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 Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:48 am
It had been a thought on Hel’s mind for a while, and it wasn’t something she truly cared to pursue further until she arrived at the Academy. Coming from a family of valkyries, it was a given, a norm, if you will, that they could all fly. When they charged into battle, it was still a given that they could all fly. Carrying another wasn’t something a valkyrie thought about, unless they were injured…well…here at the Academy, Hel was a lot more aware that a lot of her friends couldn’t fly. Was this a big deal for them? Probably not. Was this a big deal to her? Yes.
See…Hel was lacking in an ability that all her other sisters could accomplish with ease…she couldn’t carry anyone in flight.
Do you know how beneficial it could possibly be if she could!?
She had remembered Jericho then, the dragon boil who was their school treasurer and his massive wing span. It was then the thought came to Hel, that if anyone could train her to fly with weight…he would be her best option. Not to mention he left a great first impression on the reaper, so she didn’t feel inadequate seeking out his…assistance! After pinging him a few questions over GroanSpring (wow, that thing was really useful, why did she go so long without it?), the reaper was now standing outside the monster dorms, hands on her hips.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:53 am
Quite frankly, Jericho was somewhat amused with the request for flight assistance. He had already taught Israfel how to fly, and was working on doing the same for Riley. It was like he was the school's unofficial flight instructor or something like that. That aside, he was also curious. He was certain that Hel already was able to fly on her own, so her request must be for something different.
It was hard to say what that was exactly.
In any case, he was about to find out as he exited the monster dorms to find the Valkyrie out there waiting.
"Heya Hel!" he greeted while jogging up to close the gap between them, "I see you've recovered well from the trip."
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:13 am
Hel perked up when Jericho came into sight, offering a small grim to the dragon boil as he approached.
“Jericho!” She returned in greeting. “Good to see you again friend. Also, a very belated congratulations on winning your office. Things have been busy, eh?” At the comment about the field trip, the reaper rolled her shoulders and grinned a bit more, though it seemed a bit exasperated. “I think I’m one of the few, honestly…” Her brows furrowed. “Everyone else is still hesitant to take action, but there are things that need to be done, you know?”
It was here, that Hel’s voice shifted, taking on a raspier edge, and if anyone knew a certain cowboil…Hel sounded like Mot with a Nordic accent right now. “No Hel, I do not want to battle or train for a long while…” The reaper rolled her hand as she mimicked the cowboil, and then made a sour face, dropping the tone. “Bah…” Successful having gone off on a tangent, the ghoul straightened and regarded Jericho once more. “I need to do what I can to become better. The reason I have asked for your assistance today is…well…I am not capable of carrying another during flight at the moment…and I believe it would be a rather beneficial skill to have…”
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:25 am
Nodding to her in thanks for the congratulations, Jericho raised an eyebrow as she did an impersonation of someone... Was that... Mot? He couldn't quite tell. But it was a little odd, if not amusing, to say in the least. If it was the cowboy, he assumed that the guy was not quite willing to get into spars and whatnot. That came off as a surprise to him, considering what happened on the fieldtrip and all.
"It is pretty handy. So you're looking to build up strength in your wings then? No problem," he replied while taking a moment to think about what they could do here, "Come follow me. I think I know what we can do to start you off. Go ahead and warm up while I get things ready."
He walked off for some distance, until he reached an area that had a few stones here and there. These were some of the stones used with Calder for the kelpie's training. The dragon went on to set these all into one pile. The stones themselves were maybe 10-30 pounds each, varying in sizes and all, but there was a fair number of them. There might have been one or two more around 50 pounds as well.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:04 pm
Hel smacked a fist on her palm. “Ah, yes! That is it exactly!” Yes, coming to Jericho was the right idea, and he even seemed prepared already!
The reaper followed after him, and once they arrived at a certain area, looking around at all the rocks. Hmm. Hel rubbed her cheek thoughtfully, but then set to warming up for right now. She stretched out her legs, arms, and torso, and then stretched out her wings. Once she was finished, she turned to regard the boil, eager to start. “I am ready!”
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:13 pm
By the time Hel was all set, Jericho had the task ready as well. He went ahead and walked about thirty feet away from where the stone pile was.
"Alrighty then. Here's what we're going to do. You're to fly those stones from that pile to where I'm standing one at a time. The only times you're allowed to land are at the pile and at this ending point," he instructed, "Feel free to pace yourself however. Oh. And if you end up touching the ground in the middle area... twenty pushups."
