CC Ryuujin basic dual wield battle ax

[Ryuujin]

Ryuujin went to the room that Molly had indicated. He was a bit nervous, but he wanted to learn the ax. He slowly opened the door and looked in. There was a human there sharpening his ax. "Well, at least I'm in the right place." thought Ryuujin. "Might you be Ryuujin?" said the man in a kind of far off way. "Uh...Yes" stammered Ryuujin. He did not expect the man to know his name. "Uh I guess I'm your new student." "Yes...yes...dual wield battle ax is it?" said the man. "That is it sir. What might be your name?" Replied Ryuujin. "Oh yes where are my manners, my name is James." said the man in his far off voice. Ryuujin was not sure about this teacher, he seemed a little strange, and wielding an ax took discipline. "Well don't just stand there my large Dracon friend, come in and lets get started." Ryuujin came in and sat down where James had indicated. "Well did you bring you own axes or were you planning on using some of mine?" "No I brought my own." Replied Ryuujin as he got out his axes and held them up for James to see. "Well those axes seem to be in poor condition my friend. Now the only reason for that could be either you are a very bad care taker or you are in the military." Ryuujin gave a small laugh at this and replied "It is the latter I am afraid. Both of these axes were issued to me, not paid for. The same goes for these bucklers." "Well first I will have to show you how to take care of those beauties. They may look bad now but I'm my opinion every ax is beautiful."

James then took Ryuujin over to a table in the corner of the room. On it Ryuujin saw everything you might ever need to care for an ax. "Now lets see those blades of yours and see what we can do for them." Ryuujin handed both the axes that he had there and his small hand ax. "Well now what is this?" asked James. "This is dual wield my boy not tri...besides you've only got two arms" Again Ryuujin gave a small chuckle. He liked this man even if he was a little whimsical. Then he Replied "No sir, this small ax and this other one both were the first that I used when I began to get interested in dual wielding. I use these two axes in the Vysstichi Moriquendi attacks a few cycles back. The other ax there I got after the attacks. I figured that if I was going to dual wield I needed two axes of the same size. I will most likely use the small ax for a throwing ax." Suddenly James seemed to get excited. "Oh, you were one of Abesat's defenders in that vicious attack. I love battle stories, please tell me what happened." Ryuujin then began the thrilling tail of how he had been thrust into the contingent of soldiers to go out as a mop up team only 5 minutes after he had join the military. How he had killed two Vysstichi Moriquendi before moving to fight Carroh, the leader. How he had injured her with a downward strike to the forehead and a side strike to the ear, simultaneously. And of his daring kick to her chest that had failed.

Suddenly James started. "Oh we had been talking for too long we must get started on teaching you how to clean your ax."

[Ryuujin]

James then began showing Ryuujin the proper polish and way to clean an ax. "You must be careful about the polish that you use because if you use the wrong type then it will leave a film that will dull your ax. The polish that I use is of my own invention and when we are done I might just give you some." James demonstrated on Ryuujin's small hand ax, showing him next the proper way of sharpening, first on a wheel, then on a stone. "You must try to keep the wheel at the same speed so that the blade will be even. An even blade can mean the difference between sliching through chain mail and bouncing of in a dangerous fall back." Throught out his teachings Ryuujin kept very quiet, he was sacing he questions for when he began to try it. "Now when you use a sharpening stone you must put the ax blade on something hard, like a rock of stump. Next, you must keep all of your strokes in one direction. That way the ax has a grain to it."

Then James finaly let Ryuujin try it. Ryuujin began to first clean off his axes. Using James' speacial polish he got then extrordinarily clean. Then he moved on to the wheel. James told him to sharpen one ax with the wheel and the other with the stone. After a few tries Ryuujin got the Rythum of keeping the wheel steady. As Ryuujin was sharpening his axes he talked to James about his travels. About how he had once lived in Prime. How he had been locked in the city and was planning an escape through the tunnel system. Then how as he was looking for a compainion to come with him he was arrested by the Veldar Elite. How he had escaped from the prision wagon with a Dracon named Scadrisk and found his way to abesat. James seemed to love this story and was having a very good time when he said, "Sadly we can hear no more tonight. Go home and get some rest for tomorrow I will be beating on you reapeatedly." James smiled wryly at this "You will be learning how to parry. Meet me here at noon." With that Ryuujin said his goodbyes and left.

