Dark Crow Rising

"How does it feel, Nin? Would you like any more?" I ask him as he paces about with a slight slant.

"My right side droops..." he answers as he continues to get used to the weight of the armour. Looking at my now bare arm and then at his now-armoured shins, I decide I want to compare him to yesterday. Even with a slant, being able to just walk is a great leap in the right direction.

"How about walking, are you able to walk or run to me fine?" I ask as I glide away to put some distance between us.

"Are you sure you don't need this...? This is your armour, you will sort of need it, no?" he worries as he fiddles with it. I want to tell him to stop, but, he's lacking most of what I normally wear for comfort under it. I just gave him extra weight to keep him on the ground.

"Don't worry about me, Nin. I am a soldier." I tell him as I gesture for him to come closer to me. Kicking up the earth, he starts to run towards me with an awkward, right-going bias. But while he can now move without flying, he cannot handle the weight in motion. Moving in front, I put my arms up as he struggles to stop his momentum.

"Move!" he goes before a burst of air marks his stop. Letting go of him, I watch as he steps away with a slight shake.

"All good?" I ask as he stares at me with a pair of wide eyes.

"I'm glad you are here..." he answers with a nod as his body continues to tremble.

Shaking my head, "I'm not much to look at."

"Vapooliar... I can be shot and not die. I can go through rocks and trees... I'm suddenly stronger than a team of haulers but you... You can handle me." he explains before he looks away and rubs his shaven head. Is he getting embarrassed?

"None of this red face, now. We've got some practice to get on with." I tell him after brushing aside my confusion at his embarrassment. Looking around, I observe the trees and debris to see what I have to work with.

"Right, combat training..." he slowly lets out, rubbing his arm as he does so.

"Show me a stance, proper posture." I tell him before I go to find something I can turn into a weapon. Testing various branches with quick flicks, I break and shatter them. Grabbing onto a particularly thick one, I gently snap it off and cup the circumference of it. Bringing my bare hand up, I clean it of any small twigs and bumps in the wood with a single upwards stroke.

Swinging it a few times for cleaning and practice's sake, I look back at him, "I don't know what to do..."

Sighing quietly, I walk over to him with my new weapon and I look at him carefully. He is completely clueless as to what he needs to do and I am finding faults everywhere. Keeping quiet about them, however, I guide his limbs around with my stick. Using my bare hand to add the necessary nuance, I finish up with his posture.

"So, tell me, if you have been in any fights before, as, you know, you're a young man. How did you generally behave?" I ask him as maybe trying to refine that instead would help him more. From my experience, the male members of the Valkinvar often fought a lot more to prove themselves. We all have to fight, sure, but they are unique in that they do it a lot more for the sake of it. Or, maybe, it is something more so exclusive to the hammer-wielding Ordoar Ammimpaurst...

They're quite blunt about their focus as siege-breakers, after all.

"I'd grapple with them for a few seconds. Before then inevitably getting a personal Mesofunderod to either the ribs or head. Again, not a fighter." he reminisces as he starts to nurse specific spots across his body. Resting my hands on the hilt of my practice weapon, I ponder his words. Looking over his build once again, I apply a few more changes to his posture.

Taking a step back, I focus my magic around the stick and I reinforce it as well as I can. Striking at his top right side, I let the sound of just struck metal ring. He had not attempted to block it or intercept the blow in the slightest. Trying it again, I intentionally graze his left side to no avail.

"Nin, try to intercept the blow before it hits you. The shorter the distance the osibindah have to work with the less it'll hurt and the safer you'll be." I explain as he continues to keep himself locked up. Not even the places I just hit are moving...

"The bug from before didn't hurt me, though. Everything was just sort of a..." he tells me before he gently pats himself through his hole-ridden clothing.

Shaking my head, "No, Nin, do not just assume they cannot hurt you. One of the basics of fighting witches is that you should never just assume their power based on what you can see or sense. You must treat them with sincerity until victory is snatched up for your own glory."

He tilts his head, "I'm... They're bugs, not witches...?"

Putting my free hand up to silence him, "Nin, please listen and focus. Do not assume they just cannot harm you. Be cautious."

"Okay." he answers, nodding.

Making it clear I am going to give it another go, I watch his body hair as it sticks up as my power focuses. Striking at his side once again, he staggers away with the force of the blow with wide eyes. His hands and arms come to life and I appear in front of him to deliver an overhead strike. He reacts, but he goes about it so crudely that he freezes up in the slight moments before I strike.

