Snow Angel: Chapter 6

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Chapter 6: Awkward

Snow's whole life changes when the winter solstice arrives.

 

“She what?!” I snarled, shattering the clay mug in my hand.

 


 
Author's Note: Since I was feeling good enough to get out of bed for a few hours, here's chapter 6 of Snow Angel. Thanks to Big Closet and to all my readers for your support. I hope you all enjoy. Further chapters are available on Patreon.~Amethyst.
 


 
Chapter 6: Awkward

As soon as we returned to Infirmary One we placed our new clothes and weapons on the beds that had been assigned to us for the duration of our stay at Eden Base. I looked at the sword lying there for a long while, taking in its appearance and wondering what I had done to be stuck with something like that. Why couldn’t I have gotten something delicate and pretty like Autumn had?

No, my weapon was huge, utilitarian, sturdy, and had a hilt meant for two hands. Except for its sheer size, nothing was interesting about it. It was so long that I had to wear it at an angle, not only to draw it properly but also so it didn’t drag along the ground. I guessed that if I put the tip on the ground that the pommel would be around eye-level and the blade was as wide as the length of my hand from wrist to fingertips. It was thick too, thicker than my fist in the middle before gradually becoming razor-sharp at the edges and tip. It was a weapon for hacking, impaling, and using brute strength to one’s advantage.

I barely noticed when the others stopped gushing about their new gear and Karina jabbed me in the ribs. “Hey, Snow, I know that’s a pretty badass weapon but we have things to do. I have no idea how you managed to draw that monster one-handed like you did, but you can get to know it better later. We should all get cleaned up and looking presentable for when the other recruits arrive if we want to make a decent first impression.”

“I… uhh… sorry, girls,” I replied after a moment. She was right. Apparently, having your body completely rebuilt is a messy and sweaty process and, while Sira had given me occasional sponge baths while I was in my haze of agony for three days, I still felt pretty gross and wanted to clean up properly before we met anyone new.

With that in mind, I followed the others into the lavatory and the showers that awaited us within. For the first time in my life, getting clean didn’t make me feel wrong or hate myself. Looking at or touching my body didn’t fill me with that familiar sense of self-loathing because I didn’t have that horrible thing between my legs or broad shoulders and flat chest. It felt like my body for the first time ever and I took the time to explore and familiarize myself with it as we washed.

My mind slipped gradually away from my new weapon as I lathered my soft skin and ample curves. My breasts were a bit more than a handful and filled me with pride and a strange sort of excitement that reminded me of when I got turned on in the past but without that hideous thing between my legs making its presence uncomfortably known. Instead, my nipples got really hard and I could feel this pleasant warmth building up between my legs. Curious, I started to lather the folds down there as well, only to be greeted with a pleasant feeling as my fingertips brushed something that felt like a small nub.

I let out a tiny moan of pleasure and could feel my cheeks flushing as it caught the attention of my three companions and Autumn and Karina teased me about finding the magic button. After that, I finished washing as quickly as I could, though my much longer hair took a lot of work to clean thoroughly. At least I wasn’t alone in that since Autumn’s hair was as long as my own when out of the braids that she had had them in when we first met.

Things probably would have taken even longer but there was the liquid soap and something that Sira had told us was called a conditioning shampoo that made things faster and, in addition to getting us clean, kept us smelling nice as well. They weren’t anything like the rough bars of soap that I was used to using for cleaning. Sira had told us that they were made by Alchemists in the capital and would keep our skin and hair both soft and healthy.

They were among many things that the capital sent every month as supplies from the taxes earmarked for the Angel Corps. The monthly supply airship contained things like that soap and shampoo, various everyday supplies and raw materials, fish from the Missippi River, and things like eggs, milk, and other dairy products from the farms around the capital. There were so many new and strange things that Sira had introduced us to or told us about and the capital sounded amazing, I couldn’t wait to see it first hand.

Autumn took longer than me washing up since she had to use a knife to shave the stubble growing at the sides of her head to just over the height of the arch of her eyebrows, but once she was finished she found the rest of us drying off. We didn’t even need to use towels to dry off, well not too much, since there were these floor-to-ceiling metal grates just outside the shower that we could stand in front of that blew warm air to dry us off when they were activated. It took a while to get our hair dry this way, and we had to be careful to comb out any tangles, but it was a lot faster than using a towel for everything.

