(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

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Home of the Konti people, this ivory city is built of native konti stone half in and half out of the sea. Its borders touch the Silverwood, and stretch upwards towards Silver Lake, home of the infamous konti vision water. [Lore]

(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Blythe on March 21st, 2011, 4:00 am

59 Summer, 507 AV

Blythe was standing barefoot on the beach. She had kicked her gladiator sandals off earlier in the day, having decided that they were simply getting in her way. They rested by the side of her bag, only a few feet away from where she now stood, practicing martial arts in the hope of one day becoming slightly more capable of protecting herself. Not that there was any rush of course, nothing truly bad ever seemed to happen on the Island. But Rose had always warned the girls about the importance of being prepared, and that is what Blythe always intended on being: prepared for anything and everything. Thus, she stood on the beach, the bright yellow sun hovering high in the sky over her head. Casting its warm yellow glow over everything it touched. Kissing Blythe's skin, and causing several salty beads of sweat to appear on her brow, mixing with the scales that lined her forehead. They were shimmering a pale purple color that matched her eyes in the sunlight.

From where she stood, Blythe could just make out the shoreline. From time to time, she could just make out the sound of a rather large wave crashing into the shore. Blythe found it relaxing her; each time the sound washed over her body.

Blythe's feet were firmly planted in the sand. Her right foot rested a few inches in front of the left. It was pointed outwards, and ahead of her. The left remained behind, and was turned upward, away from the water. It made a ninety degree angle with Blythe's right foot. Her hands were balled into fists, and each of her arms was held out before her. Each of them was bent at the elbow. This was her fighting stance. "Perhaps I should practice my kicks," Blythe thought. She lifted her left leg off the ground, and towards her chest. Her leg was bent at the knee, and her toes were pointed towards the ground. She then extended her leg, and kicked straight out at her imaginary opponent. Blythe imagined that if someone had been standing there, she would have struck them in the stomach. "Now to bring the leg back and do it all over again," Blythe whispered as she quickly pulled her knee back to her chest. Perhaps the move was too forceful, or Blythe's balance was simply too poor, because the Konti soon found herself falling through the air.

There was a muffled thud as Blythe hit the ground, and the beige sand she landed in seemed to mold to the shape of her body. Blythe sighed, "that always seems to happen," she muttered as she slowly got to her feet. The only problem was, she had no idea what she was doing wrong, and what she should do to correct it. Perhaps she should simply give up, she had been practicing for a while now, and didn't seem to be making much improvement, if any at all.
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(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Azeran on March 21st, 2011, 3:02 pm

A methodical rhythmic clapping was heard as Blythe was pulling herself off the sandy floor. Azeran had been visiting his family, his Konti sisters on the Isle, for several days now. It was always important for his family to share both the Konti and Riverfall ways of life, and Azeran respected that enough to visit every few years. He had been walking the beach today, his large blue feet bare as they sunk into the grains of the beach with each step. Azeran was inches over seven feet in height, and his body matched such a reach proportionally. His hands, large, were clapping for the Konti woman kicking and nobody, and then being taken down in the same sense. He chuckled softly as he approached at a leisurely pace, which was still fairly swift with those enormous strides. Azeran spoke, not not in perfect Kontinese, and was even able to communicate. "A nice job. Why did you fall?"

Azeran walked a semi-circle around Blythe, placing himself in the exact location where Blythe struck out at her invisible opponent. He lifted his hand, open palm, a target to strike out at, and to make sure it was the appropriate height, he dropped to one knee. "Focus on the base support, the leg you stand on. When attacking an opponent, none of the body can be neglected. Try again, kick my hand." Azeran found it easier to not worry about Koarhal when in Mura. Something about the place seemed to calm the darker brother, making him pacifistic almost. There was few people that could do that, few Akalak, and most Konti.

