[Fighter's Pit] Sword Lessons

by **Crystal Nightshade** on September 7th, 2015, 3:39 pm

1st of Fall, 515AV

Sleep. She was dreaming. But of what? The area around her was pitch black, and she felt smaller than she though she was. There was a dull ache in her chest. Why? There was nothing around to cause this heartbreak, so why..? She contemplated this, tried everything in her power to awaken. Then she felt it. This odd sense of foreboding. The ache started to make itself known.

..ur fault..

Chanting echoed around her, but it wasn't a sentence in repetition. It was blame, guilt, sorrow.. all of her own. Fingers pointed at her, voices echoed in her head. She was s falling head first into her own self pity. She needed to stop. It hurt..! Her chest ached with loneliness, emptiness. She longed for someone to cling to.

It's your fault!

Mothe--

No, mommy is gone. It's YOUR fault.

I-I di--

Daddy died because you wouldn't stop him from leaving.

The ache became agonizing, she could feel her very own sobs rattling her body. Salty waters rained from her eyes. She clenched them shut, covered them as she curled in a fetal position. She was shaking, watching her own form wither and die as she howled and wailed for her loss. The last thing she remembered was the hateful stare of her Mother and Father and their words.

We hate you.

Crystal shot upright, sharply inhaling air. Drenched to the bone in sweat, eyes wide with fear and disbelief. She looked around the area, whipping her head around. Home. Safe. She let out a sad sigh, and covered her optics with her hand. Curling her other hand around the blanket in a tight clench, she let one tear roll down her cheek. Then another, until it poured from her eyes. She hadn't meant for them to die..! A knock on her door. She quickly swiped her eyes and pushed herself from bed. "Who's there?"

"We heard screaming from next door, are you alright?"

"Y-yes, it was just a nightmare." A concerned alright came back from the door before she heard footsteps travel away. Shyke. How pathetic. She stalked back to her bed, fixed it up. She'd had to sell her home once again, so now she was staying at the traveler's row. Sad yes, but at least she was alive. She set to work, by going to her wash basin. She needed to be cleaned up. After washing, she put on her civilian attire and left the apartment.

She really hadn't gotten over their deaths, even after nine years. She put up a show to everyone, 'l'm fine,' she'd say. Oh how wrong she was. She had even deceived herself into thinking that she was done and past the pain, but she wasn't. That dream, no nightmare, had proven as much. How long had she last had a genuinely handset conversation about her parents? Too long evidently. She couldn't confront her problem if she didn't admit it was a problem to begin with. She needed to grow up and face the facts. She was alone now.

----

Joining the crowds of Syliras wasn't hard. All you had to do was step outside your home and into the streets and you were in. The city of peace was a busy place. Everyone rushed here and there, yet there was seemingly nothing better to do than join in the daily rush masses. If one stood still while in the crowds, it seemed as if life would rush on without you. Eventually after getting stepped on a few times you'd move along, but it wasn't all bad. There were plenty of places for entertainment, not that she knew them all. Crystal was a woman of simple lifestyle. She didn't do much other than train and work. As it was she headed for Winthrop Alley, just outside the Citadel. She passed the taverns and lodgings, only focused on reaching her destination.

She'd never been there, only walked past with her father on errands. Apparently it was the place to train, which is why she was here. Oh, where was here? Why, the Anthonius Fighter's Pit of course! She'd always wondered what it was like inside, the grunts and crys of sparring always echoed from within it. She could remember her father telling her she could train here when she was older. Now it's time. She hoped to find a partner to spar with, or at least someone willing to teach her. She hoped for the latter. Hesitantly she stepped into the Pit and observed the area.

It was basically a large courtyard with wheeled weapon racks in certain areas. That caught her attention. The ebony walked up to a sword rack and found the weapons were indeed real. She had never seen these weapons before. She was so used to her bow and dagger that she'd never tried a different weapon. She lifted a blade from the rack carefully. It was short with a basic handle. The swprd itself mmadeof steel and bladed on both sides. She admired the blade with curiosity before looking away when a male voice sounded behinds her.

by **Crystal Nightshade** on September 7th, 2015, 8:29 pm

"A short sword."

She turned around to find an older man with dark copper hair and tanned brown skin. He was dressed in worn leather armor. She observed him quietly before looking back at the sword with a nod. He seemed keen on her curiosity. She appreciated it though so she has no complaints. Maybe she could ask him for his assistance..? She turned back to speak. "Thank you. Perhaps you could help me. I want to learn to wield as sword." The ebony hinted hopefully. She was doubtful at first because of his silence, but when he spoke up her eyes gleaned with happiness.

"Of course I can." He grunted. He seemed arrogant, but she didn't mind. "I am Gerard Anthonius. And you are..?"

The Gerard was going to teach her?! She nodded notably before shaking her head and responding. "Crystal, Crystal Nightshade." The woman responded quickly. She couldn't believe she was going to learn from the owner of the Fighter's Pit himself. She was so excited! No, she needed to focus. She needed to do her best in this. "Please teach me to wield this one!" Pleading evident in her tone.

