Erratic Sword Style

The town was rather boring though. There was a tavern, the smithy, two tailor shops and even a bow maker. Though there wasn't much to do inside the town, or perhaps I simply didn't know anyone and felt bored. That was until a large open area appeared in my view.

There were a few people there, practicing their weapons or training their bodies. 'So this is their training area. It's rather basic, but there's no need for anything else really'. I didn't want to disturb them, and simply watched from afar. Then an old voice belonging to a man, sounded from behind. "We don't usually get visitors who are interested in our training field". I turned around to have a look, and saw an old man with a head full of grey hair. He was also very muscular, while his posture was straightened and proudful.

That old man had to be a warrior, that was the vibe I got from him. Perhaps even a teacher of the young adults, who trained in the field. "Oh, I'm just sightseeing really. I saw them training and decided to have a look. Am I not supposed to be here, or something?", I replied.

"No, this is an open area, anyone can visit. Though since you are here, that means you must train something yourself, right?", he asked. "I'd lie if I said no", I replied. "How about it? Wanna have a bout with me? Who knows, maybe you will learn something", the old man proposed. "I guess there's nothing else to do, so why not?", I replied before taking out my sword.

"That's a nice scabbard and sword you got there. Kids these days care too much about looks though", the old man commented on my sword. "You must be a rather mediocre teacher, if you can't see the utility of that sword", I replied with a smirk. "Hoh? Little lady has an attitude, but she knows her stuff. Indeed, this sword is great for one handed style. It's especially useful for defending, am I right?", the old man said. "Maybe you are not so rubbish after all. Let's have a bout then", I replied. He beckoned for me to follow, then took me to the middle of their training field.

"Guys, stop for a moment and give us some space!", the old man ordered. "Why don't you begin, young lady", he taunted with his hand. "Swoosh… Hap.. Rah!", I rushed at him and carried out a few attacks. "Heh? Not bad. Your balance is really great. Your stances are fluid too, and the way you grip the sword, magnificent", the old man praised, but evaded all my attacks. "Your basics are well covered, someone taught you really well. How old are you, young lady?", he asked me casually, as if he wasn't part of that fight.

"Sixteen... HAH", I replied while releasing another attack. "... Hoho, not bad, not bad. Though you have to work on the flow of your attacks. You stumble sometimes, but this much is already great. Sixteen eh?… Boy, if only my students were so hard working", the old man added. I stopped suddenly then stared at him. "What wrong? Lost your will to fight?", he asked with a smile. "Nah, it's pointless. I can tell that you are simply playing with me. I can try for an hour, and none of my attacks would connect once. You didn't even take out your weapon", I replied.

"Seems like ladies are not as hot headed as lads. You are right, I'm much stronger than you, Anna", he said. "Hehe, you even know my name", I replied, but not surprised at all. "Of course. The news travel fast around here, you know? Besides, I actually taught your father a few things in the past. My name is Aran Greyflint, but you can call me uncle Aran if you want", he introduced himself. "You are really hard working, to be sixteen and have such good discipline. Unlike some of you!", he added while looking at his students.

"You praise me too much. There are loads of people much stronger than me. I wouldn't be considered that great in the North", I replied. "No need to be modest. At sixteen years of age, you already reached the Outer Limits stage. Moreover, your strength is really something else. Well, I couldn't really expect less from you, right? How about it? Do you want me to teach you something?", he asked. 'This might be a good opportunity to learn a few Human techniques. Besides, there's nothing else to do here really'. With that in mind, I agreed.

"That's the spirit. Tim! Come over here and spar with Anna!", uncle Aran called over one of his students. "My name is Tim Limepike, nice to meet you", he introduced himself. "Anna Wintersteed, nice to meet you too", I replied. "Alright guys, give it your all. I want to see some action!", uncle Aran exclaimed. I drew my sword, then rushed at Tim. He used some sort of weird movements to evade my attack, then his sword appeared on my neck. "Interesting", I said to myself. "Want to go again?", Tim asked. "Sure", I replied before jumping backward a few times.