As Azeran sat there, he waited for the kick, should it be a slow one, he would demonstrate the problem with such a dangerous attack. He would catch her foot, of course if she didn't pull it back immediately after kicking forward. Azeran did this very same tactic when he used to train his son, Adrin. If the boy failed to withdraw his fist after a strike, Azeran would take hold of it and throw him to the ground. At least with the Konti he would be gentle, not throw her or strike her for a lousy guard, only a demonstration that would probably make her tumble into the sand again. Trial and error, one of the best methods of teaching anything was to learn every way to do it wrong.
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(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Blythe on March 21st, 2011, 6:51 pm

"Thank you," Blythe said as she turned to see who had been clapping for her. It was an Akalak, far taller than she- perhaps seven feet to her five plus some. He, like all of his race, had dark blue skin, and sharply defined muscles. Blue eyes. Of course the Akalak had to come just as you were practicing, and generally making a fool of yourself. The edges of Blythe's cheeks turned a bright pink shade as she followed the man's steps through the sand. "And poor balance, I suppose," Blythe replied as he took up a position across from her. Hand raised. It looks like he is trying to coach you Blythe, which is a good thing, considering how much you could use it.

Hesitatingly, Blythe got to her feet. It felt strange to her that someone should offer their help. Especially an unfamiliar Akalak who seemed both more experienced, and far older than she. But she refused to let herself question his kindness. Within seconds, she had once again, assumed the initial fighting stance. This time, her left foot was placed before the right, which meant that it was the leg she lifted off the ground, and towards her chest. Blythe's toes were pointed outwards and towards Azeran. She then extended her leg, and kicked straight out at him. As she did so, Blythe twisted her pivot foot to the outside, away from her body, and then leaned back slightly. Her leg slowly extended towards Azeran, and struck the bottom of his hand. Within seconds, she was pulling her leg back towards her body, and had once again, assumed the fighting stance. She gave herself a minute before trying again, and this time, her eyes grew wide when his hands seemed to clench. The veins in his large blue hand popping. Was he trying to grab Blythe's foot?
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(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Azeran on March 22nd, 2011, 1:38 am

Azeran grinned for a moment, she had actually caught onto what he was going to do. It was rare someone so experienced would pick up on that. Not only that, but she seemed to take his words to heart. Her stance looked some better, she stayed on her feet, or foot, this time, and despite the kick being a little low and soft, it was fairly accurate. It didn't exactly flow like a natural fighter just yet, but Azeran would be pleased to make that change. Azeran pulled himself up from his kneeling position, moving by Blythe's side. He was going to demonstrate. "Who do you fight? Are you attacking, or being attacked? Would you allow this person to flee, or are they condemned for being your enemy?" Azeran asked questions that, in a way, sounded absurd because Blythe was, obviously, fighting nothing more than an image in her head (if that). Having a target was always important. Knowing how to kick wouldn't do any good if you didn't learn how or where to put it. There were steps to take, such as learning correct form, then solid motion from start to finish, there was the crucial targeting, precision, and execution. Next was the learning to move around and deliver the strike with skill. Afterwards was learning to strike at a conscious, mobile, and aggressive enemy. The final step in learning was, of course, the putting together of everything learned into combat against another of equal or greater skill.

"Reach is very important." Azeran continued to speak in his Kontinese, not risking or attempting anything difficult to say or questionable. Easy words, all he ever used. "If you are attacking, support your weight on your front leg, kick through the target, and step forward with your kick." Azeran proceeded to demonstrate. He left leg stepped forward as his right leg lifted out of the sand and thrust forward, throwing back the imagined shadow of a man as he kicked him in the chest, then he used that forward momentum to plant his right leg, making it the current leading foot. He turned to look at Blythe, smirking faintly. "If you do this, you move forward, always approaching the enemy. Know where you strike. If you kick to the head, your target is small but your damage will be much. A kick to the chest-" Azeran lightly tapped his chest through the loose white cotton shirt he wore. "will do less damage, but they will be pushed back. A kick to a leg can, with enough force and accuracy, cause a break, a crack, a fracture. It will stop their forward motion, cause them to stumble. The higher the kick, the more difficult it is to do."

Azeran moved around so that he was standing in front of Blythe again, he lowered onto one knee once more and lifted his hand at the level of his upper chest, he wanted to see if she did better, stepped forward, kept her balance.
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(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Blythe on March 22nd, 2011, 2:53 am

Perhaps she had been wrong in her assumption, and simply imagined it. Or it could have been the slight rippling effect her attacks had on his blue skin that made it seem as though his hand had moved. Perhaps the fingers naturally clench, and turn into the palm when they are attacked. "No one, and being attacked of course, who would want to go out and start a fight? Surely such a thing is foolish," Blythe replied. "No one would die, I don't think. I am no so sure I have it in me, no matter what the scenario." Perhaps the question was rhetorical, or just something to think about in the future. Perhaps such things are important in disciplines such as this. Maybe it helps define character, the kind of people who would attack, or simply fight for their lives, or for those they love.

