melodiesoflife | Lessons in fighting

Entry tags:

Lessons in fighting

Who: Duster, Open
What: Duster is giving out hand-to-hand combat training
Where: Aqures Ixen, Hero Training Facility
When: June 16
Warnings: None for now

[Duster wakes up surprisingly early this morning. The recent battles he went on and the news yesterday about the murders must have messed up his sleep cycle, and now he's waking up in the morning like a normal person. Huh. He finds that his shoulders are too tense and his mind unfocused to go out and earn money through battles, so today has to be a resting day. For a moment, he thinks of practicing the double bass all day, but a letter he forgot to clean off of his desk grabs his attention.

Ah. That's right. He promised Chrom to teach some lessons at the training center. Now that's something he can focus on instead.

Anyone arriving at the training center will find a handwritten sign by the entrance, words written neatly and spaced out like a poem:]

Self Defense Classes
Learn martial arts from Duster
Taught here all day today.

[There's an extra syllable at the end, but no one on the Nowhere Islands can write a proper haiku.

Duster can be found in one corner of the grounds, kicking a leather dummy. Each of his strikes hits the target in a regular, focused fashion, as if Duster is making sure he keeps a steady beat.]

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...What?

[If he were familiar with such things, he'd point out that it sounds like video game logic. He's never heard of anything like this before, but it's fascinating if that's true. He's not going to discount it in any case.]

How do you know the way an enemy's heart is beating?

[Video game logic is the answer for many battle techniques.]

You don't, unless you put them to sleep. The best way is to listen to the rhythm of the battle and strike at the moments that feel right.

[He taps the dummy with the back of his fist.]

It's like...hm. When you fight against a monster, there's this boom-boom-boom beat going on in you head, right? It's sort of like that.

Er...

[Chrom isn't sure what to say. He hasn't ever really felt such a thing, but that doesn't mean Duster's lying. Far from it. Their experiences just happen to be that much different, it seems.]

I can't say I'm familiar with that sound. Yet you say this happens frequently for you?

...Yes...

[Maybe Chrom doesn't fight that often. Duster never met a Pigmask that did the same sort of thing, so it must be a trained skill. That doesn't explain how Lucas learned rhythmic combos as a child that spent most of his time playing outside.]

I can give you another demonstration, if you like.

Actually, if you don't mind I'd like a lesson.

[It's clear that this is something Chrom knows nothing about. He'd be a poor leader if he didn't at least know the basics involved in the skills of those who fight beside him as an ally. If he's to lead, and dispatch people to the right position in battle, then he should know the strengths and weaknesses involved to keep his troops safe.]

[He steps forward, unbuckling the shoulder plate of armor and the cape attached to it, laying his heavier equipment to the side.]

Do you have the time to spare?

Of course.

[He pushes himself up to a standing position and watched Chrom remove his armor.]

If you already know how to fight, you can give me a demonstration, and I'll give you tips.

Only with a sword in my hand. I'm not a brawler.

[He could probably hold his own if a bar fight erupted, just because he works out and is nimble and strong as a result. But he knows he isn't going to impress anyone with a few thrown punches that are meant more for utility than exhibition.]

But if you've a mind to spar with the blade, I can arrange that.

Um...Blades and bodies don't go well together...

[ Duster can use tools in battle, but never to directly harm. Unless his feet could be considered a physical weapon. ]

Brawling can be helpful when your caught by surprise, or you can use your body along with your sword in fights.

That is sort of the point.

[Pun not intended, of course. It isn't as if he were going to use a real sword for a training session. They have plenty of wooden blades. Still, he isn't pressing the issue, just smiling a little with his easygoing good humor.]

Understood. I can see how it would be useful to know.

[That part he's not questioning. But he's still curious about the weird musical rhythm part.]

[Puns are the lifeblood of a resident of Duster's universe. If anything, Chrom made himself a friendlier person just by saying that.]

Alright...let's start with punching the bag. Show me how you fight it, and I'll tell you what the rhythm is.

[Off to the side now. Chrom's a well-built guy. He should be good at hitting it hard.]

Very well.

[He turns to face the punching bag, sizing it up before his stance subtly shifts. He throws a few punches, little more than jabs. He may not be a martial artist, but he might make a pretty decent boxer. His elbows are at the right spot, his balance is sturdy. But his true skill still lies with the sword.]

[Duster is impressed. Out of all his students today, Chrom is the only one who knew what he was doing. There's not reason to be surprised; he was the one who reopened the training facility. To be frank, Duster thinks there isn't much to teach Chrom, apart from the combos.]

