Erika Meridian is pretty much an enigma all to herself.  Not everybody knows about Erika Meridian’s back story.  Even the Aethereal Queen knows little to nothing about her.  However, what they do know is that Erika is moral, kind, and honest, and has numerous outstanding talents.  Unbeknownst to everyone’s knowledge that came to a positive surprise.  She is well gifted in martial arts.  One of the deadliest martial arts she has mastered is Ninjutsu.

 

Ninjutsu (忍術), sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term ninpō (忍法),[1] is the strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practiced by the shinobi (commonly known outside Japan as ninja). Ninjutsu was a separate discipline in some traditional Japanese schools, which integrated the study of more conventional martial arts (Taijutsu) along with shurikenjutsu, kenjutsu, sōjutsu, bōjutsu, and others.

 

According to Bujinkan members, Ninja Jūhakkei (“the eighteen disciplines”) were first stated in the scrolls of Togakure-ryū and became definitive for all ninjutsu schools. Ninja jūhakkei was often studied along with Bugei jūhappan (the “eighteen samurai fighting art skills”).  Mainly, she mastered Sui-ren, the training that ninja underwent for techniques involving water. Some ninja was tasked to either deal with opponents in the water, disguise themselves in it, or to cross it. Ninja water techniques fall into five major categories.

 

Ninja sometimes used rafts or portable collapsing boats to follow convoys in the water, or to cross rivers, or in the ocean. These boats, however, were not made to last very long.

 

Ninja also used water as a weapon, destroying bridges, dikes, or otherwise contaminating water sources, or withholding water from captives. They would weaken the bridge or dikes support beams, and when an enemy walked over, it would collapse. Special water explosives were even used to splatter water and create a distraction.

 

A ninja could use a breathing tube that looks like a reed to stay underwater for an extended period. These tubes sometimes were used to blow darts at unsuspecting opponents from the water.

 

In old Japan, it was not uncommon for ninja to use water urns, wells, and rivers to hide and watch people. Using the method of breathing through a reed, they went into the well filled with water to better conceal themselves.

 

One attack used was hiding in a mostly empty well that was owned by an enemy, and when a servant pulled up water, the ninja would jump out and take the servant as a hostage.

 

Ninja had to know how to find, purify, and transport water over distances. As a survival skill, some ninja could find water in unlikely places.

 

She also mastered Seishin Teki Kyoyo (spiritual refinement), Taijutsu (unarmed combat), Kenjutsu (sword techniques), Bo-jutsu (stick and staff fighting), Shuriken-Jutsu (throwing blades), Henso-jutsu (disguise and impersonation), Shinobi-iri (stealth and entering methods), Bo-ryaku (strategy), Chōhō (espionage), Intonjutsu (escape and concealment), Ten-mon (meteorology), and Chi-mon (geography).

 

She just recently started to practice Filipino Martial Arts, ancient Indianized, and newer fighting methods devised in the Philippines. The essential need for self-preservation was the genesis of these systems. Throughout the ages, invaders and evolving local conflict imposed new dynamics for combat in the islands, now making up the Philippines. The Filipino people developed battle skills as a direct result of an appreciation of their ever-changing circumstances. They often learned out of necessity how to prioritize, allocate, and use shared resources in combative situations.

 

Filipinos have been heavily influenced by a phenomenon of the cultural and linguistic mixture. Some of the specific mechanisms responsible for cultural and martial change extended from events such as war, political and social systems, technology, trade, and of course, pure practicality. It incorporates elements from both Western and Eastern Martial Arts, the most modern forms of which are known as Arnis, Eskrima, and Kali.  Arnis, Eskrima, and kali all refer to the same family of Filipino weapon-based martial arts and fighting systems, but the system she has mastered is the Kali system.

 

Kali is a martial arts style that focuses on the ability to transition from fighting with weapons to empty hands fluidly, as there is always the possibility of losing or being without a weapon. Though there are several systems of Eskrima/Kali in use today, most teach elements of weapons fighting, striking, grappling, and throwing/ takedowns. Further, more aggressive maneuvers like biting are also taught.

