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Post by Amber Sablier on Jul 3, 2016 23:09:38 GMT -6
| ❝ | MY STRENGTH HAS BROUGHT ME FAR, BUT IF I ONLY HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE. MY AIM WOULD BE AN ENDLESS BLUE SKY BOUND BY NO LIMITATIONS AT ALL. AND WHEN TOMORROW REACHES OUT ONCE AGAIN I'LL HEAR ITS BECKONING CALL. | ❞ |
The process of cooking the stock and rabbit was going much more smoothly than Amber initially expected. So far, the stock had warmed nicely and bubbled slightly with the heat. Not too much, not too little - just like Cullen had showed her. The rabbits were propped a little underneath the pot, a method Cullen often used to kill time when it wasn’t on their side. The little bit of survival training, despite not being pertinent in the ways she liked, still benefited Amberleigh in some way. That didn’t matter now, though. Sir Cullen may have taught her what she’d need to know to survive in the wild, but it was Mr. Fontine that was going to teach her how to do more than survive - and that was what she wanted.
Hearing Altimeda say he was ”fine” was good, or at least she thought so. Amber was never the fanciest with words, so “good” definitely summed it up in what she thought was the best word. The addition of "All the better with you here, however, made her face red. She was sure it was meant to be innocent - he just meant having company made it better. As he went on, he more or less said exactly what she was thinking, and thus she prepared to blame her red face on the heat from the pot. “I imagine being a Hunter is very lonely work,” Amber eventually said in reply. “I mean, living in the palace was always really lonely and all that lame royalty stuff was a drag, but I don’t think it compares in the slightest to being out here alone.”
A tear rolled down her cheek as she fought a sudden surge of tears. “You never know if today will be your last day, or if you’ll be with anyone when it happens. You know what I mean?” She said, her voice wavering slightly. “I think my biggest fear is probably dying alone. Like, I’m prepared to die to protect people, but I feel like having no one there with you when it happens would be the worst thing.” Finally noticing she had been crying, Amber quickly rubbed her face against her arm to wipe them away. “Look at me, blubbering like a baby that wants attention!” She laughed. “Your sisters both sound very nice. They’re lucky to have a brother like you, ya know. I’m an only child, so I didn’t really grow up with anyone to look up to, the exception of course being father’s friend Finn.”
She eventually leaned back from the pot and pulled the rabbits from underneath. They were well done, likely to have burned if she kept them under much longer. Mimicking Altimeda, she flopped down into the grass and gazed up at the sky. Motivation was definitely key, and she would definitely find hers and hold onto it as well as she could. She wasn’t quite sure what her motivation was. Though. Throwing her arms over her head, Amber’s fingers twirled around some of the grass before the proverbial light bulb went off in her head. She already knew what her motivation was - it was the very reason she had decided to run away from home. It was the reason she wanted to become a Huntress in the first place, and ultimately decide to leave the life of royalty behind.
“My motivation is Remnant, of course,” she said calmly. “I know how ridiculously mundane that sounds, but it’s really the best way I can describe it. The people, the places. Everything in our world is connected by the vast network of energy we call Aura, and everything with a soul possesses that Aura. The creatures of Grimm seek to destroy that energy and everything that contains it, but I don’t want that to happen. I want to protect everyone. I want to protect my mother and my father, the few friends that I have...” Sitting up, Amber started stirring the stock one last time before breaking off pieces of the rabbit and adding it in. As she did so, a small smile formed on her face followed by a light chuckle. “You and your sisters, too. I will protect you all. That, Altimeda, is how I will repay you.”
Staggering up to her feet, Amber gently patted the dirt from her knees before raising a fist with a proud grin. “And here you go, Doctor Fontine,” she cheered. “Breakfast is served!” |
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Post by Altimeda Fontine on Jul 9, 2016 7:57:51 GMT -6
Rebel one: Action! 264 | "Mm. Okay." That was the entirety of it. His thoughts were much more developed and lengthy, but a simple succinct answer was all Amber needed as far as he was concerned. It was not his place to judge someone's motivation, and he would not start with her.
A quick trip inside produced a pair of bowls and spoons, and a ladle with which to scoop the soup. Breakfast passed by in thoughtful, amicable silence, hot stew warming off the chill the night had left behind. Altimeda made no show of it, but he kept a careful eye on Amber, watching. He was unsure where exactly her mind was wandering, but studying her features would be enough to glean enough information to carry him through her initial training.
Setting aside his bowl, he stood and moved inside. Snatching up Resolhorsen from its resting place beside his bed, he swung the bell up onto his shoulder and returned outside. "Arighty," he chirped, producing the sword from the resonating chamber of the bell and plopping it upright on the ground, "up and at 'em girl. Let's see where you are, see where we're going. I'll get a feel for your aptitudes and we'll get a lesson plan stared."
