The Legionnaire Way

The Legionnaire held his sword with both of his hands, moving it above his right shoulder angled slightly back.

"Each weapon has its own set of stances that vary depending on the style. The most common and one of the most effective style is a combination of two styles, the Protectors sword and the Ferox, or wild, sword which become the paramount Legionnaire style of powerful attacks with a stalwart defense."

He then raised his arms up putting with one of his hands above his head and the other at his forehead, while gripping the sword all the while. He placed his right foot forward with his left backwards, creating stable footing for his current position.

"Tower of the Ferox, while it looks impressive it does not generate the same force as Wrath but is a popular feint option as it makes one look deceptively open to attacks."

Transitioning back to his original stance of his sword to the right of his head and over his shoulder, which was clearly a favorite of his as he had naturally assumed it upon drawing his sword, he said

"Wrath of the Ferox, a powerful downwards blow that uses arm strength along with the upper body which generates the slight curve of the blade."

He then put his sword in front of his chest, with his hands above his stomach and the sword tiled forward slightly.

"Mid-Guard of the Protector's sword, provides quick reaction to any attack but against a forceful mid attack it leaves one open to their blade being deflected if you are a beginner."

He then moved the sword down more making it almost parallel to the ground whilst still pointing forward.

"On-Point of the Ferox sword, allows for easy thrusts while making it difficult for the enemy to approach."

Finally, he moved the sword down even more with the point angled towards the ground in front of him and the pommel of the blade pointing towards his stomach.

"Fool of the Ferox, a stance that upon first glance appears to be full of openings however it reality this position allows for quick thrusts, a sword lock that transitions into grappling, or a quick deflect into a kill."

The Legionnaire then began repeating the fluid motions, each stance transitioning neatly into the next.

"All of these individual stances are combined into one fighting technique, with each being a possible move made to react to and counter the enemy. As you know many techniques of the protectors sword, you can add in more to what I have shown so long as each stance transitions fluidly into the next."

He then sheathed his sword and ended his demonstration by saying,

"When two fighters come together, it is like a dance between the two as they exchange moves from a specific stance. Each stance has its drawbacks and strengths, and each has a logical progression to the next. Once you master the motions so that you can do them properly, without any issues with your form or footwork, you can personalize them to fit your style of combat, height, weight, arm reach and the like." Thinking for a moment he continued

"After mastering the stances and personalizing them, all that is left is to master their usage in combat. Mastering it in theory is one thing but mastering it in practice is another… the heat of battle requires quick decision making, properly reading your opponent and leading him down a path of despair with feints and traps."

He then walked towards the small building that was sitting behind the training field and opened the door, revealing what was contained within.

"Here is a place where you can rest out of the sun, as well as a storage for all the equipment you will need" said the Legionnaire as he entered the building for a moment before coming back with his hands full.

"Weighted practice swords to build arm strength and stability, rattan dummies to practice cuts and thrusts, and weighted padding to wear while running across the training yard for stamina gain. You will gradually increase the weight of the swords and padding as you go through the stances reaching perfect form with each level of weight. After which you will do so while moving, then jogging, and finally while sprinting. Once you have mastered all of these… then you can do it once more but this time against a human opponent. You could be considered barely passable after having mastered all of this, I guess" shrugged the Legionnaire as he dropped the items in his hand, which impacted the ground with a loud show of force so much so that dust was kicked up and the ground was dented ever so slightly.

Cyrus looked at this before raising an eyebrow,

"Passable?"

Nodding the Legionnaire said,

"Indeed passable. You have chosen the path of magic instead of Ruga, the folding of one's inner life force." He pointed to the chains on his shoulder pauldron, which were four purple chains, as he continued

"Each of my chains represents 10 successful folds of my life force with each chain increasing my max strength output and level of stamina. We have done careful research with the help of the Tower Of Babel to learn that each fold adds about 10 pounds of max force exerted and an extra minute of max sprint time. By training our bodies to their max, it allows us to accommodate for more folds which allows for more training… a vicious and difficult cycle that requires a training method that outsiders would easily deem and torture. What I have here for you, is merely what novices do in preparation to be inducted in the order. It's tough, but nothing by Legionnaire standards."

"I understand" said Cyrus while nodding.

"Good. You will come here every other day to train with the day off to rest both your body and allow you to continue with your magical training, as that will always continue to grow in power while eventually you will reach a wall in pure swordsmanship."

The Legionnaire drew his sword once more and took the wrath stance,

"For today, however, I will allow you to experience the forms from my own hand. Behold the height that you can reach with your blade and aim towards the peak while you still can."

He walked up towards Cyrus, still in his stance, and formally introduced himself.

"I am Honoris Prior of the Legionaries, and Elder of the Meridianam Warrior Temple."

"Novice Cyrus of Glacies Academy, while I have yet to be officially designated by the Tower I believe I have long past being a mere initiate"

With the two sides introduced, they began to spar with one another. One side guiding and the other side learning from the crossing of their two blades, in an intense but also rhythmic bout that lasted well into the day.