Staff Training (HyRune Raven and mod, PRIVATE)

[HyRune Raven]

ooc: This is a private thread for me and the player who is modding me.

Timestamp: 3rd day of Kalendryas in the Era of I Hate Timestamping

ic: HyRune stepped gingerly out onto the Demiosian Training Grounds early in the morning. Winter had only just begun, but a light snow was already falling on the hard-packed ground and HyRune could hear metal ringing on metal as participants in all different types of weapons training practiced their art around the field. He stopped just inside the gates, having been informed that his trainer would meet him here. In his hands he held a thick quarterstaff, and his blindfolded face bore a look of calm resolution.

[Rhysean B'veckss]

It was a brightening as any other on good old Demios, the island's Training Grounds not at all an exception. Life in the military was very much about routines, set schedules that filled people's brightenings and only scarcely did anything extraordinary occur within the compound's walls. The Demiosian Training Grounds were always filled with aspiring new soldiers, learning the ropes and hoping to become masters in wielding whatever weapon they had chosen to wield. As the recently-appointed Thane made his way through the gates, halting only a few paces further, the sounds of battle reached his ears, an occasional cry of victory -no doubt from one of the many sparring matches that took place within the compound- accompanying them.

It was not long after HyRune had taken stance near the gates that he would hear footsteps advancing on him. It was a heavy tread, military boots thudding the soil beneath the muscular Sergeant's feet. Kralik J. Bartelow was not a tall man -standing at 5'8"- yet his broad shoulders still made him an impressive sight. He was the instructor the White One had selected for HyRune, Kralik himself renowned for being one of the best imaginable teachers where it concerned wielding the quarterstaff.

A strong hand was extended when Sergeant Bartelow reached his student, although it was retracted once Kralik realised that the one he was to educate in the ways of the staff was in fact blind - very blind. Confusion instantly taking the best of him, the Sergeant could not help a slight stutter as he announced his arrival. He had not been informed that the Thane of their city was blind, and although most people may have known about this, Krilak was not one of these people. "Serale my Thane, my name is Kriluk J. Bartelow and I am your instructor."

[HyRune Raven]

HyRune smiled, taking note of the stutter but inferring nothing from it. "Very good!" he said, extending his hand to be shaken, "Terremus assured me he would have an excellent trainer for me. I look forward to learning at your hands. I assume you do not want to teach me here at the training ground gates, however. Where shall we go? I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea how the grounds are set up, or where an open space is--this is my first time here."

Mentally, HyRune had already catalogued Sergeant Bartilow in his own mind. From the position and sound of his voice, he was a human man about HyRune's own height, and from the sense of the air around him and the ground beneath him, the blind man was willing to bet he was a man of considerable weight, though that weight was probably more muscle than fat. He'd not heard the sound of a staff hitting the ground along with the sergeant's footsteps, and could only deduce that the man had left his staff wherever they would be training or had it strapped to his back.

HyRune awaited his trainer's answer, and handshake.

[Rhysean B'veckss]

HyRune's extended hand was firmly grasped by Kriluk's as the broad man responded. "Yes, we will head towards one of the unoccupied sparring circles, sir." The sergeant was pleased to realise his voice was steady as always, as he was equally glad to see the Thane apparently not noticing his earlier stutter. He was ready to set out for the appointed training field when once more HyRune's lack of eyesight came to mind. "Can you follow me, or should I give you a hand?"

Only as the words had left his lips did Bartelow fully realise the bluntness of his words. And while addressing the Thane, of all people. "Ehhmm.... I mean.... uhmm... no disrespect of course, sir, but I ehmm..." A futile attempt to repair his earlier mistake, Krilak acknowledged, and a painful silence followed. The sergeant was not one of diplomacy or clever words. He was one of muscles and strength, of agility and dexterity. And there he stood, his arm extended towards HyRune as if offering an old woman a hand in crossing a busy street, flustered as to what to do now and angry with himself for making such a poor impression.

[HyRune Raven]

HyRune shook his head. "That will not be necessary," he said, and began moving in the direction of his trainer's voice. He kept his ears focused on the sound of the man's footsteps and tuned out the noise around him in order to be able to follow the man. He'd left his dog at the gates of the training ground, knowing how excitable the animal was, but he was still able to move confidently by tapping his staff before him as he went. Soon he would be using that staff for more than just tapping.

Or at least, that was the idea.

