Speaking Through Fists [Sulavik]

[Karl William]

Timestamp : 15th Day of Fall, 510 AV 2 weeks have passed since Karl has arrived in Riverfall. He had been more than happy to have disembarked from the ship that brought him to Riverfall through the dangerous Suvan Sea. Time flew by as he took his time to get to know the surprisingly kind race of the Akalak. Staying at the Kulkukan Tavern and Inn, there hasn’t been a dull moment where he didn’t engage in conversations with Akalaks and other visitors alike. Karl had seemingly forgotten all about the purpose of his trip to Riverfall, but that was far from true. He knew that overgiving was dangerous, even in non-magic practices like training or seriousness. Needing some time to relax after the crossing of the Suvan Sea, he did just that. He had explored most of Riverfall’s gorgeous cliffside-city and had strolled the area to his heart’s content. But today was different, it had been too long since he honed his skills. Today he was more serious than he had been before and it showed, the people he normally talked to at Kulkukan left him alone to eat his breakfast in peace and solitude. After eating a hearthy breakfast he thanked the patron and Chell before taking his leave. He had dressed himself in his standard attire, which is the only outfit he has that is suited for combat and training alike. A dark chestnutbrown robe with a slightly decorated hood on. It was lighter than a friar’s robe but it had its similarities. It offered little to no protection but his movements were unhindered even in extreme poses. It was his favourite outfit so far, one would think he would opt for a more protective leather outfit that allowed for the same flexible movement as a robe. But in Karl’s case, that was unnecessary, with his ability to morph his body in a protective and offensive manner alike, armor was relatively unwanted. As he made his way to the Tuvya Sasaran, the place to be for unarmed combat-training, he prepared himself mentally and ended up deciding not to morph or use Flux to gain an edge. Afterall, he was here not to win perse, but to train and learn. Upon arriving at the Tuvya Sasaran he paid little heed to the beauty of it or the symbols on the sliding doors, he was anxious to train and didn’t care about much else at this moment. When he slid the doors open he was nearly instantly greeted by a friendly Akalak. “ Hello, can I help you? “ ‘ I would be much obliged if I’m allowed to train here, in particular a sparring session. Forgive my rudeness for asking, but I’m very anxious to train. ‘ The instructor seemed to think about it for a bit before responding that he would ask some of the students if anyone was willing to spar with him. He was then instructed to take off his footwear and place it on the floor mats. He did as told and followed the assistant-instructor into the training room.

[Sulavik]

