Solo [Tuvya Sasaran] Just Get Up (Training Part 2)

[Elem Bree]

7th of Fall, AV 512

Elem had risen early to prepare himself for the return to the Tuvya Sasaran. His workout with Serrif had just started to make him understand how out of shape he was and after that day, he realized that primarily the motivation had to come from within. He was already jogging around the outer wall of the Sanctuary grounds, choosing to remain close should someone need him. He could also count his laps around the exterior by choosing a corner to count. Five times around would be the day's goal. He had passed the fourth lap and was moving toward the final one, his breathing more measured than the ragged breathing he had suffered with Serrif.

It was getting easier, though. He found that if he started to push too hard he would slow the jog, resting but not stopping, giving his heart time to catch up. Once he reached the final lap, he stopped, energized by the activity. Moving inside to the grounds, he found several rocks near the gardens, some having been pulled out of the ground with his own hands. He found two of generally equal weight and began to lift them over his head, maybe ten times each. After that, it was extensions of his arms while holding the rocks in his upward palm. His arms burned from the exertion.

Knowing he still had plenty of work to do at the Sasaran, he dropped the rocks, had a long drink of water from one of the pools there and also bathed himself in the cool water with handfuls of it. Satisfied with himself, he began the jog to the city. It was always a beautiful trip, the lush grasses or the ocean to let his mind roam when he wasn't watching the ground in front of him. He moved on through the gates and slowed himself to a brisk walking pace until he arrived at the building once more. Removing his shoes before even entering the first reception hall, he placed them aside and entered to train.

[Elem Bree]

Once inside, he heard the familiar sounds of grunting and violence, but for some reason it seemed more fluid and organized to him. He was pleased to see the same Akalak he had trained with before, the man nodding and smiling as he approached Elem. "Ah, Elem Bree of Zeltiva returns! Good. Have you been preparing yourself?" Elem nodded, his body still covered in a light sheen of sweat beneath his clothes from the jog. "Yes, I am starting to understand that I was out of shape. Had no frame of reference." Fishing into his pocket, he pulled the mizas out and counted them out, making sure he hadn't lost one on the way. "Ten mizas."

The Akalak nodded and took the money from Elem, walking over and handing it to a human in the reception area. Returning, he flourished to the room Elem had felt so vulenrable in before. Elem hesitated, first asking, "What should I call you, Sir?" The Akalak smirked. "Sir is nice, but my name is Morkal. That will work as well. Please." His eyes and body pointed toward the room and Elem opened the door and entered, the feeling of straw once again beneath his feet. Morkal soon entered after, sliding the door closed behind him. Standing before Elem, he nodded and began to speak.

"I'm pleased you returned, Elem Bree of Zeltiva. I honestly thought you might have given up before you started." This turned some sort of screw inside Elem. "What do you mean, Morkal? And Elem works just fine." He smiled, not meaning any disrespect. "Well, Elem Bree of Zeltiva, your fear rests in your eyes. I am sure you are a good healer and that is fine, but it is frankly something I would expect a woman to be proud of. Are you a woman?" Elem stopped smiling. "Of course not. I'm as manly as anyone else." The screw turned some more, which only seemed to delight Morkal. He was paying to be bullied now?

" I see. Very well, Elem Bree of Zeltiva. Why don't you punch me like a man?" Elem suspected Morkal was trying, and succeeding at getting a rise out of him. Gritting his teeth a bit, he threw a punch at the Akalak and quickly found the wind leaving his body as he landed on the ground. Hard. A laugh echoed through the room as Elem tried to get his bearings. A large blue hand extended to him and he took it. The ground sped away and then came right back as he now landed on his face. "What kind of training is this?!" Elem exclaimed as he rolled over on his back, shaking the dust out of his brain.

The hand extended down again and Elem shook his head, pushing up and standing on his own feet. He found Morkal smiling. "The kind that will save your life someday, Elem Bree of Zeltiva. I can't always be there to save you. Now, stand with your feet apart." Elem hesitated, thinking he might get kicked to check on his gender status, but found himself on the ground again, this time courtesy of a very hard leg sweep. "You saw it coming that time. Good! You are a quick learner, Elem Bree of Zeltiva. This will help you. Now stand up, feet apart." Pushing up again, Elem could feel his ankle throbbing a bit. He wanted to reach down and heal it, but knew he would end up on the ground, so he just sucked it up and stood, legs apart.

[Elem Bree]

Morkal nodded. "Never hesitate. Especially with an Akalak. Our lives, which are much longer than yours, are dedicated to the martial arts. You may think you know what you are doing, but an Akalak knows. Morkal tapped his temple and smiled. "Now, plant your feet firmly and find your center. It should be just above your waist in the center of your body." Elem felt his stomach with his hands, guessing this wasn't what Morkal meant. "Rotate your hips from the point in the center. Move them in each direction while keeping the center straight." Elem nodded and looked down to watch his hips swivel but felt that Morkal was approaching and jumped back a foot or two.