[Ryuujin]

When Ryuujin arrived the next day at noon he went to the same room that he had been in the previous day. He opened the door and smiled at the sight of James. James then tossed him a pair practice axes and said, "Put your axes on the table there. We will use these today." Ryuujin carefully set his axes on the table and stepped out into the circle where James was standing. "Now when I move to strike at you watch my eyes. Do not watch the ax. Watching the ax pulls your eyes away from your target, which is something you should never do." Then James swung in at Ryuujin with his right hand ax. Ryuujin saw the ax come in and moved to block it. The second his and James ax made contact he was swept off his feet onto his back. "You looked at the ax. Never look away. Now try again." Again James' ax came swinging in, and again Ryuujin's eyes were drawn toward it. Next Ryuujin felt a pain in the back of his legs and the familiar taste of the floor. "Watch my eyes!" exclaimed James. "You must always be ready to block an attack, even when you are already blocking one." Ryuujin was becoming angry. Some of his old prejudice against humans was returning. How could this human think himself better than Ryuujin, a Dracon. Then James quickly struck again. This time Ryuujin focused on his eyes and blocked the strike. He also blocked the second attack that James sent his way.

They continued like this for the batter part of the day. Ryuujin tasted the floor more than one time more. When Ryuujin could block both ax strikes every time James said, "Good, I think you've got it. Now we will move to blocking head strikes.

[Ryuujin]

Ryuujin was a little worried at this. James had had no pity when Ryuujin failed to block one of his strikes. And then James had just been striking to his torso and legs. Now he was going for the head. "Can I go get a helmet?" asked Ryuujin almost sarcasticly. Then James wacked him over the head with the back of his ax. "That's for lack of confidence" he said.

Then he abruptly brought his ax in to Ryuujins head, with the other ax in close pursuit. Ryuujin crossed the axes that he was holding in front of his face, so that he could catch both of them in the crook of his axes and spin the axes out of James' hands. unfortunately James seemed to have seen this move before and countered in a strange spin move that left Ryuujin sprawled on the floor. "Don't get fancy. You will learn special moves later." Now try this. James brought both axes in toward either side of Ryuujin's head, in a pincer move. Ryuujin quickly brought both his axes up into the defensive position he had learned. He made sure all the time to keep his eyes locked with James'. They continued like this for quite a while. James taught Ryuujin how to block behind his back and over his head and almost anywhere that could be imagined. Then James abruptly stopped the lesson and said, "We are done for today. Sharpen those axes again and then you are free to go. You will need those tomorrow as we are beginning to work on the dummy." Ryuujin went to the wheel as it was faster. Again Ryuujin began to talk to James about his adventures. When he had finished sharpening he bid James goodbye and left.

[Ryuujin]

Ryuujin walked into the class the next day to see a very different setting. Instead of the battle circle, there was now many wooden cylinders on rollers placed in a circle around the center of the arena. The cylinders had branches sticking out of them like arms. "Welcome back." said James jovially. "Quickly, lets get started. Come down here and stand in the middle of these cylinders. Now today we will be working on your speed. Use the blocks I taught you yesterday. Ready, Go!" Ryuujin hated how James always failed to give explanations. Before Ryuujin knew what was going on one of the arms had come in and close lined him. He lay flat on his back looking up into James eyes. "No, no thats not how you fight the trees. Watch me. Now whenever you are ready start to spin the trees so I will have to block the branches." "Are theses the trees?" Ryuujin asked, very confused. "Yes, yes of course. Now lets get started." Ryuujin spun a tree to his left. then the one to his right in opposite directions. James responded very quickly and blocked both branches. "There you see? It's easy." James then motioned for Ryuujin to step into the circle. as soon as he had done that he saw a branch swinging his way. He moved to block it but then was hit in the back by another branch.

Ryuujin was starting to get angry. These branches were very hard and he made a mental note to bring his armor tomorrow. "Try again, Try again." said James as he swung two mor branches toward Ryuujin. This time Ryuujin was more aware of his surroundings and he blocked both branches, but rather clumsily.

They continued like this till it was dark and Ryuujin was very tired. During the course of the lesson Ryuujin had choped off more than five of the branches. But the branches seemed to be detachable and James always had a new one ready. "Well done today Ryuujin. You caught on very fast. Sharpen and polish your ax and then you may go. Tomorrow we will begin attacks."

[Ryuujin]

Ryuujin walked in the next day to see that James had changed the arena again. Now it was just a single wooden cylinder in the center of the arena. "Welcome, welcome. I hope that you slept well." Then James motioned for Ryuujin to come down to the arena.

Ryuujin walked down and drew both his axes. "Now first we will use a simple side attack." James showed Ryuujin the proper way to put his weight behind the ax using only one hand. Then he showed him the technique of using both at once. When Ryuujin had tried it a few times and James had corrected his posture and his grip, James said, "Good. Now let's move to downward strikes.