Exploiting this, I adjust my swing and go for his exposed stomach instead.

"Gah..." he lets out as he keels over down onto his knees with a slight, metallic bang.

"Do not do that." I say as I shake my head.

"F-Fall over after having the wind knocked out of me!?" he asks, coughing heavily.

"Freeze up when I or someone is about to attack you!" I snap to clarify as his regular breaths return.

"S-Sorry..." he lets out as he looks at the skid marks I had also caused, "But how am I not meant to lock up when you can do this!"

"There are far more dangerous things out there than me, Nin." I point out as I adjust my grip on the stick.

"And I intend to leave them all behind." he tells me as he gets back up with shaky steps.

"Make sure not to show off any noticeable patterns either." I say so we can get back to it.

"I don't know enough to make any- OW!" bringing the stick down to my side, I let him nurse his cheek.

"We begin again." I tell him so he gets it. Striking at him some more, I do my best to elicit what responses I can. Weaving around his growing willingness to move, I try to bring out all I can. But as we go along, I can't help but wonder if I am doing something wrong. I'm barely upping the effort yet I already have him on a panting backfoot.

Tightening my grip on the stick, I shape my magic into a fine edge and near enough make the stick into a blade. Introducing slashing motions, I topple him in a single swing along his right hip. Gripping my 'blade' tighter, I spin around and strike him as he gets back up. Forcing him back to the ground with a burst of air marking his fall.

I am... Disappointed... I'm not sure if I have the right to be, knowing what I do. But this incompetence makes me nervous because if he-

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" he roars as he claws his way up to his feet once again.

"The osibindah will not hesitate to drag you to your feet, Nin." I bluntly remind him, fed up with this whining.

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO HIT ME LIKE THAT!" he screams as if it holds any weight. I shake my head subtly.

"If I didn't do it to you to make sure you understand then when the osibindah do it, you will die!" I let out in one, frustrated go as I hold my stare against his. Venting through my nose, I look away and hide my gaze as I walk away. He is just inexperienced, I need to remember that. I need to remember that Nin does not know how to fight.

He isn't bad at fighting, he is just new to this, that's all...

Glancing back at his arms, I see how his left side has turned red and sore. Floating into the air ever so slightly, I hold out my 'blade' at my side. The tunnels are tight in the osibindah's hive and the chambers always have chokepoints. Focusing on his armoured side shouldn't teach him any bad habits.

"Focus on presenting your right side, Nin. Use my armour to your advantage." I tell him as I start to circle him gently but swiftly. I can teach him to remember to use his legs at the same time by doing this. Going in for another blow I trick him into putting up his guard and I slip my 'blade' under and around it. Pulling it back, I knock his guard aside and jab at his front.

"Slow down..." he complains before I strike at him some more. Going out into the air, his arms lose their focus and go wayward.

"Keep that guard up!" I demand him to do as I pick up the pace. Bringing my 'blade' up, I strike him again.

"Slow down!" he goes as his arm fails to come back. Moving on, I start to whip away at him with the wooden 'blade' and his focus goes all over the place.

"The osibindah will not slow down for you, so neither will I!" I tell him as I come to a stop. I cannot teach him anything if he is just looking for excuses to get out of this!

"I'm not learning anything like this!" he goes and I scoff. Slashing the stick through the dirt, I carve a fine line into it with my magic.

"Stop getting distracted and focus! Everything you need to learn is being taught to you!" I growl as he blinks his gaze away from the slash.

"No it's not!" he exclaims as he frames his brow with spread-out, curved fingers.

Frowning and sneering, I take up my practice weapon and precisely telegraph it. Watching him back up and take up a position quickly, I start to move forward. Going rather slow in comparison to my usual speed in combat, I rush onwards. Yet, he does not deflect my blow on my armour or catch it in his hands.

The 'blade's' point slips right past it and I drive it straight into his gut!

"GAAAAAAAH!" he goes as he flies a short distance away. Watching him as he cluelessly registers what happens, I look away as his face bloats. Hearing the sounds of an evicting gut, I shake my head.

"Unacceptable, Nin. I made it clear where I was going and what I was going to do! Focus!" I snap as I stomp towards him as blackish goop drips from his lips. A growl starts to leave him and he gets up in an abnormal fashion. His body twitches and twists and he shakes his head after wiping his lips. Focusing on his gaze, I nod very slightly as he follows my movements very carefully.

