Flashback First, learn to throw a punch(Daniel Connor)

[Irowyn]

"I used to have a guy for that," Irowyn tried hard to force a smile with this comment. "But no, not myself. I have never been in a good brawl. I used to be part of a team. We employed a mercenary for security, a civil negotiator to facilitate our travels and myself to guide us through the wilderness. The job of assaulting another man didn't often fall to me. So unfortunately, if you'd want to train me you'd be starting from the basics. I've slain all manner of monsters and beasts. I'm not sure that any of that is applicable to the skills needed in a fist fight but its one thing that I've got."

[Daniel Connor]

The man’s response did not surprise Daniel, but neither was he pleased by it. The man was a swordsman, which would help with the instincts part of hand to hand combat, but hand to hand was not like swordsmanship in the leased. It required getting in close, unlike with a sword, where you have to stay far for you to be effective. Also it requires people to know their surroundings. The logical first step would be defense. “Okay, first step is blocking. There are many ways to do this, but the best, for a punch, is the catch and twist. When someone comes at you with their fist, meet it head on with an open palm, then twist your hand to the side. It will stretch their shoulder and make that arm unusable for combat for a few hours. If you do it right of course. Here, I’ll demonstrate,” Daniel explained to Irowyn, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. He got up and gestured for him to do the same. He threw a slow punch at Irowyn, who blocked it and twisted his arm. Daniel smiled and gave him pointers on how to improve. They went on like this for a few hours, trying different permutations of the move, drink after drink coming to their table. It was well into the night before Daniel stopped and said, “Thats enough, I think you have that block down. Now it is really up to you on what you want to learn next. So, what will it be?”

[Irowyn]

Through the pain and the fatigue, Irowyn did his best to keep up. Fortunately, he was truly learning from this stranger. Of course, he took everything one small step at a time and perhaps he was too fatigued and beaten to be proficient, but he was not to beaten to learn. Before the hours were up, Irowyn was proud of himself for what he had managed to learn from Daniel.

"Next?" Irowyn repeated with amused, smiling admiration for his tutor. "Next, I suggest this: Allow me to recover from my wounds, regain some strength and meet back here tomorrow. I would be honored to fulfil my debt, to you, of any and all beer we might go through. We'll test the barkeep's patience and see if he will perhaps let us back into the Stallion. And then, once we've had our fill of beer and mead we continue again with (at least for me) refreshed minds and refreshed muscles. Is this an acceptable proposal?"

[Daniel Connor]

"Next?" Irowyn repeated, smiling admiration at Daniel. "Next, I suggest this: Allow me to recover from my wounds, regain some strength and meet back here tomorrow. I would be honored to fulfill my debt, to you, of any and all beer we might go through. We'll test the barkeep's patience and see if he will perhaps let us back into the Stallion. And then, once we've had our fill of beer and mead we continue again with (at least for me) refreshed minds and refreshed muscles. Is this an acceptable proposal?"

"Indeed it is!" Daniel said with a chuckle, grinning at his student. "We shall meet back here on the morrow. By that time we should be rested enough to continue with your training. Now off with you!" Daniel said, starting to walk back to his apartment. As he walked he shouted back, "Same time, same place!" They were soon out of earshot of each other. Daniel got to his house and stretched his arms, aching from the days activities. Flux was handy for workouts, it allowed him to have more energy for the things that were needed. But now his arms drooped down by his waist, too tired to lift up. He slept.

[Irowyn]

Fall 5th, 498

Irowyn waited, now refreshed and rested, in The Rearing Stallion at precisely the time that Daniel had commanded.

Kevith gave Irowyn a stern look to convey that his eye was carefully fixed upon Irowyn. In turn, Irowyn flashed a respectful, disarming look of compliance and raised both of his palms in a gesture to say that he would not be causing trouble tonight.

Quietly, Irowyn drank ale tonight, not the cheapest beer on menu as he did on the previous night, and waited for Daniel. When his trainer finally arrived Irowyn stood in greeting.

"Good to see you again," he briefly raised his mug a few inches, quietly resisting a grim laugh at the fact that this man had nearly beat him senseless on the previous night. "So I was wondering if we could work on that sloppy punch of mine," Irowyn began.

