Lord of the Cold [Training, PM for Entry]

[Lord of Cold]

??|30 TP

I held Tundra still. He chomped at the bit a little, but he was too tired and submissive to pose any real opposition to my training. I shifted my position in the saddle, getting a posture more inclined to precise control and less inclinded to a stable seat. The trick to that was to stand up and tighten up on the reins. I moved my leg out to his side, where he would feel precisely whateve pressure I put. It was a good place to be. I once knew a name for this position, but I forgot it long ago. It served its purpose and did not need a name.

I began to pull to the left on Tundra. His neck was stiff to me at first. He was so brazen as to pull slightly against my rein. Rather than yank and get into a fight in that way, I continued my pull, slowly adding force to it. Giving in, Tundra bent his neck and brought his head back towards me. I held him there for several seconds, before repeating the process with the other side. Back and forth,  sometimes all the way and sometimes just a little, the great horse had his neck bent. Some would think of it as a complex stretching exercise, but it was more of an adjustment. He had to learn how to bend to my will.

The moving of the head was half of turning. The other half was all footwork. To an inexperienced rider, the horse's footwork was an arcane thing which simply had to work. Once one reached the higher levels, they had to make sure the horse was moving right or their maneveur would fail. I nudged Tundra with the opposite leg, sliding my foot forward and squeezing with my calf. The cue meant that he was to move only with his shoulder, and to leave his hind end planted firmly in the ground.

Instead, he took a step forward. I pulled back on the reins, trying to let him know that this was incorrect. I heard a snort of mild frustration from Tundra before I got him back to a halt. I tried to the same command, foot to the rear and gentle pull of the rein. He stepped off with his front foot, slightly to the side, and then proceeded to pivot gracelessly but effectively around on his hind quarter. He got about an eighth of the way around. At that point, he bent his neck and stopped moving. I performed the foot nudge again, and he kept going.

Stopping a pivot is a little weird. You have to release the rein and make a show of returning to neutral. I did so, as he was approaching a half turn. He kept going for a moment, so I moved the rein against the turn, and he bent his neck and stopped. It seemed like we had the rough idea. I spun him around the other way, and repeated several times, each time making the cures more abrupt and sudden. I walked him across the ring, stopped, and repeated the pivot. All I had to do now was transfer this command to something that Tundra could do at a run.

[Lord of Cold]

??|30TP

Tundra had caught his breath again and was ready to be run. I kicked him, spurring him into a full sprint. We lapped the ring once, cut across the middle, and went the other way, so I could get my bearings. I felt him do a flying lead change while we changing direction, a complex maneveur similar to what I was about to expect. I had all those feelings, the rise and fall of his shoulder each time he took a step. I wasn't really sure where in his natural rhythymn this technique would fit. I wanted him to twist as he went into the air and land in position.

I brought him down the middle of the ring, charging at the far fence. He would have to turn one way or another. I tried to persuade him not to turn as we approache, tried to steady him. He didn't seem to know what I wanted him to do. Bewildered by the imminent fence of stone and wood, he turned before it was time for me to give the command. He slowed and turned away gently. He was going to need to come to trust and obey me fully if this were to work. The whole goal of this technique was to cut a broad swath through the enemy, to turn in front of a formiddable opponent and bring down my axe as I ride by them when they expected me to ride through them.

I brough Tundra around again, we were going to try for the spin again. I pushed him into a full canter again, and this time kicked and nudged him with the rein halfway across the arena. The result was disapointing. He tripped up a little, confused by what I was telling him. He reared, interpreting my kick to mean that, and spun a little, thinking that was what my rein wanted. I had to grab the saddle just to stay on through the mess. I was thrown about, my head nearly hitting the beast in the neck.

Knowing better than to let the horse fluster me,  I urge him on. We were going to try something different. Once we did there would be praise. Until that, we rode on. Tundra pushed along tirelessly, and I managed to convince him to go throug the middle of the ring again. This time I kicked him before giving all the other commands. I pulled harder on the rein, squeezed harder and put my foot firmly in place. The reuslts were impressive.

