Passing Teachings [Private/Training/Adrastos]

The marketplace in the city of Kou was always crowded, especially early in the morning. Lots of people were passing by, lifting some big stuff on their bag. Some was getting ready to open their own shop, some was just finished with their shopping at that day. There were so many type of shops and stalls opening in the marketplace. Some of the most interesting was their food because it probably was kind of exotic if it was compared to another country. The other stuff that was interesting as well was the type of weapon that most of the weaponry sold. The design was different, it was using a beauty that could be implemented in their weapon in a very unique way and of course the strength that it offered to the user was unique as well.

They said early bird catches the worm so here Tenma was, walking calmly in the middle of the marketplace hoping to find something that would pique up his interest. He could just hoped that after getting up early in the morning, the stuff that he was interested to see wouldn't be sold out too soon. Of course it would be kind of difficult to be hopeful because of the Civil War news that was rising. Although the tension between both opposing parties was intense, but it seemed like the market activity was not interrupted by it as it was still doing it routine things. Not only that, a lot weaponry didn't have a lot of goods left and that probably because a lot of people was buying it or perhaps the empire was giving pressure by requesting the local blacksmith to smith weapons for them.

The black haired man looked around and one of weaponry place made him interested to getting closer. He saw some stuff that was offered in the stall and amused because the blacksmith was clearly good at making weapon. Unfortunately, the goods that he was selling was not much and the swordsman could only feast his eyes with what was remaining. He looked at the fine looking shield and would see another stuff, a twin blades. He wondered if he should buy one of the stuff there even though he didn't really need something at the moment and would stay there for more minutes to make up his mind.

With the threat of war on the horizon, Adrastos, a young magician wearing a light blue kimono robe, searched the towns and cities of Kou in search of a warrior master. He only knew magic, and despite it being the most adaptive class, he needed to learn close-quarter fighting. The man already had a warrior master, a Fanalis named Dan Feng, but she was in Heliohapt last he heard, and time was too short for him to travel to the desert wasteland for training and return before the upcoming civil war.

As Adrastos walked through the markets, a man browsing a weapons vendor caught his attention. He appeared to be a warrior, judging by his interest in the weapons on display, but there was something else that pulled the blue magician forward, a certain familiarity that tugged in the back of the silver-haired man’s mind. Following the pull, Adrastos stood behind the individual silently, watching, before speaking up.

“I beg your pardon, my name is Neo. I don’t know you, but if you are a warrior, then perhaps you could assist me? I’d like to be trained in the way of the sword.”

---

The black haired man could feel it, a presence of someone who suddenly stood behind him and couldn’t help but to slowly move his fingers to reach the hem of his sleeves where he put one of his needle there. The person made him tensed up for some reason but not because he thought that this guy was dangerous, but it was more like he could sense something from the person even though he couldn’t tell what was it. The man suddenly spoke and introduced himself as well as stating what he wanted from the swordsman. It was pretty amusing to see someone would suddenly approach him and asked him to give some sword training, did he look like someone who would give a lesson of using sword to another people? Well he would find out soon anyways and he still got some more free time to wander around the country before he could decide on what he would want to do later.

“You see, sir. From all the people swarming around the market… and from all the warriors scattered in this strong country, why did you approach me to give you a sword training?” The black haired man turned back and smiled as he stared at the silver haired man, studying him for a little bit.

“If you want me to be honest, it’s because you remind me of someone I once trusted. I’d rather not go into details about it though,” he replied, not wanting to tell this stranger his past. “Besides, you seem to be a rather experienced swordsman. I’d rather learn from someone like yourself instead of individuals that think they’re good when they really aren’t.”

Adrastos bowed slightly, pretending to show his respect. “Please. I will not let you down.”

The magician hoped the man would say yes soon. He had to learn the ways of the sword. It wasn’t because he wanted to, but his spells wouldn’t save him forever. Who knew how much longer it would take before Adrastos was forced into close quarters with an enemy. He had to be prepared for anything. The seconds ticked on, and  Adrastos’ patience was wearing just a bit thin, but he held back because he didn’t want to ruin his public appearance.

