Completed The World Is Full Of Angles

Kelski takes more lessons in dagger from Darvin.

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A lawless town of anarchists, built on the ruins of an ancient mining city. [Lore]

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The World Is Full Of Angles

Postby Kelski on February 27th, 2018, 1:58 am

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Timestamp: 40th of Winter, 517 AV

Kelski was back for more training. Since Darvin had given her a crash course in down and dirty dagger fighting, she’d found herself in more and more situations where she needed to use one. As big of a bastard as he was, Darvin was still a good teacher and competent in his use of the weapons. Her immediate goal, beyond staying alive on the streets of Sunberth when she got separated from any escort, was to actually be effective at self defense and perhaps offense if the situation called for it. Like it or not, she was owned by a gang, wore their sign openly, and that put her at a vulnerability to any gang that considered itself a rival of The Sun’s Birth. Kelski didn’t like this fact. She in no way shape or form wanted to be considered vulnerable, so Darvin’s training, even if it came with a high cost, was something she desperately needed.

Today he’d had her meet him in a set of vacant rooms in The Barracks where a set of clothing had been set up stuffed with straw for her use. It was a training dummy. She recognized it as such from the Proving Grounds where the gang usually trained. Upon her arrival, Darvin had issued her the small wooden dagger, and had gestured to her to approach the dummy.

“Today we are going to talk about angles of attack, Kelski. In any one combat situation, either in a confined area or an open area, there are nine angles of attack. I’m going to want you to learn all of them. The first….” Darvin said as he stepped up to the dummy and demonstrated. “… is the downward diagonal slash, stab, or strike towards the left side of the defender’s head, neck, or torso.” He walked up and with his dagger in his right hand raised the blade high and slashed downward, at what was the left shoulder of the stuffed enemy, dragging the blade across the stuffed body in a well-executed slice.

Kelski watched intently, carefully observing his motions.

He backed up and gave her the ‘go ahead’ gesture. She walked forward and repeated what he’d said. “Downward slash stab or strike toward the left side of the defender’s head, neck, or torso…. Right… but this is an obvious attack. It’s not a concealed down and dirty one like you’ve been previously teaching.” She said as raised the dagger high and slashed it harmlessly across the torso of the dummy.

Darvin nodded. “This is formal training Kelski. You’ve had the down and dirty introduction course, now we are going to get more formal. The second angle of attack is the downward slash, stab or strike towards the ride side of the defender’s head, neck or torso.” HE already sounded board with the training, but Kelski was fascinated.

She did what he described without a demonstration, finding it more awkward because she had to reach crosswise across her body to do so when she was standing armed with her dagger in her right hand. “This would be better suited to someone wielding a dagger left hand or having two daggers… its awkward crossing the body.” She admitted.

Darvin nodded. “Exactly. You’ll get there. You aren’t ready yet… because you haven’t even graduated to metal daggers yet, but once you have and are showing progress, I’ll get you used to dual wielding them.” He said, reassuring her.
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They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
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Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
Posts: 1598
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Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 pm
Location: The Wildlands of Sylira & The Empyreal Demesne
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The World Is Full Of Angles

Postby Kelski on February 27th, 2018, 2:00 am

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Kelski nodded. “But I can someday, you think, wield one in each hand?” She asked cautiously, not wanting to get her hopes up.

Darvin smiled and nodded. “Yea, little bird. You will be able too and sooner than later I suspect. You have an aptitude for the smaller blades. I don’t think you have the strength for an actual sword, at least not yet, but with daggers and deception, you can decidedly be at an advantage in a fight.” He added, knowing he was right.

“Now, the third angle of attack is a horizontal attack to the left side of the defender’s torso. You want to aim to hit the ribs, side, or hip region. It moves left to right… so think horizon… horizontal… parallel to the ground.” He added, slashing the dummy with his dull wooden blade exactly bisecting the torso through the gut section.

