Untouchable [Selfmod Training]

[Toshi]

TS: 30th Day, winter of 509 A.V.

“Nothing is invincible, even the gods themselves can be killed if they take enough punishment – the Valterrian supports that fact. With this in mind we’re going to take you to the next level of your training, we’re going to have you go through training drills where you’ll be dodging everything from sticks, projectiles and myself. We’re going to work on your spatial awareness as well as your speed and reaction time. No matter how powerful a fighter you’re up against, if he cannot connect his blows then you should be able to figure out a way to defeat him eventually.” Master Ten paused, eyes shifting towards the young man who was picking an ear with his pinky. “Well, you’re not going to say anything child?”

“What do you want me to say?” Toshi rolled his eyes released an exasperated sigh. “You know better, it’s not like there’s any point in being rebellious when I don’t have the power to fight against you.”

“Good. Looks like my grandson knows his place.” the old man nodded approvingly though he couldn’t hide this feral grin. “I guess that also means you’ll fight me the moment you think you’ve reached my level?”

Toshi laughed heartily and mirrored his grandfather’s smirk. “I don’t know, you’re kind of old. It wouldn’t look good if I beat up the elderly.”

“Well then, why don’t we get started child?” the old man roared as he charged at his grandson for the first time since he arrived at his doorstep.

It was true that Master Ten was still smiling and he probably wasn’t taking this exercise seriously though Toshi couldn’t afford to do the same. Even when his grandfather wasn’t putting his full force into his attacks there was so much strength that an unguarded blow could easily knock the wind out of him.

“There are no techniques for avoiding attacks child, you might see fighters who move gracefully but that’s only a result of their training. Just move according to how your body responds, if its possible anticipate where I’m trying to go by looking at my feet. There’s no martial artist who can move in and out of melee without using their feet.”

Perhaps even more frightening than the raw power his grandfather’s attacks bore was the speed at which the old man moved. For a person so big Toshi could barely keep up with the attacks. It was taking superhuman effort on his part to dodge the successive blows, Master Ten was someone who was capable of chaining attacks, each one always leading into another blow. Getting caught by one blow would probably mean that he would have to suffer another several before he could break from the melee – if he could even do that.

“Don’t just focus on dodging, counter-attack, if you can guess where I’m moving towards, or if you can lure me to you avoid me in a position wherein you can strike back from. Try measuring length of my arm, you should be able to come up with a crude idea of my range as the fight drags on.”

By taking evenly spaced steps while retreating Toshi was slowly coming up with a rough estimate of his grandfather’s attacking range. Still, even with that he couldn’t rest easy, there were still the man’s feet and while Master Ten wasn’t particularly fond of kicking it was clear that he could drive that foot through the walls of the dojo if he wanted.

After a few minutes of heated combat Toshi finally found a chance to connect an elbow strike, unfortunately an attack came springing out from below his chin. In response Toshi panicked, legs springing into motion as he threw his back in an acrobatic maneuver that he hadn’t tried in awhile.

Master Ten could have probably punched him into the floor had he followed through with his barrage but the older warrior decided not to. It looked like he was genuinely surprised by Toshi’s feat. “You can backflip?”

“You sound surprised gramps, dad taught me.”

“I’m not really surprised. Your father did dabble into acrobatics though I never suspected he integrated it into the fighting style.” Master Ten stepped out of his fighting stance, his brow knitted in deep thought. “Maybe I didn’t give him enough credit. Still, unless you’re that proficient in pulling off those tricks don’t try them in combat. You can’t really alter your bearing in mid-air without using wide powerful moments.”

“Actually I’ve been thinking about that gramps. I’ve figured out how to do that, though the effect is minimal.” Toshi relaxed his stance as well, he really needed the break. “I’ve tried shifting large amounts of djed from one part of my body to the other.”

“…Another good idea, and in a fight between masters it should prove useful. The opponent might not realize you can control your motion in mid-air until its too late... I have to stress the fact that this is between a fight between masters, you’re but a whelp. No novice or professional will scrutinize your abilities to a degree that they’ll determine their next move based on how your body is dropping from mid-air.”

[Toshi]

Projectile dodging wasn't exactly how Toshi had envisioned it. He'd imagined something utterly serious, a danger room rigged with cogwheels that turned sticks, sandbags and all other sorts of devious mechanisms designed to sweep him off his feet. He'd never dreamed his grandfather would put him in the middle of a square enclosure in the bazaar with kids free to throw rubber balls at him for silver miza each box of balls.

