(Flashback) Sharpened sticks make for strong bonding (solo)

[Naar]

10th of Summer, 498AV [Naar’s head snapped backwards as the spear struck him across the forehead mid shaft. The impact was stronger than the fifteen year old had expected. Falling backwards he saw stars that started to clear when his sister, Nakato, finally stood over him with a bemused expression riding across her features waiting for him to get back to his feet. Despite the throbbing Naar would roll onto his stomach, his chest pressing against the ground, and start to press himself back onto his feet so that he could turn to face the female Myrian again.] [Nakato was lean and strong, standing at about an inch over six feet tall with lengthy raven tresses and a tanned complexion, she had a warrior’s demeanour about her and she did not believe that anyone should learn lessons lightly. When Nakato trained with her Brother, Naar, she made sure that every mistake he made was rewarded with what would become a bruise lasting for days or a minor scar that could be used to remind him of what he hadn’t done something correctly. Their mother had instructed Nakato to take Naar with her and the band that she was travelling with as they patrolled outside of Taloba and to teach her brother what would be expected of him when he came of age very soon. Naar was quietly thrilled about all of this; he longed to become a man in Myrian society and to serve the Goddess Queen Myri to his full potential.] [After several days of travel throughout central Falyndar the group of Myrians, which numbered seven in total including Naar, had stopped for the evening to make camp and when all duties were taken care of Nakato had thrown her brother a spear and told him to face her. Naar eager to prove himself accepted the challenge and with the spear held across his body from shoulder to hip had engaged his sister in a brutal one-sided fight. Nakato was good with the spear and no matter what Naar had tried his sister always managed to block or dodge his attacks before countering efficiently and making him pay for attempting to score a hit on her. When Naar finally overextended himself by attempting to thrust the butt of his spear into Nakato’s gut she’d made him pay with the blow that just threw him down onto his backside.] [Now standing over him Naar’s sister shook her head slowly and said...”You will never serve our Queen off your back Brother. Get up.”...then she stepped back away from him and waited. Naar, after rolling onto his stomach, did get back to his feet before leaning down to claim the spear he had been fighting with mid shaft in his right hand and then he went back to the attack again. Swinging the spear around and fainting with a thrust of the actual head itself before advancing on his sister. Nakato blocked easily and, laughing at Naar would dance away from him on agile feet causing him to follow quickly while still trying to score any kind of hit on her though seemed almost impossible.] [Around the both of them the other Myrians of the group not on watch would cheer and laugh at the display enjoying the momentary distraction but also recognizing it as valuable training between both siblings. When Nakato had put room between herself and Naar he would charge her with his spear aimed ahead and spinning away she took his back in a fluent motion of her body before hooking the butt of her spear against his ankle and throwing Naar onto the ground again.] [Landing with a groan Naar would roll over again before sitting up and growling...”You cheated. That was a dirty move Nakato.”...but his sister only laughed at him and replied...”When you fight there are only winners and losers Brother. There is no such thing as cheating. Myri wishes to fight with honour but she also desires us to win.”...wise words Naar would concede then and from that day forth he would remember the knowledge his wisdom had instilled in him. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand Naar would climb back to his feet, looking across at his sister as he did this, and taking his spear in his hand again would have said...”Once more.”...causing his sister to grin briefly and then nod her head. “Good.”...she told Naar...”A Warrior does not quit.”...and the levelling her spear in his direction again Nakato would wait for her Brother to attack.]

[Naar]

