Summer 4, 116
Without any preamble, training started the following day. Upon entering the dojo, students were presented with a roster of three-person groups with whom they could practice their new technique. After defending themselves against their teammates, each member had to quickly swap out so that the next person could start the cycle.
After giving it some thought, Caelum realized that the teacher's drawings of what they were supposed to do were very short and crude, which was to be expected. Even though the teacher was calm and thoughtful, it's likely that she hadn't needed to refine their art skills much over the years.
After a thorough search of the space, the humanoid dragon was squeezed between two stone-faced women who had their practice swords raised. He was eager, but he had to force himself to relax his tense muscles even though he didn't feel nervous or uneasy.
Caelum shifted uncomfortably as the surrounding teams started their practice, falling into the raised knee seated stance that the teacher-instructor had demonstrated yesterday. The person who was directly in front of him, a silver-haired woman with a vulpine expression on her face, repositioned her fingers on the sleek wooden handle. The other girl moved almost silently behind him, and Caelum realized that if he couldn't time his second strike to defend himself properly, his timing would suffer.
"Ready?" she asked with her stunning grin.
With a bitter scowl and a swallow, the dragon gritted his teeth and slowly nodded his head. When Caelum realized she was going to attack, her response was to cock her head kindly to one side before revealing her teeth in what should have been a smile but turned into something more feral.
The silver-haired girl surprised Caelum with her strength and speed, and he realized in that one shimmering moment of understanding that he would not have been able to draw his practice sword quickly enough if the technique had required more than just striking with the hilt. As it happened, the attractive attacker's weapon hand was struck by the practice weapon's hilt, causing her to yell as her weapon clanked on the wooden floor.
The dragon spun around without pausing, remembering how deftly the instructor had used the same maneuver to protect himself from two assailants. He also completely removed his practice sword from his sheathe during this maneuver. Before he could fully comprehend what had happened, his rear attacker struck him in the face. For a split second, his racing thoughts abruptly stopped, allowing his instincts to take control. With a grunt of effort, Caelum struck in an arch, sending the second girl toppling off balance to his right as his practice sword's roughly polished edge caught the weight of her attack and swept it to the side.
Feeling proud of himself for having succeeded, Caelum got up and put his practice sword back. A recognizable voice said, "Getting better I see… but you're still leaving yourself open towards the end." The teacher spoke for a while longer before Caelum turned to face him, saying, "thank you." Caelum growled in frustration before he could stop himself, his previous sense of fulfillment fading under the weight of the teacher's feedback.
They took a break for lunch as the teacher had something unexpected come up – it would be a while before a replacement would arrive. Nonetheless, the students came back prepared for more training. However, when Caelum arrived, he saw that a recognizable-looking brute with disheveled hair and an unattractive square nose was among the group.
"Ah, are you with this group?" a firm voice in the front of the room asked. Caelum turned to see a strong-built man staring at him sternly while assuming an openly challenging stance and folded arms; this man had to be the replacement teacher.
"Yes." the dragon gave a calm response in return.
A few moments later, his words echoed in the air before the sour man nodded curtly and motioned for him to join the group, not bothering to ask any more questions about him. If Caelum had been that kind of person, he would have grinned at the air of authority, dominance, and simplicity this Teacher exuded around his pupils.
This man appeared to be a seasoned fighter, in contrast to the teacher who appeared more frivolous and scholarly. With that came a fortitude that was forged within a man's spirit; it was not something that could be acquired by merely learning how to use a blade. The instructor yelled, "Pair off in twos and work on your techniques!" and there was not a peep of complaining or idle chatter. Just the tapping of feet as each person took their place to start.
The instructor approached Caelum, who was confused and stayed where he had joined the group of students earlier. As he got closer, Caelum could see more details of the instructor's face. The man was distinguished by an obscene scar that began close to his ear, extended across his thin cheek, and finally tapered out on the other side of his mouth.
