Flashback [Flashback] Weight & Measure (Penny)

Loken trains Penny

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Considered one of the most mysterious cities in Mizahar, Alvadas is called The City of Illusions. It is the home of Ionu and the notorious Inverted. This city sits on one of the main crossroads through The Region of Kalea.

[Flashback] Weight & Measure (Penny)

Postby Loken on November 9th, 2017, 4:18 pm

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As he watched her try to preform the same kick he had done, he knew that his plan to get her to want to learn how to fight was working. To him, the kick she made was hardly even that. It was all knees. And she did not even out stretch her leg fully. "Do not drop the sword. You should get used to fighting while maintaining your grip on a blade." He walked over to her then set his palm onto her sword elbow, pressing her elbow forward to force her to hold it higher. Even though the sword only weight four pounds, if you swung a weight for a long enough time, then your arm would start to fatigue from its weight after some amount of time.

"Higher... you watched me before when you were hiding. How I held it up and made downward slashes. Copy my movements." He then positioned into that stance again to properly show her what to do. "Before you swing," He mused aloud as he held his empty right hand up into the air. "I want you to do this.."

The Ano Cultist lifted his right knee up to the level of his hip, them lashed out with his leg like the snapping of a whip. All of the power he generated came from the sharp extension and he speed of his leg. If he kicked another male in the groin, that would have surely incapacitated them from a while. He then lowered his leg back down onto the ground before striking down with his imaginary hook sword. As if killing the person he just kicked.

"With a sword, you will build up your arm strength. And when you do not have a sword, I want you to practice that kick several times until you can do one hundred without getting tired. If you are feeling angry, then practice. If you are sad, practice even more. Practice so that when you are scared, you will have discipline to preform when fear tries to cloud your mind."

He then turned to watch how she would take his advice. "Gnora is the goddess who the Ano worship. My patron goddess. She reigns over logic, order, and balance. Because of her I train everyday to make sure that my body is as sharp a weapon as my mind. You can't neglect your mind, otherwise you'd just end up making your body a weapon for someone else to use... if you wish to learn how to fight. Then learn through discipline. Do not swing the blade wildly. Only strike when it is logical to do so."

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[Flashback] Weight & Measure (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 9th, 2017, 4:35 pm

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Penny squeezed the handle even tighter, regarding it as some precious object that could not be dropped - it was part of her after all. She took the notes intuitively as he raised her elbow, doing her best to not forget where to hold it and when her body fatigued a little she’d once more improve her stance only to slowly over time drop it again. Nonetheless tirelessly she tried to emulate the warrior, even straightening her back and keeping her feet wider on the ground as to not be knocked off balance so easily.

She did as he instructed, shifting all her weight to her left leg, raising her right like a crane. At first she had to put it straight down as her foot wobbled on the uneven ground. But then once again she’d reposition and this time planted her foot firmer, flatter with more surface area to stabilise herself with than the last time when she merely balanced on her heel. Her eyes focused on a single object in the distance as to balance better and then she kicked. She did it too slowly and fell back down onto both feet.

But if anything was ever true about the youth is that she was so very determined. AGAIN! This time with more flow to it. And though not executed perfectly she was no longer looking like a toddler who just learned to walk. And again! And again! Each time the sword in her hands would come down, stopping just before hitting the ground. And Each time with tiny tiny bit more fluidity. Each time after executing the strike and slaying that imaginary foe she’d reposition herself and straighten her back again.

Penny’s body grew tired from the monotone exercise but she did not relent. Not even for a moment would she listen to her muscles to stop. SOmetimes a tendon would ache from extending her leg too fast and carelessly. SOmetimes her bicep would sting from raising the sword so high but the adrenaline of holding such an exotic weapon in her hands for the first time made it all worth it.

Eventually however she stopped, turning back to him and hearing out what he had to say of Gnora. A child’s brain is like a sponge and much in that fashion she absorbed the information without questioning it. After all he spoke with such authority that she was certain she could trust him. “ Aha, I see. But how do I train my mind as well. I can’t get it to do kicks.”

