Why You Dirty Little Gnome : Private training Tessared-Tohiba - Treant

[Treant]

Time Stamp: 2nd cycle of Imperos, in the Season of Autumn, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum.


Treant passed through the city gates amazed at how secure the gate was and how secrutinizg the guards were. "Well...at least its ...safe" Treant thought laughing at his last words. The gnome had finished his boomerang training and he was in need of more. If he was going to be an accomplished theif he would need to wield many talents. The first was to learn the art of Tessared-Tohiba, an art that Treant had heard of through stories as a child. Apparently it was a martial art that taught shorter people to fend off larger opponetts. Since everyone was pretty much taller then Treant he wanted to learn this martial art right away. Besides he had heard about a tavern in Candancburg, his soon to be home, that sported in tavern brawls.

"Just think, you'll be the tavern champion"Treant though puffing his chest out a little. He had heasrd that there was a great collesum in this city and that was where Treant was going to look. Surely there he would find a master of the art. As Treant walked to the collesum he could only imagine what his next step in his journey would be like.

Approaching the giant marble statues of champions of old Treants heart beat quicker and harder. Was it the climb or was it the nerves. "Aye and they make everything such a walk around this city...what next a mountain to climb?"Treant thought huffing and puffing.

FInally as he climbed to the top he entered the building. The entrance was dusty with men standing everywhere waiting to fight. The roar of the croud could be heard all the way at the gates of Nexus but to hear it in person sounded like thunder. Blood stained the ground leading out of the arena from where great battles had left its marks.

Treant looked around his surroundings and let the smell and feeling set in. .........

A fight broke out here or there and over the scuffiling a loud voice would yell "Break it up, save it for the crowd!" Treant looked but he couldnt make out the voice. Every now and then an elf or human would come out of the spectator area "bouncing" unruly spectators out.

Treant sat down just observing. He would know when he saw it. An hour past and nothing...another hour....Treant started to fall asleep and then he heard the voice again. "I said knock it off!"

Again Treant could not see the voice but he did see a cloud of dust and then he heard it. "Ohhhhhh.......owwwww..." The crowd was making the noise. "Did you see that, I cant belive he actually bit him?" "Yea I know he actually kicked him in the groin as well....."

Treant tried getting a closer look but he couldnt see past the dust cloud and the crowd of fighters snickering. Once the dust subsided and the crowds broke up Treant saw what the comotion was about. A dwarf about 4 feet tall was sitting on a dark elf tieing his hands and legs together.

"Ye think that just because ye be taller den me, dat you got da advantage."The dwarf said talking to the elf who was badly beaten both physically and morally.

"Grifenger, you need some?" a guard came running in.

"Nah, I got da elf tied, take him away and throw him in da bars for a bit, let him cool down before ye let him go." the dwarf returned. The dwarf got up and patted himself off. Dust seemed liked it just flowed off of him.

The guard took the elf away leaving the dwarf back to his duties.

Treant slowly walked closer to the dwarf. "Wow dat was amazing, dont ye hate it when da big nob think he can run over us smaller people." Treant said to the dwarf.

"Aye, but ye dont be knowing what ye talking about. It be de littler people running over da big nobs,"The dwarf said fixing his clothes. "Grifenger, and whom ye thinkg be, ye dont stand a chance in dis arena, "The dwarf laughed.

Treant was offened at the dwarfs last statement. "I am Treant, and I do stand a chance anywhere I go, I am more dangerous then ye think!"Treant said getting aggitated. "And besides yer just a beared dwarf, what do ye know?" Treant said rasing his nose at the dwarf.

"I know dis much" Grifenger said kicking Treant in the shin nearly making him fly across the room and hit the wall.

"See yer be wrong, ye cant even take a kick without falling down."the dwarf laughed.


Treant got back up and rushed the dwarf. Clearly treant was not thinking but his pride had been hurt and he wasnt going to let down.

The dwarf side stepped the charging gnome and put his foot out tripping Treant.

"Ye got more or do ye yeild?"the dwarf laughed folding his arms.

