Solo [Antinous Training Grounds] All By My Lonesome

[Asen]

14th of Summer
515 AV

It was Asen's birthday.

Oddly enough, she wasn't found at The Rearing Stallion nor at The Herald's Arms. She wasn't found in the squire dorms, and she wasn't found at The Bean or even at The Inked Pen. She didn't have any alcohol to celebrate with; she'd been avoiding such substances for a while. So where was she?

She was at the Training Grounds. A strange place to celebrate one's birthday, but she'd elected to spend it by herself. Who was she going to throw a party with, anyways? Aren and Sayana had each other, and Akalaks in general weren't her most favorite race after an encounter with one at the Hotsprings that ended badly. The others she knew had either gone off on a boat to some faraway place or were clay folk, ones she'd rather avoid. Garland wasn't very high on her list after the Labyrinth. Brushes with death didn't do much to strengthen their friendship.

Of course, fifty-seven years of birthdays also kind of lessened the appeal. The half-Dhani didn't want to buy anything, she had no material wants. She didn't long for companionship. She wanted to spend her birthday by herself, training. Nothing else struck her fancy.

She took her time walking into the Training Grounds, hands in her pockets and her tattoo on display for all to see. Rhov could've celebrated with her, though she wasn't sure he was allowed in the Training Grounds and she didn't want to get him in trouble.

What would she practice with today? A halfspear seemed ideal. Her right hand emerged from her pocket and hefted the weapon, a pleased look on her face. It fit her grip perfectly, well-suited to her tastes. Something she could just ram into someone's ribs and savor their cries as they writhed on the end like a worm stuck on a fishing hook.

The spearhead was long and thin, the metal glinting dangerously at first glance. Upon close inspection, however, one would notice that the edges and point had been dulled for safety. It almost made the squire even more sad than she already was; she wanted the satisfaction of driving the tip into what she wanted to imagine was flesh.

The weapon looked one-handed, to be used alongside a shield. A tower shield was far too large and unwieldy for such a thing, though a buckler appeared to be the right size. She didn't feel like strapping a hunk of wood to her arm today, so she opted out of it. She didn't plan on sparring with anyone.

[Asen]

Asen could appreciate the killing potential of a halfspear. She could learn to utilize such potential, though she would have to learn how to hold the thing first. One hand? Two hands? One hands, again, was the most likely, but there were some weapons of the same length that were two-handed.

Nevertheless, it was light enough and short enough to be used with one hand. She peered along the haft, examining it for any major flaws. The wood looked to be in good shape, not rotting or weak at any points. The spearhead wasn't dented too badly (there were one or two tiny dips in the metal from it being used so much) and was free of rust.

The blonde stepped away from the weapons rack and strode over to a dummy, twirling the halfspear like a baton all the while. She dropped it once or twice, but aside from that it was alright. After a few rotations she found the best place to hold the halfspear, the place where it was balanced.

She experimented with her grip even then, testing how her hand position would affect the equilibrium of the halfspear. It wasn't a slashing weapon, that was obvious. She wasn't supposed to hold it at the end of the shaft. Holding it too close to the spearhead put her too close to her opponent, further placing her in harm's way. That simply wouldn't do.

The half-Dhani let her fingers slide back to the middle and curl around the wood before she turned her gaze upon the dummy. Why were the targets always painted in the center of the torso? That wasn't where the heart was. Maybe it was because it was a larger surface area, and therefore a bigger target.

As she stared at the sack-and-straw creation, she wondered how she was going to do this. It couldn't be that hard, right? The weak points were the same as they were in unarmed combat: Throat, stomach, groin. Cheap shots, but they worked. Of course, when she was fighting with her fists her enemy didn't wear armor. Where were the weak points in the armor?

The joints, obviously. The parts where the armor couldn't bend because it was metal, so they had to be made in separate pieces to aid mobility. So that would mean the backs of the knees, the elbows, the underarms and the neck. Going for the last one and the eyes was a risky move, but then again all joints were. Did she have the power to punch through metal, even with a jabbing weapon?

She gave a quick stab at the dummy, dismayed by the fact that the haft of the spear knocked against her elbow and the side of her ribs when she did so. Her frown was followed by a far slower repeat of her motion, aware of her movements and the weapon's. Speed wasn't necessary in this situation; she wasn't learning like her life depended on it, she could take her time.

After several repetitions she found that it was her wrist position that was the problem. She way she thrust her arm forward caused her wrist to bend a certain way, which in turn tilted the halfspear just enough to hit her elbow and ribs. It was frustrating, but fixable.

Fighting without weapons never made her think of such things, she just had to know how to hit and where. Spears... Spears were harder than she'd thought, but just like fistfighting it involved muscle memory. Surely she could train her body to remember spear techniques.

