Let's Train in 100 Times Gravity

[shineinside]

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.

Comments

[lightlessfuture]

Her silent acquaintance is here, too, mostly sitting on the sidelines - though they've sparred a bit, too. Whether they enjoy it is hard to tell, but they seem to be willingly going back for more, so. Possibly?

Eventually, though, they wander over to Sonje, looking up at her and then looking at the sword, and then drawing their own. It seems like at least one person would like to practice with her.

[quietknight]

Sonje had fallen into a funk, sitting there in the cold, and blinked a few times when someone actually interacted with her. She stared at the nail-like sword the little creature held out to her. "Are you actually a fighter, Kafer?"

[lightlessfuture]

Another firm nod; they slash the sword in the air a few times before presenting it for inspection. Though it's small, it's well cared for; it's worn in the way that shows it's been used many times, through repeated re-forging.

[quietknight]

Sonje hefted it curiously. It was a very strange looking sword (though it was really more like a short sword or maybe even a large dagger for someone of her size.). Her own weapon was plain by comparison.

She handed the small sword back. "This must feel like a land of giants to you. Unless not everyone you knew was quite so small..."

[lightlessfuture]

They shrug and shake their head, taking the sword back and sheathing it. If Sonje seems startlingly big to them - or, indeed, any of this seems startlingly big to them - they don't show it. It seems like they're used to looking up.

They look at her again, and then at the weapons sitting there, then back to her face. They haven't rescinded their offer, that's for sure.

[quietknight]

"You wish for a practice bout, then?"

She couldn't help smile slightly. The little knight was so, well, little, that it was hard to take them entirely seriously. She stood up and dusted herself off, though, before claiming her sword and shield.

[lightlessfuture]

If they had more pride - if pride was something that occurred to them to have - they might have been indignant at that amusement.

As it is, they just nod firmly, choosing an empty space to stand and wait. They rarely mind what people think of them; their actions will speak for them in the only ways they know how.

[quietknight]

To put it bluntly, Sonje didn't take them very seriously. She held up her weapons in a guard position, ready to casually disarm the tiny knight with one movement the moment they attacked.

[lightlessfuture]

Sonje might find this harder to do than she expects; seeing no movement, they spring to aim for her sword, striking with a surprising amount of force for such a tiny creature. There's always somewhere soft to hit on someone bigger, but this isn't a battle of survival; they'll be sporting.

[quietknight]

She fell back a step, quickly recalculating. Since they were child-sized, she had expected the talent of a child as well, but Kafer was far stronger and far faster. Sonje fell back on the defensive, blocking blow after blow on her shield and only counter attacking when she could do so safely.

[lightlessfuture]

They press their advantage, using their small stature to daringly balance on Sonje's shield and sword, or using the knockback to keep themselves airborne; it saves time, rather than jumping up and down from the ground.

After trading blows for what seems like long enough to the knight, they attempt to land a hit on Sonje herself, rather than just her weapons; the sharp little sword lances towards her shoulder as they attempt to push forward once more.

[quietknight]

If she'd taken them seriously from the start, it might have turned out differently. As it was, that dangerous mistake combined with the knight's bizarre way of moving through the air left Sonje unable to properly defend, and eventually they broke through her guard and tagged her shoulder.

[lightlessfuture]

The little bug lands briefly on Sonje's shoulder after they've scored a hit, apparently taking a moment to savour their little triumph before leaping off again.

Then they circle back around to where Sonje can see them, putting their sword in a more defensive position; waiting for Sonje to strike first.

[quietknight]

"Okay then..."

As she starts to focus on the thrill of combat, her quavering voice and nervous body language falls away. She had underestimated Kafer, but wouldn't make that mistake again. Sonje moved forwards against the knight with caution, but also with more confidence. Her shield was at the ready to quickly move into the way of an attack from any direction.

She opened with a lunge. With her significantly larger size, that let her attack from far further away than Kafer could hope to reach. They would have to close the distance to attack, and she didn't intend to let him.