"That'll be five gold miza." Gerard grumbled. He didn't seem upset, just gruff. Hopefully that was the case. She paid the man and let him lead her to a more private area in the courtyard arena. She thanked him before looking back at the short sword. Would he gave her the basics? Hopefully so, as she'd never used a sword before. He simply stopped and turned to her. "Are you familiar with a sword?"

"No."

"Then the simplistic route it is." He replied, but it was more to himself. He then began to plot from the looks of how he was pacing back and forth. He eventually stopped and walked over to her. He took the sword from her, carefully not to cut her or himself, and spoke sternly. "Mirror my stance, understand?" The ebony nodded. The man, Gerard took up a fighting stance with the short sword in hand. She copied him but was soon corrected.

"Not like that. Relax your shoulders," he began to push on her shoulders. "Feet about a foot apart," She fixed herself. "Bend those knees a bit," he commanded, pushing the back of her kneecap, almost making her crumble. She glared at him which he returned tenfold. She looked away. "Angle you back a bit, don't be so stiff." He coached. She obeyed. Once he was satisfied he gave a firm nod and she tried to memorize her current stance. A basic pose for wielding a sword. It was, at the very least, comfortable to maintain. Though she did feel disoriented, tense even.

She was out of her element here. She wasn't used to this kind of training, but she was willing to go through with it.. right? The last person how had trained her was her father. He had been so easy to learn from.. He had died to soon. She missed him still, always would. Just as much as she missed her mother. She forced back snippets of the earlier nightmare before facing Gerard as he spoke.

by **Crystal Nightshade** on September 12th, 2015, 9:01 pm

"You need to focus. I cannot teach you if you're not committed to learn."

The ebony nodded solemnly. She was honestly interested in learning, and she was committing.. She just had a lot on her mind. Gerard however could tell she wasn't losing interest. He knew she was in heavy thought, the look on her face told all. Perhaps more so than the cloud of emotions in her eyes. He looked at her knowingly, not that the woman could tell. She simply repositioned herself with major corrections from Gerard who simply sighed.

"If today isn't you day, you can come back lat-"

"No!" She yelled with frustration. She didn't mean to be rude, she was just upset. The nightmare from this morning was causing her to think more than the others. It truly did upset her. She was sad, then determined.. the swings were driving her mad. She couldn't tell heads from tails of her emotions, nor her current feelings about the situation. "No, it's just.. I have a lot on my mind." She said softly, her eyes stormy with unknown emotion. She couldn't believe she'd just yelled at someone who was kind enough to teach her. "I apologize."

Gerard stood there unaffected. He knew the look in her eyes, especially as he'd worn it himself times before. The woman was lost, she didn't know what her options were, didn't want to either. And he was right. So he had no reason to be upset with her. "You don't have to push past your limits to achieve a goal. It's about being patient." He said impressively. He didn't want to say to much, but he also didn't want her to wallow in self pity.

Crystal looked at him as he spoke. She nodded nimbly as she tried to process what she wanted. Did she truly need to leave? Did she want to leave? She didn't know, couldn't let herself be affected by it. She need patience, that much was true. She nodded in affirmation. She would toss aside the hurtful thoughts, and focus on what made her happy. She would try hard for them both. "I'm ready."

Confidence. Determination. A level head. She had that for now, at least Gerard thought so. So he continued with his lesson without further commentary. "Good, now did your position." He bellowed, entrusting her into a better position. Crystal was trying to maintain the position, but she felt awkward in it. She was used to her ranged weapon. This it was an almost unnatural stance for her. Although she would continue to try.

by **Crystal Nightshade** on September 19th, 2015, 12:58 pm

"Good, you have finally managed to correctly mount the stance without help." A whole thirty chimes later is what the ebony pictured he'd add to his sentence. She could have done better. She could learn faster at new things than she had this day. It was disappointing, and clearly showed by how her face was contorted in dismay. Gerard patted her shoulder before moving on. She would try harder on the next part. "Your next stage of training will be gripping and using the sword."

Now she was nervous. She'd never used a sword before. How was she going to use it efficiently? Of course practice makes perfect, however there were other things that concerned her. If she made a mistake, she could lose a limb. She didn't care about scratches of scars, but she needed her hands and arms to hunt. How pathetic would she look if she dropped it or cut herself in her first round of practice? She huffed inwardly. She had practiced to long to give up now. She would continue. "Ready."

Gerard nodded. He liked her ability to rationalize the situation. She had a level head when calm, and just a bit when upset from what he'd seen today. He handed her the hilt of the sword before stepping back and grabbing the Hayward sword on his hip. "Now, I want you to watch, and then try it yourself." He announced. And so she did. She watched carefully, and attempted to copy the man.

Taking up her practiced stance, she gripped the hilt roughly, to which Gerard grunted at her to stop. She turned towards him with a raised brow. "What?"