[Unlike the last time Naar did not rush in to meet his sister head on and began to circle her wearily, gauging the distance between the both of them, while twirling his spear in both hands. Nakato only waited and turned on her feet so that she could continuously keep herself square with Naar allowing him to stalk her as she waited for her advance. Naar would only wait so long and then he came in to attack Nakato using the butt of his spear to jab at her in an attempt to land a quick blow but his sister would have none of it. Nakato skilfully blocked all of his blows.] [Growling impatiently Naar had begun to run in again when he stopped and remembered how that went the last time before holding his spear across his body and snapping it out towards Nakato’s leg. The Warrioress stepped backwards though, moving her leg out of the way, and countered with blow that batted Naar on the shoulder and caused him to wince painfully seeing as who he hadn’t intended for her to hit him. “You must always think ahead of your opponent.”...she would tell him...”When he is attacking you envision your defence, counterattack and how he will respond after that as well.”...which caused Naar to nod once as it made sense and the youth was only thinking one move at a time. Considering his sisters advice he would begin to formulate plans, tactics, on how he could defeat her; Naar would begin to think analytically which is what Nakato wanted.] [Next time Naar came in to attack he did what his sister advised him to do and after attacking low again envisioned how she would defend against his attack before then attacking him in return and this time Naar blocked her blow as would struck wood when she tried to come over the top and smash the wooden shaft of her weapon into his shoulder again. “Good.”...she said before pressing the attack on her own accord and causing Naar to backpedal quickly as Nakato thrust, swept and spun her spear in her hands in what became a varied amount of motions which eventually lead to her Brother falling backwards again. Nakato stood over Naar this time, the blade of her spear pointed at his chest, and said...”You have much to learn though.”...however instead of waiting for her to let him up this time Naar would smash his spear to the side and knock hers away before springing onto his feet and into a crouch, then he was coming forward again.] [Nakato was clearly pleased with her Brother and as she moved away she would beckon him towards her again, taunting him occasionally, without showing any signs of fatigue yet. Naar had beads of sweat beginning to form across his brow but he was still far from exhausted and as such he continued to attack his sister with all the fervour that he could muster. Hooking his spear between her legs Naar thought he’d be able to trip Nakato but someone she escaped his move and was none the worse for wear from it though she clearly appreciated his attempt at improvisation he had made.] [Watching the fight no one would believe that Naar had any chance of beating Nakato nor even taking her down but then it happened. Attacking Nakato he had struck blocked and then backed away but before she could pursue him Naar sprung towards Nakato again just as she swung her spear out to clip him on the side of the face and drop him in what would be another painful lesson. No one saw what happened next coming though and the Myrians watching may have even gasped briefly.] [Dropping his spear Naar ducked beneath Nakato’s when she swung it at his head and came inside of her reach before she could recover. Sweeping his arms around her legs he’d capture them before pressing his shoulder ahead and causing her to lose her footing and fall backwards in what was a basic double leg takedown that landed Nakato on her back. Naar released his sisters legs quickly and sprung backwards before Nakato could respond, leaving her to look up at him for once, then she would chuckle dryly and say...”You wish to test your skill in hand to hand against me do you? Very well Brother.”...and tossing her spear aside Nakato was on her feet again and taking up a fighting stance.] [Mimicking what he had seen his sister do Naar would stand with feet shoulder width apart and his hands open at his midsection ready to block, attack or parry either higher or low. Standing this way across from once another the siblings began to circle slowly...]

[Naar]

[No longer fighting with spears Naar would watch his sister as the two of them circled one another. Naar was much more adept, comfortable even, when it came to hand to hand fighting and there were those who said he had never lost a fight to another boy his age. These were just rumours of course but they perpetuated the fact that the youth was good with his hands and legs. Better with that form of attack than with a weapon. Nakato was no slouch though, both Naar and his sister had learned basics from their mother when they were young, she might well be able to beat her brother seeing as how she was more experienced and seemed able to intimidate him to an extent.] [Lashing out first Naar would attack with basic kicks and punches. Kicking low in an attempt to strike Nakato on the side of the leg which was checked by her. Sweeping his leg out in an attempt to unbalance her. Punching with straights and jabs. Nakato blocked all of these though and responded in kind but Naar proved much more capable in this arena as compared with a spear which he was not quite as adept with. The Spear was a traditional weapon and very effective but Naar had a different fighting style that demanded he get up close and personnel with his enemies so that he could use his own hands to kill them. When it came to hand to hand he was quite efficient.] [Blocking a blow that Nakato made by dropping his elbow down onto her wrist he’d watch as she recoiled before going on the attack with a quick open palmed blow that struck her on the side of the abdomen and jarred the wind loose of her. Nakato recovered quickly but Naar was already on her attack with a kick that snapped out and collided with the side of her shin and made her stumble. Flurrying with kicks and punches then Naar would keep her on the defensive for once as his sister struggled to keep up.] [When Nakato had enough she lashed out with a straight kick that caught Naar in the stomach and knocked him backwards. Naar wasn’t surprised as he had left himself open but lifting his arms as his sister came at him then he’d knock her own away before winding his hands behind the back of her head and trapping her in a clinch. The Clinch was effective too, even though Nakato was stronger than him, Naar would lift his legs and begin kneeing to the stomach so that he could wind his sister and take some of the force and determination out of her. Kneeing her he would thread his fingers around the back of her neck and force her down so that she’d take more punishment hearing her grunt once as a particularly well placed blow landed against her ribs.] [Eventually Nakato would escape by threading one of her arms through the inside of his own and drawing it away from her head though. This would turn the clinch Naar had maintained into just one hand holding the back of her neck and effectively reduce the momentum he could build. Naar would try for another knee but it was much less effective and before long Nakato would push him off before looking at her brother as he stared back at her. Naar, never one to have been very talkative, would let a brief smile thread against the corners of his mouth before his sister moved in to attack him but once again he was ready for her.] [As Nakato attacked high Naar would lift an arm to block with its forearm and likewise as she raised her leg for a straight kick again he would block by using his fist to hammer it back down. Then Naar would attack by raising the arm he had used to block her kick and with an open palmed blow push Nakato backwards again with another abdomen strike however this time it seemed just a tad less effective as she was ready for it. When Naar hit her stomach he would notice it tightening but pressing his advantage he would he would stalk forward throwing a straight punch, which was a ruse, before withdrawing it as his sister raised her arm to block and using his momentum to lift a side kick into her ribs.] [Hitting hard Nakato groaned but she wound her arm around Naar’s leg and next thing he knew she had taken his hip and turned with him like a fulcrum before throwing him away from her where landed with a thud and then got back to his feet. Naar wasn’t quite so willing to concede anything to his sister in this arena as compared to the last...]

