Closed [Fighter's Pit] To Defend You And Your Own (Elin)

[Garland]

Spring 56 517AV

Garland was one tough squire, he has taken blows that would render other humans(but not Isur or Akalak) crumpled up in a ball in pain and groaning for a healer of some sort. Garland would get shot with an arrow and it would only make him angrier.

Although he was also one of the jolliest men people would meet, a man that looks out for people first and foremost, duty and honor are just words and they would mean even less if it meant he left people that needed his help.

So he did not hesitate when Elin asked him to help train her. He didn't think himself a good teacher but he was asked specifically and he couldn't just say no.

So Garland had left the squire only Training Grounds and headed off to the only other place one could train with weapons of almost any caliber; The Fighter's Pit, owned by a ex-squire that didn't quite follow in the footsteps of his prestigious family.

This Spring was as hot as summer and it only seemed to get worse as days go by. Garland sighed and stretched in the pits while he waited for Elin, he wanted to get a drink, but he had plenty of time to drink later.

When he was done and threw a few punches and kicks in the air, he didn't need it but stretches could only keep him entertained for so long. He felt someone step behind him, and instinctually he grabbed the hand of whoever was behind him and threw them over his shoulder.

"Whoops..." Garland said when the body landed in front of him. It looked like someone who was also training here. "Umm... Sorry?"

"Ow..." The person said and pointed behind Garland. "Someone was looking for you, ye prick. Ow..." The man groaned and Garland turned to face whoever was looking for him. Hopefully it was Elin.

[Elin]

"Common" | "Kontinese" | "Tukant"

Elin had managed to find someone to watch Ilia and Rion for a few bells while she went to the Fighters Pits. She’d asked Garland if he’d possibly be able to train her to defend herself and maybe even get to the point where she could hold her own, and she was more than happy when he’d agreed to it.

Despite having been in Syliras for a few seasons already, he was the first squire she’d ever really spoke to, and he was the only person she knew had some skill in fighting, be it with or without weapons so he’d been the only person she’d asked as she didn’t fancy paying again for a stranger to teach her things.

On her way to the Fighters Pits, she began to wish that she had other clothes that were lighter clothes than the dress she wore all the time, but it was too late now, she’d just have to deal with the temperature and maybe go get a drink or go to the harbour to try and cool down afterwards.

As she arrived at the Fighters Pit she glanced around to see a few people there, and she stood for a moment looking for Garland, before someone noticed her looking around and approached her. She told them who she was looking for, and as the person went over to Garland she spotted him and began heading over to him, watching as Garland flipped the man over his shoulder and she found himself laughing slightly at the sight before stepping closer in time for Garland to turn to face her.

”Well that was impressive! Though I doubt he’d agree.” she chuckled, watching as the man left, his hand massaging his back as he did so. ”So how are you today, and what are we doing first?” she asked with a smile, excited to get started.

Boxcode by Gossamer

[Garland]

Garland waved the man off. "Sorry!" He said and turned his attention towards Elin.

Garland was ready to teach whatever he needed to teach, but he had no idea what to teach. "Hmm... I don't know where to start... Ahhh! Right, weapons or fists? I'm quite good with punching, kicking and throwing, but my weapon skill is... specialized to large swords so if you want to train with daggers or short swords I can give pointers but not much else."

Garland thought to start with the basics and eye up Elin, to see if she could wield a heavier class of weapon.

Elin was about as tall as Garland, which meant she might not have the stature for the truly large two-handed weapons, which should be obvious really, but she was much much less bulky compared to Garland.

The squire was fast and tough, but he was outclassed by the other more nimble squires in speed. Akalaks were big and tough, and some were quick, but the size usually meant they would be slower than most.

Garland was like the middle ground of it all, but even he could see that Elin was built for more speed and precision rather than Garland's brute force directed to the general weak points of his enemy.

"Let's start with hand-to-hand. There's a certain way, a technique if you will in how you can counter your opponent. Some can block an attack and return it in force, others can redirect the attack and counter, and then there are others that just get out of the way and strike from the side. You look like you'll fill the last role better than the other two."

