[Castellum] Shati Training (1st mini horde) *guide*

[Gauls]

Cycle 1 the Month of Imperos,
in the Season of Autumn, Era II of the Celestine Mandate,
Era XIV Post Fractum

It was the first class for the first mini horde at the new training camp at the Narim Castellum. Everything was new from the wood that made up the high fence around the training grounds to the new wood posts setup to act as training dummies for the recruits to hack upon during class. The Castellum was in a run-down state for so long but now there were orcs working to restore the rotting portions of the bridge over the moat as well as improving the defenses and setting up new training areas for the recruits. As they toiled, they would sometimes pause to watch the new horde recruits while they conducted their training. At times, an orc would get so motivated watching the recruits having fun that they would toss down their hammer or bucket and march right over to the recruitment hovel in Orckon to join up themselves. Once they join the Horde, they would be sent here to begin their military training.

The 1st mini horde took its place upon the training field as the vysstichi trainer stepped up and cleared his throat.

"Listen up 1st Horde! You rats are going to have the privilege of being the first ones to graduate from this training camp and the first to join the Great Horde of Orckon on the front lines against the shara invaders! If that was not honor enough, the possibility that you will die defending Orckon against the greatest threat since the Great War that created our lovely city will cause other hordes after you to sing your praises as they march into future battles!"

The vysstichi was plain dressed as far as dark elves go. A simple purple tunic and grey trousers with black belt are all that he wore. He didn't even wear boots. Since vysstichi loved to dress nice, it was obvious that this one wore what he did so that he did not mess up his good duds conducting this class. His silver hair whipped as each wind blew and his slate colored eyes made it hard to tell who he was glaring at when yelling. This meant that recruits in the general area where he was yelling all listened to what he was gripping about not knowing if the yelling was directed at them or not.

With a great roar the new recruits of 1st horde responded to their trainer, eager to get started. Orcs not in the class came out of the Castellum with a cart. In this cart were 3500 spears, one for each member of 1st horde. The spears were light with a metal tip and a metal looking clamp placed about center of the spear shaft. Each recruit looked over his spear as others received theirs. The trainer grabbed his own spear which was a much nicer one than what the recruits got then took a position in front of the group to begin the class.

Shati Pieces

"Listen up! My name is Kruel. I will start this first class by telling you a little bit about what the shara call a "spear". You in the Horde will learn it to be called "Shati". This is a basic shati class and the better you learn this weapon, you will eventually be able to get the Shati status (rank) in the Great Horde. Right now, you need this basic class to get your first Sapat status. You don't want to march into battle as lughorn do you?"

: The recruits all shout in unison "Nar!" :

"Good. Then look at what you are holding. The long wood part is called the shaft. It is usually wood but it can be iron or other metal to make it stronger. The sharp pointy end here is the shati head. That is what you insert into your enemy!"

: The recruits laugh sinisterly :

"Now you are probably wondering what these funny looking metal clamps are here at the center of the shaft..."

: Kruel points to the metal that looks like a bracer clamped around the shaft at the center of the spear :

"This is called a demy-hache."

Some orcs laughed and mocked this piece as a "dummy hatch" demonstrating that if you hit someone on the head with that metal clamp, a knot would form the orcs called a "dummy hatch".

"At ease!" Kruel shouted to get the recruits focused again. "You joke now but you will see the potential of this weapon soon enough."

: Pointing to the very end of the shaft opposite of the spear head :

"Last but not least, this end of the shaft is called the butt. Every piece I have shown you can be used to injure your opponent. Every one must be mastered though not all in this class!"

: A collective "ahhh" of disappointment came from the recruits :

"Now take a moment to review the pieces I taught you."

[Gauls]

Basic Spear Stance

"Now quit jerkin' on your shafts and pay attention!" Kruel barked to his recruits. "Next you will learn the basic shati stance. This is the foundation from hence most major thrusts will start. I want you to stand in the manner I am now."

