Completed [The Bronze Woods] Blades Of Justice (Markus)

[Rachel Messer]

20th of Winter 513 A.V, 8th of Bell, The Bronze Woods

It was morning in the large stone fortress of peace known as Syliras, the winds were cold as Morwen reigned over Mizahar for the season, people huddled up near comfortable fireplaces or quickly entered their destinations, wearing thick cloak and coat covering their body. Not many would consider training in the Woods in Winter to be wise, but one blond-haired swordswoman disagreed, the cold provided the perfect chance to push her endurance to new limits. As a combat instructor, it was her duty to stay at top physical shape so there she was, standing firmly on the ground, facing one of the many trees in the Woods with winter clothing and warm coat protecting her body.

She realized venturing too deep was suicide so Rachel stayed near the very edge of the Woods with the Fortress' main gates still in clear sight, in the case of trouble too big for her to handle, she could retreat and call for the Knights' assistance. For now, the instructor clasped her hands together and closed her eyes as she muttered a prayer to her patron Goddess and best friend, Priskil. Goddess, please bless me for what I'm about to do today is ultimately for your cause, I wish to become stronger so I'll be able to carry out your will, driving away the forces of evil. Thank you... my friend. Opening her eyes, Rachel unsheathed the steel longsword perched on her back and began warming up, feeling the weight of the blade, moving her leg muscles, and slightly jumped up and down. She also gave the sword a few practice swings.

After about five chimes, she was ready for more advanced self-training, Rachel stood in the middle of a clearing as she imagined a shadow opponent, also wielding a longsword in front of her. The best opponent was oneself after all, the instructor nodded to herself and went on the offensive. She began the mock fight with a side slash from the right to left, but her opponent anticipated her and parried her blow by clashing it with its sword. The instructor followed up by making a quick duck and aimed a strike at the opponent's legs, the shadow figure dodged by back-stepping.

With them gaining distance, this opened up a new array of possible actions, would she charge in for a quick stab or prepare for a powerful overhead strike? Rachel decided she would try something new, gripping her sword, the instructor concentrated as she felt the sparks of djed flowing through her muscles, particularly in the shoulders and arms. The power of flux reinforcing her limbs, though still a novice, its effect was surprising for an unwary opponent as it could drastically change the speed of her strike for a very short burst. With her djed prepared, Rachel charged in with her longsword held at her right side, her opponent charged as well. As the two figures closed the gap, Rachel quickly hunched down and unleashed the flux in one quick diagonally-upwards strike... however her opponent also had the power of flux and countered with a quickened side slash. In the end, Rachel won and her sword cut through the shadow foe's waist.

Whew... good... The instructor rubbed her forehead, it was trickling with sweat even though it was Winter. She was far from finished however, Rachel went into a ready stance again as her mind conjured another opponent, this time it was wielding two daggers, the quick and agile type. So focused in her training, she didn't realize she wasn't exactly alone in the clearing.

[Markus Andres]