He pivoted on one foot as he went into the air, scrambled in the air and landed sideways, still pulling himself along with his feet. His rear swung out a little bit, but that helped him launch off and lose no momentum. He continued running, and  I let him go for six or so more strides before I slowed him to a halt. I patted his neck. "Woah, Tundra. You did well."

We did well. I think I've just about got this figured out.

[Fui]

+28

[Lord of Cold]

Same Technique
28|30

I just needed to get this down. We kept running, cutting through the middle again. I spurred Tundra into a true sprint. It was just about as fast as I've ever gone on a horse. At this sprint I pulled on the rein and tapped him with my foot suddenly. His ear foot struck the ground and he launche doff, spinning in air. I tightened up, and so did he. He prepared himself for impact by shifting his feet in air. He landed, and launched off is hind feet, with hall of his momentum still behind him.

I kept him running, and but a few strides later, I gave the command again. He tried, but he couldn't qutie figure it out. He slid and fell. It seemed it was still a stressful move for him, and that he wasn't quite recoordinating his legs as fast as I liked. I didn't really know how to help him here, so I simply urged him on again and gave the command. We did this for the better part of an hour, launching and turning, so that he could get used to it. Finally, I managed to launch and turn him twice in a row. That was the most I would ever have to do it in one burst, I figured. But it meant I could perform a u-turn when I needed to.

[zarak729]

Learned!

[Lord of Cold]

SPOILER: Click to show

Charge and Vault
Rank: "C"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: At the end of a mounted Charge attack, the Rider can leap from the saddle to attack with greater effect.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: With this technique the rider can make a special Charge Attack. 5 meters before the end of the mounted charge, the mount makes a 90° turn to the left or right. From here the user then performs a bull-rush strike attack against the opponent or opponents equal to the user's ability to perform Charge.
Limit: Must be "Rider" of Mounted Combat. Must know Charge. Must know Mounted Expertise.

0|30 TP

I had to apply this technique if I wanted to make good use of it. While it was nice to be able to turn away from the enemy and ride off to wherever I pleased, I could use this as a sort of dismount maneveur. It would be quite the fright to any enemy to expect a mounted charge and instead come upon a ninja leaping out of his saddle with an axe, while the mount moved around and prepared something else. I could work on mounting later, but the idea of leaping from the saddle immediately after a turn seemed like a worthy idea.

Tundra was starting to tire, but I urged him on. We cantered through the ring once more, and I pushed him into a charge. Once he was there, charging and everything, I gave him the command I had just taught him. Dutifully, he turned. I stood up from the saddle as I gave th ecommand trying, to coordinate something, but the best I managed was to loose my right foot from the stirrup. My left foot was stuck dragging. Tundra was still running fast. I yelled "Whoa" to him, hoping he would slow.

Being dragged by a horse is a dangerous place to be. Many have died as there horse ran over rocks and dragged them. Sometimes, horses even step on their dragged riders. But Tundra was recpetive to me. Even though he didn't have the secondary reinforcement of rein and stirrup, he still slowed as I said whoa, and I jerked my foot from the stirrup. He ran off a little distance, and then he turned and looked at me. He seemed contemptuous in his leer. That was a risk of the tecnique I had to be aware of. If I did not get my feet fully out of my stirrups in battle, I would surely die on account of one thing or another.

Now I had to remount a riled up Tundra. That did not sound like a fun proposition. He was a well trained horse, but he could be spirited once hot into the thrill of the moment. I would be struggling to regain control over him. I appraoched with my hand outstretched. Tundra took tuned sharply and took a few steps, letting out a snort. "Tundra!" I yelled as I continued my slow approach. His training clicked back into his mind. Slowly, on his heels, he turned towards me, taking small steps with his front hooves. It was funny. Some would consider this auxilary to the actual technique, but to a rider, controlling a horse is just like controlling chakra is to an illusionist. It is a constant struggle. One must not forget the fundamentals while he practices the advanced.

