lifeaftr | Let's Train in 100 Times Gravity

Entry tags:

Let's Train in 100 Times Gravity

Who: Anyone who wants to come by! Tag in, thread with Yuka, thread with each other, whatever you want.
What: Combat training/practice.
When: Sunset, each night for a week minimum.
Where: East end of Islet 1.
Warnings: Possible blood if things get out of hand, implied 80s training montage songs

Yuka chose this location because the ground was level, there was enough space for people to move around, and nobody was really using it for anything else. No wild beasts, no fish people to disturb, no strange psychological effects... the ideal place for people to gather for an hour or two and get some good-natured fighting in. The snow on the ground wasn't ideal, she supposed, but that stuff was everywhere, so they'd just have to make do. It'd probably be snowing during the invasion, anyway.

Each evening, as the sun inched towards the horizon, Yuka set her other tasks aside to come out and wait. Jug of wassail sitting at the edge of the space, bundled in warm clothes and scarves, Yuka paced, wondering if this was really going to be worth the time. Are there people willing to spend that much time to train others when there's so much else that needs doing? Can someone even learn enough to make a difference in this little time? For that matter, are these shadow monsters something you can even fight with your fists? If nothing else, it would be good to do some physical activity in just to get her mind to stop going in circles.

For those who arrived early, there would be less to do, but even just talking through what different fighting skills people had would be useful for later on. Once more people arrived, those who use similar weapons could work together, and those with more combat experience could work with those with less. Or, people who know each other or are curious about each other's abilities could seek each other out for a sparring match.

So: Fight, teach, learn, take breaks, drink, chat. Bring your own wassail if you can - Yuka's can only stretch so far.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The advantages of a live opponent are as varied as the drawbacks. The lizard woman with whom they had dueled over a bonfire on one of the islets was wise in making the commentary that she did, as they cannot be wholly certain that such sparring would be bereft of risk.

It is fitting that they address that now, as well.

potential risk of injury

Potential risk that they can ill afford, at a time of preparation like this.

They have a point. The Drifter could easily slice off the Batter's limbs while it was possible he could crack open their skull. An extreme, certainly, but something to keep in mind.

However. "I am capable of healing us and I can revive you if you are knocked out."

Perhaps that came as a byproduct of something created to win. The Batter was set up with skills that allowed him powerful attacks, the ability to heal and revive the dead, even if the latter had been suppressed somewhat in this place. But with Omega now by his side, the Batter's ability to heal those injured had expanded and Alpha made him more powerful. The loss of Epsilon is still felt but is currently something he's been turning over in his mind.

But all that aside, there's another point. "And if you do not wish to fight me, my Add-Ons are capable."

He'll point to the two glowing rings in question.

"Add-Ons." The Drifter tilts their head to survey the white bands of light curiously. So they are not, then, a direct analogue to their own sprite - they are capable of combat, even if they do not look it. It is curious enough to pique their interest, if nothing else.

It leaves them a sufficient window to ask, because it has now become relevant:

define add on

Edited 2018-01-12 14:44 (UTC)

"They are beings that aid me in combat." Which confirms what the Drifter is thinking. "Alpha is capable of using physical abilities and debilitating while Omega can cure others of infections and has its own way of attacking."

They're both fairly powerful and go well with his own attack skills, along with giving the Batter and the Puppeteer more choices in combat. And yes, the Batter is aware there's nothing to physically tell them apart. He can, but that may be because of what he was.

There's a difference in the perspectives of a hot, rough and cracked road with a single flower poking out of it and a sky cleared of everything that could do one harm but was filled with fear, after all.

Beings. The Batter is not the most verbose person and therefore not the most descriptive, but the Drifter is content with even that minimalist explanation. They need not have much more than that. Whether it be technology or sorcery or some other aspect, it is clear that both beings are possessed of their own unique abilities.

Their appearance is keyed to “tool,” and so they assume - tool.

debilitating how

It pays to check; they don’t need to be debilitated any further than they already are.

He may be, but that is also the only way to describe them. Even the Batter did not know the full extent of what the Add-Ons were. They were found in each Zone and felt like the opposite side of each Guardians' souls under the purifier's skin.

