[Flashback] The Art of the Sword (Private)

[Akasha]

12th of Spring, 508 AV

The day had been generous, with clear blue skies, a comforting wash of light flooding the landscapes and a slight breeze swaying the Sea of Grass. Akasha had awoken in a pile of blankets stacked on top of each other, in a tent built conveniently for two. She was groggy, rubbing her irritated eyes and blinking to wash away the blur that usually came within the seconds of waking. A kick to her tent startled her to sit up, scratching her mess of hair and stifling a yawn.

“Get up, Akasha, it’s time for practice.” Came an older woman’s voice from outside. The flap was lifted for a moment before a long, sturdy and carved stick was tossed onto the kelvic’s lap. She blinked. It was shaped like a sword, with no handle, just the blade, but made entirely of wood. How odd!

“What’s this for, Rae? What are we doing?” She climbed out of the mass of quilts and blankets, tugged on a simple tunic and leggings then crawled outside, gripping the wooden sword in one hand. The sun was blazing overhead, and Akasha had to slam a hand over her eyes to keep them from watering over the sudden pressure applied to them. She glanced around for Rae, who was patting her strider affectionately after having tied him securely to the limb of a tree. At Akasha’s question she grinned and tapped her waist, which held an elaborately carved hilt securing a sheath equally treated as such; pristine and kept free of grime and dirt.

“Remember what I told you the other day? You agreed to train under me, and well, it’s time to get started, young pupil.” A smile lit up the Drykas woman’s face. She was garbed in leather, with chain mail beneath and sturdy gloves gripping a wooden sword of her own. She motioned for Akasha to follow as she walked out into a clearing, the grass cut conveniently low to allow for better movement.

“Today I will teach you the basics of holding a sword in the Ath‘engi style, or more importantly, the katana,” She began. Rae held the wooden sword between her legs and unsheathed her blade, demonstrating as she spoke, “Many novices enjoy holding the sword to the chokepoint. You can’t do this, holding the sword as so,” she pushed her hand up until it rested against the hilt, “will cause friction. Friction will restrict the fluidity of your blade and will ultimately irritate your hand. Two fingers below the hilt, that is the preferred length at which you rest your hand, are you following?” She glanced over at Akasha, who stood, watching with rapt attention as Rae raised two fingers, placed it beneath the hilt of her katana and bumped her hand up to rest against it. “Always, your right hand leads, do it as I do it, Akasha.”

The kelvic complied, raising the wooden stick and sliding her right hand further up the body of the stick but just below where she assumed the hilt would be. She gripped tightly, then looked over at the older woman once more. "Am I doing it right?"

Rae nodded, then continued with her lesson, “The right hand is what determines the movement of the sword, it gives it direction, guidance. If you’re left handed, assume, for now you’re right.” Akasha was about to respond to this but was quickly cut off by Rae’s stricter voice, “Do not place your left hand directly beneath your right hand. Keep it on the pommel of your sword, the sole purpose of your left hand is what gives your blade speed, form and fluidity. Together, without friction will grant your swings a greater range of movement. Let me see your stance now.”

Akasha stood, with her right hand held higher up than her left, which was held directly at the pommel with a tight grip. The sun was beating down on them, causing small droplets of sweat to begin to formulate around her temple. She didn’t move. Rae came over and tapped Akasha’s sword.

“I will let you know now, so you don’t harm yourself or worse, break your sword. Look at the blade of the sword,“ Rae brought her unsheathed katana up for Akasha to see, “Cut it through the middle, it’s separate. The front half is thinner, the back half is thicker, do you see? When blocking use the thicker part of the sword to absorb and deflect blows using the energy of the hands. Use flat of the blade, not the sharpened part or the sword will risk breaking.”

Akasha nodded, but Rae was not finished. She tapped Akasha’s shoulder, “Repeat what you’ve learned.”

“Hold the katana with right hand two fingers below the hilt, left hand on pommel, block with the flat side of the blade not the sharp part.”

