Highlander: Immortal Lives - Page 12

**Ginevra** · 08-19-2008, 06:48 PM

Noting his message, she tilted her head to the side in a slight shrug and faced back to Wade, content not to be torn, although she guessed that Matthias would not remain silent throughtout the lesson.

**Opunaya** · 08-25-2008, 05:54 AM

Wade could feel Matthias eyes burning on him, even though the older Immortal had taken to leaning against a nearby tree. With a mental sigh, the young man returned to his relaxed stance and turned to Matthias, sheathing his blade back into its holster. "You've got something to add, don't you?"

**Ristaron** · 08-25-2008, 10:27 PM

"If I did", Matthias answered, "I would have said it. Don't worry, I won't hesitate with my criticisms when they arise. So far you're doing well", he added as he saw Wade's features seem to grow cross. Flipping his own blade in his hands, Matthias recalled a time when he had been equally over-confident in his own abilities.

Byzantine Empire, near Constantinople, 779 A.D.
Matthias' spatha flashed side-to-side, and the ring of metal echoed over the hills. Kuro Arai's unique curved tachi met each swing in perfect timing to just give Matthias the idea that he had the attack before tearing the victory from his grasp. Vexed, the Samnite pressed the attack, watching his opponent's movements carefully. He tried to hide his smile as he realized what Kuro Arai was leading up to. The way he let his guard go higher with every stroke left a clear opening for a thrust. A clever man would take advantage of this and force his opponent onto steeped terrain to inhibit his ability to avoid the finishing move. As it happened, the ground began to rise a few feet behind Kuro Arai, and Matthias realized his fortune. Pressing forward and keeping his attacks high, Matthias timed it perfectly so that as his opponent's heel came upon the foot of the hill, he had knocked the man's sword aside with a vicious attack and pressed forward with a lunge. He was too shocked to react when the nimble asian fighter leaned just far enough to avoid the blade and grabbed his outstretched arm to throw him against the hill. The next moment found Kuro Arai's Dao at his neck.
"How d-" Matthias began.
"I anticipated your attack", Kuro Arai replied plainly, as if it had been no feat.
"I just invented that lunge technique-"
"Two centuries ago", the reply cut Matthias off. With a smile, Kuro Arai withdrew his blade and offered his hand.
"You're one of my best students, Matthias", he said, "a thousand years have tempered your skills, but you're still as overconfident as you were when I took you in".
"Being beaten endless times by a master doesn't really instill as much humility", Matthias admitted. Kuro smiled.
"I'm certainly good, Matthias", he said, "but I'm not the best. There are some against whom I could not go against, to be sure".
"I've a hard time imagining", Matthias admitted. Kuro merely clapped him on the shoulder and started back for the city.

For a time they walked in peaceful silence, enjoying each other's company. Over a century had passed since they had last seen each other, and their happy chance meeting in the streets of Constantinople had brought a tinge of nostalgia to their hearts. For the past week they had shared each other's company, catching up on the other's surprisingly busy lives. The longer they stayed together, however, the more aware Matthias became of a strange shadow that had fallen over his friend and former mentor. Deciding that the time was right to inquire, Matthias turned his brown eyes toward Kuro Arai.
"I can't help but notice that you've been more somber than usual", he said, "Since we've caught up on everything else, why don't you tell me what ails you?"
For a moment, Kuro seemed taken back by the statement, but he quickly realized that his attempts to hide his apprehension would not stand against the scrutiny of his good friend. As the man opened his mouth to explain, however, he found that the words would have been wasted given that the object of his fears was on hand. Both immortals stopped as they felt the unmistakable feeling of another immortal's presence. Up ahead, a figure stepped out from behind a copse of trees, his Celtic long sword propped on one shoulder.
"Do you remember how I told you how there were better fighters than I?" Kuro asked blandly. Matthias turned, horrified at the hopelessness of the tone.
"Surely you aren't going into this fight expecting to lose?" he demanded. Kuro Arai turned to him, fire in his ancient eyes.
"Never surrender, never give up", he quoted the mantra that he had taught to Matthias centuries earlier, "I will fight my best, but I hold no illusion that I can beat Xoros. He has tracked me from Chang'an to Constantinople to fight, and I have continued on, looking for the proper ground. I chose this place the day before I met you in the city, Matthias, knowing that it would be my final resting place". He turned and grabbed Matthias shoulder fiercely.
"Swear to me that you will flee this place", he said in a tone so intense it put Matthias on his heels. The Samnite grasped for words, but with a single look at the pained expression Kuro Arai wore he shut his mouth and simply nodded. The old immortal released Matthias' shoulder and started for the lone, waiting figure, never to return.

