Open The Iron Dance [Edreina]

[Razkar]

Razkar smiled proudly when he saw her twist on her second thrust, apeing his movements fairly well. Awkward, undisciplined, loose and ill-practiced, but... wasn't he just the same a few short years ago? Well, not a few. By the looks of her, Edreina hadn't held a sword for this long in her whole life.

He'd been holding his since he could walk. But it was all just instruction, practice and dedication.

And potential, he reminded himself, studying her form carefully for weakness, that spark that you can fan into a firestorm...

"Most training is practice," he said, a little louder over the sound of her breathing, "Is making muscles learn. Can be boring, making same movement over and over, but it is for purpose. After weeks, or seasons, or years, body will know movement better than mind will. Can react in battle without thinking."

But she was apparently more instinctive than he gave her credit for, and his smile broadened into a pleasurable grin when she improvised vicious coup de grace, hammering the hilt of the gladius into an invisible skull.

"Good!" He barked, voice almost feral with savage approval. "Learn to feel the dance of iron, too. Movements are important. Practice is more important. But battle always fluid, like flow of water. Must be fluid with it."

She flashed a look over her shoulder, head whipping around fast enough to send a ring of fire fanning over them. Razkar's eyes widened slightly at the hard edge gleaming in her eyes, like... like sharpened steel. Ready, willing and just waiting to be swung. But...

A glimmer of hesitation. Of fear. He thought to himself, cocking his head slightly and observing her like a puzzlement he had yet to solve. Perhaps she still fears what she could become? A plausible enough concern for these barbarians. They do not have our lust for battle. But she wants to learn, she is... ravenous. That can be turned from knowledge to blood.

"Better?"

He smiled again, head nodding, but his eyes were still hard. She had a long way to come. He stepped forward and mirrored her stance, empty right hand curled like he held the gladius.

"Yes. Better. Thrust, you know, and we will practice later. But now? Hack and slash." He lifted his arm and slashed it down, stepping into the swing diagonally bringing his arm down, slightly bent, until it had traveled from above his head to waist level. "Not make arm completely straight. Will... shakes again. If slash is good, fine. Pull back, thrust, but if you miss."

Razkar repeated the movement but kept his momentum, just like he had seen him last time, invisible blade not stopping, hand not pausing as he jerked it around and bought it back sideways in a backhanded swipe-

-letting the momentum of his outstretched arm twist his body to the right-

-left fist coming up in a sharp swing, stopping just shy of Edreina's head.

"Remember what I said last time." He said, Common eerily fluent when focused so intently on his... well, calling would be an accurate word. "Everything is a weapon. Just because one hand not hold metal, does not mean you not use it."

He lowered his hand and breathed out the sudden fire in his lungs, stepped forward to clasp her hand briefly, smiling... and raising it over her shoulder. The Myrian nodded firmly, as if to reassure her that there was no sin or shame in this. It was the way of Mizahar, as far as he had seen.

"You are holding sword, or have it held over you," he all but whispered, then stepped back. "It is better to be first one."

Words spoken and what he hoped was wisdom imparted, he began to circle again, before barking, "Like I did. Slash, then hack, then punch... go!"

[Edreina]

