Combat Training (Open)

'Combat Training. Open to All! All Weapons and Styles Welcome. $20 for Intense Half-Hour Session!'

Dar stared at the sign. It had certainly caught his attention. He wondered who this fighting master was, and why they were offering these combat lessons. Were they truly trying to teach people to defend themselves in this dangerous city? Or were they just short on cash?

He had $20 on him, and he decided to find out the truth. His own fighting skills could use some work. They weren't anywhere near the level he wanted them to be at, and it was time for that to change.

Dar walked into the small, abandoned gymnasium. He was guessing that this combat instructor didn't have official permission to be here, but also that nobody really cared. "Hello?" As he waited for the teacher to show themselves, he placed his large, heavy bag on the floor. It held his greatsword, and he had decided to not show it openly...yet.

Alex Greggory wasn't one too be drawn in by a sign usually, but he was intrigued by what this instructor could possibly have to teach and why they would want to teach it. So he walked in carrying a large knife and a few small throwing knives in his pocket. He saw one other guy there but decided to just ignore him, it wasn't very smart to randomly interact with random strangers, especially not in this town. He instead waited for the combat instructor to arrive.

The instructor, whoever that was, didn't seem to be here. However, another hopeful student entered the gym, waiting for the lesson to begin. The two of them waited for a moment, until Dar thought it was getting silly.

"Maybe he's out to lunch," Dar said. "But there's no reason we can't have a friendly sparring match until he returns."

He picked up a wooden training sword from the floor. There was a mess of practice weapons of all shapes and sizes. Of course, none of them were quite as big as his greatsword, but this was the biggest one, about the size of a longsword, so it would have to do. Besides, his powers were not active right now, so the relative weight of the wooden sword was comparable to his real weapon when he was fighting seriously.

This, however, he wanted to be a friendly sparring match. He needed to improve his fighting skills, and it would be harder to do that if anyone actually got hurt.

Dar smiled at Alex. "What do you say? Shall we go a few rounds?"

Alex looked to the other guy A sparring match? ...sure, why not? he looked around for a weapon he could use, he found a really small wooden sword that was the size of a large knife. He waited for the other guy to start, he held his wooden knife at a horizontal angle pointing away from him and went into a combat stance.

The stranger agreed to a friendly sparring match, and Dar smiled. Alex grabbed a wooden knife, which surprised Dar. It would have much shorter reach than his own weapon, but would make his strikes faster. This would be interesting. Alex took a combat stance and waited for Dar to make the first move. Impressive. He had obviously done some fighting in the past. Well, Dar didn't want to keep him waiting too long.

Holding his wooden sword in both hands, Dar rushed forward and brought his weapon crashing down towards Alex, aiming for his shoulder. He would then thrust the sword twice at Alex's stomach. He wasn't using his powers, so the attacks would only sting if they hit.

Alex wasn't actually that great of a fighter, he'd had enough training from Shawn to know how to hold a knife properly and the proper stance, but that he hadn't actually MASTERED much other techniques. Alex raised his blade to block the shoulder blow, he staggered back slightly, crap, he knew he should of practiced that block more, he knocked the first blow aside, he tried to avoid the second by jumping back out of it's range but he didn't do it fast enough and took it in the stomach slightly. He stepped forward and swung his blade for Dars side.

The tip of Dar's wooden sword managed to touch Alex lightly. It wasn't enough to be a killing blow, though Dar noticed that his opponent had staggered a bit after his first attack.

Alex stepped forward and swung his dagger at Dar. Dar, trying to show off, released his sword with one hand and moved it to intercept Alex's arm. His forearm hit Alex's wrist, stopping the blade from reaching his own side. However, Alex's blade hit Dar's bicep. He frowned. If this was a real fight, his left arm would be crippled now. There was no point in protecting his side with an arm if it cost him the arm.

In retaliation, he punched at Alex's face with his right hand, the hilt of his wooden sword still in his fist.

