[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

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This shining population center is considered the jewel of The Sylira Region. Home of the vast majority of Mizahar's population, Syliras is nestled in a quiet, sprawling valley on the shores of the Suvan Sea. [Lore]

[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

Postby Chevalier on January 25th, 2012, 5:15 pm

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Combat went on inside of that darkened cylinder, and while it was only a short time when you were fighting to capacity it could have ever well felt like an eternity. The Knight had to back off ot keep from becoming a target for that large bastard sword. The fight for the older man was not as simple as maneuvering or exerting his body, there was a mental focus to establish and maintain as well, and he was quite good at it. Even in the midst of combat he was planning his next maneuver, directing the flow of his Djed, trying to push the squire in order to reveal his talents.

To Markus' crippled senses, his sight removed from the equation temporarily, his ears had to pick up the slack. They revealed to him a pointed movement to his rear, just as he had expected and then, with the force of his might and the training of his blade he struck. An impact resounded. A glorious impact that had Markus' elbow nearly hyperextending from the sudden stop, but there was something strange about this impact. A trained squire knew the feeling of their blade striking a man, a shield, or a weapon. This sensation was nothing like those, instead it was almost as if his sword had been...

caught. The darkness peeled away with another foreign word, revealing the bald man standing there, his hand gripping high upon the bastard sword Markus wielded, nearest the hilt. Those cold eyes stared at Markus momentarily, and even if he tried to pull away it was as if his blade was encased in solid rock. "You've got skill. You're a very straight forward fighter. Straight as an arrow." the towering Knight spoke before his arm suddenly moved with a most unnatural force, tearing the weapon from the squire's hand and sending it clamoring to the ground before skidding to a halt, nearly taking Markus' shoulder joint with it. "When you fight it isn't just push and pull. But if you want to make it about push and pull, you need to be damn sure you push and pull harder than the next guy." Those were the techniques of a Mage-Knight, skilled in the use of magic to augment similarly formitable martial powers.
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[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

Postby Markus Andres on January 28th, 2012, 9:54 am

Defeat

Markus knew it the second he felt his arm stop uncomfortably. The feeling was solidified when the darkness vanished. He had been defeated by the knight's magic trickery. Markus grunted when the knight disarmed him and a sharp pain went down his arm from the jerk in the weapon, he almost injured him in the disarming process. It was as if his own strength mattered little against this man. He always felt humiliated when he was disarmed. But there was nothing he could do against an opponent who was that much better. If not only better, but also with a bag full of tricks Markus could never have anticipated. One of them was his deceitful exterior. Hardly a man Markus would consider to move with such speed and ease.

"How can you move that fast..." Markus whispered below his breath. His hands balled up into fists and hit the ground with the gauntlet fist. For he hated losing. Hated wasn't a strong enough word. He absolutely loathed losing. There was a look of demoralized anger and desperation for a brief moment before Markus got to his feet, but then it was replaced with determination. He had been shown a new plateau his skills could reach. Now it was time for him to reach that plateau. His bulging arms pressed against the floor. Pushing him to his feet with a strength a defeated person ought not have. He spun around to face the bald man who had defeated him. His eyes ablaze with a fierce determination. This man knew tricks that his master did not. He wanted to know those tricks, to hell with the consequences.

"Ser, please show me how to Push and Pull harder than anyone else. Show me how you move with such speed and strength." The determination that shone in his eyes was also present in his voice. He simply wouldn't take no as an answer.
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[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

Postby Chevalier on February 7th, 2012, 7:00 am

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"Mastery of the body inside and out. That's the idea." the elder Knight responded, his finger rising upward to jab Markus in the gut, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make his point physically, "There's a whole bunch going on inside of there that you don't understand. You could work for a hundred years and not understand it. Or, you could work, find out, and not want to understand it. That's magic, squire. I'm not going to sugar coat it. It's brutal and it's dirty. Pushing the body further than it was ever meant to go." he continued, not entirely seeming hesitant in teaching Markus exactly how that superhuman speed and strength worked, but at the same time wanting to clearly define just what Flux was.

"There's energy inside there, you know. It moves around from place to place. No direction, no purpose, like a solider without a commander. Useless. When you give it purpose it lends you it's power, but not without a price. Like some kind of predator it waits...watching for you to slip up. You go to far, you push too much...and yeah, you'll push harder than anyone else, and then it'll push back and crush you from the inside out. Restraint, willpower, body conditioning. You'll need all of that, or you won't make it." the Sergeant commented, taking a moment to sheath his different weapons and collect the articles he had used during their small slice of combat together.