Kruel holds the spear in his right hand with the palm located on the shaft at a mid point between the demi-hache and butt. He then places his left hand on the shaft where the palm is directly on the demy-hache. He then faces his recruits directly then with his right foot takes one step backward stopping when his right foot touches the ground behind him. His shoulders are now aligned with his feet at a 45 degree angle to his class. His left hand is ensuring the demi-hache is even with his waist line and the fingers are on top of the shaft. The right hand stayed on the shaft in the original position with the knuckles pointing downward. Depending upon the size of the orc, the spear tip should be at a height level around between orc's chin and center torso.

"Good. Now get this right because it is the base move for many other motions. If you get only one thing right in this class, it will be this stance!"

Kruel began to walk through the ranks slapping down spears that were not being held correctly or hands were smacked by Kruel's spear shaft that were not positioned in the right place. He made sure that everyone had this right before continuing on.

[Ralzari Malian]

Brightening 10, Cycle 1, Imperous, Autumn, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum

Finally having arrived at the Narim Castlellum, Ral's first sight before entering was the new fencing that had been put up around the field where he was able to here other orcs roaring and grunting. Ral stood on the field and waited for the Vysstichi trainer, that stood in the front of the crowd, to begin to give them their first lesson on the shati. Finally the oddly dressed elf gave the first mini horde ever their first speech and after hearing his speech the crowd of orc begun yelling grunting, and roaring with glory. Once the speech was over many wagons came onto the field filled completly with spears. The orcs that brought the wagons out begun passing them out and it took Ral no time to get his, due to the fact he was up front.

The trainer finally received his spear and it was obviously of better quality than all of the lughorns. But then again of cousre their not going to give the lughorns high quality equipment. At least it was enough to get the job done thought. The trainer begun the first lesson by telling everyone about all of the different parts of the shati and after a few laughs, jokes and "ummy hatches" he said to review the parts of the spear. After he instructed this Ral lokked at his spear from top to bottom, metally picturing all of the different parts of the shati. First was the shati head. which was the blade of the shati. Then came the shaft, which was the wooden piece that acted as the handle. In the middle of the shaft was the metal "bracer" called the demy-hache. Finally was the end of the shaft opposite that of the spear head called the butt. The fact that every piece of the shati could be used as a weapon would be a quite useful thing to learn. But his would come in later lessons.

[Gauls]

Kruel returned to his position at the front of the horde. He assumed the basic spear stance then order his class to do the same.

Attack Zones

"Ok, now that you got the basic stance, now I will show you the basic attack zones. These zones are where you will plan to strike with your shati."

: Thrusting the shaft straight ahead keeping the spear head at mid torso level until the arms were fully extended :

"That is the Mid-zone. All of your enemies major organs are in that zone. It is the best zone but also the hardest zone to strike."

: Returns to the basic stance then thrusts in the same manner as before except the spear head is aimed left and upward at a 45 degree angle until the arms are fully extended :

"That is the Upper-Left Zone..."

: Returns to the basic stance then thrusts in the same manner as before except the spear head is aimed right and upward at a 45 degree angle until the arms are fully extended :

"And that is the Upper-Right Zone. These zones are meant to attack the head on the left or right side. If you have hooks or barbs attached to your spear, you don't even have to hit the opponent with the shati head, just try to connect the head with the hook or barb as you bring the spear back to the basic stance."

: Returns to the basic stance then thrusts in the same manner as before except the spear head is aimed center and upward in a direct thrust until the arms are fully extended :

"This is the Upper-Mid Zone. It has one purpose, to strike the enemy's head or face directly. It is a small target but can cause the enemy great pain or death if you can hit it."

