The Mage and His Woes

[Balthazar Black]

59 Ymiden 720

When Balthazar returned from his trip out into Lair in search of Alchemical reagents with little more than a bag full of... well bag of different powders. It was strange to find everything in bags but it seemed oddly more exotic so Balthazar didn't complain. He did complain about the price but that didn't help. Balthazar set the bag down outside the house and place his hand around the sheath of his sword. There was a certain trick to drawing a sword the size and shape of his that he was still not very good at but while Woe wasn't watching, he figured he might benefit from trying to refine his performance.

He wrapped one hand around the sheath of his sword and the other around the blade. He'd seen it done in a dream. In one swift motion he could draw the blade and attack with it if he moved precisely. Yet Balthazar knew that precision required slow movement when you were unfamiliar with the blade like he was- or at least he was disciplined enough not to try and burn his hand off by putting a Faldrunium sword hazardously. He slowly pulled the blade forward and waited until he could feel it was beginning to catch in the sheath before pulling the sheath back the rest of the way to free the blade. Then Balthazar lowered the sword, having moved so slow he did not know what to do next. So Balthazar slid the sword back into the sheath and did it again.

[Woe]

Not being let into the fortress for the ordinary drills that most official dragoons were put through, the mage had to make do with impromptu sparring sessions with Balthazar. It was... an enlightening experience, to be sure. He learned for one thing that it was quite dangerous to be sparring with live steel, let alone masterwork forged faldrunium that the other man wielded. So he thought to challenge him to a different sort of contest... or rather a training session.

Woe admired Balthazar's unarmed techniques and the way he moved so fluidly in combat. He wished to incorporate some of that into his own personal fighting style. It had to be said, that his weapon of choice, the whip was not a weapon of war, or one meant to wound. It was a weapon of precision and pain, to be sure, but he hadn't the brute strength to overpower his oppponents and probably never would. He thought to exchange some knowledge in return for Balthazar's teaching of unarmed techniques. Woe knew much about how to cause pain in a body. Such knowledge could surely be useful in the hands of a master of hand to hand combat.

So as he found Balthazar, outside an abandoned house in the lair, he waved him down. This was where they were to do their practice session.

"Balthazar, I was hoping I might be able to persuade you to teach me something of your fighting style. In return, I can teach you about the pain centers of the human body... As you know, I'm an accomplished torturer..."

[Balthazar Black]

59 Ymiden 720

When Woe walked in on Balthazar practicing the perfect way to unsheathe his sword, the mage turned and slipped the blade back into its place. He'd called on Woe for a little more training with the sword but after last time... Balthazar was more than willing to oblige Woe's request. Blades like the ones that these men swung would leave Quacia with two less defenders if they were not careful and with the Creep growing closer and closer that was not a risk they could afford to take.

"You won't have to try very hard so long as that lesson on pain centers is not a demonstration. I doubt I'll become a torturer but knowledge is power." And knowing how to make someone hurt would make Balthazar even more deadly with his hands. "I designed my fighting styles to be used with Defiance but I'm sure I can pass on some basic principles for someone who is uninitiated." Balthazar explained as his mind churned. He unhooked his sword from his belt and set it down a little off to the side so that it would not flail around as he attempted to teach Woe something of unarmed combat. Balthazar looked around them for a moment and then assumed a stance with his legs about shoulder length apart and his knees bent slightly. He put both hands out with his palms facing towards Woe and looked over his gloomy companion for a moment.

Part of Balthazar, a very small part, was going to enjoy hitting Woe for all the welts his whip had left after their last session.

"My fighting style is really a combination of four different styles I have been developing over the arcs based around the elements I have become familiar with. I think that you, my dark friend, would be most suited for Imber with your whips but with just your hands... perhaps Ustrina- not that those words mean anything to you." Balthazar wasn't that popular outside of Scalvoris, after all... right? "The key concept is overwhelming offense; strike hard, strike first, no mercy. I'm going to move in for a few simple punches, maybe throw a surprise in, and I want you to try to hit me first." He didn't say he wanted Woe to defend himself. With that Balthazar moved in to attack. His closed the distance and his fists lashed out in quick succession with a series of jabs aimed at Woe's torso.

