Summer 15-16, 116
Caelum realized he was falling behind in his physical training just a few days after making such significant progress in his studies. To make matters worse, he was reminded less than a week ago that he needed to ensure he had mastered the art of meditation before beginning his upcoming training.
His teacher informed him that this would be difficult but also a "once in a lifetime privilege" that he would regret not pursuing if he was unprepared. Caelum tried to calm himself as his sudden realizations began to daze him. Despite his best efforts, the fear of the circumstance had penetrated his inner being, upending all the self-assurance he had built up.
Once in a lifetime, perhaps? What might that mean? Maybe his teacher was going to impart to him some incredible skill that has been passed down through the generations - something so potent and enigmatic that it might even be deadly. Now it all made sense… a week to get ready to concentrate in order to train for a few weeks, training that would change his life forever! Caelum was left with no option. He would have to focus for the entire day, making every effort to become proficient in meditation in addition to developing inner focus.
He took up the position of meditation first. Caelum bent over and started to look inward, just as his teacher had shown him so many times before. A mixture of emotions, fierce but subdued, harsh and embracing, was inside him. This had to be more difficult than he had anticipated!
He started going deep inside of himself to find out exactly what it was that was making him feel so excited. Gradually, he started to reflect on the previous few days. Training, the joy he experienced upon getting better and starting to explore his new abilities. The inner assurance he gained from getting praised.
At this point, Caelum opened his eyes and started to go to his new favorite location. It was only a few miles away. Caelum loved the dark as much as the light, so he wasn't too concerned about the sun setting and the few hours before dusk, but he was aware that getting a good night's sleep would probably help him with his "special" training more than anything else.
Looking around him as he ascended a hill, he searched for a spot free of puddles where he could sit and concentrate. He knelt, relaxed his face, closed his eyes, and started to concentrate. Everything around him had a clean, fresh, and pleasant scent. He was reminded of that day, when he fell to the ground in a heap as the rain continued to pour, by the slight scent of rain passing by.
Caelum opened his eyes and looked at himself, feeling more at peace than he had felt in a long time. He became aware that the sky was getting darker and that he had been sitting still for quite a while, with the time passing by so smoothly and swiftly that it seemed as though he had been asleep! He got up and made his way back to his house, gazing up at the setting sun.
The next day, Caelum felt a rush of anticipation as soon as he opened his eyes. He jumped out of bed as soon as he realized what day it was, scurrying around in search of food and fearing that he might not have everything he needed. He realized his teacher would be here soon, probably very soon, as he looked up at the sky outside. That's when he realized he had to stop himself before a panic attack drove him insane.
He knelt down and started to concentrate, using his experiences from the previous day. He could feel the rain and the wind, smell the pleasant scent of a warm afternoon, feel the surrounding air moving with him, feel the water pulsing as it ran along the ground, and feel the tranquility of the rain. This was it, the secret to his tranquility, that location he could instantly access within himself whenever necessary...
There was a knock on the door, just barely enough to disturb his serene mood. Swiftly getting up, he strode across the room, gripping the door handle, feeling fluid and focused.
Caelum's face was turned to the ground as he followed his teacher through the streets. He didn't look to the ground out of obedience, guilt, or shyness, nor did he look to it to avoid making eye contact. Caelum searched the earth for the simple joy of finding the various stone varieties that formed the road and were arranged in brick patterns.
His curiosity stemmed from a simple understanding of life's patterns. Life was meant to be winding, not like a brick road. Today, he found himself calmly focused, self-assured, and most importantly, happy. For today was the day he would meet a new teacher of a new fighting style.
His teacher turned and addressed his valued pupil as they got closer to a rather large building. "Listen carefully, Caelum. I'm sure you have incredible talent, but you need to stay focused and challenge yourself! This is a good man, but you only have a few weeks to train with him before he plans to move on to another city, so show me that I was right about you all along."
He cleared his throat and continued, "I have no idea when he will return or exactly what he will teach you, so get ready to put in a lot of effort and pick things up quickly. Additionally, don't be shocked if he makes you relearn some fundamentals. He demands perfect accuracy."
A man in a brown cloak, a boy, and a man in black all had swords strapped to them as they entered the building and peered menacingly at Caelum and his teacher. The person dressed in brown had a polearm that was made of gleaming steel and had the sharpest edge Caelum had ever seen. A man dressed in black carried three swords - Two at his sides and one behind his back. The boy only had one sword slung over his back.
"Give me your money," the man brandishing three swords said as he drew closer. He spoke like a thug who meant what he said.