The human-formed dragon tensed up in indignation at the way he was looked at, but the large man, who was extraordinarily tall and broad, sank into a stance that Caelum would not have recognized immediately if he hadn't been trained. The instructor said, "HA!" before hurriedly shoving his practice sword into the empty space in front of him.
The Instructor, whose name Caelum had yet to learn, sheathed his practice sword back and nodded thoughtfully and patiently to Caelum, saying, "Now you try."
Caelum grinned, jogged over to the closest practice sword rack, grabbed one, came back to the man, and bowed his head respectfully. It seemed to be demanded by the man's presence. With his left hand stabilizing the practice sword's body to ensure a smooth draw from his sheath, Caelum leaned forward into a bowed position, allowing his knees to absorb some of the weight from his stance. He then placed his right hand on the practice sword's hilt. To give himself a full range of motion, Caelum let his muscles lag a little. Then, keeping his arm straight and parallel to what he had seen in the demonstration, he tore the practice sword from his sheath and thrust its tip forward, just as he had seen the Instructor do.
"Hold!" the instructor yelled, and Caelum remained as rigid as he could while the man circled around him, examining every aspect of his posture.
Caelum's limbs trembled as he tried to keep his form as soon as sweat matted his hair to his forehead. At last, the man moaned and instructed Caelum to put away his practice sword, to which the pupil dutifully complied. "Welcome to my class. You will refer to me as Astraen. I will be teaching this class for the foreseeable future since your previous instructor had to tend to important business" When Caelum nodded, Astraen's eyebrow raised inquisitively.
"I got it... Astraen"
Astraen saw Caelum's quick progression throughout the training session for what it was, and the stern elder motioned for one of his disciples wearing black clothing to approach him. It was the same ugly brute that he had seen when he first entered and had viciously attacked him in class on the first day. It seemed from that demonstration that he possessed a talent for fighting. The bully, who was significantly heavier and taller than Caelum, had a menacing appearance as he scowled at Caelum, but Astraen clucked his teeth once, making the hateful expression vanish.
"I have no time for small-scale conflicts. When you want a rival, you fight honorably."
The dragon nodded in agreement and watched as the other boy mimicked his movements. The instructor proceeded to teach the next form for the practice that day, "This is a basic maneuver when dealing with an approaching opponent," and the students followed suit, believing his words to be law. Simple and direct. The elder showed Caelum and the others how to draw and cut with minimal explanation, and everyone else took a break from their rigorous practice to watch as well. Astraen gave two demonstrations before calling for everyone to start practicing after the second one, when he shouted in a deep voice that caused Caelum's chest to vibrate.
Astraen was observing the bully thoughtfully, so Caelum took a moment to decide on his position. His knees bent, his hands hovering over his practice sword, ready to draw quickly, and his weight moved forward. His gaze stayed fixed on his opponent, watching carefully as he moved the practice sword in his sheath with ease before assuming a stance of his own. With a quick draw and the ease of his large build, he was able to bring the practice sword from his sheath with a graceful arch and then lightly strike Caelum on the shoulder.
The practice sword was withdrawn before Astraen could reprimand the other boy, but for a brief uncomfortable moment, the tip hung there as a declaration of spite. Caelum remained silent. Whether he had turned the man-child into an enemy didn't really matter to him because in his mind, skill would always determine who emerged on top in any given conflict.
Caelum fiddled with the practice sword's hilt at his waist, using his weapon hand to fine-tune his grip, while his bare right foot crept toward the man on the chilly, polished dojo floor. By reducing the distance between him and his opponent, the maneuver would increase the effectiveness of the strike. Silently, the dragon made contact. His arm passed through the middle of his body, the tip of his practice sword swishing through the air before coming to a sudden stop before making contact with the man's black clothing. The practice sword flashed from his sheath in a blaze of ebony-oak colors. The bully's expression soured as the motion's velocity caused Caelum's self-imposed arch-nemesis's stringy hair to dance a little.
Astraen looked at him and her together and sighed. "Alright, that's enough for today."
(Note to self: DNU)