**Ginevra** · 08-26-2008, 07:23 PM

Léana stood there waiting for a moment and then in the quiet moment after Matthias stopped speaking, she started circling around Wade to catch his attention and get started, and taking her sword and swinging it down and to the side towards Wade, assuming he would counter and wanting to try doing something while circling.

**Opunaya** · 08-27-2008, 04:41 AM

"Finally, taking the initative!" Wade smiled as he easily sidestepped the downward swing of her sword, while unsheathing his blades.

"But...you're leaning in too much when you swing, taking too big of steps..." As he spoke, Wade moved his left arm up and gently laid the sharpened edge of his short-sword against the side of her neck as he placed his left foot onto the tip of her sword, shoving it into the ground. He kept his body perpendicular to Leana's, and stared her deeply in the eyes. "...Leaving yourself open for attack. Now, Matt over there or myself would have a few options at this point, he'd probably tell you, but...I'm not one to hold your hand through the lessons. So, what do you think your next move should be? Do you have the raw strength to throw me off your sword? Or is there another option avaliable to you? Think quickly."

**Ginevra** · 08-27-2008, 01:00 PM

Wade dodged her attack easily, and at that moment as he unsheathed his swords she realized guiltily that he hadn't had them out, and she also noticed that he had instinctively grabbed both. Wade reacted quickly, and as Léana tried to take into account the size of her steps as he mentioned it, her sword was coming around to her right side, headed back into position, when he stepped on it with his left foot, his left blade coming to rest on her neck.

As Wade was talking about why they were and something different between him and Matthias, Léana was trying to think. She wasn't going to bank on being able to force Wade off her sword although she thought it was possible. Could she maybe shove his foot off with her foot? And can't forget the blade not at her neck.

At that moment Wade finsihed with "Think quickly", and so she went with what was in her head. At the last moment she solved a conflict and grabbed her sword with her left hand, releasing it from her right simultaniously. With that hand free, she pulled it up from her center outwards, shoving at his left wrist with a cupped hand to remove his blade from her neck, moving her footing slightly to the right and a split second later bring her right foot back and sliding it down the end of her blade to his left foot which she kicked loose as she attempted to lift it out from under him.

The moment Léana's sword was free she shoved away Wade's left wrist and with a small toss from her left hand, caught her sword in her dominate hand, bringing it up to defend herself from the left where his other sword would come from and taking a step back to get some perspective on where Wade now stood.

**Opunaya** · 08-27-2008, 01:07 PM

"Not bad." Wade smiled again, recovering his stance instead of pressing his attack. "You need to move a little faster next time though. Don't give me a chance to recover! Attack again!" Wade lowered his stance, tensing his muscles ready. He flipped his right sword around against his forearm in its defensive position as he stretched his left arm and blade forward slightly. "Remember your stance and keep your balance though."

**Ginevra** · 08-27-2008, 11:58 PM

I had backed up because I didn't know where your second sword would be Léana retorted mentally. Staying where she was, Léana voiced another thought out loud. "Are you going to use two swords now? I thought we were starting with one a piece?"

She knew that when she was in a duel she would have to make due with the situations, but this was about foot work.

"Also, perhaps could we just do some attack and counter drills as we circle so that I can have a chance of focusing on my feet without losing focus?" Léana realized after she spoke that she started it, but she wanted to stop it as well, she'd rather learn some technique than try to fumble through a mock duel not knowing what she was doing.

**Opunaya** · 08-28-2008, 04:58 AM

"That's the exactly the point of this." Wade snapped back at his new pupil. "Like I said before, I'm not going to really hold your hand through this training, I'm going to pound it in to you. If you're taught intensely, then you'll be able to handle a real fight...I don't like the normal way of teaching anyway. If I show you one blocking technique, then you'll only know a single blocking technique; I'm training you to think about the concept behind the block so you can develop your own. Not only that, but if I show you how to take on someone capable of using two swords then you should be able to beat someone using one, right? A real fight isn't going to be just some fancy dance, it's going to be fast and brutal, you need your instincts honed and this is the fastest way for that. Don't worry, if you make a mis-step or shift your weight wrong, we'll pause and I'll correct you...this isn't going to be quite like the sizing-up sparring match Matt put us through. Now are you going to attack or am I?" The immortal thought for a moment, and then sighed. With a quick twist of his wrist, Wade spun his left blade around and shoved it back into its sheath.

"Fine, I'll cut you some slack, one sword to start with. Now, come on!"

**Ginevra** · 08-28-2008, 06:48 AM

Léana really didn't like his snarky attitude, and while she really hated being cut off, Wade had put one of his swords up - it's not like she wanted him to never use it, she had been using hers all of an hour or so - and she didn't think she was going to get any further ground from him.

With a slight glare in Wade's direction which she kept while she looked at his eyes, she lunged forward at him with a thrust, beginning to move counter-clockwise, preparing to make a diagonal swing when he countered.