[Asen]

Okay, so she had the wrist position down well enough so that the haft wouldn't knock against her body. Sort of. About half of the spear thrusts did, but she could ignore them. What was important was her aim. Spearplay was a much more precise skill than unarmed combat. To Asen, it was almost an art.

Then again, anything could be an art when practiced enough. Spearplay, unarmed combat, brawling, even torture and killing. There were ritual sacrifices, were there not? When she had asked her father about Siku he'd mentioned them, though when she inquired further he refused to speak on the subject again. Apparently it wasn't something a child should've known about, Dhani heritage or not.

The squire looked at the halfspear for a moment, noting how it was held so her stabs were underhanded, designed to slip under the armor and through the ribs of the opponent. There was plenty of power there, yes, but what if it was an overhead strike? Those were harder to block, right? It had the added disadvantage of leaving your midriff open and vulnerable to counterattack, but it would come down like a hammer blow.

It was also a more viable throwing position, so you could draw your arm back and send the halfspear sailing through the air. Judging by its shorter haft, however, the halfspear was not suited for throwing. It was made for close combat. She switched her handhold so it rested in her palm and feigned a stab at the dummy. At her height she would use that for head and shoulder attacks, not midriff ones.

The half-Dhani decided that she didn't really like that sort of attack, going back to the previous handhold, the one that was better for when the opponent was shorter than her and when the torso was the target. How she would enjoy sinking the spearhead into Avanze's blue flesh and watch the blood spray from his wound. Perhaps she'd get her chance one day; she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Akalak since their encounter at the hotsprings.

[Asen]

Avanze. Oh, how she hated that name. Anger welled up in her throat and burned there, hot and bright. Asen's grip on the haft of the spear tightened and she focused on the dummy in front of her. She could pretend that it was the Akalak, despite the obvious height difference.

Now if she were facing an Akalak, what would be the best place to attack? They were proud of their physical prowess, clearly, but they also valued their ability to sire sons. If she wanted to cause as much damage as possible to Avanze, her target was simple: She'd aim for the groin. Then he would be useless to his race.

The half-Dhani thrust her arm forward, her gaze fixed on her intended target. The point sank into the sack cloth, but it was above where she wanted. She hit where a human's sternum would be and frowned, stepping away from the dummy. Was her aim really that bad? It couldn't be. It was just the added weight of a weapon in her hand.

A few more stabbing attempts proved that it wasn't just the added weight of a weapon. Her aim really was that bad. She sighed and stuck the halfspear into the ground point-first and leaned on it. Gods, was she just an awful fighter? Was it the heaviness that hung in her chest and made every movement feel like she was being dragged down by lead weights?

The squire shook her head as if to scatter the troubling thoughts. With a sharp jerk she lifted the spear and turned the heaviness into an anger that she breathed out through her nose and that burned in her chest. She went at the dummy again with renewed vigor and while most of her attacks were fairly coordinated, the rest were frenzied stabs.

This carried on for chimes, lunging and recoiling and occasionally hitting her mark. Asen had fallen into a haze, her eyes glazed over and her face void of emotion. Her trancelike state was interrupted by a concerned knight.

"Hey, kid? You alri- Woah!"

The half-Dhani had whirled about and the halfspear in her hand was utilized as if it were a sword, slashing viciously at the knight. Her weapon was knocked from her grip by the knight's, who (thankfully) had faster reflexes than she.

"Calm down, kid. Take it slower, you don't need to be so... frantic," the knight told her, handing her the fallen halfspear. Asen took it and muttered a thanks.

She'd almost hurt one of her superiors. She needed to take a break. The squire huffed and put the halfspear back where she'd gotten it from, then turned and began making her way back to the dorms.

[Dravite]

Asen

Shield Points Awarded: 2

XP Award:

• Weapon, Halfspear: 2
• Logic: 2
• Observation: 3
• Intelligence: 1
• Planning: 1
• Bodybuilding: 1
• Philosophy: 1

Lore:

• Akalaks: A race best avoided
• Halfspear: Basic grips
• Halfspear: A lightweight weapon
• Halfspear: Best paired with a buckler
• Unarmed Combat: Cheap shots; throat, stomach, and groin
• Joints are the best weak spots in armour
• Halfspear: A jabbing weapon
• Halfspear: For close range combat
• Halfspear: No good for throwing
• Avanze: A name you despise
• Halfspear: Basic thrust

Notes: Great little training thread. Unfortunately I can't award you points when you aren't physically swinging the weapon around at something, but managed to get two in there. Let me know if you think I have missed anything here and be sure to edit your grading request!

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