Treant got back up and charged back toward the dwarf with a flurry of punches.

"Block, Block, side step, kick" Grifinger said motioning through the actions.

"Now stop yer foolishness before I break a sweat, I just bought dis outfit." the dwarf said using one hand to contend with treant.

Finally when the dwarf was tired of playing he stepped back and jumped at Treant in a tight flying ball. The dwarf hit Treant and sent him flying.

Treant got up slowly, feeling like he was going to black out. But his pride was at stake and nothing would keep him down except death. "I....dink....dwarves....."Treant stuttered stumbiling forward.

And with the word "dwarves" the dwarf jumped into the air and sent a double kick to treants leg buckling Treant to the ground.

"Aye, ye be a stubborn gnome....I respect dat, but still ye be foolish to keep getting up." The dwarf said spitting to the side.

"Why are ye here, a gnome like ye dont belong in a crowd like dis, no matter de size of da heart?" Grifinger said hellping Treant up.

Treant just staggerd to the side wall using the wall as a support. "I am here to find a master of Tessared-Tohiba " Treant said passing out.

[Treant]

Treant woke up to the smell of strong Garlic and the stench of stale beer. As his eyes opened he found himself in a dark room with a dim lighted lamp in the far corner. He also heard sounds of thunking against a padded object. He also saw a shirtless dwarf kicking, punching and doing movements to a padded object he had never seen before.

"Sit ye back down, or get up completly!" The dwarf yelled not even turning around.

Treant shot up in a moment remembering the beating he had just taken. "Where am I?" Treant asked watching the dwarf.

"Ye are in me dojo." The dwarf said combining more attacks at the padded object. "well are ye going to stand der and watch or are ye going to learn?" the dwarf sneered hitting the object harder.

Treant moved closer to the object Grifenger was hitting on.

"No not dis, ye are not ready for dis yet, over der grab dat weight and tie it around yer feet. Once you have it secure jump 50 times." the dwarf said stopping his attacks and pointing to a great large stone in the corner of the room.

"We train hard and ye need to be built like a stone" the dwarf said tying the stone around Treants legs. "Ye not be fast enough yet so I will do it for ye." The dwarf muttered.

"Whhaat..."was all Treant was able to get out before he had the stone tied around his legs.

"Now Jump!" the dwarf yelled punching him in the shoulder, much lighter this time.

Treant started jumping..."1......2.......3........4........5..... .6......7...8...9...10......" treant counted outloud until he got to 39, then he stopped breathing hard. "My legs, day....they are going to break off...."Treant said huffing air.

"If ye dont finish Ill break dem off" the dwarf muttered tying a solid black belt around his waist and sterring back at Treant with a look that said. "Yes I will Break your legs."

Once Treant saw that look he started jumping again, slowly but at least he started.

"45.....46.....47....48.................49........ ..............50" Treant said falling to the floor.

"Get ye lazy weak gnomish hide off my floor." The dwarf said charging at Treant with a knife.

Treant horrified knowing he could not defend himself just stood there....still, to exhusted to continue. To his amazment the dwarf cut the string around the gnomes legs.

"Now ye see dem stair cases over der? Run dem 50 times!...now!" Grifinger shouted dragging the gnome over to the stairs.

Treant started stumbiling up the stairs, out of breath his legs weaker then a fae trying to carry a mountian. Slowly he began to climb the stair cases. He looked up there must have been at least 50 stairs.

"when yer done dat you will tie de stone around your arms and lift your arms over yer head 100 times." The dwarf coughed. "And when your done dat you will run back and forth in dis room 500 times." The dwarf grinned. It seemed like this was the punishment for trying to brawl with him.

And so started Treants long journey to training.

"Oh I might tell ye, welcome to yer first day of Tessared-Tohiba training. I am Master Grinfinger." the dwarf laughed sitting down, putting his feet up he sliced into a piece of fruit.

"Ye will do this every day 3 times a day for one cycle! You will do nothing but sleep and train. Nothing more. And to make sure of dis my student over here will watch you." Grinfinger said pointing to a katta sitting in a corner laughing.