The young knight was outside the walls for no specific purpose. He was off duty and had had no plans for the day. He had not been in the mood for training or for teaching Ball how to be a proper member of the knights. So he had left the fortress city and ventured out to clear his thoughts and get out of the cramped city. The fresh air would do him good and perhaps get him out of the dull lull he had been put in since Fallon left. Markus was quite fond of the padding that he wore under the armour, come summer he would loathe it once more, but during winter, the padding was among his most treasured possessions. Trudging through the forest, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade. For he was wary of the sounds he heard. Someone else was moving about in the forest and he did not want to encounter them unprepared. Winter had a habit of turning usually human shy animals desperate enough to attack humans and made bandits and other scum desperate enough to venture closer to Syliras and the knights. He wore the traditional light armour of the knights. The heavy armour was too cumbersome to move about in outside the walls, especially when he was on foot. He bore the heater shield on his back, the Bastard on his left side with a smaller dagger sheathed just above the sword. As the knight moved through the forest the sound grew nearer and no doubt he was advancing upon the source of the commotion. He moved slower, kept the noise to a minimum. It would be better to get the drop on this unknown variable. But as he got closer he caught a glimpse of what was causing the noise. A sword flashing through the air. Battle? Markus moved closer as his hand slowly drew the Bastard. Only to push it back in again when he reached the edge of the clearing. It was a blonde woman, who seemed vaguely familiar, practising with the sword. No combat going on beyond the one in her mind. Markus was not sure if he wanted to disturb the woman in her training. That was until she struck diagonally with an impressive display of speed and agility. She intrigued him. He was drawn to the form and style. She knew how to handle a blade, that much was certain. But who were she? A squire? A knight? A civilian? The choice of training out in the wilderness opposed to in Antinous training grounds hinted at the latter. The young knight leant against the trunk of a nearby tree and spent several seconds observing the familiar stranger. Arms crossed in front of him. Before he realized just how much of a creep he must look like should she notice him just staring at her. "Hello there.." Markus was certain the woman was not going to be dangerous to him. Partly because she looked as if she belonged to Syliras in some capacity, but mainly because he knew he could take her in a fight. "You appear to be very skilled with the blade and your form is commendable." He spoke confidently, but remained standing where he was. Did not wish to intrude on her training area without permission. "My apologies, lady, my name is Markus Andres."

[Rachel Messer]

The sudden male voice made Rachel's shadow opponent snuffed out into thin air, the instructor quickly gripped her sword and spun around to catch the voice's owner in her field of vision, she had done so in reflex, especially after her whole experience of combating bandits along with Kreig and the knights when her brother took her along to see what it was like to be a knight. Vanquishing criminals who resisted arrest was a very commendable act, but entering her blade to another person's body and knowing she took lives, even from a scum, still made its mark on her mind.

The Woods weren't exactly safe, she was in close proximity to Syliras, but who knows if a daring bandit or two decided to pounce the unsuspecting woman. The memories of those two drunken thugs who nearly violated her in Sunberth many years ago came back to her, if not for Osd, she wouldn't even be here at the moment. A sense of fear spawned within her, mainly because the voice was male, but she composed herself once she saw the form of a young man, wearing a Knight's signature light armor. As the relaxation set in, so does nervousness, she just raised her blade to a knight of all people, she nearly shot a Sera Helena with her crossbow due to her poor aim when training in the Woods, now, she indirectly threatened a knight with her sword, how far her foolishness could go? The woman immediately sheathed her sword and bowed in apology, "Please forgive me, Ser! Y-you surprised me, a-and it was unwise of me".

Fortunately, the knight seemed to take no offense, praising her swordsmanship instead, this greatly relieved her, Rachel put her right hand over her chest, soft light shining through her leather gauntlets, chipping away at her nervousness and feeding her with courage, "Thank Priskil". Clearing her throat, Rachel rested her arms on her sides and slowly approached the young knight, her gesture offering no amount of caution or threat, she didn't want to irk him, she admired the Knights and getting into trouble with them was one of the worst things that could happen.

Her green eyes observed the Knight, he was tall, had dark blonde hair, darker green eyes compared to her, and unsurprisingly muscled like a proper Knight. This man looked like the 'Knight in Shining armor' often told in stories personified, of course, one could not judge the book by its cover alone, but his armor and words marked him as one of the Order. He also introduced himself as 'Markus Andres' and politely called Rachel by the title of 'lady', much unlike the arrogant tone of Sera Helena, but... Rachel assumed she was angry at almost being shot. The instructor relaxed herself, stopping at a few feet from the Knight, "Ser Markus, it's an honor to meet you, my name is Rachel Messer, I'm an instructor in the Anthonius Fighting Pits under the employment of Sir Gerard Anthonius," she figured a full introduction was in order, then... something came to her mind, if this man was a member of the Order then... "Perhaps, you know of 'Kreig Messer'? He is a squire and my brother".