[Woe]

”Well a demonstration of pain is the best way to learn it.” Woe allowed himself to grin at that. But then, the idea of torture and causing pain always brought a smile to his face. Something about controlling how another felt… it was simply liberating to him, it made him feel in control. ”But if you insist…”

Woe listened to his explanation of his fighting style, or one aspect of them. Basic principles, it sounded right and correct. There was always something to be gained by way of osmosis, and Woe felt that Balthazar might be downplaying the usefulness of his particular martial art form. Woe, similarly to Balthazar, unhooked his weapons, tossing them to the side. He knew he was in for some pain, given Balthazar’s command of hand to hand combat.

The words, the names for his martial arts, they meant little and less to Woe. They might’ve been fancy words that were chosen for the sound they made more than any intrinsic meaning. But he’d give Balthazar the benefit of the doubt. He was an effective combatant.

Ustrina… No he hadn’t heard of that. And before he had time to ask, the sparring had begun. Balthazar moved in to attack, with a series of jabs aimed at Woe’s torso.

Woe wasn’t a stranger to unarmed combat by any means, but he was no master. Even so, he could tell that at least at first Balthazar was testing him, trying to feel out his skill level and probably assess how much finesse and strength he needed to exert to defeat Woe’s defenses.

Woe was familiar with several styles of unarmed combat. He’d seen Ki’enaq in Etzos, and Vy’ufnaji in Ne’haer. He’d been in his share of brawls through his years in the Andaris Dungeons.

He knew that the best way to form an attack was to pair it with a simultaneous defense. Or at the very least turn the act of defense into an attack. Balthazar advised him to strike first and strike hard. Easier said than done. Mercy was another matter.

Woe attacked the tender joints in Balthazar’s arms without overextending himself. He made Balthazar’s own weapons, his hands and wrists and elbows, his most vulnerable targets for the first going. With a series of sweeping chops, he targeted those tender portions. He planned for Balthazar to get frustrated with this approach, and extend himself beyond the measure of those short jabs. Should he have thrown a long punch, a kick, or some such, he would grapple, and twist. He was serious about bringing Balthazar down, however unsure he was of his chances.

[Balthazar Black]

59 Ymiden 720

Woe's first few counterstrikes landed surprisingly successfully, striking Balthazar's slowly incoming fist aside and hitting him in joints that caused a little pain to flare up. However Balthazar seemed to endure the few hits that landed successfully and then he pressed through Woe's offense. While Woe was looking for Balthazar to make a long punch or kick, the mage was actually moving in to shorten the distance between his strikes and the mortal born. He pushed his body closer to Woe and as a result his jabs began flying a little faster than before- now they had less distance to travel before Woe would need to bring up his own arm to counter them. However Balthazar was still moving at a slower speed than his best because he wanted Woe to be able to keep up right until the moment he wanted to surprise Woe.

"Excellent." Balthazar said in a somewhat taunting tone. The fact he could speak during their continued exchange of attacks spoke for the effort he was putting into it. Balthazar had developed a very specific rhythm to his jabs that he expected Woe to pick up on. Right fist, left fist, right fist, left fist, right fist, left fist, and on and on it went as he slowly pushed in until suddenly he broke the pattern. If he wanted a joint, Balthazar would give him one, an elbow to the chest. It came suddenly after one of his jabs. His hand lashed out, Woe's sweeping chop smacked it aside, and then Balthazar's arm bent and his elbow swung forward at Woe's chest with more blunt force than a single fist would have had.