He leveled the blade, placing his feet very deliberately in a much more proper stance than he typically used and mirroring that form with his sword arm in order to give Amber something to start with. The Hound was heavy for her, he knew, but once she got control of her Aura she would have no problem maneuvering it.
Altimeda Fontine |
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Post by Amber Sablier on Jul 11, 2016 10:56:44 GMT -6
| ❝ | MY STRENGTH HAS BROUGHT ME FAR, BUT IF I ONLY HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE. MY AIM WOULD BE AN ENDLESS BLUE SKY BOUND BY NO LIMITATIONS AT ALL. AND WHEN TOMORROW REACHES OUT ONCE AGAIN I'LL HEAR ITS BECKONING CALL. | ❞ |
Smiling proudly, Amber kept most of her attention on their breakfast-in-progress. It was nearly complete, a fact Altimeda must have caught on to as he stood and went towards the cabin. Amber took advantage of the quietness, lost in the sound of the fire crackling as she reflected on what she claimed was her motivation. Was it good enough? She couldn’t be sure, and part of her felt like it may have been the wrong thing to say. Altimeda’s response seemed...lackluster. Perhaps that was because her small speech was also lacking? She furrowed her brow at the pot, stirring carefully as she chided herself for being such an ignorant little fool.
Altimeda’s return came just in time for the soup to be completed. She took the ladle and sampled her work, perfectly content with the results. Dishing up, the two enjoyed a quiet breakfast around the fire. Amber enjoyed the peace and quiet, even more the fact that she was surrounded by nature. She had never seen so much green in all her life. Being confined to the White Palace had definitely sheltered her from a lot of things she would have enjoyed. No matter, though. They were there now, and that’s what mattered at the end of the day. In the depths of Amber’s mind, she rummaged through her thoughts as she tried to bring up something to start up conversation.
Silence was one of the things she detested the most.
Silence often made her panic.
Whatever anxiety might have come from the silence that fell over the camp, it dissipated as the veteran Hunter stood and disappeared into the cabin once more. He returned, this time with his weapon, and instructed Amberleigh to stand. She complied immediately, crawling to her feet with the Hound at her side. The sword was heavy. Back when she left Rift, she could hardly carry the thing without feeling burnt out. Now, after some time traveling, she had grown accustomed to the weight. It was still rather hefty, but she was at least able to hold it as a normal weapon and - potentially - use it if need be. Training would serve to hone those skills and make her a true fighter.
Wobbling slightly, Amber took a readied stance mirroring that of Altimeda’s. It was time for her training to begin. |
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Post by Altimeda Fontine on Jul 11, 2016 13:26:05 GMT -6
If I step here... 459 | Right now was not the time to criticize the smallest details, and all things told, her form was just fine. The little wobble as she took her stance was simply an artifact of being unaccustomed to carrying a sword and balancing, in Altimeda's mind, and that would disappear entirely when she found her feet.
"This is your basic ready position," Altimeda explained, the teacher in him coming out in his voice. "From here, you can attack, defend, and react any way you need to. Eventually, you'll find your own variation on this stance that suits you and your style. So, basics." Altimeda raised his sword and crossed it with hers at the strong of the blade. "Before the sword, are the feet. Footwork keeps you moving, and keeps you alive. You won't always be afforded an opponent who stands in a basic position, but knowing your own drills like the back of your hand will allow you to apply them upside-down, in a tree, underwater, or wherever you might be."
Putting a small amount of pressure on Amber's blade, Altimeda flicked his leading right leg out to his right side, quickly following it with his left to reposition to Amber's left. "If I step here and you don't step, you end up here, and..." From his new position, he showed her how he could slide his blade down and skip over her guard, lightly tapping her forearms with the flat of his blade. "No hands, no sword." He reset to the neutral position. "So, when I step like that, you mirror it. Go." He stepped aside, watching her nimbly—if awkwardly—bounce aside, her footwork a good match to his if a little sloppy from unfamiliarity.
His nod was an approving one. "Good. Now, back to the other side, you're going to lead with your back foot. Go." Altimeda hopped back, and Amber followed suit much more closely this time, the quick motions more comfortable in her legs. "Also good. Next." Altimeda took a full three steps back, putting him a full lunge's distance away from her. "Take your ready position. We're going to lunge towards each other, meet our blades, and step in a circle, all in one motion. Making sure your blade is in line with mine will be the hard part."
