Fists of Darkness [Peer-Mod | Alric]

[Faust D'Rinishad]

Month of Kalendryas in the Season of Winter, Era I of the Celestine Mandate

Thick calluses lined the inside of the Vysstichi Lord's palms, indicating that he was certainly no mage or scholar. The dark elf did not possess the hands of a pacifist or a peacekeeper, but a warrior. Clenching his fists by his sides as he strode down the street, the Prince of Har’oloth winced as a recently developed bruise on his thumb throbbed painfully. Having previously participated in an amiable duel with his comrade, one Zackner Gaveth, the Vysstichi Lord had been agonizingly reminded to never forget that one could use their hilt as a weapon. The Prince’s opponent had been crafty in slamming the cross-guard of his sword against the D’Rinishad’s hand, a decision that had momentarily earned him the upper hand in their spectacular skirmish. Fortunately, that vantage point had only been short-lived.

Silver tresses billowed in the wind as the dark elf ambled towards the Fitness and Bones Training Facility. It had only been a few patterns since he had purchased the establishment, but in actuality the dark elf had been far more familiar with the business than a couple of years. As a child, Faust D’Rinishad had first trained at the academy in the art of swordsmanship, learning from the esteemed swordsmen, Markener and Zackner Gaveth. The latter, a former mercenary captain, had treated Faust like a son and Zackner had welcomed him like a brother. It had only been a matter of weeks until the three had felt like a real family. Over time the dark elf had repaid the pair by investing in the business and rebuilding the compound, and in exchange the trio had shared quite rewarding relationships together.

Pressing an open hand against the doorway of the Fitness and Bones, the Lord of House D’Rinishad entered and offered a cordial nod to Markener who was situated at his usual desk. “Vendui.” Faust greeted, flashing a brief smile as he proceeded through the doorway and towards the training room. After sharing a terse conversation with Markener, the dark elf of Har’oloth continued into the all too familiar practice halls. Like many others before him, Faust had spent a great deal of time atop the cushioned floorboards of the Fitness and Bones largest chamber. Mannequins and practice dummies enveloped the room, and there was an abundance of equipment loitering within boxes and atop many shelves.

This was where the action was at.

Interlocking his fingers and cracking his knuckles, the dark elven prince waited for his comrade to arrive. Though Markener was one of the finest swordsmen in all of Har’oloth, his knowledge of Zinn’ka was partially limited beyond the intermediate levels. Subsequently, Faust had requested that one of his comrades, a dark elf from the Order of the Sacred Blade and an adept practitioner of Rhingorda, teach him the secrets of the intricate craft.

It was only a matter of time now.

[Alric]

Now, it would be hard to remember every member of an order that is at least 150 members strong. To remember the face of a leader, however, was different story. D'shal, one of the members of the Order of the Sacred Blade, had already been waiting on Faust to arrive. The dark elf was average in appearance for any other dark elf, though he was obviously of a warrior's background. Standing only a couple inches taller than Faust, at 5'5", the Holy Warrior's body was tightly toned, indicating the amount of time he'd put into his physical training. Approaching Faust from behind, he taps him lightly on the shoulder.

"Greetings Master Faust. I had heard that you were seeking aid in progressing your skills in Rhingorda. I am not the best in our order, but to teach you the basic of the advanced, I am suitable. The name is D'Shal"

Allowing time for any small talk, D'shal will push on into the lesson. It was an honor to teach the Lord of House D'Rinishad, and he wanted to make sure he had the best he could offer. "Tell me Master Faust. Do you fancy yourself as an offensive fighter, or a defensive. Do you act, or react in most situations? While either has it's pros and cons, this will allow me to decide what methods to teach you first."

[Faust D'Rinishad]

The Vysstichi Prince had always been impressed by the caliber of the soldiers amidst the Order of the Sacred Blade, for their abilities and professionalism had been beyond anything that the dark elf had ever seen before. It had only been a few patterns since the dark elf had encountered a clandestine group known as the Poison, a covert agency that Faust had worked with in exchange for a meeting with the Order's leader, one Priest Saridar. Like those of House D'Rinishad, the holy warriors had been oppressed for their untraditional perceptions of what dark elven culture should have resembled. Subsequently, the youngest D'Rinishad had proposed that they follow him to the surface in order to construct a dream that might once have seemed far-fetched within the subterranean. Ever since that time, both the sacred army and Telath’s only Vysstichi surface family had worked together magnificently.

