Practice makes Perfect (open)

[HG]

The thing about working hard was, you had to work hard. Zerik was sick of all these mindless peons doing the bare minimum to prepare for the next battle. He knew what he needed to know. Leading an attack on one side of the Weyr while some other groups attacked from different areas. They would get in. They would find the Gold dragons and kill their riders. The plan was simple. No Gold dragons, no dragon babies, no dragons period. Zerik was cool with that plan. His brothers had sacrificed their lives for the mission. He could do no less than the same.

So today, like many others, he started with training himself. Lifting his axe above his head, he swung it towards the wooden person, slicing the head off of it. Looked like today was going to be a good day. He was already off to a great start. He unsheathed the broad sword at his side, looking for someone to spar with.

The first person he found lasted about two whole seconds. Zerik had some things to say to him. Training the others was part of this job at the camp. Very few people were a challenge for him. The next person he found had a weakness of not thinking things through to conclusion. If A then B, if B then C therefore if A then C. Seemed simple to Zerik but he wasn’t surprised that the Holdless were undereducated. He had been taught by a Harper when he was at the Weyr as a child.

Many of the Holdless were from cotholds. Those who were raised at the camp had even less of an education. He stood in the sword practice ring, waiting for someone else to challenge him. He felt dueling and sparring was the best way to practice. Nothing was the same as real people. Of course, he was not trying to kill Holdless. Even the dumb ones would slow the Shield people down. Then he would have a chance at them. The thought made him smirk. Once the Golds were gone, the Dragon Shield was his next goal. Whether Riverton approved it or not made no difference. Zerik was used to getting his way where battles were concerned.

[Lady Smara]

Denkin could not help the crooked smile that spread on his lips as he watched the man known as Zerik defeat one opponent after another. The tall brown haired man was a formidable foe who up until now, Denkin had very few chances to cross blades with. Needless to say, he found himself loosening his own leather vest as he finally walked toward the sandy sparring area.

Standing three inches taller than even this tall foe, Denkin actually had his tangled mass of hair pulled back and knotted at his neck though it did little to tame his wild appearance. Unbuckling the strap that held his own sword to his waist, he clipped it to a nearby branch before finishing unlacing his leather vest. Shrugging it off broad shoulders, he turned his back to the man for just a moment to hang it in the tree as well.

His back was a mass of scars, interlaced and woven on top of one another to show numerous times of brawls gone wrong and a particularly bad memory of torture when he was once caught. It was enough to twist most women’s stomachs, including holdless women, which left the man with even more need to release his own aggravation on an unsuspecting sparring partner.

Turning back to Zerik, he slid the long sword out of its sheath and entered the sparring area. “Your fighting well today, Zerik.” He said as he spun the sword, warming up his own wrist as he twisted it around. “But do you fight well enough to best a monster?” Of course the term monster was used loosely. Many of the holdless used the term as a personal name for Denkin while just as many used it in par with the dragons of the Weyrs.

[HG]

Finally a true competitor, he thought as he watched Denkin approach. He was not friendly with many people although there were a few who had earned his respect. Denkin was one of them. He would be happy to fight alongside a man as well trained and strong as he was. Smiling he said, “Besting beasts is what I do best.”

He took up an even stance, as the other man approached. This was going to be great. He needed a challenge and one presented itself. If Denkin was at least close to the same level as some of the famed Dragon Shield, he would be partly prepared. War was a messy thing. The Holdless knew much more about it than the people of the Weyr. It would give them the advantage over the Weyr. Practice would give him even more of an edge.

Lifting his sword to a defensive posture, he watched Denkin. He felt his own breathing grow even and steady till the sound of his heart beat seemed millions of miles away. The sweat dripping from his head was not wiped away by arm or hand. Zerik went about business as if nothing could bother him. He saw how Denkin held his sword, watched how he handled it as he brought it out of its sheath.

Despite the size of the other man, Zerik was confident. He had always been known as a great fighter among the Holdless. He was certain Riverton would give him orders when the time came for the next attack. People would follow him because he was skilled. He moved closer to Denkin and said, “Ready when you are.”

[Lady Smara]

Denkin watched the man take an even stance as he approached, his own strides easy and he carried the large sword almost lazily in one hand. While he had bared his own torso, Denkin still wore a well used pair of slacks and two bracers below his wrists. The leather was well worn, having been used greatly for the exact purpose they had been made with their strips of metal folded into the leather. Thankfully they did sit below his wrists as to not hinder his own movements.

Finding the man at ready, Denkin took his strategy into hand. Denkin had the height and reach upon the man especially once the long, large sword was added in and he also had the weight to support such height. What Denkin knew his weakness in this fight would be against Zerik would be speed. While Zerik was by no means the smallest opponent he went against, he would still have that as his upper hand against the larger holdless.

Again, almost lazily as he tested the man, Denkin brought his sword around and into an upper cut from the left side. It would be easy to parry or it would be easy to dodge. He wanted to know which this man’s first reaction would be – it would give him inside to his fighting style and Denkin would be able to adjust for it.