Garland called over someone and asked them to try and hit him. "Let me demonstrate, Elin."

The man that came was a large man standing at at least 6 feet or more, he towered over Garland but the squire didn't mind the height gap, but welcomed.

The large man's fist came crashing down and quickly Garland raised up his arms in the defense, his legs and feet dug deep into the dirt and sand and he held his ground, and then Garland countered with a blow to the man's stomach, it was a weak punch but a lot more force could have been put in if he wished it.

Garland signaled for another punch and the man obliged. As the fists were closing the distance to Garland's face, Garland grabbed the wrists of the fist and pushed it to the side, and with a few quick jabs to the chest and one just a few inches away from the neck.

A strong attack to the neck could shatter a person's windpipe and suffocate the poor person.

Then Garland signaled for one last demonstration.

The large man nodded, stoic expression on his face as he threw another punch, and Garland ducked under it easily given his size, and with the duck, he was poised for a uppercut to the much taller man's jaw.

And he did just that, the blow almost connected but Garland deliberately missed to avoid any injury to the large man who was helping him. Garland nodded and thanked the man as he returned to the seat he had come from.

"The trick with dodging and knowing how, when and where your opponent is attacking from, watch the body, a twist here, a tense muscle there, what type of stance is he using, all of these can indicate where an attack is coming from."

[Elin]

Elin smiled as she listened to Garland speaking, saying that he was good with unarmed combat, but with weapons he specialised with larger swords. The type of sword Elin doubted that she'd be able to hold properly, never mind manoeuvre without risking losing one of her own limbs.

She heard him go quiet for a bit, and now she took the time to properly look at him, having not really done so since she'd met him.
She looked him over carefully, making a mental note of his face and what he looked like, before she heard him speak again, saying that they would start with hand-to-hand combat. That was one that she felt would be most useful to her as she didn’t intend on purposefully carrying a weapon of any sort with her every day, so knowing how to fight unarmed seemed like the one that she would use most frequently, if things ever came to that.

She listened to his words as he described three ways that unarmed combat could be used, and then noted that as he’d said, she’d be more likely to have to get out of the way and then strike, rather than attempting to block or redirect.
It made sense, since she obviously wasn't particularly strong.

She watched as Garland demonstrated each of the techniques he’d spoken of, with the help of a tall man that had also been training.
The first two she watched knowing that they’d be fairly useless to her until she’d gained more skill and strength, but still she watched carefully as Garland blocked the first blow and hit back, then as he forcibly changed the direction of the man's next blow before striking in retaliation. She figured that if she ever managed to gain enough strength, she might be able to one day attempt those techniques.

Then came the squire’s demonstration of the technique she’d be using, and she watched as the tall man readied a blow and Garland darted out of the way before retaliating.

Then she listened to Garlands words, nodding as she did so. She was interested in how she’d be able to tell all of the things he’d mentioned, though she assumed that it would able be down to practice and just watching and observing how people moved. It was interesting to think that she might be able to predict another person's movements in battle. It wasn’t anything she’d ever considered learning herself until now, though she imagined that to anyone that was a good fighter, predicting their opponents moves would be almost second nature!

”So I’m guessing all of that knowledge is best gathered from experience, and just watching how people move?” she asked, watching Garland closely. ”I don’t really imagined it’s anything that can be truly mastered through theory alone.” she smiled slightly as she spoke, hoping that she was right and that she had a small idea of what she was speaking about.

Boxcode by Gossamer

[Garland]

Garland nodded and smiled. "Right, this is something that can't be taught through books or words, but they do help." Garland looked over to the pits and the few fighters that were sparing and training there.

He motioned his arms at them. "I have no proper formal training with hand-to-hand. Most of it was experimental, got my arse kicked because I was trying to use a different stance, but before I got there, I was just a boy that worked here, cleaning the swords, making sure the dummies were stuffed with hay, all that nonsense, so I learned through watching."

Garland then looked back to Elin. "But I didn't have the pleasure of having someone teach me for free."