The tap against his shoulder removed the Vysstichi Prince from his train of thought, and he turned momentarily to address his soon-to-be instructor. He was not surprised by the tightly chorded muscles that the fellow dark elf possessed, and nor was he astonished by the confidence that the holy warrior radiated. Saridar’s chief lieutenants, Valoryn and Eryndyl of Herozzal, had been some of the finest instructors that the Prince had ever known. Therefore it was not surprising that each of their subordinates had been properly trained and equipped for the countless battles ahead of them. “Well met, D’Shal. I appreciate you coming here this evening, and I’ve certainly no doubts about your prowess.” the dark elf nodded.

Faust silently considered D’Shal’s question for a moment, reflecting back upon many encounters that had involved hand-to-hand fighting. In truth the dark elf seldom reached such a point for he had only been disarmed one or two times in his life, but in those instances he certainly wished that he had been more adept in the unarmed combats. “Both as a swordsman and an unarmed fighter, I find myself primarily upon the defensive. I prefer analyzing my opponent’s abilities, strengths, and weaknesses before acting on my own.”

[Alric]

D'shal nods as Faust describes his methods of combat. "A worthy answer my Lord. Many people are hesitant in battle, simply because they are unsure of themselves." Moving over to a decent practice area, D'shal will motion for Faust to follow. "The first thing I need to learn as your instructor is what you already know. As you show me this, I will show you things you don't know." Taking a stance, D'shal stands with his right side facing facing the D'Rinishad lord. His right arm is held up over his head, and his left arm is held across his body, palm up. The warrior moves slightly from foot to foot as he stands on the balls of his feet.

"Now Faust, I want you to throw away your hesitant nature for just a moment, and attack me with whatever you have been taught or learned in the past. I will show you the true abilities of a warrior of patience." Smiling as he awaits Faust's action, D'shal beckons with his left hand. "Now come at me Lord Faust. Your lesson begins now."

[Faust D'Rinishad]

Unsure of themselves?

The Vysstichi Lord paused in contemplation as D'shal explained that hesitancy was often the root of insecurity. Strangely, though, this was not too far from the truth. When the dark elf pondered sincerely over the matter, he realized that he was often the first to attack with a sword; however, when it came to using his fists he was much more reserved and meticulous. Subsequently, D'shal's words were not without their share of accuracy. Faust restrained himself in unarmed combat because he was not as competent with his fists as he was with a blade. D'shal was indeed very insightful.

Nodding compliantly as he was led towards the mat, the Vysstichi Lord allotted a few seconds to stretch and roll out his shoulders. He flexed his hands by his sides and tilted on the balls of his feet to work out his heels. In both swordsmanship and the martial arts, the Vysstichi Lord's primary advantage was that he was typically swifter and more dexterous than his opponents. Unlike giants and humans, races that often incorporated their strength in fights, Faust was not gifted with a robust or stalwart build. Consequently, he exploited his speed and agility to his advantage at all times, and this meant being able to move rapidly upon his feet.

Understanding the methods that D'shal was enacting to train the Vysstichi Lord, Faust nodded once more and adopted an offensive stance. His right foot inched half a yard or so before him and his left supported the majority of his weight. Subtly shifting on his leading leg to indicate that he was about to attack, Faust then maneuvered his hands into position as well; his left lingered a few inches below his jaw and his right extended out before him. Without another word he accelerated off the pads of his feet and burst into action. He led with a straight punch at D'Shal's head, though before it could impact he feinted and jabbed low at D'Shal's solar plexus with his left hand.

[Alric]

As Faust makes a move towards D'shal, the dark elf seems as though he plans on letting the Lord hit him, but at the last minute, the stance that the holy warrior used showed it's full effect. The left hand, held palm-upright in front of D'shals body moved upward and out, to block what ended up being a feint to the man's head. A very intelligent decision by Fausst, such a move would catch many people off guard. D'shal, however, was a different matter. His right arm, having been held out in front of him, above his head, suddenly came straight down as the dark elf prince had made his true strike at the holy warriors solar plexus.