[Rhysean B'veckss]

It did not take the two long to reach the designated sparring circle, the Sergeant leading the way and the Thane following in his tracks. They passed numerous other training areas, all of which were occupied with aspiring fighters, the air filled with the clashing of weapons and the heavy breathing of those involved in the training. When they reached their own appointed spot, a spot that had been reserved for Barkelow and HyRune, the Sergeant broke the silence that had lasted during their short walk.

"This is where I will teach you the ways of the quarterstaff sir," he began, his voice no longer trembling and his common authoritative air repaired. He held a great degree of respect though, realising fully well who he was about to teach. "Before we start, could you answer me this: why the quarterstaff?" It was the standard procedure, an almost traditional question concerning the reasons for a student to enroll in training. The sergeant could guess most answers merely by looking at his trainee, and HyRune was no exception. Although his reasoning was a little less common. For the Sergeant assumed that Raven's choice of the staff was based on his disability to see. A walking aid and a weapon in one, his staff would certainly be useful tool.

[HyRune Raven]

"What an interesting question," the Blind Thane said, cocking his head to one side. "You see, the odd part is, it never occurred to me to train with anything else. I suppose I could learn to wield a sword or an axe if I really wanted to--I did learn how to sculpt stone, you know. To tell you the truth I suppose I probably chose the quarterstaff simply because I've been carrying one around for the last six years anyway. I guess it finally occurred to me that I ought to learn how to defend myself with it. I learned when I was beset by bandits on the road from Diana that arcana alone would not suffice should I find myself in combat. Since then I've been determined to learn how to use this thing for more than just walking. Does that answer the question?"

HyRune flashed a smile to indicate he was (finally) finished speaking.

[Rhysean B'veckss]

ooc: Ignore the PM

It was as the Sergeant had expected, and despite the fact that he would have liked a surprising answer for once, he found it almost as pleasing to be correct in his guessing efforts. His answer was simple, eager as he was to get the actual training started. "That sounds like the proper motivation to me. Let's get started." The sergeant started to make his way towards a weapons rack, where staffs in varying sizes were neatly stacked. He took one of them after quick judgment before heading back to HyRune and taking his place opposide of the man.

"First thing on the agenda is the basic stance," Krilak than began, at this point almost comfortable with training the Thane and hence regaining more and more of his commanding nature. "In order to wield a weapon, any weapon, it is important to know how to position you body and how to place your feet. Now listen closely as I explain. Normally I would ask my student to mimic my own stance, but that is not an option now." Contrasting his earlier behavior, the sergeant did not apologise for the choice of words, confident that HyRune would not be offended. Instead, he continued. "I will tell you what to do, and correct you where mistakes are made."

"Your feet should be shoulderlength apart, one foot half a pace in front of the other. Shift your weight on your hind leg, and bend it slightly. It is important that that the position you are in feels natural and comfortable. The keyword here is balance. Please give it a try, my lord." Upon concluding this part of the explanation, Bartelow waited patiently for HyRune to attempt the basic stance, ready to step forward and interfere when needed.

[HyRune Raven]

ooc: Whew, sorry about that incredible delay--I had finals, then Christmas Break, then settling back in to a new semester...

ic: " 'Your Grace', is fine, Sergeant," HyRune assured him. "A Thane, after all, is not a King." For some reason the citizens of Demios seemed intent upon addressing him as "my lord". It was somewhat understandable, he supposed--after the unexpected disappearance of the last Thane and the following chaos of the merfolk war, HyRune supposed the people were so overjoyed to finally have a leader again that they overdid it sometimes. But the last thing he needed was some Imperial Consul thinking that the new Thane was putting on airs, so HyRune corrected people whenever he could.

He did his best to do as Sergeant Krilak ordered, spacing his feet a shoulder's width apart, keeping his weight on the back leg, which he bent just a little as per Krilak's instructions. "Is this correct?" he asked, "Or do I need to adjust anything?"

[HyRune Raven]

ooc: self-modding this from now on...

ic: Sergeant Krilak nodded, then remembered that his student was unable to see this. "Yes, very good," he said, "Now...this is going to be difficult...I'm going to attack you at your upper right. Hold your staff up to block it--hopefully you will be able to hear the movement of my staff. I want you to start to get the feeel of defense."

HyRune obeyed, lifting his own staff up to block the blow. When it came, it was staggering, rocking him back on his feet and shoving his own staff forcefully over his shoulder.

"Again--this time try to hold your position."