I was watching the Fay deftly split and then braid her hair into over two dozen separate braids, weaving in dark green beads and leaf-like ornaments when the shaved sides of her head made me think of something. Male Animen often didn’t shave anything, to them, it was getting closer to their animal roots. A lot of women only allowed hair to grow on their heads, ears, and tails, they shaved their legs and under their arms whenever they had need though because they liked the feel of the air or soft clothes on bare skin and it looked cleaner and more attractive to them. I hadn’t started growing facial hair yet but I had begun shaving any leg or body hair that I grew just like the women of the village to look more feminine.

As we were washing and drying I couldn’t help but notice that none of my companions had needed to do so today. Neither had I, which was a bit surprising after 3 days in bed. Sira had offered to program our nanites to remove any hair in undesirable areas but, like a lot of the things that she had told us, I just hadn’t thought it possible at first. I guess that it wasn’t an uncommon request, even Human women in the capital shaved their unwanted body hair and Sira said that the tradition went back to the old world since she remembered women in the base doing so back then. The only one of us who had declined the offer was Autumn because the Fay don’t grow body hair.

For a moment before getting dressed I just smiled and admired my smooth legs, even the area between them, my arms, and underarms had no hair to speak of. It felt so nice as I put my new clothes on. Even the unfamiliar and snug panties felt nice against my skin, though wearing the strange undergarment was nothing like the loose and shifting coverage of a loincloth. The bra was strange and it took a while to get the hang of it; I had to put my arms through the loops, fasten the clasp behind me, and then adjust everything so that my breasts were settled in the cups and everything was straight. But as strange as these undergarments were they were comforting, like a constant reminder that I was now a woman like I had always dreamed of.

The dress, socks, and boots were much easier to put on and very comfortable once they were on. They were utilitarian and comfortable but showed off my new figure nicely. It wasn’t my first time wearing a dress but it was the first time doing it as myself and I couldn’t help but smile as I gave a twirl, making the skirt spin and my long hair whip around, before posing for the others. I couldn’t help it, now that I was finally me I was filled with this sense of euphoria, and not even my enormous masculine weapon could dim that excitement completely.

“Looking good, Snow, but maybe you should braid your hair with it being so long?” Lisbet commented.

“Hey, braids are my thing,” Autumn teased as she worked on finishing her braids so she could get dressed. She was the only one of us not dressed yet, not that she seemed at all uncomfortable sitting in front of us naked. I had heard that the Fay didn’t have many taboos regarding nudity or sex but it was a bit surprising to see firsthand. The Devilkin were similar in that regard so it seemed that only Lisbet and I were uncomfortable with her casual nudity.

I didn’t know about Lisbet but I was a little embarrassed just showering with the other girls, especially with their friendly teasing about the magic button. It didn’t help that I seemed to find my new friends attractive either. Before, I had tried never to think about that sort of thing since the physical reactions to it in my old body made me want to vomit. Now though, I didn’t have that disgust or dissonance with my body to get in the way and I found myself liking what I saw in those few brief daring glances that I had taken. It was making Autumn’s current state of undress very distracting too.

She wasn’t as voluptuous as Karina or Lisbet were now but her tall and slender body was graceful and had a sort of natural charm to it. She was also very pretty in an exotic way. How was I going to deal with this? We were friends, or at the very least well on our way to becoming so, and I didn’t want to make things awkward for any of us.

“Huh?” I asked, turning my head away from the naked Fay working on the last of her braids to look at Karina. She had just whispered something in my ear and while I wasn’t paying enough attention to catch what she said completely, my ear had turned toward the sound enough to catch her warm breath.

“I said that I can tie your hair back if you want me to, Snow,” Karina repeated, then she nudged me in the side with her elbow. “A little distracted, huh? Autumn and I won’t mind if you look you know, and there’s nothing wrong with liking girls that way. Most Fay and a lot of Devilkin are attracted to both genders.”

I could feel my cheeks burning. “I… uhh… I mean….”

“We had some time to get to know one another a bit while you were still going through your changes, Snow. Autumn and Karina are both into guys and girls and while I don’t see the appeal in girls myself, I don’t really care who you’re attracted to, it doesn’t change who we are inside,” Lisbet pointed out as she handed Karina a pretty blue ribbon from her belongings.

“Just relax, none of us are going to get upset at you for finding us attractive, in fact, I think Autumn has been taking her time on purpose for your sake,” the Devilkin girl said with a laugh as she took the ribbon and began to tie my hair back in a high ponytail. “I think she’s going to try to lure you in for some kissing and snuggling at some point.”

“What?!” I hissed back at her, trying not to get the attention of the Fay in question.

“I want to get to know you better, Snowy, and kissing and cuddling while we talk and spend time together is a good way to do that. My people are really big on physical affection,” the Fay explained as she started to get dressed, proving that she had indeed heard me.