Altimeda flicked his blade up, setting his feet. "Ready. Go." On command, he took a fast, commanding step forward, blade held ready and eyes trained on Amber. It was going to be a long night of training, but her aptitude was strong. If she could grow into that sword, she would be a force to be reckoned with. She just had to avoid taking her trainer's head off in the meantime.
Altimeda Fontine |
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Post by Amber Sablier on Jul 13, 2016 11:30:06 GMT -6
| ❝ | MY STRENGTH HAS BROUGHT ME FAR, BUT IF I ONLY HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE. MY AIM WOULD BE AN ENDLESS BLUE SKY BOUND BY NO LIMITATIONS AT ALL. AND WHEN TOMORROW REACHES OUT ONCE AGAIN I'LL HEAR ITS BECKONING CALL. | ❞ |
Listening carefully as Altimeda spoke, Amber grinned with excitement. She had waited so long for this, and now it was finally happening. Her grip on the Hound tightened, her eyes following her instructor as he moved. Basics. They were the foundation of any good swordsman - of any good Hunter. There were a few things she had picked up from observing Finn back at the palace, but she never really had a chance to implement any of it. Maybe, just maybe. Some of that would show in her lessons with Mr. Fontine. As he raised his sword, she mirrored his movement until the swords were crossed. Tension built up in her chest as she struggled to differentiate between anxiety and sheer excitement. This was something she’d have to overcome, knowing very well that such a thing could make the difference between life and death.
Before the sword, are the feet.
It was a concept she had heard Sir Cullen drill into the heads of his trainees, leading her to assume it must have been commonplace among Hunters. It seemed pretty basic, and by far the easiest aspect of swordplay to understand. If you weren’t moving, you were dead. If you weren’t moving properly, you were dead. Proper footwork would make or break you in a fight, and Amber understood that completely. Feeling the pressure of his blade against hers, Amber’s muscles tensed up as Altimeda made a quick movement to her side. Her reflexes told her to do one thing, but her inexperience misinterpreted those signals and forced her to do another. Taking in all the information as he spoke. Amber nodded, indicating her full understanding. ’Mirror his movements. Keep your eyes on him, Amber!’ She thought to herself.
When Altimeda moved, she did as instructed. Mirroring his movements as best she could, Amber ineptly shifted to the side. His nod of approval stirred up an ephemeral sense of accomplishment in the girl - one of her rare wide and jubilant smiles showing for the first time in weeks - before her mind snapped back to training. The motions continued. As he moved, she reacted. Now that she had the opportunity to stretch a bit, things were beginning to feel a little more comfortable. Eventually she’d find her footing, and who knows what would come of that. A little distance now between the two, Amber readied herself and her blade for the next move. Her focus honed in on Altimeda, doing her best to analyze the man as he raised his sword. On his go, she lunged forward and prepared to clash her sword against his, moving her feet in the manner he had instructed.
It was going to be a long process, but Amber was confident. With the little bit that she knew, and all the things Altimeda had to teach her, the potential she was beginning to see in herself gave her a much needed confidence boost. As long as that tenacity did not waver, Amber truly believed - with all her heart - that she would achieve those dreams she was striving to achieve. |
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Post by Altimeda Fontine on Jul 16, 2016 6:27:54 GMT -6
Fiveshadowing! Wait... 321 | "Half a step back. Rotate back, then turn. Don't let that foot fall flat, you'll fall over. Good, good, press forward. My right. Back, left. Good rotation, now forward."
Basics turned to intermediaries quickly, Amber's enthusiasm and vague exposure to swordplay showing through in her aptitude. She had a knack for things; a natural if he had ever seen one, and with a willingness to learn that would carry her far. If she did not let her teachings go to her head and continued to try and learn, she would make a fine addition to any hunting party some day.
For better than an hour he drilled her on footwork, letting her learn the basics before he stopped teaching and started quizzing. It was not something he was going to need to spend much time on, thankfully, and communicated as much to her as they finally came to the end of a particularly quick set of step drills. "Swordplay is a whole different beast, though," Altimeda huffed, panting lightly as he bent to scoop up a water bottle. "You'll do well, I think, but that sword is a fair deal more sword than I would normally put a student on. Training with that is going to be a helluva time."
He offered her the bottle and plopped down, flicking through his scroll to reference the lesson plan he had drawn up for her. They had covered a much larger portion of the first block of text than he had expected. This, though, was the make-or-break for her. Not everyone could stay cool when someone started swinging live steel at them, even with an Aura between them and the blade. If she could do that, Amber would be past the first of a fair number of road blocks. Putting her in front of a Barghest would be a different trial entirely, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it.
