On returning to town, SJ felt more relaxed, knowing that Harrietta would scout out the Wandering Ogre. The tale of Fran had been incredible, and thinking about her class and the skills she could earn, she only hoped that she could investigate the issues at some point in the future. That seemed like a long way off, and considering the fact that the conflict and disagreements between the fae and dark elves had lasted for centuries, she doubted it would suddenly resolve.
“Hi, Jurgen,” SJ called as she reached the training ground. Jurgen was an elf fighter who aspired to be up close and personal when he fought. She had seen him practising with a sword or spear several times, but his favourites were daggers or claws, as he now wore claws.
“Hi SJ. Are you free to train today?”
“I wish to, yes.”
“Excellent. Then come and join me, and we can chat about where we can start.”
SJ followed Jurgen over to a bench at the side of the training ground and sat.
“So, what do you know about claws?”
“Only what I have learned since I found them. I use them to slash or supporting my punches, mainly for piercing damage.”
“They are the two fundamental aspects of claws, but they can also be strong defensive weapons when used properly.”
“I have parried a couple of blows using them previously.”
“Excellent, that’s good to hear. In today’s lesson, we will focus on form. If you can’t use your claws properly, then there is no point in wearing them.”
“Where do we start?”
“As you mentioned, they are extensions of your hand. The only difference is that you must get used to your arms being longer when wearing them.”
SJ looked at him, confused. “That’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” she asked.
“You would be surprised at the number of people who have tried to fight with claws and moved their hands up to block, and instead of the attack hitting their blades, it hits their wrists or forearms. It takes time and practice to adjust your movements and, ultimately, your instinct to attack and defend yourself.”
With that comment, Jurgen swept his clawed fist towards SJ’s side. She recoiled and instantly dropped her hands down to defend herself, receiving a nasty cut to her finger.
“Argh,” she shouted. “What was that for?” she asked, looking at her bleeding digit.
“That was to see how you reacted, and I have to say your natural defensive movement was fine, but why did you not equip your claws?”
“I didn’t expect you to attempt to cut my hands off for a start,” she huffed angrily, sucking her bleeding finger.
Jurgen laughed. “And you think someone is going to walk up to you nicely and say,’ Please equip your claws so that you can defend yourself as I attack you.”
Sitting and glaring at Jurgen, she tersely replied, "No. But I also didn’t expect to get attacked while discussing training.”
“When do you expect to get attacked?”
“During a fight.”
“And do you decide every fight?”
“No. But you would normally have an idea.”
“Not always. As your class indicates, I am sure that the last thing you want is someone expecting you to attack them.”
“Who told you, my class?” SJ said, shocked.
“It’s obvious, and being honest, Lorna told me what you did against the mage. Unfortunately, I didn’t see it myself.”
SJ's finger ceased bleeding, clearly showing that Jurgen had no intention of causing her significant harm. His strike had stopped on contact, and he had not swept the claws through as expected.
“Whenever you are training, you must consider that it could be the real thing. Every time you walk onto the training ground, be prepared for someone to attack and kill you. The harder you fight while training, the more chance you have of surviving an actual fight. Never let your guard down.”
“I understand,” SJ said, the statement-making common sense. However, she still found it annoying how he tried to get his point across. Lorna had warned her he was a taskmaster, though.
“Ok. Let’s see your claws then,” Jurgen said.
SJ immediately called her claws to her hands. The gloves fitted perfectly, and their blades glimmered in the sun.
“Wow. They are a nice set of claws. They can’t have been cheap!” Jurgen exclaimed.
“I looted them from a Rare Badger corpse.”
“Even luckier, especially for our levels. You will see their benefits once you are more proficient in their use.”
“When do we start then?”
“Now is as good a time as any,” Jurgen replied, walking over to one of the training dummies, SJ joining him.
“Let me see your basic strikes,” Jurgen requested, standing to the side of the training dummy.
SJ began her usual routine, which she had been practising, driving punches into the straw bodies of the dummies with intermittent slashes. She believed that her routine was well-formed and precise.
“I can see we have a lot to go over,” Jurgen said, sighing.
SJ stopped and turned to look at him. “Sorry?”
“Your form is all wrong. You can’t just use your kata without using the claws as your key component.”
“I didn’t think I was.”
“Here, let me show you.”
SJ stepped to one side, and Jurgen stepped in front of the dummy. Standing as if engaged in a casual conversation with someone, he unexpectedly moved. Within four strikes, the training dummy lay in tatters on the ground.
