[The Bronze Wood] A Chance Encounter, An Unlikely Teacher

[Niall Raghnall]

3rd Day of Fall, 509 A.V.

The Knights of Syliras had many programs to combat the poor within the city. One particular was a food booth to provide for those less fortunate or down on their luck. Niall loved this initiative and had volunteered to help bring in food. In order to reduce the costs that might be placed on the knights to feed those in need, Niall was one of many who had staked out the area hunting for big game. He loved getting out in the wilderness and practicing his skills.

Niall stalked deeper and deeper into the Bronze woods. On his back was a quiver made to hold the six javelins he used for hunting. The bow and arrow or even the crossbow and quarrel were better hunting tools to those who did not learn how to properly walk the land. But the javelin or spear was the true hunters ammunition because one had to prove he could stalk closer to the prey before going for the kill. The purest of the forest walkers could actually engage an elk or deer in hand to hand combat being able to sneak their way directly by his foe’s side. Niall had not advanced to that level of talent yet. In the future he hoped he would, but not now.

Silently he stalked into a clearing that he knew the local elk frequented. If luck was on his side there would be a ten point or even bigger waiting out in the open. Niall did come upon something in the clearing, but it was no big game. A human was standing right in the center of the clearing, with his back to Niall. The human stood about a foot shorter than Niall and was as still as an oak tree, in what appeared to be a combative stance. In the blink of an eye he kicked his rear leg forward, landing in an a stance that was reverse of the previous. Fluidly moving from his first kick, he followed up with a forward strike with his hand. His hand however was not closed in a fist, but extended, as if to strike with his finger tips. Pulling his hand back, the human launched a powerful kick from his rear leg that shot out horizontally and spun him around. Recovering from the kick, he was now facing Niall, looking directly into his eyes. The human's face was smooth, but still carried the air of someone who had lived a many eras. He had shaved his head bald and was wearing loose brown clothing.

"You planning on sticking me with that pointy stick?" The human called out to Niall without the slightest hesitation. His gaze pierced through him like a blade, red hot from the forge. "If not, I recommend lowering the javelin."The human said with a contemptuous smirk.

"No, please excuse me." Niall replied, lowering the javelin that he forgot was pointed in the direction of the human. "I am Niall Raghnall, squire of the Syliras Knights" He told the human, remembering his manners. "I see you are well trained in unarmed combat."

The human gave him a quizzical look, and said "My name is Guiermont , and I have been training in the arts for more years than I can remember." Guiermont gave off an air of superiority as he spoke. Not arrogance, but one who had seen and knew much. “You know enough to identify the ability in me. Have you been training long?”

“I am Akalak. It is the way of my people to begin training in the unarmed arts from very young. I have not the technique or experience that you have shown, but I have learned and still strive to learn more.” Niall replied calmly while wondering who this man was.

"Then let us practice together. Maybe there is something we could teach each other and is why we met on this spot on this day." Guiermont said, gesturing at Niall's javelins indicating he should remove them. Guiermont slid into his stance, with the ease that only a well trained practitioner could, and waited for Niall to respond.

Niall could not help but feel drawn to face this human. Akalak loved a more physical unarmed combat style that was trained through actually sparring. They learned best from remembering those moves that worked best on them or trying something for themselves that they observed in a fight. Anger was not a part of their combat methods. They offered full respect to the one they faced, and always fought with the utmost honor.

Niall crouched slightly placing a small bend in his knees so that he was moving on the front balls of his foot. This allowed for immediate reaction. Akalak were a very strong race but were also held a quickness most were unprepared for. It was rumored that Akajia cursed them with their inner demon to balance the perfected race that Wysar had created. Akalak took this as a sign of respect for being the best at what they were, the greatest warriors the land held; cunning and intelligent, deadly and strong.

