19 Vhalar, Arc 720
In Diem Vivere...Part Three
Yawning softly, Elisa began loosening herself up. Waiting in the glade where Lore first taught her, they had decided to continue using the site for as long as it continued to serve the purpose. The early morning was the only time she really had to train and as her mentor had a few spare hours set aside for her, she really couldn’t pass it up. Garbed in her loose training clothes and boots, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and held tight by a leather tie, she continued to stretch her muscles and wait for him.
It wasn’t long before his familiar face appeared, giving her a quick smile before handing a wooden training sword to her. “You wanted to learn how to wield a blade but there is more to it than just the mechanics of swinging a weapon around. You need to know when to pull out your blade…and when to not. With increased skill comes greater accountability. You would do well to remember that…always. Also, the rule that caused us to have to employ a watcher the last time we trained has been lifted so it will just be us from now on.”
Lorista Brennan was not a large man, but what he lacked in physical size he more than made up for in presence, stature, skill, and experience. He had arrived at the glade a few bits prior but had wanted to observe her without her knowledge. How one handled themselves in preparation for training said a lot about a person and he was still getting to know her. During their first session, he could sense that she was the type of person who wanted to get everything right the first time, and quite possibly got very frustrated if she ever failed, even once. Striving for perfection was a good quality to have but it had to be tempered with the idea that one could and would fail – likely often – before getting something right. There was a lot to be learned from one's mistakes.
Running a quick hand through his hair, he glanced at her thoughtfully and got down to business.
"You learned some basics the other trial. Now it’s time to learn how to put some of those things together. Lesson one. Never let your guard down." He back-stepped quickly, training sword in each hand, made of metal but with blunt tips and edges, his eyes measuring her reactions.” The most effective combat style with the gladius emphasizes speed, agility, and dexterity. Stamina, strength, and endurance are important too…but those will come with time. Everything we work on together; you will need to go over on your own between sessions. If you only train when we are together, you will fail."
She didn’t let her eyes leave his as he spoke. He was the serious sort when it came to training. Honest, but serious. He had told her such at the outset of their training. Hopefully, he would come to understand that she too was serious about training. Her very life could depend on it…and on him to train her properly.
Appreciative of the fact that he wanted to train hard, she launched immediately into an attack, not coming at him from the front but sweeping the training weapon over her head and coming at his side, stepping to the right and aiming for his side. She had no idea how he would counter, but that was part of the training - watching and learning.
For him, the greatest fear in taking on a pupil was that they would not understand what serious business weapons training was. That they would believe that snatching and swinging a sword was good fun and call it good. Lore’s philosophy was much different. Every time one held a sword in their hand, they were committed to using it. Every time they swung, it was to save one's own life or protect the lives of others and not to play around. That whenever one attacked an enemy, it was in earnest, even if the said enemy was merely playing as one for training purposes.
That was not, of course, to say that the bladed arts couldn't be magnificent in their own way - a flowing dance of perilous steel and perfectly timed and trained limbs snapping in exactly the right direction.
Stepping to the right--his left--he watched her move, impressed at the fluidity of the girl's movements. He hadn’t doubted her desire to learn – but not everyone had what it took to learn the blade. A person had to innately possess certain attributes that made them compatible with the weapon and luckily, thus far, she did. Otherwise, there would have been no point in wasting their time.
The blade came in at his side, and as it did, he'd remained motionless, letting her get a feel. Pushing off with his right foot and using his left as the pivot point, he spun forty-five degrees to his left, letting the momentum not only whip the blade out, but add force behind it as he kept the sword point low, but rotated his wrist so the sword was inverted and his own wrist and pommel at head height, then clipped her blade as it came in, holding it wide. “Not bad as far as attacks go - decent power and execution. A bit too straightforward for my liking, but you are at the beginning of your training, so I’m not worried about it. I would expect you not to know any better. Keep coming at me. I want to have a mini-sparring session here to see what I have to work with." With a flick of his wrist, the swords unlocked, and she was forced to take a step or two back to regain her balance. This time, in the same stance, he stood at the ready with the sword hilt at his waist, blade pointing outwards and upwards, the tip of his blade level with her eyes, waiting.
