The Grey Tower

Rav locked the door to his office, slipping the unremarkable key into his pocket. He was garbed not in the formal near-black of a Gaidin of the Grey Tower, but in more restrictive attire. And somewhat more revealing. A thought had been percolating at the back of his mind for some time now, and he decided it was high time to test it out. His trousers were a dull shade of olive green, simple and functional in their cut, descending into one of his good pairs of boots. The fancloak had been left over the back of his chair in his private study, exposing the pale grey shirt that was too snug across the shoulders, and very tight elsewhere. Half of the lace at the front was undone, revealing a considerable deal more skin than he thought was appropriate. And yet. Yet there was a purpose, although not intended towards the immediate future.

As he took the stairs down in the foyer of the Warder Halls, some onlookers noted the distinctive change in the Master of Training. Aside from the way the young man was no longer hiding his muscles beneath loose-fitting garbs, he was also without his swords. The sword-breaker especially was as much a feature of the Shienaran as his flame-red hair and his odd way of sniffing at nothing in particular. He crossed the floor, not paying much mind to those around him, his expression curiously neutral. Frowning was far more his style. And yet.

The tickling sensation of Kaia's curiosity bubbled in a corner of his mind, but Rav tried to shut it out as he made his way towards the Sparring Arena, nestled midway between the Armoury and the wreck of the Weaponry Hall. Grey-blue eyes wilfully ignored the latter building and the gaping hole in the side. Instead they sought out a remarkably tall Andoran in light grey. As the Gaidin crossed the space between them, he picked up a training sword in his left hand.

"Danos," Rav said with a friendly nod. If the Andorman had any reaction to the Gaidin's attire, it was lost to the shorter man. "I'm glad to see you're wielding an appropriate blade," he said with a gesture to the other man's practice sword. Danos' initial introduction to the Weaponry Hall - before it had been blown up - still stuck in Rav's mind.

"So, I know I've asked some of this before, but humour me again. What training do you already have in the sword? I'll take anything from the age of nine, although I was swinging a wooden stick long before then. Next, what type of sword have you settled on, if any? I fancy the longsword and sword-breaker myself, if you are not already aware. Not that I'll be teaching anything of wielding two weapons at once today. That may be a bit of a push."

Rav scratched at his beard whilst he waited for the Drin's response. This shirt was going to be a nuisance, if he didn't end up unlacing the entire thing or ripping it first. He rolled his shoulders tentatively. It could suit to temper his attacks against the Drin.

Danos turned as he heard his voice called out. Turning quickly he noticed Master Ravak had arrived, and if the man's attire seemed odd, it was lost to Danos as he flushed recalling the incident at the Weaponry Hall. He was unsurprised that the moment had remained with the Master of Training, but he hoped to make a better impression soon.

"Master, your words on my blade still resound with me. I will await your word for anything else," Danos replied seriously. He knew he needed to make a good impression on the Master.

"I must confess to no training in the sword Master. As a tradesman before becoming a Drin'far'ji , it was not something I had occasion to learn. I have watched many of the practice duels here though, and after serving Chores in the Armoury I have considered both a two handed blade for the reach and power, and a longsword for versatility. However I am unsure if there is a way to better determine which applies best Master Ravak."

"Master Darrow," the Master of Training corrected, then nodded. "You do look suited to a two-handed sword. As you say, you can use the reach, and you'll have the power once you are trained." Danos was reasonably well-built at the moment, but time would temper him further. "Well, let us start with basic principals, shall we?"

Ravak took a few steps backwards, making sure that his full form was clearly visible to the taller man. "Footing is critical when it comes to most forms of fighting. You've been learning how to fight unarmed under Dakson Gaidin, so this should be familiar." Rav adjusted his footing, so that his left boot pointed directly towards the Drin'far'ji, whilst his back foot was at a right angle, aimed sidewards. "This is a stable stance. You will be able to resist attacks from the front without toppling over, and you can shift easily towards or away from your opponent whilst remaining balanced. Observe." Rav's left boot stepped forward, then his right leg followed, his feet staying at the same angles throughout. "Your feet never come together, always apart, always one pointed straight forwards, and one to the side. If your feet do come together..."

Rav slid his front foot back, so it was in line with his right leg. He beckoned Danos to approach. It was only a touch disconcerting how much the man seemed to loom over him. "Try to push me over." Rav indicated the center of his torso, just below where his shirt was undone. Without much effort, the Drin was able to push the Gaidin off-balance. Rav shifted, so he was back in a stable stance. "Now, try again." Danos exerted the same force originally, then added more, but Rav stood against the Andoran's attempts without any real effort. With a nod, Danos stopped. "So you can see, there's a reason for the footwork, and for moving as we do." Rav made a shift backwards, his rear foot leading, followed by his front. "Now, I'd like you to practice this stance, and moving back and forth. It seems trivial, I know, but as you felt, it affects your balance, thus affects how well you can resist against an attacker." The Drin seemed about to move, but the Gaidin delayed him. "As a note, I am mostly left-handed. Your right leg should be leading if you are right-handed, so mirror me or copy me, depending on what suits you best."

