melodiesoflife | Tranquil as a Forest, But on Fire! ...Just on fire.

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Tranquil as a Forest, But on Fire! ...Just on fire.

WHO: Chrom, his new band of 'Shepherds', OPEN
WHAT: Now that there's a new team working together for the sake of the greater good, their first task is to ~~beat the shit out of each other~~ gather and spar, to better learn the skills, strengths, and weaknesses of their future allies on the battlefield. There may be shenanigans, there may not. But there will definitely be friendships of at least C-Rank by the end of this session.
WHEN: October 18th, 8 a.m.
WHERE: Training Hall
NOTES: Feel free to tag as many (or as few) sparring partners as you like. Chrom will be watching to take note of which people work best together for future reference. If you want him to come by and give feedback after a session, feel free to say so at the end of the spar!

The largest room of the training center had been specially reserved for Chrom and his assembled team. Kulevi was hovering just outside the front doors to direct Heroes to the proper location, advising them to stop by the armory if they needed to pick up any equipment for the training session. There weren't any refreshments, not yet, but Kulevi hinted that there might be sandwiches and punch once they concluded their sparring with one another.

Once everyone had arrived, Chrom greeted them with a smile. "I'm glad so many of you were able to attend. Given the warning we received a few days ago, I plan to have us conclude well before the appointed time if you wish to act upon that anonymous tip. In the meantime, let us begin." He produced a small tin can that rattled in his hand. "Inside are pairs of marbles with matching colors. Draw a marble, and find the person whose marble matches yours. This will be your first sparring partner. After ten minutes, the bell will ring and you will switch to someone new. Please take some time to introduce yourselves, and decide if you wish to spar with real weapons and spells, or if you would rather make use of the blunted and wooden practice weapons.

"We'll take a fifteen-minute break after three rounds. It is my hope that, by the end of our training regimen, we will all have a better understanding and appreciation of one another." He walked down the line, holding out the can to allow each person to draw a marble. When everyone had drawn, Chrom himself took the last one. He was not exempt from this exercise either.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Sparks would sure like to spar. Looks like fun. But this month, he's got the awkward combo of Time Mage and Ghostbuster equipped, since he's so close to Onion Knight and those are the closest Jobs he has to maxed. Lacking in melee weapons leaves him feeling useless.]

Does anyone wanna...?

Um.

Yeah, no, I guess not.

[While it might not be a smart move to spar with his boss, Ramza is a firm believer in training one's skills. He approaches the Marshal.]

I can do nothing with your...'proton pack', but perhaps we can hone your time magicks, if you wish. I will attack, and you use your spells to evade.

[It was better than just watching the fray, at least?]

[He doesn't look too enthused, but he figures it's better than just standing here.]

Uh, sure. I mean. I don't have all of the spells yet, but I can do Stop, Haste, Slow, uh... that Flashy one, the one that drains yer health and the one that banishes ya to the Interdimensional Rift. But I ain't usin' that one.

[Not after visiting the Rift personally.]

Yes, please refrain from that last one.

[He leaves his sword and instead reaches for a dagger at his belt, still in its sheath. Not that he does not believe in Sparks' ability, but he does not wish to place him at undue risk.]

Other than that, use whatever spells and skills you possess to hinder my attack.

[He will give Sparks a moment to prepare himself, and then lunge forward to 'stab' the dagger at his boss's torso.]

Well, yer not a ghost or zombie, so Ghostbuster ain't gonna do much...

[He shrugs, and falls in line ready to spar. He considers his options. Stop would be silly, he'd just be standing there waiting for Ramza to unfreeze. So the best way to dodge out of the way of a knife attack was to cast Haste on himself. Hurray! Now what?]

[Sparks' added speed let him easily dodge Ramza's first strike. His boss seems less than enthusiastic about their training, but that is not abnormal, and it is important that he be able to protect himself from corporal threats with his current job set.]

I have potions with me, so do not be afraid to strike me. [He moves into another attack, moving faster this time. Holding back now would not do Sparks any favors in a real battle.]

What, with like, the Particle Thrower? nah. [But to use that he has to stand pretty still, and brace himself. What he does have is his trusty robot fists, which might not be as effective using this Job set, is better than nothing. Even hasted, he's having a hard time dodging Ramza, so when he moves in to attack, Sparks tries to counter it with a robotic punch.]

Use whatever you have. [Ramza parries with a thwack of the robot fist with the flat of his blade, then takes a step back. He has experience with hand to hand fights, though the mechanical gauntlets are a novel addition. He tucks the knife back into his belt and falls into a boxing match.]

If I am too quick for you to follow, slow me down.

Right, right. [The whole point of this was casting his spells, right? So he jumps back from Ramza and drops a Slow spell on him. Now this should be a piece of cake. Here come those robot fists!]

[With Sparks moving abnormally fast and Ramza extra slow, Ramza is unable to dodge the next attack. It does not do as much damage as a monk or another physical class could do, but a metal fist hurts no matter how little power was behind the blow.

Ouch. Maybe he should not have goaded Sparks quite so much. He moves into a defensive stance, but he can feel his response time stifled by the spell.]

[Sparks jumps back, naturally waiting for a retaliation... but with their speed effects, Ramza's just getting into a defensive stance now. This would be all well and good if Sparks was fighting a monster, but when it comes to sparring with a colleague, this was pretty boring.]