Caelum's teacher abruptly reached over and placed his hand on his shoulder as he had already reached behind him to grasp his sword. With a sudden smile on his face, the older man said, "You old dog! I see you are as scary as ever!"
He turned to face Caelum and said, "This is an old sparring buddy of mine. I think he brought his son here to train. Did I mention that you had some competition?" Caelum indicated he had no idea what was going on by shaking his head.
My son isn't losing to anyone, especially someone like you," the large man said, turning to face Caelum.
Abruptly, the door behind the men flew open, letting out a burly man who appeared wiser than his years. He had a weapon with elaborate dragon-patterned designs on his back, and two swords — one on the left and one on the right — were resting at his sides. He gave Caelum's teacher a warm embrace as he suddenly let out a laugh that sounded like a bark.
"Good to see you again. And you, Caelum, I take it? You don't look too bad; based on your build, I'd say you must have some fight in you! I'm Alfred, your new teacher… for a while, anyways" With a turn toward the others, he said, "And who invited you?" He then erupted into laughter and yelled, "Send em in, guys, let's get this show rolling!" as he made his way back into the room."
There were well-lit sparring areas inside, with walls lined with dummies that had holes in them and shelves stocked with weapons, books, scrolls, and other items. Alfred sat down in a chair and observed the group as they filed in. "All right, get in your positions and line up!" All three of them aligned themselves and remained motionless, gazing ahead.
"Advance a few steps now! Remember that you are walking in a fighting stance!" Alfred exclaimed as each of the three came to a stop.
"Terrible posture! Just horrible!" In response, one of the others said, "I was perfect, and you know it old man!"
Alfred remarked, "Well, it seems like you came here without needing my training! You lack respect, boy, so please leave!" The man stalked out of the room with more murderous intent than Caelum had ever managed to muster in his entire life.
"Okay, let's get down to my friend's child and my other friend's adorable little student." As he turned around, he said, "It's unbelievable how awful the two of you were. it's like I'm training some monkeys!"
Caelum noticed the boy next to him muffling his laugh, and he could feel his anger building. This man was making fun of his students? Caelum just stood there and stared ahead, even though he could feel his face getting red with rage.
"Both your father and your teacher were both idiots, but you're not going to be that way, are you"
Caelum was about to argue, but the boy next to him stopped him. He pointed to Caelum and said, "I'd say the apple doesn't far from the tree!"
Caelum threw a punch at him… and that's how he got sent to the corner to sit in silence for an hour while he watched the others train.
Caelum's punishment ended and he had been doing 'the walk' as his teacher called it. It was a way of moving while holding a weapon, or so the man said. Caelum was ready for something special after "perfecting the walk" for almost three hours. He was asked if he knew how to use a polearm, but he didn't. Supposedly that was why he was sent to this teacher – so he could learn how to use one.
He hated polearms for one sole reason… they were so heavy compared to swords. He knew that this was still in the realm of the "basics," so even though it appeared possible to master the weapon but he needed more strength. And since he didn't like strength training, he was not particularly interested in it — especially given the length of time required to learn how to use even slightly heavier weapons.
Alfred reached behind him and retrieved a short stick, disregarding Caelum's lack of enthusiasm. "My boy, you have to understand the basics before you can become a master," he said, passing Caelum the stick that he had now identified as bamboo. "Turn it! vertically on every side! You will need these cleaves in your future training." Caelum was not a master, but he was familiar with some of the principles and used the light stick to quickly complete all of the moves requested of him.
"With a little practice, you will be able to spin it fine because it's of good quality and honestly doesn't weigh any more than what you should be using. Simply give it a whirl." Caelum laughed at the joke and rotated the polearm, nearly losing control multiple times during the exercise. "Well, since you can now spin it, how about we just go with something equally heavy…" Caelum was given a thin metal rod and started using it once more.
Up diagonal, then an arc that descends to the left, and then another arc that descends to the right. He practiced again and again until Alfred asked him to stop. "You look great doing two-handed spins, but it's time to try one-handed spins now. I can assure you that you will love doing this!"
Caelum was given a brief break before starting to spin in the same manner as before, adding random intervals as he went. He would spin the rod over his body and rotate it along his axis until it reached his other hand. It was an awkward motion that befitted a beginner. Caelum was starting to enjoy the technique now, and he was using it more quickly and rapidly until the rod was more of a blur than a distinct shape, though when he picked up speed it was easy to lose control of it and have it fly off to the side. He was used to the weight now and whirled the weapon with surprisingly little effort, the small shift in weight barely perceptible.