“Wait, Snowy?” I blurted out in confusion.

“Yep, that’s what I’m calling you now. Karina is nice to snuggle with and I think you will be too. Lisbet isn’t really interested in more than hugs and such, and if you really feel the same then I promise that I won’t go any further than that with you, as I have with her. Somehow though, I think you won’t object. It’s not like we’ll be able to do more than kissing and cuddling for the next three years anyway,” Autumn offered with a shrug after she had managed to get into her bra.

“Umm… I think I’m okay with that kind of thing. I mean, we can at least try it and see how it goes, but I don’t think I’m ready for anything more than that yet. I need to figure out a lot of things about myself, I think. What do you mean we can’t do more for the next three years though?” I asked in confusion.

Lisbet was the one to answer my question, well somewhat anyway. “Things were boring here under lockdown while you were out, so when Autumn wasn’t trying to get us into group snuggles we spent a lot of time with Rose’s or Talea’s teams or with Sira’s avatar. They gave us an idea of what to expect at the academy.”

“We’ll be taking classes to learn reading and writing and all sorts of other stuff for half of the day, and our trainer will be teaching us combat for the rest. We’ll be at the academy for three years and while we’re there, there are rules that we have to follow,” Karina added as she sat on my bed beside me. “Rule one: No sex. Completely aside from the possibility of pregnancy, they want us to be focusing on our studies and not the drama that can come with physical relationships that have gone too far.”

“Rule two: No fighting amongst one another,” Lisbet added. “We’re all Angels, so we’re supposed to be brothers and sisters in arms. If one training team has issues with another then we’re supposed to talk to our trainer, who will arrange for a team-on-team battle to put the problem to rest. Weapons in these battles will be set to non-lethal and the winners get to decide on how to address the problem between the two teams. No matter who wins, it’s over after the battle, and holding grudges is discouraged.”

Autumn had finished getting her clothes on and sat on my other side, nuzzling me with a sigh as she said, “And then there’s my personal favorite, Snowy, rule three: All students are to act in a way consistent with a member the Angel Corps. Follow all orders given by a team leader, trainer or teacher when given, help others, protect the defenseless, and when in the public eye act with decorum and protect the secrets of the Corps.”

I had to force myself to focus on the Fay’s words rather than the fact that her body was so close to mine, and how nice that felt. Fortunately, I managed to listen and I was considering what we would be in for at the academy when Lisbet interrupted my musings. “Come on, girls, it’s time for lunch, we can talk to Snow and get to know her better while eating. And if you simply must cuddle to do that then you can sit beside her, Autumn,” she said with a teasing grin.

~o~O~o~

We were in the middle of eating lunch, with Autumn sitting as close to me as our seats would allow when two people entered the busy cafeteria. The first was a pretty girl around the same age as me and my current table companions. She was wearing a really fancy-looking dark blue dress and white boots and had bright pink hair falling just down past her shoulders.

The other woman looked maybe a few years older than us but there was no mistaking who she was, not to me anyway. She had a very familiar weapon slung over her shoulder and if you took away the age lines, well, I knew who it was instantly. I would know that face anywhere, even if it wasn’t so similar to my new one. I let out a happy squeal and practically jumped out of my seat to run and hug the woman who, until recently, I had known as my Aunt Abby.

“Whoa! Somebody got strong,” she practically wheezed in my arms. I could tell that she wasn’t angry with me though.

The same could not be said for the pink-haired girl beside us. “What do you think you’re doing?! Do you have any idea who this is?!”

Her tone wasn’t just angry, it was downright condescending and I could feel my ears flattening and my tail bristling in response. I turned to glare at her, looking her dead in those pink eyes of hers and barely keeping myself from growling at her. “No,” I snapped sarcastically, “I just go hugging random people who I don’t know all the time. You’re lucky it wasn’t you that I saw first.”

She was staring at me in disbelief, and I didn’t particularly care whether it was out of shock that I talked back or from what I had said. I didn’t give her time to do more than sputter angrily though as I added, “Of course, I know who she is! She’s Archangel Abbadine Bengal, the first Angel, and my au… uhh… grandmother.” I gave the grandmother in question a meaningful look as I said the last and pulled away a bit.

Pinky looked like she just bit into something really sour while ‘granny’ Abby winced. Yeah, we were going to have words about that later. For the moment though the first Angel held me by the shoulders at arm’s length as she looked me over. After a moment she smiled and I could swear that I saw tears in her eyes. “You turned out well, Snow. That strength and the nose are a bit of a surprise, but you’re looking good, happy for the first time since I came to Serkis to raise you. How do you feel, Sweetie?”

