Completed [Fighter Pits] Training With Blades

[Sei Tendo]

2nd of Winter, 513AV
14th of Bell

Sei rushed made his way over to the weapons' rack, and took a good look at the bladed. There were all kinds of swords he could name, but mostly ones he had no idea of. He had come to learn, and that's what he would do. He had had enough of not being able to properly swing a sword and not knowing what stance to take. He was here because of that and more. He just wanted to become proficient enough to keep every opponent he faced on their toes. He went to one of the posts he'd used to strengthen his knuckles before his fight with a man named Ethan a season ago. He went back to the weapons' rack and rummaged through it.

Sei grabbed a random sword, only to find a short sword in his grasp. He ovserved the features of it, tested the weight. It was dull - but still sharp enough to cut - and he noticed the engraving on the handle. He swung the sword then twirled the hilt in his hands. He made another swing before deciding to start his training day with his borrowed sword.

He would only be borrowing a weapon for the day however, and only because he had left his own back at his home. He swung the sword, and tried to familiarize himself with it's weight. He needed to treat the sword as an extension of his arm, but when swung it was unstable and could be knocked away with a light tap. Then there was his balance. He could tell that if he didn't strike something, it would simply knock him off balance giving a real opponent an opening. He needed to learn to control the blade. He started by trying to get a firm, yet gentle grip on the hilt. Then he stepped his left foot foward while using both hands to force sword forward for a thrust. He observed that he could lose his grip quickly without both hands for now.

Sei hacked at the air in front of him, making a unskilled swing that threw the sword from his hands in the process. It hit the ground with a loud clang, sliding briefly before a foot stopped it. The Kelvic looked up at none other than the owner of the Pits himself; Gerard Anthonius. Gerard gave him a disappointed look before shaking his head. Gerard moved his foot and picked up the sword, pointing it at Sei.

"Here I thought you'd be better."

Sei just stared until his words sank in. He dropped his head to face the floor and sighed. Great. Not only do I suck, but now Gerard Anthonius knows it. He thought, groaning aloud. He looked back up, and shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't help but walk up to Gerard to get the sword back. After retrieving it, he looked up to find that the older man still handn't left. The Kelvic shook his head and ignored it, then whipped around after hearing Gerard speak again.

"I'd be willing to teach you if you want, but it'll cost you five golden mizas."

Sei nodded and Gerard turned around signalling to for him to follow. Once they reached their destination, Sei handed the man his payment and paid close attention to his information without saying a word.

"First, we will spar. I need to gauge your level of skill. Go all out." Gerard said, and Sei nodded and prepared to strike. Here we go!

[Sei Tendo]

Sei was ready. He charged at Gerard full power and with all his energy. He brought back the blade with both hands, the hilt beside him and the blade point aimed at Gerard. He used both hand to thrust forward and attempted to strike..

Only to miss by several inches.

"That would have been a perfect strike if you could gauge your abilities Amateur." Gerard said, standing there unfazed. He had moved from his fighting stance to a relaxed one as soon as Sei had thrust the borrowed short sword. The Kelvic growled, and guessed that Gerard had know the move wouldn't land. Sei made an attempt to stab forward which Gerard dodged with great skill and speed. All of a sudden Gerard made a harsh slash with his own blade, causing the Kelvic to bring the sword up to block. Of course, it had been childsplay for his opponent to knock the sword away. Sei cursed under his breath and went to retrieve the sword, but just as he was about to charge Gerard stopped him. He shook his head after say: 'I have what I need.' Green catlike eye's stared at the man, hoping to burn holes into the face. He gripped the sword harder, and looked away from Gerard who began to speak.

"From what I can tell, you lack everything essential to using a sword. Balance, control, efficiency, and the ability to gauge the distance between you and your opponent."

Sei bit back a growl. He was getting VERY angry at this man. He pointed the blade edge at Gerard and grinned smugly. He then laughed a bit before speaking casually as if nothing happened. "Well thanks for stating the obvious." He tried to hide the fact he didn't know these thing, except for the balance and control part. He parted his lips to speak but was interrupted by Gerard.

"When you swing, don't put all the weight in your arms. If you want to keep your balance, I suggest you make lighter swings as they are easier to control, and don't have to much force in them. You'll still cut with it, but it'll be easier in more ways than one."

As Gerard completed his lesson, he looked to find Sei had been training while Gerard was explaing. Sei lifted the blade, and put a tiny bit of force in swinging downward toward the ground, letting gravity add to the force. He lifted the blade again, and repeated the process. He then switched to hacking at the air before him, all whilst listening to the sword whistling as it cut through the air. It was a bit annoying at first but soon Gerard was a foot away from him.

"First I'll teach you how to stand. Then how to attack. Then how to block with your weapon. Now; Spread your feet so that they are a foot apart,"

Sei nodded to the man and loosened his grip on the short sword, and slowly slid his feet a foot apart. Gerard gave a curt nod and continued his intructions while walking around Sei adjusting his shoulders and making him stand straight up.

"Now hold the hilt so that it is pointing directly between your legs, and make sure to slightly bend your knee's and elbows. For you I recommend holding that sword with both your hands at you level."