[Naar]

[Watching his sister as he got back to his feet he noted how she breathing and that the rise and fall of her chest had become somewhat more laboured after the blows she had taken but she was still far from being beaten. Naar himself wanted to beat her at something, she and he were often amiable towards one another but Naar was a half breed and a male in a society dominated by woman, he wanted to prove that was everything that she was even if he knew that their mother would never accept him the same as she did Nakato. Nodding to her once he knew well that this was almost over and moved in closer so that they could finish their sparring session.] [Naar was correct the match was almost over. Using his hands to strike he’d effectively employ open palmed blows again by allowing one to be blocked and then following with another that hammered home hard. Striking with the base of his palm for maximum effect Naar let himself believe that his sister couldn’t take much more damage before she’d be forced to concede so that serious harm wasn’t done. There were matches amongst those of the Bloody Talons that had, in fact, been known to have some fatal conclusions despite being mere spars. Attacking his sister Naar never hesitated for an instant as that would show him as weak he thought.] [Another technique Naar used at one point was to tighten his hand like a claw and drag it down Nakato’s arm after lashing at with it. Tiger claw maybe? Naar hadn’t mastered the move but he had seen warriors with strong ties to unarmed combat capable of using their hands and fingers to rend through flesh right down to the bone. Naar outstretched his arm all the way to the shoulder of Nakato and the drug his tensed fingers down her forearm in a rigid movement which was unsuccessful expect allowing Nakato to get her second wind. Not good for Naar.] [Capturing his arm around the wrist before he could withdraw it Naar would find his arm jerked out by her before she struck him in the stomach and then as he grit his teeth once more in the throat as well with caused Naar to go wide eyed. Gagging after the blow Naar was helpless as Nakato swept his feet out from under him and pressed her foot to his throat after he’d landed on his back telling him...”That is enough Brother.”...all Naar could do was nod once to signify that she had won and that he had lost though it had been a good hard fight. Leaving her foot on his neck a moment longer Nakato would eventually take it away before waiting for Naar to get to his feet, which he did, and walk with her. The Myrians who had seen the display of prowess seemed impressed with the show though most praise was given to Nakato as she was the winner.] [Moving away from the others Naar would look at his sister and say...”I almost had you Nakato.”...before adding...”Next time.”...though she would merely give her brother a pointed look which seemed to shut Naar down even though it seemed he had set his goals high. “Perhaps but you lost Brother.”...Nakato would drive the point him with a stiff nod as they walked to a spot where the both of them could sit together and talk a bit. Nakato didn’t object to her brother having aspirations and Naar knew this but he also needed to keep them in check and never forget his place which was underneath her. When their mother died Nakato would be head of the immediate family which meant that Naar would always need to follow her lead. Knowing this Naar could do little but nod his head back to his sister despite his desire to become the strongest of Myri’s Warriors. Ironic that in this society it was being a man that set him back.] [Once he was comfortable Naar would observe as his sister drew water from a small flask and poured it on a cloth which she offered to him before taking one herself. “Clean yourself and any scratches or bruises you may have.”...Nakato would instruct Naar before doing likewise herself. With the cloth in hand Naar would find a few scratches and other minor abrasions mostly on his elbows and knees which he’d rinse with the water and clean as he had been told to do. Rinsing the water from the cloth Naar would occasionally let his attention veer to the surrounding area. It was not later in the day and the screams of animals crying out across the jungle could be heard. Others might think it unsettling but this was home to Naar.]