Once again, the tip was shoved over his shoulder. "This is going to take a little while..." Over the next few minutes, HyRune just stood there, blocking the same attack over and over again. After a little while he could tense himself enough that he wasn't shoved back by brute force, and something even betetr happened--HyRune's amazingly sharp ears, a response development to his blindness, picked up the sound of the staff wooshing through the air and as a result he knew exactly when to brace himself best.

"Good," the trainer grunted, "But that's only one direction of attack. Now I'm going to switch to the left..."

It was going to be a long day.

[HyRune Raven]

When Krilak changed his attack to the left side, HyRune found he had to completely shift his balance in order to block the attacks. They continued doing overhead attacks all day--or rather, Sergeant Krilak did. HyRune was never told to do anything but defend himself. By the time the 3- or 4-hour training session was over, his energy was spent, he had bruises all over his shoulders, and he was seriously considering not doing any more sessions.

Krilak changed that consideration with three simple words: "See you tomorrow."

The man's casual assumption that his Thane was no sissy was a reminder to HyRune that he'd never before given up anything he'd started. And so, with grit teeth and a grim nod of his head, the blind man made his way home, to return on the morrow.

[HyRune Raven]

When HyRune returned the next day, Krilak was already there and waiting. "Sleep well, Your Grace?" he asked without a trace of sarcasm.

"Yes, if you mean covered in bruises and aches," HyRune returned irritably. "Where shall we start today?"

"This way, Your Grace," Sergeant Krilak led the way and once again HyRune tuned out the sounds of the others sparring, heeding only the sergeant's measured footfalls.

"Today we're going to work on footwork. That's just as important as knowing where to put your staff, Your Grace. Now, there are a lot of different fixed stances used in quarterstaff training, but I prefer a more flowing, flexible style. I want you to put your right foot back behind your left and pivot accordingly. Good. A little more. Good. Perfect. Now as you can see--pardon the choice of words, Your Grace--as you can see, you are now a more difficult target to hit because you are, in a way, thinner. Less of your body is presented to your opponent. You compromise on the offensive, however, since your right hand and right end of the staff are now too far back to do much good. The more you are to the side, the better you can dodge attacks, and the more you are facing yoru enemy, the easier you can attack him from all sides. The best attack styles are ones that change stance frequently, altering the form of attack."

HyRune nodded. "All right," he said, his mind entirely focused on his feet now.

"Now, we're going to go through a series of motions. I'm going to attack you up high on the right, then low on the left, then low on the right, and finally high on the left. Switch back to your basic stance again--good. Your going to block the first four attacks in this stance, then switch your right foot back to dodge the ones on the right and block the ones on the left. Understood? It will be a routine. Go."

For the next several minutes, HyRune was sweating and aching as he blocked and dodged different attacks from his trainer. He soon learned the routine, however, and followed it effortlessly after a little while.

"All right, now comes the hard part--no more routine. You choose how to block and dodge the different attacks, without knowing when they are coming and where. I'm not going to follow a rhythm anymore, either, so every attack will be a surprise. Go!"

This time, the blind man faired considerably poorer. Almost every attack hit home, though by the end of the candlemark he was blocking about half of them and dodging many of the others. He learned to turn his body enough that even if a blow landed, it landed lightly, and when Krilak finally called a halt, HyRune was breathless but grinning.

The grin was whiped away when Krilak said, "That was all right, but you're still not going to fare very well when I stop going easy on you."

"Going...easy?" HyRune's voice sounded a little pathetic, even to him.

"Yes, going easy." Krilak was biting his lip in worry, though his thane could not see it. "You'll never be an expert blocker," he said at last, "I'm sorry, Your Grace, but without the ability to see, it's just too difficult for you to block attacks. For you, I think the best defense will always be a good offense. Tomorrow we'll discuss attack techniques. For today...I think you'd better get some rest."

HyRune nodded, feeling a little disappointed. He went home and tried not to think about his new bruises.

[HyRune Raven]

The next day the Blind Thane had returned with a renewed vigor and desire. His face was set as he approached Krilak and the Sergeant led him to the appropriate place after salutations.

"All right, Your Grace," Sergeant Krilak began, "Today, as I said, we're going to move on to some attacks. You seem to have a pretty good sense of the people around you and their positions--better than I would have expected, if you'll pardon me, Your Grace."

HyRune nodded. "Since my blindness, my...other senses have grown more powerful."

Krilak was no surprised--he'd often heard of that phenomenon. "Very well. I want you to make an attack on me--slow, to start with. Adopt the basic stance and step forward on your right foot, using the right tip of your quarterstaff to hit me in the shoulder--lightly, just a tap."