Blythe listened to his advice, and watched his demonstration in silence. They were all good pointers, if only she could remember everything; or was a little more flexible. Perhaps if she were, this would be far easier. Soon enough, the man was back on his knee, his hand raised for Blythe to strike. Blythe gave a curt nod, and said, "understood." She assumed the fighting stance once more, and took a deep breath in through the nose, and out through her mouth. She as trying to calm her heart. Surely this wouldn't be too difficult. Blythe took one more deep breath before she raised her left leg to her chest, and then extended it towards Azeran. She could feel her weight pushing down on her right foot as her left leg inched closer and closer to the Akalak. Crack! Blythe's foot made contact with the center of his hand. Her kick had been stronger this time, but not by much. Shakily, Blythe began to pull her leg back to her side. Congratulations! You accomplished something! Now do it again and with better form. Blythe ignored her mind. It was always so critical, pushing her to do far better than she was. Of course, she wanted to improve, but sometimes, her mind seemed to demand it at too fast a rate, and she simply couldn't keep up. Over time, Blythe had learned to ignore the little voice whenever she wanted to, for the most part anyway. If she hadn't, she more than likely would stay in bed most days, trying desperately to shut it out.

Blythe's foot touched down on the hot sand again. The beige grains seeped into the spaces between her toes, tickling her. Blythe raised her left leg again, and then kicked, several grains of sand fell from between her toes as another cracking sound swept across the beach. As soon as she had made contact, Blythe pulled her leg back, a little too quickly. She was falling through the air again, and had landed on her butt within a few seconds. Sand splashed around her as a wave of bright red coloring nipped at the edges of her cheeks. Her scales were shimmering in the light, as were her lavender eyes, which seemed to smile.

Blythe pulled herself to her feet. I wonder what went wrong there. Blythe thought, as she resumed the fighting stance. Perhaps he will tell you, she thought, as she extended her leg for the third time, and she pressed the sole of her foot into Azeran's hand forcefully. There was a loud clack. It was her strongest kick yet. Proud of herself, Blythe retracted her foot and resumed the starting position. She was breathing evenly, giving herself a moment to regain her composure, and for him to comment on her progress. Assuming she had truly made any.

OOCSo Levi, I know that doing the same thing over and over can get tiring, so if you want to switch to punches, blocks, combos, or anything like that soon, feel free. Blythe needs help with them all anyway. >.<
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(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Azeran on March 24th, 2011, 3:13 am

Azeran nodded proudly even as the Konti fell to the ground. She was getting it down, despite lacking force, lethality, or killing intent. Despite what anyone said, Azeran was certain you needed to be willing to hurt someone to do it. Pain was the perfect deterrence to stop anyone trying to harm or kill you. Azeran stood up again as Blythe picked herself up and returned to her somewhat awkward stance. That would correct itself over time, continued practice would fix these things. He lifted his arms, as if ready to brawl with Blythe, which of course wasn't going to happen. That would be cruelty. "If you are attacked. What do you intend to do? To kill? To make them... not?" Azeran stumbled on his Kontinese. He was skilled in it, yet still far from perfect or a natural. "You cannot fight just to not get hurt. Your assailant will not stop until he or she wants to. If they want you dead, you must make them think they will die. If they want to hurt you, you must make them hurt worse than they want you to be hurt. Without motive, your kick is weak, useless, and only exhausts yourself. If you do not fight to win, you should run." A philosophical view of combat, probably not what Blythe expected, or wanted. Azeran, however, believed it was the basic foundation for any true fight. All the technique in the world wouldn't help you if you couldn't make yourself use them to their full extent. A kick was made to deter an opponent, to immobilize and opponent, or to harm an opponent. Without the intent to do so, it was a waste of time and energy.

