[Training] I still don't want to be here

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" Sah did his best to mimic the adjustments that Deimos' recommended. He rolled his shoulders and let them fall into the proper angle. From there he stepped to the side as he was instructed. From there he let out breath, narrowing his focus. Ready, he slashed at the training dummy once more. This time with a bit more force. He grinned as the cut he left behind proved deeper and more accurate then the first. He gave a few more practice strikes to get used to the feeling, paying mind to his form and precision. Stepping back, slightly out of breath he glanced back at Deimos. "How was that? Better?" sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame More examinations, more scrutiny, studious gaze following, tracking, and devising how Sah reacted to the recommendations. Each interval was improved from the first, and eventually the Sword nodded, ceasing the movements and moments. “Yes.” The dummy had endured enough for the extended instances, and they could maneuver to another tactic. “You also need to learn how to block.” A common defensive procedure, and he shifted the effigy and target aside, so they had proper room and space to enact the promised action. “You want to put the blade between yourself and your opponent’s.” He raised his own armament, pretending to hold and assail it in different directions, as if catching the imagined steel. “You can always support your sword with both hands,” and he demonstrated, holding it in maximum, supportive measures, before lowering it once more. “Choose what you are most comfortable with for now.” Things could always be altered and improved upon again; he wanted Sah to experience the notions and motions before becoming too picky in technique. “Decide how you will defend yourself.” Then Deimos slowly, giving and granting ample time, drew his blade towards Sah’s chest, offering opportunities for the Abandoned to cease and desist the weapon’s impact. master of nothing place; of recoil and grace

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" Sah caught his breath as Deimos explained the basics of blocking. He mirrored the General's motions, blocking invisible attacks as he tested out the movement. He tested using a single hand or both and found that using only his left hand felt the most natural. After a few more test adjustments he turned to Deimos. As Deimos' sword approached him, Sah turned his blade and caught it with the side of his, halting it's movement. At first, the sword still moved closer and Sah had to apply more force to fully stop it. "It takes more force to stop a blade then I expected. Can we give that another try?" He asked, adjusting his grip on the hilt of his borrowed sword. sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame Deimos had trained many – it had come with the weight of experience, survival, and wanting to ensure others maintained, remained, upon this earth as well. But it was always refreshing to hear another willing to learn without the grimacing, the whining, the scowling, or the frustration. He’d orchestrated lessons with those who’d done the latter with eyeroll inducing actions, to the point where he wondered why they were there, and he’d demonstrated, modeled for the masses where they truly craved and wanted to understand. Sah seemed to be amongst and amidst those; initially irritated by his placement in this world, but had already cultivated a level of patience and endurance in this particular task. So the General had no issue with Sah’s craving for another attempt – drawing back, adjusting his own stance again, permitting the Abandoned a moment’s reprieve, and ensuing a nod to accept the request. Thereafter, when the other man seemed ready, the beast moved forward again, raising his blade around shoulder height, for Sah to catch, snag, and contort with his own measures and abilities. master of nothing place; of recoil and grace

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" Stepping back, Sah tried to relax his tense muscles. Like any fight, he needed to stay loose and mobile. His eyes narrowed in concentration. When Deimos brought his sword down again, Sah was ready. Still gripping the sword with only his left hand, he turned his wrist slightly and caught the strike with the side of his own blade in a decent block. Remembering last time, Sah put more force behind his block to prevent Deimos' blade  from getting closer to him. And unlike the last attempt, he was successful in stopping the blade from touching him. Sah couldn't help but grin. He knew full well Deimos wasn't using anywhere near his full strength. At least he doubted it, but it was still satisfying to succeed. "That felt better. Is it best to catch a strike with the edge or side of your sword?"Using the side had felt more natural to him but he wondered which form was more efficient. Using the edge seemed like the more efficient way to strike back but the side usage gave him an advantage with blocking. sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame Far more successful ventures were to be had, given time, practice, and experiences, but the Sword nodded in his expanse as Sah caught the line of his slow-moving blade. Withdrawing it for a moment, the beast considered the inquiry, and where they could maneuver and move towards. “It depends on what you want to do next.” Angles and lines accounted for more technical pieces, and would eventually skim back into muscle memory, so they wouldn’t even require a thought. But, for now, with the newness, the large amount of the unknown, they’d have to be carefully whittled, drawn out, and processed. “Different situations call for different moves.” He paused, musing, speculating for an instant, before perusing into further instruction. “Lift your blade.” Waiting for the command to be followed, the General then ascended his own, utilizing the side as if to block. “You could use the side to continue defending.” Amplifying the catching, the snagging, until there was an opportunity to evade. “Or the edge if you want to retaliate.” To escalate the situation, to give back – and here he skimmed his sword slowly (so the Abandoned could watch) beneath Sah’s, as if to strike at his chest, or shoulder. The motion would cease before reaching any flesh or bone, and then he raised his once more, for Sah to devise and ponder, try himself. “Decide what you would prefer.” master of nothing place; of recoil and grace