Markus was a polite fellow, even to citizens, she assumed he was patrolling in the Woods, Knights often do that, but it didn't hurt to ask, "I was training with my blade in this clearing, deciding the cold air will be a good challenge to my endurance, what about you, Ser Markus? Are you patrolling?"

[Markus Andres]

Excellent reflexes! This woman certainly knew how to fight. Raised blade poised to defend herself. Markus did not mind the blade pointed in his direction, in fact, he would have been more worried had she not raised the blade. Those who raised their blade were wary of the stranger, those who didn't were confident that they could take the person with ease. Those were the ones Markus distrusted the most. He tried to hold up a hand to stop her from apologizing, had it been within the walls Markus might have taken action, but outside the walls things were different. At least according to Markus, some knights might not differentiate and the law was the law. Besides, he had not introduced himself as a knight. He noticed the odd glow through her leather glove, but he rationalized it away with it being the winter-light playing a trick on his mind. Markus got a much better look of her when she approached him. He liked her long blonde hair and it went well with her fair skin. But all that dwarfed in comparison to her wonderfully green eyes. Light green eyes that he absolutely adored. Green eyes had always been his favourite. Always attracted him the most and Tyveth would damn him if he said he didn't find Rachel attractive. Her introduction had him ponder her name, Messer, a name he was very familiar with and her subsequent revelation made it clear that she were the sister of Kreig Messer, it all left him a little perplexed. He was certain that Kreig had told him that he was an only child. But he had raised the possibility of there being more Messers out there. He found it strange, but he did not distrust the woman and she would have no reason to lie about herself. She stopped a couple of feet in front of Markus and he was pleased to see that she had calmed herself. "A pleasure to meet you, Rachel. Yes, I know Kreig Messer, actually, I count him among me closest friends in Syliras and he is a good squire, but I wasn't aware that he had a sister? But any family of Kreig are friends of mine, so if you ever need anything just come find me." He replied his warm smile a stark contrast to the cold weather. "I was actually just out here to get some fresh air and to clear my mind when I heard your training and came to investigate." Markus enjoyed her respectful tone of voice towards him, but mostly he enjoyed the sincerity when she called him ser. It was nice to talk to people who were thankful for the knights. "And I'm sorry, please don't let me interrupt your training. We need our instructors to be at the top of their game to show the next generation what is up and down on a blade. Would you mind if I stuck around? I was getting a bit bored of being alone out here."

[Rachel Messer]

For this particular cold day, Rachel didn't tie her shoulder-length blonde hair into its signature bun, her fair skin couldn't hide the blush marring her cheeks due to the cold, even with the winter clothing, she could feel Morwen's children brushing her face. The blushes might come from the cold... or from her initial fascination of the young knight, beauty was subjective, in this particular case, she found him to be attractive. Ser Markus's facial traits very much looked like the 'darker' version of her features, with darker blond hair, darker green eyes, and darker shade of skin.

Now confident this little encounter would go on friendly terms, Rachel relaxed further, knowing Markus was familiar with her brother, half-brother to be exact since they most probably have different mothers. To her delight, Kreig was a close friend of his, she could understand Markus being confused of her relation to him though, she and Kreig were both surprised as well, "Yes, it was quite a delightful surprise for us as well, Ser Markus, we both didn't know that we are siblings," she confirmed his questions. Knights were sworn protectors of Syliras and her citizens, but hearing a knight offered his favor personally made the instructor slightly stiffened, feeling unworthy, "You are very kind, Ser, thank you".

"Ah, I see," So it was only by coincidence they met each other and he was not on patrol, "Forgive me if my training interrupted your comfort, Ser," She might be seen as overly respectful to the Order, but without the Knights, Syliras wouldn't thrive and evil would run rampant just like in Sunberth, "I hope my performance was adequate, I don't want to embarass myself in front of a Knight, particularly a close friend of my brother".