The Kelvic nodded, but inside he was growling at the smirk Gerard was giving him. The man annoyed him, yet he seemed not to care. The Kelvic did as he was told, and noticed that it was a stance he could use for offense and defense. He would have to base his attacks around this stance, but it would take a bit before he would master a sword. He looked up to see Gerard in his face. "What?" Sei asked before Gerard stepped away. He paused a few moments before Gerard spoke again.

"Now. I want you to swing your sword at me without moving from your position and stance. I will be fighting back."

Sei could see a hint of a sinister grin on Gerard's face right before his opponent attacked. Okay, I need to focus. I can't move or change my stance, but I'll have to be aware of his every move. He thought. He watched Gerard zigzag toward him, sword lowered. When Gerard had assumed he had a nice position he brought his bastard sword up and around to hack Sei in two starting from the head down. The Kelvic had other plans however, and sloppily raised his sword over his head, hilt in one hand and the blade flat against the other hand. It was a struggle since the owner of the Pit's was being rough, but the Kelvic would tough it out. He was being forced down, but Gerard let up to move to the right to attack Sei's side. He brought his borrowed sword to his side, the blade point aimed at the ground as Gerard's bastard slammed against the weightless short sword in Sei's arm. He coninued to grip the sword, the loud clangs and thuds of Sei's sword being smashed by the owner's.

[Sei Tendo]

Sei was weakening already, but Gerard wouldn't let up. By now his arms felt like jelly, and the short sword felt as if it weighed a ton because his arms were tiring. His knee's would buckle any moment now, but he endured the pain. Gerard made a heavy swing for his head. Sei whipped his blade around and just barely managed to knock it away. Sighing a breath of relief, his legs finally gave way and he fell to the ground on his knees. He was feeling a burning sensation in his lungs, but decided he was down and asked Gerard for a break. Gerard said he had ten minutes and left before Sei had time to protest. Better use what I got.

He closed his eyes and breathed silently. He sat there, breathing in an out slowly until he felt better. He got up and waited for Gerard to return, and couldn't help but grab the short sword again. He swung the sword at a slow pace, trying to stay in control. Just as he put it down Gerard walked in with two daggers. The dagger was more of an over sized Kunai, but all that mattered was Gerard was willing to teach him more. Sei nodded and waited for his directions.

"Show me how you would hold that dagger, boy."

"It's 'Sei' not 'boy'."

"Just show me."

Sei groaned at looked at the dagger. He held it a bit lower than his waistline, and had it tipped toward the sky. He looked at Gerard from some kind of acceptance, but only recieved a shake of the head. Gerard walked over to him, and heightened the dagger so it was just above his waist. He then explained his actions.

"Never hold a dagger below your waist. It'll take longer to lift it for a strike, which could cost you your life."

"Okay."

"Now, it's time to spar. Whenever your ready, boy."

Now Sei was irritated. This Gerard kept calling him anything but his name. He adjusted his hold on the dagger and charged with it slightly drawn back. Hopefully he would hit the guy, thus earning himself praise. He wanted praise since this whole time he'd been getting nothing but insults, making him angrier. He shoved the dagger forward full force, but was momentarily stunned by Gerard. The old man had slapped his hand, and he'd dropped the dagger. He growled and went to pick it up, only to have Gerard stop him as he was about to attack again.

"No. I will not continue until you get your grip right. Until then you will continue the same exercise. You will thrust your dagger forward, and until it is not knocked from your grasp by a simple motion such as before I refuse to continue."

Sei growled at first, but soon complied. He stepped in front of Gerard and drew back the dagger, and tightened his grip before thrusting it forward. Gerard crushed his fist against the back of Sei's hand, forcing him to drop the dagger. He picked the dagger and tried again. And again. And again once more. He continued until he finally did it. He nearly jumped in happiness, but Gerard interrupted him.

"Now you've found your strongest hold on that dagger. Experiment with others or your own until you find the right grip on those as well. Now, we continue."

Sei nodded, and gripped his borrowed dagger. He charged the owner of the Pit's, and raised dagger skyward then arched it down above Gerard's head. Gerard raised his dagger and blocked with ease. Sei withdrew and thrusted the dagger forward, but his target blocked by pushing it away with his own. Petch! He's to strong for a head-on attack. Long-range it is! He hopped back and flung the dagger like an idiot. He charged behind it, his fist drawn back and tried to punch Gerard. Gerard knocked the dagger away with his own and punched Sei in the face. Hard. Sei landed on the ground, and rubbed his face. Shyke. He jumped up and grabbed the dagger from the ground.

Sei charged only to lose again. Not that he'd win, but it was so wrong to him that he kept getting flattened by an old man. He was exhausted by the time he actually got close to a hit. Gerard knocked him away for the umpteenth time. He couldn't feel his rear anymore, but he still fought on. He was just about to charge again when Gerard shook his head. Sei groaned and gave him a 'what now' look. Apparently Gerard didn't care, but spoke all the same.

"Enough. Your finished and so am I."

Sei just nodded and left. He was to exhausted to care.

[Orion Michaels]

Sei +2 Weapon: Shortsword +2 Observation +1 Endurance +1 Weapon: Dagger lore : Key's To Combat: Balance, control, effeincy, and distance Shortsword Combat: Don't Swing With All your Might Basic Shortsword Stance: Feet Shoulder Width apart, hilt to the center Dagger: Keep it above the waist Dagger: Jabbing Thrust results : -5 GM for Lesson notes Pretty straightforward. Let me know if you have any questions, and please edit your request in the grading queue.