NOVEL FROG Chapter 729 – Quick Learners makes for Good Students
“While there are definitely merits to honing the basics until one reaches as near to perfection as they could manage, there are also merits to learning new things, especially if one is quick on the uptake. As long as they refrain from spreading themselves too broadly, that is.
Even so, while being a master of some subjects is best, being capable in many more subjects is still often better than just being master of one.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.
“No, no, you’re doing it wrong and relying too much on brute strength,” said Aideen as she nimbly removed her arms from Kole’s grasp and reversed the situation on the young orc, twisting his arms behind his back and forcing him to lean forward as his joints creaked from the ensuing pain. “You want to force them into a position where their own anatomy worked against them. It would be easier to hold such a position steady, or in a real fight, to push it a bit further to directly break the joint in question.”
“After all, there’s no point to just hold it like this unless you’re sparring, isn’t there? Much easier and faster to just break it instead,” she added as she lightly pushed the young orc away, making him stumble as he tried to regain his balance from the unsteady position she had forced him into. “Thing is, not everybody’s built the same. I can’t use some of the techniques that would work on a human on you orcs, for example. Your joints, especially the shoulder, are a bit different in construction.”
“That makes sense. I never thought about that, honestly,” admitted Kole as he brushed some of the dirt off his skin. Aideen had introduced him intimately to the grassy soil several times during their sparring session already. “Does it actually affect things that much? Your kind and mine don’t look that different when it comes to our bodies.”
“It’s mostly minor differences,” replied Aideen as she brushed her hands against each other and beckoned the young orc for another round of sparring. Kole struck the moment she beckoned at him, but Aideen effortlessly stepped beside his punch and grabbed his outstretched arm, twisting it above and behind his back, forcing the young orc to arc his body backwards in the process. “For example, if I were to twist a human’s shoulder this far behind their back, I’d have either broken or dislocated the joint in ninety-nine out of a hundred cases. You orcs have more range in your shoulder movements though, so your limits are also further.”
“Of course, with things like mixed heritage people and the like, things get more complicated, but you can usually take an educated guess and not be too far off most of the time,” she continued, pushing down until Kole ended up lying flat on his back in the grassy field they were sparring in. “Still, if you have the ability to check, better to make certain than to rely on a guess.”
“Could I also do this?” asked Kole with interest evident in his eyes. The young orc happened to be of the same affinity as Aideen herself, although he had only made use of his innate magic to strengthen himself instead of doing any healing. Not particularly uncommon amongst the clans as it was usually a disciple of the shaman who took up duties such as healing and handled the clan’s medicinal needs.
“It will take some practice and a good bit of learning, but yes,” answered Aideen openly. “You might remember when we sparred the first time a few days ago? I hit you twice before you started feeling powerless back then.”
“That is so. You had explained why that happened to me after the fact,” recalled the young orc.
“That first strike was to probe your body, so I could adjust my second to hit just right. Hard enough to make you feel it without leaving any unnecessary damage to your body. Naturally, if you were an enemy instead, it would be just as easy to adjust the blow to make it more lethal instead,” she explained. “If I were to shift a bit lower and hit your kidney hard enough, it’s not hard to make you piss blood for some weeks, or even cause the organ in question to fail entirely. Do it to both sides and you have an enemy on their way to dying from kidney failure after another week or two.”
“That… sounds like a terrible way to die,” noted the young orc, now looking visibly paler in the face at the thought of dying that way. “I really should keep this in mind in case I ever have disagreements with the shaman’s disciples.”
“In a way, what you know as a warrior when it comes to killing things are the same, it’s just that we as healers have a different perspective to look at it from, if you get what I mean?” said Aideen with a chuckle to the young orc. “We know more details and little tidbits that would not be noticeable by those who learnt about it in broader strokes, if you will. It’s not necessary, but it helps, and you know what they say. Sometimes every little bit counts.”
“I understand, Everlasting One,” said Kole with a bow to show respect. Over the past few days the young orc and his fellows had been thoroughly convinced by Aideen and her group, and she could tell that he clearly intended to put his words into action. “Might you have any suggestions on where I should start if I wish to tread upon this path?”
“The basics you can learn from Miro or one of his disciples,” said Aideen in reply. There was no need for her to teach the basics in person when there were others who were similarly qualified to do so. “You should pay attention to them, as sometimes it is the little details that end up mattering in the end when you least expect it. Once you got a good enough grasp of the basics, I can teach you some tricks on how to work with your affinity during a fight, beyond what you’re already doing.”