"Think of it as dodge ball," his grandfather said, the amusement on his face all too obvious. "Only you never get the chance to fight back."

"I never agreed to-" Toshi was cut-off has he had to duck low, by now he was drenched in sweat despite the cold chill of winter. "-be your carnival attraction."

"For all your whining you're actually improving, you've been hit far fewer times in the last half hour. If you keep this up the frustrated customers will start asking for more crates of them balls."

Toshi was never given the chance to make his rebuttal. Because he hadn't been paying attention a ball struck him squarely in the chin then another hit his elbow. Biting his teeth Toshi decided that he could put being frustrated aside, as ridiculous the idea was this kind of training was effective. A machine wouldn't have been able to offer the same kind of experience, there was nothing predictable about the way these kids used their weapons against him.

Sometimes he even had to deal with multiple attacks coming from three directions or more. These were the hardest to avoid, often it was impossible to dodge all the balls when the kids attempted to hit him at the same time.

Realizing how effective that tactics was the kids began counting at three, each time forcing Toshi to duck or to assume an impossible stance. Numerous times he'd been forced to guard his face but with the ever increasing number of participants to the game the effectiveness of his strategies slowly and slowly grew worse.

Finally, when the number of his customers were growing too large he was forced to take a somewhat excessive measure. They were counting to three, during that time none of the kids would attack and he started running, at two he twisted his body and at three with a burst of flux his legs were lifted off the ground and his frame practically revolved around in the air, his torso remaining horizontal throughout the arc of the aptly-named butterfly kick. With all his limbs stretched out until the landing he had avoided all the attacks causing a few shoppers passing by to clap in applause.

Naturally their failure made the children frustrated and Toshi feeling a little stupid at having gone too far had the decency to allow the kids to pummel him for his brief display of skill.

[Toshi]

When Toshi stepped into the unfamiliar dojo he couldn't help but find himself out of place. Among the dozens of martial artist occupying the chamber he was the only one dressed lightly - his grandfather didn't count. With his massive bulk he needed no armor.

Toshi silently observed these fighters training with their weapons, some used spears, most of them carried longswords though a select few wielded larger bulkier swords that could probably cleave men with one powerful stroke. Even if these weapons looked like practice blades Toshi doubted that their being blunt would make the pain he would feel if he were on the receiving end of an attack from any of them any less intense.

Then again, maybe they didn't mind taking hits so much. They were outfitted with leather armor and even steel breastplates. Their apparel offered modest protection while Toshi's white sparring pants and the tattered sleeveless tunic would be as effective as ricepaper in the face of their weapons.

"Tendou, you look bigger than before." the voice belonged to an older gentleman. He was by no means small, in fact he looked fit for a man with graying hair though in comparison to his grandfather the knight looked small. "I hope all that weight you've put on hasn't made you lose your edge."

Master Ten roared with laughter and brought his fist between him and the man. "Ha! You're a lot thinner than I remember, its going to be troublesome for me if my sparring partner can't keep me on my toes."

Both men laughed and brought their knuckles together in a gesture benefiting men.

"So tell me Tendou, what brings you today?" the knight's hand was resting on the hilt of his weapon though Toshi suspected that he could probably draw that sword in a heartbeat. "If I remember our appointment isn't until five days from today, are you in one of those moods?"

"I'm always eager for a match but," the master shook his head and held Toshi my the shoulders, pushing him forward to meet the knight with graying hair. "Its my grandchild that could use some exercise this time around."

"A grandson?" the knight's brows rose and his eyes narrowed, even as he inspected the boy's physique. "My, my, this is a surprise. I thought your family abandoned you."

"This one sought me out," Master Ten said, patting the boy's shoulder. "I believe he might be worthy of succeeding me one day."

That statement caused Toshi to look up. His grandfather had always belittled him, rarely ever congratulated him for his work but this was the first time he had ever heard of this. Toshi's grandfather meant for the young vantha to succeed him?

"And I thought your style would die with your generation. I guess I should be pleased, my successors won't end up bored." the knight folded his arms and leaned back against a pillar. "So what do you want me to teach the boy? You should be more than a capable teacher so I am curious to know what's beyond you to teach."