[Daniel Connor]

Daniel entered the pub, a little later than he had expected. His bond mate, Sylkra, had wanted to spend more time together, since he had been out a lot lately, and how could he refuse her? The door opened on well oiled hinges, making only a slight creek. He quickly spotted Irowyn and walked over to his table, nodding to the bartender, they wouldn’t cause trouble today. “Good to see you again,” Irowyn said, lifting his mug in greeting. “So I was wondering if we could work on that sloppy punch of mine,” he began. Daniel let out a chuckle, “If that be the case, we have work to do yet!” he laughed for a few moments more then said in a more serious tone, “Okay, first off, strength does not have much to do with an effective punch. Form is everything. Sure, if you hit the person, it is better to strike hard, but if that strike is in the wrong place, or is not correctly made, then it can lead to injury on your own end. Watch me, and then do as I did.” He balled his hand into a loose fist, and brought his elbow to rest at his side, forearm and hand parallel to the ground, forearm facing up. He explained that this was the starting position for a good punch, having him mimic Daniel. He then showed him what the punch would look like striking at a person’s chest. His arm extended at the elbow as his shoulder brought his arm up, twisting his fist so the fist was the right way around now. He then quickly brought it forward, striking the imaginary enemy in the upper rib cage. He then did that movement again, Irowyn watching attentively, then had his student do it. Daniel then walked him outside, taking their beers, and had him do the punches over and over, right and left hand. Sometimes striking at the chest, sometimes at the head, neck, kidneys or groin. Irowyn’s knuckles bled as he struck the leather coated post that they had started using as a practice dummy when Daniel was satisfied with his technique. The continued this for many hours, until Irowyn as tired of punching, and Daniel was tired of teaching. So, he said with vigor, “Enough! Let us have no more of this! We need food and drink if we are to not die of exhaustion! Come, let us go into the bar and get a fine meal to sate our hunger. You have done a good job learning to punch! Ha! Much better than you were the other night,” he finished with a smile, remembering that it had only been a short time since he had beaning the living daylights out of him. The walked back into the pub, sweet beeding their brows, muscles sore from all of the use. The did not say a word as the devoured their food, shoveling in plate after plate of the bar’s nightly special, downing mug after mug of beer. Daniel finally sat back in his chair, sighing contentedly.

OOCI estimate that we will have a nice chunk of our money gone after this thread, all gone on bar food! Your next post doesn’t have to be this long, this was a story telling one.

[Irowyn]

Irowyn studied Daniel's form and movements. He was able to mimic them but struggle to really understand them. Only after a few hours of being shown various techniques did Irowyn start to understand the underlying concepts of throwing a solid punch.

Not helping Irowyn's concentration was the anticipation of the sharp bite that he felt every time his knuckles smeared blood on the leather. The memory of pain slowed his punches. It took all of his concentration to hit the target as powerfully and as smoothly as he could manage.

Although inherently not as dangerous as he was used to, this was certainly one of the harder things that Irowyn had ever had to attempt. He just wasn't equipped for this skill set. He was finding himself in a strange new territory.

He had wrestled tigers before. He had cliff dove and survived falls from high out of temples. He'd withstood the blistering heat of Eyktol and braved the punishing chill of the Avanthal tundra but this was new all new. "Shyke, I don't know how Rolf did this stuff," Irowyn mused, reminding himself of a more nostalgic, happier time. In this way he simultaneously motivated himself and cheered himself into a second wind.

Through the sweat and the breathlessness, Irowyn persevered, pushing his mind to the limits so that he might actually learn something from this physically taxing experience.

Finally, hours into the session, Irowyn felt something different. One of these punches felt different than all those that had come before it. He was starting to understand this. A few punches later, he understood why it was different, how it was different. He began to understand the difference between a solid, painful punch and a flimsy, laughable punch. He still wasn't sure how Daniel had managed to pummel him so hard on the night before, but his punch was far more formidable now than it was a night ago.

"Thank you,"[/color] Irowyn panted, now slumped into a booth in the bar. "I know, now, what I'm doing when I go to throw a punch but more importantly, you've given me the boost I need to keep traveling. Tomorrow, I think that I will leave Syrilas. I have been preparing for travel to Nyka, I just couldn't find the will to actually leave this city and go anywhere. Thank you for knocking me off my arse and back into focus.

After properly bidding his instructor farewell, he walked out of the bar, a little more upright, now, than when he had entered.

[Emblem]

Congratulations! You Get Glorious Experience! Irowyn Skill Points Earned Unarmed Combat 3 XP Philosophy 1 XP Drinking 1 XP Lore Earned The Receiving End of Blows A Random Strike Drowning Sorrows in Alcohol Numbing Emotional Pain with Physical Pain Daniel Connor, the Brawler Proper Brawling Form Forming a Good Punch Other Shenanigans: Just make sure to adjust your ledger to account for the spending mentioned in the thread. Daniel Skill Points Earned Unarmed Combat 3 XP Teaching 3 XP Flux 2 XP Philosophy 1 XP Lore Earned A Random Strike Numbing Emotional Pain with Physical Pain Irowyn, the Sorrowful Teaching Those Who Don't fight Other Shenanigans: Also make sure to adjust ledger Comments : Well that escalated quickly . It was certainly an interesting way to meet each other, so good work there. But be sure to make sure you are both on the same page, as you were both walking the streets after being kicked out, but then immediately back in the bar again. Also, Daniel, be sure to not control your fellow RPers too much either. Let them respond, and don't assume something happened. The flux attack for example. Other then that, good work! PM me with questions or concerns!