The act he maintained when around other people was beginning to irk the magician. He had to act like a good citizen, a caring doctor, or a man that meant no ill-will, just to make sure his schemes in Reim and Balbadd couldn’t be connected to him. However, Adrastos often wondered why he bothered. Time and time again, he answered himself, saying it was because he had no allies, but somewhere deep in his heart, the magician felt that wasn’t true. Part of him still cared. He hadn’t been broken yet. He hadn’t been pushed over the brink. Yet. Adrastos knew that someday he would, but he could never tell exactly when.

---

“Oh? “Well, I won’t force you to tell me the details. Although I am very curious who is it that you mean…” The black haired man smiled towards the silver haired man and stayed quiet for several second when he bow down in front of him. Yet another amusing person had come near him… and was actually asking for his guidance, not that he cared but he just wanted to see what this man would be if he taught him the way of sword. He didn’t seem sincere about learning swords and looked pretty desperate about it instead, but he wouldn’t question his reason for now.

“Well, we don’t know if you will let me down before you try, right?” The swordsman chuckled and waited until the man introduced himself. Right after that, he would take the turn to introduce himself, “Name’s Tenma, Mikazuki Tenma . Pleased to meet you.” He would say it while bowing down for a bit in front of Adrastos, placing his right hand on his left chest before straightened up his body again. “Well… do you have any idea of where the training will take place?” Now his left hand would be on his waist and his other hand would be touching the hilt of his sword as he waited for Adrastos to answer.

“Well, perhaps I’ll tell you when I get to know you a little better,” Adrastos responded while taking note at how formal the man acted. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mikazuki Tenma. If you follow me, I know of an abandoned warehouse where we can train. Since I won’t be using my magic, I don’t have to worry about making a mess of my surroundings.”

The silver-haired magician lead the way to the abandoned warehouse which wasn’t far at all. It made it seem like Adrastos had this planned when he really didn’t; it was a stroke of luck that he knew the area well enough already to be ready when the need arose. Once Tenma enter, he shut the door and took out his wand to hand to the warrior.

“Take this to make sure I don’t resort to magic. I can find some wood later to start out with since it would be unwise for me to begin with a sharpened sword, but I will proceed however you instruct me. After all, you are my master. I would like to note that I’d like to know the mindset of a warrior and how they fight. Being a magician, I rely on the rukh for my offensive and defensive skills, and have hardly been in close quarter fighting. I have very little physical strength, if any at all, which is something that would probably need to be worked on before any strenuous training with a blade.”

As soon as Tenma would take Adrastos’ wand, he’d bow, placing his left hand in a fist while his right hand rested on top. “My warrior training is in your hands, Master Tenma”

---

Tenma only gave Adrastos a soft chuckle, implying that not only magic could make a mess of his surrounding but swords could do that sometime. He recalled the training that he gave to the blonde girl, making her able to create a wind of force just from a strengthened slash. The moment Adrastos shut the door of the abandoned warehouse and gave his wand to Tenma, the black haired man tilted his head and listened to what the magician wanted to say. After the man finished with his words, Tenma pushed back the wand and shook his head before a smile appeared on his face. “Wouldn’t it be interesting if you resort to magic suddenly when you think you can’t do the warrior training anymore?” His tone was playful and he stayed still, not even trying to push back the wand again.

“Keep it with yourself. Also… why don’t you try to make a sword by using your magic and let me see the way you slash the air with the sword.” He actually thought that Adrastos was kind of strange, he easily trying to make Tenma hold his wand while he learns about sword and that alone was not a really good impression. The black haired man would then lean himself against the wall and waited for the other man to respond again.

Adrastos frowned. “If you think I’m the type of person to give up easily, then you have another thing coming.” The magician thought his previous confrontation was a bit bland and way too forward, even for him. However, the magician wouldn’t say anything more. He did as he was instructed, despite not ever having touched a sword, let alone holding one. His lips moved soundlessly as he spoke to the rukh, which in turn created a sword-like structure of ice around his wand. Beyond that, Adrastos wasn’t sure what to do.

He took a stance, a foot slightly more forward than the other, and slashed diagonally. It was a bit awkward for him to use his wand in such a way, especially since he had no knowledge on any proper stances when holding a sword. “This doesn’t feel very natural to me, you know.”