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Post by Amber Sablier on Jul 18, 2016 13:15:56 GMT -6
| ❝ | MY STRENGTH HAS BROUGHT ME FAR, BUT IF I ONLY HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE. MY AIM WOULD BE AN ENDLESS BLUE SKY BOUND BY NO LIMITATIONS AT ALL. AND WHEN TOMORROW REACHES OUT ONCE AGAIN I'LL HEAR ITS BECKONING CALL. | ❞ |
Over and over, Altimeda gave directions. Over and over, Amberleigh followed to the best of her ability. Between the footwork and actually using the sword, she wasn’t sure which she was going to take more practice to fully grasp. That said, Amber had no intention of slacking just because she might be having a bit of difficulty. She truly believed, between the bit of training from Cullen and now her lessons from Altimeda, that she would become one of the best. It was the only thing she had to aspire to at this point, so it wasn’t something she was willing to let go of. As long as Altimeda didn’t let up, she wouldn’t either.
Potential began to show through as the training went on and on, with Amber picking up the simpler aspects of combat with relative ease. As things grew more difficult and in-depth, she had to learn to adapt quickly in order to keep up with her teacher’s pace. Sluggish movements with the Hound that lagged behind the flexing of her muscles had become quick and precise. In a few instances, Amber had even managed to control the sword with one hand, all while maintaining the control she had over it with both. ‘You can do it, Amber!’ She would cheer in her mind. ‘Watch the feet! WATCH THE FEET!’ This process continued for a long time before the two paused, leaving Amber panting like a dog.
She had almost forgotten how far away from Rift they were. The cool coastal city was a far cry from their current location. This was Setek, the desert nation of the west. As Sir Cullen frequently commented on the western Kingdom, it was “hot as balls”.
Tired, Amber dropped to the ground and sprawled out among the grass and dirt. She couldn’t recall the last time she had ever sweat, if at all. Wiping the unwelcome droplets from her face, Amber stared up at the pale blue sky until the soreness in her chest began to subside. “How much more do you think we’re going to do today, Altimeda?” She asked as she sat up, accepting the bottle of water. Had she no self control, Amber probably would have guzzled down the contents with little to no thought to how much water they had. That said, while she had self control, she was also no fool. Not being hydrated enough was a sure fire way to end up dead, and they were at a cabin that - as far as she recalled - had running water.
That in mind, she went to work clearing the contents of the bottle. If there was no way to get more immediately, then as far as she was concerned - Altimeda should have thought about that. |
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Post by Altimeda Fontine on Jul 29, 2016 9:25:13 GMT -6
Calm before the storm 426 | "Not overmuch," Altimeda chirped back at her, raising an approving thumb in her direction. "We've covered a little more than I expected so I'm not going to push too hard. Swinging that sword around will get easier and easier as the days go by, so we'll be able to get more done every day you become more accustomed to the pratice. I don't think—"
He cut off, sitting bolt upright. He could not be sure, but he had thought he had heard... You better not be serious right now, he growled to the world, casting his eyes through the darkness of the surrounding trees. I swear to god, this is not the time.
The blood froze in his veins as a deep howling struck up in the trees around them. Analysis began—Barghests for sure, Grayliches likely in tow, hopefully nothing bigger—before he came to a harsh realization. Amber.
"Amber, inside." He was not quite sure when he had gotten to his feet, but there he was, helping or hauling up Amber as she made necessary. "This is way too early. This part of the forest was supposed to be safe, dammit..." It was unclear whether he was cursing at the situation or himself, but he swept to the cabin door and opened it for the girl as he spoke in quiet tones.
"I know it's basically going to be impossible, but try not to feed your fear. It riles them up, and you have not had enough practice with that thing yet to handle this. I don't know how many are out there but I don't want to find out. We need to get to the road, to the car, and get out, but..." He sighed heavily, clearly not enthused by their course of action. "We're going to have to fight our way there. When we run, I want you to run, okay?"
His eyes had taken a very sincere shine, and he put a hand on Amber's shoulder, the squeeze he gave her as authoritative as it was pleading. "I've seen my sisters get caught up in something like this, they barely made it out alive. We can't have that with you."
Altimeda closed the door behind them, drawing the blade at his hip and slotting it into the resonator next to his bed before cinching his pack up tight on his back and slipping over to the table to retrieve his scroll. "There's nothing here that we can't get anywhere else, so we're leaving it all. Gather your things, and we're gone."