I walked up to him and grabbed him. His training and civilized nature had reemerged. I grabbed onto the horn of the saddle and pulled myself up onto the horse. I grabbed the reins and put my feet in the stirrup. I settled for a looser interpretation of my previous stance. Just the tips of my toes pressed down in the stirrup, and the reins were loser, giving Tundra a large amount of control over his head. I would steer more with my legs if I wanted this to work. Readying my axe, letting go of the reins and controlling the horse were too many tasks to interfere with jumping off the horse. Perhaps this time I would do better?

[Lord of Cold]

??/30 TP

Back in the saddle, I got Tundra moving again. I let him build up slowly, but my hold on the reins was practically non-existent. I used my seat to steer him. I turned my hips and willed him to go where he needed to. He seemed to obey rather nicely. To test this, I made him turn off in a random direction different from the usual path. He obeyed nicely. I was also going to have to be able to do the 90 degree turn at a moment's notice with nothing but my legs for steering, as my axe would have to be ready.

Once he was at a good speed, I turned him with my legs. I gave just the half of the command which for the sharp turn which I normally gave with my legs. The result was a muddled and confused movement from Tundra. He turned sharply, but he didn't do the normal 90 degree turn. Instead he just cut a hard 45 degrees off to my right. He staggered it out through a few steps and was non commital. It seemed like he wasn't really understanding that I meant the same thing as before. It might take a little bit of retraining to get him accustomed to doing a turn like that with only a cue from my legs.

I charged him forward again. He moved quickly down the middle of the ring and I yanked with my hand and tapped him my leg. But the yank was gentler than ever before. He felt it, but it wasn't the same solid pulse of strength I had been giving him. He felt it nonethleess, and turned his body to the right 90 degrees. I kept him going, moving him around the ring and sending him down the middle once more. I repeated the turn the other way, with the same slightly weakened rein, and a strong boot. The message seemed to be sinking in, but I would have to test it before I could say for sure.

I brought him across the ring one more time. It was a repetitive process, but the exercise and practice was good for all of us. I willed him, just with my legs to make a turn. And he committed to it indeed. He turned his whole body just like I wanted, and my hands stayed out of it completely. I steered him on, now completely hands-free in my riding, and I brought him for another pass. Maybe, before long, I would begin the leap from the saddle again.

This time, as we charged, I gave him the command with my foot and he turned. The element I was experimenting with now was getting my axe out. Holding an axe, while you rode was hard enough. Releasing the reins in such a way that they didn't tangle, controlling the horse and removing my axe from wherever I had it stored was a whole nother level of difficulty, to me at least. I stood while I pushed with my legs, and drew my axe as I gave the command. The axe was tricky to grab, especially with all this bouncing about. By the time I managed to grasp the handle sturdily enough to pull it away from my back, the turn was already done and Tundra was going away. Knowing this I moved my axe closer to my hand, and remembered what it felt like to grab it. It would be better next time.

[Lord of Cold]

??|30

Finally, I had most of the parts together. All I had to do was get good at making the leap itself now. I brough Tundra down to a halt and considered. How would I go about making the leap? Would it be best to roll? No, that would waste precious time. While I stood back up the enemy would be ready, and I would lose the sheer suprise of this technique. The goal here was to have another option at the last moment to attack my opponent rather than just charge them with the horse. It would make me harder to predict and would likely give me a free hit with my axe.

So I needed to land on my feet and swign immediately. No, even that was to slow. While I was falling my opponent would be preparing. They would notice the charge had stopped and act accordingly. If instead I could swing at them as I fell, I would have the extra force of gravity and momentum behind the blow and they would not have time to change their strategy. Even if they did manage to block, it would be a fast deflection and not a true dodge, which would leave them on the defense as I began my onslaught of blows.

But enough day dreaming. I moved again, coming up to speed and charging around. Feeling Tundra's speed near its maximum, I gave him the clue with my legs as I drew my axe. Tundra turned quickly, and I tried to step out of the stirrups and leap to the ground. My technique was to launch off with my outside foot and merely step out with the other. The result was a sort of a dive. My axe skidded along the ground as my head slid along the ground. That wasn't going to work.