"He has yet to fight with armed opponents, he needs to experience sparring with against armed warriors. Do you have any students that might be available to spar with this child?"

The knight rubbed his chin thoughtfully. After a moment of introspection he looked up, his intelligent blue eyes betraying a mischievous plot.

[Toshi]

"Victoria, come I would like you to meet someone." the knight clapped his hands gently and one of the fighters stopped moving. At first inspection Toshi would have never guessed that she was a woman, she was clad in the same armor as the rest of them and fought as viciously as any of her peers though the moment she took off her protective helmet that fact that she was a woman became all too obvious.

She, was probably in her early twenties, had luscious thick red hair that spilled all the way to her heart-shaped ass and had a lean and slender figure that wasn't that curvaceous though she was still easy on the eyes.

"My granddaughter has inherited my skill with the blade, and she's my successor. I believe it would be wonderful if you learned from each other," the girl who had only come to her grandfather's side bowed softly at Master Ten and gave Toshi a rigid, if not forced bow. "Tendou here was pretty horrible in fighting against armed adversaries before he started regularly sparring with me."

"If memory serves me right you could barely keep up with me back then."

"It was the other way around if I remember correctly." the knight flashed the martial-artist a grin that could've easily been interpreted as a challenge.

"Grandfather, I believe we haven't been properly introduced." piped the female swordsman in a voice that would've easily made it into a choir. She seemed intent on getting back to her training and was constantly shifting glances between the others and Toshi.

Seeing that his grandfather wouldn't introduce him Toshi stepped forward and extended a hand towards the girl. "I am Toshi of the whi-" no, he was not a vantha of the whitevane hold, he wasn't even a full-blooded vantha. "I am Toshi, successor to my Master Ten's fighting style. I would be indebted to you if you would honor me with a sparring match."

The girl seemed pleased by Toshi's introduction and his blunt declaration of what he wanted from her. "I am Syliran Squire Victoria de Otred*, 2nd Wing, Brown Company, 5th Regiment, Silver Quadron and I will accept your request. Can we fight now, grandfather?"

The knight chuckled softly, his beady blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "My, my, this is unusual. You're not going to act coldly towards the boy?"

"He wasn't trying to romance me, I appreciate being seen as a worthy opponent than a prize to be won." she replied, her voice carrying a hint of ice under a layer of respectful tones.

"So... we fight now?"

Victoria smiled, her fingers tracing the hilt on her weapon. "As soon as the other students are finished and we have the floor to ourselves, yes."

Secret :

Note: * is still subject to change. Is attempting to contact Jedo for information and permission to use the knight in this thread, otherwise a few alterations will be made instead.

[Toshi]

Even with the wooden sword Victoria was a force to be reckoned with. She fought Toshi with his greatest asset, speed. The girl was quick on her feet and her attacks flowed into each other her sword never losing momentum as the fight wore on. For every slash she delivered her feet were already moving into place in preparation to chain her blow into another attack.

Toshi was already struggling to keep both her weapon and feet in his sights. If he failed to miss where she would move next he could easily be caught unprepared and if he didn't pay attention to the sword itself she could come up with a coup de grace that would end the fight then and there.

So this was the tremendous advantage weapons offered. He was having an an extremely difficult time dealing with the range her longsword gave Victoria and it was downright reckless to charge into that whirlwind of steel while she was safely in its center.

And yet, despite the feeling of fighting on the edge Toshi couldn't suppress the urge to grin. This fight was exhilarating, Victoria was pushing him to his limits and unlike Master Ten's invincible charge Toshi knew that Victoria wasn't invulnerable - his hopes hadn't been crushed from the start and he could still press on knowing that he could still win.

"This is great, really amazing!" the girl cried, her voice dripping with a battle-lust that didn't suit her sharp regal features.

Toshi felt like a cornered animal with no other alternative but to face the jaws of his predator. The pressure was immense, ducking, weaving and even rolling from side-to-side was straining his sense of balance. His orientation with the world was suffering from the constant motion but still he waited for an opportunity.

Slowly as the one-sided fight wore on he started understanding Victoria's range and speed. Repeated exposure to her attacks was providing Toshi with a learning experience and one he was going to use any moment now. As she charged again Toshi matched her steps only moving in the opposite direction keeping the distance between them the same.

Victoria's smile turned to a frown. Suddenly Toshi had slipped into a safe-zone outside her range and he was succeeding in keeping her attacks from reaching him. For the first time in their fight the girl stopped moving and held she her weapon defensively in front of her.

