[Orkon] Fait Waits... For Now

[Rushnak Orog]

25th of Melora, Spring, Era XIV (pf)


Rushnak had traveled for brightenings, no cycles by now. Time seemed to pass on a whim as he pressed on as far as he could each time he awoke. His only diversions from his goal came when his stomach rumbled so loudly and squeezed his guts so tightly that he had to find food. Hunting was not too difficult for the orc. Typically, activities involving the brutal murder of another living thing came naturally to him. Though periods of time sometime stretched too long between meals even for a tough creature that he had been designed since creation to be. Regardless of the means, he knew he was close to his... home?

Perhaps it was instinct, perhaps the smell. Either way, it was a subconscious signal which alerted him to the fact that his destination was near. The dark green figure stopped to attempt to gain his bearings as the suns lit the overcast sky dimly. Rushnak had no plans after arriving at Orkon, but he hoped opportunities would arise. He had no coins, save for the few which he surprisingly found occasionally as he shoved his hands into the small sack he carried with him. Nothing of significance that could actually buy him anything, though.

His blood was true but left him weak in the civilized world. He was too rude to coincide with society and too ruthless to make friends easily. Putting everything in perspective, it was easy to tell he was alone. A lonely orc could manage himself, but Rushnak had ambitions. His father had caused that and he aspired to be half as great and known as him. However, he would need to work his way up from the very bottom to accomplish anything.

Rushnak was willing to to do anything, literally, to make sure he moved up the ranks of orcs. Alone, he was nothing, so he intended to make his way to Orkon in order to change that. He pushed himself to keep moving, taking into account his surroundings. Now was his time, but his journey had taught him nothing if not patience.

[Rushnak Orog]

His journey was nearing an end. The journey to this particular destination, at least. Orkon was quickly approaching and the scents and sounds that filled the air as Rushnak neared send strong feelings of home and belonging through the green skin's blood. He pushing himself further through the forest and eventually saw the walls of the city he only dreamed he would call home.

The gates were always willing to allow orcs through. He traveled into the city and immediately the scene changed from a dangerous, filthy wilderness to a bustling city filled with those who he could relate to. Nobody paid him much notice, but that fact let him move more easily through the commotion. Even though he could relate to those around him, that did not secure him from getting into a brawl just as easily as if he were in a civilized town. In fact, it actually increased the chances of a fight as those who populated the area were not afraid of an orc wandering through their camps.

Rushnak passed many tents, some built only for a single orc, other large enough for a family. Most tents had fires burning and animals roasting. Smoke filled the air and as he neared the center of the city, the scene changed to more of a production center. The weapons produced here were crude but strong. Fitting for an orc to wield it properly. When Rushnak finally crossed before an orc making daggers, his interest sparked.

He approached the man and without introductions or formalities asked, "Ju know where mesa get training?" He pointed to the last dagger he had set aside so what in particular he wanted training in would be understood. Rushnak knew how to fight without weapons, but he needed to know how to use the most basic of weapons as well. Anything could be used as a dagger, so learning that skill could put him far above his competitors.

The orc who had been making the daggers looked angered. This newcomer had interrupted his work and that did not please him. The large, blackish beast stood up straight and glared at Rushnak with a furrowed brow. Instead of starting a brawl, which is what the orc wanted, he nodded his head towards the back of the wooden structure. Though he was angry that Rushnak stopped his work, he realized that he needed to finish what work remained rather than fight right now.

Without a glance, Rushnak followed the orc's directions to the back of the building. He found a couple orcs sitting down drinking ale and chewing some meat that seemed unhealthily raw. He saw one sitting with several daggers lining his belt and assumed this would be the one to speak with. "Mesa need training." Rushnak was as polite as orcs typically could be, and the orc stood in response.

He looked up at the suns to determine the time and apparently decided that he had enough to spend on Rushnak. Standing, he motioned for Rushnak to follow him. As they walked, he observed that the orc was only an inch taller than him and was about the same build. His skin was slightly more brown in tint and he wore a black belt with differently designed daggers along the side, a matching dagger opposite of each. His boots muffled the sound of his steps and he eventually led Rushnak to an area surrounded by trees. It was still within the walls of the city, but there were no tents or buildings around it. "Mesa teach," the orc said, as he removed one of his own daggers and held it before him.