“What does parallel mean?” Kelski asked, curious, as she moved to replace Darvin in front of the dummy and try the move. She then tried it the opposite way, anticipating this would be the fourth angle of attack.

Kelski listened, watching his hand motions as he defined what parallel meant and firmly ingrained it in her mind. Parallel. Perpendicular. They were new terms.

Darvin nodded his approval. “Good. You are right. The opposite direction is the fourth angle of attack.” He added then answered her question. “Parallel means side by side and having the same distance continuously between them. So, you want the dagger to be the same height from the ground and move along the ground all along that angle of attack. Perpendicular means having a line either intersecting or moving away from a point at ninety degrees. Do you know what degrees are, Kelski?” He asked, curious.

The Kelvic nodded, still watching closely. As a jeweler, basic math wasn’t unknown to her and degrees and angles were particularly something she had to know to cut faucets in gemstones. “I know. I have to use angles in gem cutting.” She answered him honestly, without a hint of arrogance. To her, there was no need.

“What’s the fifth angle of attack?” She asked, wanting to move this along. Sudying the dummy she figured it was something from the bottom up but she was wrong.

“The fifth angle is a straight attack directly at the opponent’s center. So, you jab, lunge or punch your weapon directly straight ahead. At your height this would be groin or belly.” Darvin moved into place and demonstrated. When he stepped back, Kelski did the same, only to be stopped and have her footwork corrected. “Lead with your other foot, place your center of gravity lower, don’t lean back and put yourself off balance...” He said, and she nodded, trying again.

“We have high and low fifth angles… a low angle Is the groin like I showed you but a high is the throat. Either will make them dead before they know what hit them. And often a groin shot will cause them to bleed out and die in agony.” He added.

Kelski grunted with approval.
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They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
User avatar
Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
Posts: 1598
Words: 2015452
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 pm
Location: The Wildlands of Sylira & The Empyreal Demesne
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
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Medals: 11
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The World Is Full Of Angles

Postby Kelski on February 27th, 2018, 2:01 am

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“So, what is the sixth angle of attack?” She asked, guessing it was from above. Darvin confirmed her suspicion when he clearly defined it for her by nudging her out of the way so he could get to the dummy and then showing her first hand.

“Its simple… they will see it coming, and you’ll probably not use it ever unless an opponent is down on the ground. It’s just a direct attack aimed straight down upon a defender. If you were tall, strong, and attacking someone weaker and shorter, it would be the perfect attack. But for you, Kelski, its probably the last one you’d ever want to use unless someone has fallen to their knees, hands and knees, or is completely on the ground. For you, it would really be one of those ‘finish them off’ moves.” He added, demonstrating. The dummy was far smaller than Darvin was and she could see how effective the move was if one was indeed fast, stronger, and far taller than the opponent.

Kelski kept her sharp eyes on Darvin’s motions, trying to pick up the subtlety of his training.

She tried it anyhow, moving in and slashing downward with her dagger. It felt awkward and ridiculous, so it reinforced what Darvin had said about it not being the right move for her at the time when she was face to face with an opponent.

The Dragoon didn’t seem to want to waste any time on the attack so he moved on almost immediately, outlining the seventh angle of attack. “Now these are better moves for you, especially when you are blading your body and smaller than the opponent. The Seventh Angle of Attack is an upward diagonal attack towards the defenders lower-left side. Remember where the vital organs and arteries are, Kelski. This is where you want to hit and hit hard. And of course, the eighth angle of attack is just the opposite, a vicious upwards diagonal attack towards the defender’s lower right side.” Darvin demonstrated both of these moves. He was graceful and powerful in his execution and she could see that size didn’t matter. Bigger or smaller, these upward attacks were brilliant for the sneaky street fighting he’d taught her previously.

She moved into place when he stepped aside and took careful aim, attacking over and over from both the seventh and eighth angles, knowing they would serve her well in the end. If she could master these, along with remembering her lessons on concealing her blade, leading with her empty hand to distract, and hitting hard then she could be something of a force when it came to daggers in Sunberth without anyone suspecting.