SJ stood with her mouth open at the display. Watching his swift and precise movements was frightening. “Wow.”
“Your form is wrong. Your claws are your principal weapon, supported by your kata and the flexibility and positioning it allows. You are using them as knuckle dusters rather than as the weapon they are designed to be.”
“I have never been trained before and didn’t think I did that poorly.”
“I have seen worse, don’t worry, and with a few tweaks in technique, we will soon have you stripping the dummies from their stakes,” he said, walking over to a fresh one. As he did, a small Goblin came onto the ground and picked up the tattered remains of the one he had just obliterated before replacing it with a new one.
“Ok. We will do this slow time. Watch my movements closely as I prepare my strikes.”
Watching how Jurgen made slight adjustments to his positioning before striking with the claws allowed SJ to understand the difference in impact and damage caused by the claws. The subtle hip twist as he struck added extra power to the movement. He also completed a shoulder pivot and wrist flick. If he had been moving at his normal speed, SJ would not even have been able to notice them.
“Did you see the difference?”
“Yes. Very subtle, but I can see the benefits it will bring.”
“Great. Then let us get to training then.”
The next hour was sheer hell. Every time SJ didn’t perform a move correctly, Jurgen, who had procured a stick from somewhere, struck her, causing her form to be wrong.
Growling and wincing with each strike, she could feel her anger rising, which was supported by her determination not to get hit.
“I am impressed with your resolve,” Jurgen said as he called for a rest break. Walking to the nearest water barrel, SJ grabbed a mug and drank a long drink.
“Many would have given in by now, yet you show a determination I have seen in few.”
It was Jurgen’s first compliment, and she smiled. “At least I have one good thing going from this torture.”
“Torture? I see this more as discipline. You would not be given any respite during an actual fight, and your form weaknesses would allow for an enemy to attack you if unbalanced or not as accurate. As well as being able to hit with power, it is also about the movement to ensure that your blades don’t get caught.”
“I have experienced that once. I had to remove my glove to stop myself from being dragged.”
“Ah. Yes. It can happen often to the uninitiated. I assume you had struck across something and weren’t expecting resistance?”
“Sort of. I was attacking a crepar and cut into its abdomen when my claws stuck in its body.”
“To prevent that from happening, you move your wrist. If you imagine gripping something really hard for a long time, your fist begins to shake slightly because of the strain. That slight vibration that occurs can prevent such an incident. It takes time to master, though, as it feels unnatural to move a fist at the same time as punching or slashing, but it can help prevent claws from getting caught. It is not perfect by any means, as sometimes these things just happen, but the more you can do to prevent it, the better.”
SJ had clenched her fist while he spoke, and it had started to shake slightly, the movement making the claws vibrate almost unnoticeably.
“I assume it means that not all the claws are applying the same pressure simultaneously?”
“Very good. Yes, it means that one side of your claws is always looser than the other. As I say, though, it is difficult to master, but with training and as your proficiency increases, you can learn it.”
The next couple of hours were more of the same, with SJ usually whacked several times per minute as she continued to try and handle the adjusted techniques. Eventually, they broke for lunch, and Lorna walked over to see her.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
SJ pulled the sleeve of her dress up, where she was covered in fading bruises.
Chuckling, Lorna replied, “I told you he was a hard trainer.”
“I know, but my arms feel like a freshly beaten steak.”
“I promise you; I wouldn’t have suggested Jurgen if I wasn’t sure you would benefit from his guidance.”
“I know you could have warned me about the stick, though.”
“I would take that as a compliment. He believes you have the resolve to get past it.”
“I am not sure about resolving; I am angrier.”
“Are you going to be training again tomorrow?”
“I hope to, but I wish to do both, and only doing one day in four with claws may not be enough to improve well.”
“We can always split the training. You don’t have to do three days to one, but we can do a one-on-one split if that would help.”
“I won’t get a rest day then, though. I thought you said we had to rest every three days?”
“If you had split the training, as I mentioned before, you could have done claws on your down day as it is not as strenuous.”
“It may not be as strenuous, but it’s definitely as painful, if not more so.” She replied subconsciously, rubbing her arms.
“The decision is yours, but I think you can continue progressing with your Kata that way. Yes, it will mean you progress slower, but combining your Kata with your main weapon will benefit you more overall.”
“I suppose. I wanted to reach Level 6 Kata for my next skill.”
“You are nearly there anyway. The claw training still uses form, and the form adjustments will also help your Kata. However, it will also throw your targets off when sparring, as they will not realise the adjustments you have made.”