He looked and they stared back.

"Poison, blindness, silence and paralyzing. Omega is capable of curing those things in turn, among other things." Almost like Alpha and Omega were the opposite side of the same coin. Which made acquiring them useful. One could shut the enemy down and the other could cure things inflicted onto the Batter when the Puppeteer couldn't or wouldn't do so.

"They won't use those things if you do not wish to experience it." And the Batter isn't going to spring it on the Drifter if they don't want it.

A small shiver chases their spine, but they cast aside the chill quickly. Each of those things they have a familiarity with in some form or another - some more intimate. “Silence” would hardly lay the Drifter low at all, now, would it? They already have poison in their blood, body, and soul.

Still, when your arsenal is limited, to lose even one skill is to be unforgivably hobbled in battle. Those drawbacks cannot be afforded.

Those inflictions are not unlike what the illness seeping in their bones can inflict, given time. What the Immortal Cell would inflict on those it wished to see suffer.

how do they fight

The Drifter will revive an answer but not from the Batter. Not vocally anyways, as he tends to not bother in these situation. Actions always spoke louder then words.

Alpha, seemingly without input from the purifier, moves away from the group so it has some space. Imagining a specter floating in the empty air a good feet from it, he mentally commands it to attack.

The Add-On zips forward, not as fast as the Drifter themselves but at a decent clip. The light that it seems to be made up of is furiously bright and the action is repeated a few times before Alpha suddenly stops on a dime and returns to the Batter.

"Like that." Simple. Naturally when commanding all three it gets a little complicated, but the Puppeteer and the Batter both learned over the course of the journey how to handle combat.

A physical maneuver, then. The Drifter nonetheless braces for the impact, even if it does not come; instinct commands them in battle, and instinct cannot be ignored, even in an otherwise peaceful scenario.

The Drifter evens their blade out across one gloved palm with a brilliant cerulean glow, bobbing their head.

ok
you
or add ons

The Batter turns his head slightly to face the Add-Ons. Whatever 'conversation' that is shared between the three of them quickly comes to a conclusion before he answers.

"I will." It makes a few things easier to keep track of. Besides, as important as it was for the Add-Ons to be usable, the Batter could not forget about himself. One cannot function without the other. And with the Puppeteers no longer by his side it was up to the Batter himself to keep an eye on everything.

That being said, it may not seem like much considering his weapon is a metal baseball bat. But hey, it's better then nothing.

"If there is something in particular you wish to try, let me know."

not yet
you?

They've yet to truly interact with the Batter in a combative sense. They will have to remember to be careful; to blunt their blows and strike only with the flat of the blade. Their style of battle relies on avoiding being hit at all, but avoiding truly hitting an opponent is still a foreign practice.

Severs-the-Threads has given them minute experience where that is concerned, at least.

"I have not fought someone with a weapon like yours before." So simply fighting will be an experience. Certainly the Batter has fought someone with a blade before - that child comes to mind - but not a long one by any means. He's already thinking of how to keep out of its range while still staying within his own's weapon's range to land a hit.

It'll be tricky, especially considering the Drifter's apparent speed. And the Batter is in the same place regarding landing hits designed to not inflict fatal injuries. But perhaps if he treated this the same way he did with the baseball game, it should be fine.

The Add-Ons move away to give the two combatants room. Naturally no interference will come from them unless something goes horribly, horribly wrong but it should not come to that. Keeping a few thoughts in mind, the Batter raises his weapon.

"Whenever you are ready."

A sparring match, a spat in the sand for a bet in a world without an economy - the end result is the same. They learn something new by engaging in new opponents. It will take numerous tries, trial and error. They will fail - of this they have little doubt - and they do not have a jackal god to pick them up again when they falter. They have a Storyteller who rouses them in a different way and with sharper consequences.

If all goes well, it will not come to that.

The Drifter hums forward in a blur of motion with the flat of their blade swung wide in a clearly telegraphed arc.

It's the same way. The Batter and Omega had the skill to revive the dead but it was useless without the Puppeteer to command either of them to use it, back in his world. But with them, there was no consequence and so his deaths became inconsequential.