 

Kali practitioners believe that hand-to-hand combat moves are similar to those with weapons; thus, these skills are developed concurrently. Some of the popular combinations of arms used are the single stick (solo baston), double stick (double baston), and sword/stick and dagger (espada). Along with this, the most frequently used training weapon is the rattan, a stick about the length of its wielder’s arm.

 

Kali is primarily a weapons-based style of fighting. Thus, it involves inflicting bad, often fatal damage to opponents with the use of weapons and/or empty hand techniques as quickly as possible. In the end, Kali practitioners are known for their lightning-fast movements and efficient footwork in wielding weapons. 

 

When it comes to weapons in Filipino martial arts, there are numerous possibilities. Erika’s weapon of choice happens to be the most basic and standard in Arnis is the baston. Traditional common materials for wooden bastons are usually rattan, kamagong, and bahi wood, but hers is made from Applewood that contains magical properties.  This is a robust wood of choice for such users when working with the Aethereal Magic. Apple is an excellent wood for aiding in the propagation of skills, often used in love magic. Apple wood promotes peace and harmony, the magic of light and the divine, and promotes visions.

 

Cleverly, her Applewood baston has been re-outfitted as an umbrella.  This specialized umbrella is made from the silver framework and silk fabric.  With this specialized umbrella, she’s able to use stick fighting and spell casting with incredible ease.  She even carries silver throwing knives.  Even without her umbrella, she is still a dangerous spell caster and hazardous in hand-to-hand combat; pencak silat.

 

Pencak Silat is an umbrella term for a class of related martial arts originating in Indonesia. It is a full-body fighting form incorporating strikes, grappling, and throwing in addition to weaponry. Every part of the body is used and subject to attack. Pencak silat was practiced not only for physical defense but also for psychological ends.

 

The leading organization of pencak silat in Indonesia is IPSI (Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia, meaning Pencak Silat Association of Indonesia). The liaison body for international pencak silat is the International Pencak Silat Federation or PERSILAT (Persekutuan Pencak Silat Antara Bangsa).

 

Over 150 styles of pencak silat are recognized in Indonesia, although the actual number of existing systems is well beyond that. Older methods are typically identified with specific ethnocultural groups or particular regions. After Indonesia’s independence, pencak silat adapted itself in the context of modern sport and, in some cases, religion.  The style of pencak silat she chosen is Java.

 

The Javanese pencak silat tradition was developed by several perguruan (schools). Notable schools include Merpati Putih and Inti Ombak from Yogyakarta, and Perisai Diri from Surabaya. PPS Betako Merpati Putih stands for Perguruan Pencak Silat Beladiri Tangan Kosong Merpati Putih or “Empty Handed Pencak Silat Martial Art School of Merpati Putih.” Officially established on April 1963 in Yogyakarta, Merpati Putih is rooted in the Javanese beliefs and philosophies based on Javanese keraton (court) tradition and can trace its origin to the martial art tradition of the 17th century Mataram Sultanate. 

 

The name Merpati Putih in Indonesian means “white dove,” and the bird is the symbol of the school. The name is said to be an abbreviation of a Javanese proverb: Mersudi Patitising Tindak Pusakane Titising Hening, which means “Always searching for the truth with inner peace.” The school also has a motto: Sumbangsihku tak berharga, namun Keikhlasanku nyata, which means “My contribution is humble, but my sincerity is real.”

 

Merpati Putih focuses heavily on empty-handed self-defense and tenaga dalam (“inner strength”) developed through intense breathing technique training.  Although the style is very much self-defense oriented, its practitioners also participate in recent competitions and have achieved some significant victories in many regional, national, and international tournaments.

 

Today, the school of Merpati Putih is one of the most widely distributed and has large numbers of the practitioner in Indonesia and abroad. The faculty of Merpati Putih has numerous branches established in schools and universities in Indonesia to attract students to learn pencak silat as an extracurricular activity. The Indonesian National Armed Forces also practice the Merpati Putih self-defense system. Merpati Putih has established overseas schools in the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands.

 

Mature and rational, she serves as a pillar of support and calming factor for her team, trying to be cheerful, encouraging, and level-headed, even through tough times. She is emotionally resilient, loyal, and considerate of her friends’ feelings, striving to hide her pain, not to burden her classmates. Erika cares for and looks out for her team. However, even someone like Erika Meridian, who is both mature and rational, does have many secrets…