: Returns to the basic stance then thrusts in the same manner as before except the spear head is aimed right and mid-level at a 45 degree angle until the arms are fully extended :

"This is the Right-Mid Zone. Attacking here is where most of your attacks will fall simply because it is the side you are holding your shati and it is the closest zone. The enemy will present this zone 90% of the time they face someone. The zone is usually protected more heavily with armor and perhaps even a shield. Attacking here with a shati is usually done to stun or break up the enemy's concentration or attack he is preparing to use against you. Anytime you see the enemy prepare to strike, you should first see if you can throw in an attack on the right-mid zone. If you suceed, you could injure the main defenses the enemy has against your attacks."

: Returns to the basic stance then thrusts in the same manner as before except the spear head is aimed left and mid-level at a 45 degree angle until the arms are fully extended :

"The Left-Mid Zone... maybe is the most important zone to attack. A successful attack here could disable your opponent's ability to wield a weapon. It is also the zone that is furtherest away from you in combat. The enemy knows the importance of this zone and will never present it to you unless he has the skills to defend it properly. Even the most skilled enemy must open up this zone to attack each time he swings at you. It is this moment that you have the best time to strike."

: Returns to the basic stance then thrusts in the same manner as before except the spear head is aimed left and lower-level at a 45 degree angle until the arms are fully extended :

"This is the Lower-Left Zone..."

: Returns to the basic stance then thrusts in the same manner as before except the spear head is aimed right and lower-level at a 45 degree angle until the arms are fully extended :

"And this is the Lower-Right Zone. Each of these are meant to attack the legs. Attacking the legs makes sense but attacking these zones opens up many of your own zones and it is difficult to block or strike back once you are fully thrust into one of these zones. One good thing about these zones is that they can lead to many other more advanced attacks that you'll learn later on. At this level, I would limit my lower level strikes."

: Returns to the basic stance then thrusts in the same manner as before except the spear head is aimed center and lower-mid level directly trusting ahead until the arms are fully extended :

"The Lower-Mid Zone is a dangerous zone to attack. You attack here to try hitting the groin of your opponent or to setup a sweep or inner leg strike. This is very dangerous at this level so I would not ellaborate on trying to attack there until you get a little more training."

: Returns to a normal standing position then looks across the group :

"Now, I will once again show you these strike zones and I want you to follow along with your shati. Do it slowly and focus on making the strike correctly."

[Ralzari Malian]

After getting down the different pieces of the shati, it was time to move on. The instructor said that the next lesson would be on the basic shati stance and instructed the lughorns to do as he did. Ral observed how the instructor was holding the shati and the different positions of his body. After he thought ha got it down Ral held his shati with his right hand on the shaft, mid-point between the demi-hache and the butt. Then Ral grabbed the demi-hache directly with his left hand. Next he took one step backwards with his right foot, then aligned his shoulders with his feet at about a 45 degree angle facing the instructor. His left hand, holding the demi-hache, was even with his waistline and his fingers were ontop of the shaft. His right hand was at the original position with his knuckles pointing towards the ground. After the stance was complete, the shati head was slightly under his chin, so he assumed he'd gotton the stance correct. It seemed as if his stance looked like his instructors did, so Ral was confident he'd gotten it correct. His thoughts were confirmed when the instructor passed by Ral and did'nt correct anything he was doing. Ral watched as he knocked a few orcs hands with his shaft in order to correct their mistakes. So Ral stood and waited for everyone to finish so they could get on to the next lesson.

[Ralzari Malian]

Once the instructor returned to his position in the front of the class, Ral knew it was time for their next lesson. Training seemed to be going offly quick and this was good because there was no telling what the imperials were planning, so they needed to train as many orcs as possible to prepare for the upcoming battle against them.