"Once yer cycle has ended you will den be ready to learn." the dwarf said getting up and leaving.

Treant continued his workout. Tired, sweating, weak, and ready to pass out.

[Treant]

The first couple brightenings of work out seemed like an eternity. Every brightening at the end of his 3 brutal sereies his body felt like it would just die. Slowly though, Treants endurance and strength was building. By the last brightening Treant was not huffing any more and was completing the circuits in good time.

His legs were like rocks and his arms were steel. His endurance was that of a deer. As excruciating as the traing was clearly this is what Grifinger wanted.

3rd cycle of Imperos, in the Season of Autumn, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum.

Treant woke up again in the dojo to the familiar sound of padding being beaten and sounds of grunts and fierce battle noises. "Why de ye have to be so loud in da mornin' master?" Treant said stumniling out his his cot.

"Aye shut yer companing whole, if ye want to be da best den da best start bright and morning every morning....its is very important ye practice once a day after you leave dis dojo. The more you practice the better your skills will become. Now come over here." The dwarf said pausing from his brutal beatings on the padded object.

The dwarf went and grabbed a black belt that was worn and torn from time. It had remnants of blood and other unmentionable stains on it. He also grabbed a solid clean white belt.

"When you train you will wear this is my dojo"Grifinger said tying his belt around his waste. "Your first lesson is to understand what the belt symbolizes, how to tie it and why we tie it a certain way."the dwarf rambled holding the belt with both his arms held out. "As one gains skill the belt will change colors and textures based off of how hard you work. If you spill blood the belt will catch it. Spill sweat...aye your belt will stink. When you get knocked down so will your belt. All of this will contribute to your skill. A master is known by the look of his belt. The longer you practice the darker and more rugged your belt will appear." The dwarf said showing the tears and stains in his own belt.

"Now we tie the belt around our waist like so." the dwarf showed the gnome. "Make sure it is always tied like this..and I will show ye why in a moment." The dwarf said.

"
Step 1:
Place the belt around your waist in the back just above the hip bones and hold each end of the belt in each hand so that they are in front of you. Make sure the belt is not twisted in the back.
Step 2:
Take the end on your left side and make it a bit longer than the other. Wrap the long end over the shorter end at the navel and have the longer side go all the way around your waist again until the longer piece is in front of you once more. The longer piece should be over the short piece and on your right and the shorter should be on your left.
Step 3:
Tuck the longer end under both wraps of the belt from the bottom and bring it out of the top. Fold the end so it is facing downward.
Step 4:
Take the shorter end and move it from the left side to the right underneath the longer end. Bring the shorter end up and over the top of the longer end and then through the loop it makes to form a knot.
Step 5:
Pull the ends to tighten the belt. Both sides should now be of equal length. " The dwarf said showing the gnome.

"Now try yourself." Grifinger said. With one motion he pulled the belt loose and it came off the gnome.

Treant nodded during the instructions. When Grifinger said the words about the smell, his nose sneered. "Great not only do I have a rag but one that stinks..."he thought

"Ok, first Place the belt around your waist in the back just above the hip bones and hold each end of the belt in each hand so that they are in front of you. Make sure the belt is not twisted in the back. ....."Treant said saying the instructions back to the dwarf as he motioned through the movements.

"Good now the reason why we tie our belts like this is so if we have to we can use it as a weapon, or to catch a weapon we are being attacked with like a knife."Grifinger told him.

"Do this 10 times, I will be back in a moment."The dwarf said leaving the room.

Treant continued through the motions...."Pointless...."Treant mumbled.

"What did you say!" the katta spoke!. "Nothing here is pointless...and if I here words except yes master come from your gnomish hole...I will personable solve that problem for the master!" The katta sneered getting up from his seat approaching the gnome.

Typically Treant would have snapped back at the katta with a whitty remark, but all he could remeber was the beating he took a couple brightenings ago, and he did not wish to recieve it again.....or ever.

