Still fighting for breath, he manages to gasp, "Thanks, Zariana!"
Dernis leads him away from the practice fields and through the complex of buildings, stopping at the foot of the hill that holds the monuments to fallen Riders. "How was your training?"
"Pretty good, I think. I mean, I'm awful at using a sword, but, still." He shrugs. "I just wish I could learn faster."
Dernis leads him away from the practice fields and through the complex of buildings, stopping at the foot of the hill that holds the monuments to fallen Riders. "How was your training?"
"Pretty good, I think. I mean, I'm awful at using a sword, but, still." He shrugs. "I just wish I could learn faster."
Dernis chuckles. "All of this takes time. That's the reason we train so much; to make sure everyone is as prepared as they can be when it's time for them to go on a mission. Combat training is part of that, but so is learning the history of the Riders, the times we've succeeded, the times we've failed. Some missions will require other skills, as well, such as diplomacy or strategy. That's what I'm going to be teaching you, with help from other Riders as needed. Today, we're going to start with the basics of one of the most important tools the Riders use: Our hand signals. A Rider often needs to be able to communicate quickly, effectively, and silently to complete the goals of a mission. For that, we have a language of hand signs. We'll start with the basic, essential ones and work our way up from there."
"Pretty good, I think. I mean, I'm awful at using a sword, but, still." He shrugs. "I just wish I could learn faster."
Dernis chuckles. "All of this takes time. That's the reason we train so much; to make sure everyone is as prepared as they can be when it's time for them to go on a mission. Combat training is part of that, but so is learning the history of the Riders, the times we've succeeded, the times we've failed. Some missions will require other skills, as well, such as diplomacy or strategy. That's what I'm going to be teaching you, with help from other Riders as needed. Today, we're going to start with the basics of one of the most important tools the Riders use: Our hand signals. A Rider often needs to be able to communicate quickly, effectively, and silently to complete the goals of a mission. For that, we have a language of hand signs. We'll start with the basic, essential ones and work our way up from there."
"Hand sign language? Weird... but cool," Azril remarks. "So it'd be for situations where we have to be quiet to be avoid being detected by anybody?"
Dernis chuckles. "All of this takes time. That's the reason we train so much; to make sure everyone is as prepared as they can be when it's time for them to go on a mission. Combat training is part of that, but so is learning the history of the Riders, the times we've succeeded, the times we've failed. Some missions will require other skills, as well, such as diplomacy or strategy. That's what I'm going to be teaching you, with help from other Riders as needed. Today, we're going to start with the basics of one of the most important tools the Riders use: Our hand signals. A Rider often needs to be able to communicate quickly, effectively, and silently to complete the goals of a mission. For that, we have a language of hand signs. We'll start with the basic, essential ones and work our way up from there."
"Hand sign language? Weird... but cool," Azril remarks. "So it'd be for situations where we have to be quiet to be avoid being detected by anybody?"
"Yes, or if we're all riding our Companions and we're moving too fast to talk effectively." Dernis begins showing him some basic signs.
"Yes, or if we're all riding our Companions and we're moving too fast to talk effectively." Dernis begins showing him some basic signs.
He attempts to copy them. "Are there any signs you guys use to insult one another?" he asks cheekily.
"Azril, this is one of the most unique and valuable tools we have at our collective disposal. It's a carefully crafted communication system designed to maximize efficiency and save lives." Dernis grins. "That being said, of course we do. There's a long-running game where we string together a mundane set of signals into a phrase that could be interpreted as an insult or a joke. And then the recipient has to figure out what is being said."
He attempts to copy them. "Are there any signs you guys use to insult one another?" he asks cheekily.
"Azril, this is one of the most unique and valuable tools we have at our collective disposal. It's a carefully crafted communication system designed to maximize efficiency and save lives." Dernis grins. "That being said, of course we do. There's a long-running game where we string together a mundane set of signals into a phrase that could be interpreted as an insult or a joke. And then the recipient has to figure out what is being said."
Azril looks even more eager than ever to learn and adapt to the sign language. "Awesome. Will I get to learn those, too?"
"Azril, this is one of the most unique and valuable tools we have at our collective disposal. It's a carefully crafted communication system designed to maximize efficiency and save lives." Dernis grins. "That being said, of course we do. There's a long-running game where we string together a mundane set of signals into a phrase that could be interpreted as an insult or a joke. And then the recipient has to figure out what is being said."
Azril looks even more eager than ever to learn and adapt to the sign language. "Awesome. Will I get to learn those, too?"
"Think of it as a reward for learning the signals. The more you know, the easier it will be to figure out how to do stuff like that."
Dernis continues teaching him for the rest of the afternoon. They finish just before dinner time and go to join the rest of Paladeen at the meal. This time, Azril sees Maicyn eating with her family.
Azril looks even more eager than ever to learn and adapt to the sign language. "Awesome. Will I get to learn those, too?"
"Think of it as a reward for learning the signals. The more you know, the easier it will be to figure out how to do stuff like that."
Dernis continues teaching him for the rest of the afternoon. They finish just before dinner time and go to join the rest of Paladeen at the meal. This time, Azril sees Maicyn eating with her family.
"I guess that's good..." he mutters to himself, observing Maicyn. "Better than hiding out in the woods..."
"Think of it as a reward for learning the signals. The more you know, the easier it will be to figure out how to do stuff like that."
Dernis continues teaching him for the rest of the afternoon. They finish just before dinner time and go to join the rest of Paladeen at the meal. This time, Azril sees Maicyn eating with her family.
"I guess that's good..." he mutters to himself, observing Maicyn. "Better than hiding out in the woods..."
Will Azril sit with the Jiwovzes again or with someone else?
"Great! I can hardly believe I'm actually going to learn all these skills! There's so much to learn." He shovels a mouthful of food into his mouth.
Hithrol smiles. "I appreciate when my new Riders are eager to learn. In this job, one can never stop learning."d
"I bet. There's so much to keep track of." He passes a bit of meat to a tail-wagging Robin. In doing so, he sneaks a look at the table where Maicyn sits. Curiosity can't help but get the better of him.