It didn't have to be this way, but if this is how he learns best...

"Attack." he says as his head continues to twitch and move.

"Very well. Present your right side. Keep the armour on your front." I tell him, though, my uncertainty is growing. Something is off...

"Attack." he repeats as he starts to step forward with a clattering jaw.

"Nin?" I say as I spot a new colour entering his eyes. That dark brown I was becoming used to seeing is gone. Yellow has taken its place and he starts to growl. Approaching him, he suddenly rushes towards me with wide swings.

Knocking aside his blows, I float backwards as he keeps up the relentless assault. Avoiding further swings, I train him to go in circles before he jerks around to catch me. Grabbing his hands, I watch his body thrash about before our eyes meet. Gasping, at the hexagonal details covering his yellow eyes, my grip weakens.

I let go of his hands...

"Ni-" I start to say as a fist pushes my head around with a trembling boom. With my mind focusing on my racing heart, I barely pick up the sound of distancing and approaching feet. All I can think about are those eyes. Those are the same eyes I had bearing down on me when I...

"Whaaat waaas thaaat!?" Heiya asks as she keeps her musket up at the space around me.

"Nin..." I mutter as I fail to notice him anywhere.

He must've...

"Vaaapaaliaaar!" Heiya goes as she approaches me some more.

"It was nothing..." I tell her as I catch onto Nin's uncontrolled power. Looking down, I realise that my practice weapon broke at some point. Letting go of my shattered stick, what was once its edge falls to the ground. My hand opens and a sprinkling of splinters, chips and flakes follows.

"Keep it quiet in future! The smake anly daes sa much!" she complains with a long sigh and the bounce of her agitated, furry legs.

"Sorry, I'll... I'll bear that in mind when me and Nin get back to it." I say to her as I look over at the camp as Nin comes to a stop. The smoke blocks him from my sight, but his power is just too blatant for me to be blind to his presence. But, it also feels oddly familiar. I can't quite put my finger on it, though.

"Aaanywaay... Fallaw me, the axfuine gat the gaaap big enaugh sa we need yau ta get the guns naw." she informs me as she cautiously turns around after looking out at the mountain again. Doing the same myself, I confirm that there is nothing coming up after us. Following the small sharpshooter, we walk up to Vadei as she heaves and sweats near my sword.

"This better have been worth the effort..." she wheezes as she tries to keep her hands to herself to avoid sticking to the dirt. It's a pointless, doomed-to-fail endeavour, but that doesn't bother her. Coming to a stop near her, I call my sword up to me suddenly and she panics and falls to her side.

"Haaa!" Heiya goes as Vadei moans quietly against the grass-covered soil, her tail limply raised in the air. Stabbing my returned blade into the mountain, I go through the widened hole and look outwards. If I didn't have my injury, I might have been able to fly everyone down the mountain. But even that is wishful thinking, I just do not have the magic to spare to fly down a mountain four times over, maybe more.

And I am still just assuming that the osibindah are not patrolling down there...

Shaking my head clear of those thoughts, I look back at the short sharpshooter, "Where am I looking?"

"Dawn an yaur right." Heiya answers as she points her musket at me and trails it in the spoken direction.

"I see them." I tell the other two as I kneel down on the platform to assess the distance. Breathing with care, I step out into the air and go down to it as if I am on a flight of stairs. Gathering up some of the loose weapons into the damaged container, I go onto the platform to catch my breath. Sorting out my grip around the box, I head back up and push them through the gap.

"Wonderful..." Vadei goes as she smiles at the box as Heiya goes through its contents briefly. Finding a weapon shoved up into my face, I stare back at the hwardgon as her little black nose wiggles.

"I'm not using that." I tell her out of pride for my skills as a swordsman.

"Nat far yau, far him." she explains as she forces it into my hand.

Soaking it in magic, I perform a basic reinforcement of the material before I offer to hand it back to her. She denies it, chuckling with wide, nearly whiteless eyes and raised paws. Putting the weapon down on the top of the crate. I watch and hear as the now heavier weapon makes the weight-bearers inside move with a quick, heavy rustle.

"How soon until we start distributing them?" I ask as I grab my sword's handle. Looking at the lodged blade, I frown at my murky reflection as my grip tightens on it.

"Tamarraw." is my answer.

"If Nin is still at the camp, someone ask for him to come back so we can carry on." I tell the pair as I take my sword out of the mountain.