He had been here since before the sun rose, training. Sweat poured off him, and he had long since dropped his shirt and was training in naught but his skin (and sadly, his pants). His muslces were beginning to ache, but he was no where near done for the day. Training was important, and not only was it important, but he loved it. Of course, his decision to come here so early in the day had nothing to do with his unspoken crush on the older, wiser Ismail Bahram. Sulavik had a sort of unofficial status in the Tuvya Sasaran. In here everyday, it was only logical that he would be taken on to teach some of the younger Akalaks and visitors to the training center, and yet he had always refused payment and the official title of 'teacher'. He just wished to train to an outstanding level, and if he ended up helping some new kid, then that was simply an added bonus to the joy of hand to hand fighting. Left foot in front of the right, an equal balance necessary. Knees crouched, and yet supporting his weight. Standing alone in front of a dummy in the grand training hall, not a part of any training program, he stared carefully at the dummy - focusing as he would in any combat. His long, blue left arm, muscles wrippling down was extended out in front of him as a balance of weight. Both of his hands were curled into fists. His right arm was held behind the rest of his body, bent at the elbow with his fist parallel with his chest. It was a moment of pure balance, pure tranquility. Pause. And THUMP! With a rapid propelling of the right arm forward, he slammed his fist into the dummy's head, watching it slam backwards. He smiled with pleasure, almost sadistically, as he imagined the utter devastating effect that would have on a living, breathing thing. Calming his breathing, he held his head down for ten lkong breaths in and out, trying to regain control. When he looked up, Ishmail Bahram was in front of him. Ishmail and he had known eachother for a long time, with Sulavik's constant presence in the Tuvya Sasaran, though Ishmail was utterly unaware of the crush Sulavik had on him. Ishmail nodded, pleased. "Good," he spoke, in his calm soothing voice. "Watch the placement of the thumb. You held it inside the fist, a common mistake. We do not want it to break off." Sulavik chuckled awkwardly along with Ishmail. "Yes, Grand Master Bahram." Ishamil nodded and walked off, and Sulavik looked after the older man longingly. "Sulavik!" barked a voice, nudging him utterly out of his trance. He looked around, trying to figure out who had yelled out at him, when he spotted one of the Akalaks who greeted the people walking in. He felt bad he did not know his name, but in all honestly, did it really matter? It's not like he was friends with the man. "What?" Sulavik yelled back, feeling bad that he was interrupting a lot of other people's training time. He jogged over, barefoot to the man. "What do you want?" The Akalak nodded behind him. Standing there was a man wearing a hood, with gleaming eyes. He was tall for a human, lithe and athletic. Quite good looking. Sulavik's eye roamed appreciatively. "Train the man. Have fun." His Akalak friend (who he still did not know the name of) ran off leaving him alone with the man. Sighing, he turned the man. "Hey. I'm Sulavik. You speak Tukant?" he asked slowly in his home language. Upon getting no response and a blank look, he switched to Common. "I'm Sulavik. You want to spar?" He held out a hand for the man to shake. That's what people did, right?

[Karl William]

Entering the trainingroom, Karl respectfully waited behind the instructor, near the entrance. He didn't want to interrupt anyone's training for everyone in the training room seemed to be in deep concentration as they used their unarmed combat knowledge on the faceless trainingdummies who took their brutal hits and kicks without complaining. Karl was brought out of his trancelike observation by the shouting of the instructor, undoubthedly bringing everyone out of their concentration. He felt like reprimanding the tactless Akalak but held himself back out of respect and probably out of fear aswell, although he wouldn't admit it. In response to the instructor's shouting a man shouted back and came jogging towards them. The Akalak was certainly an intimidating individual, enormous and muscular, with a large scar to boot. A battlehardened warrior, making his race proud, Karl thought to himself. He was glad that he has been given the chance to learn from such a man. The Akalak first spoke in a language unknown to Karl but quickly replaced it with Common. Karl smiled politely and shook his hand whilst introducing himself aswell. " Hi, I'm Karl. It would be an honor to spar with you. " He said while holding out an arm politely in the direction of the training area as to indicate that he's ready whenever Sulavik was.

[Sulavik]

It was a good thing that Uncle Jelis was a culture maniac, or else Sulavik may never have learnt Common, and if he had not learnt Common, he may never have been able to interact with this man - which would have been a shame, as he was good looking. The man had a good strong grip in his handshakes, and the way in which he held his tall lithe frame was promising. Sulavik smiled at the man when he nodded towards the training floor. Sure, he was eager to fight, but there were some things that needed to be taken care of first. Fighting and sparring was all well and good, but in a realm such as this, it was for the safety of everyone to know eachother's weaknesses and strengths so that they could optimise learning and minimise the possibility of serious injury. "Great to see you're eager," SUl laughed, shaking his head at the man when he gestured. "First things first, how good are you at unarmed? Beginner or veteran? Want to be taught or want to practice?" All of these factors were essential in the way that Sulavik fought. He was not going to pull out his hardest moves on a man who had never thrown a punch in his life, nor was he going to spar with a man if they had more to learn beforehand. He hoped, however, that they were equal. It had been so long since Sulavik had had a decent spar.His father didn't count, the gaps in ability were to huge to call it sparring - it was more like ass kicking. Sul then reappraised the body before him. "You're handsome, and, evidently, you have a sense of fashion," Sul said lightly - whether or not it was all serious or all flirtatious was up to Karl. "I'm sure the hood is all the rage where you come from, but for hand to hand with the Akalak, it probably isn't the best idea." He gestured for him to take it off. "Also, I feel lonely, being the only one half naked. It's only fair." Sulavik grinned, and stepped out onto the training floor. Once the man had taken off his hood, he would find Sul with knees bent, fists clenched and hovering in front of his face, elbows jutting out. Sul was in the zone. Ready to sparr.

