[Verlyna's Emerald Pond]The Art of the Sword(Keido)

[Ricky Maze]

Day 26 of Autumn, 511 AV Ricky finally managed to Odis back outside, only to find that Odis acting weird as usual. When leaving the inn this morning Odis was actually relaxed, though twitching often, and then when they left for the Emerald Pond Odis has been sniffing in circles ever since. Was he sick? Has he been sick? Is he still recovering? Why is it Odis acted like this? It bugged Ricky a lot, so now they both were resting while the sun rose high into the day. It was about noon now, and Ricky was watching the waterfall until an idea came to him. Working on my coordination when swinging the blade would be a good idea, as well as working out some strategies for the tournament ahead. He pet Odis on the head and scratched him behind the ears, then got up and moved over to a wide open area. Odis only watched Ricky while lazily laying under the shade, panting as if he were hot. Drawing his sword he held it in his left hand, then switched it to the right. Seeing which arm was easier to hold the sword he felt sure his right had more power. He placed the relaxed the blade on his right shoulder, then relaxed his body. Taking a moment to breathe in the air, he felt his mind ease and his body loose. In this position I'm relaxed, ready for anything. My reflexes will allow me to dodge an attack if I can react quick enough. He then changed to his two handed stance, where the sword was facing toward his imaginary opponent and he stood ready to attack. In this position I'm a little tense, but I'm on the offensive. If I can manage to use the these two positions and switch without worry, I can be agile and reflexive for a time then switch to a strong offense the next. He practiced a few swings, to see how fast and hard his hits would be. In order to be more accurate I'll need to focus my swings on a concentrated area. He looked down to his hands, the right one gripped at the hand guard and the left at the bottom. He switched the two, then attempted the same amount of swings. Only this time, the blade was more in control when he directed them. My blows won't be as strong, but they're more in control when I swing. This'll be good to remember when I have a hard time hitting an opponent. A small smile revealed in his face, he was making steady progress with his practice.

[Keido]

They told him that the Emerald Pond was where one of the more dangerous and final effects of illusions would be. Death. Keido was not looking for death, but he did want to see the pond. He had to learn how the Illusions work. His stay in Alvadas already told him that the illusions were more dangerous than a mere annoyance. Especially when they are capable of affecting your everyday life.

Keido was not the only one there today. He could hear someone doing something and was there a dog barking as well? Nevermind that, he moved on forward to there the pond was. There he saw a man waving a sword around. Keido looked around the pond again. The barking must have been his imagination. But seeing a man here practicing was probably no coincidence.

But instead of heading straight to the man, Keido stayed to watch at the entrance out of sight. The man was not without some skill. He changed his attacks to match the situation, Keido saw as he flipped and switched hands when using the sword. His swings might look crude and inexperienced, but Keido could see that it is able to get the job done if it hits.

"I assume you are preparing for the tournament too?" Keido asked when he walked up to the man after seeing enough of his display.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky nearly jumped when the random voice appeared out of nowhere, when he looked to see a man at the entrance he did not suspect anyone had arrived. It was a surprise to him, and really caught him off guard. "Yeah, I figured I could do with practice seeing that I'm not very well with a sword." The guy looked friendly enough, but Ricky wasn't sure of anything recently. It would still be rude not to give an introduction though, "My name is Ricky, and I come from Zeltiva."

[Keido]

Keido wasted no time meeting up with this man. After he was acknowledged, he headed straight up to him.

"I am Keido, from Syliras. I am sure you will do fine in the tournament. Its a team match first after all. Just get along with your team and you are good." which was easier said than done. Keido had no idea who would his teammates be either.

He needed to take a rest though and after that he went to take a seat at one of the trees. The sweat could be seen dripping from him. He had been running through the streets again as soon as he left the inn. Using the excitement of the tournament he signed up yesterday to energize him. He could have been seen as blind when he did. Nearly crashing into a few pedestrians on the way. Or with each step nearly stepping on another's foot. Even hitting his hand into one of them when he raised his hands to the front and elbows to the back to help with the movements of his own legs which wanted nothing more than to go forward. If not for his quick reflexes he might have failed diverting his limbs and body to miss his unfortunate targets. Until finally he reached his destination which was the pond.

"Don't mind me and continue with what you are doing" he told Ricky. "I just need a rest and to catch my breath."

[Ricky Maze]

"Ah well, if you insist then." Odis had managed to creep up and begin licking the strangers hair, which appeared to surprise him. Ricky only laughed, as Odis kept attempting to lick his hair. Ricky returned his focus back to the sword, concentrating on his positions and getting the feel. Switching between the two was getting easy now, but there was something else Ricky wanted to try. Looking over to a nearby bush, he moved close enough to strike at it. Clenching both fists around the handle of his blade tight, he focused hard on building power within his arms. Centering the bush as his direct target of attention, he felt a heated pressure fill his head. His arms were tense, tenser than before. Raising the sword up for a two handed swing, he found himself throwing everything into one attack. Swinging as hard and fast as he can, he could've sworn that his strength was a bit higher than a few minutes ago. He swung, spinning around into another position for a powerful swing. Though he stopped himself to see what it was his swing had done. Realizing that the bush had been cut shorter, there was a few other tall parts of grass and weeds that had been cut as well. Had his swing really reached that far, cut that much down? Returning his focus to the other high level grass and weeds, he went in for a few more attempts with these swings.

