The seven Duchies of Central Rynmere and their respective baronies, cities, towns, villages, and landmarks each overseen by a Duke of one of the seven noble families and ultimately controlled by the King of Rynmere.
Xander sat on the stairs in the lobby of the Northern Krome House awaiting the arrival of the sword tutor he had requested. All he knew about the man was that his name was Doran and he was greatly skilled with the long sword. Some may have even called him a master, by any account he was better than Xander and to him that was all that mattered. Both a weighted practise sword and his longsword were rested against the stairs beside him, he did not know which his new tutor would prefer he used and so he had both at the ready. His previous tutor had taught him with both, getting him to practise moves with the real sword and spar with the practise one.
Yet, Xander knew that every teacher had their own method and no two were the same. All he could do was wait to be taught by the man and not make assumptions. He had heard only good things about his teaching style and his abilities so he trusted that this, Doran fellow, would be fit to teach him. Besides any teacher was better than no teacher and he needed to learn if he ever wanted to achieve his goals. Revolution was no easy task and without the skills to fight off those who would seek to stop you, you would be an awfully useless leader of a revolution. And having seen his weakness in the field of sword play when sparring with Alistair earlier that season he knew he needed to get better, a lot better. The skill he had now was as basic as it could get, he knew next to nothing about movement and balance all he knew was to swing the blade and try to keep a good grip so you didn't lose it.
His train of thought was lost when the knock came at the door, it appeared he would no longer need to speculate on what Doran was like or would teach him, he would very soon find out. He moved to the door leaving his two swords at the stairs for the time being, he had no need for them this exact moment. He placed his hand on the big heavy wooden door and twisted the handle pulling it inwards. The cold rushed into the warm house as he looked upon the man before him. A handsome chap, dark hair and tanned skin and eyes that were a deep and interesting blue. He nodded to the man politely and beckoned for him to enter. "Please, come in out of the cold. I am Lord Xander Krome, you may call me Lord Xander, Xander, Lord Krome, whichever you are most comfortable with." He finished the sentence with a smile as he closed the door behind the tutor in an attempt to keep in the warmth.
The Mortalborn had only returned to Andaris earlier that season after a lengthy journey that had taken him from the frozen wasteland of Oscillus all the way to Augiery where he had lived among Audrae’s daughters. He had not known what would await him in his old home. He had half expected to find an angry mob with torches and pitchforks on his doorstep and had been somewhat surprised when he had realized that the people of Rynmere seemed to be largely unaware of what happened in Treidhart as a consequence.
The situation definitely had potential though. Since his role in the war was not well known yet, he would be able to take some time to recuperate and plan his next steps much more carefully. He had decided to temporarily return to his old teaching post at the university so that he would be able to take advantage of their resources as well as tie up a few loose ends. There were certain topics that he needed to research and certain alchemical reagents that he needed to acquire before he moved on to his next destination.
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He was surprised when he found an envelope on his desk one Cylus morning since he had not had any contact with House Krome in recent times. He briefly considered the possibility that it might be a trap, that it might contain poison, but after a thorough examination he came to the conclusion that it was, most likely, harmless, and thus he opened it.
He furrowed his brow as he read the letter he found within. A certain Xander Krome was looking for somebody to teach him how to fight with a sword. That the young lord had decided to contact him rather than requesting a tutor from the Iron Hand puzzled him, although his skill with the blade did of course surpass that of most common soldiers.
He decided to accept the job. He found himself interested in the man and what motivated him. Besides, it would be a prime opportunity for him to find out what the nobility of Rynmere thought about certain matters. It had been a while since he had had close contact with one of the seven families.
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The house that his student apparently lived in was small, smaller than most noble houses, perhaps due to the fact that Xander Krome only belonged to a secondary branch of the family, he thought. He took a few moments to observe his surroundings, a habit that he had developed after Treidhart, before he swiftly approached the door and knocked.
The man that answered the door, Xander Krome, he assumed, was tall and handsome, in a somewhat conventional manner, and he seemed to be in decent physical shape from what Doran could see. He was relieved about that. He had half feared that he would be confronted with a soft boy that barely had enough strength in his arms to lift his blade, let alone fight with it effectively.
