• Solo • The Bucket Fist, II

[Alistair]

1st of Ashan, Arc 718

"Alright. So - back to the fundamentals. The sixth, disarm them. Fight them on your terms," Damien recited, remembering exactly as Kian had described to him just moments prior. Before the conversation had derailed... as it commonly did with the two of them. Kian nodded, remembering how significant a tenant this was. This was how he would defeat Ellasin - a fundamental of Krenn Maii, whether or not he actually pulled his knuckles out into the fight.

"The seventh fundamental," the younger mage began, "Be willing to use anything as a weapon and fight dirty if necessary. Hit foes when they're down, throw sand in their eyes, avoid 'honor' as a concept that applies to battle," he preached, before kneeling onto the ground and scooping up the greyish dirt that permeated the floors of southwestern Oakleigh. Then, with a devious and ridiculous look, he threw the handful at Damien's completely suspecting face. And of course, the Lich dodged.

"Ugh," Damien rolled his eyes. "I wanted an apprentice, but I got a child," he scoffed. "Ali -- Kian -- you've gotten about two generations more youthful since you became an exile. You handling it all well, or is this just a coping mechanism?" he asked, only half-seriously. The mage shrugged.

"Bit of both, I'd say," he responded. "I'm trying to enjoy what I have. This ranch, Cappola, is what I've got now in Rynmere. I used to rule one of the largest holdings in the country, but things... they change. They move on. Cappola is my castle now, and the ranches of Oakleigh are my Kingdom. At least until I reclaim everything I lost," he stated, nodding, with something of a small and insincere smile.

Damien was... intrigued. "You plan on reclaiming it, then? Venora? Your name? I don't think it will ever happen," he spoke, bluntly.

Kian nodded. "It may happen. I just need to kill Ebony, depose the King, topple the Faith of Rynlism, slaughter my parents and... yeah. You might think it's ridiculous, but honestly, I'm not the man I used to be. I'm ready to spill blood. By the hundreds of thousands if I have to. That Kingdom has become unjust, immoral under that wretched King. He's arbitrary, cold, and disloyal to his own subjects. He has no blood of the Great Houses. I will never, ever allow myself peace at the thought of his rule. I'm not letting him live."

So, there it was: the declaration. Alistair had not fully moved on, he was still there. Kian was just the instrument of his own vengeance; a name to hide the history.

"Anyway," he attempted to bring the conversation forward, "the seventh fundamental: use any weapon, any trick. Honor is meaningless - death is the final end. I'd rather throw dirt in a man's eye and be called a cheat than have a sword shoved through my throat. Krenn Maii is looking more and more worthy of my time," he stated.

Now, he moved forward. Fundamental eight. This was the last one.

"Fight ruthlessly - never stop your aggression unless you have to. So, basically, punch, kick, elbow, knee the skin from their bones. Go on, and on, and on. I like that. Consider that fundamental cleared," he nodded, smirking.

[Alistair]

With the eight fundamentals of Krenn Maii put into the conscious, the three standard techniques of the style were his next area of mastery. Kor Koron, Caer Morne, and Krenn Mak. All of these were words written in Haltunga.

"Kor Koron," Kian began, "means devastation of resistance. Kor is destruction, devastation, annihilation; Koron is a fortification of the enemy, a resistance, a barrier. So, the ability Kor Koron of course follows this train of logic. You move in, rush in, whatever... then you... uh... disarm them somehow, and attempt to disable them. I suppose that means perhaps damaging their muscles, like in their arms... I'm not sure yet. I'll have to look at my notes later," he nodded.

Damien, now seated on one of the wooden benches outside of the ranch estate, had written several pages worth of information on the Lotharen style. He and Kian had a very academic method of approaching physical training: they wanted to visualize, understand, enscribe, before actually engaging with the physical tenets of the ability. It made perfect sense for them, the analytical, surgical men that they were.

"Maybe we should... practice it physically?" Kian suggested, thoughtfully. Heresy, but - it was worth a try. He'd learned Shadowdancing with a mixture of analysis and the physical. Interestingly enough, though, in Uthaldria... it made so much more sense to think with your body. He could remember it now, the sort of shuddering feelings that he'd never ever receive again. The wind howling through the knolls sitting around the city; slopes with stone temples, but without pillars or ceilings. Just the body, the wind, the sky. The warmth, the cold, everything was organic. Everything was a part of a singular life form.

It was such enchanted ground, Gauthrel. Oakleigh wasn't the same. This whole area... you could feel a burrowing corruption festering from within. The fate of Sheor followed through the wind, commanding that man and beast alike begone. It was not this way in the Western lands. Just here.

He did love this ranch, this place... the people and their farms. But the land didn't love them. The Kingdom didn't love them. Rynmere was ominous, and oppressive, and dark in quality. There was something about the whole realm, even the island, that sung a much more vicious chord.