[Keido]

Keido was going to continue to watch how this man would fight in the arena. When suddenly something got up to him from behind and wet his hair. Wildly in shock, Keido leaped up to his feet and looked back. Seeing that he was not mistaken when he thought he had heard a dog. There it was and it licked his hair.

"Rrrrrrrr..." A low growl came from Keido with his teeth bared at the dog.

The dog took a few steps back at this sudden display of hostility and having given enough room for Keido, he went back to sit. He still felt he did not treat the dog fairly since all it wanted to do was make friends. Or that was the say he saw it. So Keido extended his hand towards it and gestured it to come. He will pet it. If only it wanted to.

Watching intently, Keido saw the man's moves. It happened so fast. The bush was cut and trimmed until it was only half its size. And all around it Keido could see pieces of grass and weeds scattered around. Without recognition the attack struck at everything that was within its reach. Such a crude attack. Keido's experience against other fighters allowed him to see Ricky's attacks for what they were. It was like the early days where he was learning to use his kodachi. The attacks focused purely on strength to cut through opponents and to move it fast enough.

"Would you like some help with your practice?" he asked standing up. While they might be enemies at the arena in the future, this was a good opportunity to test their skills.

Keido decided that the man needed to learn to use his weapon with finesse and not relying on his strength. He did not draw out his weapon. Instead he took a stance with his feet apart and his fists up. Keido will be trying his best to just dodge the sword and maybe get in a few quick blows. If Ricky just kept attacking the same way he has been doing, the plan should work.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky turned to face the stranger, only to find that Odis leaped on him and began attacking his face. Odis was literally licking the guy's face with as much excitement as he could, then shifting his tactics from licking to sniffing his eyes. Ricky could only laugh. "Way to go Odis! Sneak attacks always work." He went over to lend out a hand for Keido, so Ricky could pull him up should he take it. "If you want to train with me, you're gonna want to use your sword." He reassured him still waiting, after Keido was up Ricky would back away a bit; allowing him to draw his weapon.

[Keido]

The expected attack was from Ricky. Not from the dog. Suddenly the dog just jumped and pushed Keido down and started slobbering all over him. Keido reached for the hand and got himself up.

"Sneak attacks? Are you bringing that dog along with you for the tournament?" he asked looking at the small creature.

"If you insist then I don't see a problem" Keido said taking out his own weapon.

For Keido, he preferred to fight with his own body. The only reason he bothered to carry his sword with him was because if he tried to defend against other weapons, he would get cut. Which was why his weapon was short and small. Fast enough for him to block anything which comes to him if he could react fast enough.

"I'll let you go first Ricky" he suggested as he took his stance.

He already saw the powerful move on the bush earlier. But there should be more. Keido stood watching Ricky's sword again. He decided like normal he would block it with his kodachi, then let his fist up. Already his limbs were tense in preparation.

[Ricky Maze]

"Well if that's how you feel, then I will not object to going first." Odis cleared out of their area, so they would have enough room to spar. Taking a look at the small blade Keido had, Ricky new that Keido was taking a good risk with it. However this was only sparring, and it'd do them both good. Ricky had general knowledge with blocking other weapons with his sword, but he never had to block against a short blade such as that. He imagined that Keido was risking it too, finding a way to block Ricky's attack; but Ricky's only intention was to figure out what he did earlier. For now though it was to practice, practice his two stances he could switch between. The first he took was the relaxed stance, with the left hand in the pocket of his linens and the other gripping the sword. He relaxed the sword on his shoulder, then took a deep relax breathe as his body released all tension. His mind was focused, free of distraction as Keido became the center piece of his world. His opponent was ready, and so was Ricky. Ricky charged forward, throwing out his right arm to make the sword swing unpredictable. It would be an easy block-able attack, and should Keido block it he'd only find Ricky dodging whatever attack was thrown at him That was the purpose of this stance, to fight while relaxed. A defense that was really an evasive one, though it was Ricky's only defense. Should it work well form for a few minutes, he'll then try offensive. He wanted to see how the two worked evenly for him.

[Keido]

Ricky may have had his focus on Keido, but for Keido? He had to watch out for the sword. With the tournament coming so close he just could not risk the injury. The right arm was a good touch. When it came up Keido found himself distracted by it thinking it was an attack. Did Ricky like to use his fists together with the sword?

Keido took a hop to the left. To try and avoid the arm. Then he bent his arm with his weapon to bring it up to block Ricky's own. It went up and his sword pushing it just enough to stop its movements. But Keido was not done yet. He did his best to push Ricky's sword more and more. Just to get the man's attention on the clash of blades.

Only he was sure that Ricky's full attention was on the swords, he pulled back his left arm. He continued to push on his weapon on the right, just to keep up the ruse. Then he sent his punch forward. Aimed straight at Ricky's ribs. If the man was really watching properly, he better react fast or the punch will hit him.