Assurances

[Natalia Gregorios]

Ashan 44, Arc 721

Having arrived at the North Lodge in Egilrun earlier that trial, Natalia was spending the evening settling in for her time within the new location. Having rarely traveled outside Scalvoris Town, the young woman was finding travel on her own to be both exciting and exhausting. Never had she been able to make choices for herself or do the things she wanted to, and now, she could.

Having picked the North Lodge for its reputation in Egilrun, she was eager to begin exploring the next trial but had arrived too late to do anything meaningful. Instead, she ordered an early dinner and decided to spend the rest of the evening unpacking and sorting through her things. After all, clothing that was packed tightly would wrinkle and wrinkles were not attractive. Not that she was trying to be attractive, but appearances did matter.

Shaking out her dresses, shirts, and other assorted items, she began hanging them up on hooks and various pieces of furniture, inspecting each piece to make sure everything was up to her standards. Luckily, it all seemed to have survived the trip from Scalvoris Town so once the material her clothing was made of had the chance to breathe and relax, her traveling wardrobe would be fresh and ready.

Sitting down on her bed, Natalia noted the dagger she had tossed there. Picking it up with her hand, she gently unsheathed it with a graceful tug, admiring the simple beauty of it. The memory of the moment she had been gifted it still burned bright in her mind – something of a lodestar for her to follow, the words of her grandfather. “Dearest girl, you take this….and protect yourself. No one else out there is watching out for you, so you’ll have to learn to do it on your own.” He had gone on to elaborate, fearing that in the life she had been doomed for, no one would ever appreciate who she was, truly. She had made him a promise that she would protect herself and find others that appreciated and understood her. In that way, and only in that way, would she ever truly be free of the demons of her past.

The dagger had been a symbol of that promise. Natalia had taken it with the expectation that sometrial, she would learn to use it. The threats of her ex-fiancé still loomed large in her mind. Every now and then, the young woman woke from a sound sleep, sweating, adrenalin pumping as a nightmare took her back to him. Frustrated, she tried to rip him from her mind, but he kept coming back to haunt, the threats of making her pay for embarrassing him bright and brilliant in the forefront of her thoughts. How could she enjoy her new life if the past continued to plague her?

There was an answer out there…and she’d find it. She had fought too hard for her new existence away from the toxic environment she had grown up in and wasn’t about to let anyone take it from her.

[Natalia Gregorios]

Ashan 44, Arc 721

The dagger hadn’t been given blindly. Having been proficient in blades himself, her grandfather had given her a few lessons in how to hold the weapon and such. In truth, it had been enough to keep her from injuring herself when handling the weapon.

In his estimation, the only hard and fast rule about how to hold a dagger was not to hold it by the blade. Then again, he had laughed, telling her that if someone did that, perhaps they weren’t meant to handle edged weapons.

First, he had shown her something he called a ‘hammer grip’. It was, in his opinion, the most common grip, and the one most people would naturally gravitate towards. The point of the knife was to be up, he had said, sharpened edge facing away from one. The thumb was to be placed over the fingers. One thing he had specifically pointed out, however, was to make sure the middle knuckles were aligned with the blade to give a better sense of aim and secure the grip.

As the memories came, she practiced what he had taught her. It was something she had done off and on over the arcs, but inconsistently. Perhaps it was time to take the matter a little more seriously.

Rotating the blade in her hand, Natalia made sure each detail he had spoken to her was followed, letting golden eyes fall to the way the dagger laid in her hand, closing fingers around the grip – he had taught her the parts of a dagger too.

Straightening her thumb, she moved on to a variation of the hammer grip. He had called it a ‘fencing grip’. The only difference was the thumb position, but it allowed for maneuverability and extra reach, should a situation call for it. The young woman always marveled at how a simple movement of her thumb could give one more option, but she had realized quickly that the motion had a drawback – less stability. In flicking her thumb straight, the dagger felt less secure in her hand.

His lessons hadn’t only contained information on holding the dagger, however. A few other areas had been touched upon, such as how to stand with a dagger. Of course, he said, it really didn’t matter in an emergency, but the basics were good to know. Holding the knife in her right hand, which was her dominant one, she stood with the right foot forward as well, which kept the knife in front of her, in between her body and the invisible opponent’s weapon. Remembering another detail, Natalia pulled her arm in toward her body, so as not to present a target. Finally, the tip of the knife pointed towards her imaginary opponent.

It wasn’t enough, he said, to know what to do with the weapon itself. One had two hands, and they should use them to the best of their ability. Therefore, the empty hand was to be up and held at the level of one’s neck. He referred to it as the “live hand.”, to be used for parrying, jamming, grabbing, or striking, but most importantly, it was a barrier separating an opponent’s weapon from an easy path to the throat.

Sighing a bit as she went through the motions, she realized quickly how hard it was to remember everything all at once. Foot here. Hand there. Other hand, somewhere else. Breath in. Breath out. Make sure the thumb is where it’s supposed to be.

So much to remember.

[Natalia Gregorios]

Ashan 44, Arc 721

At some point, she would have to find someone to teach her more about the weapon itself, Natalia theorized. It wasn’t enough to have the memories of a few quick lessons, and while it had given her something to focus on, it wouldn’t be enough to keep her safe should she need to do so.

Moving through the basic information that she did know, she tried something of a thrust with the dagger but decided halfway through the motion to adjust her grip, managing to lose hold on the weapon completely, watching it fly out of her hand and clatter to the floor unceremoniously. Frowning, she knelt and retrieved the weapon, muttering to herself. Good job, Nat. That will scare people away – just throw the dagger at them.

Hmm…throwing daggers? That was an idea.

Shaking the idea out of her head for the moment, she returned to the process of unpacking. Her thoughts drifted to her time in Egilrun. Natalia knew almost nothing of the place, but that was the whole point of her trip. Spend a few trials someplace. Meet some people. Learn about it. Looking for a place to belong wasn’t supposed to be an easy venture, but at least the time spent would help her begin the process.

Moving about the room, the young woman was completely unaware of the man that lurked outside her door, trying to ascertain if his target had indeed arrived. It had been a simple matter of finding out she was planning to travel to Egilrun by intercepting the letter the young woman had written to her friend. Having arrived ahead of her in the town, he had just waited and let her fall into his trap.

The trap, however, would have to wait for a trial or two. The Lodge itself was busier than usual and he didn’t want to go making a fuss with her when the timing didn’t feel right. Best not to force the issue and wait for the appropriate moment. Patience, after all, was a virtue.

[Oberan]

Review Rewards

Gregoria Natalios

Points awarded: 10

Knowledge:

Combat - Blade (One-handed) - Hammer Grip
Combat - Blade (One-handed) - Fencing Grip (variation of Hammer Grip)
Combat - Blade (One-handed) - Adjusting grip mid-thrust can make you lose hold of weapon
Combat - Blade (One-handed) - Don't hold by the blade
Combat - Unarmed - A free hand can be used for parrying, jamming, grabbing, or striking
Discipline - Inconsistent practice will lead to inconsistent results

Magic: No magic exp

Other: N/A


Notes:

This could have been just a fairly standard training thread, but the addition of fragments of Nat's past, along with doubts and fears creeping into her mind made the sequence a whole lot more interesting. Having her hear and follow her grandfather's advice in her head while training also gives it emotional weight, and got me rather invested. I'm quite pleased to see it tie into a greater plot as well, and ending on a cliffhanger gets me all excited to read more of your stuff.

Enjoy the rewards.


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