She slightly raised her hand, shaking her head at his apology, "Not at all, Ser!" She truly felt appreciated when he complimented her profession, "I do agree, to defend ourselves from evil and injustice, each of us must be strong," She motioned a hand to her backpack, "My pleasure, Ser! You are more than welcome to linger here," she loved conversing with Markus, but she had a job to do, "If you excuse me, Ser, I shall continue my training".

Rachel then turned her back from Markus, walked back to the clearing's center then brandished her sword, the previous shadow opponent spawned in front of her, wielding two daggers. "Focus..." She whispered to herself, then she made the first strike, charging towards the opponent. Her foe was swift, more agile than the previous one, the dual-wielder swiftly rolled to her left side, aiming to swivel around her charge and stab at her back. Rachel wouldn't have any of it however, she swung her longsword horizontally from the left to right, but her strike was dodged as the opponent gracefully ducked low, making the sword missed its head, then it countered with a swift double stab from his daggers, aimed at Rachel's waist.

The instructor side-stepped her body to right, evading one dagger strike, while using her sword to quickly strike down, clashing it with the foe's other dagger, the one on its left hand. The smaller blade lost due to the difference in power and weight, it lost its grip and the shadow dagger fell to the ground, Rachel didn't let it pick it back up, she quickly made a horizontal swing from right to left. Her opponent opted to abandon the dagger, it still got one after all, and dodged Rachel's strike by rolling away. Now, they were separated by about five feet of distance, the instructor flared her nostrils, her vision completely focusing on the opponent. Then, it did something unexpected, the foe twirled its dagger then threw it at Rachel, the instructor tried to parry it, but she was too slow, deeming herself struck by the dagger instead, then the foe disappeared, banished by her own mind.

"Phew..." She wiped the sweat trickling down her forehead, took a couple of breaths then looked at Markus, "If only I was better, I'm interested to join the Order someday, Ser, but as of right now, my skills are yet worthy". She didn't want to be a burden to her patron knight, she wanted to rise quickly to knighthood so she could take on squires, training new generations in Syliras to be defenders of justice.

[Markus Andres]

"I see... That would explain why Kreig never told me about you. I am glad the two of you found each other. Family is important in this shattered world." Markus was sincere when he spoke those words. But he did not consider his biological family his true family. That honour belonged to the knights, a large and diverse family of many races and cultures united through a common purpose. "Thank you, it is very generous of you. Please, by all means, carry on." Markus responded to Rachel and the smile remained on his lips. He was still a little surprised to have run into Kreig's sister of all people. It was good Kreig had found his sister, for he knew Kreig and Fallon had been close friends and it was not only Markus who was recovering from her abandoning them both. The young knight observed the female instructor as she started her furious fight with her imaginary opponent. Markus could only guess what shadow she were fighting. For those strikes seemed too random for her to be training a specific series of strikes. The way she moved was more like she reacted to something. Some old enemy or a childhood rival perhaps? For Markus the shape of the shadow was always the same. A man roughly ten years his senior. A man Markus thinks of as his master even though they both shared the same rank now. Old habits died hard. Just like his habit of trusting strangers right away. But he believed the woman and felt that he could trust her. Perhaps it was the slight blush on her cheeks or the smile on her lips. The green eyes certainly played a role. He gently shook his head and watched her training. His leather gloves rubbing against day old stubbles on his chin, Markus contemplated her fighting style. The initial lunge suggested an aggressive style, but her agile body suggested differently. It was not all it suggested to the young knight, but those thoughts were banished from his mind by an iron will. This was the sister of his friend, such thoughts would not be entertained. Her footwork was acceptable, the strikes fluid and well coordinated. No haphazard strikes without a specific target. - Although he would know better if he was at the receiving end and he could actually see her target. The last motion, a parry of sorts seemed to defeat her. A large warm smile appears on his lips when she revealed she nurtured an interest in joining the knights. Although she had only given him a small preview, he felt that she would have no trouble facing most knights in a one on one combat. As for the other required skills, he could not know. The young knight found the instructor quite intriguing, although he could not fathom her reasoning. "Not worthy? You are too modest, Rachel. If my squire had shown the same talent and dedication for swordsplay that you just displayed, I would be proud. I would not give it a seconds thought if they or you asked me to be become your patron knight. - Although Kreig might have a problem with me hitting on his sister." Markus responded to Rachel, keeping the ambiguity unclarified. "But I am certain you will make a great knight should you decide to join our order. Ah, sorry, I get a bit eager when it comes to new potential squires." Markus cleared his throat and looked to the clearing. "I could help with your training, I have practised against my own shadow many times and a real opponent is often the best. Plus, I would like to get to know you better and an old friend of mine once told me that the best way to know someone, was to cross blades with them." Markus hated thinking of Imass as an old friend of the past. But it was time he accepted that the knight was gone and would never return.