“I feel amazing! Though after three days of agony, I think that anyone would feel amazing. I heard you got stuck in the capital while I was out,” I replied with a smile, purposely ignoring the seething girl with pink hair and eyes. I was curious, but I wasn’t about to admit it after our ‘introduction’. That is not a normal hair or eye color, even among Seed-borne, which meant that she was probably like me.

Granny Abby looked from one of us to the other and let out a soft groan. “Yes, Her Majesty had a request for me and we needed to discuss the details, and by the time we were done the base was snowed in and I had to wait things out at the palace. Me and Heather here took the veetol back and the other new recruits should arrive with the base’s monthly supplies on the airship in a few hours.” She paused a moment, letting out another nearly inaudible sigh. “Why don’t you go finish your meal with your friends, Snow? We’ll grab something to eat and come join you, we have some things to discuss.”

“Sure, we’ll wait for you then… grandmother,” I replied only slightly awkwardly before turning and heading back to the table where my friends were waiting and watching.

“So… that looked tense,” Lisbet said as I sat down, her eyes following the pair I had just left as they went to get their meals.

“We could hear her yelling at you from here, who does she think she is anyway?” Karina added with a grumble.

“Yeah, talking to our Snowy that way,” Autumn put in with a pout as she leaned closer to me and put an arm around my waist as I started eating again. “If you hadn’t put her in her place I would have…” The Fay girl trailed off, apparently thinking it better not to finish that sentence. I had heard that the Fay could be vengeful and I worried that she might have a problem with not holding a grudge once we started at the academy.

Soon the other pair joined us at our table, my grandmother sitting to my left while the girl sat opposite her. We all sat there for several minutes in silence before the Archangel among us finally spoke. “Girls, I’d like you all to meet Heather Wilson, eldest daughter of Her Majesty, Queen Sabine Wilson. Heather, this is my granddaughter, Snow Bengal, and her friends; Autumn Dawn, Karina Lorelei, and Lisbet Angora.”

Oh shit. I just probably pissed off the heir to the throne of Misota. I was starting to feel pretty tense about that until she added, “Like the four of you, she is here to take the Angel Elixir and join the Corps. Unless there are no other female heirs, daughters of the Queen who display Seed-borne gifts are given the choice to serve as an Angel instead of taking the throne.”

“Yeah, I had so much choice in the matter,” Heather replied bitterly, angrily stabbing one of the veggies on her plate with her fork. “I’ve been kept in the palace most of my life because of my hair and eyes, can’t have the Humans of the kingdom thinking that the heir is part Demon after all. There would be revolts. Since my sister was born this has been the only choice open to me.”

My grandmother gave the not-princess a stern look. “You seem to have exercised your power of choice just fine, Heather. You all but demanded that I be your trainer when I made it quite clear that I usually work alone and had no interest in teaching.”

“She what?!” I snarled, shattering the clay mug in my hand.

“I wanted to learn from the best if I was going to do this! She’s the best!” Heather snapped back at me defensively, staring at the mix of juice, blood, and broken mug remnants falling from my hand. I’ll say this for nanites, they’re effective little things, I could already feel my hand tingling as it healed from the cuts and Autumn gently took my hand to ensure that I wasn’t seriously hurt. The cuts weren’t all that deep anyway, they barely broke the skin, were healing fast, and I had other concerns at the moment.

“Well, I hope that all of you can get along because I’ll be training all five of you once Heather is finished recovering from the Angel Elixir,” my grandmother announced, earning a gape-mouthed stare from every single one of us. “Normally the training teams are made up of four members, but after Heather here ‘convinced’ her mother that I should train her, Her Majesty and I talked about a little idea that I had.”

“What? I wasn’t told about this,” Heather said uncertainly as she looked from our new trainer to each of us.

“You are the student, and I am the trainer. I am not required to tell you anything until I feel the time is appropriate,” my grandmother said pointedly. “Usually, an Alchemist like you wouldn’t even be allowed to have the Angel Elixir, and neither would a Tinker like Lisbet, without approval from a senior Angel first. You would both be learning to work with others like yourselves in the labs or the capital. I was considering five-man teams for specialized missions before I took leave to raise Snow and your training team will be the test to see if this format will work. The two of you will train to use your gifts to support the rest of your team in ways that other teams wouldn’t have access to on long-term missions.”

“Training how?” Lisbet asked.

“Of the five of you, only Karina and Autumn don’t know your reading, writing, and calculating numbers. While they are learning that you will be in the labs learning to use your gift creatively, how the veetols and other equipment work, and how to make repairs or new gear. Heather will be doing the same in the alchemy labs, learning what Sira calls chemistry, and becoming familiar with various materials so she can alter or create them when necessary. Snow will be learning Demon fighting tactics and other skills that she will need as your team leader,” my grandmother told us sternly.