"I don't want to stay here for long," he told Damien. "Tomorrow, perhaps, I'll go somewhere else. Fly to Scalvoris, or... somewhere. Etzos, Rharne, Ne'haer. Maybe even Uthaldria again. I just need to go away and see the bustling streets again, without feeling like I'm being hunted like an animal. Rynmere just isn't safe for me anymore... and even the settlements are becoming more and more controlled by the crown," he frowned.

"Of course they are," Damien stated. "The settlements have a history of magic, and unknown. And the people here, the relics of the old Kingdom that once stood, are fearful of magic. The King's move to crack down on it was popular, and has granted him an arm of authority in these lands. Soon enough, they'll be integrated, and the realm will expand. The corruption of your royalty will come with it," he stated.

"And the corruption of the Coven," Kian added. "This land will wilt before long. We definitely need to leave. Let's just make sure we land in the right place," he nodded. The Coven had exiled him, not killed him. He owed that to the bond that he and Ellasin once shared. But even so, they couldn't stray into the wrong corner, or the Necromantress may feel under threat. From this point on, both Damien and his apprentice needed to be utterly safe.

[Alistair]

And so, back to the training it was. Kor Koron, the first technique. Rush, disarm, subdue, damage. With the eight fundamentals channeled into it, it became a lot more complex than just that. Why not rush and then kill? Why not rush, tackle, kill? Why not rush, disarm, kill? It depended on each and every situation. Perhaps you rushed after throwing dirt into their eyes? Perhaps you rushed because they stumbled to the floor in response to a tremor? It didn't matter. Kor Koron was the fundamental of the fundamental; the point was to be fast, effective. Strike and deter their aggression before they could react. Break their arm, punch the blade out of their hand. Whatever.

"Okay, demonstraaaaaate," Damien moaned, wishing for actual application of these techniques to take place. Otherwise, Kian wouldn't really progress.

"To be fair, I've utilized Krenn Maii before. I just didn't know what I was doing... it was instinctual. Now I actually know the name behind the movements, and I know how to direct the movements. Transition them," he explained.

Kor Koron. The first applied form. Kian stood still, beckoning for Damien to follow. The two of them stood tall beneath the glowing sun, and the practitioner of Krenn Maii slid into his stance. "Rush forward. Constrain me. Disarm me, derail the strength within my muscles. You can do it, Kian - first try," Damien nodded, falling into an equal stance, with his grimoire held atop his palm. That was the weapon the mage was meant to disarm.

"Why don't we develop your Krenn Maii differently?" Damien suggested, invoking a curious glance by the Rupturer. "We can develop it to kill mages. We can make you into a mage killer, Kian. You'll know how to kill members of the Coven, and you'll know the strategies that the Ryns will use to kill you. It'll be a long process, but we can write our own style, with Krenn Maii as... a stepping stone. That process can start today," he spoke, the suggestion riveting the noble. That was right. They could develop a tactic to kill mages, after all. Kian's enemies were all mages, weren't they? Almost all of them, at least.

It was prudent. He liked the idea more than he thought he would.

"Fine," he nodded. "We'll call it the Magehunter's Fist. But Ether doesn't necessarily work by pressure points, or any particular muscle. So it won't be so simple as figuring out the right spots to hit," Kian pondered. "How about this--" he began to suggest, "We can... develop it as a style of pure lethality. No defense, no parry or parley, no countermoves. It'll be all about instantaneous death, built to kill mages who aren't so well versed in the martial as I am. How does that sound?" he asked.

Damien nodded in approval. "Let's do it. But first - Kor Koron. Charge me," he beckoned, taking slow and taunting steps to the side, back and forth. He wanted to be beat - to cap off all of the anaylsis and speech with some action. And Kian felt that too. So, with a single push, he threw himself at Damien rapidly.

[Pegasus]

Kian

Overview

Thank you so much for clearing up the query with the NPC for me, and doing so in such a comprehensive and speedy manner. I have to say, I really enjoyed this thread, though I find it very tricky when he's Kian and I know him as Alistair! What I enjoyed here was how I saw the PC I know in the new persona of him - and yet he's changed too. Lovely dialogue, great writing. I really enjoyed how you got the philosophy in there, but I'm also glad that you got the practice too! Thanks for your patience! Enjoy your rewards and do pm me if there's any questions.

Points

XP: 10

Renown: None

Loot

Nope

Knowledge

Unarmed Combat: Krenn Maii: The Sixth Fundamental - Fight on Your Terms
Unarmed Combat: Krenn Maii: The Seventh Fundamental - Everything Is A Weapon
Unarmed Combat: Krenn Maii: The Eighth Fundamental - Never Stop the Aggression
Unarmed Combat: Krenn Maii: Kor Koron, the First Technique
Unarmed Combat: The Magehunter's Fist, Conceptualization
Tactics: Building a fighting style to counter your foe