“Won’t that impact its effectiveness?”
“No. If anything, it will enhance it. I’m not a fist weapon specialist; I only use my fists and occasionally knuckle dusters. Your claw proficiency changes everything slightly.”
“It’s good to know the beating has a result to it then,” SJ frowned.
Lorna turned away laughing, leaving SJ to pick at her rations, awaiting the next hour of torture.
The rest of the day followed a similar pattern, although as the afternoon wore on, SJ noticed Jurgen was no longer striking her as often. She was hoping this was a good sign.
“That’s it for today,” Jurgen announced after a final whack on her forearm.
Wincing, rubbing the new bruise, she turned to look at him.
“It is a good job. I heal quickly,” she huffed.
“Ha. You will be fine by the morning. The bruising will have gone, the perk of a Legionnaire.”
“Do you not heal bruises as quickly?”
“Only with the use of a salve. A bruise for us is a bruise, after all. It is only your kind who have the benefits of your prolific healing. That is why I am not concerned about how many times I hit you today,” he grinned.
“You were enjoying yourself, weren’t you?”
“A little, perhaps,” he replied, smiling slyly.
“I am not sure I enjoy being your beating post.”
“You will have noticed you received many less this afternoon as your technique improved. It is amazing how much a sharp pain can make you focus.”
Grumbling, SJ thanked Jurgen and promised to train with him again in two days, but she would be with Lorna tomorrow.
Walking from the training ground, Dave decided to add to her misery by breaking out into a song, which is the tune of Dinah Washington’s iconic song, What A Difference A Day Makes.
What a difference a bruise makes,
Twenty-four every hour.
What the stick can cause you,
Provides you with pain and sorrow.
“Stop already. I bet you have been working on that all day,” SJ groaned. “And don’t quit your day job. Your singing is terrible.”
“I would never quit my day job. Watching a Legionnaire getting beaten is good fun.” Dave replied hysterically.
Throughout the day, Dave had been breaking out into fits of laughter, which had only helped with her determination to succeed. Having Dave laugh at her sporadically was annoying, but no more than being hit by Jurgen’s stick.
“Sometimes, it would be nice if you could understand that getting hit by something is painful. I don’t suppose you have ever experienced pain.”
“I have. The other day, I accidentally stubbed my toe. I turned the air blue and hopped around for ages.”
“What? You have toes?” SJ said, utterly baffled.
“No. I just thought it may make you feel better.”
“Grrrr,” SJ growled. “I’m going to see Cristy and see how she’s doing.”
“That will be nice,” Dave replied happily.
SJ got the feeling that Dave liked Cristy. He had said nothing directly, but his tone changed when he spoke. Arriving at the Orphanage, SJ walked to the front desk. She saw a group of children playing in the room behind the counter.
“Hi. I came to see Cristy.” She said, approaching and asking the attendant kobold.
“Oh. I am sorry, but Cristy isn’t here.”
“What?” SJ said, confused.
“Wait here a moment,” the kobold replied before she walked to a closed door and knocked. Moments later, Madeline walked out.
“Oh. SJ. I am so glad you have called in. Cristy is missing.”
“What?” SJ said, shock registering on her face, “When did she go missing?”
“This morning, I reported it to the guard and sent a message to the Inn, but they told me you had already left.”
“Do you know where she may have gone?”
“I honestly don’t know. All she has been going on about since she got her is revenge. Ever since she returned from the funerals, she has spent most of her time alone in her room. It was only this morning when we went to look for her when she didn’t answer the breakfast call that we discovered this.” Madeline handed SJ a piece of parchment.
Taking the parchment, SJ read what was on it. It was a very rough map scrawled onto it, and although the words were spelt incorrectly, it showed the town, woods, lake, and an arrow pointing to the valley where the hobs were based.
“She is going after the hobs!” SJ exclaimed.
“We think so. When I arrived this morning, we found she had taken a small backpack, and the cook said the pantry had been broken into. I thought nothing of it initially, as we have had Orphans help themselves at night several times.”
“Has anyone gone to look for her?” SJ’s heart was racing. Who allowed her to leave unnoticed?
"The guards are aware, and a druid has sent a message to his scouts to keep watch, but the scouts have not reported anything back yet."
“Damn,” SJ cursed. “I am going to speak to Captain Broadaxe. The guard must be able to do more to help.” Turning on her heels, she stormed out of the Orphanage and headed towards the barracks.