It seemed like my problem was that I was coming off as Tundra turned. Perhaps I needed to come off while Tundra was still moving with me. That way he would be launching me, and then he would turn away and do his thing. I would have more movement with me, and I would be less likely to get caught up on Tundra. It seemed like a more harmonious way to combine our movements into one, and I gave it a try. Tundra hurried into another charge. I stood up, drawing my axe and making him turn. Just as my legs gave him the command, I stepped out of the saddle. I planted my boots on the leather and then launched off of Tundra as he launched off the ground. I moved both hands onto the axe, and began to make my attack.

I lifted up my axe in a second. I had to hold it tight, as I was flying through the air and it felt like I was going to drop it. I proceeded to bring it down, directly in front of me at a fictional opponent. I worked on my footwork, letting my feet touch the ground spread out, with my left foot in front of the other. Because of that, I should be able to hit the ground and start walking, using the force of my axe swing to move me into a light bull rush. Not a bad technique. Might catch somebody by suprise someday.

[zarak729]

Learned!

[Lord of Cold]

SPOILER: Click to show

Mounted Combat
Rank: "C" - 40 TP at all times.

Skill: TaiJutsu

Effect: Rider becomes more proficient when combating on a mount.

Special: ---

Drawback: ---

Description: A technique that makes the Rider more proficient in the art of combat on their mount when it comes to striking attacks. Striking attacks no longer take double movements. Instead striking attacks now take 1.5 times the amount of movements. So a strike that takes 2 movements now takes up 3 movements instead of 4 while a strike that takes up 1 movement still takes up 2 movements. Rider is however still unable to perform attacks dealing with multiple strikes in a single movement.

Limit: Must be "Rider" of Mounted Combat. Must know Riding (Novice).

0|40 TP

Today I was back in the Gladiator training area. It was a nice place to train when striking was your emphasiss over horsemanship. But I brought Tundra with me nonetheless. For today I was to practice the art of mounted combat in a more basic, but difficult sense. I was not going to use my horse as a weapon, I was going to use my axe. Fundamentally, I needed to master the art of hitting people while I rode. I'd begun to lose sight of the true purpose of a mount; mobility. All my charges and bullrushed and emergency dismounts made my mount a striking tool. I borrowed the strength of Tundra so that I might kill my enemy. Today I would use my own strength and leave Tundra to moving me around. That posed clear benefits, and was the nature of normal mounted combat.

My first excersise would be to hit an opponent who is on foot with my axe while I stood still on my horse. It seemed simply enough, but the whole thing was a bit precarious. I grabbed a dummy and a wooden axe. I set the dummy up in the middle of the area, mounted Tundra and walked him over to the sight of my mock combat. I selected a wooden axe because I was aware that there was a good chance I would hit Tundra at least once before I had the technique mastered. The dummy was about six feet tall; a reasonably average height. However, hitting somebody in the head may be fatal, but its relatively easy to dodge a swing at your head if you know thats all your opponent can reach. Therefore, I should make sure I can hit the target as low as four feet from the ground. I marked the dummy at the height of four feet, keeping that in mind.

First, I had to decide at what position I wanted Tundra to stand. My first instinct was face to face. I would put Tundra's head towards them, facing the opponent. Thats just like how men fight on the ground, face to face, head on. But, as I began to try it my spacial sense immediately kicked in and I realised how foolish that was. Horses have long necks, and therefore, to have my horse stand facing the opponent would leave them way out of my reach. Perhaps if I had a lance or a spear of some kind this would work, but if I wanted to use an axe or a sword I would need something different. I let the man face me and I turned Tundra 90 degrees. That seemed relatively good. It got the horse's head out of the way and gave me a clear shot. I could stand as cose or as far as I wanted, and by circling the man I could adjust my range without giving him a free shot. I also could, if Tundra was feeling obedient, fight him while the beast circles, allowing me to swing freely and move without thinking while the man below me has to take care of both his feet and hands. Not a bad situation, really. And that doesn't include the natural upper ground gained by having a horse, and the ability to outrun if need be.

