Some of Tal's nervousness had fallen away while they talked, and he had stopped worrying so much about the recruits and soldiers in the rest of the yard. Pale eyes were drawn to the Sword like magnets to iron, as eager as a pup to prove himself to the seasoned warrior, blessed by the gods and rich in magic. Tal lapped up each word, but at the lesson's point he wrinkled his nose, nodding reluctant agreement. "Yeah... that's usually the problem..."
And it was one he was going to have to solve, as the debris danced and shifted on Deimos's magical strings. Tal swallowed hard and hefted the axe, eyes darting to the different options. He knew his limitations, and the speedy ones were beyond them. There was a large chunk of canvas and wooden frame that paused and then jerked unpredictably, but Tal's gaze lit on it and he grinned suddenly, stepping forward with twisting shot that whirled around his head once to gather momentum as his feet charged ahead, closing the distance with determination to get so close that the target couldn't move far enough out of the way fast enough no matter which way it dodged before the axe sank deep into its structure with a satisfying crack of wood and tearing of fabric.
It wasn't a tactic that would work on the smaller bits of flotsam and jetsam in the air, but it had worked on the largest one available, and Tal turned to grin proudly at Deimos, waiting for the praise and improvements that had come from each lesson before.
And it was one he was going to have to solve, as the debris danced and shifted on Deimos's magical strings. Tal swallowed hard and hefted the axe, eyes darting to the different options. He knew his limitations, and the speedy ones were beyond them. There was a large chunk of canvas and wooden frame that paused and then jerked unpredictably, but Tal's gaze lit on it and he grinned suddenly, stepping forward with twisting shot that whirled around his head once to gather momentum as his feet charged ahead, closing the distance with determination to get so close that the target couldn't move far enough out of the way fast enough no matter which way it dodged before the axe sank deep into its structure with a satisfying crack of wood and tearing of fabric.
It wasn't a tactic that would work on the smaller bits of flotsam and jetsam in the air, but it had worked on the largest one available, and Tal turned to grin proudly at Deimos, waiting for the praise and improvements that had come from each lesson before.
