movements with the help of wind, but he would figure that out later, for now he had to focus as Valtali finished his demonstration and turned to Barakael to give him a taste of it in practice.
This encounter was different, as the strikes were faster, and given the quickness in its delivery, the lion cub could barely keep up with each one. as the blade of the spear bit into his skin. He would counter, coaxing the wind to help him move with a bit more urgency. He was starting to see why this way of training was pertinent, to experience first hand in order to understand how it works and to practice it himself. He was learning that the phoenix style would definitely be a style he would have to refine and augment to better suit him. When the practical demonstration was done, Valtali allowed for a moment of respite. "You need more than a moment to ready yourself for the final style?
He inquired, a smile on his face as he was glad to see that Barakael was more than eager to go forward, taking a few more moments to breathe. Once he steadied his breathing, he nodded to the veteran warrior that he was ready to continue. "The Chimera style is used to combat multiple enemies at once. It was developed as a means of felling multiple opponents through a constant rotation of attacks, always moving between one target to the next. Those of us who are masters of this style can tackle groups of ten enemies simultaneously. When surrounded by a multitude of fodder, this style shines." he beamed, showing how each attack cycle through multiple targets.
"Its fierce, circular moves make sure that every single one of the surrounding opponents gets hit with efficient force. The Chimera style is more akin to mimicking the predatory and brutality of the animal kingdom as it is the survival of the fittest. When facing mixed groups, the best strategy is to target the weakest of the group and chip away at the group from there." he added, planting his spear into the ground. There was no need to give him a physical demonstration for this as it was just the two of them, however Valtali would still put him through the motions, showing him how to move. It was akin to watching a lion swipe at you in swift circular arcs, almost like dancing.
After getting a feel for the motions, Valtali would supervise him as he constructed drills for Barakael to practice over and over until it became muscle memory to him. By the time the sun had begun to set, his body began to tell him that there would be no more training for the day, as he could barely move a muscle, let alone hold his pact weapon. Dematerializing the mace added more pain to his already exhausted body, causing him to grit his teeth. The good thing is that he could try again once his body has rested and recuperated.
With a hearty laugh, Valtali came to his aid, helping the aching warrior back to the barracks of the compound where he could get some much needed rest. He would find that he wouldn't be able to rest long as he stirred awake and found himself back in the arena by himself. The sound of grunts and exclamations would echo in the empty arena as he practiced, even if his body couldn't handle it anymore. He was pushing himself to be perfect because there was much riding on this; his pride and ambitions wouldn't settle for less than perfection.
He was going to make sure that his ascension in the Sand Dragon League was unhindered, and he wouldn't settle for nothing less than complete and utter domination of the league. It would be the first step in his climb to greater power. It was this bottom line that fueled him, and unbeknownst to him, it was also what brought a nasty scowl to the onlooker hiding in the spectator's box above. The malice that oozed from the individual was palpable, and they wanted blood. ϟ
"Vastian Speech"
"Tallenese Speech"
"Vallenor Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"