[Karl William]

" I guess I'm inbetween a beginner and a more experience combatant, I could see from your focused blow earlier that you are more than capable of sparring with me on equal foot. " Karl's pride got in the way of downright telling Sulavik that he'd probably beat Karl to a pulp considering the heightdifference and muscular difference between the two. He hoped his statement would provoke Sulavik in a full-frontal spar without holding back, no matter what the outcome was going to be. But judging from that strike on the training doll he saw, it was going to be a great fight. Karl smiled a bit uncomfortably at Sulavik's comment on how he looked, his eyes glanced over the Akalak's halfnaked body and he was about to reply that the Akalak was handsome too, before he felt it'd be out of place and give the wrong impression. So he kept his mouth shut about that and simply said: " I honestly don't think I have a good fashionsense, I wear this robe simply because it gives me warmth while allowing unrestrained flexible movements. " Karl took off the hood without complaints, but he was slightly taken aback by the implication that he cared about his looks or rage. He couldn't help but respond rather frank. " Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not vain nor do I care about my looks, I'm here for one reason and one reason alone, to get stronger. " His light annoyance was dispelled by the sudden and weird request to remove his robe. Karl laughed louder than he expected. " Fine, I don't want you to use my robe as an excuse when I beat you. " He grinned, obviously joking, as he removed his arms from his robe and let it hang loosely around his legs. Revealing his tanned skin which was patterned with small scartissues and stretchmarks. His muscular torso and arms were free for all to see, not that Karl cared about it. Noticing Sulavik was already in a boxing stance, Karl did the same. He spread his legs, one to the front and the other slightly to the back with knees bent and toes pointing forward. He made the same stance with his arms, placing them on eyeheight and placing his lefthand before the right one with some distance between the palms who were both facing inwards. His fists weren't clenched but rather open, like they were meant to slap of grab onto something. With this stance he waited for Sulavik with an eager and focused look in his eyes. He had learned to react and attack openings instead of charging in first. Some say that attacking is the best defence, which Karl agreed with to some extent. But his fighting stance had proven to be the most effective he knew up to this moment, which didn't mean much considering he didn't knew many styles or stances. Either way, he was ready to spar and it showed in his eyes.

[Sulavik]

Sulavik nodded along with the man. Judging by the man's stance, and his msucular structure, Sulavik and he would have a good spar. A chuckle almost escaped his lips at the man's uncomfortable smile - sure, Sulavik was complimenting him but he wasn't flirting. The man just wasn't his type. And his practical explanation of the robe was amusing too. The hood was a little ostentatious, and Karl didn't seem to realise it. Sulavik felt bad though, if he kept teasing the man, so he kept his mouth shut. His response was inspiring though. He was only here to get stronger - Sulavik liked that. Good, a proper Akalak response. The man should have been born blue! Sulavik and Karl could have been friends. It also made Sulavik feel a little guilty. Sulavik came here on random occasions, trained and trained and trained, and yet always had an eye on Ishmail. Yet this human, short and weedy compared to Sulavik, was here merely to improve his own skill. It was inspiring, and frankly, a little humbling. He had a feeling Karl would like Riverfall. Sulavik could not help it when his eyes were automatically drawn to the man's chest. He was well muscled, obviously puny however when compared to the Akalaks, and his scars only served to add to the man's allure. He was, frankly put, damn fine. Sulavik all of a sudden wished he was out of the Tuvya Sasaran and in private time with this man. Running his hands down his chest would be quite fun. But no, they were there for sparring. But ... perhaps after? Sulavik watched, hovering in his pose, with approval as Karl himself made his way into his opening stance. Whilst Sulavik preferred to fight with clenched fist - much more power in the initial throw - the slap hands were another excellent technique, especially when fighting against one with closed fists. Sulvaik would have to change up his technique a little in order to gain the upper hand against this man. He seemed to have a very good idea of what he was doing. Realising that Karl was going to wait for Sulavik to make the first move, he waited just a teensy bit longer, trying to make him nervous, jittery. After waiting a few more seconds longer than he should have, he lunged forward, thrusting his fist forward in a straight plow towards his nose. Basic attack, and one that would most certainly be blocked, but it would lead upwards and onwards to plenty of interesting places.