"Its your turn," she taunted, an open hand inviting him with a beckoning gesture.

Not wanting to disappoint the Toshi moved swifting, his eyes wide-open to detect any sudden movements from the girl. As he kicked off from the floor the girl moved one foot back, her sword swaying behind her as she prepared to lash out with a slash...

[Toshi]

Of course there was going to be a short delay between the motion of drawing her weapon back and smashing it into his face. In that split-second where his foot connected with the wooden floor a burst of djed on his legs and feet lent him a momentary burst of speed that was unusual for an attack that didn't have a running start.

The sudden speed surprised the girl but it was too late for her to react. Toshi's left hand surged forward and his open palm hammered her longsword's pommel driving it away from her grasp then took the opportunity to snatch her now unarmed half in a vice-like grip. Almost at the same time his right hand shot forward taking a fist-full of the cloth just above her heart. If she wanted to complain about groping her there would be a time for that later.

"And now," his left hand slid up from her wrist sliding unto a place above her right elbow. "You fall."

Naturally Victoria panicked but before he could permit her to break his grab he broke her balance with a violent tug of both his hands. The sudden force being used to get her off her feet triggered a basic human instinct, the one that forced Victoria's body to rise as to raise her center of gravity.

In that moment she was trying to reassert control Toshi, dropped his frame low, to increase the force of his pull and increase his stability. In the same motion he was able to discreetly and quickly slide his left foot just outside Victoria's right foot...

And that's the recipe for a throw.

Suddenly, without warning Toshi's right hand which was properly clasped over Victoria's left breast surged forward and the powerful push caused her body to sway to her right. In the same motion Toshi tugged violently at her elbow trying to bring it down and the combination of both forces finally caused Victoria to lose her balance.

And here was where his left foot came in, the one that was outside her right feet. He pulled it back, forcing her right foot to meet her left and when he stepped back without a second's delay the girl was coming down, her resistance against gravity dead.

[Toshi]

A gasp escaped Victoria's lips. Her world was coming down and still she felt him tugging her down, and then his left leg continued to push against her right foot which was already touching her left foot.

But why? she wondered.

Suddenly, against reason, or at least she thought Toshi rushed forward - losing his balance in the process.

Before her impressive mental faculties could properly interpret the cause his large frame crashed down on her, using her as a cushion. That was the reason he could exert all his force into pushing her down, because he would only use her body as a mattress dealing damage to her and at the same time saving him from the pain of falling.

With pain still shooting from her body Victoria blinked and found Toshi straddling her, his hands like cuffs pinning her wrists down on the floor. As for his hips, they were pinning her thighs in a compromising position where he was practically on top of her. She trashed around but he had her effectively immobilized.

Except for her head. She spat on him, it missed his eyes though hit his cheek. And yet, despite the rude gesture he wasn't smiling or frowning. His face was passive, he pulled his head back and suddenly brought it crashing back - only to stop a few inches from her face as she winced and threw her head back.

Toshi heard one persona clapping, he was the only one making a sound in the room and when the vantha-boy turned his head he was surprised to see that it was the knight that had been applauding him.

The knight turned to Toshi's grandfather and smiled. "A head-butt to finish things off? I remember you doing that one time, you didn't have the grace of stopping however."

"And why would I hold back against a monster like you?" Master Ten was rubbing his mustache and nodded in Toshi's direction. It was a sign of approval and Toshi stood up, then extended a hand to help the girl up.

[Toshi]

Victoria was still frowning, her eyes were practically glowing with hatred but suddenly, as if the most ridiculous thing had occurred to her she threw her head back and laughed. Her laughter wasn't harsh, Victoria's laughter was melodic, a crystalline sound that betrayed pure pleasure. She was pleased, her suddenly smiling expression showed just how much the duel had satisfied her.

The girl accepted Toshi's hand and allowed him to help her get up. When he tried to relinquish his grip she didn't and pulled his hand close, shaking it. "That was a splendid fight!" she gushed, her excitement evident in her voice. "We must have more sparring matches!"

Her enthusiasm, while hardly infectious caused Toshi to blush. He scratched the back of his neck and nodded meekly. "...Okay."

"To think I would be bested by a warrior who wields no weapons! This is the first sparring match I've lost, with the exception of my grandfather."

