• Solo • Learning how to walk

Elyna attempts unarmed combat - what, no arms?

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Elyna
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2nd Trial of Cylus in the Arc 707

(16 Years Old)
Nic folded his arms over his chest, his dark gaze was brisk and skimmed her quickly, "well," he sighed eventually, “you’ll do.”

It was cold and her breath fogged when it left her lips. She shivered in her jerkin and yet he still gestured for her to remove it. Her eyes narrowed in a scowl, but she obeyed without question. She folded the woollen layer and set it down in the hard sand of the practise court; noting as she did, that ice crystals were formed between the grains. Her scowl deepened but she straightened, determined not to complain.

“Three laps,” he pointed at the wooden railing and she followed his arm. Elyna nodded once and set off, trotting to the edge of the sand-court. She performed the three laps and by the end, she was no longer shivering, her steps started to slow and she heard him shout from the centre, “three more, faster!” She pushed on, feet crunching on the sand, flicking it up. His shout to carry on, continued until she was warmed through. Her breath came hard and sweat trailed down the back of her neck by the time he allowed her to stop. Excited and eager for the rest of the lesson, she jogged back toward him.

“Legs shoulder width apart, knees bent a little,” He laid hands on her shoulders and straightened her shoulders, lifting her head a little before nodding. She flinched at the touch, but it was something she would grow used to under his tutelage. She was lucky that he had agreed to take her on. Nic usually took group lessons of younger Squires or airmen for the Skyriders, but she had approached him one day and asked if there was anything she could do, to improve her fledgling abilities. He’d met her gaze with his sternest look. She had been surprised by his agreement. It was an agreement with conditions and its drawbacks. He had explained that he started training early each morning and would be prepared to pass additional knowledge on, if she would join him before dawn rose. So here she was. No longer shivering, fizzing with excitement.

He gestured for her to step forward and meet him toe to toe, “now, the first thing to learn about unarmed combat?”

“How to hit?” She answered readily, it seemed obvious and she was surprised by his laugh. His dark hair was cut short and peppered with grey at the temples. He was a heavier set man and not much taller than her own 5 feet and 4 inches.

“How to fall,” he corrected her lifting a hand, “followed by how to block, how to dodge, how to run away…last of all is how to hit for you…” he looked her over deliberately “how to hit is going to be last,” he picked up her arm and she watched it. Her shirt billowed in the wind, loose. Beneath it, her arm looked like a stick. Her brows drew together in a frown.

“I’m never going to be strong enough to fight?” She hoped she wasn’t reading too much into his words.

“You’re never going to be six foot tall and rippling with muscles,” he raised a brow.

Elyna nodded, well, she thought, that was true.

“So, your most important weapon will be whatever the Seven have gifted you with instead.”
Last edited by Elyna on Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:24 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 578
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Elyna
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It transpired that speed was probably the gift she’d been granted, that and an uncanny ability to mimic physical actions with both hands. Nic taught her how to fall, landing on her arms in the land, bracing them for impact and rolling to slap the earth. She learnt to fall on her side and how to roll. It became common place for the young airwoman to begin her daily duties, covered hair to boots in sand form the training grounds, cheeks flush with cold and rosy.

On the twentieth trial of Cylus, Elyna shuffled, clearing the ground of the thick layer of fresh snow beneath her feet. Nic stood before her, impassive. He raised his hands to shoulder level and gestured for her to strike.

The young woman hesitated, she’d learnt not to strike too easily and ended up with a face-full of dirt more times than she would have liked. She searched his expression for any kind of give away, scouring his eyes for intention; as ever, she found none. But her patience was rewarded with a brief, rare smile.

She raised hands that had been bound up in strips of linen and flexed the fingers. He gestured again for her to strike and she did so, punching first with the right hand and then the left, making sure to curl her hands and keep the thumbs outside her fingers.

“Move,” his gaze narrowed as he watched her.

Elyna scowled and stepped forward, surprised when he took a step back and broke the rhythm.

