Another Punch to Take (Training Yard) (Ximal)

[Banir Ironwood]

Banir was just right and ready when he found Ximal in his personal bubble. He was moving fast, when he grabbed him, and placed his leg between his. The only thought was to react, in his simplified thoughts. As he was lifted he put what force he had into a punch. It was more of a wild shot, a cannon without anything to hold it down. Though as Banir was lifted from the the shot might land near the lat muscles. However once he was hoisted from the grown and thrown. Reacting didn't become the problem, it was landing. Banir had mostly stuck with the ground, he had seen his father throw things at him. Mostly just the family anvil, he'd caught that one once. But he had been much older then, even then it hurt like hell. But being thrown was a whole new experience, tossed not so much. This was most certainly new, with what little experience he had in this he had limited options. His simplified thoughts only came to one quick and fast conclusion. It wasn't like he had a better example, he'd simply land like the anvil. Heavy end down, anything brittle keep from the impact.

Banir did all he could to move into a ball, it didn't take long for the impact to take hit. Grunting hard with the pain as the thud sounded like someone had tried to skip a large rock on the earth. Groaning heavily he rolled onto his side, the simple thought in his mind. Get up, get up, get up, get up. And like a man possessed his body did all it could to comply with his minds order. Laying there as he drew in a pained breath his back hurt like hell. Abdominal muscles still cringed, his head hurt a lot less in the front and a lot more in the back, and his chest was starting to wear down on pain. Slamming a fist on the ground and rolling onto it. He was on all fours, even then his knees where forcing them to lift off the ground. Several times they fell back, but he'd only groan and try again. What little thoughts he had kept trying to convince him he'd taken worse. Eventually he managed to force his way onto a knee, his hands off the ground. It had taken him longer than before to get this far, but he was a fighter! He may as well head for the home stretch. He kept trying to force himself to stand, slowly rocking back onto the tips of his toes. Now squatting, barely, he fell forward but caught himself with a hand.

With a forced steadiness he barely managed to get a knee steady before it buckled. However with another pained breath he raised from his pathetic position on the ground. He was standing, barely, he'd need a little support to walk, but he'd manage to stand. Banir wasn't very bright, he was often slow, could hardly read, was a wild fighter, had a foul temper, and perhaps was only a half breed. But he was like his father, stubborn to the end, tougher than steel and strong like a rock. Though he was on lose footing, he was still standing up. Steadily his breathing was working its way down, the Surge had left him. He'd need quite a bit of time or a real emergency to force another sudden start. But for now he was at the disadvantage, clearly, he'd need to figure out what Ximal was doing to amplify himself like that. He remembered something he'd heard of called Flux. If he poked around the Spires a little, maybe he'd learn a little something.

[Ximal]

Xi raised an eye brow as he watched the man before him. Something about his was screaming out that he was strong. But even more than that Xi was really starting to worry that he'd hurt banir's head and caused him to completely loose it. Xi took a deep breath and re-centred himself. Right now for banir this was more than likely a test to himself so now Xi had better give him one of his best shots. One of the elite moves he saved for those who truly earned it. Xi twisted his stance extending his right foot instead of his left keeping his right hand back and left hand forwards. A gaping hole in his left defence but this wasn't a defenders stance this was an all out assault stance. His hands changed as well his hands tightening into fists purely but with the middle knuckle slightly extended for increased pressure hitting. Wiping his for head again Xi cleaned away the blood from the small cut. His hands dropped but then it came. The surge Xi shot flux around his body like a torrent of water running through the estuary of a river, filling his body with the vitalizing energy Xi used the push in his legs and the djed to close the gap between them in an instant. Right now he was putting banir down onto the earth again. "A cry of the cursed darkness...Curse White"His arms exploded with speed a rapid series of sharp knuckle pointed strikes along the body's lateral line all focused upon the enhancing pressure points. Middle chest, lower stomach, upper stomach, sternum, diaphragm, left lung, right lung and then finally the dead centre of the body straight into the belly. Xi wanted him down not dead. Stepping back and now feeling the djed burn from eight strikes to aoe, not very hard but very fast and over vital spots, enough to drop a full grown man onto his knees, banir though ? Could he withstand the pressure point assault ? With that dense body could the pressure points even effect him ? Xi held his stance and shifted back to normal. If this went on much longer even with banirs tough body Xi might cause him some lasting damage. Grinding his right heel into the earth Xi was preparing for whatever last ditch assault banir tried. If he could muster one. If not Xi would siimply wait by quietly and allow him to catch his breath.

[Banir Ironwood]

Banir saw the impact coming again, doing his best to try to tighten his muscles against the assault. Making them as hard as he could, however his arms still hung low. One thick arm gripping his own knee to help support his back. As he saw the blows connect he could only take them, however he felt nothing. At least for the moment he felt nothing. His other flairs of pain had his movement and options limited. At this rate he'd be going down, he'd managed to land one hard hit on his opponent though. That was pretty good right? Even so he hadn't lost his temper, he hadn't had an incident in a while. Even at the cost of losing a fight he hadn't lost control. It was difficult holding back his rage, though he lost himself within it. The advantages where amazing, no pain, no weariness, more strength more speed. But he would attack anything, and not stop until it was either dead or he ran so out of energy he could barely move. Still way to risky to use against Ximal, he could be forced into a life or death situation. Something he didn't want for either of them considering he could end up severely injured or worse.