The magician didn’t know what Tenma was planning, and found his approach rather strange. Why ask someone that’s never held a sword to slice through the air with something that was like a sword? His ice covered wand would be a poor opponent against a blade of steel. He only had the spell as a close-quarter fighting precaution, which hardly ever happened.

---

Spells Used:

The black haired man stared at the other man as he frowned before giving him a playful laugh, “Oh? Really?” His reply was more like a challenge for the magician, it was filled with a challenging intention that a curiosity. His golden eye was focused on Adrastos’ wand and the moment the magician made his own ‘sword’, Tenma was amused because magician never failed to entertain him. The ice sword that Adrastos made looked fine and hopefully it bear the same features as a real sword. It would be much simpler if Tenma just lend the magician his own Katana though, but he didn’t really want to do that because his Katana was more important and he didn’t really like it if anyone other than him touch it.

The way the silver haired man swung his sword was showing that he was an amateur in swordplay, perhaps as amateur as Diana who he taught before. “The way you swing it is full of doubt…When swinging your sword you will need to be certain and sure of your slash wouldn’t even cut anything.” Tenma rested his chin on his fingers while giving his opinion on how Adrastos used his ‘sword’, “I don’t know what kind of style suits you, but I will teach you the basic of Kou style.” The swordsman began to walk towards Adrastos, wanting to stand beside him and teach him the correct way to grip it. “Grip the sword like it is a very important thing to you, grip it tight with both hands. After that, start slashing it in the air for at least 100 times. However every time you failed to slash it correctly, add one more slash right after that.” Tenma would then unsheathe his Katana and used his own stance while he gripped his Katana, pointing it forward. “I will show you how to swing it, pay attention.” The man began to swing his sword, slashing the empty air for several times before stopping. “Your turn.”

Adrastos looked at his makeshift ice sword with a tilt of his head. This was an entirely different form of training, one that he wasn’t familiar with. Sure, he sometimes did physical motions when learning about magic, but most of that training consisted of reading scrolls and books and then attempting to apply in real life by communicating to the rukh. The rukh wouldn’t help him learn the ways of the blade, not this time, and as much as he didn’t understand what Tenma was saying, he was the only teacher he could count on at the moment.

The magician watched carefully at how Mikazuki Tenma swung his own blade, then proceeded with the instructions given. Being unfamiliar with holding a sword, he made a few mistakes which made him swing more. His arms were growing tired the more he swung, but his body was getting accustomed to the movement. “I think I’m getting a handle of this…”

The thought of Adrastos getting closer and closer to unlocking the mysteries of the blade made him feel more empowered. Soon, hopefully, he’d be able to defend himself at close quarters if need be. But he had to get to that level first.

Spoiler:

The silver haired man showed a fine progress each time he swung the ice sword, noting how his body move and he would made a mental note for some of the mistakes that Adrastos made during the training. It would be good to deliver which part that might need to be corrected after he done swinging his sword so he could try to do better next time. After he was done, Tenma could notice how the other man’s grip was a little bit weaker than before but he thought it would be good to let him get accustomed to the feeling first. You couldn’t lose a lot of stamina while you were swinging your sword or the enemy might use it as an advantage and the best way to increase the stamina would be by getting used to the tiredness.

Once the man was done, Tenma would start by listing the points of improvement that the man might need to hear but he wouldn’t push the man to do more training and would allow him to rest for a bit. “You can rest for 3 hours, in the meantime, try to relax your muscle because you will be doing the same training for the rest of the day. Once you are ready, we can do a different training tomorrow.” The swordsman smiled brightly and he would let the man do what he wanted to do, he would also stay if the man wanted to have some kind of chit chat but if not, Tenma would take his time on the roof and enjoying the weather as he lay down there.

When the next day come, the one eyed man would instruct the man to start practicing with him. Tenma would prepare a piece of sturdy bamboo and gripped it, pointing it upwards in front of Adrastos. “You can use your ice sword again today and you will need to hit this bamboo from the left side and also from the right side. So one hit on the left and one hit on the right, do it for 100 time and the same rule applies, if you failed to slash it correctly, add one more slash right after that.”