As Xander beckoned for him to enter, he inclined his head in a sign of gratitude before he stepped across the threshold, unbuttoning the fine, woolen coat as he did so. The ever-present darkness affected him little – it was his domain after all – but the cold bothered him as much as anybody, in spite of who his father was.
“Lord Krome”, he spoke. He didn’t return the younger man’s smile, but the expression on his face as well as the tone of his voice were polite. He didn’t believe nobles to be above the rest of the citizens, but neither would he treat them with contempt like that “Rynmere Citizens Alliance”, wastrels and lowlifes that he wanted to have nothing to do with.
“You asked me to teach you to fight”, he continued and looked around for a moment before his gaze settled on the lord’s face once more. Xander would notice that the man in front of him held himself completely straight and was utterly calm. He would likely also notice that Doran had brought his own sword. It was old, but well taken care of. Once it had hung on the wall behind his desk, little more than decoration and a reminder of trials long past, but no more.
“There are two questions I would like to ask you before we begin. First of all, what made you choose me as your tutor? I’m not the only sword master in Rynmere as far as I know. And secondly, could I take a look at your weapon?” A man’s blade and how well he took care of it could tell you a lot about him in his opinion.
The man he allowed into his home held himself proudly. He had perfect posture, he held everything straight and that included his face. The smile he had offered to Doran had not been reciprocated but Xander did not mind he was a teacher not a friend. He noticed that although Doran held himself straight and even so looked completely comfortable and calm. The sword at Doran's waist was the next thing he noticed, it made sense for him to carry it. Having come all the way from Andaris he would need it for the purpose of self defence, the roads weren't as safe as the young Lord would have hoped them to be. He himself had been in a run in with some Bandits when he travelled to the ball. The other reason was he was here to teach him how to use a sword, it only made sense to have one with you.
His run in with the bandits on his travels had also helped him to realise his need for further tutelage. Having found himself face to face with weathered criminals who had much more experience in killing than him. He discovered he lacked not the nerve to kill, but the ability to do so skillfully. He in fact had actually killed one of the bandits, he knew he did not fear taking another life. So he needed to learn how to do so without coming close to death.
"I asked for you as I know of no other Master Swords men who also work at a university." He gestured to Doran as he spoke, the man certainly seemed like the teaching type. " So was it a strange assumption that a teacher would be better at showing me how to use a blade than a simple soldier? Surely it is more effective opt be taught by those trained in the art of teaching?" He shrugged as he considered his thinking, maybe it was not as logical as he had believed. To him it had made perfect sense, he did not want to learn from a soldier but instead somebody who knew how to pass on knowledge with skill.
He moved and collected his sword for the teacher to view. He had taken the time to clean it and polish it following the incident on the road to Andaris. Due to the blades lack of combat use it would appear to be basically new, even though Xander had been in possession of the blade for around 6 arcs. The blade had only been used to kill one person and that was the only fight it had ever been used for.
He handed the blade over to Doran and watched him curiously. He was wondering what the man would do with the blade he had been handed. It was a simple style long sword, the blades still razor sharp and free of chips or scratches. By all accounts it was a well kept and good sword, it had an equal weighting between blade and hilt and was comfortable to hold in both one or two hands. He waited patiently for Doran to finish his examination and then for the two to continue on to the lesson.
“That is correct“, the Mortalborn replied and inclined his head as Xander told him that he knew of no other master swordsmen who also worked at a university. As far as he knew, he was the only one. “Your reasoning is however flawed”, he proceeded to inform the young lord. The tone of his voice was a hint cooler now, but still far from impolite. He didn’t want to argue with Xander, he wanted him to pay attention and learn. “The teaching methods that are used in the classroom do not always translate to the battlefield, and most teachers, apart from me, have never been in a real fight. Those of my colleagues that have some sort of combat training usually only fight for sport.”
For a moment Xander could see the hint of a sneer on the Mortalborn’s face – his opinion of such people was comparatively low - but it was gone as soon as it had appeared, and his usual cool demeanor took over again. “To truly learn to fight you need to learn from somebody who has stood on a battlefield before. I used to be a warrior before I decided to dedicate my time to the study of chemistry and alchemy. I’m probably one of the few who are truly familiar with both the academic field and the battlefield and know how to teach one skill as well as the other.”
