Hone Your Skill! [Open]

[Haschel]

It had been some time since Haschel had been in a fight, but that did not stop him from training against dummies every day while he lived in the mountains, keeping his muscles and reflexes in form. However, he never once believed that that was truly enough, especially with his goal in fighting the Sacaen who stole his sword. Therefore, he needed to train with humans once again, and hone his skills. In the same effect, he needed to study more forms and styles of fighting, as his travels had shown him that there were still plenty of styles out there that he hadn't seen and studied yet.

Also, Haschel wanted to be able to find pupils to train and study with, in the art of fist-fighting, but that could wait for now, he hadn't fully figured out his form, and didn't want to embarrass himself by flailing his arms at trainees.

So, here he was, in this southern village of Sacae, near the border of Lycia. He found this place while looking for locations for his future dojo, and after discussing with the local elders and hunters, took over their training grounds for a small wage. The people of the village were very respectful of an aged swordsman like him, and happy to have a new view for their warriors to train with. His job was to train the young men of the village, but he was also allowed to train adventurers, and in the process, himself. He had access to wooden weapons of all kinds, so that nobody would be hurt under his watch.

Also, there was always the possibility that the man who stole his sword would appear, and Haschel would be ready for him.

The old man did not expect it to happen though, so he stood at the village training grounds, rusty sword at his side and a wooden one in his hands, watching the young ones attack dummies in form, waiting for adventurers to come and train with them and himself.

[Oichi]

Oichi had heard rumors that their was a skilled swordsmen in the area. It had been a long time since Oichi even attempted to wield a sword. The last time she held one was when her mother was attempting to teach her how to defend herself. The attempt however was pathetic. Oichi was so bad at it that she gave up entirely and instead gave Oichi a spear to work with. The site was heartbreaking for the young girl at the time as her mother was all she had, and she let her down. She could tell her mother wanted to show her all her cool sword techniques and fighting tips, but the dream never came true.

Still Oichi wondered why she was so bad at swordsmanship. Her father was a swordsmen and so was her mother. Why was she poor at a skill that both her parents excelled in. This was unacceptable, and thus why Oichi came to this small village. At the moment she put her attempt to find her father on hold and decided it was time she got serious with her combat training. All the while she had been traveling on the plains and riding around on her horse she had barely improved. Sure she knew how to fight on a horse with much greater skill than a normal peasant, but it was nothing compared to the cavaliers of Lycia and the swift riding horsemen of Bern. The best she could probably compare herself to was a rookie, no a novice rider. She was better than a hobo, but only good as a knight on his first day of true training. Now was the time for her to start studying swordsmanship. If she waited any longer it would become impossible or at the very least a daunting task.

"Umm excuse me, but is their a swordsmen in structure around here", spoke Oichi to the old man as she walked up to the practice field. In her hand was a wooden sword painted black with the word Oleg carved into it. It belonged to her father, one of the few items she took from his room before she went on her journey to find him.

[Haschel]

Haschel watched the Sacaen trainees fight each other with great vigor. Sacaens always made the best swordsmen, noble and willing. He hated to think that any one of them would become like the Sacaen that stole his sword. Cowardly and cunning, looking only to make himself more powerful. Power through force was not the true way of the warrior.

He saw the girl approach him, practice sword in hand already, asking for the swordsman. "Welcome little girl!" Haschel clapped his hands together, a girl with a sword, she reminded him of the Ilian mercenaries that he would occasionally see in the arena. Many would assume that the girl was just looking for someone who would be at the training grounds, but Haschel could see that look in her eye, determination. An unskilled novice, who would probably fall over just trying to swing her sword, but that didn't matter at all, because determination and courage were all that anyone needed to take up the sword.

"Little girl, I am Master Haschel, current trainer of these grounds. If you have the will and courage to raise your sword, then step forth and I will teach you. If you have even the slightest hesitation, then you are not fit to be a swordsman- er swordslady. Are you willing to take up your sword?" His form may have been elderly and gentle, but his words rang out loud and clear, sure to make anyone with second thoughts run away. These were training grounds, not cowardly holes.

[Oichi]

Oh so the old man was the master, Oichi should have known thought Oichi to herself. It must have been very rude of he to walk up to him and ask him if he knew where the master was. Almost insulting really. Of course he was the master, he was the most aged person here. As the man began to talk Oichi face started to flash red as the embarrassment set in.

"Forgive my rudeness", shouted Oichi after the master finished speaking. "I should have realized you were the master from the start." After a second Haschel's words dawned on the blushing maiden. "Yes I am ready to learn",spoke Oichi as she took a step forward, thought a bit late. Oichi was not giving off a very good first impression. No wonder he called her girl and not young lady. It was clear she lacked in both experiences and in respect. Still being called little girl was not something Oichi wanted to be called over and over again. However she was the pupil and he was the master. It could be a training thing for all she knew. However it was better to try and fail than to not try and remain a failure.

