( open ) practice makes perfect

[winscenario]

Who: Jim Kirk & YOU!
What: Jim wants to learn how to wield a sword (and some other weapons)
When: Now-ish
Where: Temjask arena
Rating: PG-13 for possible mild violence, fighting and minor injuries


While not unfamiliar with using weapons, it's fair to say that Jim's well out of his depth here. Barring the use of magic, there's nothing even remotely resembling energy weapons, and even projectile weapons are nonexistent. He's checked out what's on offer but some of them he doesn't even recognize, and those that he does...

Well, he can't really remember ever holding a sword in his life, for instance. But he's definitely curious. He goes to the arena to train, keep his body in shape and possibly look for someone willing to spar with him, and after he's worked up some sweat, he heads out to where all those weapons are on display, looking over the selection with interest.

He picks up a sword at one point, a smaller and lighter-looking one, but not knowing what to do with it, he'll put it back down unless someone approaches or cuts in. He also walks around the training grounds, watching others use those same weapons, admiring from a safe distance at how skilled they are.

A more elaborate or showy move will no doubt get an impressed sound from him, and he tips his head at them. "That was brilliant. You're really good."

Not that he'd know the first thing, it just looked impressive.

Comments

[ragnarsson]

Ivar looks at the spear that Jim picks up. "Good. One of those will work for a starter. I recommend using a shield as well." Ivar leans over, prodding through a stack of them standing up vertically. He selects one mostly made of tough leather and embossed with metal around the edges and in the middle. "This will do."

He instructs Jim with curt instructions. "Hold your shield in your off-hand around chest height and your spear up off the ground. Now--" Ivar selects an axe off the rack, one with a long handle and double blade, and wheels himself closer. "--defend yourself." Then he lashes out at Jim with the axe head.

[winscenario]

Jim's trusting Ivar's expertise when it comes to this, so whatever he chooses, he just accepts with a nod. Holding a spear is already strange enough, add to that a shield and Jim finds himself almost overwhelmed by how much he actually has to carry.

Not that he gets the time to ponder on that much. He's still getting used to the weight of the shield, placing it in the position Ivar says, when the Viking tells him to defend himself, only seconds before he lunges at him with his axe.

He has his quick reflexes to thank for not getting chopped in two. With a surprised yell, he raises the shield up, holding it against the axe. But he's still not used to this kind of fighting, and the hit is strong, stronger than he could possibly anticipate, and he ends up stumbling back, tripping up and only narrowly avoiding falling on his ass.

Adrenaline rushes through him once he takes a couple steps back. Now his guard's definitely up, wide eyes fixed on Ivar.

Then, he grins.

"Is that all you got?" Taunt a Viking? Check. Great idea too, clearly. "Come on, come at me again."

[ragnarsson]

Ivar was testing him to see how he would fare under actual battle conditions. After all, opponents didn't politely stand back and wait for you to be ready to go. It was kill or be killed out there, so he was going to make sure the people in this city were prepared for battle.

There's a smirk on his face when Kirk taunts him. Challenge accepted then. With one hand, he moves his wheelchair forward. Then he lets loose with a crushing blow that Jim will be able to feel all the way up the arm holding the shield, roaring the entire time in that way that everyone tends to assume Vikings sounded like in battle. It was a good psychological tactic to psyche out opponents.

"Keep that spear up and use the length to your advantage," he says, calling out advice. "It's a nice long weapon, so try to keep your opponent at arm's length or longer."

[winscenario]

Fair enough. Jim's not really upset about it, just surprised, but the he should've expected no less from Ivar. Even if he only knows a little about him, he should've known he'd be the kind to pull off a move like that.

He raises the shield again, this time readier for the impact. It's stronger but he's also got a firmer grip, so while he can feel the blow practically reverberate through his bones, he doesn't actually stumble, not this time.

He nods and follows Ivar's instructions. It's difficult to wield both things at once, so that's something he'll have to work on, not letting one be forgotten in favor of the other. He lifts the spear up and raises it towards Ivar, though not really aiming to hurt him. There's every chance that he'd be able to deflect the hit, but Jim still doesn't want to risk stabbing him with it.

[ragnarsson]

"Good. Now we're getting somewhere," Ivar says as the spear jabs towards him. Jim's form definitely needs some work and he'll never get anywhere if he actually tries that on a real opponent, but it definitely is a start. He uses the axe head to catch the point of the spear, flicking it away with an expert hand. "Good. Do that five hundred more types and we'll be able to make a warrior out of you yet."

Then he reaches into his vest with his off-hand, grasping one of the many knives he always keeps on him.

"Duck!" He then throws the knife at Jim, or rather, towards Jim's shield. Ivar's fast with ranged weapons, far too fast for a beginner to deflect all that well. So he deliberately aims for the shield to get him in the habit of using it as a block for his body.

[winscenario]

Considering it's his first time with a spear and shield, he doesn't feel too bad about how he handles himself against Ivar. He knows the Viking would have killed him by now if he wanted to, but he's managed to react in time to both blows, and despite the dull ache of the pressure, he's far from being too tired to stop.

"Gonna be here all night, then," he comments with a faint laugh, but immediately he drops down when Ivar tells him to. He doesn't avoid the knife, of course, but the slight lift of his arm in front of him means that the blade lands on the shield rather than anywhere on him.

