Solo A Waved Hand

[Moritz Craven]

14 Spring 521

Taking a deep breath Moritz paused before knocking. His combat instructor and master Kyra Shallon was a fierce woman, and one he did not look forward to explaining of his departure. While a bit older for a human she did not seem to have lost any pep in her step, and regularly left Moritz flying through the air or panting on his back after an attempted attack.

If she was lessened at all then she would have been a terror on the street to any wrongdoer before, but Moritz could not picture her as any greater than she already was for it seemed to him impossible.

Finally working up his nerve Moritz knocked, and almost immediately the door opened to reveal a smiling Kyra.

"Hello master."

Grinning at the young kelvic, Kyra motioned for Moritz to follow inside and after shutting the door behind him walked into the main training area.

"Sit, sit, I have something to show you. A gift."

Moritz nodded, feeling a lump in his throat to match the pit in his gut, as he watched her.

"Actually, master Shallon, I had something to tell you, I did not come for training today. Actually.... I came because..."

Interrupting Kyra patted at the air, as if to wave off Moritz comment.

"Yes, yes, your leaving the city, heading off to the wilds down south, and you do not know if or when you will return. I know all about that. Now focus, I have a gift for you and your doddering explanation of things I already know is ruining the big reveal!"

It took Moritz a few moments to process this, his brain slamming still for a moment before finally churning back into a semblance of action.

"Wait... How... What... Who... Wait what? How do you know I'm leaving? i have been dreading telling you for days, and you already know? How did you find out? How long have you known?"

Shushing Moritz with her hands Kyra simply gave a knowing smile, gazing into the Okomo kelvic's eyes.

"You'd be surprised at the things I know or hear about. I may not be a Shinya any more, but I still hear about things. Particularly when they involve one of my students. And honestly, I kind of figured things would go that way when I talked to them before. Or did you think they just met with you without asking around and talking to other people?"

Confused Moritz began questioning several things at once, including his understanding of his teacher and his meeting with the heads of Lhavit. Though as he thought on it logically, her words did make sense and it was obvious that them being the heads of a city they would have done their investigation before meeting with a random student in private.

"Oh... Well.... I guess that makes sense."

Smiling once more while she teased at Moritz, Kyra pulled out a small bag.

"Besides, if I didn't find out about it before now, how could I give you a going away present? Here, open it!"

A bit reluctantly, as he still worked through things in his head, Moritz took the offered bag and carefully opened it. Inside he found... Fabric? Cloth? Some kind of garment. Pulling it out he saw it was a suit of sorts, a outfit made of grey silk. Pulling it out and laying it across the ground he saw it was a full body suit, covering all but the hands, feet, and above the neck.

It also had buttons down the front, which made sense as there would otherwise be no other way to get in or out of it, six in all.

"I spent a long time trying to pick something out, and when I saw this... Well if what I heard about it is true, it should be uniquely suited for you. Go on, put it on in the back, and let me see it."

With a nod Moritz grabbed up the clothing and went into the back room, quickly taking off his current clothes, folding them, and placing them in a small pile. Then he got on the new garment, stepping into the leg parts, then pulling up the top part to insert his arms into the sleeves. Lastly he pulled the front shut, and fastened the buttons one by one.

It was only as he fastened the last button that he noticed something... Odd... He was fairly certain before the front of the top was bare except for the buttons. Now though he found on it there was a.... Tag... Or a patch of clothe. While the rest of the outfit was grey silk, the patch was black. On it was Moritz name clear as day. But he was fairly certain it had not been there before, settled as it was over his left breast. Moritz Craven...

Heading back to the training room Moritz began to question, but paused as he saw the smile on Kyra's face. Pushing onward he tried to clarify things, not understanding.

"Uh Kyra... Where exactly did you get this. And has this patch always been here with my name? I don't remember seeing that when I put it on. Its nice though, thank you."

Nodding Kyra stood, taking a few steps back from Moritz.

"Oh, yes, well as I said it took me a while to pick this out. And as I said, this one seemed uniquely suited for you. Now, bear in mind I haven't tested this, but there is no good a time as now. So... Without removing the outfit, change into your Okomo form."

Moritz frowned for a moment, looking over at Kyra, before deciding to trust her. And then with a sigh Moritz willed his body to change into his other form, and in a flash of light that happened all at once in a moment his human body was replaced with a Okomo. But while he had been expecting to hear tearing fabric or such, he was instead met with... Nothing. No resistance. No ripping as the silk was torn asunder. In fact, he did not even feel any of the clothing about him.

Looking down at his own body Moritz saw instead odd... Streaks. Wear before he had bee n covered in a rainbow of pink and purple hues, now there was also some grey stripes adding in their color to the mix.