“The thick part of the flat side.” Rae emphasized, but she smiled all the same, “Good. Next will be swings and cutting strikes.”

Rae went back to the tent, picked up a simple apple and a dagger, then walked back to Akasha and motioned for her to sit. She kneeled down with her. “The thing to note here, Akasha, is to avoid chopping. Watch,” The Drykas woman placed the apple on the solid ground, lifted the cutting dagger up high then brought it straight down, making quite a thump into the soil after it had sliced the apple unevenly. “it takes too much energy, it’s sloppy, and inefficient. Slice at an upward angle, using the edge of the blade for you. Just a little bit of downward pressure,“ Rae grabbed a large piece of the torn apple and did as such, bringing the blade down sideways on the skin, ”And draw it, less strength is needed for an efficient cut.”

She then stood, with Akasha following, sheathing her katana once more and taking up the wooden sword. “Do as I do. Conserve energy. Try to make contact high on the blade, draw the blade completely for a clean cut. Think of your talons. You fly from an angle on an animal and slice it cleanly on the side, not straight down. You allow your talons to kill for you, an extension of yourself. Let the blade be an extension of your arm.”

Akasha stretched her arm as far as she could, holding the wooden sword angled to the sky. She gripped it tight in the way Rae had taught her, focusing it just as she said, talons that reached the end of the world, that could slice through mountains and fell her greatest enemies. "Like extended talons... I'll tear them to pieces..."

“The art of the Ath’engi style incorporates martial arts and swordplay. You use both to take advantage of your opponent. To use their strength against them and channel strength through your blade to subdue the other. Come at me, I will show you a basic technique to deal with anyone who comes at you directly. Simply raise your blade up and do a downward stroke right at my head.”

Akasha blinked for a moment, but did as she was told, approaching Rae before she raised her wooden sword up high then quickly bringing it down toward her forehead. In an instant, Rae had blocked her attack. “See how I blocked your attack with the flat of the sword, Akasha? Remember this. Now that I have you blocked, I’ll turn in a circular pattern, watch my feet,” Rae shifted from foot to foot, turning her body around until she was beside Akasha, “Now I would bring my sword down,” She did so as she spoke, “Across your neck, at the same time, crossing over your arms to protect myself, then I would make a downward cut.” Rae followed her words, doing such actions until she brought the blade up, half mocking the slice to Akasha’s stomach, “Bring the blade up for a clean cut through the stomach. Always keep the movements fluid. You never know what an opponent might do, and you must always have the upper hand.” She brought the blade up, turned her body around and brought the wooden stick passing along Akasha’s back. “That would be the finishing move as you fall forward. Overkill, perhaps, but caution is required when you take up a sword.”

Rae stood back then, “Are you ready to show me what you’ve got? Do as I did, block me, and go for the strikes. The neck, the stomach, the back. Here I come!”

“Yes, Rae!” Akasha shouted as she watched the older, far more experienced woman run up to her, bring her wooden sword up high and strike fast and low on her head. The kelvic instinctively brought her own wooden sword up to block as she had seen, but Rae’s shout made her wince, “Wrong, pupil. You used the sharpened blade to block. DO NOT DO THIS. Use the flat, thicker edge. Again!” Rae backed off, stood still as Akasha prepared herself then launched an attack once more. A downward slice, which was once again blocked by the younger girl. Rae nodded in approval. “Twist in a circle now and slice at my neck.” She shouted.

Akasha did so, moving her right leg forward, twisting her body and bringing the elongated edge of the sword in a swinging swipe down the length of Rae’s neck.

“Excellent!” She shouted, “Don’t stop there, keep a fluid movement, bring the sword up and strike the abdomen.”

Akasha nodded at her words. She was left with her sword placed directly beneath Rae after the downward stroke on her neck, and she promptly swung it up to mock a slice at her stomach as the woman continued to speak, “Then turn your body around to face me, that’s right, and a final strike on the back,” The kelvic followed her words, turning until she was directly behind Rae and bringing her sword back down. “Good!” She proclaimed, then stood straight and clapped the younger girl on the shoulder.