Azeran threw a very slow fist towards Blythe, not even a punch, but a demonstration. "The hands are just as important as the legs in a fight. From here, at your head, they defend." Azeran lifted his hands, bringing his forearms up to act as a shield for his face while he peered between them at Blythe. "And from there, you can strike the head, the upper body, or take control of a kick, punch, or even grapple their body." Azeran motioned several slow paced punches, a jab, a punch, a close-quarters uppercut, a shot to the lower ribs (which could be devastating in an actual fight), and a cross. He then opened his hands. "Palms can also strike when you hit with the lower portion, here, by the... by this area." Azeran pointed to the lower portion of the palm, where the wrist was located. "Your reach is smaller, but a crudely thrown punch can fracture the bone easily, break a finger as well."

Azeran dropped to his knee for the third time, raising his hand up so that Blythe would have a target to strike. "Strike. I am attacking you, come to kill you. Strike my hand, see a head, his eyes glaring at you, wanting to hurt your body. Make him regret it" It was risking trying to make her upset like this. If she was both imaginative and emotional, it could do worse than help. If she was able to imagine it, and make herself desperate to actually do it right, then it could benefit. And, of course, it could be too much for the novice to work on at once. Maybe just the technique would have to do for now. Azeran was waiting to see.
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(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Blythe on March 24th, 2011, 2:09 pm

Blythe was certain that she knew what Azeran was trying to do. If he could only make her a little angrier, then perhaps her kicks would be a little more forceful. If she could imagine someone coming after her, perhaps she'd be a little more willing to fight at full force. Of course, the woman, not truly prone to violence, and more concerned about practice for exercise and self-defensive purposes, found the request discomforting. Blythe knew that should she have to fight for her life, she would give everything her all. But unless she were actually doing so, or sparring with someone who treated the fight as anything other than a spar, she wasn't likely to put her heart and soul into it. There just didn't seem a point in using up one's energy entirely when they weren't in danger. Or perhaps that was just the excuse she made up for herself when she realized the Akalak probably couldn't so much as feel more than a tap when her foot made contact with him. Perhaps another less built up opponent might, but he sure wouldn't. Or at least, so it seemed.

"If you came to kill anybody, surely they'd already be dead," Blythe chuckled as she leaned into the front of her feet, digging her toes into the warm sand. She leaned back a bit again, pulling her toes back out. It seemed like Azeran wanted her to practice her punches. She hadn't for a long time, so it was more than likely a good idea. But, that also meant she was more likely to embarrass herself when she did just about everything wrong. Blythe lowered her left shoulder, as her right hand dropped below Azeran's hands. Her arms remained close to her body. She rotated her left hip forward, and brought her left fist up. Her palm was facing her body. Blythe continued to bring the hand up until it made contact with Azeran's hand. She attempted to push his hand upwards a bit with the motion, but knew it wouldn't go all that far unless he let her move it. Should she have executed the move properly, her hand would have been brought up to her forehead before she returned to the starting position. This time, she decided to switch out her punches, and try something she was slightly more familiar with. Blythe moved her right shoulder forward, locking her left arm out. Her elbow was sticking out to the side, at an angle. It was slightly bent when she forced the palm of her hand towards the sand that surrounded her. Her attack only struck the Akalak's hand lightly. When she was done, she returned to the defensive position. It looks like her punches are just as bad as her kicks, if not worse. Lovely.

OOCI think the first one is called an upper-cut, and the second is a traditional jab. *shrugs* I took judo...
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(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Azeran on March 27th, 2011, 5:16 am

Azeran stood up, his height once again easily dominating over the young Konti before him. She was doing well, going through the motions, but she wasn't going through the correct emotions. Emotions were a problem when getting too great. One needed to understand the situation, to feel it and practice in that moment. There was a stern look on his face. It was difficult to judge a student. In the Akalak society, they would be harsh, discipline thoroughly, but they were Akalak, they were men, natural fighters. This, the beautiful Konti, were the natural lovers, the other half of the blue Giants. He had a stern, unsatisfied look on his face as his lips pressed together, creating a thin line as he stared at her, or through her. He was thinking, how to train someone that wasn't like you. You had to find the perfect balance of support and appreciation, and then a little degradation to show that they weren't there and needed to work harder. You always had to work harder. Even an expert needed to work harder to keep him or herself sharp. "Good, but you aren't violent enough." It was risky, but he was going to press the point until she accepted it, or decided she didn't want to learn from him. It was the difference between being a warrior and a potential victim.

