Completed Daggers and Drugs III

[Kelski]

Timestamp: 18th of Winter, 517 AV

Continued from: Daggers and Drugs II

Darvin continued the lesson. “Most attacks you get on the streets, Kelski, are ambushes, not duels. No one is going to fight fair and no one is going to try to avoid harming you. If you get attacked they are after a limited number of things… your coin pouch, your pussy, or your death. And if they get you, they’ll get all three.” He said crudely, reiterating his initial point. “I want to teach you to look for the attack the aggressors don’t intend to for you to see coming. A man might brush up against you and accidentally bump you in a crowd. He’s not doing it to feel that pretty ass… more than likely hes doing it to stick a dagger between your ribs or puncture your skin that has one of my brews on it so all he has to do is follow you until you go down.” He added. “Most of your attackers, if they are serious threats, won’t verbally or physically threaten you at all. They will keep their weapons concealed until they strike. Their intention is not to get what they want through intimidation or to coerce you. They want to eliminate you, Kelski.” Darvin said firmly, driving his point home by pacing back and forth in front of her.

The Kelvic took the lesson to heart. It was exactly in human society as it was in nature. Predators didn’t want prey to know they were coming and that they were hungry. They wanted their chosen victims to go down fast and easy. If the prey looked like it wasn’t going down fast and easy, the predator would move on to something that would. She said as much to Darvin. “I don’t want to look like an easy target, Darvin. How do I look like a more difficult one so these people we speak of will want to move on to something easier to hurt.” She said.

He laughed. “Ain’t going to happen, little bird. It’s the curse of your face. It’s unusual and it makes men rock hard. You stand out in a crowd and no matter how you dress or how well you train, you will always stand out and not make men stand down. That’s why I’m turning you into a weapon. Who in the Ukalaks knows… maybe you can even defend that worthless shit Jaren one of these days when hes distracted. He’s probably one of the best swordsmen in Sunberth, don’t get me wrong, but he does some stupid shit that makes him vulnerable. No one is going to expect the pretty little slave at his side to have claws.” He added.

Kelski snorted. “Talons.” And corrected him gently. He made a dismissive motion with his hands.

“Doesn’t matter. He aint giving you your wings anytime soon, little birdy. We both know you’d fly away.” He added, laughing slightly.

“Anyhow back to the lecture. The person, in almost all the cases, will keep their weapon hidden until they decide to attack, and you won’t know they are attacking because they are going to distract you immediately before they do. Distractions are simply opportunities to attack. That is true also if the person’s back is to you or your back is to the person attacking. Don’t hesitate to drive a dagger into someone’s back, Kelski. Its not cowardly to live. Just remember that.” He added, pacing again.

[Kelski]

It was good information, all of it, and the Kelvic was soaking it up. She wanted to be what Darvin had in mind. There was no reason she couldn’t be a weapon behind her face.

“Another thing they will try to do is corner you. You can do the same to your chosen targets. Distract them, Kelski, corner them, and attack them in close quarters. You want to be within arms reach of them, where you can grab them and latch on. So, in your case it would be within three feet. For me, since my armspan is longer, I could go out as far as four or five feet. You might even want to be closer… two is a good round number. Which is just fine because within a couple of feet of you, men are automatically going to be staring at your body. Keep her dagger away from your tits and certainly not anywhere around your hips. Tucked up to your side, slightly behind you… might be the best place.” He added, tapping his chin as if searching his brain for things to tell her.

“Okay… there’s something called a reactionary gap, Kels. That’s your opportunity to kill a better fighter before they can kill you. If you get them at arm’s length or less, you leave them with very little space and time to react. That means its going to be almost impossible for them to prevent you from getting in a deep stab if they aren’t expecting it.” He said, pinning the Kelvic with a brutal look to see if she understood.

Kelski did. She nodded immediately and said as much. “It’s like hunting from the sky. If you surprise, you eat well and without any damage to yourself because the prey doesn’t know death is coming and they are dead before they can react. That’s how a smart hunter hunts, because if they can react they can defend themselves and you can get hurt.” She added. Darvin smiled.

“Good. Very good.” He said, laughing a little. “This is actually more fun than I thought it would be.” The Dragoon said. “Keep your reactionary gap small… the smaller it is, the better your chances.” He added, as if he needed to reiterate that. Then paused as if he just thought of something else, something completely unrelated to what they were doing.

“So what’s next?” Kelski asked, wanting to move forward. She understood what Darvin was saying, and he was getting distracted again, probably in the back of his mind thinking up a new combination to brew to see how it would alter human reality. The man was good at his philtering, but it lead to a distracted teacher as he drifted off.