Alex grunted in satisfaction when his blow hit Dar's shoulder, but grunted in pain when he was punched in the face, he staggered back a few feet Oww! he brandished his knife again and swung it for Dar's neck, then he would follow up with an attempt at stabbing him in the heart.

Dar hoped he hadn't hit his opponent too hard. He didn't want the sparring match to end too soon. Alex recovered quick, though, and moved in for a killing strike. Dar tensed up as he saw the knife coming for his neck. He desperately moved to defend his neck, blocking the wooden knife with his sword. The knife was fast, however, and an instant later Alex jabbed it into Dar's chest.

Dar grunted. "Ouch. That's going to leave a bruise. I yield." Dar set the tip of his sword to the ground and bowed slightly to his opponent. "That was a good fight. You have a lot of potential with that knife. My name is Dar, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

Alex's attack would have killed him if he had been wielding a real dagger. Dar realized just how important combat practice would be. This was a dangerous city. Of course, had his powers been active, a real knife would have posed no threat, but Dar didn't want to rely on his powers. That would only make him weak.

Alex smirked in pleasure, that went well, he was a bit worried when he saw how the guy used that sword but he made it in the end, either this guy sucked or Alex was getting better, preferably the second option. He held out his hand to shake Alex, nice too meet you two

"Our mysterious instructor seems to still be running late. Please, teach me to use a knife. I can certainly see that at some times, it is a far superior weapon. In return, I will teach you to use the sword." Dar smiled. "I'd imagine the best way for us to defend against each others' weapon is to learn how to fight with it. I must learn to deal with your speed, and you must learn to deal with strength."

Dar set his wooden sword on the ground and picked up a wooden dagger instead. It felt strange to hold such a small weapon. The reach was small, so he would have to get in close to hurt his opponent. Its blade seemed far too short and fragile to be of any defensive use. At first impression, the dagger seemed like an inferior weapon to a sword, but Dar had seen differently. "So, how do you hurt someone with this?"

Alex shrugged I myself are still taking lessons, I know the basics like how to hold the knife properly and the proper stance to take, and I know how to swing it properly, but otherwise I just improvised although he could at least try to do it until the instructor came. He wiped some sweat from his brow Okay, first hold the knife like this, hold it horizontally but not completely straight he showed him how to do it.

Alex showed Dar how to hold the knife correctly. Dar took a few practice swings. It felt strange, attacking with such a light weapon. The close distance that he needed to hit someone with such a short blade put him at risk. Dar smiled. His fear of fighting in extreme close quarters was a weakness, one that needed to disappear. The dagger, he realized, became the perfect weapon at short distances, taking advantage of its short blade and the opponent's natural fear.

Dar picked up two swords and handed one to Alex. He showed him how to hold it, with both one and two hands. Going through a few practice swings, he showed Alex proper swordplay technique. He also showed him the proper stance.

"You'll trip if you stand like people normally stand. A wide, firm stance makes sure that you won't get knocked over." He smiled. "Of course, in a fight proper techniques aren't always possible. Circumstances might force you to surrender your stance to gain the advantage. It's good to always be on your toes, ready to react at a moment's notice."

An idea came to Dar's head. "How about a rematch? This time, I'll be using the dagger, and you will have the sword."

Dar took a few steps back and took a defensive stance, waiting for Alex to make his move.

Dagger held the sword, it felt heavy in his hands, sure it had bigger reach, but it did not feel natural, he swung it and it felt too top heavy for his usual fighting style, this was certainly an interesting and new experience for Alex. His interest was piqued by Dar's offer That sounds like a good idea he stepped back a few feet and held his sword like he was shown, then he stepped forward and swung his sword down, aiming to clash it against his head.

Blake had just been passing through the area when she heard the exchange of strikes from on the rooftop. The girl dropped down by the back door and opened it. Curiosity got the best of her, like it did for almost any cat. Walking forward, she stood in the shadows, watching the two spar. They were very sloppy. Blake waited, listening to the two until she finally stepped forward, her footsteps echoing through the gym and her yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. "Both of you are extremely sloppy. You're both in need of some serious help." She said with a chuckle.