Danos left the classroom, eager to put his notes away and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. It had been stifling hot in the class room, and he had yet to learn the trick to ignoring the hot or cold.
Yawning, he stretched muscles that had tightened as he'd sat in the class. It's not that I dislike learning about all the old tactics, I just wish we could do it through drills and outside, thought Danos to himself as the fresh air helped wake his mind.
The lecture today had been on the advantage of skirmishers, the way armies had used them to great effect as both screens against ambushers and defending against such tactics.
This had his mind thinking on the subject as he arrived for his chore. Today he was chopping the wood they used to feed the kitchen ovens. The great ovens never stopped as they worked all day and night to feed the growing Grey Tower.
Danos enjoyed the chore,
he had asked for it as the repetitive exercise went a long way towards training muscles and strength.
With his power and practice with blades, he was able to spilt the logs cleanly, the strong head splitting the wood in powerful downstrokes. As he tossed the wood into the bins to await the scullery workers, Danos continued to follow the rhythm of the strikes.
With the motions well practiced, Danos felt his mind wander back to the class he had attended just prior to the chore. There's no denying that an ambush pays off well, and I'm sure a Warder needs as many tricks as he can manage, Danos thought to himself as he imagined engaging the enemy.
He had learned much of fighting and war in his classes, and while he had learned the benefit of the bow, or crossbow he wasn't sure those weapons suited him.
I need something to open the distance between an opponent caught unawares, and if not a bow then something, mused Danos as he continued to split the wood.
He knew many of the Drin'far'ji he had trained with had learned dagger, and the throwing of daggers had been the cause of many a bet in the practice yard. But again that was a weapon that felt ill fit for him.
Danos finished splitting the large slices of tree into quarters, and then taking a hatchet began splitting some of the wood into smaller pieces that would be used for fireplace fires. The quarters were quickly placed on the chopping block and with a sharp blow he drove the hatchet deep into the wood.
Later as the bell chimed for the next hour, Danos casually tossed his axe, letting it strike the chopping block, the blade easily biting the wood. Danos remembered then visiting the foresters with his uncle, seeing the men at play much as the Drin'far'ji had with the board and dagger.
With that thought in mind, Danos jogged off to the Armoury. When he arrived, he headed for the racks of axes that had been laid disheveled in the corner. He knew he needed something stronger than the hatchet for what he had in mind.
Many of the axes were too large, or the shape of the head was too wedged, they were great axes for splitting and puncturing armour, but felt ill balanced in his hands.
Finally he found an axe that felt right. This had a head that arched from the haft to the edge, with sharp points at the upper and lower corners. It was well sharpened, but had a nice wedged profile and a firm handle that was longer than his forearm but not as long as the other war axes.
Taking the ax, Danos grabbed a target and pulled the target and stand into the sands. Ensuring it was clear, he took the ax in the grip he used for woodcutting and hurled it at the target.
The ax struck the target with a clatter as the timing was off and so the haft struck the top of the target and not the cutting edge.
Danos then lined up for his next throw, this time keeping his shoulder straight and grilling the axe at the bottom of the haft. As he moved through the throw, he felt the slightly tear shaped haft and used that to help align his grip.
This time the ax flew true, spinning over itself a single time before the arch shaped head struck true into the target. Danos smiled when he saw the edge had driven the blade into the soft wood target, and he began to repeat the throw, working on the distance and motion of the arm to find the sweet spot.
As the practice progressed, Danos adapted his stance. His knowledge of the other weapons he had gained in his training allowing him to find the stance that allowed him additional power and aim. Lead foot forward, with his weight centred upon it, Danos soon stood about six paces from the target and was striking true each time. The aim was not perfected, but with the generally man shaped target he was able to strike for the chest with relative ease. I know a Gaidan would parry this attack, but from the training described to most soldiers in our classes, many would be caught by surprise thought Danos to himself as he checked the ax's edge before returning to his stance.
Throw after throw Danos threw at the target, working the skill into his muscle and learning the breathing and timing that the ax needed to strike deep and true. I need to thank Mistress Riahana, the time spent learning the sword under her tutelage also taught me to be a student of each weapon I hold. Dax Gaidin as well, for he taught me to learn my body and how it moves, thought Danos to himself as he tried a few throws with other stances and directions before he returned the weapon to it's rack, heading off to his next task.