From the mouth of another man those words would have sounded arrogant, but the Mortalborn spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. He was not being arrogant, he was not trying to make himself appear better than he really was, he was merely speaking from experience and stating facts.
“But if you have done your research well, you probably already know that”, he added. He wondered if it was indeed the case, if Xander had truly gathered information on him or just done a bit of hasty, superficial research before he had come to the conclusion that somebody who was good at teaching academic subjects would probably also be good at teaching swordsmanship.
He fell silent as Xander handed his sword to him and inspected it. It was a simple weapon, but well-made and without any pointless decorations such as gems or gold and silver or engravings which was something that he approved of. Neither of those things were of any use during a fight. He carefully let a finger run across the blade and found it sharp. It was polished and clean – almost too clean which made it obvious that it had not been used very often yet.
“You have very little real combat experience so far”, he concluded as he handed the sword back to Xander. “But the fact that you possess such a sword tells me that you know some things. Tell me, Lord Krome, why do you wish to learn to fight?” he asked. Was it because it was expected of a man of his station or did he have some sort of greater ambition? Was Lord Xander Krome aware of what was going on in Idalos now, that they’d soon have worse things to deal with than those fools and their hatred for nobles?
He studied the young lord for a moment before he continued, “And what have you learned so far?” Having said that, he paused for a moment before he raised a gloved hand, a sign that he didn’t want to hear anything from Xander and amended, “No, don’t tell me. Show me. Attack me. I would like to see how you move and where you need to improve.” With that he drew his sword in one fluid motion and waited for Xander to approach him.
Of course the man was right. Xander's logic was flawed, although the skills of teaching learned in a university were important as they meant a man knew how to impart knowledge. They did not mean that they could express to you how it would be when you came face to face with death. Xander did not, however, sulk. He kept his head up high as he took in the mans words carefully.
To truly learn to fight you need to learn from somebody who has stood on a battlefield before, the more he considered this the more it made sense. Theory and practice were often very different, not many things you learned were exactly as they would be in a battle. You may be taught how to lunge perfectly in optimal conditions, but in a fight you need to be able to adjust, to know how to use your mind as swell as physicality. Someone who had never seen war would not be able to help you with that.
"I am slightly ashamed to say that my research was minimal. I know only what I was told, that you were a teacher at the university and a master with your sword." he was a little frustrated with himself for not taking the time to learn more about this Doran chap before his arrival. "Yet one can only learn from such mistakes. In the future it is certain that I will remember to do more research on those I meet before the time comes." He was certainly impressed by Doran's intelligence. Although, he had shown him up, it was clear this man thought in a logical way and Xander if it had been a different situation could have learned much more than just sword play from the man.
The man could tell a lot from his sword by the looks of things. However, it was clear the sword had seen little use, few scratches and a sharp and clean blade he decided that many a person could have told that. "You are right, the blade and myself have seen little real combat." He accepted the blade back once Doran was finished with it and fixed it to his belt ready for use. Doran asked a lot of interesting questions, he was clearly extremely insightful.
"There are many reasons I wish to learn how to use my blade better. One, Rynmere is not as safe as it once was and a man should know how to protect himself from those who would wish him harm. Two, it is a useful skill to have as a Lord, not only is it expected of me to learn, but if I can best an opponent in a fight then I can show that I am not just a push over. Third and finally, I am a man who wants to learn, I want to improve myself and learn things the world can offer me. Anything of benefit to me that I can learn, I will learn." They were all good reasons for him, really it didn't matter if Doran agreed with his reasons or not. He of course had left out the fact that he might one day need the skills to fight for Krome's independence. That he would keep to himself.
Xander was a little surprised when the man asked him to, instead of tell, show his skills and what he had been taught in the past. So he drew his sword from his waist, slower than Doran as he was less practised with the motion. He readied his feet, putting them around shoulder width apart in his basic stance like taught. Turning at an angle to Doran so his sword arm was forward and he wasn't stood straight on. He swung the blade without hesitation, directing its sharp edge towards Dorans hip. He was using only one hand right now, but he was gripping the hilt of the sword tightly and so it would not easily slip.