[Woe]

Woe wasn’t falsely heartened by the success he was having at deflecting Balthazar’s blows. He knew, given the chasm between their mastery of unarmed combat, that Balthazar was likely lulling him into a pattern. What he wasn’t prepared for, was just the kind of attack Balthazar was planning. He expected a long punch, and so was ready to snap inward on the mage, and grapple with his arm. When instead, he bent his arm, and sent forward a elbow, that struck him in the chest fully, and he was blown backward by the full force of the mage’s body mass.

Woe could feel the welt that Balthazar’s blow would give him, rising from his chest, but adrenaline dulled much of it for the moment. It’d be a nasty wound in time, if he didn’t have Soraia look after it later.

He hit the ground with a roll, and was up in a few seconds, kneeling on the ground, as if gathering a respite for the next round. Or so it appeared.

His fist grasped at the dirt beneath his feet. With a swift, if clumsy throw, tossed the dirt, aiming for Balthazar’s eyes. ”Pardon me.” Woe muttered, and went on the offensive, eschewing the defensive posture he’d attempted in the first round.

He began with a low, snapping kick, directed at Balthazar’s knee. It narrowly missed, but he used the forward momentum to get under Balthazar’s guard. He attempted to block any attacks that Balthazar might try on him, with meager success likely. If the mage tried another elbow strike, he’d be ready to grapple with it, pulling it into him and throwing the mage if the opening allowed it.

[Balthazar Black]

59 Ymiden 720

To say he was pleased at Woe being sent across the ground would have been an understatement. Balthazar still remembered the pain where Woe's whip had done its work on him in their last brawl. It continued to serve as a reminder to Balthazar that everyone was good at something, and some were very good at it. He just happened to be very good at unarmed combat. Balthazar advanced slowly towards Woe to help him up when suddenly the mortalborn hurled a spread of dirt towards Balthazar's eyes. Pocket sand. A move that the mage had become very familiar with. Balthazar arm rose to shield his eyes from the incoming dirt but it wasn't quite fast enough to block it all. The mage grimaced and stepped backwards, preparing for what alway followed when someone tried to blind you. The attack.

"Effective, but predictable." Balthazar said in a somewhat judgmental tone as Woe moved in to strike. He felt the other man nearing him thanks to his Rupturing spark and used that to defend against the low kick towards his knee. He brought his leg up to hit Woe's foot aside with his shin before moving in with his own strikes. Balthazar did indeed move in to drive his elbow into Woe's chest again only this time Woe was ready for it. However when Woe grabbed him and began to shift the momentum against Balthazar, the mage hooked his foot around the back of Woe's in an effort to bring his opponent down with him.

[Woe]

Woe was surprised with the success of his strikes. Some of them were actually landing, well he supposed he satisfied the other mage’s condition for training, he’d hit him, but did this mean that he’d won? Far from it, as Balthazar turned the torturer’s own attacks on their heads, combining attack with defense and then hooking his foot behind the back of Woe’s shin, in order to trip him and bring him to the ground as they both went down.

Woe didn’t let up, however, taking whatever punches that came his way and exchanging them for nerve strikes, using his knowledge of human pain to inflict it upon Balthazar. He would teach him the ways of the torturer whether he liked it or not. And in this case, experience was a hell of a teacher.

He’d grapple with Balthazar’s left arm, entangling it, twisting and poking and prodding at the tender joints to elicit simple pain. He gave him little room to set up those strikes he was so fond of using, but ground his knuckles, his elbows, his knees into most of the vulnerable spots on Balthazar’s body. He left the groin alone, for obvious reasons of mutual respect, but near everything else was fair game.

However, Balthazar was a master of hand to hand, and Woe couldn’t keep up his assault unchallenged, before he was tossed aside. Then, Woe’s turn to feel the brunt of Balthazar’s attack upon himself. When it got to be too much for Woe to maneuver, he threw up his hands, trying to block what attacks he could, and tapping him onthe shoulder if he’d allow him.

”Well fought! I yield I yield!” He nearly bellowed, as he tried to extricate himself from the onslaught.

