[Flashback] An Imaginary Foe (Solo)

[Eridanus]

Day 20, Summer of 509 AV
Early Morning
Somewhere Quiet Near Syliras

Only a few days in the crammed city, filled with tourists and locals alike busying to and fro about their own business and Eridanus already felt claustrophobic. He was used to open spaces, to huge spanning areas, and having to constantly squeeze with no privacy space proved too much for the vantha to handle.

It was not the crowds, no, he could handle that. It was normal for streets to be crowded with people going about their daily business. But Syliras had this constantly crammed quality no matter where he went, and even the stone gardens tended to be filled with tourists and visitors checking the area out that though it was not crammed there he got quite sick of seeing people about.

He needed time to properly stretch his body, though it was more like stretching his ''mind' and his idea of private space, and so he embarked on a short journey north of the city. Near enough for the city to be quite within sight and therefore safe enough, but far enough so that he could have a large space for peace and quiet and privacy.

He left way early in the morning, and now even as he approached his destination the leaves in the ground were wet with morning dew, and the humid air still had low-lying mist that would disappear as the day went on.

It was fresh air, and he loved it.

[Eridanus]

First came the time for inner peace, and so he sat himself down comfortably near a tree, for he was at the edge of a cluster of trees that were some sort of outgrowth from the forest to the north. There were enough bushes and trees around to make him seem inconspicuous, for a person sitting down in the middle of a vast plain would be bound to draw attention. Which was the last thing he wanted right now.

He first unbuckled the leather sheaths - long swords still in them - from the weapon harness that he wore so frequently that he considered it as part of his attire and placed them on the ground for comfort in sitting, for the weapons were too long to sit without them hitching up his back.

He would usually just draw his blades instead of going through the trouble, but the ground was wet and he did not want his blades to rust from unnecessary moisture. The leather might be damp, but at least they were cheap to maintain and - worst case scenario - replace. The swords weren't.

His back free from burden, he found a place in the ground relatively free of vegetation and thus moisture, and sat cross-legged. The sheathed blades were placed on the ground to his right. Palms on his kneecaps, he first dedicated a prayer to Wysar for physical and mental discipline before he began his breathing exercises, slowing down the fast-beating heart that resulted from his expedition away from the city.

[Eridanus]

As he felt his body relax, he continued breathing deeply, slowly peeling away distracted thoughts one at a time from his mind. He first concentrated on his breathing, thinking of no other thoughts other than the steady in and out of the natural physiological process. Gradually, other random thoughts that tended to cluster in the vantha's hyperactive imagination and constantly active mind disappeared.

He found that meditation was important to maintain the peace of his mental state, for he was highly an introvert that constantly wondered and thought about things, and sometimes the strain on his mind proved to be too much for his brain to handle, causing headaches. Humans were fine, for they had a lifespan, but Eridanus had already lived for two centuries, and so mental stability was important. It was like mind maintenance if the mind was an equipment.

He realized that he had brought his thoughts to the importance of meditation, which meant he was getting distracted. Keeping his breathing constant, he began to cancel out any thoughts on the past or future. Instead, he only focused on the present, where he was now, what he was doing, what his body was doing.

He could feel the tension in his muscles release, and his body sank into a more relaxed state. It was excellent for physical recovery. His mind was clearer than ever, having released himself - even though temporarily - from the distractions of the mundane. It was also excellent for mental recovery.

He had no idea how much time passed as he sat there, cross-legged, for time often passed differently for him in such a tranquil state. All that matters was his calm state, and the quiet and motionless surroundings did much to help move him into such a meditative trance. It was bliss.

[Eridanus]

Having sufficiently calmed down and relax, it was time to work out his body and reflexes, and he stood up in an unhurried manner picking up his sheathed blades as he did so.

Walking over to the nearest tree, he drew his swords and propped the leather sheaths against the base of the tree trunk, then walked a distance away from the tree to allow himself freedom of space all round him.

In his serene state fresh from his reverie, the vantha clearly visualized a roughly humanoid shape of similar height in front of him, wielding a similarly imaginary sword. Settling into a Half Iron Door, though slightly modified due to his additional blade, he invited an attack from his imaginary opponent, who rushed forward to deliver an overhead swing.

His main blade swished upwards, deflecting the blow and transited into the guard of the Woman, his blade moving back to rest just behind him. His other blade raised up to form a horizontal line across his chest, the weapons in conjunction forming a stance excellent for both offence and defence, though not mobility.

His mind created another opponent to his right, and another one to his left. He needed to get used to dealing with multiple opponents, for he often found himself in that straits. Usually he would continue to strafe the whole group to force a one on one situation, but he could only do that with the luxury of space. He had two blades. He had to learn to use them properly.

