((By Nathaniel Hieber a youtube comenter)

It felt good for Chilfroy de Sauveterre to be back in Castle Bastonne. He knew every bit of stone, every tree, and every crack on the roads like the back of his hand. It was the warden's home and, until recently, his permanent station. This was where the paladin had spent the majority of his life, and if it weren't for the intervention of Duke Bohemond, Castle Bastonne would have remained the only place Chilfroy had ever known. Right now, though, the warden had no time for reminiscing on the past. Bohemond's army was here to recruit new soldiers for an upcoming crusade, with the duke sending the majority of his peasants to defend other areas of the realm. Foot squires, spearmen-at-arms, knights of the realm, and even pegasus knights were being gathered at Castle Bastonne for future battles, an expensive undertaking regardless of the dukedom involved. Chilfroy imagined that it must be a bit of a headache for Lady Madeline du Bois to finance such a force and keep it functioning, but the task was being done regardless of the strain on Bastonne's treasury or her sanity. Currently, Chilfroy was busy instructing the army's newest battle pilgrims and foot squires on how to properly fight. The former had been drawn to Castle Bastonne like moths to a flame once they heard that grail knights were nearby, while the later where here to follow their lords into battle. While the battle pilgrims had more than enough charisma at their disposal and some had a bit of experience under their belts, Chilfroy noticed early on that they relied on a massive initial shock from a charge to defeat the enemy. In a drawn out fight, they had a good chance of losing. As for the foot squires, they knew the basics on how to wield the swords given to them, but it appears as though their masters had trained them more in the arts of caring for horses and weapons rather than how to actually fight. Chilfroy was in the process of changing that. "Like this," the warden told his battle pilgrim and foot squire pupils. Taking his sword, Chilfroy raised his weapon and made a series of slow strikes against the wooden stake he had set earlier into the ground. "You want to make the attack as quick as you can with as much force as you can muster without sacrificing technique. No hesitation, and no sloppy forms. As I've said before, the more deviancy you have from what's an acceptable strike, the less damage you will do. Now, show me what I just showed you on your partners." Each battle pilgrim had an adjacent foot squire they were sparing with, and each one proceeded to take turns striking at their opponent with wooden swords. Chilfroy was pleased to see that, already, his lessons were beginning to take effect. The foot squires were using the superior length of their war swords to keep their opponents at a distance, then finishing them off with well timed strikes. Likewise, the battle pilgrims were using their shields to block blows and land some of their own until they were close enough to stab their foes. The paladin walked around and made corrections to form or gave pointers to improve individual fighting abilities, but he was definitely doing that less than when he'd first began his training regimen. Soon enough, these men would be replaced by fresh spearmen-at-arms, and Chilfroy would begin teaching them where they had left off yesterday. As Chilfroy finished fixing a battle pilgrim's grip on his sword, he saw a messenger approaching him. Walking towards the man, the paladin asked, "What news do you bring?" "It's a question from Duke Bohemond Beastslayer, my lord," the messenger replied. "He wishes to know how the training of his newest peasants is going." "Tell Duke Bohemond that everything is going well, all things considered," Chilfroy replied. "Given more time, I believe I could have these men and the spearmen-at-arms in prime fighting form within a few weeks." "I'm sorry, my lord, but you do not have a few weeks. Duke Bohemond asks this because he wishes to move the army out as soon as possible. Only if your men were in pitiful condition would he even consider delaying our departure." Although Chilfroy was disappointed by the news, he didn't let it show. He merely nodded his head and said, "Very well. Tell Duke Bohemond that I will move whenever he's ready to, and that the men I've been training shall do their best when the time comes." The messenger bowed and swiftly departed. Chilfroy then turned around and continued with his teaching. While the paladin didn't like the idea of moving when the men he'd been training weren't fully prepared to fight, he supposed that he should be thankful to the Lady for giving him this much time to work on these foot soldiers. With any luck, Chilfroy's instruction would clearly show on the battlefield and allow the men under his liege to kill more enemy soldiers than they might have without the training they'd undergone.