As only an Okomo could, Moritz questioned this with a loud "Aaaaah?!" of confusion.

WC: 1,081

[Moritz Craven]

As Moritz let out his Okomo query Kyra simply smiled.

"Well, looks like it works as promised. And I won't have to go hunting for a refund... Anyways, I guess you've noticed, but the suit has some... Non-standard properties. Such as being able to shift with a kelvic, and more or less... Melting into your body on the change. "

"Aaaaaaah!?"

Smiling Kyra tutted at Moritz, reaching out one hand to touch one of his horns. Sliding it down the length Kyra took a step back after releasing, seeming to remember a time before. Which made sense to Moritz, seeing as she used to be a Shinya and an Okomo rider. She likely didn't ride to often now, but would likely have many memories of such things.

"Well, now that we have confirmed the outfit does as intended, why don't we do some training. I don't think you've done much fighting in your Okomo form, have you? Plus, its good to know the strength and weaknesses of your various fighting styles. That includes your human and Okomo forms."

Reaching out Kyra slapped at Moritz horn once more, before pausing and smiling.

"So obviously in Okomo form you are bigger. Stronger. Heavier. And your to say the least less likely to break a bone. But you can still be hurt. Things of flesh connect those bones, keep them together. And cover them as well. So you can still be bludgeoned, cut up, and made to bleed even if your less likely to have something snapped or broken. Also while you have more reach, and your horns protect your head, they can also be used against you. Just like any weapon, a skilled opponent can turns things around and use them against you. So lets try that out. Come at me, and I'll show you."

Moritz paused for a moment, pondering if Kyra was serious or not, but looking at her she did seem quite serious. And while she did make jokes at times, she was not one to joke about training. No, that she kept serious. Letting out a strong huff of air Moritz paused, inspected his master, and then lowering his head charged right at her. In his Okomo form he could move his eyes better, and so was able to keep his eyes on her even as he approached.

However just as he was about to reach her Kyra jumped to the side, reached out and grabbed one of Moritz horns, and then pulled. For a few moments this seemed to guide him in his attack, making him turn and change direction. Finally she released, but by then he was about to run into a wall.

Stopping short Moritz dug his hooves in, turning once more to face Kyra. Letting out a huff and shaking his head Moritz prepared, and then lowering his neck charged again.

This time Kyra seemed ready to be run clean over, waiting till the last moment to move. But once again she sidestepped and jumped out of the way, this time however as she did she used her entire weight while grabbing his horn and puled him over. Messing with his balance Moritz began to teeter, and then quickly fell over on his side while banging on the cushioned ground.

Kyra for her part jumped out of the way, rolling and getting free of the disaster, seeming to enjoy the entire thing.

"Well now Moritz, what happened to your gusto? I thought you were going to easily bowl me over? No? Don't forget, any weapon in an enemies hand is still a weapon. And if they use it well, they can turn it on you. Your horns are good at blocking blows and attacking, increasing your range. But they also are a good hand hold, and can be used against you if an opponent knows how to apply leverage. So keep that in mind. Don't become complacent just because you are bigger and stronger. Fighting is not all about bulling your way through things, or using brute raw strength to fight. Skill, experience, technique, those are much more important. A well trained weakling can easily beat a giant brute with time and care. Don't forget that. And don't let your horns... Go to your head."

A cheeky smile at Moritz, Kyra spoke while watching the kelvic. Huffing and grunting Moritz pushed himself back up, and rose back to his proper height. He was sore in a few spots on his side from landing so hard, but besides that did not seem much the worse for wear. Nothing but a few bruises, something he had come to expect in combat.

Once Moritz had regained his footing and breath he eyed Kyra, waiting for her to be ready. Once she did, confirming with a nod, Moritz prepared himself, and then lowering his head dashed once more at Kyra. He had a feeling after this her padded flooring would need some repairs, both from the weight of Moritz body, his running with skyglass hooves on the surface, and his stopping and started suddenly.

As Kyra neared Moritz tried to move his head, not letting her so easily grab and turn or throw him over on his side. This seemed somewhat effective, as Kyra did not manage to do either, but still easily got out of the way from the attack and dove free.

When Moritz rounded and turned to face Kyra after missing, coming to a stop and bearing down on her with his eyes, Kyra held up a hand to indicate he should stop. Moritz nodded, a dangerous thing to do with horns, and paused.

"Alright Moritz, thats some decent Okomo style unarmed combat. But lets do some other things. So shift back, and we can get started for real."

With a groan that only a Okomo could make but which sounded oddly human, Moritz paused for a moment, willed himself to shift back, and after a moment reappeared in a flash of dazzling light right where his Okomo form had stood. Now he was once more a human, and dressed just as he had been before changing, back in his grey silk outfit.

