10th Day of Summer, 510 AV
“You’re holding it all wrong, Aoren!” Aoren’s long-time friend and confidant Ileera marched over to him. Clad in leather armor and armed with a longsword and dagger she was attempting to teach her younger friend the finer points of wielding a quarterstaff.
“A staff isn’t like a sword. It has no blade so you aren’t trying to cut your opponent.” She grasped Aoren’s hands and guided them into position along the shaft of the staff so that his hands were closer together. He furrowed his brow in confusion.
“That doesn’t feel right. It’s like I’m just flailing about with a big stick.” She chuckled and he looked down at her. Ileera was only five feet and seven inches tall, Aoren being six feet and three inches towered over her. She placed her foot between his legs and kicked his feet lightly so that he widened his stance.
“You are flailing about with a big stick. The trick is to flail about with finesse. When you strike with a staff it’s about precision. You need to hit key points on your opponent’s anatomy that will weaken them rather than kill them.” She released her hold on his hands and stepped away from him. The fiery red head surveyed his form from head to toe. She had always been the more martial of the duo but what she lacked in higher knowledge she made up for in common sense and charisma. “Now try it again.”
Aoren exhaled and sprinted forward. He darted toward a bale of hay and just as he was about to trip over it he jumped into the air. Aoren twisted his waist and used the forward momentum of his sprinting to swing his legs in an outward kick. Now that he was in midair he saw the reason for holding the staff so closely toward the center.
“Twist the staff! Twist the staff! Aoren!” Too late Aoren realized he hadn’t gained enough speed to finish the maneuver.
“Oh gosh!” He lost his form and flailed trying to grasp for something but his hands met nothing but air. He fell to the ground with a thud and rolled a few feet scraping his bare shoulders. As he connected with the solid ground all of the air in his lungs whooshed out of him as he was struck breathless by the impact. He lay there for a moment trying to regain his senses. Within seconds Ileera was at his side and was helping up into a sitting position. Aoren shook his head vigorously before bringing a hand up to his scalp to abate the throbbing in his skull.
“Come on you big oaf, let’s get you some water.” She helped him to his feet and Aoren smiled.
“So if I’m supposed to be striking with “finesse” why are you having me jump around doing acrobatics?” Ileera looked at him with her dark green eyes and for a moment he thought she wasn’t going to answer. When they reached their packs and Aoren grabbed his waterskin she shrugged.
“Because the more limber you are the easier handling the staff will become. It’s not a weapon that was meant to be used while standing in one place. It’s meant to block, parry, and jab. Not slice or thrust like most lethal weapons. You can’t do all of those things standing still.” She gave a curt nod in emphasis of her word and Aoren just rolled his eyes.
“Remind me why I keep you around?” She flashed a seductive smirk at him.
“Because you’d be lost without me.” He gave a nod and shrugged.
“You’re right about that.” She laughed and slapped her knee.
“Of course I am! Now pick up that stick and get to it!”
Aoren did as he was bidden and the lesson progressed. He resumed his stance with his hands grasping the staff closely to the center of the wood. He took a deep breath then bolted forward in a dead sprint. As he was running he went through the motions in his mind’s eye.
“Use your momentum to carry your body forward…” He leaped into the air as high as his legs could get him.
“Twist your waist and swing your legs over in an outward kick…” Aoren grunted as he twisted his waist and arched his back so that his body was contorted in a half-somersault. He swung his legs outward in an arching kick that finished the somersault by planting the butt of the staff on the ground and pushing outward so that he landed on his feet. Aoren kept tight hold of the staff and twirled it over his head bringing it to a resting position at an angle behind his back.
“Haha! That’s it! That’s it! Finally! We found a weapon you can actually use! Now! On to the hard stuff!” Aoren blinked at her.
“The hard stuff?” She nodded and picked up a stone from the ground.
“Next we see how well your hand-eye coordination is. In essence: learning how to block.” Aoren sighed and shook his head.
It was going to be a long day.