Her question pulled him back. “Okay… speed. We need to talk about fighting with daggers in terms of speed. Dagger attacks are fast and furious, a consequence of being so close to each other. The victim that is attacked tends to do anything they can to scramble away. When you lead with your free hand, usually the left one, you end up stabbing them in the neck, chest, or their left side where their heart is. It’s perfect really, beautiful even. You surprise them with a deep and potentially deadly plunge of your blade and and they lose their head, panic, and scramble back. They will often fall as they move backwards. Take advantage of that. Keep at them. Don’t let them escape. Charge them in a move we call a “bull rush” and don’t hold back, don’t hesitate, and go after them like a crazed animal. I want you ruthlessly determined to overwhelm whomever you are attacking and cause maximum damage as quickly as possible by whatever means necessary, Kelski.” Darvin said, slapping his wooden dagger on his open palm to drive home the point.

[Kelski]

“Dagger attacks don’t last long and they never should. If you know what you are doing, you are in and out and the deed is done. I don’t want them to last more than twenty breaths. That’s twenty swift breaths. If it lasts a full chime, you are taking too much time and have no business with that dagger in your hand.” He added, nodding to Kelski. She had to agree with him.

“Now… we talked about why to attack and how to attack, but I want to talk about the stabs themselves. I want you to use your dagger with quick short repetitive stabs at different angles because it will do the most damage and create the most blood flow. Don’t stab in the same place. That’s an novice mistake. If you can get in, latch on, and surprise them in a cornered manner, there’s no reason you can’t get in five to ten stabs, any of which could be lethal. I want your chances of hitting a vital organ or the carotid artery in the neck to be maximized. You want them to die quickly. If they are dead they can’t hurt you back.” He said, then slowly stepped back and pointed out the vulnerable places she should hit a man.

Heart, lungs, kidney, liver, and definitely the carotid artery in the neck. Darvin quickly and effectively explained where all of these were. Kelski took mental notes, knowing this was good information to have.

“Now, there’s a lot of tough bastards out there that can survive a large number of stabs, but you only need to get one good one in to take them down. That’s why I don’t want your attacks to be a single straight thrust…..” He demonstrated what he meant and she mimicked him with her own dagger, nodding her understanding. “… nor are they wide sweeping strokes or slashes.” He demonstrated again, nodding to Kelski to try it as well.

“Hit them with short, quick, powerful repetitive stabs at different angles, switching your angles of attack from low, upward stabs to the chest to high downward stabs to the neck.” He added also demonstrating. Kelski nodded her understanding and backed up a step to try the angles he demonstrated for herself. “This is called shanking, Kelski… and you want to do it repeatedly. Its difficult to stop because the victim doesn’t have time to think and predetermine what you are doing in order to deflect or redirect or even to block your strike.” He added, giving her a moment to digest what he was saying and practice.

[Kelski]

Kelski did so, enthusiastically. She thought shanking was the best thing since wings, to be honest, because it gave her a quick attack and a quick exit with little risk.

“I’ll teach you all these angles later, but for now I just want you to understand and break down the elements of a typical Sunberth street fight. I also want you to mind your grip. Carry these attacks out with a regular forwards grip, and not use a reverse grip if necessary.” He said, re-demonstrating on his wooden dagger what he meant. Kelski remembered the grips and repeated them to him, showing him her well-practiced forward grip.

“This one. Got it.” She added.

“Now… I want to switch gears a moment and talk a bit about the human or humanoid bodies. I’ve drawn you a chart and I want you to memorize it. I’ll let you take it with you to help you learn. The names aren’t really that important. But I do want you to know the locations and be able to draw them out or point them out to me later. This is where the main blood flow through a human body goes. Cut this anywhere, deep, and your victim is dead. Don’t waste time doing deep stabs anywhere else. It’s useless. Cut through these veins and arteries and get away.” He said, pulling out the sheet of parchment and showing her his rough sketch.

“Now… that being said, I have another one I want you to look at as well, Kelski. This one has a rough idea of where the vital organs go. I want you to learn these too, little bird. Because if you can’t cut a main vein or artery, then you need to take out these organs. They will bring a victim down as much as cutting their throat and nearly as fast.” Darvin added, pleased the Kelvic wasn’t as squeamish as he thought she’d be and pleased too that she seemed to be understanding his lessons well.

“I will test you on these too. And when we’ve practiced these to my satisfaction, we’re going to go out hunting Daggerhands or something else equally repulsive and test you out on what you’ve learned.” Darvin threatened. Kelski knew he meant it so she knew it was important that she take the two sketches he made for her and learn them.

The truth was looking at the organs just made her hungry for fresh meat. The Kelvic rarely got it at the lodge where they all ate. Heels of bread and thin bottom of the stock pot soup were her staples. Hunting rats in The Barracks were her only alternatives. And she didn’t mind that one bit, as long as she had time to do so. Between Jaren and Darvin, time was becoming a premium and she was growing leaner because of it.

[Kelski]

“Now… that you have those two drawings, lets talk about one last thing today. I want you to be aware of daggers and who’s got them and how they are concealing them. Sounds easy, but its mostly about observation. A man attacking you – or a woman for that matter – will tend to want to do as I’ve taught you… surprise, corner, and attack. I want you to spot an incoming attack before it actually happens. If you can learn to do that, you can maybe live a little longer than the average Sunberth citizen.” Darvin said, looking amused at the thought of one little kelvic living longer than a human. He snorted, knowing the fallacy in that.