WC: 1,027

[Moritz Craven]

Back in his human form, Moritz was ready for some more... Traditional fighting. While he did enjoy running about in his Okomo form, he also had to be very cautious when in that form. A wrong move, a turn of the head, a push, in his larger stronger form such small things that in human form would mean knocking over some books or pots... In Okomo form it could as easily be people, children, animals, and the like. It was a strength he both respected and had to manage, for fear of endangering those around him. And so in part because of that he did not often fight in that form, preferring instead to use his human form where he could push himself to his limits.

He loved his Okomo form, it was as much a part of him as his human form, but in combat it did not allow him to be so free when it risked accidents that his larger body allowed. Better to do Okomo things in Okomo form, and human things in human form, he felt. And if needed, he could do either.

Plus, Moritz reasoned, skill was skill. Combat was combat. And learning tactics and how to fight in his human form would also to a degree enhance what he could do in his Okomo form, but with less risk of injury or destruction.

Nodding to his master Moritz prepared himself, taking on a simple stance. Feet apart, but not too far. Hand out by his sides ready to strike or grab as needed. He paused, watching his master, her eyes, her hands, her feet, all of her, waiting for her to make a move. When she finally did it was a snake like strike, throwing out a flowing lib that seemed at once solid but fluid. Moritz knew no other way to describe it.

Turning his body to face her better Moritz threw up a hand to deflect the blow, but as he did and her limb struck his hand it seemed to climb right over and latch onto him. What had seemed a punch was now a grab, and a lock on his wrist. With a turn Kyra brought on pain, forcing Moritz to turn with the strain to avoid more pain. This ended up being a cross between a flip and a flop, and he turned head over heels with her twist of his limb, but instead of landing on his feet he landed on his back on the ground.

Kyra once more smiled down at him, watching his eyes.

"Better, you are improving. And you had the right idea. Rather than fight the attack, giving me energy, you went with it and used my force to assist your flip. But you did not quite pull that off, and failed at that attempt. But it was certainly an improvement, Keep working on it. Don't forget, strategy, tactics. Anyone can plan one blow in advance. But tactics are about considering everything. You, me, the environment. What will happen after this move? What will you do if you succeed? If you fail? What then? And what next? What will I do. Consider such things as this, and you will be better off."

WC: 538

[Moritz Craven]

Letting out a sigh, Moritz looked up at Kyra, once more preparing his stance.

"You say that, but you still seem to knock me to the ground every time. If I am improving either your also getting better or our difference in ability is so great it doesn't make a difference."

Kyra smiled at Moritz, understanding on her face as she looked at the young kelvic.

"I'm sure it seems that way. But even as a kelvic, an Okomo, you are young. Things will come in time. Just keep working at it. Find the time, and expand yourself. And over time, it will come. Trust me. Have I been wrong about anything else?"

Moritz smiled, seeing the point in the woman's argument. Either she was right about both, and thus trustworthy, or wrong about both, in which case several other things would be in question. But so far she had shown no reason for him not to trust her, shown no reason she was not right, and so logically speaking it was just his own young mind in a rush that felt things were progressing too slowly rather than his actual progress being slow.

"I mean think, when you first came to me, would that plan, to throw yourself with the blow, would that have occurred to you? And would you have even been able to manage that much, even that failed attempt, if you had tried. No. We've trained in many things. Acrobatics to dodge, roll, twist, flip, and to assist other styles. Traditional unarmed combat has also been a focus. Plus there are more focused styles we have not used much. Wrestling, all about leverage. Boxing, all about using the hands to attack and moving with your feet. And then brawling, basically anything else using any random thing you can find about you. And of course the blade, we've used that quite a bit. Your still learning, but I see potential in you, just as I did when we first met. Only now, I think you've achieve more of that potential than before. Don't doubt yourself, just keeping going, keep getting back up, and you will reach your goal."

Pausing in her speech Kyra grinned and motioned for Moritz to come at her. Pausing for a moment Moritz considered, and then moved forward. Leading with one arm Moritz came in with a punch which Kyra easily sidestepped. He then turned his body and swept in with a kick, which Kyra hopped over. But more than that she countered, sending a kick lightly into Moritz gut.

Taking the blow Moritz fell backward rather than trying to absorb it directly, but he still felt the strike and landing on his rear felt the air rush from his lungs. Pausing to gather his breath Kyra waited, smiling, watching him.

"See, improvement. Before when I kicked you in the gut, I just kicked you in the gut. Now you've learned how to better accept a blow, turning it into motion and falling correctly rather than just getting hit. You don't see it as you have nothing to compare to, but I see your beginning and current, and understand the road you've taken."

WC: 530