As the blade sailed through the air he made sure not to get distracted, keeping his eyes and mind on Doran. He did not want to be distracted from his goal. He made sure to watch for a counter in case he would have to quickly abort his assault and go to make a block or move back swiftly. He did not expect to hit his target first time, that would be too easy. Instead, if he missed, which he was sure he would, he would attempt to quickly rotate his blade and swing for either above or below Doran's sword following the parry. He would do this while attempting to move slightly off center to force Doran to follow his movement and adapt his stance and position. He truly wished he was more hopeful for success though, if he had more belief in himself maybe he would have fought better.
The Mortalborn inclined his head as Xander stated that Rynmere was not as safe as it had once been and that a man should know how to protect himself from those who wished him harm. So the man was aware of what was happening in the kingdom, to some extent at least. His second reason for wishing to learn how to fight was likewise quite reasonable, but as he claimed that he was willing to learn anything that he could, the Mortalborn raised an eyebrow and looked at him intently for a moment before he asked,
“Is that so, Lord Krome? Would you really be willing to learn anything that is of benefit to you? What about magic for example? There are many in this world that disapprove of it. Would you ally yourself with certain Immortals if it gave you an edge over your enemies? There are many that claim that they’d do anything, but when it comes down to it, they suddenly realize that there are limits to what they are willing to do and things that they’d rather know nothing about.”
The tone of his voice was sharp towards the end, a rare occurrence for a man like him that was, in most cases, utterly disciplined and perhaps a result of Syroa’s growing influence, although Xander did remind him of himself. He too wanted to get better and learn as much as he could, and he was willing to do whatever it took to reach his goals.
When he had been younger, he had been told that the world was peaceful and that people were, for the most part, good, but he had realized that they weren’t and that the only way to survive was to be stronger and better than the rest and try to rise above them. That was why he had allied himself with Syroa and turned against his own father.
Xander decided to attack though, and the Mortalborn concentrated on that. He could already see several flaws in the young lord’s technique within the first couple of trills. If he had wanted to, he could have defeated him within the blink of an eye, but he settled into his stance instead and readied his own blade. He noticed that Xander was aiming for his hip, and he instantly made a half step back to move his leg from harm. Moving a full step back would have made it harder for him to reach his opponent. At the same time that he moved backwards he raised his sword and aimed for the lord’s head.
“If this were a real fight”, he pointed out and looked directly at Xander. The noble’s fighting style greatly reminded him of Sintih’s. The false Eidisi had had a tendency to expose a certain part of his body as well and tried to do too many things at once. Their first lesson had begun almost exactly like that – and ended with Sintih unconscious on the ground because he had decided to use magic when he had already been exhausted from the fight. “You would very likely be dead now. You cannot aim for your opponent’s legs without exposing your head. Your stance was not exactly perfect either. Watch how I’m doing it.”
He started with his feet roughly shoulder-width apart, just like Xander and then took a step forward with one foot while he pivoted the back foot so that it pointed out at about a fourty-five degree angle. His knees were bent slightly, and he stood upright and with his body relaxed.
“This”, he informed Xander. “Will give you greater balance as well as enable you to move more easily and fluidly. You are also using your longsword as a one-handed weapon. There are reasons why you might want to use a longsword that is normally held with two hands with one hand – when you are riding a horse for example or when you want to be able to grip something with your other hand – but you are currently doing neither.”
He paused for a moment to give Xander the opportunity to think about what he had just told him – without a doubt the noble would not like some of it - before he continued. “Longswords such as the ones that we have are heavier and have a longer blade as well as a longer grip than one-handed swords which makes them somewhat inconvenient to use like that.” He had been holding his blade with both hands before, with his dominant hand near the guard and the other hand near the pommel, but as he spoke he switched to his right hand for a moment to show Xander what he meant.
“I also like to place the thumb of my right hand against the blade as it provides greater control. There are certain cuts that even require it”, he proceeded to inform Xander before he gripped his sword with both hands again. “I was aiming for your head before”, he reminded him, although it was unlikely that Xander had forgotten. “Show me how you would defend yourself against such an attack and what kind of counter-attack you would make - and keep in mind what I just told you.”
