Sweat by the Sword [Training]

[Lu Gavima]

Season of Winter, Day 16, AV 511

Lu's eyes opened after a fitful meditation. He looked up at the wooden ceiling of the Pavilion, his senses tuning into others training around him. Lying down was the only posture that worked for meditation, as his unwieldy arm banged on knees and snapped him straight out of it. Rising from the floor, his head was a little swimmy with the sudden motion, a fellow Acolyte stepping to Lu's side and bracing his good shoulder. "Be careful, Brother. You should be resting with that injury." The young boy merely nodded and smiled, centering himself with breathing until he felt grounded enough to approach the weapon rack. Doing so, he pulled a short sword free, the weapon he had chosen to replace his staff practice while he only had one arm.

It felt unwieldy and heavy in his wrist, his palm sweating on the hilt. The sounds, motion and temperature of the training room were too much for his overloaded senses, so he walked downstairs and stepped out into the grounds surrounding the Pavilion instead. The cool air awakened him further, drying his sweaty palm and giving him a second wind. He recalled the basic moves his father had shown him when he chose the weapon instead of the staff. His posture straightened and his form hardened, the weapon becoming more solid in a firm grasp.

First a straight thrust, his breath exhaling with the push and motion of the weapon, then returning to the beginning form. Next followed an upper thrust and a lower thrust, each as strong as the first, each returning to the center. After three repetitions of each, a butterfly like motion consisting of a downward cross slash from right to left and then one of left to right, each one also repeating in threes. There was no 'goal', of course. All Shinya training was meant to be done simply until the motions and actions became as natural as breathing. Currently, the sweat was beading on the young monk's forehead and his breathing was becoming more rapid as his heart raced along with his muscles.

[Lu Gavima]

In a matter of moments, their lengths lost in the exertion of Lu's good arm, he noticed that he was gathering a crowd of sorts. The younger Virayas were filing in and seated in a semi circle around him as he trained. It was a customary sight to have the newly initiated watch their older brothers practice and train. It was Lu's pleasure to see new faces, especially ones set with determination to learn. It wouldn't hurt to have a partner as well. Sweat streaming freely over his face, stinging his eyes, he turned and bowed deeply to the young students.

Perhaps eight of them, the group quickly stood and practiced the formal bow of the Shinya, their fresh eyes meeting his burning ones. Right away, one of them asked about his injury. "We heard you fought some bandits and they broke your arm. Is it true, Brother?" Nodding solemnly, he wiped the sweat from his face, kneeling before the now seated group of children. "It is true. One swing from a club did this. it is important to understand your limitations, Virayas. We learn more each day, but never allow yourselves to believe you have learned it all. There is always someone better and willing to prove you wrong." He stood and brandished the short sword.

His arm was throbbing slightly in time with his heightened heartbeat. Closing his eyes, Lu inhaled sharply through his nose, exhaling slowly through his mouth and opening his eyes. His focus remained on the now worried Virayas before him. "That being said, your time here will prepare you for all that Life can throw at you, provided you are prepared to listen and learn. Adaptation is something you must always be willing to do. I could have surrendered to bed rest, but I have many skills that need honing instead." Pointing the sword toward the younger boys, he nodded.

"Anyone who would like to come up and practice?"

[Lu Gavima]

There was a moment of hesitation amongst the Virayas, but as soon as one of them stood, they all stood. Most of them had met Shoji, and while the boy was friendly and of eternal service to the Monastery, he was a living example of what failure meant once the Awakening took hold. Or in Shoji's case, did not take hold. He nodded, overlooking the hesitation with a warm smile. His eyes turned to a pile of bamboo, stacked against a wall in the courtyard. The Virayas scrambled over, picking shafts of the hardy material up and returning to him.

Sliding the sword into his sash on his hip, Lu performed a bow to the young trainees, who all returned the bow. "Now, I want you to hold those shoots as if you were setting a charge." A few of the boys scratched their heads, but once one had done it, they all had. "Surround me." He stepped away from the dummy until he was inside the circle, the Virayas holding looks that ranged from anticipation to exhilaration to apprehension. Lu nodded at the group, smiling. Now he could train with the sword and hopefully help these burgeoning Shinya. The sword gripped and sliding free, one of the boys jumped the gun, pushing forward with the bamboo toward his weapon.

If he were two armed, he could have easily blocked the lunge. The splinted, immobilized arm surely had its drawbacks. Instead, Lu let the sword slide free of his grip, its clang drawing the eyes of the young ones. He extended his left leg over and around the pole, gripping it with his knee and kneeling, the wind from subsequent attackers' poles whizzing over his head. He reached for the sword, gripping it and rising from his kneeling position, pushing the original boy backward and on his rear.

As skilled or fast as he may have been, he had to remember that these Viraya needed to be trained properly, but he could not cause them serious harm, harm that would impede their training. They had little to lose, flurries of stinging blows catching him in the back, the neck, sides and legs. They hesitated to hit his injured arm, however. To aid himself in these maneuvers, Lu began to separate his astral arm from his injured arm, the practiced movements allowing for a slightly quicker pace, while remaining unnoticed by the Viraya. Until it could be released fully, he focused on parries, both edged and flat bladed.

[Lu Gavima]

Syna's smile radiated along Lu's back now, her winks catching the sword's blade as it whirled and stopped, blocking and attacking. The Virayas were also sweating now, which was good. His arm had freed itself to the shoulder joint and the young Acolyte now had a new lesson to learn. His focus had to be split between the mundane fight and the attention he was giving to his astral arm. Give too much to the arm and it would be more blows from his pupils. Give too much to the sword and his Projected arm would be in its state for no reason. give too much to the fight and he could forget himself, lost in the urge to push his Projection.

Fortunately, the Virayas lacked the skill and endurance to push him too hard. Nevertheless, the memory of his arm being broken kept his mind sharp, knowing that no opponent could be given quarter once they had moved against him. Not until they acquiesced to defeat. A swift strike to his ribs with a pole brought him back to the present and the training before him, however. Watching his astral arm naturally move to block, he noticed that he had not strengthened it to the point of doing so. the poles moved through it, which was disorienting, to say the least. His sword arm worked wood against its steel, splintering a pole and removing a combatant as his focus tried to remain balanced between an arm of flesh and an arm of spirit.

While the poles were too heavy, sashes were another matter. His feet moved in cross steps, forcing the opponents to move with their weapons, which easily halved their skill and force. Lu took the opportunity to push his astral arm to one of the more determined younger fighters, the fingers loosening the sash enough to cause his robe to open slightly and his pants to slip a bit. His sudden surprise and embarrassment made him nearly drop the pole, which Lu relieved him of with a stronger push of the swordarm. Two boys were left, but the afternoon rest period bell chimed. Sliding back out of reach, he slid the sword into his own sash and bowed, the youth doing the same. He left the mystery of the boys moving clothes for them to discuss among themselves. Meditation times were tantamount. " I thank all of you for your participation. Go to the Monastery and meditate on what you have learned today." He bowed to them once more and returned to the Pavilion, marveling over his slightly hazy astral arm.

[Legion]

Thread Award Lu Gavima: Skills: Projection +3, Short Sword +3, Unarmed Combat +1, Teaching +2 Lore: Martial Adaption Consequence & Commentary: Enjoyable training thread. Well done! Please feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns.