Rangering!, Friday, Period Five [ 06/05 ].

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

An astute observer might notice that Minsc was not actually in the platemail that he usually seemed to practically live in. A knowledgeable on might recognize that, in fact, he was in just chainmail, which was a lower armour class bonus just not the same. But someone had taken the liberty to rend his platemail off of him and he hadn't had the chance to get to the Gig to fix it yet.

Not that he was complaining.

Oh, no. Definitely not complaining, which was nice. Last time that happened, it was done by a wyvern, and the results were not quite as nice, but just about as bruising.

Anyway...



"Bad guys!" Minsc started out jubilantly. "We all have them; if you don't think you have them, then you'll probably find out just how wrong you are when you are lying in your bed with a sword sticking out of your chest and wondering, 'how did this get here?' We talked about a ranger's ability to be particularly good at slaying a specific kind of bad guy. My favourite enemy, for example, is the gnoll."

So, of course, now there was a gnoll standing near Minsc in front of the glass. "As I ranger, I have studied these vile and disgusting creatures ad nauseum, literally, for years upon years, so that when they hear the name Minsc, they cower in fear."

He looked at the gnoll.

"I said, they cower in fear!"

The gnoll snarled and cowered.

"Much better. Now because of my research, I know that their sensitive weak spots are here!" He thrust a sword into the gnoll. "And here!" And again. "And here!" He swung his sword high and very neatly decapitated the monster. Neatly until its hyena-like head hit the ground and little spurts of blood went shooting out of the neck, sprinkling Minsc's bald head a little before the body collasped at the knees and the headless corpse fell to his feet. Minsc drove his sword into the back of his fallen enemy, and put a foot up on him in victory, and he chuckled. "Although that last one is most people's weak spot!"

He yanked the sword out, cleaning it off as he talked. "I also know that gnolls typically travel in packs, so it is smart to bring assistance. I know they like melee so I keep so arrows on me in hopes to get a few while they are charging. I can recognize the signs of their recent migrations by seeking out travel patterns, diet hunts, and tracks. I can even pick up their scent from miles away, not that that is hard, because they are smelly, malodorous cretins!"

"These are all the sorts of things a ranger must know about their enemy. To know your enemy is to know how to defeat them! I have asked you to look into enemies and learn about how to defeat them, so share! And, if you like, show up what you've got in encountering them! And then, if you've got some extra time before class ends, take up to sparring or some target practise, and keep those skills honed!"



[[ OCD a'coming has decapitated...your mom. ]]

Comments

Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

If you've chosen an enemy from Minsc's list (http://berserkerminsc.livejournal.com/19309.html) last week, he can throw one at you to battle! You can also entirely mod the fight, if you'd like, especially if you've chosen an enemy from your own world.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[bitchprince]

Arthur was not planning on elaborating to anyone about the enemy he'd picked. Maybe it was a sting in his pride that hadn't quite been neutralised, or a desperate attempt to gain some distraction about the continuing heat. Perhaps it was something else.

But a chance to battle it in the safety of these walls, without fear of death?

He wasn't sharing details when class ended, either. And so none were shared.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[formerbrat.livejournal.com]

Elspeth had known Arthur moved well, but she hadn't really thought about it before. Now she took a few moments before her own bout to watch him fight. He had strength and grace and was very nice to look at.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[defeats-buses.livejournal.com]

Yes, Queen Narissa was dead. Edward valiantly rescued Andalasia from her evil wicked ways! No longer would she rule or cast innocent women into wells! The hag is dead! Andalasia is freeee!

Ahhhh! But only if this could be true in his own Andalasia.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[weetuskenraider]

Giant spiders had been a lot scarier when she was nine. Normally Tahiri wouldn't complain about a fight being easier than expected, but today she'd . . . kind of wanted the, um . . . workout. Ahem. Yes.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

If anyone asked Minsc, the worst thing about giant spiders was the sound they made when they were approaching you, clicking those awful pincers like a persistent, deadly chattering...

...and sometimes when there were several of them, too. One was approaching Tahiri, but two seemed to be standing by in case their arachnid in arms didn't fare so hot.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[weetuskenraider]

Okay, multiple giant spiders might be more of a challenge, but as long as she didn't let herself get trapped in a web (that hadn't been fun the first time) she should be okay, right? She had no intention of getting bitten, either.

She shifted the hilt of the sword in her hand -- trying very hard not to think about, er, metaphorical weapons, not looking around the class for the boyfriend, imagining, oh, Hoth instead -- and kept an eye on all three spiders as best she could.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

Just the one seemed to be intent on attacking right now, the biggest of the three, its long legs tapping lightly on the ground as it circled around Tahiri. It backed off a moment, only to crouch and spring itself toward the girl, a launch intended to land a bite on the shoulder.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[weetuskenraider]

She could have gotten out of the way much more quickly, except for the really inconvenient flash of a memory from yesterday. Tahiri ended up leaping out of the way at the last second and turning to aim a somewhat clumsy chop at the spider's front legs. At least, she thought those were the front legs.