[Rushnak Orog]

The orc handed Orog a heavy wooden dagger. It was obviously only for training with and was filled with a metal heavier than Orog had hefted before. After judging its weight and considering it for a moment, he looked at his teacher with a questionable face. In response, the teacher explained, "Use heavy weapon to train. Increase speed." It clicked. Of course, the harder you train and the heavier the weapon, when you wield a weapon that is of usual weight, much lighter than what he held currently, the overall speed of your actions would increase significantly.

Orog held the heavier training weapon and wrapped his fat, dark green fingers around the hilt. The pommel barely extended below his grip and the blade pointed up towards the sky. Looking up, the other orc was shaking his head. "Not elf neck. Weapon." He was trying to explain that the dagger was not simply something to grip and hold on to, but rather something to wield with skill. He demonstrated how to hold the dagger by only using his two fingers and his thumb. The grip was much lighter than what Orog had expected and he followed suit by loosening his current grip on the wooden dagger.

"Ju more flexible now," he commented as he flicked his wrist sending the tip of the dagger pointing in a different direction in an instant. Orog turned his wrist and moved it around. Because of his lighter grip, he could direct or aim the point of the weapon very quickly and easily. He could see that holding the dagger with a tight grip would cause somebody to turn or manipulate their entire arm in order to aim in a different location. Orog moved his arm back and forth and flicked his wrist to point the dagger different ways to get used to the motion. He repeated that over again until it felt more comfortable.

After repeating the movements, the teacher spoke up again. "Point up for slash or thrust, down for stab or hook." He showed how you can slash with the weapon from any angle with the tip pointed up from your hand. After demonstrating several horizontal and vertical slashes, he stepped forward and sent his dagger thrusting straight into the air before him. The dagger, pointing up still, would penetrate any lightly armored or unarmored body with a muscular attack like his. Orog repeated what he saw, only slower and taking his time to make sure he got the form correct.

The teacher turn the dagger upside down so that the point was aiming at the ground. From that position, he demonstrated to his student that he could not stab more easily. He raised the dagger of his head and whipped it through the air in a downward motion. Quickly and powerfully, the double edged weapon could cut through many materials. Also, with the tip still pointing down, he hooked the air and showed Orog that he can wrap the blade around an enemy's legs or head or body and the blade held the right way could send the metal into the opponent from behind. Again, the orc repeated the motions his teacher showed him only slower.

"Stand like dis," he told Orog as he shifted his weight over his legs. His brownish toned feet were about shoulder width apart when he placed them. He bent his legs and bounced slightly with one foot only slightly further back than the other. Orog matched the stance and bounced as well feeling how flexible his body was if he kept his joints loose. This was much the same way as when he learned the basics of fighting with only his fists, as the dagger was more an extension of his natural weapons than anything else- a sharp extension as it may be. This stance would allow the orc to move quickly at a split moment's notice either to escape, counter, or attack.

With a nod, the teacher moved around demonstrating exactly how to maneuver using this fighting stance. After a moment, Orog followed his lead and did the same movements. Everything he had learned so far he repeated over and over until it felt natural to him. He knew that he would need to perform exercises every brightening in order to maintain his speed and accuracy and the natural movements he was learning, but he was glad he was learning them now and not later.

[Rushnak Orog]

The couple took a short break. Pouring water from a pouch into his mouth, his instructor started talking. "Ju want to attack soft targets. Belly, under arm, throat, joints. But ju use weapon not very long. Take opportunity if ju see it." He was right- using daggers could be very dangerous. They were not long and the lack of range meant they were a very close quarters weapon. Getting in that close meant that the one wielding the weapon was under attack and needed to act fast. If a part of the enemy was available to attack, it was wise to take the chance even if the spot was not the softest, most penetrable portion of the body.

However, that lack of range could also be an advantage. Daggers were an easy weapon- arguably the easiest- to hide from an enemy. Getting in close and unnoticed, a dagger could be taken up quickly and thrust into the side of an opponent just under their armor and into their soft organs. Orog thought of daggers more of an extension of himself than a completely separate weapon due to the fact that many principles were the same. However, the skills needed to use the weapon properly would still need to be taught.