Doran was full of good questions and Xander was actually thankful for them. Although they showed off his sometimes foolish or rushed actions, they acted to help him from making the same mistakes in the future. The question at hand, however, seemed rather easy for him to answer, he truly meant he would do anything to achieve his goals. As for the things Doran questioned him about he could see no reasons why he wouldn't do those in particular. He was a man of strong will and that could drive him to go further than others.
"Yes it is, I believe I would truly do anything for my goals to be achieved." He answered after the small pause. "If that meant allying with an immortal or learning the forbidden arts then I am sure I would try. I am willing to do the hard things, that which is required of me. I may be seen as foolish or self righteous for my goals and the things I would sacrifice to achieve them. Yet, no great things were accomplished without hardship, risk and sacrifice. Those who were willing to take all those chances are the ones deserving of greatness, or so I believe." He of course knew he would go as far, he already had allied with the Mage-Lord Alistair.
Xander was of course disappointed when his attack had failed to even come close. However, he had paid close attention to hope Doran had avoided his attack, no parry just a simple step back. He observed how it could be a much quicker and less energy consuming method of avoiding attacks. As he used his muscles to pull his blade to a stop, flexing and pulling his biceps and triceps to bring it to a halt. He sheepishly observed his tutors sword raised above his head in a position that would clearly cleave a large gash in his head.
Xander listened closely as Doran began to point out all the obvious flaws in his technique. As they were explained to him Xander corrected them. After listening to the explanation that by aiming for a man's leg you would expose your head, making a mental note, he would begin the more physical corrections. First came his stance, which Xander tried carefully to replicate with his own body. It was clearly a more advanced stance than his basic one. Here he saw the same width spread, however, the angles were different and the legs were bent slightly. He noted the idea of providing greater balance
He considered what he may wish to grip while fighting, a shield, another weapon maybe a person, of course a mount was also another idea as stated by Doran. However, as he also said at this point in time there was no need to use one hand. So, Xander moved his second non dominant left hand to join his right hand in gripping the hilt of his sword. It felt odd for a few moments but he could quickly feel the advantages offered by the extra hand. He had a stronger grip as well as the sword feeling less heavy, he could also feel the increased manoeuvrability it offered.
He remained quiet as he followed Doran's instructions and orders. He observed where he was being attacked from, a downwards slash towards his head. His first thought was to raise his sword and block the attack, but he was hit with two realisations. If he did so it is possible his strength may fail and the blade come crashing through the parry and his him anyway and also it stopped him from gaining any easy counter attacks.
Instead Xander adopted a similar tactic to the one he had just seen Doran utilise. So he stepped to the right to avoid the blade as it came down and considering what he had just been told, decided that as the momentum of the attack took Doran's sword down it would expose his upper body. So he would attack there for his counter, making sure to be precise with his attack. He was careful not to swing too hard, he did not wish to kill his teacher and would therefre need to stop the blade before it hit him. He raised it up higher and swung the blade towards Doran's neck, opting for a cross swing rather than a downward cleave.
“Self-righteous?“ the Mortalborn asked and shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe. But a certain amount of self-righteousness is necessary to make it in this world in my opinion. You need to believe that you are better. As for your statement that you may be seen as foolish - only in the beginning. If you succeed, people will quickly stop calling you such. I too believe that those that are willing to take a risk are the ones that are deserving of greatness. They are the ones that move the world forward.”
“You spoke of goals though, Lord Krome”, he continued and raised a hand, a sign that he didn’t want him to answer – yet. “You do not have to tell me what they are – it isn’t any of my business as I’m just here to teach you how to fight – but I assume that you have thought things through?” In the nearly four centuries that he had walked the world of Idalos he had encountered a lot of ambitious men and women, and most of them had eventually failed because they hadn’t planned things carefully enough or lacked a back-up plan. Very few had been successful in the long run. He wondered what kind of man Xander Krome would become and how the people of Idalos would remember him.
He had drawn certain parallels to his former student, Sintih, before, but he came to the conclusion that the nobleman wasn’t like the Yludih after all. He seemed more thoughtful and less prone to emotional outbursts, and he accepted his critique without feeling the need to make some sort of derogatory comment like Sintih had done in the beginning, before he had become a little more mature. Almost against his will he found himself somewhat impressed, although it remained of course to be seen what would happen in the long run.