"By the way my name is Oichi", spoke the maiden as she looked at the grizzled old master. She was not sure how he would take to her giving him her name. Did he want to know her name at the moment or did she not earn the right to give her name yet. Swordsmen were said to be very delicate with their code and traditions. If she screwed up she could be offending him in some way or form. The role of master and student was so confusing. It is a pity she did not simply learn from her father. It would been a less stressful environment.

[Haschel]

Haschel gave a hearty laugh. "All is well, little lady." He said, a compliment to her politeness. "The important thing is your willingness to succeed, not how rude you may be. If you think that's rude, you should have seen how big burly arena men talked to each other." So, this was to be his first pupil then, a girl from parts unknown, training for an equally unknown reason. It was very curious, but Haschel's goal was to teach, not question.

"Little lady Oichi," He said, now that he knew her name, "I am not one for traditions, you are free to relax and be true to yourself around me. However, I will not be making anything easy on you, and your training begins immediately!" He clapped his hands to draw her attention.

There was a small group of Sacaens practicing their sword swings nearby, and he directed her attention to them. "The first step is the most important one, I call it 'How to not fall over and impale yourself on your own sword.'" He chuckled once again, hoping that his jokes were lightening the girl up. "First, I want you to just watch their swings before you try it yourself. Everything is absolutely important, from their whole body's stance, to the direction their feet are pointed in. From the size of the swing to the turn of their wrists. You will not get it immediately, but watch them first, then try it for yourself until you can swing rhythmically without falling off balance."

[Oichi]

So it seemed that Oichi was going to be called little girl, oh well it is not like it mattered that much. She was here to learn and he was not even charging her. If she had to take being called little girl in order to lean how to properly wield a sword then that was the price she would pay. The maiden stared on almost like a child trying hard to understand something. She was expecting this profound words to come from Haschel's mouth when he told her to pay attention. Instead she got a lively little joke which helped to lighten her mood. Maybe it is not so bad that she is being taught by somebody else, Oichi thought to herself. Oichi listen to his words and then began to focus on the swordsmen.

For a minute Oichi simply watched barely blinking. Her eyes watched the swordsmen every move as he stepped and moved his arm. The closest thing she could compare it to was dancing. She remembered these dancers that once danced to a tune she song in a tavern once. The way they moved their body and their every step followed a patter. Each part of their body was in a specific position at a specific time. It was the same with the swordsmen and his sword. His hands, his feet, his hips, and even his fingers. Each one was a intricate pattern that made up the entire form that was the swordsmen. As Oichi watched she made mental notes. She looked at his steps, his hands, and the flow of motion.

After a minute Oichi stood up. She placed her fingers on the blade and held it even with her chest. She kept her eyes forward and her legs alined apart. She took her time to make sure her stance was just right. She made sure every part of her body matched the mold and then took a single step. She swung the blade as she saw him swing before, but her feet were off and her hand did not twist in the right motion. Rather than simply ignore these small factors and celebrate being close Oichi repositioned herself and repeated the motion. In the back of her head she remembered the time she trained in the field with the jousting target. The right motion is what gives you victory, it was not the speed of the steed or the strength of your arm. She had to capture the motion and then engrave it into her body. "Once again", spoke Oichi as she practiced the swing again.

[Haschel]

"Good! You are a fast learner." He said, nodding in approval. "However, learning is barely even the tip of becoming a swordslady. You must become one with your sword, until you know it by heart and can swing when you are in danger without worry, and the only way to do that is by swinging it until you have those swings in your reflexes themselves. Thus, your next task is a thousand swings! I want no less than that, and I will be counting!"

Truthfully, this task was not about making it to a thousand, as even the most trained swordsman's arms get tired. No, the goal was simply to see how long she would keep swinging, a test of durability and of willingness. Oichi could give up quickly, or pass out trying to complete it. Also, it did do what he said it would. After so many swings, a swordsman never has to think about their posture ever again, they just know it.

It would appear to be a daunting task at first, but he had a feeling that this girl had what it takes to become a swordslady, and surpass him ten times over. All he needed to do was to push her over what she believed that her limits were, and she would then do the rest. That was how he became a swordsman after all, sheer will and dedication to his own master, way back then. Oichi would get nowhere believing what she thought was true, so he had to make her blind to the past and only see forward.

[Oichi]

"A thousand", Oichi spoke with shock and surprise. The number was daunting to say the least. Swinging her arms a thousand times. It was unfathomable. The greatest number of repetitions she had ever completed of a single motion was a hundred and that was while she was mounted on a horse. How was she suppose to do a thousand. Still the maiden did not want to give up. She did not want to disappoint her master, nor disappoint her mother yet again. She had failed her the first time when she attempted to teach her how to use a sword, she was not about to fail her memory by failing to learn swordsmanship yet again.