“You’re making her our team leader? Why not me? Is this because…”

Our trainer quickly cut off Heather’s protest. “I am not and will not show favoritism to any of you. You wanted me as a trainer so we are going to do things my way and I will be working every one of you harder than you ever imagined possible. If you don’t like that, then you can tell Sira that you’ll be working in one of the labs instead of taking the Elixir. The team needs a combat leader. Snow already has combat experience against a Demon, she can keep her head and think creatively in high-pressure situations, and she cares about people. Now do you still want my training, or will you just be another Alchemist in the labs? This is the last time that I will have my decisions questioned.”

I wasn’t sure about this being the team leader thing. I didn’t care about being in charge, I didn’t even really want to be and nearly protested myself but I knew that my grandmother was never going to back down once she had made a decision like that. Heather looked from her to me and then back to her again before slumping back in her chair defeated. “I… want your training, Archangel Abbadine. I want to be an Angel.”

“Then finish eating so I can take you up to Sira and she can get started on your dose before the other recruits show up,” my grandmother told her gruffly. “And none of this Archangel Abbadine shit, if you try calling me that in combat you’ll be dead before half of it leaves your mouth. You will all address me as Trainer or Wingleader from now on.”

“Yes, au… Wingleader,” I replied, stopping myself from calling her Aunt Abby as I caught her glare. This was going to be hard to adjust to. I had barely gotten used to the idea that she was my grandmother rather than my aunt.

The others quickly added a “Yes, Wingleader!” of their own to show that they understood as she looked me and my friends over.

“You were all issued new clothes, am I to understand that you were issued your weapons as well?” she asked. At our uncertain nods, she glowered at each of us in turn. “And where are they then?” Oh, she did not look happy, though Heather sure did.

“We left them with our belongings in the infirmary, Wingleader,” I told her after a deep breath. “Sira said that we couldn’t activate them until our trainer allowed it.”

“From now on, you wear your weapons everywhere except when sleeping or bathing, and even then you keep them within arm’s reach. An Angel without their weapon swiftly becomes a dead Angel. This is a harsh world and Demons will not wait to attack until you’ve fetched your weapons, do you understand?” Her tone was colder than any ice that I could create.

“Yes, Wingleader,” we all replied dismally, looking down at the table. By the spirits, I just wanted to smack that smile off Heather’s face.

“Heather! Less smirking, more eating! Sira is waiting,” my grandmother scolded. Then her tone softened. “Girls, Snow already knows this but if I am hard on you it is only because I don’t want to see you hurt or dead because you weren’t prepared. Save Heather and Snow, I tested each of you personally and I think that you all have great potential but the moment that you chose to take that Elixir and become an Angel, you chose a dangerous life. If I have to be tough on you to prepare you to survive that then I will be, because if I don’t then you’ll be soft and we’ll all regret that far more than a bit of hard work.”

After that, our meal was finished in relative silence. Our trainer ordered the four of us to return to the infirmary, get our weapons on, and wait for further orders while she took Heather to go see Sira about programming her dose of Angel Elixir. She and Heather would join us once the latter was given her dose and ready to be put to bed to wait out the changes. While there, our trainer would also be getting all of the information on each of our weapons from the AI.

I wasn’t happy about that; I was even less happy about putting the damn thing on again. It wasn’t that it felt heavy, I just still thought it was too much like something that a guy who was overcompensating would use and it hurt to be assigned something like that when I finally became my real self. Also, the harness was uncomfortable and awkward, squeezing my breasts between the straps until Karina helped me adjust them a bit. The straps, not the breasts. This was my new reality though, I had chosen this and so far the positives outweighed the negatives by a fair margin. I just needed to keep telling myself that I loved my new body and friends and that having a weapon that I hated and Heather on our team were the prices for that happiness.

© 2021-2022 Amethyst Gibbs
All Rights Reserved

Further chapters are available to the public on my Patreon page.

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Comments

being a trainer

is a tough gig, especially if you like your trainees. but Abby seems to understand the importance of the role.

this should be fun!

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role

Yes, Abby will have to be even harder on Snow than usual too just to show that there is no favoritism.

Snow is going to have to learn how to use and love her weapon. If she is unwilling to learn it then she will never be effective.

You know, the ability to use multiple weapons is a real asset for a soldier (and that is what she is now, no question) so she should eventually be crosstrained (I hope) on more 'graceful' weapon. She really needs to learn a wider perspective in her new reality.

