The Art of The Blind Spear [Social/Torvald]

For Ani the last few years have been shaped by the three most important things in her life, her people, her child, and her beasts. In some way or another most actions have been influenced for them, or to help them. However, when she looked back on these three things she often begins to think of the one event and its time period that brought her to where she is now. In the Kou war, Ani came here right before the start of it and it propelled her to found her mercenary corps, to breed more powerful beasts, and even led to the birth of her child. It was because of this that she felt a sort of responsibility to the land, and the people that helped her become the most powerful version of herself, this was the same land where she won her djinn and she was intent on giving back to them all.

Before the war had ever started one of the biggest lifestyle changes from Ani was when she developed her physical skills from raw strength to a refined fighter. Now she had returned to the place where she set the basis for how she had fought for a long time now. Qiang Wushu College, her Shifu had been happy to hear from her and was ecstatic when she offered to come to show how she had grown since then for the other students and warriors of the area.

It was now the day of and the sun had just barely risen but people were already there to visit, outside the school's gate were a few dozens not including the students of the school who would already be inside. Then as the light hit the center of the gate, it opened a short older woman dressed in a teal zhidou pulling the massive door back as it allowed people in. They walked in peacefully, each one passing the same poster, that said the same thing. "One week in Kou at Qiang Wushu College, Ani of The Azure Raiders, a demonstration of traditional Qiang Wushu style, Qiang Long Style, and her personal Primal Dance Style. Come watch the hero of the Kou war, Conqueror of Gamigan, perform The Art of The Blind Spear."

These types of exhibitions had become popular since the end of the war, not for the bloodsport, but for the charity as most of the schools used the money from snacks and other such things like the vendors that lined up to help with the reconstruction. It was a popular thing, but they often went on for hours with other shows besides main events which would also happen multiple times at different hours of the day. With it bringing a good amount of money to a good cause Ani was sure to be there first thing in the morning as people started to walk in, standing around the stage which was a cleared training area and where people likely sparred. With the campus of the school being incredibly wide there was plenty of vacant space around the stage for people to stand or sit so they could watch as Ani walked out.

A towering figure, two meters tall dressed in a deep indigo changpao walked from the doors of the school her azure hair pulled back into a bun with some of her locks hanging over her vacant, faded rose eyes. She was big, not only tall but built like someone who spent their life fighting against the world made ever so evident by the scar on her eye and the multitude on her hands. In a quiet yet powerful stride, she took the center place of the stage getting on her knees before a simple wooden spear that was placed before her. It was clear at that moment she sat on her knees listening and waiting as people came in.

In the land of Kou, the spear is a traditional weapon of great repute. The stock weapon of choice for nearly every soldier, granting a nigh immeasurable advantage to even everymen, it was little wonder that it was a respected tool of war. Of course, a tool with such a low skill floor for accessiblity was feared in the hands of anyone who could rightly lift it, yet the skill ceiling, at which one could be considered a master, was miles and miles higher than what was necessary to merely utilize such a spear.

Among the few dotting the world that might consider themselves masters of the spear, there once walked a mercenary by the name of Torvald, and he was but one of many dangerous warriors that could have on their side of a war, if one had the coin to hire the band of cutthroats with whom he walked most of his life.

However, that story ended years ago.

Abandoned by his mercenary family after a career-ending injury, the Torvald that struck fear into hearts of enemies almost as quickly as the lightning-fast thrusts struck his spear into their hearts, had been retired since that fateful day. In his languishing and idleness, his grasp of the art was diminished to something resembling a rookie.

The circumstances in which the mysterious 'Torvald of Kou' emerged into the annals of history were speculatory at best, however, such a spearman walked among the citizens of this nation foreign even to him. Despite living here a few years, he hadn't truly explored the place, experienced its ways but for a mere week before injury took him to bed.

For such an individual, the allure of a renowned warrior's spearplay was simply irresistable. At this 'Qiang Wushu College', a noteworthy veteran of the recent (if years can be considered such) Kou War was putting on a week-long performance – 'Ani of the Azure Raiders' performing the 'Art of the Blind Spear'. Apparently she was the height of handicapability in Kou, as circumstances stripped away her vision, and yet she still fended for herself with finesse using a spear.

Apparently she was also a dungeon capturer, which Torvald considered an especially daring and commendable feat, since he'd seen many ambitious peers tackle such challenges and never return. Nonetheless, what he was interested in was her spearplay. What he didn't know until very recently was that she wasn't a Kou Native, and was instead an Imuchakk who fought in the war. Her story mirrored his own quite eerily, yet instead of faltering and succumbing to her injuries like he had, she pushed forward.

With great interest and much introspection did he appear amidst the crowd viewing the spectacle of the evening, equipped with his own spear, of course. There was no point in spectating a master of the spear if he didn't intend to internalize their moves as soon as possible afterwards.