Once again she took a step back and repeated the move he just taught her. “Though, you know, it’s kind of funny thinking about it, seeing an Ano Cultist in Alvadas. It must be a very chaotic place comparative to wherever you came from.”
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[Flashback] Weight & Measure (Penny)

Postby Loken on November 10th, 2017, 1:04 pm

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Loken chuckled softly at her muttered observation of his place in the city, glancing back to her. "That is very, very true, Alvadas is not my idea of paradise, but it is a hub of civilization in the area. And the stability it offers is a boon in the grand scheme of things. " he said, watching her every movement like a hawk, standing to her side as he nudge her foot with his boot to help adjust her stance and also to test her balance when she was on one foot; if she did start to fall, he was ready to grab the sword away from her so she would not hurt herself.

"Take a deep breath. The movements will etch experience into your muscles. That pain is simply your body gaining knowledge." He then folded his arms loosely across his stomach, removing his gaze from her to examine the sky above them which, for a very brief moment, seemed to hold a rippling flame within itself before shifting back to the calm, dulcet sky that it had been a moment ago.

The cities illusions were always up to something. It distracted him for a moment before he found his train of thought again. “You train your mind through study. Just like if you train with a sword, every turn of a page, or unfurling of a scroll grants you information to use when you need it. Because..." Loken made sure to emphisise this, making sure that she would understand what he was about to say clearly. "Logic is the culmination of good reasoning. The more you know, then the better you can compare and contrast information to make the best, and concise, decisions in life.”

That was when an idea crossed his mind that caused him to hum softly to himself. “I try to learn something new whenever I can. If you wish to join me, meet me at The Sunken Conundrum to find a good book to read. I am often always there at the fifteenth bell of the day when I do not have a fight.” The library was obviously his favorite place to go in the city. In fact, his daily routine was built on it Train, study, fight, repeater. It was his foundation of stability in this city of trickery.

"Switch legs, kick with the other one now. If you train one leg, then you must train the other. Adjust your grip so that your other arm will now be the driving force behind your slash." Pointing at how she held the hilt, like he did, in a double hammer grip. Now trying to teach her the importance of being ambidextrous.

He then uncrossed his arms to train with the young girl rather than stand around. Loken laid down onto the ground, pressing his palms against it as well at a length slightly wider than the width of his shoulders. He then lifted himself into a to the upward plank position of a push-up. He forced himself to draw in his stomach to tense his core so that his spine could support his weight, keeping his midsection from sagging. He then started to bend his elbows to lower his body weight to the ground. Forcing himself to stop an inch before the breast piece of his armor touched the ground. With a slight grunt, he pressed himself back up into the the starting position again.

Loken started to repeat that same process ten more times, feeling the strain within his biceps from his previous use of the flux, along with his own tiger sword training.

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[Flashback] Weight & Measure (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 11th, 2017, 7:53 am

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Penny nodded as he spoke, pretending she knew of this grand scheme of things he was talking about where in fact anything of grandeur was quite obsolete to her. She lived in the here and now and any child did. And when he nudged her foot she did indeed fall into his arms, only reminded to keep her mind where her feet where in this one footed stance. And so again she balanced, focusing super super hard on her breathing somewhat intuitively, not realising that for many it was the key of keeping one’s mind sharp. With every step she imagined she was a crane waiting in muddy waters still as a reed, waiting for a fish. And when she was satisfied she’d kick forward again and bring the tiger look down upon the skull of an imaginary enemy.

When Loken mentioned the library Penny alas took a break to look at him as he spoke. “I get it. But what do I read about? Gnora?”

She did as he instructed, hopping from one leg to the oper. The sword changed the hands it was held by aas she repeated the same move, over and over and over again, her legs growing weary and her core starting to ache from the strain of the repetitive exercise. She must have killed an invisible army by now.

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[Flashback] Weight & Measure (Penny)

Postby Loken on November 12th, 2017, 4:15 am

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“If you want to know more about Gnora, all you have to do is ask me.” He said as lowered his chest back towards the ground, this time trying to get his chest millimeters from the ground before pushing himself back up. Loken was not a weak man, he was strong enough to deal a blow that could debilitate an elite soldier of equal skill. However, the logic of a push up was used to put focused strain on his arms, chest, and core to build up his strength.