The two slowly circled each other in the center of the clearing. The elder human was the perfect posture of mental control. He looked more focused that a mountain cat poised for the kill. He held no emotion; it was more of a completely oneness with everything around him. It was a look that caught Niall off guard. He’d never faced an opponent like this before. Guiermont acted as if he already knew it was coming. Instead of moving back, he thrust downward with his palm pushing Niall’s attack more toward Guiermont’s legs. This prevent Niall from taking a strong step for his second punch. As Niall’s thrust punch tried going for the head, Guiermont spun away from the attack pushing Niall’s punch away from him. Then Guiermont brought up his foot and came crashing down on Niall’s thigh. Niall instantly fell to one knee as the strike weakened his leg. Guiermont ended by thrusting his own fist towards Niall’s nose stopping mere inches from full contact.

Niall looked down his nose at the open palmed hand about to thrust his nose inward towards his brain and hesitated a second. Then he let out a loud laugh that could be heard by any nearby. Even Niall’s grandfather had not shown such talent during their sparring sessions, and Niall was well beyond impressed as he rose to his feet. Niall looked Guiermont directly in his eyes and then offered a deep bow. “Master” was all he said. Guiermont returned the bow.

[Niall Raghnall]

“You are bold in your actions, Akalak. This can be a good thing when properly trained, but you are still young in what you know thus far. Without the discipline and patience of your people, this boldness can be turned against as I have just done. The akalak are a fierce people with extreme self control. They can calculate the actions of others through observation and patience, determine a course of action, and then strike with a boldness no other race knows. This is what I will train you in.

I have spent many a year in the city of Riverfall and have trained under the masters of your kind. It is in this gift that they gave me, and thus what I will share to you. I find an irony in this great circle; that I travelled far to learn from a great race, and now teach a member of that race that has traveled fart from his homelend.”

Guiermont studied the young Akalak for a moment saying nothing. He reflected not on the lessons he was to teach this young student, but instead on how the people of Riverfall trained. They were not a race that taught thought books. Everything was hands on. Each move Guiermont had learned had come from first having it performed upon him, and then him trying to repeat it until he was successful. This was the way of the Akalak. He would respect this method and use it to train his student.

Guiermont placed his feet shoulder width apart with his left foot in front of his right by about twelve inches. He stayed on the front balls of his feet. He had his shoulders parallel to the ground with his left shoulder forward at a forty five degree angle. Niall recognized the forward stance and took up the same position. His father never explained much to him until after a moment of sparring and felt Guiermont gearing up for the same style of lesson plan. Niall pulled his hands up and shifted his weight evenly between his feet to maintain a defensive posture.

Guiermont was instantly pleased with Niall as he noticed the Akalak take of the defensive stance in preparation for the lesson. He reflected on the number of days it had taken him to go into stance because of an unspoken lesson about to take place along with the number of bruises that followed. The bruises never lessened but were not as painful when he was prepared for them.

Guiermont swung with his right leg towards Niall’s head. It was a simple strike taught in the first year’s training. Niall was quick to notice it and pull his left arm outward with his fist aiming towards the sky. The kick struck the arm and was successfully blocked. Then he pulled back his leg getting into stance, stepping forward and throwing a simple chest high punch with his right hand. Niall identified the thrust punch and used his same arm to block the punch maintaining the same position with his arm but dragging it from left to right. This successfully knocked the punch aside missing Niall’s chest.

Guiermont then began a spinning back kick knowing Niall had moved his left arm out of position. He gave the appearance that he was going to spin backwards to bring his left foot towards the left side of Niall’s head. Niall was again instinctive in seeing this and began his ducking maneuver that would make the foot sail over his head and miss. Guiermont had feigned the location of his next attack. In midspin, he paused the head kick and instead lunged it forward towards Niall’s stomach. Niall had already begun his defensive maneuver by ducking. Instead of the lunge kick hitting Niall’s stomach, it caught him square against his left shoulder and threw him backwards onto his bottom. Niall winced in pain knowing he’d feel that for a day or two.

“Our techniques were both utilizing simple combat trainings of a first year student. You read each move as you should have and defended accordingly. What you just witnessed was the feigning of a move to elicit a response in order to perform a different action. I got you to do what I wanted and put you in a position where you could not defend my next attack thus leaving you vulnerable.