With the distance of about ten metres between us, this time I opted for defence. 'His movements are weird. He uses an attacking stance, but for some reason it looks different', I thought. Tim didn't linger for too long, and attacked first. He was fast, but not fast enough for my eye to miss him. "Cling!", I raised my sword to the side and blocked him. "Hoh!", uncle Aran exclaimed. Tim distanced himself, but then tried again. His movements became weird again, so I used all my available senses to figure him out.

"Cling!", Tim attacked from my left, which I was able to anticipate and block. "Pak, Ungh", taking the advantage of his disturbed movements, I used the pommel of my sword to tap his hand. Tim lost his composure completely, and that gave me a chance to close in. "Swoosh!... Cling!", he managed to deflect my sword, but I spun around and closed in once again. "Pat", the blunt side of my sword hit his shoulder.

"I think this is my win", I said with a smile. "Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap… You have very keen eyes, Anna. Usually, it would take someone much longer to figure out Tim's movements. Not only did you do it quickly, you managed to win as well. Great work, Anna. Tim, you rely on your movement technique too much. I told you to learn the sword technique properly. Your basics lack a lot in comparison to hers. Imagine what would happen if you faced someone experienced. You'd be dead in a second. You are almost twenty-two years old, work harder will you?", uncle Aran said.

Tim bowed to his teacher, and then thanked me for the spar. "I learned something too, both of us benefited from that. No need to thank me", I replied. Uncle Aran walked over to give me some pointers. He said that my eyes were really good, and that I could adapt well to the situation. My drawbacks were lack of movement and sword techniques. I only knew basic stances and flows, I didn't learn any sort of techniques yet.

"I think your father is the best person to teach you about movement, so I will not interfere. The sword technique is something I can teach you. The basic flow of your attacks is good, but can be easily predicted. Hence, I want to teach you something that I developed for a long time. The technique is called Erratic Sword Style, and I think it might suit you. This technique requires you to change your rhythm, stances and mood during the fight. In other words, become unpredictable. Do you wish to learn it?", uncle Aran asked.

"Yes! I'd like to learn a sword technique!", I replied resolutely. "Good, follow me then", he said but then turned towards his students, "What are you standing around for?! Back to training!". The people scampered back to their training, while me and uncle Aran walked towards the only building in the close vicinity.

"Today, we will work on your rhythm. You have to develop the ability to create, or change your rhythm during the battle. What you have to do is simple. I will tap my hand on the floor, while you will move to the rhythm of my tapping. Every move you make, has to be carried out according to the taps. For example, if I tap three times like this… Tap… Tap, Tap. That means you should have moved three times. It doesn't matter what moves you make, we are only working on the rhythm right now", he explained.

"Sounds simple, but I'm sure it's not going to be that way, right? Anyway, let's give it a try", I replied. "Hehe, you know a thing or two about training after all. Let us begin then". Whenever he tapped, I had to move but only once per each tap. Slashing my sword horizontally, was one move. Taking a step forward, was one move as well. Uncle's taps came at different intervals, as well as repetitions. Sometimes he would tap a few times quickly, sometimes he would do it very slowly.

We did that for a few hours with breaks in between, but getting those things right wasn't easy at all. "This will take you a while, and it's the basis of my technique. I'm not sure for how long you will stay here, but I will try to teach you as much as I can. Once you have the basic concept, you will train by yourself, with your father or mother. Anyway, that should be enough for today. Visit me tomorrow in the morning, I will be waiting here for you, alright?", he said. "Sure, I will be here tomorrow. This is interesting though, how did you come up with this?", I asked.

"It's actually not that unique, at least not this part. Swordsmen can change their rhythm during the battle. What I want to teach you is something else. The base is the same, but the final result will surely surprise you, of course when you reach the completion. Alright, off you go. I don't want to be berated for taking up all your time", he replied.

'This is great. I can finally learn more about swords, and something unique at the same time. I have to talk with father about movement technique. Uncle said he was the one who could teach me', I thought on my way to my great uncle's house.