HyRune did so, and this time, to his immense satisfaction, his attempt was met with immediate success. He felt Krilak's shoulder beneath the rap of his staff.

"Excellent!" Krilak was elated that his student had managed this so easily. It exceeded his expectations of a blind person. "Now, I'm going to try to teach you the most common counter-attacks, so that first of all, you'll be able to strike back when you are hit, and so that second of all, you'll stand a better chance of predicting and avoiding your enemy. You'd do well to always try dodging before blocking--as I said yesterday, Your Grace, blocking will never be your area of exertise. Now, make that attack again and I will block it."

HyRune did so, and his attack was immediately blocked by the lefthand end of his trainer's weapon.

"Now, Your Grace, this is a little like dancing, believe it or not. In order to brace myself for that hit, I had to put my weight onto my left foot. The easiest way for me to counterattack you is to shift my weight back to the right, and swing my own right tip to strike low at you--for example, here."

HyRune sensed his opponent's movement and felt a light rap against his left thigh.

"So," Krilak continued, "With your weight still on your right foot it is easiest for you to dodge by swivelling your body left and moving back on your left foot, away from me. In addition to helping you avoid my attack, it prepares you for a counter of your own and may even cause me to overbalance myself. Give it a try."

HyRune did, and found himself a bit too slow. Krilak's counterattack slapped him hard in the thigh before he'd managed to pivot far enough.

"You'll have to be much faster, Your Grace..." Krilak observed. HyRune nodded and they made the attempt again. This time the tip of Krilak's staff only brushed his trousers, doing nothing of any practical nature.

"Better," the sergeant said. "Now, let's try it all in reverse--start by attacking my right with your left, etc."

They did so, and spent the next candlemark or so going over this and similar attacks, as well as the usual counterattacks. HyRune was shown how and when to strike various areas, and how to dodge in such a way that his opponent would be the most likely to become a victim of his own momentum.

"Not bad," Krilak told him at the end of the session.

[HyRune Raven]

The next session was even better.

"Today we're going to work on counter-attacks," Sergeant Krilak told him as soon as formalities were past. "Only this time, it'll be you counter-attacking. Now, remember the things I taught you last time about positioning and weight balance. If I attack you here..." Krilak suddenly tapped HyRune hard against the shoulder. "...where's my weight centered?"

HyRune though a moment. "On your...left foot?"

"Good. So where would I be most vulnerable?"

HyRune's brow crinkled in thought. Finally he shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, it would be easy for me to swivel the way I taught you yesterday--what would be hard, though, would be to either block or dodge an attack made by you just under my own--the left side of my ribcage, for example."

"Like this?" HyRune swung his staff and tapped Krilak's side.

"No, not like that!" Krilak barked, and then belatedly added, "Your Grace. There were several things wrong there. First, your feet weren't far enough part--there, that's better. Second, you leaned too far in. The more you commit yourself, the more vulnerable you make yourself. True masters of stavery will avoid committing momentum whenever possible."

HyRune nodded. "All right," he tried it again.

"Better," Krilak grunted, "Now, let's try that in reverse..."

Once again, the day dragged on.

[HyRune Raven]

The next brightening, Krilak went over several more advanced attacks. Up until then, they'd been working on very basic maneuvers, and HyRune had been getting better and better at anticipating his trainer's moves and even his counterattacks. They were able to have a decent sparring session now, and the Blind Thane found that as Krilak continued to go easy on him, he could hold his own. He'd even thought of a move or two that the Sergeant had not taught, and received reluctant praise from the man.

That day, Krilak demonstrated for HyRune how to get the staff behind his opponent's knees and buckle them if the enemy did not brace himself in time. The only problem with the maneuver was that it left one wide open for a counterattack if it failed.

He learned to whirl for more momentum and to dodge attacks, an effective follow-up for the knee attack. Krilak was right--it was in many ways like dancing, for the footwork as every bit as important as where HyRune put his staff.

He learned to duck and jump and even to do both at the same time, to avoid blows to the head and feet. He was by no means a good blocker, but he was learning to anticipate common attacks and dodge appropriately.

At the end of the day's session, Krilak was smiling, though his student could not see it. "You've gotten much better, Your Grace," he said, "And I'll see you early tomorrow--for a sparring session." The words were a bit ominous, but they exhilerated the thane. Did this mean his training was drawing to a close?