He named the left foe Mr.A, the middle one Mr.B and the right one Mr.C. Just because he liked organization, even in his mind.

[Eridanus]

Mr.C rushed at him, though it did not matter which direction and method he used in his attack for Eri passed forward on his right leg, shifting his torso left while keeping his right blade in its original position. The guard of the Woman shuts down all attacks from the right due to its unique position, and as he did so he swung a mid-torso attack with his left sword from the right to the left, forcing Mr.A and Mr.B to back off.

Now Mr.C was the closest to him, and he quickly gathered backwards, swinging his right sword as he did so. His positioning allowed him to direct Mr.C's sword away from his body as he swung the blade, and he sloped right as he did so, putting Mr.C in between him and Mr.B. Mr.A lunged forward at him with a thrust, and he thrust to the left (at Mr.A), though his sword was placed slightly higher but drooping downward in a variation of the Long guard.

Wait. He mentally paused the action and he rotated his left sword such that the flat would meet the edge of Mr.A's sword. It was minor, but he knew that sustained edge-to-edge collisions would wear down his sword. He had to get this habit ingrained in his system!

He resumed the action in his mind again.

His Flat Long guard, though with only his left hand, forced the thrust away and also caused Mr.A to step back or risk getting speared. This unfortunately left his chest open to Mr.C who proceeded to take advantage of his vulnerability.

Eri's right sword positioning could only get him so far, and he continued to gather backwards, moving his right sword to his side and back in a single right-handed Tail guard, while his left sword met Mr.C's middle-cut, clashing against his imaginary enemy's sword in the longpoint transition.

He flicked his left wrist, keeping his fist grip on the handle tensed as he did so, for thumb grips were not quite recommended unless one were to two-hand the sword, or use flux to compensate.

His deft manoeuvre rotated his sword to the inside of the body, pushing Mr.C's sword outwards and he thrust forward with it, passing forward with his left foot as he did so. It was sudden, it was quick, and Mr.C was unable to respond for his blade's point was facing the area just inches out of Eri's frame. Eri's long sword prevented him from generating enough energy to swing effectively, and so the vantha stabbed Mr.C.

He mentally erased his opponent, and Mr.C disappeared from his imagination, leaving Mr.A and Mr.B trying to get into position. He knew that it would be more complicated in real life, for enemies do not simply disappear after being stabbed, but it was his mind dammit! ooclol -.-

[Eridanus]

The disappearance of Mr.C cleared space and therefore now made Eridanus within line of sight of Mr.A and Mr.B. He was in an outstretched position, and as both Mr.B and Mr.A lunged forward to turn the vantha into a pincushion, he quickly half-paced forward with his right, passing forward only shortly to reduce his over-extension. As he did so, he moved his left arm so that it would be straight in line with his shoulders, keeping his torso straight. His left sword slapped away Mr.A's thrust and forced him away to keep a safe distance.

His torso was kept straight for a reason, and the right sword that had been to the side and behind was already swinging in a slanted upwards stroke, deflecting Mr.B's thrust and pushing both blades into the air.

The open nature of his torso was completely against the tenets of one on one swordsmanship, but as he was wielding two swords against multiple opponents, it was important to adapt and adjust. Being limited by the idea of rules and protocols merely prevented him from reaching his true potential in combat.

Due to the positioning of his legs as well as his torso, it would be more efficient to take down Mr.B first, and so Eri continued to travel diagonally right by sloping - a useful method in footwork to flank opponents while maintaining stance integrity with a squared torso.

He continued to keep his right sword connected to Mr.B's weapon, denying him the chance to gather enough force for a swing, and denying him the opportunity to thrust with his own sword being the obstacle. The sloping centered his right sword, and he withdrew his left sword from the extended position that was intended to shove Mr.A away, and now he had Mr.A behind Mr.B in terms of his line of sight.

[Eridanus]

There was no doubt that Mr.A would adjust his position in order to catch him, and so he had a relatively short time period for an engagement with Mr.B, and if he failed he would have to re-adjust his position again. Mr.B stepped back, withdrawing his sword from Eri's right sword, and he stepped diagonally to Eri's right, aiming a diagonal slash while also creating space for Mr.A to enter the fray.

Eri stepped forward, raising his left sword to parry the attack with the strong of his sword, which was the part of the blade close to the cross-guard. He had greater leverage, and as he did so he brought his left elbow up in a semi-circular motion, the cross-guard catching the edge of the sword and - acting as a pivot - forcing the blade to shift in a scissor manner such that it was perpendicular to the ground with its point facing up.

It worked because he intercepted it at the weak of the blade - which was the part closer to the point - and due to his superior leverage Mr.B was staggered downwards as he tried to maintain his grip on the weapon.