Taking a deep breath Oichi took control of her emotions and then began to focus on the task at hand. A thousand was still a daunting number, but if she could make a hundred she could be proud of herself. So Oichi took her first swing. "One", she counted as she swung the wooden sword. She made sure to keep her form as properly and pull back for the second one. "Two", she counted as she swung the wooden sword again. "Three", she counted as she swung her weapon a third time. "Four", she shouted as she swung it a fourth time. The maiden continued to swing one after another. A number after a number. With great determination and steady rhythm she reached a hundred. "A hundred", she shouted as she reached her first bench mark. She could feel the burn in her arms, but she still had ten times more to go. If I can only reach two hundred spoke Oichi in her head as she started off again. "101... 102 ... 103", she spoke continuing down the line. It took almost twice as long, but the little lady had made it to 200. A feeling of pride began to swell in Oichi chest as fire burned through her arms. Sweat covered her head, but her determination was still strong. Three Hundred was her goal and once again she shot off. The maiden had caught her second wind and was well on the way to 300 and in half the time it took her to reach 200 she had reached 400. However at this point her shoulders and arms had enough. Every swing was like moving through mud as exhaustion and dehydration began to take its toll. If only she could reach 500 she told herself as she pushed on.

"Four hundred and ninety nine", she spoke as she swung her sword. "Five hundred", she spoke as she pulled her final one through. "Now six", spoke Oichi, but her arms simply gave way. The maiden could not swing her blade any more, shoot she could not even hold her sword. Her arms were gone and Oichi was not far behind. The maiden collapse on the ground from exhaustion. The wooden sword was still in the palm of her hand, but her grip was no longer firm. For the day, and maybe the next day Oichi's training was over.

[Haschel]

Haschel spent the rest of his first training day making sure that the Sacaen trainees were working hard. He occasionally looked back to Oichi, making sure that she was still swinging. There was no more doubt in his mind that she had the will to become a strong swordswoman. By the end of the day, the little girl had collapsed from exhaustion. "You did well, little lady." He said, figuring that she couldn't hear him anyways. "When I was a lad, I could barely get a couple hundred in in one day. There's more to you than meets the eye after all, it seems."

Haschel let the rest of the trainees off for the day, and picked up Oichi and her sword, taking her to the village's inn for the night, while he went out to train himself during the night before bed. Another work out to keep him flexible and limber in his old age, something he never stopped doing.


The next morning, bright and early, Haschel started his training regiment for the day once again, beginning with an early run with the village's hunters, prepping their legs to catch up with animals. By midmorning, he was back at the training grounds once again, waiting for Oichi to return, and for any other adventurers to show up. Today, the Sacaens at the Training grounds were practicing with their bows for accuracy, a good method of training in Haschel's eyes. If you were to learn two different styles of fighting, it would make sense to alternate them.

[Oichi]

Oichi awoke the next morning in a unfamiliar bed. She was at first surprises and shock, but the pain from her arms took that away very quickly. Cringing from the pain the maiden had a moment for her brain to put everything back in its right order. She remembered that she passed out before she could reach six hundred, or was it five hundred. She could not remember exactly. The only thing going through her mind at the moment was the pain and once that had died down she began to wonder how she got to the inn in the first place. Placing two and two together Oichi figured it must have been Haschel who brought her back to the inn. It was mighty kind of him to do so. He could have simply left her out there if he so desired to.

"Man swordsmanship is hard", spoke Oichi as she looked down at her hands. She wondered if every swordsmen went through this kind of training. A image of her mother and father both swinging the sword together as young bright eyed youth popped into her head. The maiden could not help but chuckle at the prospect, despite the fact that she knew the two of them never meet each other till they were adults. However the idea of the two of them being destined for each other filled Oichi with enough cheer. She wanted to be like them. To swing the sword and fight for whatever cause she believed in. Still she had a long way to go before she could call herself a swordswoman or even a mercenary for that matter. She was far too green and to make it worse she could not even finish the sword training.

"Hopefully I can succeed today", spoke Oichi as she got out of bed and grabbed the wooden sword. A sharp pain radiated through her muscles and the weight of the wooden blade seemed to multiple ten fold. With the last ounces of strength left Oichi pulled the sword over onto her shoulder. However even that felt uncomfortable. Her attempt toward a thousand had done some real work on the maiden. "I might need to take today off", spoke Oichi aloud, but she was not going to let Haschel down. With what little strength in her arms she had left Oichi dragged herself out to the training yard.

If she was going to take a break she would at least tell the master to his face.