“No,” he moved quickly to stand behind her gripped her forEarm and stretched it out, "you’re not trying to stroke me. Punch. Move,” he pushed her arm forward again but this time pushed against her shoulder, forcing her to take a step forward.

Elyna shifted, restless on the spot, kicking up ice as he took up his position. If he'd only explained that the first time, she thought mutinously. Her breath turned to mist before her, but she narrowed her gaze and raised her hands again. Nic held up the intended targets and she struck. At first it was easier to push her shoulder into the attack, and when he moved his hands to the side and requested that she swung her arm first, round in a circle, she could appreciate the momentum the action gave her. As she favored her left hand, Nic had a habit of teaching her like all the others, right-handed. But encouraged her transfer the skill to the left. Practicing in her own time. She wondered if it was why he had taken her on in the first place. Because she'd transferred all of his usual lessons into a level of ambidexterity without prompting. There was no point trading swords as a left handed warrior with her peers, not at this stage when they were all learning. But she recognized it would be a useful skill in future, and easier to learn both from the start.

But it was exhausting, and no sooner than she thought she had the technique, her arms started to ache. Nic had instructed her to keep her guard up, for whichever hand she wasn’t striking with. But with her efforts focused on attack, her guard kept dropping. With her left arm hanging limp at her side she was stung with an unexpected blow to her cheek. Reeling she staggered back, pressing frozen fingers to the skin. She felt the slap heating beneath her fingers and stared, astounded at the man before her, “what was that for?” She demanded as soon as she’d gathered her courage. Nic, although a tutor who had agreed to help her, was still not a man to be trifled with.

“We’re training, if you’re tired, stop. If you reach the point you can’t even guard, stop. You’ll only learn bad habits to undo tomorrow if you can’t put the effort in; and now you won’t forget it. We’re done for today. Don’t come back tomorrow either Elyna, you need a break.”

“But I’m learning too much,” she protested. Brutal, she thought secretly, massaging the streak across her face. Brutal but fair. Besides, it would have faded before breakfast - she hoped.

“And you can carry on, on the 22nd. I’m not going to age too much before then,” he flashed a grin and motioned with both burly hands. Indicating that she should be on her way.

She dragged a heel back, as though to turn, turning the thoughts over in her mind. Her throbbing cheek caught the better of her though and the young woman turned before she could push her luck and argue anymore.

“I’ll be back on the 22nd,” she called over her shoulder.

“No doubt,” Nic called back, already half-way across the grounds to the equipment sheds. He had an lesson in knife throwing to set up. She poked her tongue out at his back before starting to run, scampering over the snow, kicking it up behind her. One trial, she would learn self-preservation. But it wasn’t this one.
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Rumour
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Learning how to walk

Rumour's Review

Elyna


Skills

Skills:
  • Observation: 1
  • Running: 1
  • Endurance: 2
  • Unarmed Combat: 3
  • Tactics: 1

Knowledge

Basic Knowledge:
  • Nic: Unarmed Combat Instructor
  • Unarmed Combat: Basic stance
  • Unarmed Combat: Basic roll
  • Unarmed Combat: Keep your guard up

Specialized Knowledge:
  • Unarmed Combat: How to fall
  • Unarmed Combat: How to throw a punch
  • Endurance: Stop training when you’re tired to avoid bad habits
  • Nic: Not a man to be trifled with

Loot & Consequences

Congratulations! You've received:
  • A light bruise on your left cheek, which should fade within 3-4 trials


This will only be relevant in memory threads that come right after this timestamp!

Comments

This was a nice little training thread! I really enjoyed the interactions between Nic and Elyna. Nic's personality is a lot of fun (I'm a sucker for the surly-but-caring sort). And I liked your description of Elyna's reactions; "mutinous" was a particular favourite! I would encourage you to include more description in future training threads about exactly what Elyna is learning so that I can give you more specialized knowledge (for example, show her trying out the basic roll that she learned). That said, you packed a lot into this thread! Really well done. Looking forward to your next one!


If you feel I've missed any skills or knowledge, or if you have any questions about your review, please don't hesitate to send me a quick PM. Thank you!

xoxo
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