"The word you're looking for is vibrate..." Edreina said with a smile, watching his motions. While she was not moving, the fire turned into a little ember, coiled and waiting for her motions to awaken it. Something in his nod seemed to be an affirmation. Edreina's gut still roiled at the possibility of taking a life with a weapon. Unless her enemy was armed similarly, or outclassed her to an extreme, Edreina resolved that she would not use a sword against them. "You are holding sword, or have it held over you. It is better to be first one." His whispered words gave Edreina a chill, raising the fine hairs on her arms as the reality of it all sunk in. All her life, she had been living among the amiable Svefra, the only fights were usually resolved with a quick tussle or by taking the matter to a Lia to be moderated. Somewhere, out in the wide world of Mizahar, people were fighting for survival. She silently hoped - perhaps selfishly - that she would never have to see that side of the world. "Like I did. Slash, then hack, then punch... go!" Edreina took a deep breath, centering herself, rekindling the burning in her chest that fueled her instinct. Her arms trembled with energy as she planned the motion, running through it in her head. She brought her arm down to her side, as it had been before a thrust, and narrowed her eyes. In a flurry, she lunged forward slightly, pulling the blade up and over her shoulder for a back-handed slash that would have diagonally rent the enemy's chest. As her arm came down from the blow, she reversed the momentum and jabbed out quickly, twisting the blade as it would have been piercing the enemy. She did not know if the blow was practical in real situations, but she could see it doing real damage. Keeping the blade in place, she reared back and struck out with her right fist - as odd as it still felt. Jerking her blade back, she danced back a step, eyes narrowed at the imaginary enemy. Despite the unfamiliar exertion, her body still coursed with energy. Gritting her teeth, she lunged again, this time thrusting with all of her might so that the blade would have delved deeply into the enemy. As she pulled her blade back, she whipped her fist forward in what she hoped would have been a staggering blow. As the momentum of that blow curved her body to the left, she used the changed position to add more speed as she whipped her left arm about in a horizontal slash this time. Not an instant passed between blows. It happened so quickly, in fact, that Edreina was nearly deafened as the blood pounded in her ears, quickening her breathing. Eyes coming back into focus, Edreina trembled, surprised at her own ferocity. Immediately, she turned and looked to Razkar, chewing on her lip as she wondered if she had done something wrong. "How can I make that better?" She asked with resolution, hand tightening and loosening upon the bone handle. The energy she stifled seemed to express into her hair, making the fine, fiery strands tremble and dance with life. Couldn't help but think of this... :

[Razkar]

He was the embodiment of his instructors, Razkar realized with something akin to horror as he circled the slashing, thrusting figure. Eyes hard and missing nothing. Tone dripping cynicism and the stoic, merciless code that Falyndar lived and died by. Even his word came out, in his mind, with the growling aggression of Herliz.

But he rewarded her progress, nodding steadily as she moved through her motions... even if she got them wrong. He cocked his head, deciding whether or not to chide her. Then he decided that hr own combination could work... maybe.

"Wait." He said bluntly, stepping forwards after her hack-and-thrust combination. "After thrust, after put in blade, you either kick enemy off, or twist blade and pull. Can get stuck easily. In ribs. So, make sure you make hole bigger, or put more force with kick, force enemy away from you."

He demonstrated with his empty hand, thrusting outwards and twisting the invisible blade before jerking it back, straightening and kicking savagely out at the same time, sole of his foot vertical as if kicking against a wall.

The Svefra nodded as her breathing intensified, finishing her kata... and leaving Razkar nodding his approval as she evolved her body's momentum into yet another strike.

"Good." He rumbled, pacing around her sweating form. "Not stop moving is very good. Always make one move into another. Lead movement into another movement. Stopping in battle will get you killed?"

"How can I make that better?"

Razkar's hardened instructor exterior cracked for a moment as he shrugged, flashing her a wry and rueful smile.

"Practice. Swing and swing and swing and swing and swing. It is only answer I have for you." He unbuckled his ax and swung it almost nonchalantly, up and down, diagonal strikes, from side to side, movements smooth yet tight, but above all, practiced. "My father? He told me warriors are sometimes born, but soldier is... ah... molded? Soldier needs training, must spend bells doing same thing, over and over."

He reached out and gripped her shoulder, her bicep, even the tendons around her wrist. "Must make movements over and over, to make muscles strong. So blade is not even heavy anymore to your arm. Is like your arm, just more long."

The warrior of Taloba stood next to her and started swinging his ax. Short, sharp chops that he swayed and sidestepped with. Long, arcing slashes to ribs and neck and head that could have decapitated or dismembered. His eyes were... calm. Focused. Steady. They flickered to her again and nodded down.

"But one thing you can do? Move your feet when he swing. Just simple for now. To left. To right. Forward. When step forward with swing-" he demonstrated with his ax, hammering down and bursting forward with the same movement "-give blow a small part more power. Practice. Over and over, girl..."

He started practicing as he preached, and waited for her to follow his lead, feet sliding across the sweat-speckled for, baking under the sun and locking the discomfort away. Only the dance mattered. The dance and his new partner.