[Rachel Messer]

If she was Kreig, she would not tell Markus about her siblings either, not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't know about them. Rachel appreciated the Knight's sincere words, she smiled at him, now could properly showing her gratitude after her particular training was done, "Thank you, Ser, I completely agree with you. Family is something some people take for granted..." Her heart ache every time she witnessed a husband and wife fighting, what would become of their children?

Markus was praising her for modesty, the instructor wasn't sure if she exaggerated the expectations required of her to become a proper squire or the Knight was just flattering her, the instructor took it as a bit of both. There might be people who had less experience than her and they already joined the Order, but Rachel was determined to prove herself outside the Order first before actually joining it, she wanted to be at her top when she adorned the armor. Markus' offer was very much appreciated, earlier in winter, Rachel had met the Brock sisters, two of them were squires and they offered to share their room with Rachel once she decided to join the Order, with Markus as her patron knight, Ryia and Dimia as her roommates, nothing could be better.

"I thank you for the compliment, Ser Markus, yes, when I decide to join the Order, I will specifically ask for you to be my patron knight," The blond woman chuckled when Markus jested about her brother, "Why would he?" Her question was genuine though, Kreig surely wouldn't mind her having a relationship of her own or did the man mean 'hitting' as in literally hitting during a spar? The instructor assumed it was the latter, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind, I'm a combat instructor, I'm used to being hit, I sparred with Kreig once, he sure didn't mind hitting me". She chuckled again. With Knights like Markus, it was no wonder the Order had so many members, "I like your eagerness, Ser, we can't have too many Knights, especially in this world".

Like a ray of light shining through the show, it fell directly on Markus as he offered to teach her, Rachel's green eyes figuratively lit up as she held her sword's grip then she bowed slightly, "Truly, Ser? Then I'm honored, please take care of me," She raised her head, offering him a determined smile, "I'm ready when you are, Ser". The instructor moved to the center of the clearing, brandishing her sword and moving into a ready stance, since Markus was wearing armor and an experienced fighter, Rachel wasn't too worried that she used a real longsword instead of a blunted one.

[Markus Andres]