The instructor stated that this lesson would be on attack zones and began the lesson by thrusting his shati forward, while keeping his spear head about mid torso left until his arms were fully extended. Afterwards he stated that it was the mid-zone, the zone with the vital organ and the best zone to strike, but also the hardest. Next the instructor returned to the basic stance and then thrusted the spear the same as before, only upwards and to the left at a 45 degree angle until the arms were fully extended. He explained the this was the upper-left zone and returned to the basic stance. Afterwards he thrust his spear exactly the same as before only thrusting upwards and right instead of left. This was the upper-right zone, he explained that these zones were meant to attack the left or right portion of the enemy's head. Also that if your spear had barbs or spikes, that you did'nt even have to connect with their head as long it hit as you returned to the basic stance. Once the instructor was at his basic stance, he thrust the spearhead center and upwards at a 45 degree angle and explained this was the upper-mid zone and that it was meant to strike the face or head directly. This attack was sure to knock yoyr enemy out of battle or possibly kill him.

With the upper zones concluded it was once again time to press on. This time the instructor thrust the spear right and mid-level at a 45 degree angle. This was the right-mid zone, where most attack would occur due to the fact this was were they held the shati and its the closeest zone. But also it was most usually protected with armor or a shield and this attack was meant to stun, break enemy concentration, or used to counter attack because you could injure the enemy's defenses it has against further attack. Following that the instructor once again struck mid level only this time to the left. The left-mid zone attack could disable an opponents ability to use his weapon. He explained that this was a hard zone to attack, but it was vunerable every time your enemy attacked. But your enemy is also very good at gaurding this zone.

As he continued he returned to the basic stance and thrust his spear left and at a lower angle still at a 45 degree angle. This was the lower-left zone. Instantly he returned to the basic stance and performed the same attack only going right this time. This was the right-lower zone. These zones were meant to strike the legs which made perfect sense, but it also opened you up to further attacks from your opponent. These zones would come more in handy in later lessons, but for now the instructor said that the lughorns should limit this zone.

The last time the instructor got into the basic stance, he thrust his spear center and lower-mid level directly ahead, until his arms were fully extended. This was the lower-mid zone and was meant to attack the groins or setup a sweep or inner leg strike. But he did'nt recommend attacking this level until further training was acquired. Once the instructor was through with his demonstrations Ral praticed them all one at a time and over and over again until he had them memorized. He remembered while practicing his attack that all of the zones must be struck with a 45 degree angle, except for the lower-mid zone, which he did'nt worry about to much for now. Ral went over all of the zones in his head to make sure that he'd gotten all of the attacks down,"Mid-zone, upper left and right zones, upper mid, right mid, left mid, lower left, lower right and lower mid zones. I tink me got dem all down."

[Gauls]

Basic Thrust

Kruel finished testing the recruits on the attack zones then began on the first actual attack thrust, the Basic Thrust.

"Now, this is the first thrust that you'll learn. It is not so hard and you have already been practicing it. It is the Basic Thrust."

: Assumes the basic spear stance then thrusts the shaft straight ahead keeping the spear head at mid torso level until the arms were fully extended :

"This is the basic thrust delivered without moving from your position. This is good if you are defending your position or want to measure your distance to the target. The same thrust can be made like this..."

: Goes into the basic spear stance then thrusts again as before but this time as the spear head goes forward, he takes a step using the hind foot to thrust his body forward :

"I used my hind foot to thrust my body forward. You can practice this thrust now by making a basic thrust into each of the attack zones I showed you before."

Kruel watches as each orc makes the basic thrust into each attack zone. again, he is quick to smack anyone that does not do one of the thrusts correctly.

Basic Hook (grapple)

"Good, you catch on quick which is what I expected of an orc. Now I will show you something that is a favorite of orcs in battle. As you know, an orc weapon is more than just something to bash in a shara's brains, it is a work of art that many orc take pride in. The shati is no different. Many of you will add hooks, barbs, wire, chains, etc. to your shati to make it hurt the enemy more. When you add things like that, it makes this next attack even more deadly. The Basic Hook.

: Walks over to one of the recruits and faces him. Assumes the basic spear stance and makes a basic thrust to the right-mid zone. As he returns to the basic stance, he demonstrates how the spear tip can be used to snag the recruit's arm in a hooking motion causing a cut :

The recruit snarled a bit as the instructor cut his arm but didn't react any further.