That's really good. You're a bit stiff, but we can work on that.

[He steps up to the dummy and looks over it with an intense look of concentration on his face.]

But you were off-rhythm. If this were a regular battle, the enemy would have gotten some hits in. What you need to do is hit it at a steady beat. Like this.

[He steps back and gives the dummy a strong kick tipping it over just an inch. Just as it moves back to its original position, Duster kicks it again, knocking it backwards. Again and again, at a steady beat for a total of sixteen hits.]

That's the thing that puzzles me.

[Chrom walks forward slowly, watching as Duster attacks the dummy.]

If I could time the blows of my enemy, it would be a simple matter to anticipate the next one and counter it. Do you ever change your rhythm halfway through an attack?

[He's all for fluidity and precision, but if the enemy can see you coming from a mile away and dodge, then all the strength in the world won't matter one little bit.]

[It's a difficult skill, though one Duster thought was easy to explain. Battles have a sort of musical rhythm to them, and by listening close enough, anyone can have an idea of when to hit. The trouble was with timing them correctly.]

Sometimes. Not everyone can change the flow of their fighting on the spot, it'll knock them off balance. There are enemies that have styles that use unusual rhythms, but most I've met are steady. It's only a matter of feeling their heart.

[Does that make sense? There are fights with steady beats, and those with off-kilter beats and sudden pauses, and even Duster has trouble with the latter.]

Is that some sort of special ability, or spell then?

[Because this is definitely the first time Chrom has heard of it, if that wasn't already perfectly clear.]

What about enemies that have no pulse, like the Ris... Ah. I believe they're called 'zombies' here.

[Oh. That might not have been the best choice of words.]

Uh...it's not really their "heart", but more like their "heartbeat". No, that's wrong. Zombies have those too, even if it's hard to figure out...

[Looking for the write way to word it, Duster moves his hands around with each new idea. It's their spirit? He mouths a "no" and forms a fits. Their essence? What is an essence? He looks in a different direction.]

Everything has a presence, right? You can feel it in the air, especially when you're fighting them. It's like...when you fight zombies, it's kind of off-kilter, since they have trouble walking. And when you're fighting machines, since they're all metal, you have a hard time figuring out how they feel and what their next move will be. Huge, heavy things have a slow tempo, and...

...am I making sense?

[Not even a little bit. The strain of confusion and wanting to be polite is written all over Chrom's troubled face.]

This may be an ability granted only to those of your world, much like the mages in mine are able to cast spells from their tomes.

[Chrom would hate to think that everyone else has been in on this whole rhythm thing and he's just been getting by on pure blind luck.]

[Maybe Chrom is one of those rare people who can't discern a musical rhythm. That's the only explanation Duster can think of.]

That might be it...You don't have anything called PSI in your world, right? And the only magic books we have have a life of their own.

[Chrom shakes his head.]

I can't say I've heard of PSI before.

[It makes him feel like he should apologize for this somehow, even if it's not really something he has control over in his world.]

You're able to sense this in enemies here?

[That explains a lot. It's an ability even non-magic users have, so it's difficult to imagine a world without musical combos.]

Not so much, unfortunately. I can get several hits in each turn, but I can't seem to get it just right. Maybe it is unique to the Nowhere Islands.

Ah, it becomes clear, then. The ability is native to your world, as this one cuts off our previous techniques and powers. I lost access to several sword techniques this way as well.

[He chuckles, his shoulders shaking with his mirth.]

I was worried perhaps that there was something my former teachers and fellow Shepherds neglected to tell me.

You forgot how to use your sword? ...I guess I never thought about that. The Monk Job is really close to how I fought back home, only it made me weaker.

...I wonder what would happen if I switched that out with Dragoon?

Forget my sword?! No! Never that.

[He laughs.]

But there were certain techniques that I could command, strikes that could inflict a great deal of damage, or replenish my strength. I had thought them simply to be advanced, rather than supernatural. I quickly learned that was not the case.

[Chrom laughs, which lightens the mood enough so Duster smiles.]

Oh, I get it. Like how I can't hear the beat of the battle, but I still remember the best way to kick an enemy during a fight, or teach all these people about self-defense.

I guess the Ancients didn't want to take away too many of our abilities.

I'm not sure they could, without robbing us of our mobility, memories, and innate talents.

[Chrom smiles right back. It seems like he's almost always in a pretty good mood.]

In any case, I think we can move forward assuming that I'll continue to be tone deaf to the heartbeat of my enemies. Think you can still teach me a thing or two?

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