"You want it? Sure. There's a reason not many people know the Flux. It's not because it's not willing to be taught, it's because they can't handle it. You're going to get hurt squire. You're going to pull things, tear things, and break things you never knew about before. You want to go through with it knowing that? If so then clear a spot and sit down. Try to clear your mind. I'll help you find that energy, and we'll see if you want anything to do with it after you've grasped it." the icy stare was coupled with a rough, scarred finger pointing down at the ground between them both. While the tall man was content to pace now and again while giving his knowledge, Markus would need to learn to quiet his thoughts until all he heard was his own body, and the sounds of the Sergeant.
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[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

Postby Markus Andres on February 29th, 2012, 1:58 am

Markus listened intently to the man as he spoke. Memorizing every word that left his mouth, until he realized that it seemed like the older knight was just reciting a warning. The analogy with the energy and the soldier worked well with Markus. For he had once spent his energy on the wrong things, Stern Mason had corrected that. Markus was willing to pay any price. If there even was a price to pay, for the experienced knight spoke of willpower, restraint and physique. Markus knew he had an abundance of all those three. Or perhaps it was just arrogance he had in an abundance.

For the man's appearance, he surely was concerned with Markus' health dabbling in this magic. It was not the risk to his body that mattered much to Markus. He had given his body to the knights and he intended it to be the perfect weapon pointed at whoever threaten Syliras. The only thing he cared for, was if he might be weakened by dabbling in magic at such a late stage in his squirehood. Would it conflict with the style he had already set up for himself. For a moment he held a concerned appearance before his doubt was pushed away by his ego. If he gained the strength and speed the older knight possessed, it would matter little to Markus.

The man gave one last chance for Markus to back out. Warning that he would most likely destroy parts of the body he considered his pride. But it was a price Markus was willing to pay.

"Nothing my body has not endured before."

The knight pointed between the two and Markus sat down in the most relaxed position he could with all the bothersome armor. But he found a good position on his knees. Using the rigid armor as a seat, of sorts. He closed his eyes as he tried to clear his mind. As his mind slowly shifted from visual to audio, Markus could hear the sounds of training, sparring, the conflicts rise all around him. But he tried to block them out and focus on this... Commander less energy. To try and toil it under his command. It would not be easy, he knew that, but with an experienced knight there to show him the path... He knew he could make it. Perhaps it was that deeply rooted trust in his fellow knights that brought peace to the oft troubled mind of Markus. Trust that the knight before him would show him the path to even greater strength.
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[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

Postby Chevalier on April 3rd, 2012, 5:01 pm

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The Sergeant nodded as the young man took his place in a restful position. The old Knight thought about the past. What was it like when he was attempting to learn the Flux? Most common folk knew about Djed, but did they understand how it manipulated the body unconsciously? Even Markus had been wielding Djed simply to keep himself alive. The Flux was learning to take that Djed and utilize it consciously, and at maximum potential. The problem was, everyone's potential was different. If we didn't try hard enough, you wouldn't get anywhere. If you tried to hard, you'd end up paying the price.

"Just like the blood that flows in you, Djed circulates from all parts of your body. The biggest muscle groups; the chest, the back, the arms, and the legs get the loins share. Imagine a shallow puddle. If you cup your hands, you can move that water from the west to the east, or from the north to the south of the puddle. When you do, the ground is exposed momentarily from the area you're moving water from, and the water overflows in the area you're moving water to. That squire, is the Flux. You are the puddle. All that energy is dispersed throughout you. Static, level." he paused and, with a bit of a gravely grunt, the man lowered himself down upon the ground in a seated position, his lighter armor making the transition from standing to sitting easier than Markus had it.

"You need to concentrate to feel it, sense that water, that energy. Then you must cup it and slowly begin to move it. Just like water it's tricky, it's going to escape, flow around your attempts to wrangle it. It's fluid, shapeless. You're going to need all of your effort, just like using both hands to cup that water. Just like water you won't be able to hold it in place long. One part of the puddle will receed, one part will overflow, but only for an instant before that shapelessness defeats your attempts and it spreads back out among your body. Picture that energy with your mind, feel it become forced into your right arm. It's not going to be comfortable at first, the other parts of your body may feel lethargic. Your right arm might spasm, that's normal. Your muscles are going to want to use that energy. When you get it, don't hold it too long. Instead let it go and try to push it elsewhere. Power within the Flux isn't all about how long you can keep that energy in one spot, it's how quickly you can move it from one spot to the next. The blade strikes your opponent in an instant, that's all you need. Timing, focus, control." understanding magic wasn't always that easy. Some students had a knack for comprehending that which wasn't always immediately apparent, some needed a better reference. That would depend on Markus and how comfortable he felt inside of himself. He would feel different, but the trick was not to feel unfamiliar to the sensations, but to embrace them. With the Flux the body was still one's tool, they were just learning to use it in a method not previously discovered.
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[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

