Passing of Knowledge [Job - Garret]

If you could find a place that was nothing but open plain in Reim, you could consider yourself lucky. The country was full of cities and towns and places like this were rather hard to come by. However, our friendly neighborhood assassin was able to find one of these places. He comes to the spot often and uses it whenever he wants to sit with his thoughts or train his art. Today was a day to reflect on his thoughts more. His father was still around apparently. He even has spies watching Bahir's movements. Why would he do that though? Why wouldn't he just come and see his son for himself?! Bahir didn't dwell too long on that subject, thankfully. He needed to figure out how to make himself more effective.

While in his meditation, the fanalis remembered the fight in Ostia. There was a man that he fought alongside that was an exceptional warrior in his eyes. There was a particular scene that replayed over and over in his mind. The man threw something while on the field that created a thick smoke cloud that allowed him to take his opponents by surprise and end them sooner. Bahir didn't pay it much attention then, but now that he thought about it, it was a very unorthodox method for a standard soldier. Garret... Bahir's eyelids lifted slowly and a grin stretched across his face. Well.. Lagi DID want me to find a mentor... The fanalis travelled back to his home to write a letter to be sent to the man. It would ask for him to meet with Bahir in the open field that Bahir was meditating in.

---

The next day, Bahir was standing out in the middle of the field, watching the clouds pass by. Mentally, he wasn't paying too much attention to the clouds' movements. He was focusing more on the sounds around him, listening for the approach of any man or beast.... It was also a plus that the sound of the wind rushing through the blades of grass was soothing to him.

Word Count: 346/1500

Garret had received the letter from Bahir, and contemplated it for a brief period of time. He knew that Lagi had requested he provide some training for the man. Training that would provide him useful capabilities as a bodyguard. With this in mind, Garret geared up for the excursion; two blades, strapped to his left hip. The short staff which he used for magic, the Exuro Staff, was strapped to his back with the end of it hovering over his right shoulder. A pair of bandoliers adorned the man's body, one of which was worn as a belt while the other was draped from the top right shoulder to the bottom left hip. Within the pouches were a variety of smoke bombs and flash bombs. Garret left both his shield and his umbrella behind, neither of which were going to be necessary for the training ahead.

Garret grabbed his Jingasa hat, placing it on his head, and jumped onto a horse. The ride was a long one, as the man wanted to do his training in secret. That is my preferred method as well... So I suppose this works out, then. Garret watched as the scenery went by and the city of Remano slowly faded to the background. The wind threatened to blow the hat off of Garret's head, but it was firmly in place thanks to a strap that kept it there. Encouraging the horse onwards, Garret made it to the field in good time just a few moments after Bahir had gotten there. Spring was in force, and the vibrant color of the field of grass attested to its vitality.

The man was looking up at the sky as the clouds passed by, but it seemed that he was paying close attention to his surroundings, as well.

Garret dismounted from the horse, taking his Jingasa hat off and placing it on the saddle of the beast as he searched for a nearby tree to strap the horse up to. Once finished, he would formally greet Bahir. "I received your letter. Emperor Lagi has also requested I assist you in your training as a military personnel. I think he said something about bodyguard business?" Garret couldn't quite recall. He wanted to say training as part of the Royal Guard, but he didn't remember Lagi actually mentioning the Royal Guard when they spoke. Garret watched Bahir's reaction.


OOC:

Word Count: 400/1500

Word Count: 611/1500

The blue magician watched as Bahir bowed, an eyebrow perking up as he returned the gesture just as deeply as Bahir. He was slightly surprised to see his people's traditions used by the man, but he recognized that Bahir was wrong about one of two things. Either the man thought Garret held a social position higher than his own, or he was unaware that bowing so deeply was reserved for those who have high standing. The magician listened to Bahir's introduction patiently. The man confessed only slight experience in a militant setting. His desire to learn more was apparent, not only from his letter, but also from Lagi's request upon his behalf. "I see... We should begin with a brief spar, then, to ascertain your skill level. Once completed, we will see where you need the most improvement at, and what kind of suggestions I can provide. If you have any ideas, as well, but aren't sure how to execute them, let me know. Oh... And one last thing. You may ignore formalities with me, I'm not an important individual."