And then it didn't matter when they reached the end. But now the Batter was here and death was supposed to have meaning. He's...working on feeling the same way.

But now's not the time for those idle thoughts. The Batter does have to put effort into ignoring his instincts to swing back as hard as he can and instead dodges to the side. While he can't boast the same speed as the Drifter does, he's still pretty fast.

And speaking of, that speed seems to be the Drifter's greatest strength so far. After all the enemy can't hit someone if they're too fast to be hit. Alpha's abilities to induce blindness or paralyzation in someone would be very useful here if this was a real fight.

It's not, so it's just something to keep in mind. In an effort to test and see if the Drifter truly relied on the strategy of getting in quick strikes before backing off, the Batter will try to keep close with a few good telegraphed swings of his bat. When it came down to it, his weapon was fairly simple so there's no special tricks to it.

But it's also clear that he's deliberately avoiding areas that could really hurt the Drifter. After all, the Batter was also someone who didn't toy around with his enemies and went in for the kill as soon as possible. Here he can't quite do that.

It is true; they are fast. That is the one credit they have to their style of combat. Predicting the arcs of his bat as it whooshes across the space between them allows for sufficient time to dart easily away. Their reactions are somewhat slowed, when they shoot forward again, careful to measure their strikes so they are not carving a wide, cyan arc across and through a great beast with the intent to kill.

Fortunately, they are not strong enough to imbue a truly lethal strike behind the whacking of the flat of a hard light blade against someone's thighs or knees, which is what they aim for now. They can only chip away at an exterior until eventually the creature dies from a thousand cuts, worrying it beyond belief. Only the smallest and weakest of them will fall to their blade at once, and even then, the Drifter themself is fragile enough to die by any one of their hands or teeth or claws, if they are not careful.

Their pool of vitality is so limited, after all.

The Drifter's strikes do hit but if they were blessed with speed, the Batter was gifted with endurance and he keeps pressing forward. Battles in his own world could take hours and the Guardians much longer. Enoch comes to mind. The Puppeteer had been in charge of guiding him through it but without them it was up to him. And he was not inept in combat.

His enemy's advantage was speed and the Batter could be considered the slower one between the two of them. The Drifter has probably picked up that the purifier's' style was to get in and immediately shut down his opponents. He was not using his own Competences because this was a mock battle, but as he explained, Alpha could easily bind and blind someone while the Batter went in for the kill and Omega could stop that happening in reverse.

But the Batter wasn't against changing strategies if needed. He suddenly backs off, not to call the match off but to make the Drifter come to him if they wanted to attack. The Batter will block as best as he can but it seems he's more interested in dodging.

Let's see how well the Drifter deals when someone who is proficient at enduring damage decides to play an endurance game.

They do, indeed, elect to shoot after him and press against the perceived retreat while they can. The Batter is implacable, apparently counting on being able to tank the hits as they come. That manner of strategy would never function where the Drifter is concerned, but others of their world could implement it with great success. The Hierophant, the Hanged Man, the Hermit - all had been capable of enduring hit after hit without faltering.

The primary indication of when they were growing close to cutting them down for good was the increase of the risk; how fiercely their attacks would redouble in power and speed.

This is not the case, yet. The Drifter's blows are light taps, flurrying, intended to build to something untenable over time.

The Batter's perception of himself was not of an invincible being. Certainly he had choked the life out of a world but that did not mean that between the man, the monster and himself the purifier was immortal. He got back up again and again thanks to the Puppeteer. Without them, he would and did die.

This was a mock fight where death should be something to be avoided. However that meant the Batter's usual strategy was out. He could heal them both but it was probably best not to need it at all to begin with. So time to change things up.

He suddenly starts to press forward once again, increasing the speed of his strikes to try and match the Drifter blow for blow. His attacks may seem random to begin with but they are targeted. Particularly they're aimed at the Drifter's sword arm to see what it would take to make the other drop the weapon.

But that's not the only trick he's going to pull. If the Drifter continues with their current strategy, then he will eventually drop to the ground and lash out with a foot, trying to knock them off balance. He can't blind the Drifter but he sure can try and keep them on their toes.

