|
Kalenel’s wild swing was easy to detect, and the Prince of Har’oloth merely back-stepped to avoid the range of the swipe. He could easily have batted away the former thief’s attack, but there was purpose behind the Vysstichi Lord’s decision. It was true that he was here to teach Kalenel the way of the sword, but it was an art that required more than using one’s blades alone.
The momentum of Kalenel’s swing would cause him to overexert himself, making him lean too far forward and subsequently compromise his equilibrium. To subtly warn Kalenel of this grave error, the Prince of Har’oloth spun towards Kalenel’s backside, meanwhile swatting him lightly in the back of the knee with the flat side of his long sword. “First lesson…” Faust began as he deftly came to a standstill two meters behind Kalenel.
“Balance is everything, my friend. Your legs, your arms, your torso, your head, your back…all of these must be in harmony with one another. Surrender one and you may surrender your victory. Never forget that.” He finished, briefly tilting his head forward which resulted in several strands of silver teetering over his shoulder and bouncing against the front of his chest.
“And this is precisely why a flawless stance is imperative.” To emphasize his point, the dark elf returned to his previous position, legs spread apart with the right foot an inch or so in front of the left. Both of the dark elf’s swords were held low near the ground. “Your stance is your base of operations, the control center for every jab, slash, parry, and block that you will ever perform. Failure to have a good stance will result in failure to accomplish very much at all. You must learn to keep your balance in all situations.”
Without warning, the dark elf dashed forward, left sword rising gracefully and scything out at Kalenel’s right hip. Faust’s right sword, however, leaped up high and chopped downwards at Kalenel’s left shoulder. The cohesion of these two attacks which, admittedly, was quite advanced, would nevertheless position Kalenel in a very awkward dilemma as it made evasion quite difficult.
|