That was why his arms started to shake as he reached the fifteenth repetition of his push up. Loken set his knees onto the ground, then sat up to be seated on them folded underneath him. He sat there in silence for chimes as he watched the girl continue the movements. Once she appeared to be tired, he set one of his hands onto his thighs as he motioned the other for Penny to take a seat on the ground in front of him.

“Rest for a moment.”

Loken’s posture remained upright as he sat there, always keeping himself from slouching. “In regards as to what you should learn to sharpen your mind, I shall tell you a quote that many Ano know was spoken from the Goddess Gnora, herself: ‘Do not be blind in your exclusions. What is necessary is always logical.’"

In many ways, he spoke about things with a succinct monotone clarity as if he had read them out of a book. However, he spoke the quote with a clear amount of emotion in his tone. The quote clearly had some large amount of impact on his personal life that made him treat the words with the utmost respect.

"That means that you should never let your emotions keep you from learning. As an example, If you fear blood, then you should control your fear and learn about medicine to heal injuries rather than let that fear blind you... but their is no set curriculum to follow."

That was when Loken started to unbuckle the leather armor vembrace on his left arm. It took him a chime to untie all of its strap, but quickly set it down on the ground as he pulled up his sleeve to expose his gnosis mark to her. His arm looked as if the bones of his forearm were pressing up against his skin, the emboss of the bone lifting the skin, showing off the elaborate pattern that almost seemed to be etched under the skin. Loken then ran his free hand along the mark, feeling each and ever line and twist it made.

Severing Mark :
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"When I first joined the Ano, before I earned Gnora's mark. I was tested in many categorizes to see what I was best at. My skills happened to be more focused on combat, so they nurtured my training in that direction because it was practical for me. That did not stop me from wanting to learn about other things... so, what are you good at? Start where your interest are and then spread out from there. Or, since you are young. Read about many things until you find your focus. Gnora first presented the world with logic through her manifesto known as the Logikos, which was lost centuries ago; which is a book of penultimate logic. That does not mean you should only ever just read one book."

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[Flashback] Weight & Measure (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 12th, 2017, 8:55 am

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Alas Penny could sit and take a break. She was hoping he’d tell her to do so for she was exhausted, yet didn’t want him to think her a weakling.

‘Do not be blind in your exclusions. What is necessary is always logical.’"

She watched his eyes as he spoke, listened to the stone of his voice or rather lack thereof. It was clear to her that he took those words as absolute truth but the meaning of them she didn’t quite grasp. How was this going to help per with anything? What exclusions, anyway?

"That means that you should never let your emotions keep you from learning. As an example, If you fear blood, then you should control your fear and learn about medicine to heal injuries rather than let that fear blind you... but their is no set curriculum to follow."

As he explained, things clicked together in her mind. “Aaaah… I see.” She nodded, for once speaking as little as possible in order to listen to her tutor as much as possible. She had a habit of not listening but instead thinking of the next thing she was going to say as the other spoke. But not this time. Not with Loken. He had an unprecedented authority over her that even her own mother could never wield.

She gasped as Loken revealed his mark. At first she thought it was a burn or a scar but upon a closer look she’d see patterns in the ekin embossing. Every ridge and every groove formed a line or a curve that looked far too purposeful to ever be an accident. Perhaps a branding iron?

"When I first joined the Ano, before I earned Gnora's mark. I was tested in many categorizes to see what I was best at. My skills happened to be more focused on combat, so they nurtured my training in that direction because it was practical for me. That did not stop me from wanting to learn about other things... so, what are you good at? Start where your interest are and then spread out from there. Or, since you are young. Read about many things until you find your focus. Gnora first presented the world with logic through her manifesto known as the Logikos, which was lost centuries ago; which is a book of penultimate logic. That does not mean you should only ever just read one book."

So he was marked by the Goddess! Penny couldn't fight off an even deeper reverence she had felt for him as if he was a priest or a holy man. But somehow he was even more than that.

“I understand. I guess… I guess I’m good at drawing. I mean I am! I’m really good at drawing… but mama says I’ll never find a job that way and will be a starving artist or something like that. But I can't just read books about drawing. There’s nothing a book can teach me, I just have to do, you know?”