[Edreina]

She looked down, not realizing that she had not been moving her feet. Now that she thought about it, such motion was only logical. Without waiting for an order, she began to make the movements again, altering the order or direction to test the limits of her abilities. After a few short minutes of continuous action, her arm began to tremble, losing strength. The trembling felt like an affront to the Svefra's resolution. Growling silently, she switched hands, ignoring how odd and unnatural such action felt. She made an awkward but powerful upward slash to the imaginary foe that, as her arm came back, she took a step towards the foe with her left foot at the same time that she brought her fist upwards. As that blow continued, she whipped the blade down again, vertically as if driving it downwards into the foe. The whole exchange felt weird and unnatural. Shaking her head, Edreina tried to shake off the feeling as she continued, realizing that her right arm was wearing out even more quickly than her left had. It got the the point that she had to stop and just stand there, trembling and sweating more than she ever remembered having done, else she would have dropped the blade. Unsure, she looked over to Razkar, an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry..." she was almost sheepish in her apology, running her free left hand through the strands of hair that had freed themselves, tucking them behind her ear. She did not want to ask to move onto something else but felt that she could not continue this unless Razkar was moving her body for her. Oh what a treat that would be...

[Razkar]

Razkar's eyebrows shot up in surprise when Edreina switched hands. Most warriors had to wait years to be able to do that, but... no, it looked as if she could wield her steel with either hand.

"That is good," he said with a slight smile, nodding when she delivered her vertical coup de grace, "Your enemy is not defeat until he dead. Always finish him quick and move on to next."

But it was clear she was growing tired. Her strokes were becoming wilder, her hands trembled and sweat was starting to roll off her skin, not just film it. Finally she lowered the gladius, breath coming out shaky with an almost sad smile on her face.

"Sorry..."

Razkar smiled back and shrugged, determined not to appear condescending. He'd been born and raised into combat; from his upbringing with his clan to training with Taloba to his years as a warrior marching in Myri's name. His muscles knew instinctively how to hold a blade, swing it for bells, if necessary. But Edreina? She was a peaceful being, and had not that experience. Or that muscle.

"Not need to apologize." He said lightly, taking the gladius and grasping her shoulder, nodding to the railing and the barrel of fresh water sloshing quietly next to it. "We can rest for a while. Sun is hot and training is hard. We can begin again after rest. I will show you more."

He didn't lead her over there; he knew she would come of her own accord. The Myrian filled the cup attached to the barrel's edge by a cord and offered the cold water to the sweating, lank-haired Svefra-

-only for his eyes to widen comically as she hurled herself into the Suvan instead, wordless whoop trailing after her just before the splash.

"Well..." he mumbled, feeling somewhat sheepish with the cup in his hand, "That's one way to cool off..."

[Edreina]

Edreina hung suspended in the soundless void for a chime, blue eyes closed as she let the cool, salty water seep into her, washing away the fatigue that had been plaguing her for moments prior. Under the water, she unbraided and untangled her hair so that it floated about her like a cloud, swaying gently in the invisible currents. When her breath ran out, she was forced to open her eyes and paw her way towards the surface. Breaching, she grinned and pushed onto her back, luxuriating in the clash of sensations as the sun warmed her exposed stomach and the Suvan chilled her back. "Sure you don't want to join me, Raz? Water is greaaattt!" She padded in a slow circle as she drug out the last word. The water had doused her battle-lust and her annoyance, leaving her with only happiness. She did not even note that she had called Razkar by something other than his name or "Myrian", too caught up in the moment. Some may call Edreina frivolous, but, in her eyes, one would be miserable if they took life too seriously; everyone needs time to laugh, to relax, and to unwind. After a few moments of this, she righted herself and paddled over to the boat, grabbing the railing and pulling herself up onto the deck. Once there, she did not even bother with getting up, instead leaving a dark, wet stain on the deck in the shape of her body upon the deck as she sunned her back, resting her forehead on crossed wrists. "So, what else will you be teaching me?" She finally asked, turning to look at the Myrian from her lounging position upon the deck. As he explained, she rolled onto her back to let that side dry as well, closing her eyes against the nearly blinding sunlight. Unable to see, Edreina focused on the sounds around her: the lapping ocean waves, the creaking hulls, Razkar's breathing, her own, the muffled roar of constant conversation that drifted across the ships. All of it seemed so perfect to her. The only thing better, she realized, would be a cave deep beneath the waves, waiting for her to explore it. Perhaps, sometime before the coming battle, she would sail off a few days and explore, regain a closeness with her beloved Suvan that so much time on decks had muted.

[Razkar]

"Sure you don't want to join me, Raz? Water is greaaattt!"