Not attempting to strike Faust's hand down, he instead lets his arm slide past the younger dark elf's wrist, and pushes it out far enough that the strike misses, just barely forcing Fausts fist to slide past his instructo. Since he didn't connect, his body was thrown off balance, even if just slightly, and the arm that D'shal had up, because of the feint Faust had done suddenly found itself on the young Lord's shoulder as D'shal quickly rises his knee into Faust's midesction, stopping just before any real force transferred from the blow.

Chuckling, D'shal will grab his student's shoulders and stand him back up. Well, I see you have learned some tactics with Rhingorda. That is a good thing. You must always remeber though, fighting is like a game of chess. You must always look at least three moves ahead. The more competent your opponent, the more moves you have to calculate." Stepping back from Faust, D'shal pulls a waterskin from off his belt. Taking a quick swig, he replaces it. "The main purpose of having you attack me wasn't necessarily to see what moves you might have known. Instead, i was curious about your stance. While your stance is good for the level you are at, I'll have to teach you a new one in order to properly take advantage of your foes, and strike them down. I, like you, tend to wait for my opponents first move. By doing this, my style allows me to take down my opponent by using his own mistakes." Smiling at Faust, he continues.

"The feint was a good move, but with my body positioning, I was able to quickly counter the true strike. From there, I used what most people call, Adu's Block. By blocking your arm but letting your momentum continue on, I was able to move in for a strike. Instead of a normal attack however, I used what's known as Brute's Knee and would have been able to easily drop you to your knees. Due to Brute's Knee, this may become as much an anatomy class as a fighting class." Chuckling, D'shal runs his hand through his short white hair. "Do you have any question? our next step of the lesson will be to introduce you to what I call the Slice Stance."

[Faust D'Rinishad]

As a swordsman of many patterns, the Vysstichi Lord was acclimated to incorporating feints and crafty maneuvers into his routines, especially when it came to adopting offensives. Unfortunately, though, he had never been as adept with his fists as he was with a blade, and thus certain techniques did not always come into fruition how he would have envisioned them. Still, above all the dark elven prince was a survivor and combat came naturally to him. Faust had always been gifted with a knack for learning and thus the ensuing lesson was one that he wasn't about to ever forget, particularly as it was one of the few humbling moments in the Prince of Har'oloth's life.

Even as Faust's feint was parried the dark elf was not concerned, for like in swordsmanship one of the purposes of the feint was to distract and momentarily dislodge an enemy's position. The youngest D'Rinishad believed to have succeeded in this aspect, and thus he carried through with his secondary attack with little reservation. It wasn't until he felt his equilibrium shift that he truly began to fathom the purpose of D'shal's clever parry. The holy warrior had executed the attack in a manner that left the dark elf's inertia throwing him forward.

Right into D'shal's knee!

The muscles in the Vysstichi Prince's abdomen tightened as he braced himself for his instructor's rising knee, one that would surely knocked the wind from him if D'shal had not exercised restraint. Fortunately, though, D'shal was not without a sense of mercy and helped the tumbling Vysstichi swordsman to his feet. Nodding his thanks, though in an embarrassed fashion, the dark elf sighed and regained his composure. "You were clearly more than three steps ahead me that time." Faust grudgingly admitted. He was slightly humiliated by the prospect of being defeated so easily, but then again this was the purpose of his training this evening, that is, so it wouldn't happen again. The dark elf continued to cant his head as D'shal explained that his stance needed improvement.

"Adu's Block and the Brute Knee." Faust reiterated as he committed the two names to memory. He had a distinct feeling that he was going to be using both of the techniques quite a lot in the upcoming future, and thus he momentarily tried to remember how D’shal had performed the two techniques against him. “No, I have no questions. I am interested, though, to learn this Slice Stance.” The dark elf nodded once more.

[Alric]

D'shal smiles, "I have always enjoyed a student that was eager to learn Master Faust." Moving a couple steps back from the vysstichi lord, he waves his hand in Faust's direction. "I want you to take the stance you were using earlier." Allowing Faust a moment to resume his original stance, the older vysstichi walks forward and begins shifting the placement of Faust's body. "The stance you are using is often known as the Basic Stance. It is of course called this for a reason--it's basic. It allows you to learn the rudimentary steps, basic kicks, and how to effectively make a punch. It can be used as you learn the true power of Rhingorda, but you will still be held back. Part of being a warrior is making your own style. As I teach you this style, in the end you should modify it to make it better for you."