Taking several steps away from the Fanalis, Garret drew his sword, Desceld, and held it in a ready position. The distance between the two was a total of ten meters; a jump that could be cleared in a matter of seconds. He studied his opponent carefully, preparing for the potential flurry of combat to come.

OOC:

Word Count: 637/1500

Word Count: 945/1500

Bahir came at Garret with an unorthodox weapon; a three-section-staff. The weapon was similar to a nun-chaku, though it had a few differences that one had to be careful of. The reach, as well as the moving angles of attack. One could block a strike from it and, clashing against the mid section, still be struck by one of the ends. Using his experience to his advantage, Garret did his best to dodge Bahir's blows, moving to the side and ducking beneath others. The magician had a few close calls where he was nearly struck by the Fanalis. He managed, however, to deflect those as well. At this point, Garret began to press his attack towards Bahir. He fought systematically, studying Bahir's movements and striking in a manner that attempted to guide Bahir's thoughts to a forced rhythm. Garret intended to create a bias in the Fanalis' defensive pattern that the blue magician could later exploit.

As their spar went on, Garret found the opening he was looking for and took advantage of it, striking Bahir with a non-lethal blow that forced the bodyguard-in-training back a few feet. He stopped, watching as Bahir gathered himself and commentated on the last thing Garret had said to him. Smiling, the magician shook his head. "My skills are simply a product of my environment. You will become much better than I, given the same amount of experience." There was not much that Garret could tell Bahir, insofar as instructions for his particular weapon. Instead, the man provided general advice. An explanation on what he could look for in body movements, a few tricks on how to create rhythms of attacks against an opponent and then switch it in order to trick their muscle memory and score a blow. He requested Bahir spar with him in slow motion to demonstrate a few of the concepts, but impressed upon the man that his own intuition and training would be what guided and provided the best of his own strengths. The primary difference was simply experience.

After discussing these topics with Bahir, Garret had a question to pose the man, broaching the topic of whether he had inquiries. "Do you have any ideas that you wanted to test out, or any questions to pose on anything in particular?" His blade no longer in use, the man had sheathed it. He patiently awaited Bahir's response.

OOC:

Word count: 1037/1500

Word Count: 1265/1500

Garret listened to both of Bahir's requests before considering what to do with them. His request for information pertaining to smoke bombs made sense; in the event that he was required to smuggle Lagi from a scene, they would prove to be quite valuable. Their creation wasn't very difficult, either. It was the second question that caught him off-guard, though he supposed it shouldn't have. Garret had no intention of passing along Hasan's teachings to the Fanalis, even though he was providing combat training to the man. He was more along the lines of a tutor-for-hire, which meant their relationship wasn't so much a 'Student and Master' relationship as it was a transaction meant for Bahir's preparation towards becoming a capable combatant that could effectively ward off danger and protect the Emperor.

Not wanting to waste time, Garret confirmed his willingness to teach Bahir the use of smoke bombs, setting aside the topic of swordsmanship for a later point when he had ample time to mentally delve into the subject further. "Let's begin by talking about the smoke bombs. They're somewhat simple, and though the procurement of its materials would normally be difficult... Your position should allow you an ease of access." Garret carefully removed one of his smoke bombs from his bandolier, slowly breaking it down so as the reagents did not mix. He explained the function of the different powders and liquids that could be used for a smoke bomb, and provided a few demonstrations with those he held on him. He paused for questions from Bahir about the purposes of the individual reagents, answering questions and following up with recaps on what they covered once their discussion was completed.

"Now, as for operating within them... That is much more difficult. Without a magical tool that detects those around you, there are only observational context clues that could help you. You can extrapolate and figure out where a person might be based on where they were before you threw the bomb... Also, most powerful attacks move quickly, and this speed is sure to cause the smoke to move. Using that, you can determine the direction and scope of an attack that is moving through an area of smoke to a certain degree." He raised a warning forefinger towards Bahir, however, adding an additional statement to the explanation. "While plausible, this is not the greatest way to handle it. You should avoid fighting in the smoke if you don't have a magical tool for detecting others." There were other ways that one could fight blindly, but they did not readily enter Garret's mind, at first.

