59th Day of Summer
Anthonius Fighter's Pit
13th Bell
Anthonius Fighter's Pit
13th Bell
"You're sure?"
"Yes, am sure."
"So... you'd rather read than fight?"
"In this time, yes. That is true."
Turak looked at Eranis like he was seriously considering calling the men in white coats he'd heard about in the stories. A Myrian poring over a book was one thing; but choosing the book than a scrap with a couple of Akalaks? That was just...
"S'unnatural, s'what it is."
"Turak-"
"Well, its not! Nose in a book like... like..."
"Like me?"
That shut the big brute up, Razkar was happy to see. His black eyes flicked up from the tome (his nose was in fact quite a few inches from it and thus not really "in it", but he gave the barbarians much verbal leeway), amusement dancing in them. The larger, broader Akalak looked suitably chastened under the steady glare of his smaller cousin, shuffling his feet like a naughty schoolboy.
"Well... didn't mean it... quite like that-"
"Either way, I think our search for a spar will yield no results with Razkar here." The scholarly Eranis cocked a wry eyebrow, avaricious eyes glancing briefly at the book Razkar was reading. "Another time?"
"Yes. And before you ask, yes, you can read book after I done."
The Myrian was rewarded with a glittering smile, and Eranis' bobbing head as they turned away. He knew that would make the cultured Akalak happy, even though Turak was still frowning his incomprehension. What was so special about a book, after all? Razkar suspected that he still bore him a touch of ill-will after that fight in the Spinning Coin. Still, he didn't see much damage: just some faded marks on his arm where Razkar's teeth went in. A Konti, perhaps?
Probably. Means he tried to woo her... if you can even call what Turak does to females "wooing".
"Thank you, my friend."
"Not a problem..."
They walked away and left him to his studies. Razkar shook his head at the idea. The Fighter's Pit was not a place one would associate with book-learning. Even as his gaze lowered to the yellowed pages, a cacophony of grunting, smacking, cursing, metallic clangs and thick, wet pounds of flesh on flesh reverberated around the air. Bearded Gerard made his rounds, every inch of the Pit under his eyes, frowning gently at the Myrian, huddled next to his horse on a couch of straw, book on his knees.
The human shook his head, ghost of a smile on his face. He didn't pretend to understand the Myrian, but he respected his abilities... and the fact he'd given his little den of brawlers more notoriety over the season. Now people were stopping by just to see "The Myrian", and if they didn't, well, Gerard was always there to slide in and suggest a sparring session, placing a bet, anything.
He wants to read today? So be it. He's a Myrian. Fight's always on the horizon...
Razkar was somewhat aware that Gerard was there, but he was no threat and certainly not as interesting as what he was reading, so the human was ignored. He frowned at the cursive writing lining he page, noting the diagrams of the human body on some pages, but...
No. Don't get ahead of yourself. This is a craft of the wyrd. Don't rush it; don't half-arse it. Start at the beginning.
And so he had, precious (and expensive) book cradled in his lap and all of his mind focused on the wisdom impregnated on those pages, absorbing them as much as he could, lips moving silently as he worked along each line:
"The soul - which is to say, the spiritual essence of all creatures - is most often believed to have four layers: the Soulcore, the Persona, the Astral Body and the Aura. Disciplines, learned philosophies and religious rituals have been crafted around all, but in the case of The Flux, the Astral Body is most important. The other three are certainly worth learning but, since this tome is directed at novice practitioners of The Flux, the Astral Body is what it shall focus on.
The Astral Body is, essentially, the djed of a being that physically interacts with the world. Flesh and blood are but the wood to the Astral Body's strings: without it, there is no anima and no purpose or coordination behind a body's actions. But this djed structure is by no means still or solid, like the skeletal system. It is constantly flowing around the body, sending and receiving orders to and from the brain. It is this flow that is manipulated, redirected, bolstered and harnessed to perform The Flux."
The Astral Body is, essentially, the djed of a being that physically interacts with the world. Flesh and blood are but the wood to the Astral Body's strings: without it, there is no anima and no purpose or coordination behind a body's actions. But this djed structure is by no means still or solid, like the skeletal system. It is constantly flowing around the body, sending and receiving orders to and from the brain. It is this flow that is manipulated, redirected, bolstered and harnessed to perform The Flux."
The Myrian had to read that one page a dozen times before he got the full idea of what it said... and by the time he had, it took him far longer to understand it all. He had no idea that there was such power and such wyrd in every person's body! He'd always believed that it was something elemental but rare, controlled and even seen only by those like Mayla, the Shorn Skulls' Witch of the Wilds.
Razkar frowned suddenly. Had he been... lied to? No... No, that was just his pride talking, surely. Knowing something was a triviality compared to understanding it, using the power of the knowledge and safely. The Power of Bones was just further proof of that.
Besides, for the moment, he had his first glimpse into The Flux. Now to continue.