[Ryuujin]

"Now downward strikes are harder to put strength into but when technique is learned they can be very powerful." James showed Ryuujin how to bring the ax in a circle pattern to get more momentum on it while using his other ax to guard. James even brought out a tree for Ryuujin to practice guarding and striking at the same time. Ryuujin was very tired after this lesson so James let him take a break.

After about 15 minutes James came over and threw two practice axes in Ryuujin's lap and said. "Time to see how well you've been paying attention." Then James walked down into the arena, which Ryuujin noticed was empty now, and took a fighting stance.

[Ryuujin]

Ryuujin stopped for a moment to make sure that he knew what James wanted him to do. "Fight him?" Ryuujin thought "He underestimates me." Ryuujin took his position in the circle. James raised his axes in front of him, and Ryuujin move to touch them with his axes. Then the battle began.

James opened with two swift strikes to Ryuujin head and torso. Ryuujin made sure to keep his eyes on James at all times and he blocked both strikes beautifully. Then in the same motion he brought he left ax around to swing at James' legs, but he kept his right hand ax steady, to defend another strike. James caught Ryuujin's ax in the crook of his own and swung it out and around, dangerously exposing Ryuujin's back. Ryuujin reacted quickly and used the momentum of the swing to duck and swing both of his axes at James' legs. James' jumped and dodged the first ax but the second caught his ankle and he fell backward. What happened next was totaly unexpected. Both of James' legs can up to meet Ryuujin jaw. After the Ryuujin saw James standing over him saying "Well fought."

[Ryuujin]

"What happened?" said Ryuujin. "Well I won for starters. You've been out for about a half hour." "What did I do wrong?" asked Ryuujin. This was something that Ryuujin was very bad at...losing. "Nothing, you did everything perfect. All you lacked was enough skill. I knew that you wouldn't beat me, you haven't been training long enough. But I fought you to teach you something?" "It better not be 'humans are better than Dracons'", thought Ryuujin. "I was trying to teach you how to chose your fights. Their will always be people that you cannot beat no matter how hard you fight. You need to learn how to spot them. Otherwise you will end up dead." "Or on the floor knocked out" said Ryuujin sarcastically. "Both are very dishonoring" said James. "Now, your done for the day. Go home."

Ryuujin thought about what James had told him. To Ryuujin it seemed very circumstantial. Only time would tell.

[Ryuujin]

Ryuujin walked to the academy a little slower the next day. The things that James had said had troubled him. Ryuujin thought that he had James figured for a little exocentric man who knew what he was doing, even if he was a bit whimsical. Ryuujin had never figured him for a very philosophical person.

eventually Ryuujin got to the training room and opened the door to James' Jovial face. "Your late. Hurry up we are going to review today." They began with sharpening and cleaning. James made Ryuujin teach him this time. Ryuujin walked through all the steps of choosing a good polish and proper sharpening technique. Then they move on to the trees and blocking. Ryuujin only got clothes lined twice. Then attacks, then both at the same time. Ryuujin was very tired by this time and thankfully took a cup of water when James handed it to him and said. "You did well but..."

[Ryuujin]

That one word made Ryuujin's heart sink. "...but I don't think that you have grasp the basic concept of the battle ax. You are too focused on the raw power of the weapon. You're missing the fact that any weapon is an art. It must be as if you are dancing to steps that you already know but must order them. That's what a weapon form is, taking something as chaotic as battle and ordering it in your own favor. Now that is all that we will do today, but I want you tonight to think about what an weapon form really is, and why you chose the ax."

Ryuujin nodded without a word. Then he rose from his chair and left without a word. He couldn't help but think that James was right. What was it that made him choose the ax...

[Ryuujin]

...well, he love the fact that it could cleave a mans skull. The power, the agility, the anger. The anger...that was it. There was an anger inside him, it showed itself at times. When he felt he was being mistreated. He would surge with energy. He could feel that it was an energy out of control. That was what he needed, to be able to control the energy inside him, to harness it and channel it to his fighting. He went home that night and tried his hardest to find his focus, then reach inside himself and find that anger.

[Ryuujin]

The next day Ryuujin came back to the with something different about him. James noticed the moment that Ryuujin came in, that he just carried himself differently. "Well son I hope that you are ready today." were James' first words. "I think I am ready sir." Then Ryuujin kicked up his heel and popped his right hand ax out of his belt and caught it. Then he did the same to the other, spun them each once, and said, "Actually, I'm sure that I'm ready."

"Well standing there showing off isn't going to get me to pass you. Come on let sharped those axes first, before we get started." They both went to the sharpening and cleaning table first and Ryuujin began to clean the axes until the could see himself in both of them. Then he moved to sharpen them and when he was done he took the axes and swung down at a corner of the table. It was cleaved clean off and Ryuujin said, "Yep, I think I'm done sharpening."