The Martial Arts - Weapons

[Cute Things In Jars]

Finesse

[Stage One:]
Such as the more complex style of fencing is compared to the traditional hack-and-slash movements, this training is often started at a young age to prepare the eye-hand coordination and movement. The style of fencing is a stable stance with a light, thin, and flexible sword. It is not meant for cutting, but quick thrusts for piercing flesh and easily jabbing through vital organs. Mostly the chest is targeted, but not always. User holds the sword with one arm and keeps their other arm free, often behind their back for balance or other uses.

Lunge
The staple attack of Fencing. The user lunges forward, and lands their body in a stable, outstretched position. This drives the blade with much force to their target.

Parry
The basic block of fencing. While some styles only use blocks defensively, this is used to not only avoid an attack, but also set their own up. This is usually a motion of the wrist rather than the brunt force of the arm.

Counterattack
Using their opponent's momentum against them, the user will let their own legs collapse to a kneeling position. This is done at the exact moment before they are about to be struck by an attack. Once down, they jab their weapon outward at the opponent. This more often than not results in them running themselves through.


[Stage Two:]
The practitioner now focuses on their speed and movement, making sure to minimize their required movement and thus, take the least amount of time to land a hit. This is more or less just a step up from a student of the style.

In-Fighting
This is meant to be used for very up-close combat. As the blade can sometime be too long and cumbersome to use at this distance, In-Fighting solves this. Using the length of their arm, they parry upward and point their wrist and blade point down. This gives them the chance to jab downward into the opponent's chest, neck and shoulder.

Flèche
This attack is meant for surprise and quick speed. While the user mostly attempts to find accurate openings, this attack is a sudden burst of speed and a powerful jab. The user half-jumps and half-runs at the target, often resulting in them being incredibly surprised and consequentially impaled.

Flurry
Using incredible speed of the arm, the user makes multiple jabs to a target at a very quick pace. While weak individually, the sheer number of wounds that this can inflict more than makes up for it. It is very difficult to block every single thrust.


[Stage Three:]
The user begins to focus on the power and the speed of their strikes rather than accuracy and timing, as before. This is the turning point of the style. Now instead of a learner, the user is now a very deadly fighter.

Disarm
Using the blade and the quick speed, the user will find the easiest point to manipulate of the enemy's weapon, place their blade on it, and begin to user their arm to spin it out of their grip. This leaves them completely open to attack.

Flick
Using the flexibility of the blade, the user cocks their arm upward, and then jerks it forward very quickly to send the point of the blade in an arc. This will often go over any guard the enemy puts up and jab into any horizontal surface behind their defense.

Puncture
When the opponent presents a flaw in their guard, such as a down turned black and an exposed wrist, the user makes a quick and precise jab to that small target. This is often used to cripple very quickly or sever major blood vessels.


[Stage Four:]
As the pinnacle of the style, the user has adapted their sword for the sole purpose of precise and deadly attacking. Their once unarmed hand now carries a dagger for close quarters and blocking. This makes for a versatile combatant.

*Whirlwind
Getting in close to the target, the user spins rapidly and strikes out with both their sword and dagger. They strike the

*Wedge
While not orthodox to the previous training of the style, the user accurately throws the dagger into their intended target and then follows up with a lightning-fast jab to the exact center of the back of the dagger's hilt. This drives the blade almost completely through the target.

*Skewer
Using perfect timing and any form of surface, the user will take the dagger and find an exact opening in their opponent's attack. They will then jam the dagger into the wrist, arm, opening of a weapon, etc and pin it to a wall, ground, or even to the target's own body. From there, they can do as they please with their rapier.  

[Cute Things In Jars]

Rogue [Throwing Knives]

[Stage One:]
This is a knife-based fighting style that uses a mix of short and mid range attacks to kill the opponent in the most efficient way possible, meaning without wasting much time or energy. The first stage of this simply teaches the weak and vital points of a body, not just applying to humans but also any living being in general.

Hidden Sleight
This is a simple technique to hide a number of small knives around the user’s body to make it easy to access and utilize. With a little sleight of hand, the user can put one of these blades in their hand almost as fast as they throw it.

Dis-Armor
A simple technique that lets the user stab into small cinches of armor in a target and weaken or break the supports holding it together. Essentially, this is simply a technique that removes clothes/armor from a target.

Pinning Shot
A technique that utilizes powerful throws with accuracy to pin the target’s clothes to a surface, immobilizing that area of the body. With a bit of effort, the blades can be removed in a second or two, though is quite troublesome if pinned by multiple shots. This throws one knife at stage one [1], two at stage two [2], three at stage three [3], and four at stage four [4].