I did not use advanced moves you have not yet learned. I remained within the repertoire of a student who has only been through training a year. I can tell you have been training longer than this, and so it shows you the value of feigning an attack. You must understand that in combat, one is required to change up his strategies so as not to be predictable. If everything I try keeps you off balance, then you have no way of anticipating my move. I made you predictable by maintaining simplicity in my strikes; then I altered my path and prevented your chance of anticipating my move.

When you have finally struck me, our lesson will be done for the day.”

[Niall Raghnall]

Niall listened carefully to every word that came out of Guiermont’s mouth. Each word sounded melodic to the warrior because he was in his training trance. The discipline of an Akalak was nearly unparalleled by any other race. Once one got into focus on a subject or project, they were nearly impossible to side track into something else. Niall’s mind was already imagining how to feign a move from his knowledge of the martial arts. He was not phased by how easily is master had feigned him and struck him. All Akalak learned from this method. It was a part of their life. What they learned from it was how they survived. Niall may not have lived in Riverfall, but his grandfather has been one of the first settlers of the Akalak city and brought with him all the teachings of the Akalak people.

Niall understood the topic and was ready to get to work. He went into a basic combat stance and offered a respectful bow to his master. Guiermont bowed in return and then went into a defensive posture. Niall began slow using a combination of thrust punches and kicks. Each one was blocked by Guiermont as expected. Niall made sure never to use the same two or three punch combination while they sparred. Every now and again he would attempt a full round house kick, a flying knee, or a spring punch and again they were all blocked easily.

Niall was using this to watch how Guiermont blocked his attacks. He tried to look for some form of flaw or pattern in the way the master defended himself. Guiermont caught onto this and began throwing counter attacks to keep Niall on a defensive mindset as well. Niall got tagged every time he went up with a left arm block from a hook. Guiermont would fake the hook and then jab with his right into Niall’s chest. It became annoying to Niall as he tried piecing together other combinations and feigning in a new strike unsuccessfully. Then Guiermont would counter with the hook, Niall would get suckered into his block, and Guiermont would counter with the strike to his chest.

‘I have told you that you leave yourself open on blocks going all the way back to when we first met. I told you that you do it with your weapon then, but as you can see you leave yourself open with any combat style. Think, Niall! I’m tired of getting hit!’ Iwyn told him.

‘I cannot concentrate with you pestering me, Iwyn,’ Niall shot back. But right then he was struck with a revelation. Ignoring Iwyn, Niall went into a flurry of combat moves but ended with a simple strike. Guiermont noted the ending of the flurry and did his usual hook and counter. Niall let it go through getting struck in the chest and acting frustrated. Niall used a different combination and was more aggressive to act out his pretend frustration. Guiermont once again threw out his hook and counter with success thanks to Niall allowing it to go through. Niall took a deep breath and then through a series of kicks and came to rest. Guiermont threw the hook to which Niall used his block thrusting his right arm straight up in the air. Guiermont went for the jab straight towards Niall’s chest. Niall ducked under the jab and came in with the elbow of his blocking arm crushing his elbow into Guiermont and launching him to the ground.

Immediately Niall came to attention and bowed to his master not looking up. Guiermont smiled even though he was on his backside and in some pain. The Akalak race was one of the strongest, and Niall did not hold back. It reminded the old master of his training days back in Riverfall. He was on his backside a lot during those days. Guiermont had seen it coming but knew that the important aspect of the training was for Niall to identify his flaw and correct it. “Come help an old man up!” Guiermont said acting as if her were frustrated at his pupil.

Niall instantly reached down and grabbed Guiermont’s arm picking him up with ease. Guiermont then let out a loud laugh. “Feigning on a block! I had not expected this part. I had assumed you’d feign an attack. I knew that we were on to something when you kept getting stuck by the counter jab. You did well in identifying your weakness and correcting it to your advantage. This was my main lesson. Meet me here tomorrow in the morning, and we will go over some more advanced strikes.” Niall bowed once again and the two went their separate ways.