"Ah. As a Fanalis, you might have a bit better senses than a normal human. Taking that into account, if you stretch your senses and listen as well as watch, you might be able to operate successfully even under those conditions."

OOC:

Word count: 1518/1500

Bahir raised an eyebrow as Garret retrieved a small ball from the strap that he kept around his torso. The fanalis was curious as to the contents of the item for only a moment. Garret, as though he read Bahir's mind, began to dissect the small ball, revealing the contents. So these are the chemicals used for the smoke bombs, huh? Bahir thought to himself as he tried to identify and memorize the compounds. He did have to admit, he believed the contraptions would be much more complicated than this. Thankfully, Garret was rather thorough in his explanations. The spy watched as the man before him grabbed another of the smoke bombs from his bandolier. Garret explained a bit more before showing the fanalis by throwing the smoke bomb and creating the thick clouds of smoke. Bahir didn't question the lecture on the smoke bomb reagents. He figured that Garret wouldn't lead him astray and decided to bank on the man's words.

Next came the fighting within the clouds of smoke. As the smoke drifted away with the occasional breeze that swept over the field the men were training on. When the smoke finally cleared, it was time for Garret's explanation of fighting within the smoke clouds. The main thing that someone could get from the lecture was, in fact, don't do it. Its more of a distraction huh? Alright, that'll work. The fanalis thought to himself as the Kou man in front of him concluded. Or at least, Bahir thought he was done. Before he could change the subject, Garret had mentioned Bahir's racial traits: his heightened senses.
Word Count: 1536/1500

---

Bahir took the man's words to heart and the methods of the smoke bombs to his memory. He couldn't wait to try and construct the smoke bombs while Garret was there with him to hopefully be critiqued on his methods. Bahir took one of the throwing spikes from his hip and snapped it in half for a moment. Using the end of one of the spike halves, Bahir began to hollow out the one half of the spike. He switched the halves and hollowed out the other half of the spike. Hmm.. I think this will be enough space. Now to just fill each end with the reagents like Garret had them in the two halves of that bomb. Bahir carefully filled the ends and slid a small, thin barrier between the two so that the reagents wouldn't mix in the spike until he wanted.

Bahir carefully connected the two halves of the throwing spike with some thread that he pulled from his cloak. The assassin sat there for a moment, fiddling with the thread and two halves. He had to start over a few times due to the three items not wanting to cooperate with him. He finally tied the halves together in a way that they held together. He was no where near satisfied with what was in front of him, but it was all that he could do at the moment. He grabbed the spike and stood, aiming for a spot that he could give the spike a good test. He aimed for something closer to them, knowing that the thread wouldn't hold long enough for the spike to actually travel a decent distance from the two men. Bahir threw the spike and watched as the hollowed out instrument shattered, allowing the reagents to mix and create a smoke cloud.
Training Count (Smoke Spike): 300/250

During the time Garret's advice and assistance was not needed for the construction of Bahir's device, the blue magician worked on shaping a pair of wooden blades with life magic, out of Bahir's sight. The edges were rounded, though the wood made from his magic was that of hardwood. Any honest effort of harming somebody with the 'false blades' in question would cause them to shatter, though they were sturdy enough to do simple sparring and form training with. Placing his staff back upon his back, Garret rounded the tree in time to see Bahir test out the first of his smoke bombs.

The manner in which Bahir had created his own personal tools of utility was an interesting sight to behold. It was not a means of which he was familiar with, but their application was an interesting one. Other ideas came into consideration from witnessing the thrown spike burst into smoke. The blue magician threw one of the wooden swords to the ground by Bahir. "I am unable to teach you a style, however if it's experience and general advice you want, I can provide that through sparring."

The man took stance and waited for Bahir to pick up the blade. He began with a variety of simple strikes to the air, asking Bahir to perform similar ones and explaining the individual strengths and weaknesses of blade placements in battle; the further drawn back it was, the longer it took to strike an opponent but the more force that was behind it. Keeping the blade at the ready between one's self and their opponent kept pressure on the enemy. When clashing with an opposing blade, use the flat end in order to deflect the attack and keep your sword's edge from dulling. Use the cross guard appropriately, and be aware that during a clash the opponent's sword could slide down your own. The shower of advice ranged to various topics before Garret was ready to spar with the Fanalis.