"Your grip is too tight. It looks as if you're trying to strangle the hilt." He said sternly. He immediately fixed her hands and spoke. "Your grip should be firm, but not greatly so." He informed swiftly before stepping back and gesturing for her to continue. She tried to get a feel for the hilt, remember it's shape so she could form a nice grip as Gerard had suggested. She turned to Gerard for inspection, and let out a relieved sigh as he nodded his approval.

She then mirrored his movements. Crystal drew her arms above her head, and made an very, very heavy slash down. She put all her force into it. "No you imbecile, not so harsh!" Gerard practically growled at her. She blinked twice, and turned to him, relaxing her stance. "Putting too much force will only off your balance and recovery speed. All that's required is a light swing. Swords have sharp blades that don't require power to cut." He lectured sternly. She nodded stiffly, straightening as his pricing gaze cast itself upon her.

"Y-yes.." She answered stiffly. Crystal set herself back to practicing.

by **Crystal Nightshade** on October 6th, 2015, 12:21 am

Crystal assumed her newly learned position and put a firm grip on the short sword hilt. Gerard had given her the honor of being taught by him, but so far she'd only proved she couldn't make less mistakes with her eyes closed. She sighed inwardly at how pathetic she had been. Now she had to make up lost time, and prove that she wasn't as hapless as he thought. She arched up arched the blade skyward, and let gravity take its course with her arm. Perhaps she wasn't so bad, maybe she just needed more motivation.

She arched he'd the blade skyward and once again let her arm fall awkwardly down to guide the sword. She used both hands, but it wasn't helping. However she was too afraid to drop it or throw it with one. Firm grip, gentle swings. She replayed the phrase endlessly in her mind. She wanted the commands to be second nature. Gerard was watching her, his gaze intense on the hilt where her hands were. Not that she minded if he was going to teach her, but it was a bit unnerving.

Am I still holding it wrong? The raven-haired woman wondered why he was looking at her hands so intensely. She loosened her grip, sighing in relief as his gaze seemed to relax. She prepared to swing, bending her elbows slightly as the swords tip went up. Simple enough right? Well, not really. She was wholly enthralled with getting the right stance and grip, she had neglected the perfect arc the Gerard was looking for. She grunted as the sword nearly slipped from hand. She could almost feel her trainer's disappointment. She sighed, but tried again.

The ebony would have to work hard to gain Gerard's praise. She would hopefully get over her idiotic discomfort, proving to him she could in fact handle new things. Though she was mostly trying to prove it to herself, not her trainer. She huffed in annoyance. How the petch was she supposed to impress a man how had probably trained thousands before her? Sure, she'd give it a go, but would she be disappointed if it was nothing new to him? Gerard gazed at her with a raised brow, curious as to why she had abruptly stopped.

Crystal brow furrowed as her frown deepened. She couldn't register the unease she felt. Perhaps her consciousness not wanting to let someone else down? No, she wasn't that close, in fact, she barely knew the he guy other than wide spread rumors and hushed whispers. What would come of proving she could do it anyway? Relief. Pride. Yeah, like her father would look after she'd successfully hit a mark in her archery training. She lifted one hand from the hilt of the short sword and clutched the fabric of her shirt. Directly over her heart.

Yes, she missed them. She still grieved even when she told herself it was useless. The continuous nightmares. Perhaps what she was left with was an overwhelming sense of responsibility. Perhaps she just didn't want anyone to doubt her, she wanted to be believed in. She wanted to right what she assumed was her wrong. By not stopping her father she had let him down, she didn't want to disappoint anyone else. So she was to push herself harder and harder, was that it?

She shook her head and held back the waterworks before resting her both hands on the short sword hilt once more. Inhale... Exhale.. And just like that she was once again somewhat composed. She took her stance, put a light but firm grip on the child arched the bladed weapon up... and lashed down with just a small amount of added pressure. Did she do it? Was it right? Apparently so as Gerard nodded and signaled her to do it again. Of course, she couldn't tell the her hand shook, and the pressure she added was still to much. She practiced like this for a bit before Gerard called for her to stop. "Enough. It's about time you tried thrusting." He announced from behinds her. Crystal, having finished another crooked arc, beamed and turned towards him with excitement clear in her eyes. She smiled and rubbed the back of her head before nodding. The problem? She'd been doing this arching exercise, and now her arms were tired. Too bad, she would work through it like always.

"Right." Crystal carefully placed the weapon into Gerards outstretched capable hands. She frowned when he stated into her eye a little longer with a solemn look been free returning to his usual expression. Crystal nodded again as he instructed her to watch and repeat.From the basic stance, he put both hands to hilt and withdrew them to his left side. The hilt now inches passed his back, he shoved the blade foward. Quick. Steady. Deadly. It was perfect.

by **Dove Brown** on March 9th, 2016, 11:09 am

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Crystal Nightshade

Skills