"Oh, you didn't like that eh? Well then you won't like this..."

: Kruel performs the same attack except this time attacks the left-mid zone cutting the arm then in quick succession attacks the lower-right zone snagging the orc's leg nearly pulling his leg out from under him as Kruel returned his spear to the basic stance :

"As you see, I injured my foe's arm and nearly tripped him in just two moves. Orc shati not very long so it is easy to use. Some shati are longer and make these quick attacks slower and more difficult to attack two sides at once. If your shati is longer or heavier, try to attack on the same side."

The recruit that was demonstrated on looked at the cuts on both of his arms but didn't mind them much. Kruel stood now and looked over the recruits.

"Now you pair up with another urak and do the same as I did. Make sure each orc in the pair gets his chance to attack."

[Ralzari Malian]

After the long process of learning all of the attack zones it was time to move on to the next lesson. Ral always knew once the next lesson was about to begin, because the instructor would always assume his position in the front of the class before the next lesson started. It was now time to learn about the thrusts. First was the Basic Thrust, a simple enough attack, for they had been doing it every time they learned about a different zone in the previous lesson. You simplyassume the basic stance and thrust the spear straight keeping the head at about mid-torso level until your arms were fully extended. This thrust was good for defense and for meausring distance between you and your opponent. There was another way to deliver this thrust as the instructor demonstrated. He got into the basic stance and thrust the same as before, only this time he took a step forward with his hind leg to thrust his body forward. "Dis put lat body weight into da attack, dat make it more powerful," Ral thought to himself.

The instructor gave the instructions to the class to practice these thrusts in all of the different attack zones. So Ral got into the basic shati stance and bgan with the mid zone. He first delivered the basic thrust without stepping forward and then did the same attack only now he took the step forward. He was sure to keep the shati head at about his mid torso level, until his arms were fully extended. Ral continued to do this until he got down to the lower-mid zone, which was the last of the zones that he had learned in the previous lesson.

Once the instructor was satisfied with all of the lughorns basic thrusts, he moved on to the next attack, the Basic Hook. The instructor walked over to a recruit and assumed the basic stance in front of him and the thrust his spear to the right-mid zone. As he returned to the basic stance, he demonstrated how the spear tip could be used to snag your opponents arm, causing a cut. Ral saw how this could be an effective attack if the spear was modified, so Ral decided that once training was over he was going to have barbs installed into his shati. After the recruit got back into position after being cut the instructor did the same attack only going for the left-mid zone. The attack cut the recruits other arm and then quickily the instructor attacked the recruits lower-right zone, snagging the recruits leg nearly dropping him to his feet as he returned to the basic stance.

His next instructions were for the lughorns to pair up and each of them perform the attack that he had just done. So Ral looked at the orc beside him and said,"Look like we partners, lat go first." After that Ral stood up staright and prepaired for the attacks. The first attack simpily nicked Ral's arm, but the next attack almost brought Ral to his feet. But luckily he was able to catch his balance before he fell. Now it was Rals turn. Ral assumed the basic stance and thrust his spear to the left-mid zone and as he returned to the basic stance Ral cut his partners arm. Then he quickily thrust his shati to the lower-right zone and snagged his partners leg. Once he returned to the basic stance Ral suceeded in bringing his partner to the ground. After completing the two attacks, Ral faced the front and waited for the next lesson to proceed.

[Gauls]

Orcs were flopping around like fish out of water. This made the instructor happy to see the recruits were not shy about taking even one of their own to the ground.

Spear Shove

"Good, now you see that the spear is very useful at a range but it is also useful up close. Sometimes the enemy gets too close for you to do any more strikes. At this level, I will show you the most basic of the defensive attacks, the Shati Shove."

Kruel walked over to a different recruit and facing him, he struck the orc with such a quickness, many of the orcs didn't see what he did. Some up front were able to see that Kruel brought his spear up until both hands were on the shaft at equal distances from the demi hache and the shaft was horizontal to his body about chest height in front of him and then quickly snapped the shaft forward (still horizontal) striking the poor recruit right on the nose with the metal demi hache.