"Now ju see attacks," the teacher said. He put himself into the same fighting position he was in before and stood there for a moment. Calm and ready to strike, he flicked his arm out and turned his wrist enough to bring the blade pointing up. His arm swung across his body quickly and he pulled the blade back in and back into the stance he had taught before. "Slash," he stated simply. He performed the action again only this time in the opposite direction. Every time he did it, he only extended his arm, moved it while using his wrist to aim, and pulled it back in quickly.

Orog modeled the example. His knees were bent for a quick response and his elbows were held in much the same way. After a moment of being still, Orog lashed out with his arm extended and threw it across his body from right to left. He turned his wrist and the tip of the blade faced the imaginary enemy as he brought the blade across. He pulled his arm in and waited a few moments before doing it again in the opposite direction. His wrist and arm were adjusted accordingly and the slash attacked the air just as before. Though quick, Orog knew that once again he would need to practice for speed and agility on his own time.

The teacher showed how the same skill set applied when slashing in other directions. Vertical and diagonal slashes worked much the same way but required the wrist to be turned only slightly differently. The slashes were relatively easy, but the thrust is what would be used most often and, what Orog considered to be used more than any other attack with a dagger. The teacher planted his feet as before and when he extended his arm straight before him, he also pushed his forward foot in the same direction to add force behind the attack. He quickly pulled his arm, dagger, and leg back into the former fighting stance and grunted, "Thrust."

Orog did the same. He pushed his foot forward with his elbow forcing his arm out straight. When he came to return to his stance, it was difficult to move his forward foot back to position. He realized that he pushed his foot out too far and tried the movement again. Getting the hang of it, Orog tried to thrust and slash in alternating patterns. This would help with his body avoiding a routine and he was sure that his own practice would require him to change things up as well.

The next attack to learn was the stab. The teacher rotated the dagger so the tip was aimed towards the ground. He brought his hand up and came down through the air forcefully. He stopped and pointed with his opposite hand. His thumb had moved to be positioned over the pommel. This would help force the tip through any light leather armor or something else that may cause a slight bit of resistance when hit. Orog turned his dagger as well and attacked the air once more. The large muscles in his upper arms would come in useful with attacks such as these. The younger orc almost came down too hard as he was close to losing his balance and falling forward. Saving his name and face, he maintained his stance and stood up thankfully.

"Hard to block attack," his teacher explained. "Ju better off dodging attacks, if not, ju parry." It made sense. The dagger was nowhere near as strong of a weapon as a longer blade such as a longsword or even a short sword. Part of the reason they held such a flexible fighting stance was also to make sure they could move. With a dagger, it was easier to dodge an attack and then come in close to the enemy's side with the blade. Though a shorter blade could mean an easier time to hold a sword against it, it also meant that any slip could cause loss of fingers or a hand.

Parrying attacks, though, could be much easier. With a quick flick of the blade or turn of an arm, the dagger could deflect an attack and, once again, allow for a quick strike into the side or throat of an attacker. Orog had learned how to move, but he still practiced. He rolled to his side in both directions while tucking his shoulder in to lessen the impact of the ground. He was quickly back on his feet and, after a few tries, he was immediately back into his fighting stance. He then linked both a roll or other form of evasion with a thrust or a slash afterwards. This sort of practice would help to simulate an actual fight so that when the situation occurred, Orog would be quick to think on his feet.

[Rushnak Orog]

There was only one more thing to learn to complete a basic course in dagger training. As he learned before, the dagger was a very close ranged weapon that could provide both an advantage along with a disadvantage. One way to keep an upper hand in a fight, though, would be to throw your dagger at an enemy. It could potentially cause enough damage to kill a creature on impact without ever being detected. But at the same time, the risk was that not only have you thrown your weapon, you cannot throw it from a great range and still maintain much force.

Unlike a bow, throwing a dagger only used the power of your arm. And, believe it or not, however much muscle was in that arm did not determine with what force the dagger would hit the target. Instead, it was the speed with which the dagger was thrown initially. The teacher showed Orog how to hold the dagger if he was to throw it at an opponent. "Use thumb and fingers on blade," he explained as he moved the dagger blade into his hand. He showed how during flight the dagger would rotate and turn so that it would land blade first into the enemy.