Postby Markus Andres on April 9th, 2012, 2:36 pm

His eyebrows furrowed as the superior knight changed the analogy. Now it was water. Water with no commander? He contemplated this for a moment before realizing he was getting sidetracked. He had to focus. He had to focus on his own body. Find the energy that was flowing like his bloodstream. Did that mean that when he got injured and blood flowed out, was djed also flowing out of his body?

'FOCUS'

His mind went right back to focusing on the matter at hand. The old knight was still guiding him. Wanting him to focus on trying to picture the djed. Then try and picture it going to his arm. The arm was the focus of the energy. What part of the arm? ... The biceps, he decided. It was the largest muscle he had there, naturally if it started to spasm from too much energy, he would feel it. Easiest to start with the largest muscles... He hoped. Focus. He would have to focus. But it was hard to focus on something that he barely knew existed. He had heard of fighters of legend who seemed to possess supernatural strength. Was Markus attempting to harness that strength? That would be wicked. That would be-

'FOCUS!'

But what was there to focus on? He tried. He really tried. Focus on his body. His own heartbeat started to sound louder in his ears. He could feel the blood rush through his arteries. In sync with the beating of his heart. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. It was annoying and distracting. Markus had never been the meditating type. He knew he had to do it before the Windoak. But he much preferred a life of action and motion. But then it dawned before Markus. The knight had told it was something like his blood. Flowing throughout his body. That meant there had to be a center or a central like his blood had the heart. If he could locate this center. Or rather, puddle. Where there was the largest concentration. Picture that concentration and then move it. Move it. Just cup the djed at his right biceps. Markus felt it then and he held it, not let it disperse again. It was not subtle. He could feel the energy! It felt like he could punch through boulders! But then something happened. It was rather alarming right away. Markus could feel his right biceps and even triceps spasm violently and the pain shot through his spine up to his brain.

"Garrghhh."

Markus instinctively pounded his right gauntlet into the ground. The slam thundered through the training area. But as soon as the spasms had come it was gone again. It still felt pained the area, but no longer did his arm shake involuntarily. His left hand was holding the arm. Or rather the armor covering his arm.

"Uncomfortable would be an understatement, ser. But I had it. I felt the energy, before it... did something."

He had seen the knight move so swiftly using this technique or was it truly magic? But why could Markus not do the same. This was something he would have to practice more. His right arm felt weak. What had been the problem? Had he held the energy there for too long? Or had his massive hands cupped too much energy at his right arm? A grunt escaped his lips as he closed his eyes again. He would not give up. He still had an arm he could test it on, even had a pair of legs with even larger muscles. Now that he had felt the energy, it ought to be easier to find again. He relaxed his breathing and forced himself to be calm again. Subduing his ecstatic and at the same time, fearful emotions. He could grow stronger. He had felt the energy. This was a path for greater strength. A path he had to pursue. If not for himself, then for the knights. His focus on the djed returned. Soon the thudding of his heart returned. He delved into himself. Picturing the djed in his body. Pushing it towards his right arm. Just gently pushing it over there. At first nothing happened. Several seconds later, still nothing happened. For a moment he feared he had spent all of his djed earlier.

But then he could feel the energy. Once again, he felt like he could punch through boulders. Perhaps even through the armor of knights. But this time he did not hold it. He punched out with his arm immediately. Feeling the swiftness of the punch. Luckily he didn't hit anything. The energy dissipated from his arm. At the moment, Markus saw no way to use this in a fight. Rarely could Markus sit down in the midst of a fight and meditate for several chimes before unleashing one above-normal strike. But he saw a potential in the future. He had already seen the potential unleashed in the knight before him. Such speed. Markus desired it. One day, he would have it. No doubt about that.

With a wide smile, he opened his eyes and looked at the knight.