One of her favorite pastimes was watching others do blade training. She had done it all the time in Viden. Others might have considered it an odd way to pass time, but she had learned a lot...such as fluidity in motion was an asset. Also, always keep your sword in motion to continue to the next stroke or strike. His locking blades with her did manage to catch her off guard, but as soon as he released and pushed off, she used that energy and motion to pivot to her left, and bring her sword around in a blind, backhanded motion. Her feet stepped gracefully, and when her body turned, she lunged slightly, putting herself just under the normal height for a forward thrust. She knew he wouldn’t do what she expected but getting off the centerline was the primary intent – a surprise. Her head spun quickly, never losing sight of her target for a moment. Her intended focus was his right side, but even if he blocked, she had another move planned. It wasn’t even that she planned the next step, but more the fact that she –felt- one. When something got in her way, such as steel or another obstacle, she would –feel- the energy and go with the direction of motion that the other pushed her in, only to come back stronger and with more force. It was using another’s power against them, and it was a lesson Elisa was learning well.
Elisa did come in fast and furious. The attack, while clever, was betrayed by her movements. Able to read her attack as though it were a book, he back-stepped away from the markedly precise backhand swing. At first, he thought it an amateur move, but he knew it served its own purpose: Keeping him at length for her next move, which was to duck under a thrust in a mild lunge of her own.
Lore made sure she'd never even get to make an attempt at his right side, sending a boot into her gut.
In trying to use his force against her, she'd had the exact opposite done to her.
Not apologizing in the slightest for knocking the wind out of her, he spoke firmly. “Right there...that boot. Unarmed combat takes a special place in swordplay and some of the greatest fighters in history have been proficient at both, knowing when to strike with blade, hand, or foot depending upon the situation. Once you are able, continue to attack and remember this, it also helps not to become predictable..." Though it was hard for one as inexperienced as Elisa – comparatively - to be unpredictable enough for him to not read her attacks, it helped to not be too straightforward too.
The boot had hit its mark beautifully and Elisa was immediately sent to the ground. Wincing back the pain she felt, she quickly managed to get back to her feet. He was making her frustrated, but she controlled it. Anger had no place in training. It made one make unwise choices, and she couldn’t afford those. She preferred to stay in control of her emotions and keep them in check and as such, she faced him again. Her gut hurt, but she pushed it aside and kept going. Getting her sword swinging again, she stepped to his left side, leading with her right foot, but while her sword was coming in to target his side, she changed her approach. At the last minute, she re-gripped her sword and targeted his lower ribs with a pommel strike. While her hands were busy preparing that move, she shifted her weight to her right foot and struck his calf with her left…using a quick kick to hopefully knock him slightly off-center. In any case, her thought was to get behind him with the next move if she could, continuing on with her swing after bouncing off his side…letting her feet continue their movement in that direction.
That was her thought anyway. She wasn’t giving up.
To her credit, she had stood up and brushed off the pain - and the anger - that he'd intentionally put into her. He wanted to make sure her anger was in check for the very reasons she already seemed to acknowledge. He was relieved that his faith in her hadn’t been misplaced. She was proving herself already, even if she felt angry or outmatched.
Her attack again came swiftly, and he waited for it. When she switched it to a pommel strike at the last minute, it caught Lore by surprise. She had either watched a lot of fights or she was a born fighter – it was a hell of a move. He winced at the pain as it connected and when her kick came - it landed perfectly.
As Lore faltered, falling into his side and readjusting his weight, Elisa was granted the opportunity to slide him behind him perfectly. Just as she had wanted. Chuckling softly to himself, he held up his hand, indicating for her to stop. “Very good. You learn quickly -that last move was inspired. How did you come up with it, if I may ask?”
Smiling back at him, she lowered her sword and shrugged a bit. “You said I was being too predictable. I can’t fool you with my footwork – they will telegraph my intentions until I’m better. That leaves only moves that can be done with the upper body and keeping my feet in place. If the strike landed, I knew you would be surprised – as you should be – so I’d only have a few seconds of you being off guard to try something else. “
Her reasoning was solid. Most people that wanted to train with blades never thought about what they were doing. It wasn’t necessarily a good or bad trait as some people had the habit of overthinking…or not thinking enough. Elisa landed solidly in the middle of the spectrum. She thought about what she was doing. She watched. She listened…and she applied all of it to her training. “Good girl. I’ll make a fighter out of you yet…but that’s enough for now. “As he spoke, she tried to hand him back the wooden training sword, but he waved it off. “Keep it. Practice, every trial. I have some new things to teach you when we next meet.”