As he speaks, first shifts Faust's weight on his feet, leaving equal weight on both. Squatting down, he pushes the swordsman's feet so that he is now standing on his toes, adding spring to his movements. "In order to react, you have to be ready to move forward, back, or side to side. Your originally stance left most of your weight on one foot, and as such limits your maneuverability." Leaving Faust's torso as it is, he lowers the left arm from Faust's chin, to his waist. Opening the fist that Faust had been holding, D'shal turns his students wrist so that it's palm up. The right arm, that was held outright was raised up just slightly higher than Faust's head, and his fist was opened so that the palm angled down.

"Don't hold a fist, but don't keep your hand stretched open either. A relaxed form is best, as you can switch between a fist for a punch or straighten your hand for a push or grab. Your forward hand is held up, so as to allow you to block high to low attacks with one smooth range of motions. Using gravity, you can quickly move from a high block to a low block, while the other way around would be just a fraction slower--enough to allow a foe to find an opening. The arm held at your waist is to be used for reacting to feints, as I demonstrated on you." Chuckling, D'shal steps back to make sure the stance is correct. "It is also this hand that is used in most deflections, as you want your foe to think they will connect, limiting their ability to react before you can decimate them with a quick knee or punch."

Taking a basic stance, D'shal nods to Faust. I am going to make an attack, similar to yours. While you have the advantage of knowing that the first punch is a feint, remember that you don't always have this blessing. I will move slowly, and I want you to attempt to block the feint as though it were coming in, and attempt the Adu's Block, followed by the Brute Knee." It wasn't real combat, but you always have to learn to crawl before you can walk. D'shal's intentions were obvious, as he wanted Faust understand the basics, so he could know how to improve himself in his own time.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

Nodding compliantly, the dark elven prince shifted into one of the first stances that he had learned as a practitioner of Rhingorda. Spreading his feet shoulder-length apart, he turned to the side so that his right leg was forward and carried the majority of his weight. Bending partially at the knees, the Vysstichi Lord raised his fists in the air so that they were properly situated; his left hand hovered a short distance beneath his chin and his right was extended before him though slightly lower. Jasper, the Riparian boxer that had taught the Vysstichi the position, had always stressed the importance of it despite its basic formation. The basics, as Jasper had explained, often became the foundations of more advanced techniques.

Nevertheless, the Slice Stance, as D’shal had called it, was far more different than what the dark elf was acclimated to. As a dual wielder of some experience, Faust was accustomed to equalizing his weight upon both feet as it was often advantageous for the sake of mobility. In unarmed combat, however, Faust had always been defensive as he had never been exceptionally confident about his offensive capabilities. Subsequently, as D’shal shifted Faust’s feet so that he was balanced on both feet (more specifically the toes), the Vysstichi Prince understood that he was being prepared to learn how to transition from offense to defense or vice versa. The purpose of him being on his toes was to augment his quickness and velocity. Still, this wasn’t to say that the dark elf was immune to the strain that he felt in his feet. As he was not used to the position, Faust understood that it might take him some time to adjust.

Faust nodded as D’shal soon explained the purpose of the hand positions, something that the dark elf was initially baffled by. His left hand was lowered by his waist with his palm up and his right and was a little higher than his head. The latter position involved a down-turned hand. Once again the Vysstichi Prince was foreign to the stance, and thus it took him some time to understand the uniqueness and effectiveness of the hand positions. In essence he was creating a gap to mislead opponents into thinking that they could exploit a weakness in his defense when in fact this was precisely the trap that he intended to use against his enemies. Acknowledging the craftiness of D’shal’s explanation, the dark elf remained enthralled. Certainly it was a good thing that he and his instructor had not been enemies during an unarmed fight, for it was evident that their duel would have ended prematurely and unlikely in Faust’s favor!

“Understood.” the dark elf readied for the oncoming assault, and though it was only practice, Faust understood that proper technique was more important than speed at the present moment. There was no point in him exercising skills that were performed erroneously. Bad habits, after all, were hard to break. Mentally replaying the previous scenes of his encounter with the holy warrior, the dark elf prepared to defend himself. Adu’s Block, as he remembered, involved pushing his opponent’s arm out to the side in order to dislodge his equilibrium. Afterwards the dark elf would immediately follow the parry with a rising knee towards D’Shal’s hopefully exposed abdomen.

