Tag Archives: Isabeau Bo

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #7

A thousand points?!  No way, way too much!  Even though a small win would be outstanding, a wager that large is not even close to being worth the risk.  Metcalf didn’t even try to hide her reluctance.  The amount may have been reasonable for Isabeau.  The top students had many more points to play with.  For Metcalf, a big loss at those stakes would set her down to zero.

“If that’s too much, we can change the amount.”  Isabeau’s expression showed as well.  This made no sense.  Metcalf was wasting her talents here.  She had seen students gambling points in training centers; the competition it created.  Even when students worked together, they never stayed in this arena for as long as Metcalf, Naoh, or Koh.

The students here usually had no other way to get the extra points they desperately needed.  They had to win Academy Points or face expulsion, utter failure, and disgrace.  There were no other options.  Their future, their hopes, the free life of an academy student, the honor of a Protector, everything depended winning.

Most only knew the basics but they used those basics in ways never taught in the classrooms.  They fought hard for those points, the fiercest competition she had ever seen.  At times, more inventive students happened upon variations of advanced strategies and techniques.  Isabeau only hoped to gleam some of the techniques to use as her own.

At the end of the mid-season, the winners and losers were determined.  Losers never came back, expelled after the final.  Winners rarely came back, not wanting to fight in the Training Center again unless it was absolutely necessary.  Metcalf stayed in this environment and thrived.  True, Metcalf was low in the student rankings but only because she wasted her time here playing for tens and twenties.

Isabeau had no doubt that Metcalf would win with the proper incentive.  More points meant a stronger fight, right?  She was pretty much giving Metcalf points for the honor of a challenge.  But, if a thousand points a target was too much, “What about five hundred?”

Well.  Maybe, less than that. Though it was definitely more reasonable, it was quite a lot more than usual.  So much, much more than Metcalf had ever played for before.  Isabeau could be using a negotiating tactic; starting unreasonably high so that a sucker could suggest something unusually high.  Things rarely ended well for the sucker.  Metcalf was having no more of this. “Two fifty,” she spoke with certainty.  It still could be a trap.  The amount was well more than double what she expected to bet, but it was still recoverable if she lost.  However, that was her final offer, no higher.

Two fifty?!  Metcalf is definitely showing her a lot of respect.  But if that’s the way she wants it, “Deal.”  Such a low bet.  She was going to be very upset if she won.

The negotiations finished, they waited for their number to be called.  They sat without speaking for a while.  Sometimes, the wagers were the hardest part of the challenges.  They both wanted their way, and each had to flex their wills to get it.  It was especially tough for the nicer students.  If they became friends later, it would be great.  It was never certain though.  After the awkward silence, Isabeau suggested they eat somewhere after the mid-season.

“Sure,” Metcalf said without hesitation.  She was still a growing young lady of course.  She loved to eat.  Also, she could ask her about a few special techniques.  Such a high ranked student had to know some techniques that only the Quarter Masters taught.

“I’ll give you my contact after this.”

#1 – Lost and Found #6 – Lost and Found #8

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #6

Metcalf and Isabeau walked quietly to the preparation area, a separate room above and behind the seating area of the shooting range.  Often the challengers created quite a bit of noise while preparing for their matches.  Armor would bump.  Ammunition would fall.  The challengers would talk.  Behind the soundproof wall, they could do what they needed without disturbing the observers.

Once inside preparation area, they could relax.  Having been there many times, they knew exactly what to do.  The first thing was to select the height of the towers they were to stand on.  Taller towers were safer, of course, but made for harder targeting.  Metcalf selected the tallest tower setting, Isabeau did the same.

Then, they selected the weapons they would use for the challenge.  It was common for a student to have two or more different sets of weapons.  One weapon was never good enough for all situations.  When long distance weapons were used, they needed to be effective for the situation.

It was an easy choice for Metcalf.  Her short bow, Blue, was her primary distance weapon.  Its size was quite deceptive as the draw strength was unnaturally great.  She needed to use her motion energy skills to pull the string far enough to fire.

The Seeds, Metcalf’s collection of seed shaped throwing knives, were more for mid-range fighting.  Rasz and Black were dead weight in this case.  Keeping any of these weapons on her armor would only add unneeded weight.  They were better kept in her gear bag.

Isabeau’s choice in this matter was even easier than Metcalf’s.  She had only one long range weapon.  Her ash colored crossbow, matched her armor perfectly.  Hummer looked like any other crossbow except there was an empty space under the loading area.  The long hole was surrounded by a sliding contraption with two silver circles at the front.

The next matter was to select the students they wanted the training-bots to imitate.  The school kept track of each student’s fighting style and abilities.  The only thing different about the bots was energy abilities.  It was impossible for the bots to use them.  Wanting this to be a short battle, both Metcalf and Isabeau chose the most aggressive students they knew.

Preparations complete, they had a bit of time to wait while they stood in queue.  Metcalf was very curious about how Hummer worked.  Blue was quite basic, but Hummer seemed almost like old and new technology combined.  “I thought crossbows were only good at short ranges.”

