snapped his staff and rapped one of Shiro’s hands, making the knuckles burn with pain.
Shiro held fast and snapped his staff back, but Desiku had been prepared for another attack. The rest of the practice followed what had just happened. Shiro had moved through Desiku’s defenses twice more, but his arms, side and backside were spotted with bruises and stiff when Tishima whistled the practice over. Shiro looked around only to find half of the class remaining.
“Do you have a class now?” Desiku said.
“Not for an hour and a half.”
“Good. You need to know the practice forms.” Desiku said. He lifted his chin to Tishima and nodded towards Shiro. The Weapons Master nodded back.
Desiku ran Shiro though basic staff practice forms for the next hour as the participants gradually left the two alone in the yard.
“You picked those up quickly. It’s obvious you’ve been taught sword forms. Now for something more advanced. You will not use these around the other apprentices.” Desiku demonstrated remarkably different forms. The basic forms dealt with stationary motions of thrusts, swipes and defensive postures. The new ones were all about flow and footwork. Shiro recognized them to be as sophisticated as the sword forms he knew, but they were designed for staff work. They would take longer to master, but he could see the power that Desiku displayed.
Shiro bowed to his instructor. “Thank you for your forbearance on the field today.”
Desiku laughed throwing his head back. “Master Tishima can pick them!”
Shiro furrowed his brow.
“You have the posture and stance of a potential adept with the staff. Your footwork and reactions are all wrong for this weapon, but you will learn. We will practice after every session, you and I, until we can show Master Tishima your prowess. Then both of us will show you enhanced forms.” Desiku’s emphasis on the word enhanced didn’t surprise Shiro. That meant magic. Shiro looked up and saw two men observing them, Master Tishima and Boreko. Both of them nodded to him.
~
“You were with Master Tishima?” Shiro said. What game was his mentor playing with him? He never told him about his swordplay with Mistokko.
Boreko smiled, only curling up one side of his lips. “We are old friends and both of us served in the Imperial Army. We were one of the few members of the guild to fight for the Emperor as soldiers, not as sorcerers. You know another of our select little band, Captain Mistokko of th e Wicked Win d .”
Shiro pursed his lips. “Is this common knowledge?”
Boreko’s smile vanished. “Not particularly, but I will not tell another now that Tishima knows. Only a select few learn craft in enhanced fighting from Tishima. One of them is Desiku, your personal instructor. The Guild frowns on such activity, but the art must be preserved, no matter what the current council thinks. One must be an outstanding warrior first and foremost and then learn the art of subtle insertion of power in your fighting. Mistokko told me he introduced you to the technique, but don’t think you’ll be getting off easy. Tishima will train you harder than any of the others.”
“So I have no hope of sinking into obscurity in the ranks.”
Boreko’s smile returned as he shook his head. “None, but you’ll look like you’ve been singled out for punishment because of your rough origins. Desiku won’t hold back as you get more proficient. Learn to live with painful bruises and hopefully you’ll avoid broken bones, but I wouldn’t put it past them. You’ll see enough from the healers to get sick of them.”
“I’m too old for this,” Shiro said.
“Age is not an excuse,” Boreko said with a grin. “Me excluded, of course.”
“Of course.” What kind of danger were these three men putting him in? “Why do you trust me with this information.”
Boreko leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “You are a unique talent and, to be quite frank, a fish out of water in the
Shiro held fast and snapped his staff back, but Desiku had been prepared for another attack. The rest of the practice followed what had just happened. Shiro had moved through Desiku’s defenses twice more, but his arms, side and backside were spotted with bruises and stiff when Tishima whistled the practice over. Shiro looked around only to find half of the class remaining.
“Do you have a class now?” Desiku said.
“Not for an hour and a half.”
“Good. You need to know the practice forms.” Desiku said. He lifted his chin to Tishima and nodded towards Shiro. The Weapons Master nodded back.
Desiku ran Shiro though basic staff practice forms for the next hour as the participants gradually left the two alone in the yard.
“You picked those up quickly. It’s obvious you’ve been taught sword forms. Now for something more advanced. You will not use these around the other apprentices.” Desiku demonstrated remarkably different forms. The basic forms dealt with stationary motions of thrusts, swipes and defensive postures. The new ones were all about flow and footwork. Shiro recognized them to be as sophisticated as the sword forms he knew, but they were designed for staff work. They would take longer to master, but he could see the power that Desiku displayed.
Shiro bowed to his instructor. “Thank you for your forbearance on the field today.”
Desiku laughed throwing his head back. “Master Tishima can pick them!”
Shiro furrowed his brow.
“You have the posture and stance of a potential adept with the staff. Your footwork and reactions are all wrong for this weapon, but you will learn. We will practice after every session, you and I, until we can show Master Tishima your prowess. Then both of us will show you enhanced forms.” Desiku’s emphasis on the word enhanced didn’t surprise Shiro. That meant magic. Shiro looked up and saw two men observing them, Master Tishima and Boreko. Both of them nodded to him.
~
“You were with Master Tishima?” Shiro said. What game was his mentor playing with him? He never told him about his swordplay with Mistokko.
Boreko smiled, only curling up one side of his lips. “We are old friends and both of us served in the Imperial Army. We were one of the few members of the guild to fight for the Emperor as soldiers, not as sorcerers. You know another of our select little band, Captain Mistokko of th e Wicked Win d .”
Shiro pursed his lips. “Is this common knowledge?”
Boreko’s smile vanished. “Not particularly, but I will not tell another now that Tishima knows. Only a select few learn craft in enhanced fighting from Tishima. One of them is Desiku, your personal instructor. The Guild frowns on such activity, but the art must be preserved, no matter what the current council thinks. One must be an outstanding warrior first and foremost and then learn the art of subtle insertion of power in your fighting. Mistokko told me he introduced you to the technique, but don’t think you’ll be getting off easy. Tishima will train you harder than any of the others.”
“So I have no hope of sinking into obscurity in the ranks.”
Boreko’s smile returned as he shook his head. “None, but you’ll look like you’ve been singled out for punishment because of your rough origins. Desiku won’t hold back as you get more proficient. Learn to live with painful bruises and hopefully you’ll avoid broken bones, but I wouldn’t put it past them. You’ll see enough from the healers to get sick of them.”
“I’m too old for this,” Shiro said.
“Age is not an excuse,” Boreko said with a grin. “Me excluded, of course.”
“Of course.” What kind of danger were these three men putting him in? “Why do you trust me with this information.”
Boreko leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “You are a unique talent and, to be quite frank, a fish out of water in the
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