Adrastos' breath was heavy after the strikes. While there was yet to be a particular ache in his muscles due to strain, there was at least a fatigue in his body due to endurance. It was the Magician's constitution acting up. Tenma's keen eye caught the fatigue, suggesting a much needed rest... However the 3 hours seemed a bit much. Even so, Adrastos was not the teacher. Acknowledging Tenma's instructions, Adrastos walked towards a decent sitting spot.

He sat down upon an empty crate, a few droplets of sweat rolling down his face. Adrastos relaxed and breathed deeply, in and out. Soon his breath was restored to normal, and Adrastos took a swig of water from a water-skin. Time passed quickly as Adrastos continued the training. Adrastos did his best to correct his posture and movements, trying to recall Tenma's examples as the basis for his technique. His initial skepticism of the 3 hour rest period was lifted as he found that he had to continuously increase the number of strikes he practised due to the instructions from before. Adrastos was drenched in sweat before he knew it, however the day was now over and the two rested for the night.

Continuing the training the following day, Tenma bringing forth a bamboo pole. Despite its sturdy looking structure, Adrastos hesitated to strike it with his weapon. Thinking his blade of magic was sharp, he wondered how it would be possible to practice more than 100 techniques on a single piece of bamboo. He looked back over to Tenma and briefly furrowed his eyebrows. In truth, Adrastos was a bit disappointed that all he was doing was swinging a sword, yet at the same time he understood that he had to gradually gain familiarity with the weapon... And this was done through repetition of movement.

Adrastos swung his blade close to the top of the bamboo, afraid it would break, yet miraculously it simply swayed. Adrastos' eyes gleamed as he struck again from the opposite direction, however this was a non-dominant strike and his blade wavered. The gleam disappeared as Adrastos berated himself in his mind and continued the training.

Unlike the training before, actually striking an object caused Adrastos to tire faster. Controlling the weapon, keeping it from flying out of his hands, maintaining the grip - all of this took more from him than simply swinging in the air did...

OOC:

Spoiler:

The black haired man saw how the magician swing his ice sword to the bamboo, noting every movement that Adrastos did. Tenma thought that maybe it was time for a simple sparring so the man could get use to fight with swords, although the swordsman kept in his mind that he should really hold back or he might accidentally hurt the silver haired man. “Okay, we are done for today.” The one eyed man said as he placed the bamboo pole to the ground, stabbing it there so it would stand by itself. “You can practice by yourself if you want after this, but I’ll suggest you to relax your arm’s muscle and prepare for tomorrow because we will be having a simple sparring.” Tenma would chuckle and headed out only to climb to the roof and laid his body there as he waited the next day to come.

If the magician was ready, Tenma would be bringing two wooden swords that he made the night before when he was on the roof. He would pass one of the wooden sword to Adrastos and said, “We will spar for several days, best is for a week though.” He would grip his wooden sword and pointed it towards Adrastos but he didn’t care to even put himself into an offensive stance. “Come whenever you are ready.”

The blue magician was gasping for air, his chest rising and falling with each deep inhale and exhale, trying to calm his racing heart. He watched Tenma leave after saying they were done for the day and that the following days they’d be sparring. The muscles in Adrastos’ arms screamed as he dropped his arms and ended the spell to his ice sword. Adrastos’ had no idea what exhaustion was before since he had never used so much physical strength in that manner before. Casting magic was easy; all he did was wave or point his wand and give commands to the rukh. There was little exertion to his stamina, just magoi.

Adrastos sighed and sat on a nearby crate. He drank from the water skin, his breathing returning slow and steady. The water rejuvenated him, its coolness soothing the dryness of his mouth and throat. After what felt like an eternity, the magician would finally step through the door and become a warrior, but he just had his foot keeping the door open right now. In order to fully kick the door down, Adrastos had to use what he was taught in a spar with the swordsman that taught him.