Markus nodded firmly when she said she would ask specifically for him. Having both her and Ball as his squires would be like oil and water. At least their first impression had been worlds apart. Ball had attacked Markus out of anger, Rachel had been polite and respectful to his rank. That might also rub off on Ball should he be training them both. But that was off in the future. The young knight was glad that she had understood it as the latter, as in physically hitting someone, for Markus would rather not explain the intricate details of friends hitting on the others sister. Especially not a long lost sister. Then again, Markus had once had a family of blood relatives where his older brothers had taught him that aspect of family. Perhaps he was a bit archaic in his way of thinking. "So, you find out you got a brother and you immediately spar with him?" He asked a bit incredulous before adding: "I like your family." The young knight chuckled. He enjoyed fighting perhaps a bit too much for a peace keeping knight. But thus far it had only honed his skills to where he stood today. Rachel agreed to their spar and Markus reminded himself to hold back. Not let himself get taken by the thrill of the fight and injure Rachel like he had injured Fallon in fall. It had been too close a call. Markus unsheathed the blade guilty of that act and looked to Rachel. She looked determined. Ready for combat. Markus undid the strap that kept his shield in place and propped it up against a tree. The instructor might even teach Markus a thing or two. He was not yet too proud to accept it when people corrected errors in his style of combat. Pointing out mistakes. Markus held the one and a half handed sword in both hands. The ultimate versatility of the bastard sword. Looked at the attractive woman he was about to attack and once more reminded himself to be cautious. "So, who won? The squire or the instructor?" Markus asked as he moved forward. Giving her time to answer before he would attack. He did not want to distract her with talking, but he was a bit curious. He would also move into the clearing and stand ten feet away and roll with his shoulders. She had the advantage of having warmed up. When he had heard her reply, Markus would attack. He stepped forward. Wary of the snow and frozen ground did not disrupt his balance. He did not want an accident. The first attack was always simple when Markus sparred. Testing the reflexes and agility of the opponent. He raised the blade over his head and stepped just inside range with the left foot leading and slashed down diagonally aiming at her right shoulder. Between her delicate neck and muscular shoulder. Which incidentally was often the target for Markus' attacks. Severing the tendons and muscles. If they did not outright die from Markus' cutting into their torso, then their ability to fight was severely diminished.

[Rachel Messer]

The instructor chuckled slightly at Markus's rhetorical question, also giving him an appreciative smile when he complimented the 'Messer' family. Truly, this knight was cementing Rachel's ideals on how a true knight should act. He was firm, polite, honorable, and most importantly, compassionate. The blond-haired woman watched him as Markus prepared to spar with her, she didn't know the extent of Markus' skills, but she could safely assume, he would be far more skilled than her. For if it was not the case, then Rachel should already be in the Order for managing to defeat a knight in single combat. Rachel noted his weapon of choice, it was an odd blade for her, the hilt was shorter than a longsword yet... longer than a shortsword. Quirking an eyebrow, she asked, "Excuse me, Ser Markus, may I ask what kind of sword are you using?" As a combat instructor, she needed to absorb as much weaponry knowledge as possible.

"Well..." The instructor relaxed her stance for the moment, rubbing the back of her head with her left hand, Markus' question was a simple one, but what really transpired couldn't be explained in simple words, "You can say that I'm superior in terms of swordplay, while he utterly trounced me in fist-to-fist combat," in the end, she decided with that. Kreig's combat style was... odd for lack of words, it was wild, unpredictable, and brutal, truly representing the Messer's hometown, the anarchic city of Sunberth. Since Markus knew about Kreig, perhaps she could ask some questions about him later, for now, they were both aching for a good spar.

The time for pleasantries was over, Markus stepped forward as Rachel readied herself into a proper stance. The knight charged to her, his movements far more superior than her, that much was obvious, how his muscles and limbs flowed through the snow as if they were short grasses. Amazing... I'm excited! Markus' skill didn't intimidate her, it excited her instead, she was privileged to spar with a full-fledged knight, not many common citizens could claim the same feat. As Markus raised his blade over his head, Rachel gripped her longsword with both of her hands, holding it sideways slightly above her head to block his oncoming downwards strike. Their swords clashed with each other, Rachel could feel how her muscles strained just to steady herself, the difference in skill was too obvious, his strike was carefully calculated and powerful. Nevertheless, she had to give it her all.

After the clash, Rachel would swivel her body to the right, redirecting Markus' blow onto the ground, then whether it succeeded or not, Rachel would take advantage of his downtime to make a quick sidesweep slash from the right to left, aimed at his waist. She wasn't afraid of hurting him though they practiced with real weapons, Markus was a veteran combatant, he knew what he was doing. Stepping back to gain a short distance, the instructor would prepare for a diagonally upwards strike by positioning her sword's tip diagonally backwards beside her right hup, then she made a quick upwards slash which followed by a slower, but harder, downwards cleaving slash.