The orc reeled back holding his nose as blood trickled from it then without warning, Kruel shoved the orc to the ground with a shove using the spear shaft.

"As I have just demonstrated, the shati shove is not just a way to get the ememy to step back away from you but also a way to attack and disable him even if just for a brief moment. That moment is long enough to follow with another strike."

: Kruel circled the orc who was now on the ground then went into the basic spear stance :

"Once down, you are now free to take any liberty you wish upon your enemy. Another strike you can make using the demi hache again...watch."

: Kruel made a single motion bringing the spear up over his head where the shaft was now horizontally over his shoulders then grasping with both hands moved downward into a kneeling position bringing the metal plated demi hache of the spear shaft crashing down upon the left shin bone of the hapless orc :

A great cry exploded from the orc and a few laughs could be heard coming from recruits in the horde.

"Oh don't laugh..." Kruel said motioning for a couple assistants to help up the injured orc. "Now it is your turn with a partner to practice the shati shove and put a finishing move on him using any of the means I have taught you."

[Ralzari Malian]

Once the next lesson began the instructor opened the lesson with a quick speech and then walking over to a lughorn and struck him in the nose with the demi-hache with such speed that Ral barely saw the instructors arms move. Instantly the lughorn's nose poured blood and he hit the ground backwards. Afterwards he told that was another demonstration and explained a little about the shati shove. Then the instructor conitinued on to show how once on the ground your enemy is open to another attack.

Once again he used the bloody nosed lughorn, who was still lying on the ground. He held the spear in both hands over his head horizontally and brought the demi-hache down upon the lughorns left shin. An explosive cry of pain came from the lughorn, then right after a several of the lughorns were laughing at the man. Their laugher halted once they found out the they would have to do the same thing he demonstrated with a partner.

Ral looked over at the same orc that was his partner last time and vice versa, so it was settled this orc was his partner once again. "Ju go firs," Ral said as he prepaired for the blow to the face. Without any warning the orc quickily struct Ral in the upper part of his nose, which made his eye's tear up. Ral quickily wiped the tears as he lay on his back. The blow from the spear knocked him off his feet. And as he was leaning up to start to get up, another blow came down right below Ral's left knee. A roar of pain shouted from Ral as it felt like his knee came out of place. He did'nt let this keep him down though, Ral got back on his feet, with a stabbing headache and an aching knee. But not it was his turn for some payback.

With his spear in both hands, Ral struck his partner in the mouth with the demi-hache, with as much speed and force as possible. After the orc hit the ground a spert a blood came from his mouth. He revealed his bloody teeth as he let out a roar of pain. Quickily afterwards, Ral gripped the spear and came down with massive force on his partners left knee. The orc screamed it pain and cursed Ral, but it did'nt even bother Ral because he'd gotten his payback.

After the orc stood to his feet he looked at Ral and Ral looked at him. Both of the stood with a limp had blood running from their faces and had splitting headaches. After both realizing this and remembering that this was simply training, they let out a few roars of laughter.

[Gauls]

Kruel nodded in approval. The lughorns were doing what they were told with relish. There was nothing more that he could teach them at this level.

"First Mini-Horde, you have made your first step in getting status in the Great Horde. Before you can pass this class, I expect to see you out on this very field at least two different days practicing what I have taught you. Go over every piece of your shati and practice each of the moves and attacking the various zones. I want each of you to have a buddy to spare with. Once each has done their two days, I will consider you finished with basic shati class."

Kruel turned and without any further words began to walk away tossing his spear into a cart on the way off the field. He would return to grade his recruits whom he has little doubt will pass their practice days with ease.