He slowly bent his arm and held the dagger parallel with the ground at eye level. With a deep breath being let out, the teacher threw the dagger so quickly that Orog almost missed it. With a solid thud, the dagger impaled itself centered on a tree nearby. Orog attempted to do the same. He lifted his arm and held the dagger at eye level. He used his thumb and fingers as did his teacher and he tried to keep the weapon level with the ground. He extended his arm and the dagger was tossed through the air and landed awkwardly on the ground.

"Aim straight ahead," his instructor corrected him before demonstrating again. Faster arm extend, harder ju hit target." The orc showed Orog what he meant by performing the throw again. His arm went from being almost fully bent to being perfectly straight in an instant and the second dagger he threw landed an inch from the previous projectile. Orog nodded, and attempted the throw again. With much more force, the dagger finally hit the tree and stuck out the side before it fell only a few moments later. He would still need to work on the speed with which he threw the dagger so that way he could land the blow much harder. Accuracy was another issue the dark green skinned creature would need much practice to improve.

The pair repeated many exercises that were previously taught before refreshing themselves once more with water from a skin. Orog was imparted with much knowledge previously unknown to him about the weapon he had carried with him much of his young life. He used it as a tool before, not so much as a weapon. Moving back towards the tent, Orog hit the back of the orc who taught him as a gesture of thanks. It had taken several candlemarks and the orc appreciated the time given to him. With a nod and grunt, Orog turned back towards the city to carry on with his business and to practice the new skills he did not want to lose.

[Rushnak Orog]

Sixth Brightening of Cryxatum, Summer of Era XIV (pf)


It had been several cycles since he learned how to properly use the weapon he kept on his belt. That brightening, he had been taught by one of his own the true way to hold the weapon and how to stand. He had learned how to shift his weight when attacking and how to move his body when thrusting or slashing. The orc had also learned how to defend while using only a dagger and he was even taught how to throw his dagger and use it as a projectile weapon- but he knew that he should only call upon those skills until he was much more comfortable and more accurate.

Orog had found that in Orckon he was too busy to come upon many opportunities to use his daggers. He was working to increase his skills in other areas and he spent much time honing those skills. However, he realized he needed to train on all the skills he was learning in order to be successful. His dagger training was leaving him and he knew that he would have to spend time every brightening getting his dagger abilities up to a standard suitable for the orc that he was.

This brightening, Orog had become a Sapat. His status in the horde meant that most of the other orcs running around the city would look up to him in a way and he had to back his name up with his experience and abilities. Before the suns left the sky, the orc had every intention of practicing his abilities in order to start on that road of staying above his competition. In this sort of environment, only the quick survived. Not only the quick of mind, but the quick of hand as well. Using a dagger could be extremely stealthy and dangerous, but Orog would need to be quick in order to use it effectively.

Over the next candlemark he would work on speed. First, he would work on drawing his dagger form his belt. He let his arm fall loosely next to him in a natural stance and quickly grabbed the handle and moved his feet about shoulder width apart. Within a blink of an eye his knees and elbows were bent and his hand gripped the the dagger with his thumb over the pommel of the weapon. He looked himself over to make sure he was in the correct stance and was holding the weapon properly and made any adjustments he needed to. He replaced the dagger to attempt the maneuver again.

With each repetition, the movement got fast and faster. He swapped the dagger to his left side and drew the weapon several times using his left hand. Orog would need to be competent using either hand if he ever found himself in a situation where his right arm was already occupied. His left was slower, but with repetition and proper corrections, he eventually got it to an acceptable speed close to that of his right hand.

After working on drawing his weapon form his belt, the Sapat started to increase his speed of attack. A quick slash could sever the throat or cut the chest of his opponent before they could ever draw their weapon. Once again moving into the proper stance he had learned several cycles ago, he lashed out with his right arm and moved down and to his left. As quickly as possible, he brought his right arm back into position and immediately went into another slash- this time horizontally from right to left. He attacked starting from the side his dagger was already on to make the slash longer and, hopefully, cut deeper and be more effective.

Once again, he switched to his left side and repeated the same actions. Orog was at this for some time until the suns had both fallen below the horizon. Orcs had better sight while dark than most other races, but the fading light signaled to the Sapat that he could finish for the brightening. He would make sure end his brightening in the same manner unless something else came up to prevent his exercises. Every brightening he would work on something else to make sure that no skill went unnoticed and unpracticed.