That sounded fair to him.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:31 pm
The reaper listened to intently to Jericho was he explained the procedure, looking back and forth between him and the stone pile that consisted of the 10-30 pound stones. Hmmm…this seemed very reasonable and fair! Hel could understand what she was to get out of this challenge, and of course should she falter, she’d be punished for it, with pushups. This kind of training was something the valkyrie responded to very well.
Hel gave the dragon boil a grin and a firm nod of her head, and leapt into the air, flapping her wings to stay aloft. She zoomed over to the stone pile, but hesitated as she looked down at the stones. She should take the bigger ones first? Should she take the smaller ones first? Each had its pros and cons…so the valkyrie decided to take a small one first, just to test it out. She plucked a simple 10 pound one from the pile, and brought it over to where Jericho was, dropping to her feet and placing it down before going back into the air and going to retrieve another one…a heavier one this time. Hel picked it up with ease, but as soon as she tried leaping into the air with it, she came right back down.
Oh…she leapt into the air again, flapping her wings harder this time…and managed to stay hovering…just hovering though. She lugged the stone over to where Jericho was…
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:50 pm
Standing by, Jericho watched as Hel got to work. She had no problems getting the first stone over, but it seemed that the next one she grabbed was a little more difficult for her. Then again, she had fairly small wings comparatively. This probably meant she needed to do a little more work to gain lift and to stay airborne.
"Pace yourself. No need to burn up all your energy before hand."
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:59 pm
“Pace myself?” The valkyrie echoed, landing near Jericho as she dropped the 30 pound stone near where the other one was. She took back into the air again, and flew back over to the pile where she picked up another smaller one. “But if I get the task done quickly, that is good, right?”
She returned with the smaller rock with ease, dropping that into the pile that was slowly starting to take shape. She flew back over to the larger pile, hovering above the stones uncertainly once more before picking up another 30 pound one. Like before, she was struggling, but when she leapt back into the air, she made sure to flap her wings harder as to stay in the air. “Bah…to think I’d need to be able to lift like…three of those ones…” She tossed her head in the direction of the 50 pound stones, “Just to equal a student…”
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 1:03 pm
"That depends on how you look at it. If you rush too much, you might not have the energy to finish the task," Jericho pointed out while he continued to watch her transfer the rocks from the other end to over by where he stood.
"And you'll get there eventually. Gotta work your way up to being able to do that."
The dragon had a few other exercises in mind as well that could help her. But right now, this would do. The other things he had planned would likely have to wait until her wings were a little stronger before he could throw it at her.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 1:12 pm
“Ah…well, this is true…” More shuffling of stones back and forth…Hel’s breathing was coming a bit harder than usual.
“…How does one exactly pace themselves in a task like this?” The valkyrie gave a short laugh as she kept on taxiing the stones back and forth. Hel was more about trying to get things done as quickly as she could, so this whole pacing thing was a new subject.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 1:14 pm
Jericho took a moment to think about the answer before giving it, "Well you could touch down at either end for a few seconds to let your muscles relax after doing a few runs. I wouldn't rest too long, but it's just there so your body isn't constantly working throughout the entire exercise."
"Also if you need water at any point, let me know. I'll fetch a bottle."
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 1:18 pm
“Ah I see…alright…I shall give it a try.” It seemed to make sense. Hel understood that she shouldn’t idle for too long as well, because then it’d make it harder to continue the exercise.
The valkyrie made a conscious effort to take a break after a few trips back and forth, taking the time to take some deep breaths and stretch out her wings before she resumed. “That is very kind of you friend! I shall let you know if I take you up on that offer…” Aside from the carrying around task, Hel’s mind was left to wander a bit. “…Say…Jericho…?” The reaper furrowed her brows. “You do not think I am unreasonable for wanting to jump back into training so soon after the field trip, do you?”
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 1:22 pm
Since Hel had the idea there, the dragon just watched her silently, being ready should she need some water or anything like that. When she spoke up, he glanced towards her, before shaking his head.
"I don't think so, no. You weren't injured badly like some of the other students from what I could tell. I wouldn't be too surprised if there's a few who need a little extra time to recover," he said before letting out a sigh, "And I mean that in both a mental and physical way. I imagine the trip has taken a bit of an emotional toll for a few of you guys.."
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:24 am
The reaper was relieved to hear from someone who actually agreed with her!
“I know…I mean…I understand…but at the same time.” Hel’s brows furrowed as she dropped off a particularly heavy rock, and paused a moment to stretch once more. “…The experiences we had…they should create the resolve to do better…to be better…and so far, all I am seeing is a lot of hesitation. It’s discouraging. But I will be training, at least.” Hel took off again, going down the line to get another rock.
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