"It is... incredible... ser."
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[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

Postby Chevalier on April 16th, 2012, 10:26 pm

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The Knight was on the fence as to what to believe. All he could do for the moment was watch as Markus attempted to dig deep inside and grasp ahold of something with no shape. There were folks that detested magic and stayed away from it, and then there were folks that accepted magic but had no talent for it. Just like fighting, Djed manipulation was an art that one could process natural talent in.

For quite sometime nothing happened. Nothing to be concerned of, the Sergeant didn't expect things to come so quickly. It took even he several days to understand the concept when he was in his youth. "Well, if the kid wants it bad enough, he'll continue h--" his thoughts were interrupted when Markus's gauntlet struck the ground. Not priding himself on being much of an instructor in anyway, the Sergeant felt a wave of disbelief wash over him. Did he harness the power already? Did this squire have that kind of potential?

The second time told Sergeant Tynar that Markus didn't get lucky, he was actually starting to figure things out in such a short time. His facial expression stayed stagnant, but inside he felt a certain surprise at what he had just wintessed. As Markus opened his eyes Tynar rose upward to his feet, "Not bad Squire. If you keep using it, in the beginning your muscles will exist in a constant state of soreness, like working out harder than normal. You'll get used to it. Then, when you get real good, you won't even notice the pain. Be careful. It's a dangerous thing when you start forgetting the limitations of the body. You'll exceed the strength and speed allowed to mortal men, but your body ain't invincible. If you forget those limitations you'll go too far, and things inside will start breaking down. It ain't pretty."

That was how the Flux was. It's effects were straight and to the point, and so were it's overgiving penalties. Other magics had to contend with things like insanity, the Flux had people popping their joints, breaking their bones, twisting their muscles, and tearing their ligaments. Watching the Flux in action was beautiful, watching what it could do to the body wasn't. "There ain't much more to tell about it, least not to a beginner. You practice by learning to move that energy while you're doing other things. Then you practice by learning to move that energy even faster. If you can get real good, you'll move it so fast that to someone with no knowledge it will appear that all parts of your body are effected at once, when really you're just bouncing that power all around. That's it from me. Use it right, otherwise your Patron will probably be pissed."

OOCAlright, feel free to wrap it up and I'll go ahead and grade it out!
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[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

Postby Markus Andres on May 4th, 2012, 1:56 am

Markus’ biceps ached a little from the use of magic. It was strange. He followed the sergeant knight as he rose. Hearing his praise. Markus enjoyed praise. Especially when it came from a higher ranking knight. His pride soared about as much as his biceps ached. They were used to being trained hard. But training hard and at the same time using this new magic. Not to mention sparring the insanely fast older knight. But he did have a last warning for Markus. His master had not warned him this much when he had first picked up a sword and this knight seemed just as harsh as his own master. Markus had best heed his words and not over do his training when using the flux.

”I will not over do it, ser.” He promised. Looking up at the sergeant knight.

Then he explained more about what Markus could expect in the future. Markus was reminded of the carrot and stick strategy his master often used against Markus. The carrot was increased power and a truly formidable body, the stick, potentially destroying his own body from inside out. Markus would take this one slow. It was good to know he could use the skill, but he was still a bit vary about using magic openly. He was trained as a regular knight, not a mage knight. A part of him did not want to get trained to be a mage knight. Even if it meant he had to lie about his skills.

My patron will never know about this… – Markus thought to himself. No way my patr- oh petch.’

Markus got up quickly.

”Ser, thank you for showing me this. It has been an honor learning from you.” He said with a bow. ”But I am late for an appointment with Ser Mason.” Markus bowed his head once again and gathered his gear. Including the dagger he had thrown at the start of the spar. It had been a good opener, but he needed to work on it still. With that in his mind, he would hurry for his meeting with Stern Mason.
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[Training Grounds] Flexing and Fluxing (Markus)

Postby Chevalier on May 8th, 2012, 8:54 pm

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Markus


LORE
  • Fighting in Darkness
  • The 360 Sword Swing!
  • Sensing Your Djed
  • Moving Your Djed for the Flux
  • Dangers of Overestimating the Body with the Flux



EXPERIENCE
Skill XP Earned
Rhetoric 1
Dagger 1
Bastard Sword 4
Tactics 2
Shield 3
Observation 1
Meditation 2
Flux 2


Storyteller Notes


Secret :
Most of the stuff seems self explainatory. The meditation was added since that’s how Markus reached his state of understanding, and at least a little observation had to be present for dealing with the darkness. You’re now free to continue to practice the Flux, as most of it is trial and error anyway.
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