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[Flashback] Weight & Measure (Penny)

Postby Loken on November 14th, 2017, 10:28 am

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Loken lowered his sleeve to cover his gnosis mark, then proceeded to put his vembrace back on as he spoke to her. "Ah, art. There are those who hold the title of 'Measures' within the Ano who have devoted their entire training towards the focus of art, like I did through martial combat. Those measures have become some of the most noteworthy artists I can think of, likewise, some of the most noteworthy warriors I have ever witnessed... far better than I am at the present time." He managed to tie the last strap of his leather vembrace as soon as he'd finished speaking.

He lifted his eyes from it to set his attention back on her. "What your mother said about the arts is half true, but only if you give half of yourself to it. Consider this: If you were walking down a road from your house to your goal, then suddenly you stopped halfway... You would starve where you stopped. But if you made it to your goal, you would have survived with excess wealth. That means you should always be drawing, just like you found me practicing here... you should draw thing, people, anything to sharpen your skills. If you want to draw something no one has ever seen before, then that would be a noble goal."

That was when Loken reached out to take his hook sword from her, then reached back to slide it into place through the weapons harness on his back. "Take a moment to think about the path you want to walk in life. The greatest falsehood is that you need to be an adult to plan for your future... I was about your age when I devoted myself to Gnora." He stood up then walked over to the stones around Verlyna's Emerald Pool where his backpack rested against them, then picked it up to walk away towards the Inn to rest for the day.

"Remember. You can often find me at the The Sunken Conundrum library, but even if you don't see me there. That does not mean you should not read. I have a fight at the Colosseum to mentally prepare myself for... I bid you a good day, Penny."
The Ano Cultist then proceeded to walk away, but now that he was facing away from the girl, he allowed his smirk to turn into a full smile. He was always happy whenever he had the chance to teach someone about the ways of Gnora.

"The girl named Penny has witnessed a glimpse of the scales of Logic, guide her to not turn away from the edge" He spoke the words, directly speaking to Gnora as if she were their in front of him. Using those words as a small prayer for Penny.

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[Flashback] Weight & Measure (Penny)

Postby Chameleon on December 9th, 2017, 11:05 pm

Your Grades Are Here...


 
Loken


Skills...
  • Flux: 1XP
  • Weapon: Tiger Hook Sword: 2XP
  • Unarmed Combat: 3XP
  • Observation: 2XP
  • Socialisation: 5XP
  • Teaching: 3XP
  • Bodybuilding: 2XP

Lores...
  • Alvadas Location: Verlyna's Emerald Pool
  • Penny: Not a coin nor an illusion
  • Pons nearly always move first
  • Fighting Stance: The Logikos
  • Penny: Good at drawing

Other...
Loken's got such a weird way of thinking...


 
Penny
Skills...
  • Stealth: 1XP
  • Observation: 2XP
  • Socialisation: 5XP
  • Subterfuge: 1XP
  • Weapon: Tiger Hook Sword: 1XP
  • Unarmed Combat: 1XP
  • Endurance: 2XP

Lores...
  • Alvadas Location: Verlyna's Emerald Pool
  • Stealth: Using foliage to camouflage yourself
  • Subterfuge: Pretending to be an illusion
  • Loken: A Pon who pretends to be a scale
  • Loken: Training to be a champion at the Colosseum
  • Weapon: Tiger Hook Sword
  • Gnora: Goddess of Logic and Order
  • Lokan: An Ano Cultist
  • Loken: Marked by Gnora

Other...
It's a little confusing (and lazy) if you copy and paste what Loken says in your posts. I understand why you do it, but it can get a little confusing to read the same thing twice, and I'm sure you can paraphrase it, or only include important snippits, rather than copy the whole thing!


Comments...
I liked seeing little Penny meet Loken who's so logical and, well, strange! A fun read, it's a shame about the length. Read through your posts before you hit submit though - I spotted quite a few minor spelling and grammar errors that can easily be fixed! No worries though, we all make them.

Don't forget to mark your request as graded. If you have any questions and concerns, don't be scared to send me a PM - there's always a chance I might have missed something!



Enjoy Your Grade!...
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