Or the misfortune of needing to learn it in the first place, remember the bullies that almost killed you and your friend?

Garland hid the emotion of annoyance at the thought from his face, but continued on. "Now, follow me."

Garland took a stance, his legs were close and he hopped in place, keeping on the balls of his feet. "You're going to be dodging a lot, so endurance is what you need the most, blocking and redirecting is taxing too, but with that you can stand still and catch your breath."

Garland hopped around, then watched Elin. "Go for quick strikes in the soft bits, necks, sides of joints, the gut, and for man bits, but we'll get into that later, if we have time, first you have to learn how to throw a punch."

Garland threw a strong punch in the air. "The power is in the twisting of the fist, but a bit open for counter attacking, you have to move quickly and hit quick, disabling attacks, like attacks to the neck-" Garland punched high, in a quick motion, almost a blur.

"-the leg-" Garland ducked low and did a leg sweep, sending dust and sand in the air. "Or if you think you can overpower him, you can grab the wrists and press it just right and the pain would be unbearable at best, and slowing at worst."

Garland had been practicing using your opponent's momentum to throw them or use an attack against them, but he was still trying to perfect it, it was slow going, given his other duties but he felt that if he were to learn how to use that momentum he could be called a master at unarmed combat.

[Elin]

Elin nodded as she listened to Garland speak of how he’d not had formal training and that he’d just learnt through experimenting. She was glad that she hadn’t had to try, although she imagined that it would have helped her, and given her more skills nowadays.

”I’ll buy you a drink for your time, if you like?” she responded as he mentioned how he hadn’t had someone teaching him for free. She was more than grateful to him for the help after all, and with the heat she knew she’d be wanting a drink once they were done.

Then she heard him say to follow him and she did so. She watched him as he took his stance and did her best to mirror his position as he spoke of how she’d be dodging a lot and that she’d need endurance most. That wasn’t something she’d ever built on much. Thanks to that she knew that she’d have to work on that over time, something that would take a lot of dedication and trying to get her children out of the way so she could practice.

Then she heard him explain where to strike and silently she repeated the words in her head, attempting to commit them to memory, before she watched him throw a punch into the air, explaining where the power came from and demonstrating a few blows.
She watched him closely and carefully, hoping that she wouldn’t make a fool of herself, before attempting to copy him.
It was messy to say the least, but she knew that eventually she might improve if she kept trying, then she thought for a moment as he mentioned a way to press the wrists and that intrigued her.

”I’m guessing that would take a lot of strength to do that, but where would it be on the wrist that you’d press?” she asked, her curiosity obvious in her tone of voice. ”Just for reference.” she asked, before holding out her own arm for him to show her. ”Just don’t actually press it or anything, I just want to know where would be best.” she said with a slight smile. It would be easier to remember from her own wrist, she was certain. Although she wasn’t quite sure if she’d ever have the chance to use it, but it was worth having the knowledge.

Boxcode by Gossamer

[Garland]

Garland nodded and held Elin's hand and pointed to the wrist and the thumb. "Between here, the joint here and here the wrist itself." Garland pressed lightly on points he had pointed out and stepped back.

"I've taught a few people in my time, but most of them weren't as attentive as you." Garland stood back and watched the other fighters in the pits.

"Anyway, let's do some practice? People seemed to think that offense is the best defense, and they're right sometimes, but they forget and neglect their defenses. Let's have... not a spar, like offense and defense training."

Garland took a stance and nodded. "Don't worry about hurting me, strike as hard as you can, I'll counterattack too, but it won't be strong, or quick, it'll be slow, I want you to fight defensively, but if an opening presents itself, I want you to attack, quick and as strong as you can manage."

Garland took the first stance in his demonstration earlier, he was prepared to block, the stance meant that his mobility wasn't quite as good as normal but he could take a punch and fight back.

He left several openings in his defenses, to see if Elin could spot them and capitalize on them. "Remember the weak points, neck, joints, the nethers, and the face if you can get a clean strong hit on it."