If she is to lead, then she must not let her own biases affect her performance, her team's lives will depend on it.

She is no doubt going to have to learn fast and learn hard.

gracefulness

it's a Great Sword, if your clumsy or random with it, you're dead, it's an elegant weapon though I wouldn't make judgements on how civilized the age it's from was.

graceful sword

Two handed swords can only be only so graceful just due to the bodily movement needed to wield it. The traditional martial arts Chinese gim that I watched in many movies (without the silly overdub back in the 1960s and 70s in Chinatown movie theaters) is more graceful looking in action in concert with the body.

A two handed sword will have more reach and power for sure and I am sure she has the power to wield it once she reconciles herself to it but the length alone will change how she moves in a fight making it 'less elegant' I guess.

On the contrary, with a two

On the contrary, with a two handed sword, especially one like a Claymore, every motion has to be able to be turned into a parry, it's a different kind of gracefulness than you see with say a rapier but its there

I've studied sword work for

I've studied sword work for over 30 years now. Longsword and greats word being two of my favourites. Large swords aren't that heavy. Existing ones are generally 1.5kg and the very largest used in combat get up to 3kg,but they are rare. The heaviest at 5kg are either ceremonial or used for execution only where movement other than a short chop were required.

Here is a great video done by a friend of mine who is widely respected across Europe and a winner of many tournaments in several different styles. I love the way this sequence ends. :)

The 2-handed greats word as taught by Achille Marozzo

The heavier great swords were

The heavier great swords were often designed for dealing with armour. Either that of a horse, or that of a mounted knight. Basically, enough of an edge to kill a horse if you struck it across the neck, but blunt enough that it didn't lose the edge if you were breaking the bones under the armour.

Needless to say, you didn't get into regular sword combat with them. Once they were moving, you couldn't adjust the trajectory much - unless you just wanted to let go, and get the name 'derflinger'.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

the way you deal with armor

the way you deal with armor with a sword is by half swording, you hold it by the blade, and either try and get the point in the gaps or use the guard and pommel as a hammer head

I love it

Amethyst's picture

I always love starting intellectual discussions in my stories. Snow's sword is a bit heavier than others of it's type, even with the blade being made from a lighter material. Still, with Snow's strength, that weight is nothing to her and she will be quite able to be graceful with it should she choose to, it's all in getting a feel for it and developing a style that works for her, as with any melee weapon. Snow is adaptable, she's just a bit hung up on it being a huge phallic symbol and some things that haven't been revealed to the readers yet ;)

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Half swording doesn't work

Half swording doesn't work well when you're trying to take down a horse - when you're on foot.

Sabers, for example, were developed specifically for use from horseback, on people on the ground (and other horsemen, but mostly those on the ground). That's why "cavalry sabers" look strange on someone that's standing on the ground. it's also why people at Heidelberg were idiots. Saber duels on foot are just as ludicrous as pike duels.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

claymores can take out a

claymores can take out a horse's legs no need to half-sword, half swording is for armor

Please don't change your tune

Please don't change your tune. I specifically referred to great swords as being used against armour, and horses (armored), and you corrected me saying that you do half swording against armour, and now you're trying to say that you don't use half swording against those same people.

Make up your mind. In general, most people dealing directly with armoured _people_ used maces or hammers. (I believe that's the only reason they really existed. Morningstars, as a classic example, could be far more dangerous to the wielder if they missed, and were overkill for an unarmored person).

Note: The peak period of two handed swords, Zweihanders, etc, was the 16th century.

This Reddit thread has better references than I, but is focused more on armouring than sword usage - but it does appear from the references that greatswords were being used to hammer through pikemen.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wma/comments/qh0x09/what_kind_of_ar...

Post 16th century, the mixed calvary/infantry 'charge into the mess and swing at anyone' was basically ceased. (See the 100 Years War. They started to learn after _five generations_. The 30 Years War was after the Greatsword 'era' was winding down, but firearms/cannons were picking up speed)

So, realistically, the "heavy knight on horseback" was pretty short lived, and matched the peak period for the greatsword. That is, the late 15th through the 16th century. (Basically ending by the 17th century completely) To me, that indicates that the greatsword (the BIG dudes) were somehow affected by the heavy armoured soldiers/knights.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_armour

Fun thing? We've been heading back to plate armour. Look at modern ballistic armour, with its ceramic plate inserts.