Woe stood up as their little sparring session came to a close, and bowed his head slightly in humility. ”Maybe a less aggressive example could be shown? I’d like to learn how to fight like that… Could you show me some moves or drills or something?”

[Balthazar Black]

59 Ymiden 720

And learn Balthazar did. With each strike Woe landed, the mage found an abnormal amount of pain rush through him. In the moment Balthazar only felt the pain but with time he'd reflect on where he'd been struck and learn. Still, in the moment he felt the pain and he tried to push past it. For all Balthazar's skill and form, Woe's strikes did seem to slowly wear the mage down. Balthazar realized he needed to allow fewer to hit so effectively. He moved slowly on the defensive but Woe grabbed onto his left arm, binding it and applying pressure to areas that caused more pain than Balthazar knew simple pressure could cause. He groaned and immediately went on the attack- driving his right fist quickly into Woe's chest to try and bluntly weaken his foe. Balthazar did not have the precision to cause pain, but he had the strength.

He struck until Woe yielded and when Woe did, the mage took a few steps from his gracious host. He shook out his arm as if it would somehow remove the pain but there was still a lingering soreness where Woe had applied the pressure. It was fading quickly but still there. "Interesting technique." Balthazar said, mostly to himself, before turning to look at Woe who was asking him a question. Moves or drills? It was not as easy to show someone who was not a defier the drills he knew because most used the magic but he had some ideas he could try to adapt... some... Balthazar shrugged. "Sure as long as you tell me exactly where you were just pushing on my arm." Balthazar shook out his legs, dusted off, and then assumed a stance with his right foot pointed towards Woe and his left pointed to his left. His knees bent slightly and his reached his palms out just a little as he slowly moved towards Woe.

"Come at me slowly, unarmed, and I'll show you the steps for a simple takedown. Don't move too quickly or I will as well. The best way to take down an opponent is to upset their balance." Balthazar said before waiting for Woe to strike. When his companion did, Balthazar tried to counter him slowly. He parried Woe's arm to the side gently and then pushed on his chest without enough force to knock him down. "Which, as you can see, is a two step process. Come at me again, try to hook your leading leg behind mine and pull it out from under me as you parry my strike and push me. Ready?" If Woe indicated he was, Balthazar would move forward with and allow Woe to perform the maneuver. If he asked questions, Balthazar would answer them.

[Woe]

Balthazar wanted to know where he'd hit him on the arm, to elicit such pain. Woe wasn't sure what the mage expected that knowledge to gain him, truth be told. Woe had a way of sussing out an opponent's vulnerabilities, whether that was through psychological observation or just plain watching or knowing them for so long. It was almost instinctual. Although the knowledge could potentially be applied to others, Balthazar's unique pain structure could very well differ from others. Whether that pain button he'd pushed was something peculiar to the mage... perhaps an old injury? Who could say.

Nevertheless, Woe complied, and grasped Balthazar's arm by the same nerves that caused the pain to flare up. He showed him where to twist and where to prod, and where to strike to elicit the same pain he'd felt there.

Once that was done, he received his own instructions at Balthazar's teaching.

He approached slowly at first, and saw that Balthazar was moving in tandem with his own speed, adjusting his positioning ever so slowly. It was a novel way to train, in slow motion, almost like a game taken at turns. Woe would move one of his arms one way, and Balthazar would match it with his own motions. Woe took it slow, and thrust his arm out at a much reduced speed. Balthazar showed him how he intercepted the attack, and turned it into a simple take down, pulling him and then pushing him to the ground after gently upsetting the balance of his legs from under him.

Woe fell to the ground, but swiftly enough got up to resume the exercise. This time it was Balthazar's turn to go on the offensive, feigning lower skill for Woe's sake, but nevertheless matching him beat for beat. Woe advanced on Balthazar once they were both ready, and hooked his leg to the outside of Balthazar's, then blocked his strike and with the other arm pushed him down.