[Naar]

[Finishing cleaning his wounds with the rag that his sister had offered him Naar would rinse the cloth out before handing it back to Nakato who had gone silent and was also listening to the sounds of the jungle around the both of them. The screams of different animals soon rising into the air as apex predators ensured that it was kill or be killed in Falyndar and survival of the fittest. The Myrians embodied this philosophy as they were the fittest and built to survive against all odds as their queen willed this. Myri had protected her people in the jungles and one day they would march on the world blanketing it in the glory of their Goddess Queen.] [Now that things were calmer Naar craned his neck to one side. Observing not only the various sights and sounds but also the smells and tastes. In the jungle even the air had a taste to it and it was moist and full of blood. You could taste the vitae of the last animal that had died on the air you breathed which may well have belonged to a man. Besides this there was also the sheer unknown of the jungle which leant itself to the environment. Naar loved the idea of the unknown which seemed to embody the idea of challenge as well.] [Yet for all of his love of Falyndar Naar wished to know of the world beyond the jungles too and the different peoples that were there. Ever since he was born he had been referred to as Half Blooded. Naar knew since he was young that his blood was dirty with the taint of outsiders but this had only made him excel and try harder in whatever it was that he had tried to do. Fighting seemed to have been both his passion and his outlet. Challenging others he could beat them and claim some amount of dominance for himself in the process. Where once voices were louder in their criticism many were much quieter now.] [Looking back towards his sister Naar would ask...”May I borrow your knife.”...before taking it when Nakato nodded her head and produced it for him. Naar would then take a piece of wood that he found nearby and with the knife in his other hand begin carving the wood slowly. No one knew exactly what Naar was carving, they looked like symbols and other strange sigils, but it had always been a hobby of his and he reasoned would continue to be well into his later years of life. Dragging the knife against the wood Naar would cut strange markings into it with no meaning whatsoever though anyone watching him would certainly know that he was pleased with himself as he did this. When he had a knife and a piece of wood in his hands Naar seemed the calmest as though he could just forget everything else happening around him.] [Naar would actually only snap from his brief reverie when he heard Nakato tell him...”Put that down for now and retrieve our spears.” ...causing him to nod and set the wood and knife aside. Lifting back to his feet Naar would move off and collect the spears that he and his sister had fought with before returning to her with the both of the and setting them down within their reach. Noticing her nod her head Naar would then seat himself again and begin dragging the knife against the wood once more as he carved into it single-mindedly. Only one other thing caught his attention then and that was Nakato when she said...”You did well.”...before going silent and allowing Naar to continue his carving. Smiling thinly to show his appreciation Naar kept quite silent about the entire matter even though it felt good to hear praise from someone who he respected.] [As the remainder of the day wore on other Myrians would train against one another while still others kept watch. Eventually Naar would be expected to keep watch as well and rising back to stand when it came his turn he would move towards the outskirts of the encampment, another Myrian doing likewise in another direction, before hunching down to use the natural vegetation and foliage to his advantage. Blending in with his environment Naar would watch as nightfall descended over the jungle completely before returning back to the camp then and resting near Nakato. Throughout the night he heard her words of praise in the back of his mind and finally he would said, quietly...”I will do better.”...as he didn’t believe it was enough that he had performed admirably. Naar had the mind of a Warrior already even though he had not gotten there yet. When the time came he would not only do better he would be the best.]

[Rage]

GRANTING OF XP Naar Observation - 3xp Spear - 3xp Tactics - 2xp Unarmed Combat - 3xp Medicine - 1xp Carving - 1xp Camouflage - 1xp Lores: Fighting to Win No such thing as cheating when fighting [Tactics] Suiting one's style to counter the enemy's Using feints to set up the real attack [Unarmed Combat] Use of the Clinch [Unarmed Combat] Open Palm strikes No such thing as 'almost' in a fight Notes : A fun read. I like your portrayal of the relationship between Naar and his sister. A pity you ended the spear part of the training, I would have awarded you a full 5xp for it if you continued it for another post or so. It's always easier to get more XP when you're starting out with a new skill, at least when I'm grading it. A little fumbling with the weapon would have helped too, to keep it more realistic, since you started this thread with zero XP in it. Overall, you have good flow in your storytelling, though you may want to proofread it before posting since I've noticed a few wrongly used words and even missing words in the text (don't worry, those don't affect the XP you get from me!). Something to take note of: Myri had forbidden Myrians from taking the life of another Myrian since she had unified the different tribes. As such, sparring matches would never result to a fatality. From all their training as well as aided by Myri's gnosis (which lets them strike faster and more accurately) Myrians instinctively know when a blow would be fatal or cause serious injury, and thus are able to stop themselves at the last second before the blow connects. Accidents that result to injury do happen of course (it can't be avoided in a duel, sparring or not), but it looks bad on the one dealing the blow if they ended up killing their sparring partner. It shows a lack of training and control, and Myrians are all about controlling the flow of any battle.