For other people, here's some references on sword types. They go ALL over the place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification_of_swords

Also, for the benefit of others. We really don't have a lot of information on historic fighting styles. Even landed knights might not be literate, in the late Medieval into the Renaissance period, and prior to that, the Church didn't want much of anyone literate other than priests. So written manuals and information weren't readily available. We have descriptions of battles, we have information on supplies (logistics is always important), but combat techniques were passed down in person. It's not that they were secret, just that they weren't written. In fact, people of that type would trade combat techniques, much like martial artists. "Show that to me again!" By the time that literacy was such that training manuals could be written - the people that knew how to actually fight in those methods were long dead. So, we put together what we can from sources like Niccolo Machiavelli (The Art of War - 1520), but much of that sort of source is written with a propaganda or political leaning. (Long story behind that; the short is that the sources were paid by ruling families (sponsors), much like composers would have sponsors.)

So we have groups of people that have taken what they could find (the physical weapons and armour, plus writings), merged it with the remaining sword techniques (saber, epee, foil, martial arts), and put together what works for them in representative combat, of what it "might have been". It's almost certainly not what was actually used in 1565 in Western Europe - but close enough. Much like the difference between Karate and Jujitsu. Same end result, but techniques differ.

The biggest difference? Noone alive (that we know of) survived as a Routier, or Gallowglass, or Landsknecht. Those are the people that could say "Yup, you can survive by fighting that way". All modern heavy infantry (sword) combat techniques are purely theoretical. I _like_ it that way. It means that we're in a society that doesn't naturally allow one tiny group of heavy armed and well trained individuals to cow everyone else. We have levelers :)

I'm pointing these out to mention that whatever arguments we have - they're purely theoretical.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

I'm not its just if you had a

I'm not its just if you had a claymore and saw unarmored horse legs coming at you, well it can cleave through bone quite effectively. horse armor wasn't exactly common, less common than full plate harness would be for soldiers, being even more expensive. if you expected to be fighting armor, you'd go for blunt weapons, but if a sword is all you have on you, you half sword, or use a dagger. certain kinds of pole arms are really excellent at removing people from horses

Abby

Amethyst's picture

She has to work every one of them hard, just to make sure they can all handle themselves and survive. She can't afford to play favorites because she'd be playing with their lives.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Being hard on the trainees

We both know a former army drill mama that did just that.

hard work

Amethyst's picture

Abby is kind of the definition of tough love, it's what she needs to do to ensure that they survive. She knows just how dangerous the world is, especially to new Angels, and if she's going to teach them then she's going to do it right.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Somehow I think she will

Somehow I think she will change her mind about her weapon once it helps save her life or the lives of her friends.
great chapter.

Probably

Amethyst's picture

She needs to start seeing it as a weapon, a tool, and not as a slight to who she used to be. She'll make progress on that soon and her current distaste for it will actually help her to realize something very important when she is in her first sparring match.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

another great chapter

more please it was over too soon

Thanks

Amethyst's picture

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully I'll be feeling good enough to get back to posting all of my stories soon. It's a good think I have a buffer of this one for Patreon, so I've been able to post chapters here easier.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Snow's weapon

Julia Miller's picture

Well, we will see what Snow's weapon is all about. I think it's far more than a giant sword, and hopefully, she will be pleased with what it can do. It does seem to be too large for her size, but I'm hoping she can handle it. Just the fact that it can be activated means it is much more than it appears.

Since Snow was able to

Since Snow was able to shatter the clay mug with her hand I get the distinct feeling that she'll be able to slice and dice her enemies with her sword like the finest chef. All she needs is the right technique. >:->

Yup

Amethyst's picture

Snow has raw strength going for her but as a feline she's likely also very agile. She just needs to get used to her weapon and find a style that lends itself to her strengths.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Great swords are actually

Great swords are actually lighter than they look, this one may be heavier than a classical claymore, but she has enhanced strength

Hassan chop!

She will no doubt use it gracefully. Her problem is that the weapon is large, phallic, and imposing. Her impression is that it is used by a man who is compensating for something.

Yup

Amethyst's picture

That's exactly her issue, to her having a weapon like that is a taunt that she'll never be a real woman.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

More than a giant sword

Amethyst's picture

There is more to her weapon than meets the eye. Even in it's sword form she should be able to handle it fine though, she just needs to develop a style that works for her.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

No sex

might be harder on the team than fucking their brains out once in a while. If one or more team members are constantly horny then that could be seriously distracting. But so far there seems to be no Nymph.

Thx for another great chapter^^

No Nymphs

Amethyst's picture

Not in this universe, at least not yet. They do specify no sex though, that doesn't mean they can't relieve the pressure in other ways lol

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Heather is being taught a lesson

To wit: Be careful what you wish for. I've no doubt Abby is using Snow to keep Heather in her place. Snow being not only the appointed team leader but having combat experience are two blows at Heather's self-presumed superiorty. Keep knocking the chip off her shoulder and she might eventually become a good warrior and team member. I expect a couple of dust-ups before that happens, though.

