A test of mettle (open)

Subject: A test of mettle (open) Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:52 pm

The arena was lit up by the morning sun, washing the grounds in a light orange tinge. Seth was happy he wakes up earlier than most, its easier to train in silence compared to the crowds that arrive later in the day. Chompers, Seth's kitten, follows the guy wherever he goes and would get lost in the groups of campers; but just for safety purposes Seth put the calico on the bench near by. This was the moment Seth has been waiting for though, a chance to finally test out his newest weapon. After making sure his suit of leather armor was buckled tightly, the boy drew his claymore; giving off its blue aura and turning the air around it chilly. This is the perfect moment to cool off and get in some practice, he was determined to prove to the rest of the camp that he himself is a skilled warrior. Seth walked up to the test dummy he deemed worthy as his first victim and knelt to give a prayer: "Nemesis please give me strength, guide my strikes so that they may be true.", and began hacking away at the artificial creation, freezing its armor with every strike.

Subject: Re: A test of mettle (open) Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:55 pm

N I K O L A I W I N C H E S T E R

Nikolai felt the cool morning hair slide across his face, ruffling his dark hair into downy feathers as he walked down to the arena. Ever since the NYEB, he had been going to more and more defense classes like he should have been in the first place. He'd been practicing fighting lately, just to make sure that he wasn't going to get killed next time he was faced with a foe. Nik scratched the bandages that surrounded his head, thick like plaster and rough like the whiskers of his father's chin. His ribs still hurt like hell from being broken, as did his abdomen from being stabbed. Enemies were everywhere nowadays. First it was a monster that you didn't know how to defend yourself against, the next it was your girlfriend's twin brother. Nikolai needed to know how to fight back.

He hated conflict of any sort, even the good kind. He'd rather everyone just get along instead of bitting each others head off. Of course, that wasn't how the world work and Nikolai understood that. Reaching the arena, Nik took a sword off the stand and practiced swinging it around a couple of times to get the feel of the metal bar in his hand. It was odd, holding a deadly thing even though he had used something like this to defend himself and Livia against the monsters that attacked them on the beach. That was another reason why Nikolai Winchester had gotten up so early to train to fight; his girlfriend Livia. She could fight better than any man he knew, but Nik still wanted to protect her, and the only way to do that was to become better at fighting than she was. Nikolai didn't want her to be embarrassed by him not being able to defend himself.

There was already a boy there, as Nik saw. He was muttering something under his breath, and then had started to hack away at a dummy placed before him. Nikolai, needless to say, was awestruck at how well the boy could hit the dummy, and he wondered if the boy could give him some pointers. Nik walked closer to the demigod, but kept wary of the weapon in his hands, knowing all too well the danger it possessed. "Could you teach me to fight like that?" Nikolai asked once the boy was finished.

Subject: Re: A test of mettle (open) Sat Mar 22, 2014 1:17 am

Seth had actually jumped a little and dropped his sword at the sudden sound of a boy asking him a question. Normally Seth is fully aware of his surroundings even while in combat, but after taking a short break from practice he was spooked when the boy behind him spoke up. Turning around and picking up his sword, Seth noticed what the problem was; even though he had armor on, the poor guy was all skin and bones. It was no surprise he moved silently, but to be fair Seth was making quite a bit of noise.

He had seen this kid a few times around camp, but the last time he saw him the guy wasn't wrapped in bandages; the guy looked like the infirmary was starving him. Still, Seth was taken back by the question, he isn't exactly used to being asked to teach people. After realizing that he's been just standing there awkwardly for about a minute, Seth blinked a few times and replied "Oh um, I'm not sure if I can teach you to use a claymore specifically; but honestly all it takes is lots of practice and you'll be able to perfect your own unique style." Seth had come here to avoid people, and now he's being asked to train someone, so anything to get him out of this would be just fine. He hesitated a couple seconds;but mabe this was a test. "Okay, kid. Before I teach you anything I need to know your name. Mine is Seth."

Subject: Re: A test of mettle (open) Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:33 pm

N I K O L A I W I N C H E S T E R

Nik specialized mostly in nothing except for starving himself and having two near death experiences in a month. He sucked at singing, though Liv thought he was good. Drawing was not his forte, as Nikolai could barely manage a straight line. Though, of course, his lines would be better had he not been shaking all the time. He always shook, mostly because of the pressure and stress he was under, but another factor was the fact that his body was so weak from not eating. Nikolai had collapsed after getting out of the infirmary, and he had stopped eating altogether. Cold turkey. Nik was converting back into his old self, the monster Nik that was finally beginning to be expelled from good Nik's body. However, almost being killed damaged the efforts that had been made. Nikolai knew that he needed to eat and keep his strength up to learn how to fight, but for now he was good. "Yeah, I know. I was planning on using this sword or something. You just seem better than me."

Everyone was better than Nik. Everyone had better self-esteem, better confidence, better words to soothe the tortured soul. Nikolai was just ordinary. Even his mother, Limos, wasn't well known around camp, and he had yet to meet a brother or sister of his to confide in, because really, Nikolai blamed all of his problems on his mother. There had to be a gene in his DNA somewhere that made him want to starve himself, that made him who he was. Nik was furious at his mother for ditching his father and never once contacting him (though that really wasn't her fault, it was Zeus', but still.). So naturally, in Nikolai Winchester's eyes, this boy was much better than him at fighting. Nik smiled when the boy asked him his name. Although weak and submissive, the demigod was always friendly. "I'm Nikolai, but most people call me Nik."

» Kat's first test [OPen to Apollo campers]
» I'n Not A Test Dummy(o-p-e-n)
» Test of Wills
» The test (Lightning)
» Halloween Courage Test