“Again!”

[Akasha]

There was a break in-between the bouts of learning the basic move Rae first taught. Akasha had sat, rubbing her arms from the sheer strength needed to swing her sword at the right curve, the right position to effectively finish an opponent off should it come to that. But there would be no resting for quite a while. The swordswoman tapped the kelvic’s head with her sheath, pointing toward the clearing once more. “Get up, your next lesson requires attention.”

Akasha groaned but complied, swallowing the remnants of her meaty lunch and grabbed the wooden sword resting beside her. “My hands hurt, Rae. Can’t we do this tomorrow?” Her large, smoldering orange eyes were locked onto the woman in a plea. But Rae wouldn’t budge. “No, we’re training here and now. Tomorrow will just be more lessons, we can’t stop just because your hands are a little tired. Focus.”

Rae walked a little ways ahead of where Akasha stopped, turned then raised her own wooden weapon. “I will teach you a simple method to avoid an incoming sword aside from blocking. You will use quick movement to sidestep then attack. Come at me once more with a downward stroke and watch what I do.”

Akasha nodded, and approached Rae with her sword held up high, then once she deemed herself close enough she brought the weapon down, only to have the Drykas woman sidestep quickly and bring her own sword down for a mock slice at her neck. “You see what I did there? You must focus on your opponent until he brings his sword down for the slice. You move away, an inch or more, and you have to be smart about this, bring your sword up on their now exposed neck and tear it into them.”

Akasha backed up as did Rae, although she was skeptical. “You do this in real combat? How can anyone be fast enough to avoid the swing of a sword?” She glanced at the weapon in her hand, judging it’s size and thickness, it was heavier, less manageable than a real blade. “I don’t think it’s possible, really.” Stubborn she was, but Rae simply grinned.

“Fine, then, young one. Come at me with all the strength you can muster, as if I’m someone you want to petching tear apart.” She taunted the kelvic girl, bring her hand up for a waggle. Akasha licked her lips in response, baring a grin that flashed under the relentless streak of the sun. She clenched her thighs, reads for the sprint, the coiled strength that would propel her forward. Then in a flash she was racing towards the woman with a battle cry and raised her sword up high to bring it straight down for a strike. In that split second before Akasha made contact, Rae had sidestepped easily, brought her own weapon up and struck Aakasha across the nape of her neck, forcing her to collapse forward into a heap.

The kelvic rubbed her neck after a little yelp tore through her lips. “That really hurt.” She cried. Rae simply laughed, tugging Akasha up by the hem of her tunic. “It’s possible, you silly girl. You just have to know the right moment to move and strike. It’s simple succession. Try it.”

Akasha winced at the tender spot on her neck, it would bruise most likely, but the look on her instructor’s face was stern. She moved farther away and waited for Rae to come at her. She certainly didn’t waste time. At once she sprinted forward, swung her blade up and brought it down, shouting, “Evade it!” But Akasha failed, miserably. The wooden sword struck her fiercely on the shoulder, a blow that caused her to cry out once more. “Okay, this isn’t fun anymore!”

Rae rolled her eyes and lowered her sword. “Watch me. You need to see just when I am going to strike and move. Be quick about, don’t stand there like a rock. Move as if you’re maneuvering in the air. Again. Do it better this time, don’t let me hit you.”

Both the women moved farther apart once again. Akasha stood with her hands gripped tightly on the wooden sword, held down with the blade held up. She focused on Rae, blocking out the rest of the landscape around her. She wouldn’t be hit this time! A minute had passed before the Drykas woman sprinted toward the kelvic, sword held high once more. She brought it down in a stroke but she did not connect. Akasha had sidestepped perfectly, brought her own sword up and mockingly swiped it across Rae’s neck.

Rae grinned. “Excellent work!” She straightened up and clapped Akasha on the shoulder. “Alright, let’s do that ten more times.”

“What?! Raeeeeee. You're killing me!" Rae simply shook her head and smacked the kelvic lightly on the head.