After The Way of the Mind.
Vhalar 20, Arc 721
Doran spent the thirty bits after he had taught a brief lesson on Menochoros, his unarmed combat style of choice, on the upper level of the building that followed the length of the exercise area. There, he sat in the covered stand, surrounded by other spectators, and watched some of the fights and lessons below while he relaxed and occasionally took a bite from his snack – a type of rice cake that was topped with an avocado spread as well as smoked salmon. Such food helped keep one’s endurance up during a long workout session, and he’d offered to hold another demonstration later on.
To his left, a human woman with bright red hair was stuffing something that looked both bizarre and interesting at the same time into her mouth – fried potatoes that were topped with a copious amount of gravy and melted cheese. To his right, a young biqaj couple discussed a fight that was just taking place in the arena below. He turned to watch it as well as he was curious what exactly they were talking about. The fighters, two men that were both approximately thirty arcs of age were using swords, and they were, by his estimates, of average skill, or below. He found their match quite entertaining, nevertheless.
The two biqaj, both with blonde hair and fair skin, were talking about what they would have done if they had been in the fighters’ place and trying to point out their mistakes, unfortunately only occasionally correctly. Doran was just wondering if he should join in on their conversation, not in order to criticize them, but because he found the excitement of the people around him somewhat contagious – when the female half of the couple changed the topic, slightly.
“Mister Foy has done a great job with this festival in my opinion. I hope it will become a regular occurrence”, she remarked to her companion. “I can’t help but wonder if the rumours about him are true though. Do you think he really worked for one of the Pirate Lords? I wonder where they went”, she murmured, just as one of the fighters lost his sword. The crowd cheered loudly for the winner that bowed before he shook his opponent’s hand. The loser picked his sword up, and they left the arena.
Doran watched them for a moment before he turned to face the young couple again, hoping that they would not mind his raising his voice. He could not help but be interested though – he had never heard that particular rumor before and was wondering if it might be worth investigating. “A lot of people worked for the Pirate Lords, so it might very well be true. Professor Doran Thetys. I’ve done some research into the history of the island”, he introduced himself and extended a hand for the two to shake.
Both of them took it before the man asked, “So, professor, which aspects of the combat festival have you liked best so far? I enjoyed the swordfights, but I’m also quite curious about archery. I hope that there’ll be a lesson about that during the festival”, he admitted which the woman assured him would almost certainly be the case – she had seen a couple of people that had brought bows and crossbows before.
Doran did not usually chat a lot, but he found the conversation with the two biqaj, there, above the arena, while the fall sun shone down on them and the sounds of the fighters could be heard, enjoyable. Eventually, he bid both of them farewell though – the time for his second demonstration of the afternoon had arrived – but not without telling them where he’d go. He was not somebody who bragged about his skills, but he liked sharing his knowledge with others.
Maybe, they’d be interested in learning more about his combat technique?
Vhalar 20, Arc 721
Doran spent the thirty bits after he had taught a brief lesson on Menochoros, his unarmed combat style of choice, on the upper level of the building that followed the length of the exercise area. There, he sat in the covered stand, surrounded by other spectators, and watched some of the fights and lessons below while he relaxed and occasionally took a bite from his snack – a type of rice cake that was topped with an avocado spread as well as smoked salmon. Such food helped keep one’s endurance up during a long workout session, and he’d offered to hold another demonstration later on.
To his left, a human woman with bright red hair was stuffing something that looked both bizarre and interesting at the same time into her mouth – fried potatoes that were topped with a copious amount of gravy and melted cheese. To his right, a young biqaj couple discussed a fight that was just taking place in the arena below. He turned to watch it as well as he was curious what exactly they were talking about. The fighters, two men that were both approximately thirty arcs of age were using swords, and they were, by his estimates, of average skill, or below. He found their match quite entertaining, nevertheless.
The two biqaj, both with blonde hair and fair skin, were talking about what they would have done if they had been in the fighters’ place and trying to point out their mistakes, unfortunately only occasionally correctly. Doran was just wondering if he should join in on their conversation, not in order to criticize them, but because he found the excitement of the people around him somewhat contagious – when the female half of the couple changed the topic, slightly.
“Mister Foy has done a great job with this festival in my opinion. I hope it will become a regular occurrence”, she remarked to her companion. “I can’t help but wonder if the rumours about him are true though. Do you think he really worked for one of the Pirate Lords? I wonder where they went”, she murmured, just as one of the fighters lost his sword. The crowd cheered loudly for the winner that bowed before he shook his opponent’s hand. The loser picked his sword up, and they left the arena.
Doran watched them for a moment before he turned to face the young couple again, hoping that they would not mind his raising his voice. He could not help but be interested though – he had never heard that particular rumor before and was wondering if it might be worth investigating. “A lot of people worked for the Pirate Lords, so it might very well be true. Professor Doran Thetys. I’ve done some research into the history of the island”, he introduced himself and extended a hand for the two to shake.
Both of them took it before the man asked, “So, professor, which aspects of the combat festival have you liked best so far? I enjoyed the swordfights, but I’m also quite curious about archery. I hope that there’ll be a lesson about that during the festival”, he admitted which the woman assured him would almost certainly be the case – she had seen a couple of people that had brought bows and crossbows before.
Doran did not usually chat a lot, but he found the conversation with the two biqaj, there, above the arena, while the fall sun shone down on them and the sounds of the fighters could be heard, enjoyable. Eventually, he bid both of them farewell though – the time for his second demonstration of the afternoon had arrived – but not without telling them where he’d go. He was not somebody who bragged about his skills, but he liked sharing his knowledge with others.
Maybe, they’d be interested in learning more about his combat technique?
Notes
From the Scalvoris calendar:
Bramwell Foy has decided to hold the first event ever at The Proving Ground. From the 18th of Vhalar to the 21st of Vhalar, practitioners of various armed and unarmed combat styles will demonstrate their skills and even give short impromptu lessons. To that end, Mister Foy is looking for people that are willing to work for him for one or all four trials. Furthermore, there are competitions where people can test their combat skills, with small prizes to be won, and spectators can enjoy drinks and snacks.
Bramwell Foy has decided to hold the first event ever at The Proving Ground. From the 18th of Vhalar to the 21st of Vhalar, practitioners of various armed and unarmed combat styles will demonstrate their skills and even give short impromptu lessons. To that end, Mister Foy is looking for people that are willing to work for him for one or all four trials. Furthermore, there are competitions where people can test their combat skills, with small prizes to be won, and spectators can enjoy drinks and snacks.