He nodded at Xander as he adjusted his stance, a sign that he approved. It looked much better now, almost perfect in fact although he would never say that out loud. He firmly believed that it was better to use compliments sparingly lest his students became too full of themselves. He’d expected the noble to try and parry his attack, and was thus somewhat surprised as he simply stepped to the side instead. Apparently, he realized, Xander had paid attention to what he had been doing and decided to imitate him. He wasn’t sure why that surprised him.
As the noble proceeded to swing his sword towards his neck, the Mortalborn quickly stepped to the side and then forward before he moved his sword somewhat diagonally to intercept Xander’s blade. He didn’t stop there though, but aimed for his opponent’s upper body at the same time that he parried. “This move”, he explained and signaled for Xander to briefly stop the fight. “Is the Strike of Wrath – or rather a somewhat modified version thereof. It is usually used to defend the torso. Make sure to use the strong of your blade when you do this. The weak of your blade will be pushed away too easily.”
He paused for a moment before he continued, “There is a reason why I asked you to both defend yourself and make a counter attack at the same time. Your opponent will not give up simply because you managed to deflect their attack. They will attack again and again until you are exhausted and unable to react on time at which point they will simply kill you. Thus every defense should also be an attack.”
“There are three main attacks. The first one is the strike which is a hard cut with percussive momentum. The second attack is the thrust which is done by extending the tip of one’s sword in a straight line towards one’s opponent. The third attack is the slice that is in essence something less than a full cut.” As he spoke, he demonstrated each attack to Xander, slowly so that he could see exactly how it was done and would be able to imitate him. “There’s more to it – every single move and every way to hold your sword has a specific name – but you don’t need to concern yourself with those too much right now.”
“Some of my colleagues might disagree and insist that names are important – to them fighting is a form of art or maybe some sort of game - but those that you’ll face on the battlefield won’t care if you are familiar with the terms ‘Fool’s Guard’ or ‘Ox Guard’. All that matters out there is that you know how to handle your weapon.”
“Sometimes”, he informed Xander and moved his sword slightly so that the tip was pointing straight towards the noble, towards where his heart was. “Your opponent will do something like this to try and keep you at bay or provoke a reaction from you. If you move forward, it is likely that you will simply run right into the thrust and impale yourself on their sword. What would you do in such a situation?”
He nodded at Xander, a sign that their fight would continue.
For a man who appeared to Xander as being in his late twenties, Doran seemed wise well beyond that age. The way he spoke made it clear that he was at least intelligent, a man of the mind as well as the sword. In some ways he was how Xander aspired to be, he had a composure that made him seem always comfortable and calm, like nothing phased him. He wanted a composure like that, the ability to be in control of your emotions and to remain civil and outwardly stable. He would value that skill a lot, as a noble with his aspirations the skill would be invaluable.
"I have thought about my aims much, Doran. For years it is not something I came up with over night, but something compiled and created over many long trials. So yes, I have thought it through." He would say no more of his plans, it was not the business of Doran and nor would it benefit Xander to tell him them. So he turned his attention to the lesson at hand, that was something that benefited him.
Xander was not surprised when his attack was blocked. He was, however, surprised to find a sword pointed towards his abdomen even though the swords had just been bashed together. The speed in which Doran administered this so called 'Strike of Wrath' was impressive and if Xander hadn't been paying close attention he may even have missed it, but as was he had watched the move with great detail, seeing how the strong of the blade deflected his own sword while the tip of the sword was aimed towards his chest. It was certainly a valuable move to remember, especially if he wished to be quick on counters.
Doran now informed him why counter attacks and also defensive moves that also threatened your opponent were important. Each word made sense to Xander, it was to conserve strength and to take every chance presented to hurt your opponent. He understood that being hammered upon by a constant barrage of sword strokes would tire a man out. 'Every defense should be an attack', he made not of this in his mind. He did not wish to forget these helpful tips, so he made especially sure to remember them well. Xander acknowledged this simply with a nod, it was not necessary to talk and it would only slow things down. Xander needed to use his time effectively, his parents, he was sure, would have only paid the man for so much of his precious time.