“How do I spot them? Aren’t they trying to conceal their weapons?” She asked, curious now.

“That in and of itself is the tell. You look for someone doing this….” He said, turning sideways, concealing one side of his body, a hand at the back of his leather pants. “It’s called blading… where a person shows you their side, concealing a weapon, rather than faces you front on where you can see both hands and what’s in them.” He added. “Other tells are hands in cloaks, pockets, or behind belt pouches. Closed fists or arms hidden up sleeves can also be telling.” Darvin added, ticking off a mental checklist of everything that he’s seen.

“So I see this, then what? I put distance, get out of the three foot range from the person? Get my own sneak attack ready?” Kelski asked, tilting her head sideways to see what Darvin was going to say. The Dragoon nodded.

“Any and all of the above. I actually depends on the situation. If you want the fight or need the fight, then engage but be forewarned. If you are outclassed and see it coming, get distance and then get away. If you can get a head start running, you can often live.” Kelski nodded.

“You can also interrupt the main attack. Wait for an attacker to angle their body and shift their sides back even further or brace…. That’s just good old fashioned body language for ‘I’m going to strike.” Be ready for it, anticipate it… and if you can block it somehow, do so… but make sure you aren’t cornered and you can get away. Not all attackers are smart, but you have to assume they are.” He said softly, nodding to himself.

“I think this is about as much as I want to get into for today. I’ve given you a lot of information and a lot of knowledge you can use to protect yourself and also to start being a more effective killer with a dagger. I want you to think about all of this and in a few days, we can meet again and talk further.” He said, nodding thoughtfully.

Kelski gave him back the wooden dagger. Darvin didn’t know she’d long since purchased her own at the Dagwood Metals Shop and took the sketches to study.

[Kelski]

“Thank you….” She said, starting to leave. Darvin hissed and reached out and grabbed her. “No… not so fast….” He said, blocking her with his big body and preventing her escape.

“I haven’t gotten my payment yet.” He said, his big hand wrapping around her throat over her collar and stroking the length of her neck. He didn’t release her but instead backed her over to a workbench as if he anticipated she’d be problems. Then, pinning her against the table, he reached over, picked up a vile of liquid, and dumped it down her throat after forcing her mouth apart by squeezing her jaws.

Kelski choked as the bitter substance slid down her throat. She shook her head slightly, trying to shake off Darvin though he had a good grip on her collar… and then stood there as a heavy euphoria overtook her. Darvin could see the exact moment the drug struck because she went vacant eyed and slack jawed.

He watched satisfied. It was more than likely a good batch. The Kelvic would be lost to the world for several bells, but if she didn’t have any adverse effects or seizures, he could go pass it out and the profits would be higher than his season’s pay. Darvin did a few more things at his lab, setting up for a second batch exactly like the first one he was testing, and once that was well underway and in no need of babysitting, he looked around. His eyes fell to Kelski.

When the Kelvic showed no signs of rousing and no negative signs of bad drugs, he fetched her from where she stood vacantly staring off into space and pressed her down before the bed on her knees. She complied with little protest, not even remotely aware of what he was doing. “Little bird, you are so pretty when you are checked out.” He said with a smile, stroking her forehead and reaching out to loosen her jaws.

He ran his thumb around the inside of her mouth, most likely checking for sharp teeth, then smiled. He sat down in front of her, spreading his knees so she was between them, and loosened his pants, freeing himself from the confines of his leather trews. “Hey Big Darvin… I have a treat for you.” He said with an amused growl and pulled Kelski’s head closer, sliding himself inside her mouth where he began to thrust…

[Kelski]

Kelski

Experience

Dagger +5, Observation +5, Medicine +1

Lore

Dagger: Attacks Are Fast Ambushes - Not Duels, Dagger: How To Spot An Attack, Dagger: Attackers Conceal Weapons, Dagger: Attacks Aren’t Verbally or Physically Threatening, Dagger: Attacks Are To Kill, Dagger: Her Strength Is Being Underestimated, Dagger: Distract, Attack, Eliminate, Dagger: Nobility Out The Window In SB, Dagger: Corner But Don’t Be Cornered, Dagger: Reactionary Gap, Dagger: Person Getting Surprised Gets Victory Often, Dagger: Fights Are Short, Under One Minute, Dagger: Smaller Reactionary Gap = Higher Chances, Dagger: Bull Rush, Dagger: Don’t Let Victim Retreat, Dagger: Make Short, Quick, Powerful Repetitive Stabs At Different Angles, Dagger: Shanking, Medicine: Main Arteries Of The Body, Medicine: Main Vital Organs In Humans, Dagger: Hit Arteries & Vital Organs, Dagger: Who’s Carrying, Dagger: Concealing Weapons, Dagger: Blading Body Technique, Dagger: Anticipating Attack Means Avoiding Death, Darvin: Takes Payment For Lessons In The Form Of Testing His Drugs.