Kelski smiled, her careful observations paying off. Though she was panting now, the lesson was just starting to spark her interest. This was what she needed and wanted, a way to be as lethal in her human form as she could be in her eagle form. This empowered her, made her feel less helpless, and in many ways lightened the weight of the heavy collar on her neck.
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They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
User avatar
Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
Posts: 1598
Words: 2015452
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 pm
Location: The Wildlands of Sylira & The Empyreal Demesne
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 11
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (2)
Mizahar Grader (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
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The World Is Full Of Angles

Postby Kelski on February 27th, 2018, 2:02 am

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Darvin nodded, seeing the confidence grow and his little slave spark alive. It was almost too bad he was going to hit her with a hard dose of his newest experiment after this. He liked her with her cheeks flushed and her eyes alive rather than that dull watchful patience he usually read in them. This Kelski was interesting… and far different than the ornament roll she had somehow learned to play so well.

“Now the last one is a straight up from the front sort of move. The Ninth Angle of Attack almost always targets the groin or stomach, and can be a wicked move if done right. Its different from the Fifth because you aren’t moving parallel to the ground… you are shooting upwards, driving the dagger in and up, opening up their body cavity or severing their balls from their cocks, Kelski. Do you understand?” He demonstrated with a refresher on the Fifth Angle then followed with the contrasting move of the Ninth Angle. The Kelvic nodded enthusiastically and took his place when he stepped aside. Kelski watched closely, moving to follow his motions when any part of his body blocked her view.

She ran through the Fifth again, then the Ninth until she had them both separate in her mind, then quickly counted down and ran through all the angles from one to nine, showing Darvin she’d been paying attention and sharply noting the differences. He paused her several times to correct a way she held an elbow or shifted her weight, but once she ran through them multiple times, she was lighter on her feet, shifting her weight, and moving better.

Darvin stopped her after ten chimes of the practice and got her to hold still. Then he tapped the top of her head. “Kelski, pretend there is a thick chain or cord attacked to the top of your head. Feel it pull your body upwards, taking some of your weight. Come up on your toes…. Straighten your spine… feel the whole thing lift your entire body….” He coached and nodded as her body moved into the right form and then he set her at the training dummy again, having her run through the angles once more.

She moved better. Even Kelski could tell the difference with that imaginary chain running through her body lifting her up on her toes, lightening her stance, and giving her a more fluid motion in her attacks. The Kelvic smiled at Darvin. “Better? It feels better… it feels like I can move easier…” She added, excited now, wondering how many more tricks he had up his sleeves.

The Dragoon nodded. “I’ve trained a lot of recruits, Kelski. I know what I’m talking about. If you listen, I’ll make a fighter out of you if its possible… and from what I see now, you are predisposed to it. I really wonder how you ended up being a jeweler when you can move like you can.” He said with a laugh, chuckling slightly and standing back gesturing for her to keep going.

Thirty chimes, Kelski practiced, learning the angles, as Darvin called out things such as “Fourth, Fifth, now First…..” And the Kelvic responded, drilling over and over again until she got them straight in her head and her body knew what it was doing.

“Practice every day, Kelski. Even if you don’t have a dummy, just imagine a victim there or chalk one on the wall of Jaren’s spare room or something… don’t hesitate to practice, even if you don’t have a blade. Use anything that’s vaguely dagger shaped.” He advised, knowing this would do nothing but help her.
Image
They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
User avatar
Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
Posts: 1598
Words: 2015452
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 pm
Location: The Wildlands of Sylira & The Empyreal Demesne
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 11
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (2)
Mizahar Grader (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
Sunberth Seasonal Challenge (1) Power Fork (1)

The World Is Full Of Angles I

Postby Kelski on February 27th, 2018, 2:13 am

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After thirty chimes, he called a halt, let her pant, and backed off.