The second option seemed far more appealing, though he only had so much energy left. Still better than going down without a fight. The more recent flair of pain began to burn in his body. No doubt from the weird strikes Ximal had pulled off. Though he felt himself crippled from this he took long breaths, steadily letting them grow a little quicker. Summoning forth his strength he flexed his muscles and made his move. He forced a leg to slide forward and take his arm off his leg. Using his weight and what strength he had left to throw into a last ditch full on straight forward punch. With all of his weight behind it he had no real way to aim. He just generally aimed somewhere on Ximal's person. The weight of his body got worse as the punch moved through the air. The only thought in his mind being a simple, 'yep, going down swinging'. But to him that was okay, might as well try one last time rather than giving up and falling over. At least he'd proven to himself that he was tough, that he could take a punch and still throw one in the end. He hoped he proved to Ximal he wasn't just some weakling. Quickly he found himself face down on the floor. He wasn't able to tell if he'd made the hit, his body hurt too much to tell right now. With a light layer of sweat on his pale skin, his arms shook lightly. Even now he was trying to get them to move, to get up again. Just to see if he could, just to see if he was able to get up again and try to make another hit. He hadn't been beaten like this in a long time, he'd probably have a good few bruises for a while. Just more marks to prove he's a fighter, nothing that bothered him.

Letting out a groan of pain he lay there, recollecting his strength. Waiting for the pain to pass by, if it ever would. Maybe he had pushed himself a little too far. No, every limit can be exceeded, and he would never stop trying! Not on his life! Not on the name of Izurdin the god of strength! And with that he brought an hand to his shoulder height, bending it and trying to pick himself up again. Only managing to push himself off the ground by a few inches, he kept trying to push. Trying to pick himself up, but he held fast at those few inches. Though his will was made of iron, his body was not. And for now he lay there like a rock, trying to feebly push himself up back to his feet.

[Ximal]

As banir fell to the earth the swing he had launched looked more like a warriors last word than a swing of continued will to fight. Xi watched him fall to the ground and then took a half step back before sitting down onto the earth infront of him. Xi hunched over as he sat cross legged in front of banir. Took a deep breath and spoke calmly eyes closed and some what laying out what he'd done to banir's body in his head. "Warrior pride can be a pain in the ass. Just lie there. If this was a real battle i could have killed you at least eight times by now. I paralysed your body, stopped your breathing, and right now i've made your legs and arms numb. Not to mention the fact that throw would have broken a normal person's back. So just sit down and catch your breath. let your body settle and take some slow breaths. It'll pass in about a bell. If your body wasn't so sense i wouldn't have hit you as hard as i did." Xi'd hit four pressure points on banir's chest, hit the heart stopped the diaphragm, and hit two more vital organs for massive pain. And banir had managed to stand up three times. To say the least Xi was impressed. but right now the cut on his head began bleeding again. Xi reached for the old torn shirt in his pack and tore a strip off to put pressure on the wound to prevent it bleeding any more. After that Xi took another slow breath before closing his eyes and began to focus his mind slightly and try to figure out some more moves and work out how much djed he'd used. Did he have enough for a long haul fight? Feeling the pool of his djed left he had a plentiful supply, turns out bolstering his muscles for speed only improved his preservation of energy. Now he just sat awaiting a response from banir. Would he speak to him ? would his prode prevent him>? Xi had only lost a few times but they were to a man whose skill was uperior to his whose strength far out classed even him, and he was also taller wioth more battle experiance. The Bull.

[Banir Ironwood]

Letting out long and slow breaths, his body cringing from the pain instilled within it. Steadily trying to work his way past the pain. Trying to divert what focus had into keeping calm and getting prepared to stand up again. He steadied himself as he tried not to verbalize his pain. With his face in the dirt and the scarf wrapped around his head, talking was difficult. It was just as hard to hear as well considering he was trying to hold back his rage and try to even out the pain. However his ear was still bent toward Ximal as he spoke. Listening carefully to his every word, even in defeat, it was always important to listen to the words of a victor. Though he was disappointed, all he got was an itinerary of how he failed. But that just meant he'd have to try figure out everything on his own.

However once he heard that his pain would pass in a bell. He took that in a challenge, he'd be up and standing in forty five chimes or less. Closing his eyes as he simply offered Ximal a thumbs, up a positive sign. Though he'd definitely lost, he at least learned a few things. He was also happy to see he was able to perform the headbutt his father had 'bestowed' upon him. All the more proud to learn he was able to lift up Ximal, a fully grown man. And collide heads hard enough to not only force such reactions, but to also make his head bleed! Sure it wasn't exactly impressive, but it was something he could at least smile over. He had managed to make a better warrior bleed.

Laying there wondering how much time had passed now? A chime and a half? It wouldn't take to long. Forty five chimes or less was the promise to himself. And that's what it was going to be weather he liked it or not, no matter what kind of pain he'd go through. Since Xi had yet to talk he closed his eyes. Focusing on making his body fight through the pain that held him to the ground. By Morwen's cold touch he was sore, with his long slow breath he accidently let slip a groan of pain. There was a bit of a mistake on his part. Well so long as he got up in those forty five chimes he'd be able to remain proud of himself. And have his honour as a fighter.

[Capricious]

Banir

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Brawling	3	• A 10 Second Blow to Stop the Heart
Observation	2	• Technique: Head Butt!
Intimidation	1	• The Effects of Flux
Unarmed Combat	1	•

Ximal

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Unarmed Combat	2	• A 10 Blow to Stop the Heart
Observation	1	• Banir’s Scarf Hides Many Secrets
Flux	2	•

Ximal, your forehead will need to be tended by a healer. This is to be sure there is not a concussion, as the actual wound is minor. Both Banir and Ximal will suffer from multiple bruises and headaches in the coming days. The bruises will go away on their own in 5-7 days or can be tended to by a healer and disappear in 1-2 days.

Ximal, I did dock your flux award because of your skill level. I felt that a simple brawl was not challenging enough.

Banir, I enjoyed seeing Banir struggle through the effects of whatever Ximal handed to him. I also liked the underlying current of needing to honor his father.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.