Razkar shook his head but couldn't stop the chuckles that shook his shoulders. Such joy was always a beautiful thing to behold, and the transformation Edreina underwent was stunning, too. He regretted as a Myrian that her focused blood-lust had vanished, but understood why it had to leave.

That's not her natural beat, he thought, smiling at her laughing, floating figure, and it's not what it needs to be, either. For her, skill with a blade is like the blade itself. You sheath it until you need it.

"I am fine from here," he called down to her, gulping down her water instead, or most of it, dumping the rest over his sweating head. "Enjoy your cool!"

She did at that, for long and languid chimes. Razkar shook his head in pleasurable puzzlement. These Svefra... they had to have been part fish. Immersing themselves in water seemed to rebirth their souls in a way that was almost... well, Razkar didn't know what. All he knew was that it was amazing to watch, and her smile became his smile as she leaped up on the deck like a flying fish, trailing ribbons of shining water behind her.

"So, what else will you be teaching me?"

Her words bought his mind back from listless and fruitless thoughts of her body, still glistening and so different from his own. It was... unmarred. No scars crisscrossed her skin, no after images of bites or claws of sharpened, malevolent steel. He thought it a reflection of her soul, naive though it sounded even in his own thoughts.

Not better than you. Not worse. But living a life bereft of war.

The Myrian grimaced to himself, always prone to introspection, and knowing exactly what he was like. Yes, and the fact she's an incredibly nubile young woman doesn't hurt either, does it?

"Block and parry." He said simply, proud that though his Common was getting better and better, his knowledge of combat terms always improved first. "To stop enemy thrust or slash or hack. We learn that, and feet moving for it. Then..." he sat with his back to the railing next to her, looking up with with eyes closed "... then we eat."

[Edreina]

"Hmm..." She laid there for a moment, dreading the fact that actual sparring with Razkar might have come. With a groan, she stretched her arms out over her head and arched her back, stretching to the point that her body shook lightly. Lifting her legs and rolling back onto her shoulders, she vaulted forward onto her feet, grinning that she had actually accomplished it instead of just falling back onto her feet. Rising to her full height, she placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes playfully at Razkar. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can eat," she joked, reaching out and punching the unsuspecting Myrian lightly in the shoulder before dancing backwards out of his range. Grinning, she jumped from side to side on the balls of her feet, fists up playfully for a moment before she settled. "So what's first? A shield?" She realized with a start that she had never seen Razkar using a shield, or even carrying one for that matter. So, probably not a shield. Did this mean that he was going to teach her blade-on-blade blocking? She shuddered at the memory of several old sell-swords holding up their stumped digits and explaining how each one was lost. Could the same thing happen to her with this technique? She looked him over, never ceasing to be amazed by the sheer number of scars that covered his body. "Oh!" She exclaimed, holding up her right elbow for him to inspect. "I have a scar too! From trying to... well... win a foot race in Syliras... but still! I'm only, what, five billion behind you?" She grinned at her own lame joke, shaking her head and trying to force her unending energy into a more practical use. Settling down, finally, onto flat feet, she braided her hair quickly then crossed her arms behind her back. "Oh, no more fooling around. I'm ready to learn how to not get a limb hacked off." Her face was resolute despite the face that her blue, guileless eyes did nothing but dance with energy.

[Razkar]

The girl's back arched upwards in a way that made Razkar... very intent, all of a sudden, but before he could comment she threw her body forwards and her feet hammered onto the deck, momentum catapulting her upright in a single, not-quite-fluid movement. He got up a great deal less dramatically and by the time he did, she was before him, grinning.

"The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can eat."

He must have been slower than he thought from the training, because her hand whipped out and smacked across his chest before he could block it. A stunned expression cracked across his face and suddenly she was dancing in front of him, smiling and giggling and he was generally confused as to whether he want to hit her back or-

Let's stop that train of thought right there, boy.

"So what's first? A shield?"

Razkar frowned and his thoughts were again derailed. He'd never even touched a shield before, he realized. Part of him had believed they were coward's weapons... until he'd faced that Akalak in the Gideon Arena, and if ever there was a being who was no coward, it was that Knight of Syliras.

"I do not have a shield." He said lightly, snapping out a punch that stopped shy of her chest and chuckling at the way she leaped back. "I never use them. I fight with iron in each hand. It... It is way I was taught to fight. It means that I can attack and defend in same breath."