[Ralzari Malian]

After awaking from a good nights sleep, Ral pulled a ration and flask of water out of his pack and begun to eat. It was'nt a very good meal it tasted quite plain and of course Ral was'nt very fond of water. But it was food and something to keep himself from getting parched, so it was better than nothing. After finishing his meal and drinking the last bit of his water, Ral put the flask back into his pack and walked out of the barracks and onto the training field to review what he had learned the day before, so he could finish his basic shati class and move on to the next class. When he thought about it Ral was quite pleased with the rate he was completing his training, it was taking no time at all. At this rate, he would be promoted to Sapat status in no time at all.

As he entered the field, only about half of the recuits had made it onto the field yet. Ral walked over to the wagons that held the spears, picked one up and walked over to an isolated part of the field so he could review his shati training. Ral started off on the same place they had. The first lesson, the shati pieces. Starting from the top, Ral mentally named off all of the different pieces of his shati. "Shati head, shaft, demy-hache, and da butt," he noted metally as he looked through the different shati pieces.

Next was the basic shati stance, it was quite simple really. Ral held his spear with his right hand, grabbed it with his palm, and held it between the demy-hache and the butt. His left hand was placed with his palm gripping the demy-hache. Ral then takes a step forward with his right foot so his strong foot would be leading off. Then he aligned his shoulders with his feet at a 45 degree angle to the front. His left hand ensured that the demy-hache was located at his waistline with his fingers on top of the shaft. His right hand stayed in its original position with his knuckles pointing at the ground and finally he lined his spear head up at about the mid-torso and chin region. After checking every little detail, Ral was sure that he'd gotten it correct and he moved on to the next lesson, the attack zones.

Their where quite a few different attack zones, so this lesson took a little longer than the last two, due to the fact Ral would have to remember all of the different zones. He stopped and thought for a few moments, we'll actually a few minutes. After a short while, he'd remembered all of the different zones. "Mid-zone, upper left, upper right, upper mid, right mid, left mid, lower left, lower right, and the lower mid zone," ral thought to himself. As he thought of each different one he paused of struck that zone with his spear, while he was still in the attack stance. After going throught all of the zones, it was once again time to move on to the next lesson, the basic thrust.

The basic thrust was just as the name implied, quite basic, but Ral knew that it would be quite effective and useful. Especially since all of the attacks stem from the basic thrust. Still in the basic attack stance, Ral thrust the spear straight forward, keeping the shati head at mid-zone, until his arms were fully extended. After he'd completed that Ral took a step forward as he thrust his spear head at mid torso level, still keeping the the head at the same level, until his arms were fully extened and his foot touched the ground.

The basic hook, a grappling technique, was the next lesson and for this lesson Ral would need a partner. He looked around the field for a while, until he'd spotted the orc that he had practiced with the brightening before and Ral walked over to him. "Me never got ju name yesterday, me Ralzari, but ju call me Ral," he said as he stuck out his hand in offer to shake. The orc replied,"Me Kondas, good ta meet Ral. Ju need a partner for da trainin, cause Kondas does?" Ral said,"Yeah Ral does, dats why Ral came over when me saw lat. Well lets get started, ju go firs." Ral prepared himself for Kondas' hook, last time Ral was able to stay on his feet so maybe he'd be able to do the same abain this time. As the spear came across his arm, slightly cutting it, Ral prepaired himself for the hook. He watched as the spear went acroos his left arm and cut it and then came back down and got ahold of his leg. Only this time he was'nt so lucky, the spear had brought him right to his butt. After getting up Ral laughed with Kondas and said,"Ju gettin bedder, lat broguht Ral down dis time." Then he quit laughing and got into the basic attack stance and thrust the spear at Kondas' right-mid zone and on his way back, Ral used the spear head to cut Kondas' right arm. Quickily afterwards Ral thrust again, this time at his left-mid zone. Once again on the way back he cut Kondas' left arm and then thrust again, this time at the lower-right zone. One his way back this time he snagged his opponent's right leg and pulled it out from under him. Instantly the orc, who was slightly smaller than Ral, hit the ground with a large thump.