Oh, right. Um. C'mon, I'll wait.

[Ramza falters. He wonders if Sparks is benefiting from this sparring session, or merely humoring his subordinate.]

Shall we stop here? You seem to have a handle on your Time Magic skills.

[And Ramza cannot help him hone his Ghost Busting, as Sparks had said before. If Sparks did not need to practice with his robot fists in conjunction with his new jobs, then Ramza's sparring would be of little use to him.]

I mean, I guess? That's all there is too it, huh.

[He drops out of a fighting stance, and scratches the back of his head.]

I'm only hangin' on to these Jobs til I get to Onion Knight. Y'know?

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zodiac_brave - 2016-11-21 03:43 (UTC) - Expand

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red_planet_blues - 2016-11-23 01:42 (UTC) - Expand

What's the matter?

[Chrom approaches, holding his marble. Does it match? Does it not? Either way, he's not about to let Sparks miss out on the fun and turn into the group wallflower.]

[He notes the proton pack then smiles.]

You can dial it down to a lower frequency if you're worried about property damage. The beams are dangerous to those who are not dead, but not lethal.

Yeah, it just... it don't pack the same kinda punch as a sword or a gun. Or fists. Shoulda brought my robot fists.

And the other Job I'm workin' with is Time Mage. [He can barely keep from rolling his eyes.] Reckon spell slingin' is fine for some folks, but I don't think I'm cut out for it. It's a little too... static for my tastes, I guess.

No, that's an opinion I share.

[Chrom smiles wryly. He shrugs, the crystal shards coming dangerously close to grazing his cheek.]

I will need to practice with the Fire Bender job once I've poured as much passive experience into it as I dare. I've seldom used any weapon other than my own blade, let alone made use of magic.

[He pauses for a moment, regarding Sparks somewhat curiously.]

What prompted you to choose the Time Mage job?

Yeah, magic ain't really a thing where I come from. Got my robot fists, got my guns, and I'm good to go. I didn't even like swords when I got here, but... gunswords are actually kinda cool.

Oh, uh, it's the closest to bein' done with. That 'n Ghostbuster. Tryin' to go for that Onion Knight thing, y'know? Figure I'm this close, I may as well go for it.

[He'd managed for two years to not ever equip a spellcasting Job until this month. But if he wanted Onion Knight, he could either work on some other Job and take longer to get there, or just stop avoiding Time Mage.]

[Chrom nods once to convey his understanding, as well as his sympathy.]

As far as I'm aware, it does seem important to unlock the Onion Knight's full potential. I can only thank the gods for experience orbs in that regard.

[Grinning, he gives his sword a light and idle swish where the point is directed toward the mat.]

Well, I happen to be in need of learning to continue fighting when impeded by the various ailments a Time Mage can inflict, or the benefits thereof. Would you be willing to assist me in this endeavor?

Ran outta those. Suppose I could probably get the cash together for one, but that price is still pretty steep... [O'aka is definitely ripping people off, and Sparks would rather not give him his money if he can help it.]

Yeah, sure. I can hit ya with some Slow 'n Stops and the like, see how ya deal with 'em. Sound like a party to you?

Ah...yes, it is.

[He sighs, rubbing the back of his head. Chrom's not as good with money as Robin was. He'd prefer to spend his money on new swords to stash inside of his Toy Bag so he always has the right elemental on hand to fight any enemy, then he dropped a lot of money on the Fire Bender job to ensure he wasn't set on fire half as frequently as he was in the past.]

[But back to the matter at hand, he nods and draws his sword.]

That would be appreciated. And for you? Would you prefer that I attack you personally or should I set my sights on one of the training dummies so that we might attack it as a team?

Well, all I got's this particle thrower, so...

[Such an unsatisfying weapon, even if it's come in handy with the supernatural in the past.]

I guess go for the dummy, 'n I'll just practice my spell aiming.

'All' you've got? Ha ha...

[He chuckles.]

It might be particularly effective on the undead, but I assure you, it can be just as destructive to the living, as well as to household furniture. Perhaps I should let you see what happens if you use it on the training dummy.

[He moves to the side, removing one of the dummies crafted out of feathers and burlap, propping it up a decent distance away from the others. Then he gives it a wide berth.]

See what happens when you strike it with your spirit firearm.

[He really should learn the proper term for it, even if he doesn't have one himself.]

[Sparks shrugged, and unholstered the nozzle of the particle thrower.]

I mean, it works pretty good on the undead, but on other stuff?

[He's got nothing to lose, so he powers up and fires it at the dummy. It doesn't take long for the flimsy doll to explode in a shower of smoldering feathers.

After a moment, Sparks nods, satisfied at least somewhat.]

Not bad. I mean, it's not the toughest target around, but I guess this is good.

Most of us wouldn't wish to be on the receiving end of that blast, I can assure you of that.

[It's a good thing he gets his training dummies wholesale, this place goes through them pretty quick. ...Especially for the classes that teach black magic.]

Do you intend to keep it in the future, or is it something you've reserved for this month alone?

Planned only to use it til I was done with it, which won't be long. Just tryin' to push closer to Onion Knight, y'know? Should only be another month or two. A very long month 'r two.

After that, it's back to Paladin or Magitek Knight or... anything else, really.