As Doran presented him with the three simple sword strokes he took the time to mimic them carefully, copying the movement, not only of the blade or the mans arms but his legs and abdomen too. It was clear that the whole body needed to work as one unit from watching the other man fight, each part could not be doing something independently an attack would fail if it was not acting in coordination. First was the strike, a hard slash which moved slow but had a heavy force behind it that would clearly knock a man back as well as slice through his flesh. Next was a thrust, Xander copied the motion of pushing the point of his sword forward in a straight line. Finally, came a much quicker slice, somewhat like the strike except much faster in movement and yet was intended only to slash through the flesh not to hit their body with percussive force.
Xander looked briefly to Doran. "Like that?" He asked, the first time he had spoken in a while now. He was ready and willing to adjust his moves to be more correct if Doran thought them to be too simple or just overall incorrect. His muscles burned a little as he lugged the sword around repeating the moves a few times, he could feel not only his arms but all his muscles burn. Worst was his stomach, he was sure that he needed to find a way to work them more, to train their strength. It was clear that eating a balanced and controlled diet did not make him fit it only kept him from gaining fat.
Xander examined the situation Doran presented him with, a sword pointed towards him at an angle that stopped him advancing too far forward. At this point, like Doran said, attacking would be foolish. However, searching for a gap would be a more valuable move. Instead of being drawn in to attack too quickly, try to manoeuvre yourself into a position where you can breach their defence. So he began to circle, stepping carefully with one leg crossing in front or behind the other as he moved around to the right of the man searching for a way to be more to his back side. Xander's thinking was that if he could move to Doran's right and around his back he could make using the sword difficult and breach his defences.
Circling slowly first for a few trills before he would suddenly change his pace. He would try to take two large steps, almost skips, to gain round his flank and then lung at the man's back. Thrusting the sword towards his kidneys if he could get around far enough and breach the more skilled swords mans defences.
Xander Krome, the Mortalborn thought, was a pleasure to teach. He didn’t speak – which would inevitably have slowed things down – but merely acknowledged his instructions with a nod. He didn’t question him, he didn’t make any derogatory comments, and he didn’t make empty threats. At one point during their lesson, he recalled, Sintih had attacked him and told him to die – and he had of course failed spectacularly.
He watched the human closely as he mimicked the attacks he had shown him and finally nodded. “Exactly like that”, he told him. Of course Xander was a lot slower than he was – all those moves had already become second nature to him, and he didn’t even have to think about them anymore – but he couldn’t see any obvious flaws in his technique.
What would he do if he couldn’t move forward though and if none of the things he had learned so far worked?
As Xander moved to his right and began to circle him, the Mortalborn began to move as well so that they were always facing each other, no matter what Xander did, and then, as Xander lunged at him, he simply parried, and the human found Doran’s blade pointing straight at him yet again.
“Against a less experienced swordsman such an attack might work”, he informed him. The tone of his voice was cold as ice for a moment. It might work against somebody less experienced, but it wouldn’t work against him. He was aware that he needed to watch his back at all times, especially after what he had done in Treidhart. The Immortal of Hope had been facing away from him when he had attacked. “You might even kill your opponent with it. If you hit their kidneys, they will die unless help immediately arrives.”
That was why he had aimed for Xiur’s kidneys. Due to his previous work as a doctor he knew exactly which parts of the body were the most vulnerable ones and where he had to strike in order for his opponent to die quickly. Xiur’s allies had arrived too soon for him to succumb to his injury though, although he had been greatly weakened by the attack.
“If you find yourself facing a man like me though, you need to do more than just circle him and attempt to stab him”, he continued. “Move your weapon exactly like I did before.” If Xander complied, he would then proceed to make a move towards the weak of the human’s sword with the long edge of his blade, as if he were attempting to hit it that way. At the moment of contact he abruptly rotated his sword clockwise to the short edge though and struck downwards. The first move had been a feint.
“This”, he spoke as he withdrew his blade again. “Is called the Squinting Cut. It is one of the moves that require a thumb grip, and it targets the head or the shoulder. If executed properly, it can also disarm your opponent.” He paused for a moment before he looked at Xander and asked, “Do you have any questions, Lord Krome?”