Flash
The user simply uses the knife blade to flash light into the enemy’s eyes to blind them for a split second. Can’t be used at night or in dark places.


[Stage Two:]
Now the rogue not only swings his knife around randomly, but also learns some cool tricks to help gain an edge on the opponent. This stage specifically requires the rogue to be smart and to learn some mathematics and physics to help understand and grasp the concepts of the tricks.

Blade Duller
Sacrificing one knife, the user engages a target in close combat. If the target has a bladed weapon, the user continuously counters and defends the attacks with his knife at certain angles to steadily dull the edge so that it won’t cut even if it hits. A bruise or impact, maybe, but not as fatal as being sliced.

Shuriken
Locking four knives around each other, this creates a shuriken-shaped structure from the blades. By throwing this, the blades will auto-lock into one another so it doesn't fall apart. If this is blocked by the target, it doesn't just deflect somewhere else, but instead the three other blades that didn't make contact separate and try to hit the target after being released in random trajectories at the target from point-blank.

Scorpion Strike
This is a throwing technique that takes two knives in one hand and swings the hand in an upward motion to throw. Releasing the blades at different times, the first blade heads in a straight trajectory at the opponent, while the second blade is secretly thrown upwards, above the target. The first blade is just a distraction so that the hidden second knife can strike down on the opponent from above.

Pincer Strike
This takes two knives, both in one hand like the Scorpion Strike. Throwing one to an angle from the target, like a way off throw, then throwing the second one right after in the same straight and high-speed trajectory, the second one, having been thrown harder and faster, will ricochet off the first one. The second one will then turn and head towards the actual target. This can be used to attack two targets at once if the timing is right. This must be a horizontal throw.


[Stage Three:]
The rogue learns how to maneuver the blades with bodies more along with learning how to utilize the wind for longer throws. This requires re-learning all natural movements in the body and rebuilding reflexes.

Armor of Thorns
The user slides knives around their body, letting them move the blades as armor to wherever it’s needed. This doesn't automatically guard against anything and has its limits since the User can only make certain movements at the same time as defending.

Joint Block
This teaches the User joints to stab their knives into in order to stiffen the area and make it impossible to move it. Once the knife is removed, the joint is able to maneuver freely.

Steps of Death
A special form taught to rogues that applies a large set of maneuvers meant to kill the opponent, letting the rogue move deadlier than any other warrior. Every motion is is cut or stab to a fatal area and will most probably kill the target. It’s not strict that one uses this entire form at once, but more so to teach separate parts of the whole that can be effective in actual situations.

Long Throw
A technique that helps the User read the wind to help them throw a knife over a long distance of a hundred meters. This isn't fast due to the longer distance, but can be useful if used correctly.


[Stage Four:]
The rogue is now a master of the knife and utilizes some of the most difficult and deadly techniques in their artillery. This is perfect for assassins and the like, but also seems like magic tricks with the simplicity of it. In fact, these tricks and techniques are good because of their simplicity, like how it's so easy to say "all he needed to do is..." but most likely much harder to have actual done that maneuver in real time.

Death’s Subtle Touch
This is a special throwing technique which makes the blade approach almost impossible for the target to track with their own eyes. The motion and actual skill is no different from a normal throw, but the true technique is hidden in the aim and angle. By throwing the knife at an angle that is in the exact same position as the target’s line of sight, then the blade will not appear to be anything but a sliver in the eyesight of the opponent, but just the act of making it hard to see isn't the purpose of this technique. In truth, because it looks like just a sliver, it removes the ability of depth perception from the target, making it near impossible to track its movements or approach. This throw is aimed exactly between the eyes of the target, so this is a dangerous technique that can’t be used safely in a friendly spar. While the throw isn't strong enough to pierce the skull, it would put a pretty bad gash between the target's eyes or nose, and if they try dodging too late they might poke an eye out. This can become a truly devastating ability with Shadow Knife.

Shadow Knife
This throws a knife in the shadow of another knife, which prevents it from shining any light, thus concealing it. The knife can be any distance away from the knife, but it must always be in the shadow of the initial.

Boomerang Strike
This reads the wind, adjusting the angle of the knife so that they throw it against the wind somehow, which then turns the knife around and changes the trajectory to be aimed at the back of the target, so defending against this is difficult if they don't know it's coming. This can't be used with the wind at your back.