[Markus Andres]

OOCTimeline got a bit wonky, so I included Markus' initial attack midway in my post to make it flow better.

Rachel's question surprised Markus a little. Surprised she did not know what a bastard sword was by appearance. Perhaps the weapon wasn't common in Sunberth. Still, he felt that such a versatile weapon as the Bastard Sword needed to be known by as many people as possible. Starting with a sword instructor seemed like a great idea. "This is a bastard sword. Named so because of the hilt being the bastard child between a one handed and a two handed sword. You could also call it a one and a half hander. Great for both one handed and two handed style of combat." Markus quickly spoke. He could probably drone on for bells about his blade. This time he caught himself early and chuckled lightly. "And I better stop now, before I bore you with minor details about the sword. In essence it is simply a longsword, but with a shorter hilt." As Markus spoke he held the sword at the blade. Showing her the hilt that defined it as a bastard of blades. She spoke to him as he advanced for the attack. Answering his question. He knew Kreig was an expert when it came to hand to hand fighting. He had seen him in action and no doubt he would be able to beat Markus senseless in a fist fight. Back in the older days, that would have annoyed him endlessly, inspired him to train his hand to hand extensively until he could best Kreig. Now, not so much, he wasn't content with his skills, but he didn't feel the all-absorbing need to become better than every at everything. Did not mean he wasn't competitive. As Rachel would soon find out. The first attack was always simple when Markus sparred. Testing the reflexes and agility of the opponent. He raised the blade over his head and stepped just inside range with the left foot leading and slashed down diagonally aiming at her right shoulder. Between her delicate neck and muscular shoulder. Which incidentally was often the target for Markus' attacks. Severing the tendons and muscles. Her blade came up and blocked his descending strike. Markus was not surprised, he knew she could handle herself in a fight. Especially if she had defeated her brother. Though he suspected that he might have been able to power through her defence, for it looked as if she were at the edge of her strength. She swivelled and intended to send his sword to the ground and leave him dangerously exposed. It was a great idea, but Markus wouldn't play along. The knight slid his right leg back and pulled his blade away from the trap. Slipping free of her blade before his would touch the ground. Just in time before her counter attack came. A simple sideswipe that would have caught him had she succeeded in her little ploy. Markus swung the bastard into her blade. Steel meeting steel. Stopping her attack a couple of inches away from Markus' waist. His aggressive nature demanded he stepped forward and use his physically superior body to close the distance, shove her away and resume the attack. But he was here to have fun and test Rachel's abilities. To learn from her as she might learn from him. Markus stepped back and assumed a defensive stance, sword held before him, ready to counter any attack the instructor could throw at him. The first attack Markus read like an open book. He didn't block the attack, instead he stepped back out of range for her weapon. He stepped back in again just in time for her follow up attack. The knight was not surprised by the follow up attack, he had been prepared for it. His blade rose quickly to meet hers, but rather than force strength against strength, Markus' blade met hers at an angle. Redirected it from him. Stopping it from cleaving him in half and at the same time pushing it aside much like she had done to his attack. But Markus was not interested in following her blade to the ground. Just push it sufficiently past his own frame that he felt safe she could not snap it back into his side. But it came almost as second nature to Markus. Slash her blade aside and almost like a flick of the wrist, snap the blade back in at the opponent when the attack had been neutralized. His blade went for the soft part of her neck, a definite killing blow had it been actual combat. But against Rachel, he twisted the blade so it was the flat coming for her delicate neck and he would stop before actually hitting her. Rachel was good with the blade, quick to act and react and had a good head on her shoulders. She would make a fine addition to the knights when/if she decided to join them.