[Lord of Cold]

??|40

Now to hit the 'man.' I'd been hitting people for a sizable potion of my life, it was one of the few things which I could honestly consider myself to be particularly good at. And, considering riding was one of the few other things, it was almost laughable when I akwkwardly went about the process of trying to behead this inanimate opponent from the back of my own horse. I held my axe in my usual grip while I held my horse between my legs so that he would not move unexpectedly and ruin my swing. I had to fidget around a bit to get the axe clear of the saddle and my legs, and I even had to pass it from hand to hand when it got caught up in the reins. Finally in position, I held the axe with both hands, swinging it towards the dummy. It caught a little bit, and finally my wrist's mobility nearly stopped the blow before it hit the dummy, and it fell out of one hand before thudding harmlessly into the dummy's head. I did manage to hit the dummy, but barely so, and it must have taken me nearly a minute to do so.

Obviously a smaller axe would be relatively useful. But I'd seen people wielding huge axe like mine in one hand, and I'd spent the time to learn to do so years ago. I didn't like to, it slowed me down a wee bit and the strike wasn't as good, but for this case I could manage. I wielded the axe only on the foeside of Tundra, which was my right at the moment. That made me note to myself to normally expose my right side to the enemy. I could use my left hand, but the right was certainly more natural and would lead me to better fighting. The one handed style would be the correct way, I thought. It would prevent all the cumbersome maneuveruing around the saddle, and it might fix the problem with the slow impact.

I tried it now. I had the axe grasped in my right hand, and I had my enemy next to me. Tundra was being quite delightful in his behavior and held still while I lifted up my axe and lowered it down into the opponent. I came straight down, and I felt the force of the blow. It felt very good, moving very fast and very hard into the dummy's head. While I liked that force, I realised that it limited my options. A single step and they were out of the way. It also pulled me to the side a bit; if it were metal then it would likely have nearly thrown me to the ground. I tried instead a diagonal swing. Coming in at an angle let me aim for many different targets. I could aim for the neck, I could aim for the torso, I could do what I like. What I missed in force came back in versatility and difficulty in dodging. The problem came when I missed after swinging too high. The axe nearly hit Tundra. I had to think fast and stop it. Other than that, this seemed like the correct way to go.

[Lord of Cold]

??|40 TP

While great progress, this really settled very few problems. If I wanted to hold still and hit somebody, I could do that without the aid of a horse. The goal of Mounted Combat was to ride and move swiftly while bringing down my axe. If I could not swing my axe efficiently while Tundra galloped across the countryside, what was the point? Was it worth it to have my horse move into position, stop, and start attacking? Stopping takes so long, I would be leaving myself open to blows. And I would be in an awkward position with no obvious benefit. The only way to make good use of this was to get Tundra moving and see what it takes to kill from the back of a horse.

I started moving Tundra along. It wasn't that hard. He sped up with each consecutive spurring. I got into the rhythymn of the moving horse. Up and down, he went. While I am often one to ride in the style of those on the great plain, with my seat firmly planted in the saddle, but for a little while I posted up and down, trying to move with Tundra and adapt my body to his. I held my wooden axe in my right hand, with my hand choked up near the head for the moment, as to make it easy to control and not to hit my horse. That was really the only way to carry my axe if I was weary but not wanting to seem battle ready to those who were on the fence whether or not I was going to fight them.

I practiced changing my grip on the axe with one hand. It was pretty awkward. I had to put the head towards the ground and let go. Once it fell the desired the distance, I had to catch it. The worst part of it was that I had to keep watching where I was going while I did it. I tried it once, and dropped the thing to the ground. Obviously I let it fall too long. I had to give it a shorter drop, so I could catch the damn thing. As I slowed Tundra to a stop and picked it back up, I realized I should probably practice it while not moving a few times. I climbed back up and practiced sliding it through my hand, watching it and timing the fall. Once I got a good feel for it, we were back off and running and I was one step closer to effective mounted fighting.

Trying to keep the process moving forward, I rode Tundra at a decent clip, and titled the axe down, trying to change my grip. I did so relatively easily, shifting my head to the bottom so I could make wide swings. I went to move it the other way, with the axe head up. That was easier, as the head stopped me from moving it too far. Back and forth I juggled the axe as I rode around the area, getting used to the movement of it. I was getting comfortable with my weapon while on horseback. This is looking good.

