• Graded • The Ringing of Bells

3rd of Saun 717

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Silv
Posts: 60
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 6:32 pm
Race: Eídisi
Renown: 0
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The Ringing of Bells

"One page after another . . ."
3rd Saun, 717
The Fist of Aedirn
Silv had hoped that by coming in the heat of the day she would have found the dojo devoid of other aspiring combatants. It would’ve allowed from a more one-on-one training experience without the extra cost. The dull thuds of bodies hitting the hardwood floor, which even those walking by on the streets could hear, told her otherwise. She hesitated, hand hovering just above the handle of the door. It wasn’t just a building she was about to enter; it was a new way of life. Was she ready? Would she truly know one way of another?

Sighing, she pushed the door open and stepped through the threshold.

The exterior door connected to the main training room, a wide space devoid of any sort of furniture in its center. A half dozen pairs of students were scattered across the room, each running through various exercises and exhibitions with one another while two Lotharro who appeared to be instructors moved from group to group. On the far end of the room, seated beside a sliding door, sat a man Silv assumed to be Koda, the head instructor of the dojo. His gaze danced around the room, roving about in similar fashion as his subordinates. Silv noted that with each rotation the instructor would halt before the master and listen to the advice he offered to pass onto particular students regarding their performance. It was, as far as she could tell, a well-oiled machine, and part of her couldn’t help but feel like she was going to be a wrench. She was, noticing immediately, the only woman in the room.

One the two instructors noticed Silv at the door and peeled away from his circuit to greet her. Little silver bells danced in the two braids of his auburn beard as he stepped up to her. They were of the same height, but she still couldn’t help but feeling dwarfed. If he was surprised to any part of her appearance—gender or race—he gave no visible sign. He did greet her in common, though, which revealed a hint of his assumptions of her. “Are you here to train?”

“Yes,” Silv replied in fluent Haltunga, “I wish to begin my study of Krenn Maii.”

The Lotharro nodded. His next statement, also spoken in the Lotharan tongue, was the only indication that he noted Silv’s revelation. “You pay after the session is over,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “All the other students are paired off, so you’ll work with me. Probably for the best since its your first time.”

“What makes you think this is my first time?” she asked, a silver eyebrow ascending into an arch.

“Because, lass,” he said bluntly, looking her up and down. “I would’ve remembered you. We all would’ve.” He turned away and stepped further into the room. “Follow me.”

With a huff of indignation, she did. Her training, and the pursuit of the lingering questions, was about to begin.
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-10 gn for two-breaking training session
word count: 523
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Silv
Posts: 60
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 6:32 pm
Race: Eídisi
Renown: 0
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The Ringing of Bells

"One page after another . . ."
The pair found themselves a space in the room and turned to face each other.

“Kren Maii,” her bearded instructor began, “is a style of efficiency. If you’re looking for flashy moves, I suggest to just go watch the acrobats in the town square. I’m going to how to kill.”

Silv’s eyes widened at that, “Wait, I just wanted to learn defen—“

“One and the same,” her instructor replied. “Now square up.”

She didn’t entirely agree with the man’s philosophy, but this wasn’t really the time nor the place for a debate of it. Silv moved into what she thought was a fighting stance. She stared at the ground, hesitant on where to put her feet, but finally setting with her left foot put forward and her weight shifted more onto her right. The instructor’s arm appeared out of nowhere below her face, and with two rough fingers, he tapped her under the chin to bring her eyes up from the floor. “Don’t see the stance, feel it.” With her gaze straight ahead, the Lothar proceeded to adjust her stance with firm, but skilled hands. He narrowed the gap between her legs, lifted her hands a bit, and brought her weight forward to a more balanced stance. Then stepping back, he studied her posture. “Kren Maii stance,” he said with a curt nod.

And then shoved her back a step. “Now form the stance again. From memory.”

Silv stepped forward again, wary of a follow-up attack from her instructor. She was able to set her feet without difficulty; the adjustment he had made for was much more comfortable. She still didn’t know what to do with her hands, but for the sake of haste she threw them up in a semblance of a guard. The man stared at it for a second before shoving a fist between her upheld arm, stopping a inch shy of Silv’s fist. She flinched. “You wanted defense,” he said, swatting her left arm out of position, “defend.”

Silv reformed her stance and, glancing around the room, took an opportunity to observe the other fighters in the room. She pinpointed one of the smaller Lothar, only an inch or two taller than her, and studied his stance. She mimicked him, bringing her fists closer together, angling her shoulders, bending her knees. She even gritted her teeth and hardened her gaze on the instructor, though that was more for her morale than to intimidate the man. She wanted him to know she was going to see this through.

He grinned. “Good, lass. Approach Kren Maii like you would war. You’re not to pay attention only to the man in front of you, but to those around you. Observation breeds opportunity breeds victory. Now,” he said, falling into a mirrored stance. “Strike me.”