He trained so hard that when he went to bed he slept instantly. When he woke, he realized he had not slept for very long – a few hours at most. It was difficult to adjust to sleeping in another's bed. There were beds all around him, mostly empty except for Alfred's and the man employed to look after the facility. The room had a faint aroma of perspiration, which was from Caelum's highly enjoyable workout after a challenging day of training. How wonderful it was for him now that, in just a few short hours the previous evening, he had learned a number of fundamentals, giving him a joyful sense of progression. He slowly closed his eyes and returned to sleep, looking forward to another hard training day.
The next day, Caelum stood with the other students, waiting for instruction. "Okay, let's begin with another fairly easy technique. Although your opponent won't see it that way, this one is more for utility than for actual striking." Alfred smiled as he used his toes to turn over a wooden stick that was resting at his feet. He then reached out and took hold of the stick with his hands. "Assume the fundamental stance and hold the weapon normally. Step forward, slamming your weapon in the direction of the adversary. The idea is to impale your opponent's sternum by lunging forward with only your right leg and stabbing."
Caelum took a stance, gripped his polearm, and swung it forward before lunging forward with both feet. To his astonishment, Alfred extended his arm, grasped the blade, and pulled it forward, causing Caelum to lose his weapon, his balance, and ultimately his stance as he staggered forward and hit the ground.
"You became unbalanced when you stepped forward because your stance was broken." Alfred took a new position as he spoke, turning to face Caelum. "Although fundamental, the position is the foundation of your strength. In essence, it is your roots, and without them, you will eventually crumble under the weight of your own development. once more!" Caelum, who was now standing motionless, took the polearm from him.
"Try again, but don't lose your balance!" Caelum assumed the position and stabbed forward, swinging the weapon into position. He lunged, stepping forward with only his right foot and stabbing with a good deal of force, making sure to keep his back foot planted. To his dismay, Alfred easily knocked the stab away and turned to face him. "It was better than last time, but this time maintain a straight back! Your waist and leg movements provide the power; a straight back allows you to transfer more force."
Caelum did as he was told and took up his position again, maintaining better posture. Leaning forward, he made a lunge with his right leg. Even though Alfred could feel the strike's fluid force, he managed to block it once more, though this time Alfred found it a little harder to resist the force.
"Superb," he exclaimed, "almost faultless." He glanced to the side and then looked up at Caelum.
"But you blocked the strike so easily!" He turned to face Alfred, waiting for an answer, and rolled his weapon nervously over in his hand.
"Yes, exactly as I stated! Ahh This is a useful move that diverts attention and moves quickly to make the opponent do what you want him to. Sometimes a fight is about more than just making the other man bleed for you - you need to make the opponent obey your will," he said with a big smile on his face. He picked up a smaller wooden weapon off the floor and turned to face Caelum. "Let's go on!"
Now, Alfred positioned himself in front of his pupil, his wooden weapon ready, scanning the area for any sign of impending attack. Caelum launched a lunge, but Alfred blocked it with a downward blow, spun around, and pushed himself between Caelum and his arm. Then, with a blur of movement, he raised his weapon and allowed it to drop to within inches of his throat.
"I'm going to teach you how to counterattack right now. Smoothness in motion is the secret to this tactic, as it can occasionally prevent attacks from happening that would otherwise be more devastating." Alfred spoke as they both took their original positions. "First and foremost, consider my attack strategy as I strike. Which kind of block will allow me to access my body's various parts? Which body part will you be able to hit directly, and which body part will you hit in order to render me unconscious? Are you going to hit the sternum? Maybe you'll aim for my legs? Perhaps even go so far as to land a lethal blow at my neck? Ultimately, this is a freeform strike where you control how much damage you are able to deal. In the end, it's up to you."
He let out a cry and swung his weapon quickly toward Caelum. Caelum was obviously unprepared for the surprising speed of the downward and vertical strike, as evidenced by his attempt to block it only after it would have broken a bone. His teacher stopped just an inch above his shoulder.
"Pay attention, Caelum! You must sense what I am doing and understand my thoughts. Search for anything, even the smallest twitches in the arms and foot movements! Be aware of my plans!" He struck out in a similar manner once more, but this time it was vertical and upward. Caelum reacted much faster this time, blocking the strike. He made an awkward attempt to push the weapon away and go after Alfred, but Alfred was quicker to react and caught Caelum on the side of his left leg. "Better. All you need to do now is make it more flowing! Remind yourself to always be one step ahead of me and consider how you will open me up."