"Ha! You learn quickly indeed, Elem Bree of Zeltiva. Look directly at me while you do that. You should feel the center within. No need to look at it." Elem nodded back at Morkal, looking at him while noticing a kind of symmetry in his body. Maybe that was what the trainer spoke of. "Now, I am going to move very slowly and show you what happened before. Stand still." Elem watched as Morkal stepped toward him in two long strides. "Look down, Elem Bree." Elem did so, seeing the Akalak's foot between his legs, the other's heel firmly planted behind Elem's own. Looking back up, Morkal's face was very close. A little unsettling.

"Without your feet, you cannot stand. It takes little force to move you now." To demonstrate, the Akalak seemed to merely turn at his hip, his massive blue thigh pushing into Elem's body. Elem went down again, but this time it was straight down, not on his back. "Yes. With your center, you can maintain better control of yourself. Let's return to the mat." Elem didn't realize he was now nearly at the wall. He stood up with his legs and walked back over, planting his feet firmly and feeling the center. Morkal returned as well, holding a similar posture. " Your eyes and your posture tell much about you, Elem Bree. It was as clear as the water I drink that you had never fought in your life when you walked in here before. You slouched and shrank before me, though you are not much shorter. Your eyes begged for mercy, though I did not even move toward you. This is something that you must change. It is not something you will change overnight. It comes with confidence. Now, punch me again, but remember what you know."

As sad as it was, Morkal was right. About many things. No hesitation. Elem stepped forward and threw a punch straight from the line of his body, bending his knee and moving to the right, even hearing the scrape of Morkal's foot. He felt good that he had dodged --

Nothing. The ground hit him in the back again, true puzzlement on Elem's features. Morkal looked down at him. " Very smart, though you forgot you had a left foot with another heel for me to purchase. And when you moved out of line, what did you leave?" Elem closed his eyes and banged his head lightly on the mat in frustration. "The center." He scooted up to his elbows and pushed himself up yet again.

[Elem Bree]

Morkal reached forward and patted Elem on the back as he rose. "You have much to learn, Elem Bree. But as I said, you are a quick learner. I want youto practice your punches on this straw training dummy for a while. I will return to test your progress. Now watch me." Elem stood alongside Morkal as the Akalak stood before the straw dummy. "Find your center. breathe in when you contract, pulling in to explode out. When you explode, push your breath out with it. "Soooo!", Morkal exclaimed as he punched the dummy, the straw recoiling and Elem could even see an impression where the great blue fist had sunk. "Step in with your foot as you punch, push your whole body into the action, anchored into the earth." Morkal looked down at his feet and Elem followed suit. Another explosion of sound and Elem watched the trainer's leg push into the ground as he punched.

"Ten right punches, ten left and so on. I will return with some water."

And with that, Morkal left unceremoniously, the door sliding shut behind him. Elem looked at the dummy and stood before it, breathing quietly and closing his eyes. Find your center. No hesitation. Breathe in to contract, breathe out to explode. Eyes open. He stepped in and punched the dummy, surprised at its rough feel for being made of straw. The dummy didn't move. He wondered if it was mocking him too, having been used to Akalaks. Standing straight, he took a sharp breath in and pushed it back out, stepping in and punching the dummy, repeating the motion ten times, each time more regular and similar. He then returned to his center and began again, using the left side of his body, finding the symmetry of the equal sides.

These motions continued through four sets, sweat pouring from every possible pore it seemed. Elem noticed that the longer he did it, the less his mind had an opportunity to wonder and worry. An interesting and curious thing. he wondered if he could just walk around punching all day. It would save him a lot of stress. Hearing the door slide behind him, he finished the final ten on his left side and turned to find Morkal with a bucket of water. The Akalak placed it at his feet, a ladle inside. Elem thanked the man and bent down, retrieving a full draught of water, its cold, refreshing nature revitalizing him. He returned the ladle to the bucket. "Alright, it looks like you have been working hard. Now let's see if you learned anything."

Morkal stood before Elem as Elem regained his posture, his spine straight, his eyes forward. "Punch!" Elem quickly pulled the breath with his fist and stepped in, exploding out and pushing his fist forward, the sound of his breath echoing. "Good. You are on your way. Keep your exercises up and keep practicing what you have learned today. Return when you are ready to use more of your body. For now, punch until you have pushed all the fear out. Good luck, Elem Bree." The Akalak slapped his arms to his sides and bowed to Elem. Elem mimicked the motion, keeping his eyes on Morkal. He didn't know if that was proper, but he had enough ground for the day.

Ledger :

-10 GM for training session

[Gossamer]

. Character: Elem Bree Experience: +3 Boxing , +2 Body Building, Lore: Training Can Save Your Life, Never Hesitate In Battle, The Importance Of Solid Stances, Benefits of Repetitive Training Additional Note: Nice training thread. Very interesting dialog. You portrayed Morkal well. .