- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas nodded once. But there was a sinking feeling in him; combat training was important, and a large part of what Chaos-Two would have to teach the new spawn. Starting from near-scratch would take time.

"We will go over that, then. We can do that now if you want to take a break and then return, head clearer; or we can begin tomorrow, or the next day. Completing that training will take time. Incidentally, I presume it was you who taught the Sentinel to use his halberd-? If so, well done," he added, leaning back to expose the underside of his massively-muscled throat. There was a jagged wound there, healed but visibly fresh--likely inflicted a cycle ago or so, at the most. It looked as though something large, and sharp, had been impaled straight through Vargas's lower jaw and out the back. "He uses it well. He will be a good defender, when he returns, I think." He lowered his head back to its normal resting pose, and his rigid face twisted a little in a near-grimace, his limbs flexing as if to loosen up his muscles. It was an absent gesture more than a deliberate one.

"We will need to teach you to read your opponent's movements, to know what they will do next. To use your own footwork to grant you an advantage. Where to strike, and how, and how to cover yourself. Maneuvers to use your foe's movements and momentum to their own disadvantage. The fundamentals of bleeding, and stamina. The importance of the first strike. We'll have to cover physical training, too--that is, keeping yourself fit enough to fight. And anatomy--where to hit, how, and why." Vargas let out a grunt. "Has any of that been taught to you, yet?" he asked; no point in covering the same topics twice.

@V-Chaos-Two (we can push for an Extra Long thread with a physical lesson--either 'now' or Chaos-Two takes a break and comes back?--or fade to black and cover training offscreen, idm either way!)

"We can take a break to eat and drink before starting," they said, "I'd like to grab my staff anyway."

Chaos-Two lit up, a derpy grin spreading across their face. They clapped their hands together and studied the wound, proud of the Sentinel.

"Good!", they said, "I'm glad, I'm so glad!"

It meant their practicing and maneuvering had paid off. They'd whacked themselves plenty of times in the process of learning, enough that they had to have a callous on their forehead by now. A few trees outside of Draco were stripped of bark from their training, and there had been more than one lesser subjected to their practice.

"I know some things," they said, "Footwork was essential when I was learning to use my spear. If I just stood still then I ended up on my rear or with a spear-end to the face. It was... trial and error. I know that the first strike often dictates a battle, depending on the wound you inflict. My anatomy is limited to those here and the lessers, but I know of vital areas. Slice the ankles and the leg is useless because of the severed tendon, the throat to bleed out quickly. If you poke the eyes, punch the throat, or kick the groin, typically that serves to stun them for a while."

Chaos-Two stood up and shook their head out, breathing in, "I will fetch us a meal, and my spear. Once we are done, we can resume?"

@Vargas
We can say there was a skip and then train!

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas listened in silence, taking note, as always, of each thing that Chaos-Two said. "Good, the footwork is good," he murmured, commenting without really interrupting. When it was finished, he had a couple of comments: "The throat, or anywhere an artery runs beneath a major joint--beneath the forearm or the hind, where it hits the body," and he reached forward to attempt a tap at Chaos-Two's armpit and inner thigh. "I have not heard anything about the groin, however. There is a pelvis there?"

He looked briefly puzzled, and then his six eyes widened a tad with recognition. "Ahh! The genitals! -That is a new development. Good thinking; I had not considered it. They must be sensitive to pain, then?"

None of the Chaos spawn had any of that--it hadn't ever been necessary, and was simply omitted from their anatomy. And if it's that sensitive, a good thing--no weakness there, Vargas thought to himself cheerfully.

"Go, eat and rest, clear your head. It is not good to focus too long at once on these lessons or you tend to lose half of it. Do not bother to bring me food; I will get my own," he added, though he didn't feel particularly hungry now.

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two looked down at where Vargas tapped and nodded, before looking up, mouth opened to answer before they snapped it shut. Yep. Sure. Genitals. They were not going into detail about what happens if you make a deer too angry smacking it with a pointy stick over and over for practice. They shifted their legs, phantom pain flickering for just a moment.

Ouch.

"Yes, Master Vargas," they said, "I'll be back shortly."

They nodded once more and turned, walking off as they rubbed their hands together, heading towards the little nest they'd made. They'd eat, grab their staff, return... and then another lesson. Perfect.



About half an hour later, Chaos-Two returned, their spear-staff in hand, idly twirling it around like a baton. It was hefty near the front, but the length of the staff kept it balanced in their hands. They approached Vargas and cleared their throat politely, standing at attention.

"I am ready for another lesson, sir," they said, their tail fluttering about, as if in excitement.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

It hadn't been a long wait--surprisingly short, in fact--and Vargas took note that Chaos-Two was eager to learn after having been starved of lessons.

"From what you told me prior," he began, without preamble, "you already grasp footwork and the importance of a first strike. Before we begin I'd like you to elaborate on what you know of that second point, as it is one of the most important factors in any fight."

He turned fully toward Chaos-Two, and sat again. These lessons were proving to be more verbal than physical, for now--but practice would certainly be on the table soon enough.

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two listened with rapt attention, ears perked forward and eyes focused on Vargas' own.

"The first strike can mean you knock your opponent off guard, or if they get the first hit, they can catch you off guard," they said, "Like knocking someone down, cutting an artery, or using a spell to immobilize them. If you sneak up on them, it's also your chance to knock them out or kill them swiftly before they can retaliate."