Treant began the motions of tying the belt again...and again...and again.

The master walked back in the room seeing Treant tying the belt. "Good now we will practice balance and stances today. Before you can attack or defend you must give a balanced approach. You will ALWAYS be balanced wether walking down the street or in a brawl."the dwarf said stepping into a stance.

[Treant]

"Ok the first stance I will teach you is the basic stand called a back stance. The stance is setup for a frontward attack. It is a strong balanced stand ONLY when being confronted from the front. " the dwarf said putting his back foot back and setting it horizontally while his front foot was placed forward with his heel in the air.

"See how my feet are positioned, it allows me to use a quick shin kick or reposition to a new stance. Every stance can move into another. Also if I need to back up I can switch the back stance by rotating my hips and turning, my feet naturally assume the back stance again but with the other foot forward. This will allow you to back up if you must.....but we NEVER back up we attack.!" The Dwarf said pointing to the position of his feet while talking.

"Now you try, and I will show you the weakness' and strengths of the stance."Grifinger said to Treant.

Slowly Treant mimiked the position of the dwarfs feet.

"Good now the weight should be on your back foot not the front....lean back a little it more....get that heal up" The dwarf said helping the gnome position.

"Good now stand there."The dwarf said walking to the other end of the room and picked up a wooden sword like object. Firecly the dwarf swung the sword at the gnomes front foot.

Not wanting to get hit the gnome lifted his front foot quickly, but not quick enough. The gnomes heal did not make it and felt the punishment.

"Ah I got ye....now if I can swing at yer feet and you get hit, it means you still have to much weight on yer front foot. Now repostion yourself again." The dwarf said gently smacking the gnome on the back with the sword.

Treant jumped as his heal was hit with the sword. Now his foot was throbing and a welt started appearing. "Ow!"

"Stop your complaining, less talk more listen!" the dwarf said now coming down hard on the gnomes back with the sword.

Quickly not wanting to get hit again Treant repositioned his feet, this time little weight was put on his front foot and 95% of his weight was put on his rear foot.

Grifinger started walking away and quickly turned and swatted at the gnomes foot. Without hesitation this time Treant lifted his front foot with lightening speed this time.

"Good, now do you feel how the weight of your body should be balanced with this stance?" The dwarf questioned not wanting a response. "Stand still in your stance." the dwarf said tossing the sword to the katta.

"Now if I come at your from the front notice how you are hard to push over." The dwarf said pushing on the gnomes chest hard. "Your back foot since it has all the weight is supporting the frontal force. But if I come at you from the side I can easily knock you over."The dwarf said moving to Treants side and pushing him over.

"Now the second stance is what we call a horse stance." the master said spreading his feet to shoulder length width and bending his legs until his legs were parallel to the ground.

"This is a stance if you are attacked from the side or you wish to make a sideward attack."the dwarf said patting his legs. "Notice how my legs are low making my body parallel to the ground, it gives me a better balance and more force is needed to knock me over."the dwarf said swaying side to side.

"Now you try." Grifinger said standing up and grabbing the wooden sword. He walked over to the katta and whispered somethign in his ear and handed him the sword.

The dwarf left the room and the katta approached Treant. Treants heart beat a bit faster he and this creature did not get along already, and now he had a training weapon Treant was becoming all to well familuar with.

Treant spread his feet at shoulders length and hunkered down in the stance.

"Lower" the katta said coming closer with the sword....."Lower" he said again rasing the sword above his head.

Treant hunkered down lower watching the sword. The katta immediatly brought the sword down quickly again but stopped before hitting treant. He slowly placed the sword on the gnomes thighs. "Almost," the katta said watching the sword roll of the gnomes thighs. "You have achieved the proper stance when I can set something on your thighs and it will stay." the katta said picking the sword up.

"Again!" the katta yelled. Treant quickly readjusted his position. The katta walked back over and set the sword on his thighs. "Good" the katta said placing the sword on his thighs. This time it set. "Now to make sure you never forget this position..."The katta smiled. When he said that Grifinger had walked back in the room with two buckets of water hung over a long legs length rod.