The silver eyes of the magician moved toward the door where the swordsman left. He was the spitting image of Noir Ecryola, the young magician he had met quite some time ago. Seeing Tenma made Adrastos wonder what that girl was up to nowadays; the thought caused his chest to tighten. Adrastos squeezed the water skin and threw it far away. Even now there was still an ounce of humanity in him, emotions brought on by an unimportant past which resulted in weakness. The magician stood, his eyes staring emptily at the door. He’d get through tomorrow and erase these meaningless feelings once and for all. Then his mind would be clear. Adrastos left with determination radiating from his body, returning the next day with the same amount tenacity when he went to conquer Balbadd from the shadows.

When he returned, the silver-haired man gripped the wooden sword with both hands securely. His eyes watched Tenma, noticing how he didn’t bother to take on an offensive stance, but it wasn’t exactly defensive either. This spar was just to improve his skills and familiarize himself with a blade against an actual opponent instead of a piece of bamboo. “All right then,” the magician said with a lunge, attacking first to start the sparring training.

---

The black haired man watched as Adrastos came to him, wielding the wooden sword that he gave yesterday. As his father said to him when he was young, a lunge was a basic movement, the simplest attack that one could give to the other. That made the black haired man chuckled, wondering if Adrastos could be more creative than this. When the silver haired man got into the attacking range, Tenma would be readying his hand and would push aside Adrastos' sword, parrying it. It was unfair actually, as the distance between their swordmanship skill was pretty far but Tenma wanted to seek some kind of entertainment by playing around for a little bit. It was about time to attack, so right after the parry, Tenma would move the sword and aiming it to the man's shoulder.

The sparring would go on with both of them clashing their swords together, letting their hand to feel the pressure while they exchanging attacks. The one eyed man aimed to make Adrastos get use to move around while wielding sword, perhaps he can develop some kind of reflexes as well that will be helpful for him in the future. For each day, the sparring will go on for around 1-2 hours and Tenma would leave Adrastos to do his own training. He could tell that the silver haired man had make some progress on the seventh day after they sparred, perhaps even ready to be a swordsman on his own. "So, how do you like being a swordsman?" Tenma asked while letting a chuckled escaped his lips while thinking about his next destination after this. Perhaps strolling around the mountain would be good, he could do camping and perhaps improve his archery skill as well.

[EXIT]

Adrastos looked at the wooden sword in his hand, imagining the possibilities that could be accomplished when holding real steel. With a blade, he could get his own hands dirty if he really wanted or needed to do so. “It feels… gratifying. I appreciate your patience and the lessons you taught me.”

The magician bowed and set aside the practice blade. He was ready to get his own sword, one that fit who he was as a person and sent a message to anyone who saw the weapon. However, what would that message be? He didn’t want people to look at him and think he was a poor sap from the slums he was born in, but he also wasn’t a member of some royal family. Adrastos didn’t want something too flashy or too gruesome, but he definitely didn’t want simple either. Finding a sword that fit him, a man whose past was a mystery and a future that was just as cloudy, was not going to be easy.

With a final glance, Adrastos nodded his final thanks to the swordsman that trained him and went on his way, intent on buying himself a sword to call his own until other thoughts crossed his mind. He couldn’t help but wonder the uncanny resemblance between Mikazuki Tenma and Noir Ecryola. The same yellow eyes and black hair. They had to be siblings. The magician shook his head, clearing his mind. “Like it matters now… I’ll never see her again.” He was thankful for his aching muscles since they kept him from feeling any pain in his chest.

Adrastos walked out of the warehouse and looked up at the sky. Night had fallen, leaving twinkling stars to greet the magician’s silver eyes. Yet another night in Kou, but something about it felt different than all the previous nights. Nothing had changed. He was still the same man he was before, a magician. How could learning a new skill have some an impact? Adrastos chuckled. Only time would tell for sure, but hopefully not too long. There was still much to do, like checking in with his subordinates in Balbadd.

Ever since leaving the port country, the magician had zero contact with his subordinates, only knowing that the people of Balbadd were still cleaning up the mess of the massacre he caused. The civil war made it more difficult since Adrastos had no clue about if he was being monitored by the tyrannical emperor of the past or not. Making a move inn Kou would also be impossible without allies. All he could do was bide his time and hone his skills, and for that he needed a sword.

[EXIT]

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