She looked over him again as they paused, and he realized she was studying him, the patchwork of scars that made up most of his body. But before he had a chance to color and get self-conscious and become the very antithesis of the Myrian warrior she had been frightened with in her bedtime stories, she threw up her own arm to reveal a tiny white mark on her otherwise unblemished elbow.

"Oh! I have a scar too! From trying to... well... win a foot race in Syliras... but still! I'm only, what, five billion behind you?"

Razkar peered closer, face a contorted mask of exaggerated horror. "Goddess! How did you survive?! Lucky you were not killed by-"

Another whack but now he was the one dancing away on the swaying deck and chuckling. That seemed to be the push she needed though, a now-familiar glint ijn her blue eyes as she trussed up her hair out of her way and jutted out her jaw pugnaciously.

"Oh, no more fooling around. I'm ready to learn how to not get a limb hacked off."

Razkar smiled but it was a little tighter than usual. He could still see the slight tinge of fear in her eyes, the hesitation about pitting steel on steel with a Myrian warrior. The endless carpet of scar tissue making up his own body was proof enough about their danger... but then he shook his head, retrieving his weapons.

"Then I will show you. And you need not to worry." He said, handing her the gladius. "We will go slow. I do not want to give you one more big, scary scar..."

He chuckled again as she made a face and faced her, squaring his stance and balancing himself on the balls of his feet. He gestured to her gladius and she raised it one-handed, arms now rested and thus her grip firm. Steady.

The blade did not waver. A good sign.

"Big mistake people make, is to slam metal on metal," he started, grimacing distastefully. "Is very stupid. Just makes blades dull, hammering blade together. So, when you parry, you force enemy blade away, not just block."

Razkar gestured to his stomach. "Thrust." Of course, she hesitated, and he winked at her. Still just Raz, girl. "It is fine, Edri. Thrust slow."

She did, arm bent like showed her, then straightening it slowly, two-feet of sharpened iron sliding through the salty air towards his guts-

-and he swept his ax down in a slow half-circle, from it's perpendicular hold in his right hand so it knocked the blade to his right and away from him-

"Knock away from you body... use enemy movement against them..."

-stepping sideways and forwards at the same time-

"Move to their side and to they front to close gap..."

-jerking out a punch that stopped at her breastbone. But it was not a fist: it was his hand clenched as if he held an imaginary weapon... like a gladius.

"And counter with your own blow. If they have shield, is a problem. But if not, then you are in luck."

Razkar nodded slowly as her dancing but serious, studious eyes took in every movement. He saw fear there... but a determination to master it. Which was the seed of all true courage.

He stepped back and nodded to her. "Now you."

The Myrian held the ax like a sword, mirroring her own thrust, ax head thrusting slowly towards her stomach.

[Edreina]

"Then I will show you. And you need not to worry. We will go slow. I do not want to give you one more big, scary scar..." She stuck her tongue out and grinned at him, settling into the familiar stance. The water seemed to have pulled the fatigue from her muscles as she raised the blade, arm like stone as it did not waver, right arm back to balance the blade's weight. "Big mistake people make, is to slam metal on metal. Is very stupid. Just makes blades dull, hammering blade together. So, when you parry, you force enemy blade away, not just block." She had always wondered how slamming one blade onto the edge of another did not ruin the both of them by the battle's end. Apparently, there was a trick to it. Considering it, the action of reversing momentum seemed to be more logical than trying to halt a blade completely. Maybe that is what caused the vibrating that Raz warned about... Stiff arm, stiff block... "Thrust... It is fine, Edri. Thrust slow." Apparently he had seen the widening in her eyes that the command had rendered. Were they already moving on to exchanging physical blows? Sighing, she steadied her nerves and struck out directly as he had instructed. Faster than she could really register, the ax swung down and deflected her blade, nearly sending her after it to the side. "Knock away from you body... use enemy movement against them... Move to their side and to they front to close gap..." While Edrieina was still off balance, the Myrian stepped in close and darted his hand forward, as if going for the final kill. When he retracted, she regained her stance and faced him once more. "And counter with your own blow. If they have shield, is a problem. But if not, then you are in luck... Now you." Edreina could not help but let out a startled yelp as her body reacted, swinging the gladius so that she deflected his ax, knocking it to the left. After completing the arc, her eyes widened into shocked orbs. She just knocked away a Myrian's strike. Sure, it was slow and dramatized. But, she had done it nonetheless.