[Tall Johnny] Fist To Fist [Aliara]

[Logan Storm]

23th of Spring, 515 AV

Sometimes sandbags weren't enough to hit. Yes, they had raw mass and no physical pain. They flew back upon impact and told just how hard someone hit and how tight their form needed to be to hit harder. Sandbags were not humans, so one could go all out on them and not feel the stress of hurting it too bad. However, there was one thing about a sandbag that made it not enough. And that was the fact that the sandbag couldn't fight back.

It could not dodge and show Logan how slow he was, it could not block and show Logan which spot was a weakness and which was a strong defense, and it could not attack and show Logan how weak he was. The bag couldn't do a simple task, survive, and this was not enough for Logan. He could hit a bag all day but gain nothing but strength. He wanted more, he wanted to know what it felt like to be alive and fight to stay alive. And that was something a bag could never give.

Logan allowed the bag to rest where it was by using his body as a stopping post. The giant black bag that hung from the ceiling stayed motionless for Logan. He stepped back to get a good look at it, measuring its size and height. Like an ordinary bag, it was bulky, darkly colored, and beaten until tiny craters formed into it. It was a sturdy sandbag, that's for sure. It was a surprise for Logan, considering how almost everything in Sunberth seemed old and worn out. Logan appreciated that Tall Johnny allowed its fighters to train with efficient tools and not ones that would break easily.

Logan took a small rest from his extensive training to look around the room. There was not many people in the building. Some were gambling at the gambling center, but not many were interested in the fighting scene at this moment.

He stared at the cage which was empty. There were others moving around it, but none got closer to it to step inside. Logan's eyes moved to the fighters around him that where spending their time training. He thought about asking some of them to spar, at least use that cage for its worth, but, like everything he tends to do, he decided against it. None of the fighters looked interesting, and all they would give him was a reason to angrily beat them down.

He sighed and looked back towards the bag. The subtle wind made it rock back and forward. Logan stood back and took in a deep breath. He could feel the cool wind from outside, the burning heat from the lanterns near him, and the refreshing sweat that rolled off his bare naked chest. Logan flexed his muscles and breathed in a deeper breath. In a smooth motion, Logan jumped his body into the air. He did a spin, then kicked the bag with all the might he could muster.

The bag swung back and nearly touched the ceiling. When Logan landed, he could see the bag returning to him. He had only ticks until it would crash into him and send him on his back. He quickly stepped to the side and experienced a sudden flash of relief as the bag passed him.

It sent a large gush of wind his way. The wind was powerful and made him step away just to not experience it anymore. The bag continued to swing and Logan allowed it. He didn't want to get in the way of the bag while it had strong momentum. If he did, it would spell trouble for his body. When it started to slow down, Logan placed his body in front of it. The bag lightly hit his body then stopped. Logan wrapped his arms around it to make sure he once again had control over the large object. And while he did so, he laughed.

[Aliara Cantrell]

It loomed in the centre of the room, like a monster that no one acknowledged was there. The fighting rink was empty but Aliara couldn’t draw her eyes away. She had started training only a few days earlier, she would be expected to fight in the next round and she didn’t feel remotely ready. Aliara still ached from her injuries from training forget a real fight. She was informed that she could practise here all she wanted as long as she fought. That was what brought her here, running a hand through here hair Aliara considered what she would have to improve on the one thing that came to mind was her attacks but punching a bag isn’t what teaches you how to gauge someone’s skills and weaknesses.

Braiding her hair in a tight plait Aliara watched as the gamblers wasted away at the tables, they seemed only shells that tall Johnny siphoned money from, no actually thought that wasn’t including the cards or dice in front of them. Aliara frowned, how people could get this bad was shocking, they didn’t even seem like people anymore. Would they go out into the Common Castle to get a jar of fruits or an item of clothing. This was the underground of Sunberth and now she was apart of it.

Rolling the braid until it was a bun Aliara shifted her gaze to the training bags, there was a man there. She had looked just as the bag went flying with a simple kick. Aliara blinked, that was what she wanted to do, watching carefully she attempted to take note of how he stood, feet were at least shoulder width apart but that was all she could pick up on. Aliara didn’t know how that helped her; to her knowledge she already did that. Taking a few steps forward Aliara attempted to get a better view, maybe if she was closer she would see more.