It did not matter, for Eri's right sword - which had already swung back while he did so to gather the distance necessary for a powerful cut - whizzed as it slashed at Mr.B's left, severing the imaginary foe's torso into half. Real life did not work like that as well, but as his imaginary enemy was made out of air it was easy to just imagine Mr.B's torso splitting into two as his sword passed through nothingness.

Eridanus mentally erased Mr.B from his mind and so Mr.A was left.

[Eridanus]

Both of Eri's swords were in a pretty awkward position, and as Mr.A lunged forward, Eri brought his left elbow down so that his left sword would be pointing up, guarding his upper body from a swing. His right hand shifted back into a one-handed Tail guard, ready to deliver an offensive, until Mr.A ducked and cut Eri's legs.

The vantha frowned. In his overconfidence due to his victory over his previous two opponents he had left his bottom open, sacrificing defence for offence. His imagination tended to get the better of him and pull of surprises like that. He had to avoid getting over-complacent with victories and to always aim for self-preservation over taking the offensive. Staying alive was the number one priority after all.

He mentally re-winded the events to just after he defeated Mr.B, and he did the same with his left sword, adopting a one-handed left Crown guard. Instead of moving into a Tail with his right, instead he passed backwards with his right foot away from Mr.A, his right sword lowering into a single-handed Half Iron Door, though partially angled to guard his legs.

As expected, Mr.A's leg swipe was prevented by Eri's right sword, and he proceeded with a compass pace to square his torso completely facing Mr.A. As he did so, he proceeded with a simple downwards cut with his left sword from the Crown, while he cut upwards with his right from the Half Iron Door, forcing Mr.A to leap backwards for a single blade was one weapon too little to parry both attacks without harm to the swordsman.

His right sword carried on with the swing and the vantha gathered towards Mr.A, his right hand transitioning into a one-sided Falcon just as he tightened his grip on his left sword, pushing his left hand forward but angling his fists forty-five degrees rightwards in a variation of an alternate-faced Short. That guard blocked the proceeding swing that Mr.A did, and as imaginary blade and real steel met at that parry, he swung upwards and left with his left sword, forcing Mr.A's weapon in that same direction and he brought his right sword down from the Falcon in a straightforward cleaving manner, cutting Mr.A into half.

Like always, real life was different, but the vantha tended to embellish effects in his mind. It was a personal preference, after all.

[Eridanus]

It was the end of his duel with his imaginary opponents, and that fight that had taken quite a lot out of him physically, for he had put in the requisite amount of strength and focus of body. Combat was always like that, short bursts of intense energy that resulted often in high muscle fatigue. It was better than being dead, though.

His mind was worked doubly as hard due to the constant calculations and thoughts as he considered the best methods and positions to always place himself in. He remembered what his instructors in Denval told him about the use of guards and attacks like they were chess pieces. Physical attributes and talent were one thing, but with the intelligent use of techniques he could still triumph over physically superior opponents.

Furthermore, having to constantly imagine his three opponents with his unconscious mind - though with some aid from his conscious thoughts - caused his mental stamina to take a heavy hit. Fortunately he had meditated earlier to clear his mind, but in fact it was only possible if he had a clear and calm mind.

He panted heavily, now clearing his mind of thoughts again, though it was easier to do so due to his physical fatigue, for the only thing on his mind was his fatigue. He made sure to stretch so that he would not get muscle cramps, and he returned to where he placed his sheaths, returning the swords to their holders but keeping the weapons propped against the tree.

Sitting cross-legged after stretching, he proceeded to slow down his breathing, calming his heavily beating heart and to relax his intense pulse rate. It was time for another bout of meditation to reflect and also to allow the unconscious lessons he learned from this practice session to sink in so that he would not make the same mistakes he did in a real battle.

Mentally he thanked Wysar for the straight-minded focus he had during the imaginary spar. Whether the God helped or not did not really matter, for it was the vantha's dedication to the concept of discipline that Wysar represented that mattered.

Though physically and mentally tired, Eridanus was spiritually invigorated with the exercise, and after he calmed himself down with the cool-down meditation he would return to the city and mingle with the locals to learn more about the city.

It was going to be a great day ahead.

[Emblem]

Congratulations! You Get Glorious Experience! Eridanus Skills Dual Wield- 4 XP Weapon Longsword- 4 XP Meditation- 3 XP Acrobatics- 1 XP Lores An Active Imagination Fighting Multiple Enemies- Basic Inner Peace Comments : Nice thread Eridanus! Didn't award full XP for the combat only because of the difference between fighting real opponents. Hopefully everything else is self explanatory. Also, now that you are an expert with the longsword, be sure to keep yourself challenged! Any questions or concerns, shoot me a PM!