[Celaena Kamyuja]

Plus Thirty

[Lord of Cold]

30|40 TP

They say 'do not wait to strike 'til the iron is hot, but make the iron hot by striking. And so it was. I had to begin swinging that hefty axe in a more violent manner while I rode if I ever wanted to learn a thing. I kept Tundra moving while I held the axe up, and I began to direct him again with my legs. It took a little bit to grow accustomed to it, I had to really over emphasise my movements to convince him to head over to the practice dummy. And yet he went. The force of my legs guiding him, shifting his frame towards my desired destination was sufficient. I did not need to even the lift the rein as he went.

As I went by the dummy I shifted the axe in the way that I had been praticing. Without looking it dropped nicely into my hand, and I held it at the thready. I lifted it and tried to swing, but was caught with more resistance than I expected. I hit hard down in the saddle midway through my swing, and suddenly the axe shook, almost out of my hand. My grip was too loose! It always seemed in practice that a loose grip allowed movement, it let you manipulate the blade well. You were only to tighten your grasp in preparation for impact. But this was a different case almost entirely.

In normal combat, the only thing which jars your hand is the enemy. So it is your strike on them and it is their parry which you must fear. But here it is not the case. For Tundra's movements, which I used earlier to lend me strength, are going about elesewhere, and it is rather cumbersome to try to control an axe like this while a horse shakes you and spins you all about. Perhaps I wasn't paying careufl enough attention to his rhythymns, or perhaps I just didn't realise how strong they were. But regardless, I took note that in mounted combat, your mount is a double-edged sword. At least.

So riding by again, I guided Tundra to move and paid attention to his rhythymns. Just as I hit the low point in the movement, I raised the axe up. I held it tight in my hand as I stood and came back down again, and then I began to swing immediately after. The result was better, but it was a staggered blow. I also managed to miss the target by a good foot, having swung too soon, but the problem I chose to focus on was the smoothness. I assumed accuracy would come naturally with some time and with some more strikes delivered.

As I tried again, I began to realise that the real trick in this was to move my whole body with my axe and with Tundra. If we all flowed, than it would not matter if I shook, I would shake the axe with me. And so I tried again, moving with Tundra to a greater extent, moving the axe as Tudnra moved and swinging down with Tundra's footstep. And it all seemed to come together. It was still a little slower than a normal swing of an axe, but it was much better. I thought I was ready for combat. But there was alot more to learn.

[Nira]

+10, learned.

[Lord of Cold]

SPOILER: Click to show

Mounted Evasion
Rank: "D", "C", "B", "A", "S"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: By fighting on and on, a Rider and their mount becomes more proficient when an attack may come by. This happens usually when the Rider becomes unable to see the attack. However by being in combat for so much they can feel when an attack is coming making them less able to be flanked.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A technique where the subconscious mind, where the subconscious body reacts just as they are attacked while flanked or while their back is turn. The body reacts in such a way to where they are capable of withstanding so much. This technique makes it where the Rider is incapable of being surprise attacked, a sudden second sense kicks in as their body screams out to them yelling at them telling them to move, duck, dodge or anything else within that manner. This works on whenever they are being attacked. This technique however has a major flaw. The Rider is capable of dodging only whenever the opponent's class is equal or lower to that of the rank of the technique they know. This means that a "D" Class Rider that knows this technique cannot use this against an opponent that is "C" Class or higher. The Mount shares the technique with the Rider as long as the Rider is on the mount.
Limit: Must be "Rider" of Mounted Combat. Must know Mounted Combat.

0|10

Combat! Combat is a long and loud song. It requires two to sing it; but many more may join. It is a full of sound and fury, and it is the holies endeavor upon which a man can embark. But for those who have seen it enough times, it is the same old procession, the same song. Although the parts are different, and sometimes one instrument of war is substituted for another, I have grown to realise that every battle is a repetition of the first battle. Every permutation of war is just that; a permutation of that which has already come. The natural rhythm of the human heart drives war; and as such, I have come to learn to dodge blows which I cannot see. A bowman seeks a certain silence, a swordsman a certain rhythm, an axe must rise before it can fall again, and all javelin throwers crave a special arch.