"If there is one crucial piece of information for any practitioner of The Flux to know, it is that the art is found in balance and control. Stories and legends of Flux Masters breaking boulders with their fists and running faster than horses or moving so fast they become blurs may, in fact, be accurate... but what of the cost? Punching a boulder with a bare fist empowered by The Flux will break the bounder... and every bone in your hand. Running with Flux-augmented legs will certainly have you outpacing a horse... and completely ruining your leg muscles for the rest of your life.
Control. Balance. Understanding your limits and then pushing at them, bit by bit, until they are surpassed and never over-giving simply because you think you are invincible... these are the first lessons all must learn.
Only the gods and their direct progeny are beyond Dira. Everyone else, regardless of skill or experience, is vulnerable, and arrogance is the quickest way to prove this."
Control. Balance. Understanding your limits and then pushing at them, bit by bit, until they are surpassed and never over-giving simply because you think you are invincible... these are the first lessons all must learn.
Only the gods and their direct progeny are beyond Dira. Everyone else, regardless of skill or experience, is vulnerable, and arrogance is the quickest way to prove this."
Ah, well, that was easier to understand for the Myrian. Eager as he was to delve into this strange and powerful discipline, he knew that assuming you were better than your skills was an easy way to be proved wrong. Fatally. He nodded a few times and mouthed "balance" and "control" to himself like a litany.
Just don't forget them.
"At the start of your journey to master The Flux, only the main muscle groups will be focused on and manipulated. As your experience improves, you will be able to augment and boost individual muscles and even organs. For example, expert and master practitioners can use their djed to slow their heartbeats or even cease circulation in a damaged limb to prevent death by blood loss.
However, for the novice, the muscle groups detailed in the diagram below are the subject of this book.
"As you can see, there is plenty to choose from, but it must be remembered at all times that bolstering djed in one place means taking it from another; strengthening one group or limb at the detriment of another. Thus, the key to proper application of The Flux is maintaining the constant dynamic flow of djed: never letting it accumulate or cease."
However, for the novice, the muscle groups detailed in the diagram below are the subject of this book.
"As you can see, there is plenty to choose from, but it must be remembered at all times that bolstering djed in one place means taking it from another; strengthening one group or limb at the detriment of another. Thus, the key to proper application of The Flux is maintaining the constant dynamic flow of djed: never letting it accumulate or cease."
Razkar blinked at the skin-less body on the paper. It was... very detailed, and he knew that from experience. But the elaborate barbarian names for the chunks of red muscle, well, they were knew to him. On the arms and the torso, the legs... they seemed the largest and, logically, the easiest to manipulate.
"Novice practitioners will definitely need to use either gestures of incantations to assist their movements. These focus the mind and thus the djed on the muscles he wants. There are no hard and fast rules for these incantations and gestures: they are as unique as the individuals that use them, but they all serve the same purpose.
The first experiment will be marshaling extra djed in your right arm to deliver a more powerful punch. You are advised to punch normally a few times to know what your "average" punch feels like. Then, when you have crafted a suitable gesture or incantation, attempt The Flux.
Remember, student: the true Master of The Flux knows his limitations. He is aware that his mortal form is far less powerful and permanent than the djed within it."
The first experiment will be marshaling extra djed in your right arm to deliver a more powerful punch. You are advised to punch normally a few times to know what your "average" punch feels like. Then, when you have crafted a suitable gesture or incantation, attempt The Flux.
Remember, student: the true Master of The Flux knows his limitations. He is aware that his mortal form is far less powerful and permanent than the djed within it."
Razkar re-read the page a few more times, then took a breath... and set the book down. Time to put the theory into practice.
He walked over to one of the training dummies lined up by the wall. Mrrko watched his two-leg master implacably, chewing a mouthful of straw calmly. Razkar assumed his position in front of the dummy, legs planted firmly, arms up, right arm cocked... punched.
The cushioned dummy wobbled back a little as his blow struck the jaw. Then again. And again. Satisfied, Razkar took a step back... and closed his eyes...
Focus. Concentration. Control. Focus... on that skeleton beyond your skeleton... muscles beneath your muscles... see the flow there...
"From my body... power... to my fist... strength..."
The words came from deep within his mind, so he was almost unaware he spoke them. They were... fitting. He knew them, but his body knew them better. They were correct for what he intended. With the first four words-
"From my Body, Power-"
He slid into his fighter's stance, feeling a strange tingling within his body, some sort of... massing, traveling down his shoulder, into his triceps and biceps, felt them swell even though he saw nothing there.
"To my Fist, Strength-"
And then his arm exploded outward, power and speed almost jerking him of balance-
CRACK!
-and the training dummy was nearly knocked over, spiderweb of damage formed under the cushioning on the wooden face, sent reeling back hard... before jerking back forward to right itself, wobbling back and forth.
Razkar just stared for a moment. The book was right. This was different. More power, more speed, more strength... and then he felt that ache. Like the exertion of bells of exercise of sparring, plunging into his nerves all in a handful of moments. The Myrian winced and gritted his teeth, massaging his sore arm... but still smiling, nodding at the wobbling dummy that seemed to be doing the same thing.
"All things start somewhere..."