"To make sure you never forget this position and you learn..."The dwarf smiled placing the rod on top of Treants legs. "If you spill a drop of this water, I will spill your blood." the master said walking away from the gnome.

The katta snickered, he had remebered this drill all to well.

Treant stayed in his positioned hunkered down for what seemed like an eternity. Staying as still as a stone, treant stayed.

The katta sat down just watching the gnome, his tail moving randomly. A candelmark later the dwarf reentered.

"well" he said looking at the katta. "Not a drop master....not bad for a gnome." the katta said looking at Treant

The master went ove and removed the rod from Treant's thighs. The gnome dropped to the floor. "Get up you weakling, if you want to train with me you will stand back up right this moment."Grifinger said grabing the gnomes shoulders and lifiting him up.

Treant staggered up like he had always done...slowly.

"Now the last stance you will learn today is the cresent stance, it is called such because of the way you walk forward when in it, it is in teh shape of a cresent moon." the dwarf said almost standing normal.

"Now look at my feet see how they look almost normal? But they are not my front foot is set normal and my back foot is slightly set to the side and is placed at the end of the front foots heal like such." the dwarf said showing his feet. "This stance is a 'ready' stance when you are just standing around or unsure of the situation. It will allow you to quickly change into another stance or attack." the dwarf said getting out of the stance.

The dwarf picked up a razor sharp hand sickle and motioned for Treant to try.

The gnome wearily set his stance waiting on instructions. "Now when you step forward you sweep your back foot in a creasent motion and stop when your foot his at the tip of your other foots toe."the dwarf said setting the sickly down along Treants feet.

"Now walk!" Grifinger yelled at Treant.

Treant swept his foot forward as the master instructed and his back foot caught the edge of the blade cutting his foot. Blood trickled from his foot. Treant winced at the pain.

"Ye did it wrong!" the dwarf said repositioning the sickle. "Do it again." the dwarf yelled.

Again Treant did the motion, and again he cut his foot. Over and over this happend until Treant learned to walk. The dojo had streaks of blood on the floor from Treants feet.

"Now the second part of this stance is when you walk into an area you can not see or do not know what is on the terrain. The motion of your feet are always set solid on the floor, it allows you to 'throw' any objects lain on the floor away from your feet." the dwarf said motioning to the katta.

The Katta pulled a bag from the shelf and threw sharp metal objects in fromt of the master. "Caltrops..."treant whispered.

The dwarf assumed the cresent stance and started walking forward toward the caltrops sweeping them out of the way. "See how my feet are clearing the floor." The dwarf said throwing the caltrops away from his feet.

"Now again you try but this time we will mkae it more of a challenge." the dwarf said motioing for the gnome to bandage his feet wounds.

Treants feet looked white with the bandages wraped tightly around his feet.

"now walk!" The dwarf yelled at Treant. This time the path was littered with glass, caltrops, and small sharp rocks.

Treant started the path toward the master slowly sweeping the floor. Soon enough their was a path clean behind Treant.

"Good." the master said patting the gnome on his back. "Now go do a circuit of your workout, after your clean up my floor." the dwarf said throwing a broom in the gnomes hand.

Treant groaned when he heard ....go do a workout... He took the broom and started the clean up. Once done he began his teidous workout.

[Treant]

Treant was tired, cut, bleeding, and covered in sweat. His belt was turning to a dirty white with a yellowish color. He had been through a number of stances and brutal training. "what have I got myself into..."he thought finishing the running part of his training. His legs were sore and his feet hurt.

The katta walked in as Treant was finishing his running. "Not bad for half a brightenings work. You learn quick, yet you still learn like a fool." the katta snickered.

"What be ye problem ye big nobed piece of fur. If it were my choice Id turn you into a piece of carpet." treant said fed up with the katta. The katta moved closer to treant quickly getting ready to pound on the gnome.

Treant placed his feet in a back stance ready for the frontal attack. The katta went to punch Treant, yet the gnome quickly readjusted his back stance by stepping back out of the kattas blow.