Holding the spear briefly in his shield hand, he plucks the knife out, holding it by the blade and lifting an eyebrow at Ivar. Then he tosses it back at him with a clean cut through the air. He's getting better at knife throwing and maybe he just wanted to show off a little, knowing that even if Ivar couldn't manage to catch it, it would just fly over his shoulder and not actually hurt him.

[ragnarsson]

Rather then look surprised or distressed, Ivar instead looks impressed when the knife goes sailing over his shoulder. He's got enough sense not to try and pluck a moving blade out of the air. People who did that were either fools or madmen. Despite how he came off, Ivar wasn't that insane.

He laughs for a moment. "Oho! You have been holding out on me! Where did you learn to throw knives?" Had he known that, he might have asked to see that skill from Jim rather then making him use the spear at first.

[winscenario]

He gives a little bow, smiling wide at Ivar's reaction. He actually takes it as a win that he impresses him and even makes him laugh.

"Here, actually. In Asgard," he answers, returning the spear to his right hand. The knife can wait where it is for now, one of them can pick it up later. "I know how to play the darts, it's not too different."

[ragnarsson]

Indeed, Ivar approves greatly that Jim just doesn't rely on just that pretty face to get him out of trouble. Serves him right for judging based on appearances. "Good. We'll get you proficient in both short and long-range weapons."

"Alright. The best spots to aim with a spear if you're a beginner are either to gut someone in the belly or stab them somewhere in the legs to bring them down. Even if you don't kill them, it'll allow someone else the chance to finish them off. Forget about stabbing them in the head or heart. Too much bone there and you need too much precision that you haven't built up yet."

He sits back. "It'll be a little different facing a seated opponent, but still aim for my legs. I want to see your form."

[winscenario]

His pretty face may have gotten him out of a few tough spots, but he's learned a long time ago that it's not gonna keep him alive in situations of real danger. He's trained and practiced for years now, maybe not with these kinds of weapons but still, he's got some fight in him. And he fully plans on applying his skills to these new weapons, especially when they're all he has access to while he's here.

He nods at the instructions. Makes sense, it's logical. Jim thinks to himself he can also use the spear to simply sweep his opponent's legs from under them and bring them down, but he has a feeling Ivar would think that to be too tame. For the purposes of their training session, however, he holds the spear up, arm folded at an angle, then he thrusts forward, trying to remind himself to use the shield for protection while the tip of the spear slides between Ivar's legs.

[ragnarsson]

Ivar watches, making only a half-hearted attempt to sweep the spear aside. That's not what this is all about. It's turning Jim into a decent fighter. Ivar likes what he's seeing. "Good!"

He pauses a moment. "You're not so bad. You just need practice. Lots and lots of practice. For example--" He throws the axe with full force at Jim's chest, expecting him to get the shield up in time.

[winscenario]

He tips his hands in thanks, listening to Ivar. He's not wrong there, Jim definitely lacks practice when it comes to these sorts of weapons. But his reflexes are as sharp as they'll ever be, which is why he manages to react to that axe throw so quickly, lifting the shield up quickly. Even with both hands holding it in place, the force of the throw sends him stumbling back. He falls on one knee when he loses his balance, but quickly forces himself back up onto his feet.

"Hey," he shoots, panting slightly as he looks down at the axe buried into the shield. "We do get into a few fights where I'm from, you know? Maybe not the same kinds of fights you're used to, but still."

[ragnarsson]

"I don't think anyone here is used to the type of fights I tend to get into." The Norse were used to fighting revolving around their entire culture. They battled their enemies, and when there was none to wage war with, they fought each other instead.

He wheels forward and yanks his axe out of the shield with an air that looks almost effortless. Using his upper body to solely move around for the first seventeen years of his life did come with some perks on occasion. "Now comes the boring part. You practice stabbing and throwing about 5,000 times or so." Learning weapons isn't all fun and games. There's a lot of tedious effort involved.

[winscenario]

"Fair enough," he agrees, tilting the shield slightly and keeping it in a tight grip as Ivar yanks the axe out of it. It's impressive how easily he manages it, and his lips curl slightly. He's always been a little partial to certain shows of strength.

He sighs, then shrugs. "I figured as much. Had to practice a lot to learn how to use my weapons too, so that much I'm used to," he says, then tips his head at Ivar. "Sticking around to watch, or will I see you again later?"

[ragnarsson]

Ivar slides the axe into a holster on his back. It's easier to grab from there then it would be if it was by his side like most people would carry it. "I'm done for the day. I will let you get to it."

He gives one last pieces of advice before he starts to go. "And remember that fancy tricks are no match for basic moves if they are perfected." Tricks were for times to show-off to people during non-combat situations. Battle was all about killing the other person as fast as possible before they killed you.

[winscenario]

Jim nods. Ivar's given him some good pointers, and they'll no doubt prove useful in the future. It's also nice, knowing they can find that common ground they spoke of, even if it's only in this.

"I'll keep that in mind," he says, though he wouldn't have thought otherwise. For now he'll go back to practicing for the rest of the afternoon. Hopefully they'll run into each other at a later date, and he might just be able to impress Ivar with a few of his moves again.