But when I fight I am not alone. Tundra's rhythm and mine must align. I do not have the opportunity other combatants have, to de-synchronize themselves from the battle and to become individual; to leave the collective mind that is the fray. For Tundra and I always are joined by the steady beating of eachother's hearts and movements. And as such we are always collective, always moving together. Because we are so used to becoming one being, it is not hard for us to become one with the combat. Just as my muscles now clench in anticipation of every step when I ride, so that the journey may be smooth, my muscles now jerk my head down when a stray arrow ought to be heading towards my head. Some call it paranoia; but I know it is more. It is the beautiful and unending song that is war. I know it from experience, and my partner will not let another tune cloud my thoughts. This world will never be at peace, but at least my mind will be at peace with war.

For I was riding Tundra around the countryside, when I noticed a fray. I saw two forces; one of brigands and one that looked like a mercenary band some of the merchants from my village had hired recently. On my civic duty and on my honor, I charged into battle, being the only mounted man present, there was a sort of noblesse oblige to take command of the battle and route the enemies of my comrades. I did so. The combat was glorious my axe rose and fell with every third step of Tundra, the swordsmen, while fumbling, swung their swords twice as fast as I could swing my axe. But it mattered not. By the speed and mobility of Tundra, I was able to enter and leave close combat. The fall of my axe came when I went into battle and when the swordsman was at his most vulnerable, and two steps from Tundra let me dodge every swing of his sword. It was a momentous day, and I began to realise the eternal glory of the mounted knight, and why the songs make so much more of he who buys a horse for war than he goes on foot.

[Dr. Neuro, RN]

+10

[Lord of Cold]

SPOILER: Click to show

Stabbing Resistance
Rank: "D", "C", "B", "A", "S"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: The Rider's body is trained to shrug off some damage caused by Piercing Wounds and their reflexes against such attacked are honed to perfection while on the mount.
Special: ---
Drawback: Does not work on Slashing, nor Bludgeoning attacks.
Description: The user can withstand piercing attacks more proficiently by moving away from the attack in some manner and becoming accustomed to the damage. The more the user learns the better they are able to maneuver. NOTE: Only works when the user is able to sway away from the attack in some capacity. A technique that is ideal for close combat, allowing the user to go toe to toe with the strongest foes in jousting tournaments without quickly succumbing to large amounts of damage. When first learned this technique gives the Armour a hardness of a 10 against Piercing Damage. Each time learned the hardness of the Armour increases by 5 giving a max of a Hardness 30 at "S" Rank.
Limit: Must be "Rider" of Mounted Combat. Must know Mounted Combat.

0|10 TP

The next day I took Tundra out for a ride. It was fair weather, so we rode on a forest trail on one of the mountains by the village. The trail proved to be unkempt. The branches had grown so low that one as tall as I am could hardly walk them, let alone ride on a horse of Tundra's magnitude. But none would say that Jorik of Ygnrid ran away from a handful of trees!

We came to an open area, so I urged Tundra to a run. And he ran! But quickly we came to more branches, and they hit me. It was not a pleasant feeling, as the long spindly branches scraped against me with great force. It was my own doing, and I knew that, but I dared not come down form this pace. Manliness would pull me through, I assured myself. But after a few minutes and being scratched and hit and thrown side to side, I felt that I was losing this battle with the forest. Perhaps manliness in and of itself was not the best asset in this activity? Perhaps I can adjust how I take the branches so that they do not prove quite so painful.

I came to another branch, on my left side, and noticed a small gap, not quite big enough for me to squeeze through. I shrugged my shoulder, turning slightly, so a thickly padded portion of my clothing and my shoulder would take the stick, whereas my face and my arm would be safe. Ir helped a fair amount, but I still found the blow irritating. The shrugging motion was interesting, so a practiced it a few more times. To the left and to the right, I dodged the majority of impacts. That was a technique one could use in the field of battle. To dodge arrows, or at least to make them hit you in your least vulnerable spots, perhaps even to dodge lances, make sure your opponent hits with a glancing blow, this strategy would be useful.