Azeran lifted his hands, no longer open and willing to act as target practice, they were fists now. "To know how to punch or kick is not enough to survive. You must analyze the enemy, watch his hands, his feet, but always watch his eyes." Peripheral vision, Azeran wasn't certain how to say that in Kontinese, but he tried to explain it to the best of his abilities. "Block the punches, I will not hurt you. But you must know how it looks." Slowly, of course, Azeran slowly moved closer. It was probably awkward for Blythe to be watching such a large monster with the look of beating her into a bloody pulp. Heck, could she even trust him not to kill her?

Azeran threw a punch, or rather than threw it, made a slow motion of it, the perfect display of a punch, but it was so slow that a child could evade it. What was truly important was 'how' she evaded it. Did she duck the punch? Move inside of it to get close enough to strike (Azeran hoped for this), backwards out of reach for herself and Azeran, or would she block it with her own hands? There were plenty of options to go with, and from any of them Azeran could push the lesson further. Eventually, if she would allow it, he would move faster, throwing soft false punches with moderate speed, maybe sluggish or inaccurate mixed with precise and sturdy to demonstrate different skills of opponents. For now, they needed the basics of defense.
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(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Blythe on March 27th, 2011, 3:24 pm

Blythe watched as Azeran's fist moved closer and closer to her face. Well, it looks like it is time to practice our defenses. Blythe took a half step back as she raised her left palm to meet Azeran's fist. She held her palm level with his hand for a moment, before moving her hand forward, and pushing it into his fist. The touch was so light, that her hand didn't seem to flinch as it normally would- flesh rippling a little as the fingers curled into whatever object had made contact with them. As soon as the two had made contact, Blythe lifted her right hand, and pushed Azeran's arm away as forcefully as she could with her palm, which wasn't saying much. She obviously wasn't as strong as he was, and because they were only practicing, she wasn't moving too fast. It was almost instinctual: match the pace of the one you face to the best of your ability. Try not to move even slower than they, for that is sure to give them an advantage. Should you move too fast, you have the advantage, but you have to be careful when sparring, because you don't want to hurt the other person. It's only a play fight then, after all.

After Azeran's arm was out of sight, Blythe brought her arms back to her chest. She had returned to your average fighting stance, except her hands were flat, like a piece of paper; her palms pointing towards her opponent. In this case, that was Azeran. Her right foot was in front of the left, now. Perhaps he wants you to follow through with an attack. Deciding that her brain was more than likely right, she lifted her left leg off the ground, and towards her chest. Her toes wiggled a bit as the sand that had gathered there fell to the ground in a nearly silent whoosh of tan grains. Blythe ignored the sound though, as she then extended her leg, and kicked straight out at Azeran. Blythe's leg was angled high enough where she would hit him right around his belly button upon making impact.

Blythe's heart pounded as her leg inched closer and closer, her palms were sweaty. Her eyes felt heavy. A part of her wanted to hit him and show how much she had improved, and another portion was hoping she'd miss, so she could have a bit more of a challenge. When her leg was extended as far as it could go, Blythe pulled it back and returned to the starting position. "That was what you were looking for, right?" she asked.

:DThe part about making contact was left out so that you'd have the option of moving away or blocking if you wanted to. Sorry that leaves the post a little vague though. >.<
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(Flashback) Teach Me Your Ways? (Azeran)

Postby Azeran on March 28th, 2011, 2:16 am

Azeran watched as Blythe blocked the first attack, though it was with much more action than was really needed. It would have been better, easier, quicker, and able to set yourself for a convenient strike if she had weaved, ducking past the punch and threw one of her own into his chest. However, Azeran let her do what she felt good with. Still, she wasn't violent, her attacks lacked the energy of a true combatant. Azeran, rather than blocking or avoiding the slow kick of hers, stepped forward. His stomach tightened as the foot connected, but it was not fully extended because he moved closer. It was probable (judging by her tendency to fall even without a strange maneuver as this) that she would fall backwards, or at least stumble. If the kick was more forceful, it might have pushed him backwards, but he had a point to make.

"You look tired, little one. Should we continue tomorrow?" Azeran offered a hand to help up the Konti (assuming she did actually fall) and smiled. He hoped she wouldn't have hard feelings towards him, surely she could understand he was used to Akalak boys in training.

OOCSorry it's so short. :| My inspiration is terrible these past few days.
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