Quickly the katta moved to Treants side and landed a kick to the gnomes leg bringing him down. He then began to pound on the downed gnome.

"If ye speak one more time to me like this I will make you bleed harder." the katta said continuing his brutal lesson to the gnome.

"Stop it, de both of ye!"The dwarf entered yelling. "Get over there de both of ye." the dwarf yelled at the two students. "Looks like he would have standing up to ye if he would have known how to transition." the master laughed at the katta.

"Since ye two have a problem with each other I dink da best way to learn the transition is to let my furry student over her teach ye." The dwarf chuckled.

'Master I .." the katta began "Shut it! you will teach what I tell ye to teach or you will never progress to the next levels." the dwarf cut the katta off.

"Now teach him de transitions." the dwarf spat leaving the room.

"get over here!" the katta sneered postioinging into a cresent stance. "You will listen and not speak. Once i finish telling you what to do you will do it. Understand!" the katta yelled mad about being repermanded in front of the gnome.

"The cresent stance transitions into a back stance by steping back like this. " the katta instructed steping back and repositioning his feet and moving back into the cresent stance. "The cresent stance transitions into the horse stance like so." the katta showed moving his feet out to the proper stance. "Now each stance tranistions into another by slight quick movements. Back stance, horse stance, cresent stance..." the kata said moving into the different stances. "Now try!" the katta yelled picking up the bag of caltrops and the wooden sword.

"Good, now on my comand you will transition into the stance I yell." the katta said setting down the bag of caltrops. "Back stance!" the katta yelled swinging the sword at the gnomes feet.

Treant lifted his foot to advoid the blow. "Now horse stance!" he yeled throwing caltrops in front of the gnome.

"Cresent stance! and walk!" he yelled. "Back stance, cresent stance, horse stance, cresent, back, horse, cresent, horse, back..." the katta rattled off as Treant quickly repositioned.

"Good, " came a voice from the doorway. The master had came back in. He nodded at both the students.

"I think it is time for him to learn how to kick." the master said walking around the students. "This is what we call a heavy bag, and this is a training tool over here for fighting. " the dwarf said wlaking over to a thick wooden poole with rods sticking out of it. "Every time I block a rod the poole rotates to swing another rod at me like so." the master showed. "You are not ready for this yet.." he said moving back to the heavy bag.

"When you kick you do so like this, and hit with your heel." the master said thrusting his leg forward at the bag. A resounding "thunk" was heard and the bag swayed.

"We kick with our heel because it uses more force." the dwarf said showing againt he kick. "Now you try, 100 times with each leg." the dwarf said stepping back.

Treant approached the bag and set back in a back stance, he kicked the bag with his heel. It swayed...... slightly..."Ahh you need to do more jumps." the dwarf said laughing at the wimpy kick.

100 times treant continued with each leg. Once he was complete the master picked up the sword. "Stand still in a horse stance." the master said swinging the sword at the gnomes legs. Again and again the master beat the gnomes legs until he fell down.

"get back up." he said moving to the other side of the gnome. "I am conditioning your legs to be like rock. When you kick you will break, not merly touch me." the dwarf said startig his beating on the gnomes other leg.

The katta just snickered remebering his own training.

[Treant]

"ok good now, it is time for you to learn to punch. When you punch you will step forward in a cresent step. You hand will be holstered at your waist wrist facing the sky, like this. When you punch you will step forard and you will turn you wrist as your arm comes forward. When you turn your wist along with stepping forward make sure you breath out. Every movement should be a controled breath, this harnesses all the force in you to hit with without spending your endurance." Grifinger said demonstrating on the bag. As he hit the bag he sent it flying backward.

"Now try, hold the bag." he said motioning to the katta. "Breathe." he said as treant started punching.

"good....breathe, twist the wrist and breath out." the master said watching the students movments.

"Now 100 times each arm." he said watching.

Treant punched, and punched, and punched. His arms felt so heavy and weak at the end. Sweat was pouring down his body, dirt seemed to cling to his clothing.