She was not a fan of bugs this week.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

The spider quickly curled its legs up out of the way of the chop, which unfortunately made it hit the ground roughly, tumbling a little in its curled up form. But it sprang back up quickly with its legs splayed back out, let out a sound like a hiss, and went to charge for the girl again, its bit, this time, goes for her leg.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri growled back at the spider and sidestepped again, much more quickly this time and with a better-timed slash of the sword (had to learn to adjust to its weight and balance and she thought she had it now, mostly . . . maybe) aimed for its mandibles, this time.

"No biting! You don't get to do that."

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

The spider...definitely did not like that. It reared back on a few of its back legs, not quick enough to escape being sore about a good slash across its face, but it was ignoring that right now. It danced back a bit and decided it might be a good time to try to restrict her movements before she could do that again, because ow. So out shot a web, trying to capture the girl in its sticky threads.

Not dirty.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[weetuskenraider]

It better not be dirty.

Force-assisted jumping was convenient, at any rate, although the trailing end of some webbing snagged Tahiri's ankle, and she yelped as she hacked at it with the sword.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

As Tahiri freed herself from the web, a series of clicking communications sparked up between the spiders, but, whatever was said, it was decided that the other two would still remain put while the biggest one tried to shoot another web at the girl.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[momslilassassin]

The enemy Ben had chosen wasn't really one that could be defeated in hand-to-hand combat.

Ben learned quite quickly (as a holographic version of Palpatine kicked his ass in about ten seconds) that he had a looong way to go before he was the lightsaber master his father and grandfather were.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[notasuiciderisk.livejournal.com]

Eric had picked up a sword, finding one that roughly matched the practice sword he'd ended up with on Wednesday. He looked down at it, more than a bit nervous, but he was in the class; he'd not let himself do anything but his best.

He stood ready, falling into the ready stance Arthur had shown him more easily than he might have expected. He hesitated a moment, adjusted his grip on the sword, and waited for his kobold.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately for Eric, kobolds tended to travel in packs. They liked their numbers and found security in them. Fortunately, however, this particular trio seemed to have one among them who was rather fond of posturing and showing off, so as they skulked forward toward the....prey, they chittered and yapped amongst themselves before the one stepped up to fight. It yapped as it jumped forward, it's rat-like tail whipping behind him as he waved a shortsword around menacingly.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[notasuiciderisk.livejournal.com]

"ASdhkds!" Eric exclaimed, or so, at least, was it best rendered in text. He'd known what the kobolds were, yes; he'd researched them, at least a bit. Still, that wasn't quite enough to prepare him for seeing one, much less three.

He closed his eyes, though, for just a second, and then focused, settling himself back into the ready stance. He smiled, smirked, really, at the way the kobold was waving around his sword. It reminded him of nothing so much as the way he'd flailed at the practice dummy, and all he could think was that he'd have to prove that he deserved the lessons from Arthur -- that he could do this.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

They were cute little rat-faced bastards, weren't they? It yapped a little more, calling Eric's mother a much of unsavoury things in kobold-speak before rushing forward. No waving the sword about threateningly now; it was lowered and held low and steady as he charged with the intent of driving the blade right into Eric's lower stomach.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[notasuiciderisk.livejournal.com]

Eric stepped to the side, bring the sword around in a parry, one of the first actions of the drill Arthur had taught him. He brought the action through, pressing forward in to strike at the kobold with a diagonal slash.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

The kobolds off to the side had climbed up on a rock to yap away in cheering their friend on; the one battling Eric hopped out of the way of Eric's slash, chattering away. He went to give a taunting nudge of his blade on the boy's until he started circling, ready to see what else the silly human had to throw at him.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[notasuiciderisk.livejournal.com]

The slash led into another strike, Eric pushing forward again with a backhand strike as he turned, using the steps of the drill -- out of order, they still seemed to flow together -- to turn with the kobold as it circled.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[berserkerminsc.livejournal.com]

Fancy footwork helped the kobold avoid being hit at the moment, tail still swishing behind him excitedly. His sharp little rat eyes were scanning the boy as he moved, trying to find a good...

"Yap-yar!" he said, lunging forward again for the gut.

The footwork was fancy; swordwork, not so much.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[notasuiciderisk.livejournal.com]

Eric was lucky that the kobold wasn't a skilled swordsman, but even luckier that he happened to trip over a rock and fell to the side with an, "Oof," essentially ducking under the kobold's lunge. Whether he wanted to or not.

He kept hold of his sword, though, thinking that Arthur would likely praise him for that -- or, at least, not insult him for it -- and lashed out with it, striking towards the kobold's legs in an untutored strike, forgetting about form as he panicked.

Re: Fight your Enemy! -- 06/05.

[notafairmaiden.livejournal.com]

Gwynn was happy to fight her biggest enemy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_of_Gisbourne). She hadn't forgotten how he had been stopped from killing her when Nemesis Island was around.