Garland went on, even while they were fighting. "When you land an attack, never linger and follow up or retreat. Never linger in range of a counter-attack, unless you thing you can take it and return it quickly."

If Elin were to take a long time attacking, he would take initiative and throw a slow hook over Elin's head, something she could easily duck behind, if she saw it, instinct would kick in and she'd do just that.

[Elin]

Elin listened and watched Garland point to where to press, before he lightly pressed the points. Then when he stepped back she lightly touched the points he had, trying to make sure she would remember it, though when it came to it she doubted that they would.

Then she heard him speak of others he had taught and their attentiveness, and Elin couldn’t help but smile slightly.

”Really?” she smiled slightly, before shrugging her shoulders. ”I guess I must take after my parents then.” she said smiling, remembering stories she’d heard of her father, and the times she’d watched her mother learning new recipes. She could recall the concentration on her mother's face and she smiled slightly, before turning her attention back to Garland, hoping that she hadn’t distracted herself for too long.

As she listened to Garland she nodded and pushed a few strands of hair out of her face, though as he mentioned that she shouldn’t worry about hurting him, and should strike as hard as she could, she found herself worrying more than she had been earlier.

But she did what she could anyway, tentatively at first, listening to Garland as she did so.

It wasn’t long before she found herself spending too much time thinking about what to do. Then she saw Garland strike high.
She ducked underneath, almost losing her balance but managing to catch herself before she did. Then she struck outwards, her fist messily aimed towards Garland’s general torso area.
She felt her fist connect with something although she wasn’t sure what it was, before she stepped back a few paces, attempting to take her stance, though worried as to where she’d hit Garland, and how hard she’d hit him.

Again she quickly pushed her hair out of her face, knowing that she should really find something to tie her hair back with more often.

Boxcode by Gossamer

[Garland]

Garland saw her duck, that was good, instinct is something you have to listen to when in a fight, but relying on it completely would leave you vulnerable for more advance tactics and fighting.

When Elin threw a punch and it landed clumsily on his chest, there wasn't much force in it but at least she had enough sense to try to counter-attack. "Good, form and strength could use work, but when an opponent attacks, they are usually left open, this is why shields are useful, but counterattacking is a good practice." He said and stepped back to let Elin get her footing.

"You're going to be dodging a lot so strength and attack power is something you shouldn't quite focus on, survivability is how you win fights, work on your footing and always have solid ground under your feet, when you've got that down, then work on endurance, last longer than you opponent and when they're tired, even a weak attack could knock them to the ground if hit properly."

Garland took a stance again, an waited for Elin to attack, this time he'll redirect the attack and gently counter attack Elin with an open palm and push her.

[Elin]

Elin couldn't help but grin as Garland said the word 'good', and even though he continued speaking with what she should work on she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She'd managed to do something right and that was something she'd be happy about for days.

She watched Garland step back and she composed herself again, listening carefully to Garland as he spoke of how strength and attack power weren't what she'd need to focus on, and instead that she'd need to work on her footing and endurance, that she'd have to avoid attacks and tire her opponent until they'd be weak enough for her to attack them, even with how weak she was.

She saw Garland take his stance, and Elin readied herself. She knew she wanted to attack, just to see what she could do. So she watched him, her eyes scanning over him to see where she could attack, to see where he looked weakest, but her untrained eyes couldn't pick out any faults. She was sure that there would be some faults, so she opted to attack with an attempted punch, hoping she'd find a weakness in his stance. That was how she'd likely have to fight until she gained a lot more experience and managed to start noticing where the weak points of people's defences were.

She attacked, punching a fist out, but before she hit anything she felt Garland counter and she couldn't help but watch his movements as his open palm came to her and pushed her. It was gentle though and she was grateful for that. Now it was just a case of maintaining her balance and not losing her footing.
After all it hadn't even been a quarter of a bell since the man told her that her footing was something she should focus on.
Still, she was certain that it was only through a miracle that she'd managed to keep her footing, even though it was fairly clumsy and messy.

Boxcode by Gossamer