Just a prediction: if Heather were a leader (at this point anyway) she would behave like a brandnew butterbar, expecting to issue orders while standing in the rear. OTOH, Snow would lead by being out in front showing them the way. Like a good sergeant would do.


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

Heather

Amethyst's picture

Abby will do what she needs to to make them learn, even if she has to play them against one another at first while teaching them about relying one each other as teammates. There is more to Heather than we've seen yet though. There will be dust ups though ;)

Snow is very much the lead by example type while Heather's exposure to leadership is basically being a sheltered princess, though her life has been harder than most people would expect.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

Yup - Snow is still on the "I

Yup - Snow is still on the "I don't want this giant phallic substitute, I just got rid of mine!" kick.

Hopefully she'll find out why soon.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Yup

Amethyst's picture

It's like a stab in the gut for her. She was chosen for this weapon for a reason though, and it's not her former maleness.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

The secret of the sword is

The secret of the sword is intriguing. Hopefully that will be answered in the next chapter. This is another of your stories that just have to be read through until the end, then reread for good measure. Awesome!

secrets

Amethyst's picture

I'll take my time revealing everything. I do like to tease ;)

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

How do you

Set a two-handed sword to "non-lethal". Can Snow magically turn off the razor-sharp edge the sword should have? For that matter, how does she maintain her sword's sharpness? Care of your personal weapon has always been a part of military training. If her sword is always sharp it would allow a certain sloppiness, maybe not so bad for Snow, but possibly a fatal mistake for the others with their fancier weapons. If you can break it you better be able to fix it.

Damaged people are dangerous
They know they can survive

Nanites

Amethyst's picture

It's all about the nanites. They can use them to sharpen or dull the blade and even to make repairs since their NCI's have the blueprints and optimal operating conditions stored.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

pros vs cons

while we don't know about any alternate forms, swords are some of the most versatile weapons out there, that's why so many cultures developed their own versions of swords and some went further in developing "great swords" (key distinction in being bigger than other 2 handed swords)

Versatility

Amethyst's picture

Great swords are a lot more versatile than most people would think even without all the cool sci-fi features ;)

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

they have to be, while they

they have to be, while they are light enough to hold one handed, they have a LOT of momentum, as you know, still a parry with them can cover a very wide area, and the tip speed can get VERY fast,

pros and cons

Amethyst's picture

To snow, it does right now, but in a way that helps her later. The sword does indeed have some interesting plusses though if Snow is willing to embrace it.

*big hugs*

Amethyst

ChibiMaker1.jpg

Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3

On the face of things

Jamie Lee's picture

Heather has more to learn than being an Angel and using whatever weapon she is assigned. She'll have to learn that she isn't the center of the Universe, that she doesn't walk on water. That her being the daughter of the Queen gives her no special privileges.

Snow doesn't know how to use that sword, or its ability, and she has determined she doesn't want it only because of its size. Snow has to learn not to make judgements before she has all the information, or she may lead that team into trouble.

Others have feelings too.

Weapon

I bet Snowy’s weapon has a bunch of surprises.

hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna

Some good feels + nice humor in this one

laika's picture

For the most part this chapter had me smiling. Snow's growing camraderie with her new crew, some cute banter and cute shyness + flirting, the simple joy washing her supple, wonderfully hairless new body + discovering her magic button (Aunt Abbie said no sex at the Acadamy, but what Snow does under the covers by herself after lights out is nobody's business). Even Princess Pinkie's attitude and Wing Commander Grandma's new sternness couldn't bring this chapter down; though I'm pretty sure the new girl's not gonna be much fun over the next few chapters; and if she comes back from her nanite transformation as some 9-foot-tall She-Hulk she could be real trouble! But at least jerk-face Taddick is out of the picture; or is he? I could see a worst case scenario where he's one of their instructors and Heather (what a fucking Heather) becomes his favorite; either by her knowing how to manipulate a dolt like him or he's trying to gain favor with the queen so he hides his dislike for her not-quite-humanness (and what shameful secrets is Taddick hiding? I suspect he's got something about himself that he hates as much as Snow did her penis {God damn! I hear ya, Girl...}). But whatever's gonna happen as this tale unfolds I'm sure it'll be entertaining...
~hugs, Veronica

.
"Government will only recognize 2 genders, male + female,
as assigned at birth-" (In his own words:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1lugbpMKDU