[Karl William]

Karl's eyes were focused on the Akalak's fist and shoulders. Punches with force behind them almost always come after a very visible movement of the shoulder connected to the punching arm. As he waited for Sulavik to make his move, with legs positioned so that he had a firm balanced stance. Just as his eyes moved from looking at Sulavik's fists and shoulders to his eyes, a straight jab came directly for his nose. Barely reacting in time he pushed Sulavik's arm to the side while sliding down his arm with the palm of his hand. Karl used the momentum of stretching his arm and leaning in to shift his position from a defensive stance to an agressive stance. He grabbed Sulavik's upper arm, near his shoulder, and turned to place his back into the Akalak's stomach. Holding onto his arm while grabbing his wrist with his other hand, while having placed his shoulder underneath Sulavik's arm, nearly in his armpit, he pressed down and pulled forward. In an attempt to throw the giant over Karl's back.

[Sulavik]

Sulavik did not attempt to use his height or his muscular structure to pull his arm away. Instead, he let Karl push down the arm. He smiled at Karl grabbed his upper arm and twisted into Sulavik's stomach. He knew what was coming next. For the man to attempt it, he must have had a strong working knowledge of hand to hand and the strength necessary to do it. Hell, this man might even be a better fighter than Sulavik - but it was foolish to try this move on an Akalak several feet taller than he. He respected the idea behind the move, but in practicality, it wasn't the best idea. Which is why Sulavik was unimpressed when the man heaved him forward. Using the man's grip on his arm, he kept his feet grounded. No matter how hard the human pulled, his feet did not rise. Simply put, the move was useless against the strong giant. There was only so much Sulavik could do from this position. The only thing Sulavik could think of that would advance the spar, and not cause it to grind to a half would be to seperate body from body. Sulavik raised his free hand, and gripped the man's shoulder tightly. He lifted his right knee and propelled the knee cap into the bottom of the man's spine, hard. At the same time, he used force to push the man forward with his hand on Karl's shoulder. The combined power should make Karl stumble forward, incapacitating him momentarily and giving Sul the advantage from behind. Of course, this only applied if the man did not have any tricks up his sleeve.

[Baku]

Thou has written, and thou has completed, so I award thee the following.... Karl: +3 Observation, +3 Rhetoric, +1 Hand to Hand, Lore: Enjoying the Sights of Riverfall, Requesting Training at the Sasoran, The Sasoran’s Atmosphere, Introduction: Sulivak, Invitation to Spar, Dodging the Verbal Playfulness, Being Confident, Taking Stance, Reaction Just In Time, Deflecting Strike, Trying to Throw a Giant, Sulavik: +3 Hand to Hand, +4 Observation, +2 Rhetoric, Lore: Discipline in Training, Reasons for Training and Teaching, The Basic Necessities of Hand to Hand, Training School Crushes, A New Student, Introduction: Karl, A Good Start, Verbal Playfulness in Training, Taking Stance, Focus on the Spar, Inspiration from the Student, Throwing Counter Additional Notes: An interesting thread, especially in the amusement when they interacted verbally. A shame it had to end early.