Isabeau noticed Metcalf was interested in her weapon.  Taking ideas from another student’s design was natural.  Everyone in the training center wanted an edge, something to help them get to the next level.  “Most are, but this one is special,” she said as she gestured to trade weapons with Metcalf while they waited.  Metcalf agreed.  “Hummer’s draw strength is incredibly strong.  I need this machine to pull the string back.”  She pointed at the sliding contraption Metcalf noticed earlier.

“How did the Founders to approve this?”  Metcalf asked.  Hummer seemed too much like a gun.

It was the Grand Master’s philosophy that Protectors should use their skills in some way in almost every aspect of combat.  Guns and blasters required little to no skill, only steady hands.  Even a slightly trained Commoner can master their use.  Protectors were called in to save Commoners.  Commoners didn’t need the kind of help they could give each other.

“It was Forge Master Sef’s idea.  He said it was alright if I powered it myself.”  She held out her gloved hand.  The glove was covered in rubber everywhere except the top of her index finger and thumb, the two points that would be in contact with the silver buttons on Hummer.  Instead those fingers were tipped with silver.  With a brief amount of focus, she caused quite a very large spark between them.  “Something about a loophole in the rules,” she said smiling.  The spark lasted a half second more, then died.

“Nice,” was her immediate reaction, then she thought about the personal implications.  “Does it hurt?”

“Not really,” Isabeau stopped and corrected herself. “Yes,” she said definitely, “but when you expect the shock, you can brace for it.”  Isabeau took her time inspecting Blue, amazed at its simplicity.  For a short bow, Blue was surprisingly heavy, like really heavy.  She pulled at the string with all her might, almost to the point of looking comical.  Even at the point of breaking a sweat, she simply could not move it more than half a millimeter.  “I think Forge Master Lai designed some special armor for his great, great grand niece using the same type of technology.  Makes her faster and stronger.”

Metcalf thought back to Naoh and how fast she moved and how utterly she defeated her opponent in the three strike drill before, “Yeah.”

“Ok.  Last points of business.”

“Right almost forgot,” she said honestly.  They were having fun and almost immediately became friends.  However, they would not be there at all if they were not wagering Academy Points.  So what was the amount, twenty per target?  That would be recoverable if she lost.  Surely, a hundred points per target would have to be the most anyone would want to bet.  That would be a fantastic start for the day if she won.

“How does a thousand points sound?”

#1 – Lost and Found #5 – Lost and Found #7

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #5

Isabeau and Metcalf continued to discuss and comment on random parts of each other’s history as they walked to the shooting range.  Isabeau admired the thought of Metcalf becoming a stealthy warrior.  She had heard of a few missions that required skills in being unseen and untraceable.  There were classes designed specifically to teach those skills in the Field Quarter, once Metcalf had the time.

Metcalf on the other hand had second thoughts about accepting the challenge so hastily.  She was unfazed by the presumed skill the regular participants groomed themselves with.  However, Isabeau did not need to be there at all.  She in the top eighty percent, almost an Aspirant!  One does not reach that point without authentic skill.  Metcalf was going to have to step up her game to even have a chance at winning.

Walking through the doorway, the commotion of the melee training area was nearly shut out behind the closing door.  Isabeau and Metcalf took numbers onto their handhelds and walked to the back of the enormous seating area to prepare their weapons.  The near silence revealed a completely different culture than that of the melee training area.

The ranged training area held a different type of madness.  There were no grunts, clanging metal, or cheers of encouragement to the challengers.  Instead, there was a deep silence held as all spectators watched; studying everything about the challengers.  Most of the students were there for pure observation.  They would record what they saw to practice the techniques later.

Two combatants stood on opposite sides of the testing platform on colored pillars indicating their team color.  One student had a long wooden staff, taller than he was.  It had to be about six centimeters.  He swung it to launch discs at his targets.  It had some kind of pump action reloading system.  The exact operations of the staff escaped her from so far away.

From his motions, the other student seemed to have a tiny blow gun.  It was invisible to her.  She only saw brief glints of the darts in the light.  His targets were definitely falling though.  No doubt the two combatants used their energy skills to aid their aiming.  They hardly missed and reloaded almost instantly.

This was the reality for Sword Mint Academy Students.  They must strive for perfection.  Guns and blasters were greatly frowned upon by the Grand Master.  He considered them solely for Commoners.  However, the ranged weapons available to them had to be just as effective.  A missed shot or a slow shot would be very costly on the field.  All the students needed to use the most effective techniques for any shot.  Body stance, target choice, and reload strategy influenced each other and were key to hitting a mark.

The combatants towered over a maze of boxes and short walls.  They launched projectiles from their nearly silent weapons at training robots pretending to be melee forces from either team.  The training bots impersonated students as they fought each other to reach the opposing team’s pillar.  The challengers tried to defend their pillar while assisting their bots.

Metcalf and Isabeau’s weapons were nothing like those of the challengers’.  They had little interest in the battle and quickly made their way to the back of the seating to prepare for the contest.

#1 – Lost and Found #4 – Lost and Found #6