[Alric]

The steps were easy to recreate, and D'shal made sure to slow down or back up whenever Faust needed to be corrected on his form. All in all, training like this was nothing more than the basic steps of a warrior teaching himself, and that was the mentality of Faust's teacher. Each time Faust would make his strike at D'shal, he would notice that the older dark elf never let the knee get close enough to actually strike. The dark elf was also very patient when it came to instructing, and perhaps it was this reason he was sent to train Faust. As the Holy Warrior had told the young prince upon first meeting, he was not the best rhingorda user, but he would do. Sometimes simply mastering a skill or art does not make it possible for you to teach it.

After a candlemark or so of repetitious practice, D'shal will stop the training, letting his student rest a bit. "You do very well Faust. I have to admit, you are a quick learner. This is the easy part however, and I hope that you will be able to incorporate these moves into your own style."

Tossing his waterskin over to Faust, should the young vysstichi wish to drink, D'shal takes a seat. Motioning over beside him, he beckons his student to take a seat as well. [b]"While the physical aspects are of great importance in this art, remember that often times people forget the mental. For now, we shall rest our bodies, and work on the mental aspects of Rhingorda." Retrieving his waterskin back from Faust, D'shall will take a swig before placing it back on his belt. "By now, you have learned that you need to practice your ability to move faster, and continue when most would quit--Agility and Stamina respectively. Due to the fact you have been working on this by now, your body can be fooled, so to speak, by your mind. The Rush Breath technique is one way of doing this."

Crossing his legs, D'shall takes a sitting position that would remind Faust of a meditation stance. This would of course be a correct assumption. "In order to learn the Rush Breath technique, you must first understand your ability to breath. I want you to sit like this, and relax your body. Close your eyes, and breath in swiftly thorugh your nose, holding it for about three seconds, and then let it slowly leave your nose. Once you've expelled all of the air thorugh your nose, repeat." After saying that, D'shal will give Faust a demonstration. Head held high, the vysstichi breaths in swiftly through his nose, holding it slightly and then breathing out. "I will stop you and make a few points that you probably won't notice since you don't know what you'd be looking for. So until then, please begin."

[Faust D'Rinishad]

Mustering a quick offensive, the Vysstichi Lord advanced and committed himself to several different unarmed combinations. He incorporated the Brute Knee whenever possible, though he found himself unable to connect solidly against the agile D'Shal. As he continued his onslaught he became increasingly aware that his opponent never permitted him to get close enough for impact, making it all the more difficult for the dark elf to grasp a feel for the technique. Nevertheless, the youngest D'Rinishad never backed down and swung relentlessly. His punches and knees were never performed crudely and there was always purpose behind each and every stroke, but in the end he was discovering that he was not nearly a match for the more experienced and apt holy warrior. By the end of their duel the dark elf was laboring for breaths and sweat poured rigorously down his brow.

"I'll definitely work on it." Faust spoke through strenuous pauses. Sighing heavily, he hunched over to regain his composure moments before he wiped the perspiration from his face with the bottom of his shirt. "I've never been adept at using my knees in combat, but I can see how effective they might be against an enemy who might not expect them." the dark elf's head canted agreeably. As the knees were some of the hardest bones in the body, Faust was certain that he might utilize them advantageously the next time that he was thrown into an unarmed melee with an enemy.

As D'Shal motioned for the Prince to take a seat, the dark elf complied and positioned himself across from his instructor. He was once again intruded by D'Shal's explanation, partially because he was able to sincerely understand the mentality behind D'Shal's words. The mind, as Faust had discovered through his life, was often the determiner in fights between two unequally skilled warriors. Combat was typically a battle of wits and the mentally 'tough' were often the first to prevail. Those who were unable to push themselves to the limits often succumbed to fatigue, pessimism, and ultimately death. "Fool the mind? By this you mean enabling myself to push harder and for longer periods of time." the dark elf's ebony brow shifted curiously, more so because he was amazed by such a prospective ability.

After assessing D'Shal it was soon time for the dark elven prince to practice the Rush Breath technique. Straightening his back and mirroring D'Shal's seated stance, the dark elf closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose. After inhaling for several seconds he released the air slowly before repeating the process again. He was not sure what he was supposed to feel or aim for, but he was certain that D'Shal would guide him through the technique progressively.