"I think this is the first time I've beaten a woman," Toshi confessed, it had been so long that he'd talked to women. In his obsession to avenge Alala he had ignored any woman nearby and now he was being forced by circumstance to face a girl, a very pretty one at that. Still, he tried to subdue his nervousness and kept his voice warm and even. "My old sparring partner, she was a girl too, I never won against her. Not once."

"I'd love to meet her as well! Could you take me to meet her one day?"

"I..." Toshi's stammered, his heart skipping a beat. "I can't, she's already passed away... just a season ago."

Victoria's face suddenly became solemn but she took Toshi's hands in hers squeezing them reassuringly. "...I am so sorry." she whispered, genuine concern filtering her voice.

Toshi shook his head and crossed his hands. "No, no, Its okay..."

"I know just the medicine you need to take your mind off things," the squire released her hold on his hands walking over her weapon. She picked it up and assumed the same stance she had before Toshi's counter-attack had begun. "Lets go for another round, how about it!"

Toshi smiled and sighed, at least the girl was being a good sport. Not only that, she was pretty sweet too, despite her capacity to be brutal in battle.

[Toshi]

"You look pleased child," Master Ten was walking in front of Toshi, his gaze held towards the sky as they retraced their way back to his dojo and home. "Did you learn enough?"

Toshi was pleased, today's exercises had been an incredible learning experience and for the first time in a long time he had a colleague, someone he could fight with who was his equal, someone he might even consider a rival. "More than what I did during that crazy dodge-ball idea you had gramps."

"Do you want to spar with her again? I believe I could arrange a match between the two of you, every... twenty days should be enough." the older man was grinning from ear to ear though Toshi couldn't help but mirror his grandfather's smile.

"Ten days. I'd visit more often but I get the impression she might think I'm after more than just the sparring."

Tendou raised his brow. "Aren't you?"

"I'm not sure," Toshi looked at the grey sky and held out an outstretched palm towards the sun. "I might not be a match of Ayira just yet, but Victoria's a great source of inspiration."

"She did say she'd get better the next time you see her." the older martial artist was rubbing his mustache now, a habit of his whenever he was thinking hard. "I guess that means if she wins more matches than you do she'll lose interest."

"Then doesn't that mean all I have to do I keep winning? I may have just found a worthy adversary, I can't disappoint her."

"Do you think you could forget Alala?" the question was uttered so softly that Toshi had to wonder if it had come from Master Ten in the first place.

"Right now... until I get my revenge... I don't think I can find peace."

The two fell into silence as they walked on, their boots leaving prints on the snow even. A few moments later Toshi craned his neck towards the huge back of Master Ten and voiced a question he'd always wanted an answer to.

"Whatever happened to grandmother? Dad wouldn't talk about it."

"...an enemy of mine couldn't defeat me. That opponent got his revenge through your grandmother." the huge giant of a man stopped in his tracks now, he wouldn't turn to face his grandson but the way his grandfather clenched his fists and trembled told volumes about his feelings. "Toshi, you're walking the same path as I did. I succeeded in avenging myself, but that didn't bring your grandmother back. In the process of killing my wife's murderer I made even more enemies, its an endless cycle of hate... I left your father with my brother because I didn't want to involve him in my mess. I thought I could spare my son and you from that chain of violence but I never even thought that one day the scroll could..."

"...I know it sounds horrible but I would have been angry at you if you told me the death of my parents was your fault somehow... Still, I'm glad that it wasn't."

Master Ten finally turned around to face his grandchild, his face rigid and inexpressive. "It might just be in our blood. Misfortune I mean."

"Perhaps. But I'm still alive. Maybe one day, when this storm comes to an end I can live a life with so much happiness it would negate all the misfortune you and I experienced grandfather."

"Toshi, your grandmother's time in my life might have been short. But those few years had given me more than enough happiness to last me a lifetime, I just hope you'll learn how to move on. I never did, but then I had a son to raise, you don't." Master Ten smiled softly and then turned on his heels and started walking. "Lets hurry, I feel like I'm up to making hot pot tonight."

If the man's cooking was anything close to his fighting skill then Toshi didn't want to miss this. He ran after his grandfather, a smile painted on his lips.

[Nickorius]

Experience: 1 XP Flux 3 XP Martial Arts Consequences/Rewards: N/A Additional Notes: Nice Job. I feel like Toshi learned a lot in this thread.