They do not drop their weapon. When the Batter switches to the offensive, so does the Drifter flick to the defensive and evasive; after the first few strikes manage to bruise the edges of their arms and come far too close to their helm and sustaining genuine damage, they start to wheel back.

They are nothing if not adaptive. If they are aware that the Batter's strategy is intent on disarming them, they do not show it, nor do they relinquish their hold on their weapon. When his foot darts out to tangle into their legs, it drops them in an uncoordinated spill and tumble.

It does not floor them for long; they keep the momentum and convert it into a roll that staggers them to their feet in a manner of seconds.

It's pretty clear both of them are adaptive and willing to shift things around depending on what their enemy does. There would likely be differences when faced with more then a one-on-one fight but the Drifter has enough flexibly to roll with whatever the Batter dishes out.

There is one thing, potentially, that could take them off guard. But the Batter had deliberately provoked a shift in perspectives once before and would not do it again. It...well, he's still trying not to think about waking up from a campfire dream and desperately trying to suppress the panic that bubbled up from his throat. Not again.

So back to it. The Drifter clearly isn't going to drop their weapon so disarming them was probably an exercise in futility unless the Batter stopped holding back and aimed to break their wrist, which he won't. His trick did cause them to fall but again, the Drifter was back on their feet in a matter of seconds.

Clearly they were used to people trying to pull the same thing. So for the moment the Batter is simply going to continue his attacks while he observes how the Drifter plans on moving forward from here. He can't keep it up forever but the Drifter can't play at defense forever either.

Make your move.

Defense, no. Evasion?

They can dodge forever, it seems, or something very near to it. The breath strains in their throat after a time, but their movements are still unflinching, unhesitating. The longer the Batter presses his assault, the fewer and farther between their answering blows become, until gradually they cease entirely.

Their focus is now devoted wholly and utterly on anticipating the next strike, and swerving to avoid it.

Once again, it boils down to simply being unable to hit the Drifter. Normally the Batter was not one to play fair in a fight. He had identified a few weaknesses within the other: without sight the Drifter could not block him unless they knew how to rely on their hearing for the duration and paralyzation would cripple their reliance on speed. While this was not a fight where someone would 'win', it still paid to know these things even if you had no plans on using them.

But at the same time the Batter was rapidly starting to learn some weaknesses of his own. Still, now was not the time to devote all his thoughts on it.

The Drifter was focusing on simply dodging his swings so he needed another plan. His strikes slow and he backs off for a moment, again trying to get the Drifter to come to him rather then the other way around. It's true the Batter is getting slower and it's likely he's not going to last much longer but that's not all he's planning. If the Drifter presses forward attacking, the purifier will wait until the last second to block...

with his bare hand. And no, he doesn't care if it catches the sharp end. It's a cheap trick but if a deliberate attempt to attempt to harm himself puts them off guard, he'll take it. Here we go.

It's true, that when presented with an opportunity to strike, they will gladly take it. They've not encountered opponents cunning enough to make use of tactics such as parrying a blade with a bare hand. The Drifter draws back at once, startled, their combative posture immediately folding into one of concern. The blade disappears in the folds of their cloak, and their blue strip of skin curves down into an anxious frown.

They didn't mean to hurt. They didn't mean to hurt. That isn't their intention. They didn't mean to hurt.

hurt?

The Batter has to immediately silence the urge to keep going because the Drifter was presenting him a clear opportunity to kill them. He's never been above taking those moments of vulnerability to kill someone if needed. So instead he just breathes.

"I am fine." Of course there's a nasty welt across the palm of the Batter's hand when he holds it up for the Drifter to see, since it's pretty obvious they're worried. But he can heal that in a minute. "I intended for that to happen."

So it's nothing to worry about. If he had caught the sharp end of the Drifter's blade then it would be his fault his trick failed. That's all.

why

The question is immediate. Why. Why? They didn't intend to hurt someone unduly. If they'd known that the strain was going to require that he parry the blade by hand, they would have stopped. He is a seasoned war, they know, they understand, but their intention is not to hurt those who do not intend to hurt them.

That is never their intention. That is never their intention.

No matter how many sticks and fists and rocks are raised against them, they will never raise their blade in turn.

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