[Heartbreaker]

OOC: Forgive for the short post...just trying to get the feel of the thread! =-)

D’Shal appraised his student quickly, silently chuckling at Faust’s quick mind. Indeed, Rush Breath was about tricking the mind a little, but more importantly, it was about re-teaching one’s body to utilize air more efficiently to produce the desired results. There were other forms of Zinn’ka that had techniques more in-depth, dealing with tricking the mind, but this particular method wasn’t near that level.

Nodding at his question, D’Shal began once again.

"Not so much tricking, I suppose. But you need to switch the way you utilize your breathing. Most beings utilize the upper portions of their lungs when breathing, but for this, you need to switch you lower lung breath, which in effect works your lungs in their entirety. What it does is primes your muscles with the oxygen they need to achieve short bursts of speed. It’s a very round about process, but it does work. So it’s a little different then actually tricking your mind. Does that make sense?"

After receiving the answer, he pushed on into the instruction.

"Take a deep breath and visualize it pushing through your lungs, from the top…all the way into the lower chambers, and then back up again. The trick is breathing slowly, allowing the air time to saturate your blood. If you breathe too quickly, it never gets the chance. Right now, it probably a rather easy thing to accomplish, but the true test is in the heat of battle, when you are breathing quickly and heavy, trying simply to collect your breath."

"Go ahead and try it while sitting. Get used to it and we will make sure you have the right processes, and then "we will move along."

[Faust D'Rinishad]

OOC: no problem at all =)

The Prince of Har'oloth had utilized methods like the Rush Breath before, though more so through a sheer act of will than anything else. He had learned through his countless trials and tribulations that the body was capable of more than imagined, especially if one was capable of convincing themselves that they possessed more strength, speed, and perseverance. During his endeavor of mastering his abilities with the sword, the Lord of House D'Rinishad had been pitted against foes beyond his wildest imaginations, including a demon bred from Aeternia itself. It had seemed unlikely that he would have been able to defeat such an abomination with steel alone, but the dark elf had diligently fought until the bitter end: it had been him standing in the end. In retrospect, had he not believed that he could have succeeded he then might have given up prematurely,

"So in essence, training my lungs to be more efficient." the dark elven elucidated, more so to himself than D'Shal. Obviously the Vysstichi warrior was already competent at performing the Rush Breath. Faust, however, instinctively relayed the methods in his own terms to better understand the precise details of the maneuver. Nevertheless, he was prepared to attempt the advanced technique regardless if it required more time and effort. He had learned well-enough that practice was the only way to perfect something, and that was exactly what he intended on doing.

Nodding to D'Shal as he was instructed to attempt the technique, the dark elf sat across from his master and focused upon the task at hand. Breathing in a pocket of air through his mouth, Faust relaxed and felt as the tendrils seeped down his throat and filled his lungs. His chest naturally expanded during the inhalation, and he allowed the air to soak into him much like D'Shal had explained the air to be 'saturating' his blood. The Lord of House D'Rinishad didn't honestly know what he meant, though he nevertheless could envision the air within him. He also did so slowly to diminish the likeliness of losing his concentration.

Faust sat for several long moments, continuing to practice the exercise that D'Shal had asked of him. It became evident that performing the Rush Breath in combat would be a much more difficult feat in reality, but for now mastering the basics was all on the swordsman's mind.

[Heartbreaker]

D’Shal watched Faust practicing the technique, checking his chest motions to make sure they looked correct. It wasn’t difficult to ascertain if he was actually breathing deep enough. The sounds coming from him and his chest action told D’Shal that he indeed was getting used to the motion in a resting state. The true test would be when trying to accomplish it in the heat of battle.

But that was for another time. Techniques came first…and then the applications. It was one thing to teach how to do things, but quite another to be able to use said technique within the sphere of the art. Techniques needed to be use seamlessly within motion, without thought…by feeling one’s way through an encounter. –That- was what the level was all about.

Nodding his head in approval, he indicated for the Vyssie to stand and began instruction on the next technique.

"Now, if you would, please tell me what you consider to be the ‘soft spots’ on a body. I would like to know your opinion before instructing further. Sometimes it’s nice to know what a student has learned already to be able to appropriately guide them forward."

His eyes gazed at Faust, waiting to see what he would come up with.