“You really need to work on your physical fitness, Kelski. You are skinny, but you are also thin. You have the mental capacity, meaning you are alert, but you need to get stronger. You’ll need to do some running, strength training, and lifting weights to build your muscles. That workshop does you no favors. I think you should start getting up at dawn and running with the recruits… Zukai and even Neras would be good escorts for you.” He added, moving on to his next point.

Kelski nodded, listening and learning, her sharp gaze following his motions and watching his expression.

“I also want you to be more aggressive. If you hesitate, you will get killed out there. You need to be fearless and relentless.” He added. This was something Darvin had stressed to her over and over again. He didn’t let up now. “The thing is Kelski, up until now I’ve told you to wait for an opening and once you see one presented to you, make your attack fast and hard. But what if one never comes? If your facing off with a better opponent, you might have to make your own opening. You mainly do this by parrying. When you parry, you parry opposite of where your opponent carries their weapon. So, if your opponent carries his weapon in his right hand, you parry to your left. The object is to strike your target’s dagger or dagger arm and deflect it left and follow through with a slash, thrust, or stab before they can recover.” He added. The he gestured for Kelski to come at him. She did, and Darvin slowly and carefully parried her thrust, almost in slow motion, so she could see how it was done. They repeated the motion several times, changing up the angles and speed until she had the motion down fairly well.

Then Darvin attacked her and she was expected to parry his attacks. She tried, but it was obvious that he was stronger and harder to push aside, though she could after some practice. It just tended to reinforce what Darvin had said about her strength. She understood acutely that until she got stronger, Kelski was going to be vulnerable to bigger stronger opponents. But right now, Darvin had more to say. He was concerned with her footwork and the way her body moved.

“Kelski, you must be always thinking of defense when your wielding these blades. The easiest way to do this is to always defend TOWARDS the side of you that’s under attack. That will keep your parry easier to follow through with. You want the foot on that side forward, so you can displace the attack towards that side. Remember, I’m going to want you – if you aren’t parrying with your dagger – to deflect with your free hand. Why? So you can immediately, before your even through deflecting, attack with your opposite armed hand.” He said, demonstrating.

Kelski watched again, looking thoughtful as she let his teaching sink in.

“If your high left is attacked… you need to move towards the left with your left foot on that side forward, and displace the attack like this.” He said, moving to get her to attack him the way he had described. Kelski did so and Darvin neatly pushed her blade aside with his unarmed hand and brought his wooden dagger up and drove it into her ribs – pulling the stab at the last minute – neatly with his armed hand. Truthfully, she didn’t see it coming.

The Kelvic gasped and jumped back.

Darvin laughed. “Yea… its just that easy. Here… lets practice.” He said, beckoning her forward again.


Continued In: The World Is Full Of Angles I
Last edited by Kelski on February 28th, 2018, 2:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
Image
They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
User avatar
Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
Posts: 1598
Words: 2015452
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 pm
Location: The Wildlands of Sylira & The Empyreal Demesne
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 11
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (2)
Mizahar Grader (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
Sunberth Seasonal Challenge (1) Power Fork (1)

The World Is Full Of Angles

Postby Kelski on February 27th, 2018, 2:21 am

Kelski

Experience: +5 Dagger, +5 Observation, +3 Strategy, Mathematics +1, Interrogation +3

Lores: Dagger: The Nine Angles Of Attack, Daggers: Can Be Duel Wielded, Mathematics : Perpendicular vs. Parallel, Dagger: How To Lighten Ones Body, Dagger: Proper Posture, Dagger: Aggressiveness Is Key, Dagger: How To Parry, Dagger: Defensive Thinking
Image
They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
User avatar
Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
Posts: 1598
Words: 2015452
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 pm
Location: The Wildlands of Sylira & The Empyreal Demesne
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 11
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (2)
Mizahar Grader (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
Sunberth Seasonal Challenge (1) Power Fork (1)


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