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Post by Amber Sablier on Jul 30, 2016 15:40:22 GMT -6
| ❝ | MY STRENGTH HAS BROUGHT ME FAR, BUT IF I ONLY HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE. MY AIM WOULD BE AN ENDLESS BLUE SKY BOUND BY NO LIMITATIONS AT ALL. AND WHEN TOMORROW REACHES OUT ONCE AGAIN I'LL HEAR ITS BECKONING CALL. | ❞ |
“We covered more because I learn way fast!” She said happily. The bit of pride she had was well warranted, in her opinion. It was true, however, that she was a quick learner. It also helped that she had the opportunity to observe Sir Cullen training the Kingdom’s soldiers - so she wasn’t completely ignorant as far as fighting went. Sighing contently, Amber let out a stifled yawn before flopping back down into the grass and closing her eyes. As long as there were no other surprises, Amber was certain the day wouldn’t get any better. Clear skies, decent temperature? The perfect time to just relax in the sun. Of course, she should have known life wouldn’t be that simple.
Not for a Huntress.
Hearing Altimeda cut himself off, she opened up one of her eyes to see what was going on. “Is…everything okay, Altimeda?” She inquired. He looked as she would best describe as concerned and agitated. Had she done something? Perhaps he heard someone off towards the trees? Amber’s head cocked in the direction he was looking, her eyes focusing on the treeline as the two sat there in complete silence. Her breathing became rapid, the shallow breaths clawing at her throat as a slight sense of fear came upon her. What if it were Grimm? The thought of coming face to face with the monsters after all this time was a little more than intimidating.
Then she heard it. The howl from the trees.
She was already on her feet by the time Altimeda instructed her to make her way to the cabin. Dusting off the bit of dust she could from her clothes, she nodded before breaking into a full sprint towards the building. While Amber was definitely prideful, she wasn’t stupid enough to try to take on a Grimm so early. Howling indicated, to her, that these beasts were likely the ones called Barghest. She had read much about them. Wicked, twisted wolf forms with a monstrous claw on their tail. Many brave Hunters had been slain by one of these beasts, she could only imagine having to face multiple.
With the door opened, she quickly ducked into the cabin before peeking out the window back towards the trees. Just how many were out there? She was shaking, just enough to notice. She was clearly very afraid. At Altimeda’s request, she would try to remain as calm as possible - as unafraid as possible. With a deep breath, she nodded at her head before going to grab her things. She didn’t have much, though, so packing up was very fast. Once she was ready, with the Hound at her side, Amber made her way back to the door. “Do you think we’ll be able to get away without drawing too much attention, Altimeda?” She asked, the concern showing in her tone of voice.
“We’ll be okay, right?” |
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Post by Altimeda Fontine on Aug 1, 2016 19:32:39 GMT -6
Into the breach~ 498 | Altimeda regarded that question carefully. If he told her the truth—that her fear for her life and his fear for her safety would be the perfect lure—it would only exacerbate the issue, but lying to her would perhaps give her an unwarranted sense of security. These woods were not the most dangerous place in the world, by far, their Grimm population lower than some of the more outlying forests, but by no means did that not mean there could be several dozen Grimm lurking out in those woods.
"No, I'm sure we're going to have a fight on our hands," he said tactfully, attempting to mix confidence with caution such that she believed he had the situation under control, "but we should be able to get out just fine. The path to the car is short and easy to fight in. Once we get there, we can outrun them. These woods aren't so flooded that they'll be swarming on us from everywhere so they'll only be on our trail."
While he spoke, Altimeda strode to the bed and began fishing underneath it. "Here's another lesson for ya, while we're on the subject. We Huntsman and Huntresses have all kinds of unique and fascinating weapons to our names—my Resolhorsen, and your Hound—but sometimes..." Finally finding what he wanted, he stood, brandishing a clip-fed, semi-automatic shotgun. "...point and click just gets the job done."
Setting the weapon on the table, he added, "Eight rounds in that, one more clip held on to the stock. Kicks pretty hard but it's pretty simple to use," as he added a last few items to his pack. Finishing that, he retrieved his bell and slipped to the back door.
"I dunno what it's going to be like on the other side of this door, but when I open this door, I want you to run. Don't be blind, but don't worry about me. I can handle my fair share. Get on that path and get to the car, and I'll make sure I'm there when you are. I might not be by your side the entire time." He put a hand on her shoulder and regarded her with a grim sort of half-smile, fondness mixed in with protectiveness; an insightful mind might have inferred that look was one he had given to his sisters many a time. "If I break off, it's gonna be to keep the Grimm at bay. I won't leave you while any are within fighting distance. Whether or not I'm right next to you, I'm not going to leave you."
He pressed his ear to the door and put one hand on the knob, leaning against it ant preparing to make a break for it. His mind was alight with the possibilities of what could be on the other side of the door, but for the most part he tried to keep those thoughts quelled. They would make it out and move on. They had to.
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