Certainly he spoke so much that it would be difficult to keep all of the advice in mind, but Garret was ready to continue on with other days of training as well, if it were necessary. Raising the wooden sword, Garret began with a downward slash which, if left unhindered, would strike Bahir's noggin.

OOC:

Social Ability:

Bahir began his defensive maneuvering by using his superior mobility to position himself more favorably. Mentally, the magician assessed Bahir's decisions. His choice in moving farther than necessary was most likely due to the man being more used to a different variety of weapons that made such a movement second nature. The Fanalis, though novice to the blade, did not show himself as a pushover when they were sparring earlier.

Garret nodded to himself as the attack came in. The fact that the sword was made of wood would prove to be a deterrent to the Fanalis man; he would be unable to use his full strength, due to the chance that it would break his weapon. With that in mind, Garret was confident that he would be okay parrying the blade head-on. In a sword fight, one of the more irritating and difficult strikes to deal with were those that came in from the sword-arm's side, aimed at waist level and below. Garret swung his sword down in a counter-clockwise motion, changing the direction of the 'edge' so it would not collide with the 'edge' of Bahir's sword. Keeping a close eye on Bahir's movements, Garret immediately locked blades with the Fanalis and positioned his blade's hilt to keep Bahir's weapon from clearing along its natural path to the Fanalis' right.

At the same time, Garret crossed the length of his wooden blade beneath Bahir's and began moving the sword in a circular motion. The blade continued to circle around his opponent's, over and over again, working against Bahir's grip. Garret performed Floating Disarm in an attempt to disarm the Fanalis and fling the blade a distance away...


OOC:

Magoi/Stamina: 340/350

Abilities Used:

Training Count (Juke): 370/250
Stamina: 130/160

Garret was not expecting Bahir's movement, and was slightly behind on following the man's course. Bahir had grabbed the blade and was already moving back to attack Garret a second time. ... Fast. I should expect as much from a Fanalis, but that burst of speed is beyond simple strength. Only those who practice are able to obtain such a level right out of the gate... The magician only had enough time to turn around. It was not quite enough to position his sword in such a manner as to defend against the oncoming attack. That left him with only a few options available.

With the blade coming in from Garret's right, he burst to the left in a orbiting motion with Stepping Stones, taking a total of 2 steps. While these steps were being taken, Garret's wooden blade was moving simultaneously. It was not much of a wind-up for his attack, but Garret was not exactly concerned with getting extra power behind the attempted strike. It would move from a diagonal angle above. If all went well, Garret would find himself behind Bahir with his wooden sword stopped short of the Fanalis' neck...

OOC:

Magoi/Stamina:[b] 320/350

Abilities Used:

Bahir had paused when Garret had made his movement, circling around the warrior's position. The Fanalis man slowly turned, conceding the match and taking a step away before bowing. Garret brought his blade down towards Bahir's shoulder, stopping once more just a few centimeters from his body. "Don't bow, Bahir. You're opening yourself up to attacks." A man who was aiming to be the blade and shield of another should, he believed, keep their senses peeled for threats.

Though, Garret supposed, even he had occasions where his guard was down.

Bahir commented upon Garret's speed, and requested the ability to call upon Garret for additional training in the future. "Just two things I would like to explain; that was not a usual speed that I can sustain. Footwork, and extra effort, allows everyone the ability to move their positioning in a much faster manner. Also, the technique I used for disarming; make sure to keep your wrist loose, and your grip firm. A stiff wrist, or a light grip, will make it far easier for people to disarm you while using a sword. More skilled individuals could duplicate the technique on less... Conventional weapons. But, as you've said, you wish to retire for the evening so we shall call it a day from here." Nodding towards Bahir, Garret provided the man some contact details, and would be willing to answer a few questions before approaching his horse and leaving.


OOC:

[exit]

-EXIT-