Treant finished the repititions, drained. "Good now another circuit and that will be all for today." the master said leaving the room. "We will start bright and early again tomarrown."

[Treant]

Treant woke up the next morning this time there was no noise coming from teh heavy bag or any sounds of battle. He quickly got up and on his own began his training. He started with a cirucit work out and then started working on the heavy bag with his punches and kicks. He concentrated on what the master had said about the movements of breathing, twisting, and hiting with the heal of his foot.

He stopped sweat coming off his face and dripping down his body. He started working on his stances and transitioning from one to the other.

The master and the katta walked in during Treants practicing. "I think hes learning, master" the katta said folding his arms. "Yes indeed."

Treant whiped around seeing the two. The dwarf noded to the katta and the katta attacked treant.

Punch, punch, kick, side step, kick, punch. The kata combined blows toward the gnome. Quickly the gnome tranistioned from one stance to the next. The katta kept a rentless attack coming onto the gnome, and all he could do was move from stance to stance advoiding the katta. " I said we always ATTACK!" the dwarf yelled at the gnome.

With that Treant took a cresent step forward and punched toward the katta, kick, punch step, stance change, stance change, punch, kick.

The katta started blockin and side stepping the gnomes attacks. For what seemed like the entire morning the two went back and forth attacking and changing stances. Treant didnt know anything else but to change stances and attack. The katta kept using blocks that would hurt the gnome every time he attacked, but it was all he could do.

"Good!" the master yelled stopping the pair. "Always attack!" he moment you stop attacking the moment you will loose your ground. Now you do not know how to block yet so you are using your stances to keep away from the attacker. But you must learn how to block and use your blocks as attacks. Blocking is attacking!" the dwarf yelled throwing a block to an invisible attack.

"Now cresent stance!" he yelled. "watch the moitions of your attacker, inticipation is good, but if you inticapte wrong you still will get hit, so you need to learn to watch, and time your blocks." the dwarf said punching the air.

"Now for your level you will learn two blocks. Down block and inside block." the dwarf said doing the two movements.

"It is important that when you block you stay on the OUTSIDE, of the attack." Grifinger said blocking and stepping to the side with a lean.

"Now cross your arms and make an 'x' like this in front of your body." the dwarf said demonstrating. "Now say your attack is to your right take your right arm and bring it out with a swing toward the attack and sweep your other arm like you would if you were to 'recock' your arm for a punch." he said.

Treant put his arms up in an x position in the front of his body. He moved his arms like the master instructed and leaned away from the block.

"Good now do the block again but from a relaxed stance, and when you block , block hard. " the dwarf said moving to the side of the room.

Treant continued to do the block with his right arm. "Good now with your left." Grifinger said pointing to Treants other side.

Treant contuned the blocking movements with his other side. "Good now the down block is the same except you block downward instead of across like the inside block and you step back into a back stance.

Treant did the same motions but blocked downward this time and settling into a back stance.

"Ok now time for you to learn to combine your blocks and attacks" the master said.....


.................................................. .................................................. ................

End of 3rd cycle of Imperos, in the Season of Autumn, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum.


Treant continued his training and work outs to the end of the week. Practicing the movements he was taught.

"It is time you are tested." Grifinger said watching the gnomes movements.

"Tonight you will be tested. Dress in normal clothes with your belt under your cloak."The master said leaving the dojo.

Treant stopped his training and thought. Reflecting on what he had learned and the conditioning he had gone through. His arms were rocks and his legs were steel. His endurance was that of a horse.

[Treant]

Grifinger, the katta and Treant walked out of the dojo...clean. "Where are we going tonight master?" Treant asked. The katta looked at Treant and smiled. No words were spoken by either the katta or the master.

The three walked slowly through the dark roads of Nexus Prime until they came to the city tavern. Lingerer's Tavern. Known for the fights that would break out on the mere look taken by one of its patroons. The master opened the door and moved toward the back of the room. He nodded at the bar tender acknowledging his presence.