Kondas stood to his feet chuckling,"Ju did good, but it Kondas' turn again," he said as he positioned his hands on his spear. Ral noticed what he was doing and prepaired, as much as he could anyways, for the upcoming attack. He could barely see it coming, but he sure felt it after the demy-hache of Kondas' spear slammed him in the chin. The attack greatly disoriented Ral and caused him to stumble backwards and then Kondas helped him back a little with a spear shove to the chest. This caused Ral to fall on his back, once that happened Kondas brought his spear down upon Ral shin. The tremendous pain caused Ral to let out a great roar of agony. Anger and adrenaline managed to get him to his feet fairly quick though and Ral was ready for his turn. Ral positioned his hands at equal distances from the demy-hache and held the spear horizontally, about chest height. With as much speed as he had, Ral snapped the spear forward into the nose of his partner. Blood came pouring from his nose immediatly after being hit. Ral took a step forward and hit Kondas with a spear shove to the upper chest and this forced him to the ground. Once his opponent was on the ground Ral took the spear overhead, horizontal to his shoulders, then came down into a kneeling position as he brought the demy-hache of his spear down upon Kondas' left shin. Ral stood to his feet and grabbed kondas' hand as he helped him to his feet. The two orcs looked at each other, both of them with headaches and leg aches and started laughing, once again.

[Gauls]

Cycle 2, Day 1 Training:

The two orcs sparred with each other on the training field all day. Other classes were going on in the other fields here at the Castellum and a few orcs had actually gathered to watch Ral and Kondas practicing. Anything which caused someone pain was worth stopping to watch. Dust was flying, knees and elbows were getting scrapped, and the clacking of wood-on-wood from the spears was heard. By the end of the day, Ral was beat and dirty. Best of all, the cuts he had received during his training here today would surely form some nice scars to sport around the beer tent.

The day began to wane and a loud voice blasted in Ral's direction...

"Hey! Lat git off da field! Training today finish!"

It was the end of Ral's first practice day. One more fruitful day like this and Ral will be ready for his next weapon skill.

oocRalzari is awarded 1xp toward Spear Level 1

[Ralzari Malian]

Awaking to the sound of a crow crowing outside the barracks, Ral was'nt able to fall back asleep so he got up early. It was'nt even daylight yet, but Ral could tell it would be soon. He sat up in his bed and sat there and rubbed his eyes a little, he just sat on the bed for about five minutes trying to wake up. Finally Ral got another one of his rations and a flask of water and he began to eat. It felt good to get something in his stomach, because he'd forgotton to eat dinner the night before.

After finishing his meal and drinking the last few drops of water in his flask, then he put the in his pack and walked onto the training field. It was so early that the wagonboys had'nt even brought ou the wagon of spears yet, so Ral decided to do some excersizing. Begining with some push-ups, he got into the position and started the push-ups. After about fifty push-ups Ral began to start felling the burn, but he continued on until he finally reached seventy-five. As he stood to his feet Ral gave his arms a good stretching, to loosen up the old muscles, for his arms started to cramp. The next excercise he was going to do was some sit-ups, so he got into position on the ground, wedging his feet under part of the fence for balance, Ral got started. It did'nt take long for Ral to feel the burn on the sit-ups, only after about thirty-five, due to the fact he had a bad back. But Ral continued on until he reached seventy and as he stood to his feet his back felt like it was in knots. So he twisted his body side to side until it cracked, to relieve some of the ache and pressure. The final excercise was he was going to do a few laps around the training field and this would'nt be easy because it was a good sized field. He did'nt even want to think about it bacuse if he did the he would'nt want to do it, so he just started running along the edge of the fence. After the first lap his breathing became slightly harder, but it was'nt too bad. But the by the end of the second he was panting and his back began to ache a little. Finally when he finished the last lap, his could hardly breathe and his back and ribs were cramping up, so he decided to go back to the barracks and get one of his flasks of water. When he got the flask he quickily drank about eigthy percent of