Posted by Gld. Requiem on September 10, 2008, 10:47 am, in reply to "i guess this is it;; REQUIEM"
Message modified by board administrator September 10, 2008, 1:30 pm
Kk – so I figured I’d do a combination of OOC and IC. We’ll see how this goes, lol!
First OOC note of business – remember that your horse must conform to one of the three ‘bloodtypes’ during a real battle – based on Centurion’s breed, he’s a Coldblood. This means his speed and agility are low, but the power he delivers is very high. It would be very difficult for him to execute the quick lunge-kick you have for his first attack, as it would require a great deal more effort on his part than say, a warm or hot blood. Always keep your weaknesses in mind as much as your strengths. Battles are judged on how realistic they are, not necessarily the horse who comes out with less damage, etc.
So this next round do your defenses (not like Req as he is dodging more than in a regular battle LOL) and do one additional attack on your injuries, and we’ll continue.
Requiem waits for him; his legs in the chopping motion of his warrior’s dance, his neck arched and mobile. When his student charges, the Friesian is still moving – Centurion relies on the fact that Requiem would not dance away should they collide head-on, and he also relies on Requiem not moving when the first attack comes through. Coldbloods are not quick or agile by any means – Requiem himself knows this, sharing such blood – and he gives him time, too much time, to slip away. The Gold does not wait in place as Centurion shifts past him and stops to kick – in these precious seconds as Centurion so dubs them, Requiem surges forward, and even with his speed disadvantage the blows fall instead to the meat of his rump, bruising the muscles there but doing no damage that will cripple his movement.
“Why did you stop to attack me? Your momentum while moving would have been wiser for delivering a devastating blow that could not be evaded. Instead you take your time; run past me and slow yourself all the way down, and then kick back. This gives your opponent all the time they need to move out of the way – were I a quicker build, you would have missed me entirely.”
“Use your opportunity with the first attack to gain momentum and crash into your opponent. Our power is our greatest advantage – use it to try and break legs; reserve your double barrel kicks for when space is tight or your opponent cannot quickly get away.”
Again Centurion assumes him to be a stationary opponent, settling on his right side as he rears to deliver his attack – but Requiem, with only soreness on his right haunch, still maintains a clipping trot – when Centurion’s hooves fall they instead hit the back of Requiem’s forearm (after all, is it impossible for both of Centurion’s hooves to hit a single target – one leg or the other must fall, and the other will fall through air), forcing the leg down much quicker than he would have liked, and thickly brusing the area above the cannon. The leg is tender when it returns to the ground – Requiem grimaces as he tests his weight upon it, and as the stallion spins away, the late King’s voice follows him.
“That one was better, but again, you build momentum and then stop to make an attack. A better use of the approach would have been to hit me mid-stride, when your weight is behind the power as well – even if you had caught it at an angle as you did, I likely would have been set offbalance by the sheer force behind it. This way you have greater control should your opponent dodge, as you will not be relying on them remaining within your range. Remember your opponent is a constant, moving target. Compensate for where you might make a mistake.”
But it is his turn for attacks, and so he makes no further hesitation – he pivots to face Centurion and launches forward, initially approaching the stallion at 90 degrees (since Centurion specifies he is circling Requiem at the trot); in the slim distance that separates them he assumes Centurion may face him, as is the natural reaction for horses who are fighting; but he will lay out two situations to fit how Centurion may react.
Should the stallion face him, Requiem will barrel into him head-on; chest to chest, with Requiem’s forehand rising about a foot before impact so that the greatest breadth of his chest meets the soft front of Centurion’s neck, the base before which the windpipe is hidden behind bone. With this advantage of being slightly above in the attack, he continues pressing forward, well aware that the stallion had weight enough to maintain his footing; it is this he counts on, as he exerts pressure on the windpipe to deprive Centurion of proper air. The impact made, Requiem digs his haunches into the earth and pulls back, leaving what he hoped to be a breathless opponent, disoriented and careless, waiting for the second attack. If Centurion did not turn to face him, then Requiem would instead slam his shoulder into the soft area behind Centurion’s right foreleg, into muscles that commanded the bending and maneuverability of that leg. His attack would be timed with Centurion’s own gait, to ensure lesser damage to himself.
His second attack follows quickly – with his opponent possibly offbalance or out of wind, Requiem dances to the stallion’s left (Centurion’s right - he would be on this side already if the second scenario above was the one chosen) and immediately targets what would be the shin of Centurion’s back right leg – with the small momentum he’s built he punches two forelegs out onto the bone and sets through his stride; his hooves may very well scrap down the length of the shin if Centurion is too slow to move away, but even if the leg is in motion it will be forced to the earth and the attack can still be executed as planned. When Requiem feels his balance wane he pulls back again, straining on his haunches and pulling a muscle in his groin with the effort to prevent himself from barreling on through Centurion – to do so would wind him, as his neck feel across his student’s well-muscled haunches. Requiem turns to face him again when they are through, waiting.
[FYI – though Req took damage from the second attack, for the sake of seeing your defenses, I attacked with him as though he was fresh]
Battles are hard to teach because in different situations, different things would be appropriate. If the footing was bad, for instance, it would be much smarter for Centurion to move cautiously and stop before each attack, rather than what Req teaches, about keeping up momentum.
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