The other two took a seat at the table. "Three brews over here!:" the dwarf yelled at the bar maid. "Master what does training have to do with brews?" Treant asked confused. The gnome could not understand what was going on.

"Ah you will soon find out." the dwarf laughed. The bar miad brought over the drinks. "Here yer lads."the bar maid said smiling a seductive smile.

"Ye might want to take off ye cloak now Treant." Grifinger said sucking down a sip of his brew. Treant removed his cloak to revel the stained white belt which now was turning a brownish color from the ugly yellow it had once turned. The belt had wear on it and the tips were starting to fray a bit.

The katta looked at the dwarf, and was given a nod. Without notice the katta took the gnomes brew and threw it at the biggest human in the bar.

The human was hit square in the back of the head brew spilling over him. He got up in rage and looked at the table the three were sitting at. "which one of ya threw that." he yelled knocking over the table and coming after the table the three were sitting at.

The katta and dwarf merly pointed their fingers at Treant sliding back in their chairs.

"Get over here!" the human yelled grabing the gnome by the shirt and throwing him across the room.

Immediately an opening appeared as if this was normal where a fight would soon take place.

"Good luck to ye." Grifinger said as he nodded to theflying gnome. As Treant flew through the air he realized what the master had said about being tested....."What a cruel secret" he though landing hard on the floor opposite from his attacker.

The enraged human broke a piece of a chair leg to use as a club and approached the circle. "Ill teach you to come in here again." the human spat getting ready to charge the gnome.

Treants eyes grew large! He quickly set into a cresent stance not knowing what was going to happend. As soon as he set his stance the human charged after treant.

Treant tranistioned into a back stance as he side steped the charging human while landing a kick to the humans leg.

The human spun around clearly more enraged. He came down on treant with his make shift club. Treant without thinking steped to the side of the attack and blocked the side of the humans arm as hard as he could. The humans club flew from his hand.

Not quick enough, Treant failed to catch the humans second blow and was sent flying across the oposite side of the circle. Treant shook his head throwing off the stars he was seeing. The human came again at Treant this time with a kick and then a kick. Treant blocked furoiously and returned the blows with blocks that sent the human to one knee.

Treant punched hard twisting his arm as he had practiced straight toward the humans face. The touch of blood and spit covered Treants punch. He combined another punch landing it on the humans left eye.

The human fell over grabbing Treant. Treant tried throwing a block to the grab but was caught off balance and came down with the human. For a couple minutes the two rolled back and forth on the floor until both were able to stand again. The human tired unleashed a series of blows at Treant. Kick. Kick. Punch. Kick. Treant countered with two inside blocks a side step and another block. His arms could feel the contact of force and was leaving his arms soreer and sorer. When the last blow was made Treant countered with two punched of his own aimed for the mans thighs. The blows brought him back down to treants eye line.

The master sat in the corner observing the fight...."Hmm he is doing well for his skill level..." he said to the katta. "Yes, just watching a student at this skill level gives me all the more respect for learning the correct places to attack at." the katta replied. "Yes but that is the next level, you and I both know that students at his rank do not understand the appropriate area of attacking." Grifinger said watching the fight

Treant began punching and changing stances as he took the fight into his own liking. Blood had now stained the floor and it had become known the the human was tiring quickly.

The human tried standing back up but Treant landed a strong kick to the mans thigh as it rose up. The human landed on the floor face down, moitionless, but breathing hard,

The crowd had started going back to what they were doing and the bar tender motioned to three bar miads to move the passed out human to the street.

Treant staggered up, tired and sore from the fight. Grifinger was there to meet him with the katta at his side.

"not bad, you passed." he snickered. Treant looked up at the master his hand on his knees catching his breath. "Next time tell me before ye through the brew." he said sitting back at the table they first started at.

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Waiting on Crimsons approval

[Crimson]

OoC: Excellent. Very straightforward

*CRIMSON STAMP OF APPROVAL*

+ 2 Experience for Novice-level training.

Gain +4 more to advance to next level via a Level-Up thread.