Step by step Aliara crept closer to the man, the shorter the distance was between them the more Aliara could see his features. Her reminded her of a balloon, which only made her frown more, he had black hair. Finally she was close enough to watch his form more closely, she could even see his muscles tensing.

“S’cuse me? Sorry to interrupt.”

[Logan Storm]

Logan still didn't feel satisfied. The bag just wasn't doing it, or maybe it was himself? What Logan was looking for was a challenge, but he wouldn't find it by fighting the bag the way he fought another person for so long. Logan began to recall his fathers teachings, the various fighting styles his father had taught him in hopes that he would create his own unique style one day.

There was the art of the eight limbs, where his knees and elbows were also made into a weapon, Logan enjoyed that one; there was the drunken fist, his fathers greatest art when drunk, Logan didn't enjoy that one because his father enjoyed it too much; and then there was the Disarmament fist which focused on disarming his enemies, the pressure point fist which focused on weakening his opponents with carefully calculated strikes, and the dance step, which focused on dancing while fighting.

The monks of Nyka were experts at combat, and of course he would be taught many styles since his dad was once a monks. Out of all the styles though, Logan really hated the dance step. It demanded too much acrobatic and endurance skills, and called forth all his muscles to use. Logan wasn't particularly the acrobatic type, but his father stressed how important it was to be. Now that he was older, and so use to fighting a variety of people, maybe it wouldn't hurt for Logan to practice the dance step. It certainly would make this bag more challenging.

Logan spread his legs wide apart, his knees bent only a little. He pictured a giant black ball floating next to his bare chest. It was close to the shape of his head. His fingers moved to this imaginary ball and he began to guide it from left to right with his palms. With the imaginary object, Logan began to slowly create a rhythm. As he felt for the rhythm, Logan swayed.

And then, he hopped to his right. His left leg moved to his back while he bent his right leg at his front. His left hand bent to the front of his face, and his right made a 90 degree angle next to his side. It was a quick fluent motion that surprised Logan because he wasn't always so swift.

He immediately shifted to the left. Now his right leg was behind him and his left was in front. His right arm was in the front while the left was now to the side. Once again, another swift motion. As he got use to his new fighting stance, Logan's body formed into perfect positions. It wouldn't take a smart person to know that Logan was now dancing.

When he was ready, he struck the bag with his foot. He did this by shifting to the right, then moving his left foot to the front and smoothly turning with the left's tiptoes. When he turned fully around, Logan bent his upper body to the ground and planted one of his hands firmly on the dirty floor. Logan's right leg moved into the air and touched the bag.

Well, touching the bag was putting it lightly. It was more like his right heel banged against the bag and made it fly once again, this time just as much as the last time he kicked it.

He moved back into his original stance, which was flowing from left to right, then Logan leaned forward and once again planted his right hand to the ground. However, instead of doing a turn kick, Logan held his body in the air with that one hand. His left foot impressively moved to the sand dummy, and it flew back once again, creating a large boom sound as boot to leather connected. For a moment he held the one handstand, his left leg stretched past his head, but then he lost balance and tumbled to the ground.

Logan cursed to himself silently as he fell, getting a good bruise on his left side. This was why he didn't like the dance step. He needed to be flawless, fast, and understanding of his bodies potential. In a sense, he needed to become a dancer.

Logan was prepared to lay on the ground forever, but suddenly hopped to his feet as a female voice called to him. “S’cuse me? Sorry to interrupt,” she said. In one moment he was on the ground, in the next tick he was jumping on his toes and smiling at the woman.

He caught a good glance at her as he quickly recovered. She had deep blue eyes and blond hair that twisted into a bun. She stood taller than him by only a little, and her body fell into curves that made Logan take a second glimpse, just because they were so wonderful. In the end, his eyes rested with hers while he spoke to her.

"You're not interrupting much," he said while rubbing his left arm, the body part that took most of the damage from the fall. "Is there something I could do to yo- for you!?" He shook his head in embarrassment, dispelling his previous thoughts.

OOC:To provide a better visual of what Logan did, I have videos! Take a look! (The move he did in this video was the Au Ponteira).