Danos bowed his head when Master Darrow provided is recommendation on the two handed sword. Danos had felt drawn to the weapon himself, knowing he would never be as quick as some of the smaller Gaidin. Half of them move like serpents, and the other half wolves. Hopefully moving like a bear won't be a drawback thought Danos to himself. "Apologies, Master Darrow, I meant no disrespect with my address."

Listening to Master Darrow, Danos could see where the footwork portion of sword work was at least familiar. The stance was slightly different, but as Danos moved through the footwork he could feel his body settling in well. The spars and practicing over the last few weeks with Dax Gaidin had given Danos an intimate sense of his center of gravity. Knowing this, feeling his body's balance from his feet through his core, allowed Danos to move comfortably through the steps.

Harder was to resist the urge to strike and kick with his feet when he reached certain portions of the steps. But he was certain it would take years of practice to master mixing the two combat styles. Let's not gallop before I can canter thought Danos as he recalled Gareth Ashaman's advice in the horsemanship class.

The red-haired Gaidin nodded in approval. Danos had an admirable understanding of the footwork required for fighting, although the Master of Training made a couple of small comments. Torellion's training had clearly paid off, although the Light knew how. Something had changed for the better in the Tairen after his exile to the Citadel.

"Right, let's go over the basics." Rav moved so he was by Danos' side, so that he could follow along easily. "Firstly, hold your sword in both hands. Your right hand grasps the hilt just below the crossguard. You should grip firmly with your lower fingers, the pinky and ring, and have your thumb and forefinger almost relaxed on the hilt. Then do the same with your left. You want a slight gap between the two." The Master of Training followed each of his words with the appropriate actions, making sure that he was in the right-handed stance that Danos used.

"Now, you want to hold the hilt by your waist, with the sword pointed forward at an angle between the sky and your opponent. This is a traditional guard stance." Rav glanced down to ensure that Danos' footwork was as he had taught. "Have your knees slightly bent, you don't want to be a rigid statue unable to move at a moment's need. And don't extend your grasp too far from your waist. You want to use your whole body when it comes to striking, and when it comes to warding off blows, not just your arms." Rav watched closely. The instructions were not that difficult, but the Drin would need a good foundation upon which to build on. Mess up the basics, and that would set him down the wrong path.

Ensuring that Danos was set, the red-haired Shienaran moved to stand opposite his Andoran counterpart, adopting much the same stance, the two blades touching just below each sword's tip. "Now, I want you to try to hit me." There was a look that may have been confusion or surprise, but the Master of Training rumbled on. "I know I haven't taught you anything of how to swing a sword, so just do whatever comes naturally. I won't strike back, and you won't hit me." That was no goad, just the honest truth. Unless Danos had been lying about his lack of experience.

Danos listened as Master Darrow led him through the stance. He was glad the footwork had paid off, and now he could work on earning his blade.

Danos was eager to prove himself to Ravak Gaidin, especially after embarrassing himself with the blade in the Weaponry Hall. And in his eagerness, he was rushed trying to settle into the proper grip. Fortunately, Master Darrow was a keen eyed teacher, and with firm but clear instructions showed Danos the proper grip. It felt odd to Danos to relax the thumb and forefinger, his inexperience telling him to grasp the hilt tightly, but with both hands on the hilt it felt under control soon enough. As he practiced the grip, and moving the blade slowly, Danos was struck by a sudden thought, "Master Darrow. These practice blades, are they modeled after a one handed blade such as yours? If I am hoping to take advantage of my reach and strength, should I perhaps grab a longer, heavier practice blade?"

Keeping his knees bent had become a little more second nature to Danos after having practiced so many kicks and punches, as well as blocks. He had soon learned that keeping himself flat on his heel as many did was a good way to lack the speed needed for a timely block. The weight of the sword made his arm's tremble as he held it outwide, and Danos could see the advantage to keeping the hilt in both hands. Master Darrow's comment about using your whole body for strikes and control. He had felt how the practice blade made muscles unused to the strain shake as he attempted to hold his blade still. Holding it closer to his waist made the weight seem a lot easier, and soon he had the blade standing true, his guard stance assumed.

When Master Darrow nodded, and stepped back, Danos could feel his heart speed up in anticipation. This was what he had dreamt of when listening to Marzell Sedia, the chance to wield a blade and prove his worth.

"Do whatever comes naturally, I won't strike back, and you won't hit me," said Master Darrow in his firm confident tones. Danos would have hesitated before, but having sparred and learned under Dax Gaidin, he knew the skills the Gaidin possessed and so he commited himself.

As he attacked, he swung his sword up towards his shoulder, advancing as his footwork allowed towards Master Darrow with a downwards cross body swipe. In his eagerness, he stretched his arms forward and he could feel the wildness in his swing just as it was descending towards Master Darrow's chest.