Yawning, he stretched muscles that had tightened as he'd sat in the class. It's not that I dislike learning about all the old tactics, I just wish we could do it through drills and outside, thought Danos to himself as the fresh air helped wake his mind.
The lecture today had been on the advantage of skirmishers, the way armies had used them to great effect as both screens against ambushers and defending against such tactics.
This had his mind thinking on the subject as he arrived for his chore. Today he was chopping the wood they used to feed the kitchen ovens. The great ovens never stopped as they worked all day and night to feed the growing Grey Tower.
Danos enjoyed the chore,
he had asked for it as the repetitive exercise went a long way towards training muscles and strength.
With his power and practice with blades, he was able to spilt the logs cleanly, the strong head splitting the wood in powerful downstrokes. As he tossed the wood into the bins to await the scullery workers, Danos continued to follow the rhythm of the strikes.
With the motions well practiced, Danos felt his mind wander back to the class he had attended just prior to the chore. There's no denying that an ambush pays off well, and I'm sure a Warder needs as many tricks as he can manage, Danos thought to himself as he imagined engaging the enemy.
He had learned much of fighting and war in his classes, and while he had learned the benefit of the bow, or crossbow he wasn't sure those weapons suited him.
I need something to open the distance between an opponent caught unawares, and if not a bow then something, mused Danos as he continued to split the wood.
He knew many of the Drin'far'ji he had trained with had learned dagger, and the throwing of daggers had been the cause of many a bet in the practice yard. But again that was a weapon that felt ill fit for him.
Danos finished splitting the large slices of tree into quarters, and then taking a hatchet began splitting some of the wood into smaller pieces that would be used for fireplace fires. The quarters were quickly placed on the chopping block and with a sharp blow he drove the hatchet deep into the wood.
Later as the bell chimed for the next hour, Danos casually tossed his axe, letting it strike the chopping block, the blade easily biting the wood. Danos remembered then visiting the foresters with his uncle, seeing the men at play much as the Drin'far'ji had with the board and dagger.
With that thought in mind, Danos jogged off to the Armoury. When he arrived, he headed for the racks of axes that had been laid disheveled in the corner. He knew he needed something stronger than the hatchet for what he had in mind.
Many of the axes were too large, or the shape of the head was too wedged, they were great axes for splitting and puncturing armour, but felt ill balanced in his hands.
Finally he found an axe that felt right. This had a head that arched from the haft to the edge, with sharp points at the upper and lower corners. It was well sharpened, but had a nice wedged profile and a firm handle that was longer than his forearm but not as long as the other war axes.
Taking the ax, Danos grabbed a target and pulled the target and stand into the sands. Ensuring it was clear, he took the ax in the grip he used for woodcutting and hurled it at the target.
The ax struck the target with a clatter as the timing was off and so the haft struck the top of the target and not the cutting edge.
Danos then lined up for his next throw, this time keeping his shoulder straight and grilling the axe at the bottom of the haft. As he moved through the throw, he felt the slightly tear shaped haft and used that to help align his grip.
This time the ax flew true, spinning over itself a single time before the arch shaped head struck true into the target. Danos smiled when he saw the edge had driven the blade into the soft wood target, and he began to repeat the throw, working on the distance and motion of the arm to find the sweet spot.
As the practice progressed, Danos adapted his stance. His knowledge of the other weapons he had gained in his training allowing him to find the stance that allowed him additional power and aim. Lead foot forward, with his weight centred upon it, Danos soon stood about six paces from the target and was striking true each time. The aim was not perfected, but with the generally man shaped target he was able to strike for the chest with relative ease. I know a Gaidan would parry this attack, but from the training described to most soldiers in our classes, many would be caught by surprise thought Danos to himself as he checked the ax's edge before returning to his stance.
Throw after throw Danos threw at the target, working the skill into his muscle and learning the breathing and timing that the ax needed to strike deep and true. I need to thank Mistress Riahana, the time spent learning the sword under her tutelage also taught me to be a student of each weapon I hold. Dax Gaidin as well, for he taught me to learn my body and how it moves, thought Danos to himself as he tried a few throws with other stances and directions before he returned the weapon to it's rack, heading off to his next task.