Clenching her fists, Silv didn’t hesitate with a jab at the man’s chest. His own fist was a blur as it collided in the cup of her arm, sending the woman into a wild tumble to the floor. She hit hard on her hip and rolled onto her back. Groaning, she pushed herself up to a sitting position to find an outstrecthed hand in her face. “There’s a key lesson in defense,” the instructor replied, pulling Silv to her feet. “Don’t dodge the blows if you can’t knock them off course instead. Aim for the forearms.” The Lothar took a step back and fell into his stance once more. “Now strike me again.

Silv fell into her stance without a second thought.
word count: 608
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Silv
Posts: 60
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 6:32 pm
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The Ringing of Bells

"One page after another . . ."
Silv’s breath came in ragged spurts. Her legs were jelly beneath her. She only remained upright because of will power and because she didn’t want to be kicked while she was down. Her instructor had shown her from the very get go that Kren Maii was a style focused on exploiting weakness. He had taken that very approach to the lesson today. The two bells had been one, long spar with only the slightest of breaks here and there. It was a weed out session that Silv had no intention of succumbing too. So she fought on.

Her instructor threw a haymaker at the left side of her face, forcing Silv into a stumbling back peddle. The Lothar shifted his weight and stepped forward to close the distance, thrusting his right palm forward aimed for her chest. Silv planted her feet and launched a jab at the crook of the Lothar’s elbow, drawing on his first lesson, but the blow proved ineffectual. The strike took Silv across the left breast, driving the air out her lungs and forcing Silv to cough. “Dead,” the Lothar intoned, taking a step back and falling into his stance again.

The bells in his beard rang.

Silv fell into her stance, taking a deep breath through the dull ache in her chest. She had been listening to those bells ring since they begin the session, trying desperately to pinpoint a pattern. Finally, one had occurred to her: the bells sounded when the Lothar shifted his weight, a precursor to the strike to come. Part of her even believed they began to move in the direction the man had chosen even before he did, but she knew that was desperation playing tricks on her eyes. Still, she thought something was there.

Ring. The Lothar closed the distance, fist held high in a full guard. Silv held her ground. Ring. She saw the shift of the weight around, putting the left foot forward, and the coiling of the man’s right arm. Ring. The blow came in, aimed at her jaw, but Silv was already ducking below the strike. Springing forward, Silv threw a knee into the abdomen of the man. A jolt ran up her body, but she planted that leg firm and threw a follow-up hook that connected with the ear of the Lothar.

It was the first solid strike she had landed all day.

And the Lothar shrugged it off. With a speed she had yet to see that day, the man spun around, driving an elbow into her chin that sent the Eidisi sprawled to the mat. She tasted iron. Stars danced in front her eyes. And her ears rang, oh how they rang. But she had landed a strike, a real strike. She even heard a change in her instructor’s voice when he leaned down to whisper “Dead” to her: approval.

Silv slowly found her feet and discovered that the bells were gone; her instructor had pulled them out of his beard and tossed them aside with one final ring. Her advantage was gone once more.
***
Both of the fighters knew the two bells were up, the Lothar from a mental clock in his head, Silv from the sheer exhaustion in her limbs. The other students had already completed their training for the trial and had departed. Koda had disappeared too, so only the two remained. And then they too were finished.

“You’re still standing,” he said flatly. “I’d call that a success. Come back if you want more.” And then he too was gone, exiting through the back door of the dojo. No fanfare, no congratulations. She didn’t even learn the man’s name. But she had fought, though, and learned a few valuable lessons. It was well worth the struggle.

Silv’s legs gave out from under her then, and it would take five bits before she could muster the strength to stand back up. But eventually she did. Then all was quiet in the Fist of Aedirn.
word count: 680
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The Ringing of Bells

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Silv

Overview

A nice, compact little thread where Silv learns a lot. I like the bells in the beard, that's really interesting and I very much enjoy how you portray Silv in this thread. The overwhelming sense that she may as well stay on the floor, because she was going to be right back there in a minute was great and I loved the way you portrayed her. Good stuff! Please drop me a pm if I've missed anything or you have any queries.

Points

XP: 10 (solo)

Devotion: No
Fame: No

Loot

A few bumps and bruises, muscle aches etc. Last a day or two.

Knowledge

Acrobatics: How to duck a punch
Detection: Utilizing auditory cues to judge movement
Endurance: Getting up from hard landings
Unnarmed Combat: Kren Maii stance
Unnarmed Combat: Defend with forearm punches
Unnarmed Combat: Knee Strike

Location: Fist of Aedirn
Kren Maii: A Style of Efficency
word count: 152
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~~Red in hoof and claw... ~~


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