"On the other hand, if your opponent gets the first strike because they dodge or you miss, they could take the opportunity to turn the fight around and do what I described to you instead," they explained.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

"Good, yes. Orthoclase taught you the important parts, then," he began, and then took a moment--a very brief few seconds--to think. "A fight is two things. It is, beneath, a test of stamina. Many imagine battles to take long minutes, but in reality most combatants only last a few, if that. Exhaustion comes on quite quickly. That is why the first strike is important; a bleed can mean unconsciousness in moments. Given a good first strike, and decent agility, an attacker could sever a vein and move away and simply let their opponent bleed out, exhausting themselves in an attempt to give chase. In a protracted battle, almost without exception the one bleeding will fail and die. But!" and here Vargas lifted his chin, staring solemnly and intently at Chaos-Two with all six unblinking eyes. "The second thing that a fight is, is luck. Even the most skilled fighter in the world can take an unlucky hit; even the least-experienced fool might strike a one in one hundred deadly blow. That makes the first strike doubly important, for if the fight draws out, that one in one hundred chance is a terrible thing to gamble your life on moment by moment."

He pushed up, pacing away, tail swinging behind him, in his likely now-familiar "thinking aloud" back-and-forth strides. "That also makes defense important. So while Orthoclase-Alpha taught you well about the 'what,' now you have more of the 'why' and the details--stamina, bleeding, and so forth, though I think you had a strong grasp of those basics regardless. But defense comes into play. Your defense can be magical, it can be physical, it can be speed or a weapon, a shield, natural armor. These," and he paced forward to gesture to Chaos-Two's new arm-plating, "can do well in blocking a more basic attack, I should think. But it will be up to you to pick out the weaknesses and strengths in our spawn, and to teach them how to cover the former, and use the latter. When you look at me, and at you, what strengths and weaknesses do you see in our defenses?"

Vargas leaned back, as if to present himself more fully, and turned slightly to the side. He was showing Chaos-Two his full form, flank and ribs, talons and quills, long and slender tail and massive jaws. "I do not know if Orthoclase-Alpha covered this at all--and I do not imply that you should know the answer--but with what weaknesses you do see, and what strengths you see, how would you best cover for and make use of them?"

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two stood as Vargas did, following him as he talked. They nodded along, holding their spear close, ears perked forward.

"Well, the most obvious one is that I am upright," they said, "Of course that means that I have height and reach, but my stomach and neck are vulnerable. I am not so vulnerable from behind because of my quills, so..."

They crossed their spear diagonally across their chest, "But now I have a bit of a defense against that while I am using my spear, but if I am fighting without it, then i can simply go onto all fours."

They peered at Vargas next, looking him up and down, considering him, "There are very few weaknesses. But if I were to slip under your front legs, which are very long and expose your neck and belly to anyone smaller than you, then I could jab my spear through your quills. It would require luck and avoiding your long reach first, but possible."

Chaos-Two moved forward and gently felt along Vargas' skin, looking up at his wounds, "Your skin is tough, but if Sentinel could pierce it, then I don't doubt that I could too."

They pulled away and peered at Vargas more, circling him and staring at scales, quills, and sharp arm scythes.

"I don't see much else," they said, "Very little is worth going for because most of you is defended. But I don't think you can turn your head around very easily, so if I were to land on your neck from above and go for your eyes, then that could be another option."

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas studied Chaos-Two as his spawn pointed out its own weaknesses. It struck in him a sharp realization. "There also the option of armor! Where one's natural armor or weaponry fails, or lacks, it can be... augmented, let's say, by steel and spikes. The Blacksmith could help you with that, I am certain," he added. He was fairly sure he remembered one, or more, of them mentioning going to the Blacksmith in the past--so maybe Chaos-Two was waiting on something to be made, already?

"You are right about my hide; it is thick, but it is not armored, in most places. But you miss an important factor about my neck," he added, and with a smooth movement reached one lanky forearm up over his own shoulder. It took doing, but it was clearly possible; his limbs were long, and it was easy for him to snatch something off his back, should it become necessary. "I can reach it. That would put you in great danger. My eyes are also fairly well-protected," and he leaned closer as if to show Chaos-Two his eyes in detail: they were nearly pits sunken into a rigid faceplate more than the soft-lidded structures of most eye sockets. "But with magic or luck, yes, going for the eyes could blind me. The wiser bet would, as you mentioned, be striking me from beneath; aiming, perhaps, for an artery or vein, or to disembowel and flee. These are good assessments!" he added, with loud praise. It wasn't enthusiastic, but it was strong approval nonetheless. "Now; let us say the worst happens, and an enemy gets a good strike on you at the outset. Let us say... you're bleeding, and haven't yet managed a strike, and now they're dancing about just out of range! Use me as your example: large, fast, you have just covered where my weaknesses and strengths lie. What would you do then?"

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two nodded slowly, "Right. I ought to ask the Blacksmith to make me some when I next go. Last time my aim was to ask him to assist Sentinel and I and enchant our weaponry."

They thought for a moment and peered at Vargas, setting their spear down, "If I am bleeding, then I assume that I don't have much time. So a quick attack would be best. Perhaps a fake out, I lunge to one side, causing you to perhaps lunge that way, too, therefore exposing your side. Then I could jab with my spear and catch you off guard, and now you are bleeding too."

They backed up a few steps and twirled their spear around so the blunt end was forward, "I too, have the advantage of reach."

They tossed it forward, grabbing it at the end instead. Their reach was extended twofold, and they brought it back to themselves, flipping it back around. In case they lost their grip, it was best not to throw things pointy-end forward.

"Or, I could get myself the advantage," they said, "By blinding you maybe."

They went to create a spot on the ground, to demonstrate the trap and the bright flash, but alas, their magic failed.

"... I suppose I'll describe it," they mumbled, "If the spell had succeeded, then there would now be a spot on the ground that is trapped. Invisible to the eye, but once it is stepped on, then it'll set off a bright flash of light that blinds momentarily. But in doing so, I could take the opportunity to strike, possibly going for your neck or stomach."

@Vargas