But, in the end, nobody could dodge every single blow. At some final level, there was going to have to be endurance. And so I continued my efforts at dodging, but I urged Tundra onwards. Through the forest, around corners, around a small spring, over hills and through an abandoned cabin we rode, taking blows all the way as I braced against the forces of nature. It felt good, on some level. I knew I was gaining  straighten. I felt one branch cut my face slightly, a small line of blood trickling slowly down below my eye, but I cared not. Each and every blow was strengthening me. The process went on for a few hours, and when I returned home, Sieward asked me what had happened. I told him that the forests are more wild than we had ever though, and he let me be. As I slept I could feel my body recovering, my muscles growing back stronger, and my skin growing back thicker.

[Dr. Neuro, RN]

+10

[Lord of Cold]

SPOILER: Click to show

Empathic Link
Rank: "C" - Both Times
Skill: TaiJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: The bond the Rider shares with their mount allows them to sense each other's emotions.
Special: ---
Drawback: Works only on the current mount the Rider is with. Must learn per mount.
Description: The rider develops an Empathic Link with their mount. The link's distance is only within the same thread with that Mount. The Rider cannot see through their steed's eyes, but they can sense their feeling.
Limit: Must be "Rider" of Mounted Combat. Must know Riding (Master).

0|30

Over time, Tundra and I have grown closer. I have begun to understand the nature of the beast which I rode. Certainly, I could predict his mood, his response to enviormental hazards, and I had even begun to trust him to do the same for me. He seemed to know I was going to want to go faster before I could even articulate that want. And so, the relationship we shared was growing more and more efficient.

As Lord Yukikage I rode Tundra through the street, checking in on my citizens. An old lady, who seemed to be living in one of the destroyed and deserted buidlings on the edge of the village, came out of her house when she saw me. She was begging on her knees, she was hungry and cold, she needed money. I told her that I would try to help her, and she replied that she thought she had something I would want in return.

Her offer was simple; she would bind the Tundra's soul and my soul together.

She took me into a tent, and it was a strange thing. I realised she was a mystic from the land of Wind. No wonder she seemed so out of place, and no wonder she was not prepared for the winter times. But, they did have a strange relationship with beasts in that land. I had learned a few tricks from Chinooks in my day. For example, they pulled back on the leg they were about to turn towards. That way, they claimed, the horse would feel the weight, and would begin thinking in the same direction as you.

She started a fire in the tent, and it filled with smoke. Tundra seemed a little uneasy in the setting. Tents were new to him. But, it was big enough that it seemed a bit like a stable. The mystic heated a bottle and handed it to me, and I took a drink of it, and then she put a little down in a bucket, and I convinced Tundra to drink of it as well.

Suddenly, my mind was gone from the place. Visions of various kinds flew before me. I saw the meadow, the tundra, the dessert. I saw the endless sky, I saw what it was to be among a herd of greathorses, and I saw what it was to run across the plains. I tasted the sweetness as horse tastes in grass, and I felt the pride of a leader of a great herd of horses. I felt the weight of a saddle and the burden of man. I felt the bonds of domestication, the feeling of forced behaviour, the feeling of desire to obey as well as the desire to run off and leave to the birds whatever it was that was holding me down. I felt the euphoria of when the orders I was given and my own desires aligned; when the weight on me seemed to run beside me as I went. I felt the gut-wrenchign difficulty of walking into a place where I did not want to go. I felt the terror of riding a boat as a horse, the ground shifting beneath me, strange sites off on the horizon, and men moving all about, grasping at ropes and thoughts.

Through all this, I felt that I suddenly had communed with Tundra. My eyes momently returned to me, and I could see Tundra swaying and moving unnaturally. I think he had the same experience of me. I staggered over to him and began petting him while the mystic smiled. I understood Tundra, I felt that I could connect with him on another level. Perhaps I knew all this all along, but in that moment, I managed to compile in my head an understanding of what Tundra's conciousness looked like. I wondered where this could take me.