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" Sah nodded, his mind already trying to consolidate the information. "I see." When prompted, he lifted his blade and watched intently as Deimos explained his options upon blocking. Even when Deimos purposefully went slow, Sah still felt his body instinctually tense slightly as the blade came closer to his chest. It Shaking off the urge to step back, Sah listened as Deimos continued his instructions. Letting out a quiet breath when the General's sword was no longer against him, Sah's brows furrowed in thought. He had previously blocked defensively with the side of the blade. In the endeavor of learning, he decided to block offensively, now matter how predictable that move would be. This was training, Sah didn't need to be strategic in that regard right now. As Deimos' blade came down, Sah caught it with the edge of his. He stepped slightly to e side as he did so, to both put himself out of range of retaliation as well as to better let his blade to travel up the General's. Sah stopped his blade just  before Deimos shoulder before Sah stepped back and let his sword fall back to his side. "Was that alright? It felt somewhat natural but I'm not sure about my form." sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame The monolith stood, unflinching, as the wooden blade came towards him. Instead of tensing, or smothering down the temptation to annihilate, the General watched, scrutinized, as Sah attempted methods, motions, and measures. Clever, to sidestep away, to prevent a potential retaliation; a quick, efficient learner, and with being able to finagle concepts swiftly, he’d find himself capable and ready for other techniques and motions. Depending on interest, of course. “Yes.” A nod, swift and keen, as he tilted his head again. “Because you were not relying on strength, it was sufficient. You needed to be light-footed to maneuver and evade. When to use might will come with time as well.” He then sheathed his sword, drawing it back along his belt, eyes glinting back to the dummy, pondering if there would be any other ventures for this occasion. Already Sah had been granted and given measures towards the basics: blocking, evading, and a simple attack. They could be refined, instilled, and added onto later; Deimos saw no need in overwhelming a newcomer. “I think that will be all for today. You did well for your first attempts. Let me know if you are interested in joining the guards.” Because they’d always need more – for whatever lay on the horizon. “Do you have any other questions?” master of nothing place; of recoil and grace

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" "That makes sense." Sah contemplated the concept. It seemed speed and agility were key but strength might be a more decisive factor at times. He'd have to work on all three. As Deimos put away his sword, Sah returned his borrowed one to it's rack. "Thank you. You explain things in a very understandable manner for one as new to this as I am. It truly helped so thank you for taking the time to train me." He was surprised when Deimos offered a place in the guards. Sah wasn't sure if it was due to the high demand for guards or if he'd actually done well enough to garner the offer. Regardless his answer was the same. "Thank you for the offer, but for now I think I need to get used to Caido first. I need to be able to stand on my own two feet before I can be of use, so to speak." If he joined now, the guard could easily become a crutch and Sah didn't want to be dependent on such a thing if he could help it. "I think I'm good. I'll probably head to a shop and grab a practice sword or something. I assume these ones remain here." He said gesturing to the many weapons along the walls. "And if you ever feel like taking a tagalong on a hunt, I'd be happy to join. thank you again for this by the way. I really appreciate the help." Sah added. Mastering swordsmanship and hunting as well as adjusting to Caido were his main goals right now. sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame “You are welcome,” in the arrays of thank yous, efficiency, and understanding. It was part of his occupation and role in life, but he enjoyed it too – being able to impart some wisdom, some sagacity, in the perils of survival. Whether or not it would be helpful in the grand scheme of things would be something for the future; but for now he dragged the target back to its proper denizens, listening to Sah, waiting for the contemplations of offers. The refusal didn’t bother him any, the reasoning sufficient. “Understandable,” a nod to confirm no hard feelings or sentiments. There were many ventures to be had, and perhaps Sah merely hadn’t found a particular niche or fold into this world – especially considering how their first conversation had gone only hours prior. An arch to his brow marred the otherwise impassive features at the semblances of weaponry and hunts; he was welcome to the armory here, but grabbing hold of one of his own would permit some practice elsewhere. “I will send a note along when I intend to hunt.” Experiences upon experiences for both of them – and thereafter he permitted the Abandoned to go, to explore, to consider the vastness of the mountainous region, with hopefully a little more comprehension under his belt. {FIN} master of nothing place; of recoil and grace