The Legacy of Perfection (Kalenel)

[Faust D'Rinishad]

Month of Junctior in the Season of Autumn, Era XIV

The Fitness and Bones Training Facility, notorious throughout Vortex for its ruthless instructors, nevertheless remained iconic of the city’s strength. Having pumped out more seasoned warriors in a year than some institutions did in a decade, the establishment was the pride of the necromantic city. In recent times business had been increasing. With the recent orcish incursion that had taken the Ariumite realm by night, many had enrolled in the Fitness and Bones to learn the ways of the warrior.

And some of these, Faust D’Rinishad among several others, oftentimes returned to help Markener and Zackner Gaveth, the overseers of the institution, to train eager and ambitious individuals.

The Vysstichi Prince stood amidst the vacant training room. His ebony feet, uncovered by their traditional boots, left fleeing indentations upon the sponge-layered floor as he twisted in graceful rotations. The dark elf’s ebony hands, bedecked in ardentium gloves, clenched fine long swords that he maneuvered in intricate blurs of motion. His body moved like a seamless whirlwind, adamantite and elven steel catching the room’s candlelight and flashing vibrantly as their edges hissed throughout the room.

Having arrived earlier to warm-up, the Prince of Har’oloth continued with the complicated routine, one wrist spinning over the other in a back and forth routine to perpetuate his deadly dance. His student would be arriving shortly.

[Kalenel D'Rinishad]

It had been long since Kalenel had seen his trainer Faust since he arrived back from his own, personal travels. Thus, as he entered the training facility in light workout clothes, a smile shown upon his visage.

"Serale brother, how do you fare?" Kalenel asked as he extended his arm to clasp Faust's hand.

After exhanging the normal greetings, Kalenel preceded to stretch his fresh body to begin his training.

ooc: sorry for the long absence, let's get this started.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

As if sensing his comrade’s presence, the Vysstichi Prince sheathed both long swords simultaneously at his sides and then spun around to face the entrance. His obsidian visage softened at the sight of his brother in House D’Rinishad, one of the latest additions to the warrior family. Kalenel had, like Areka, come from a war-torn family, and perhaps it was for this reason that the Prince of House Vaimai’tai had become valuable and trusted as a brother-in-arms as well.

“Welcome, Kalenel. It has been much too long,” Faust responded, extending a gloved hand to firmly clasp Kalenel’s own. “I have been faring well, though admittedly last month was more hectic than I’d planned.” He continued, chuckling candidly as he considered the earlier events in Autumn. His trip to Jaedaxia had, to some degree, been one of the more memorable of his latest endeavors –and a bloodier one as well.

“And what of you? I haven’t seen you since our trip to Centripax…”

[Kalenel D'Rinishad]

"I have fared well Faust, I travelled to the far east of the Empire," Kalenel said with a smirk waiting to show itself. He had a great amount of fun on his travels, and met some rather interesting characters. "Perhaps we can sit and drink and recount our travels to eachother," Kalenel said as he drew his blades, "I believe we have buisness to attend to now."

Ever since the two parted ways, Kalenel had been anxious to have more training imparted to him by the wise Faust. With a smirk, he nodded for Faust to draw his blades also.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

A familiar grin flashed across the dark elf’s lips as Kalenel’s blades caught the light of the room, reflecting it haphazardly along the walls and the ceiling. Analyzing them with a cursory glance, Faust’s head dipped approvingly as both Blood Winter and Soulseeker appeared in his hands, the Prince’s most trusted weapons.

“You’re right,” the dark elf responded with a chuckle, clearly amused by Kalenel’s forwardness. Despite his limited experience, the second youngest member of House D’Rinishad was becoming a fine swordsman – his demonstrated prowess in Acumin testified to that. “Words can wait. Let us do what we came to do.”

Allowing his blades to fall languidly to his sides, the dark elf nodded for Kalenel to initiate the duel. Of course, Faust’s seemingly lethargic posture was his trademark stance, and it was one that Kalenel himself knew quite well by now.

And by the end of their training session together, the young D’Rinishad would be able to hold his own against most opponents. Faust would make sure of it.

[Kalenel D'Rinishad]

Grinning at the fact that the two shared a similar mindset, Kalenel dropped into his ready stance with a slow, measured ease. Drawing out his black elven steel longswords, the young warrior began taking steady steps around his opponent. It had been long since Kalenel crossed blades with his mentor, and any mishap would result in a lesson which would likely involve pain.

Within a moments notice, Kalenel snapped out both of his blades. They would seek Faust's midsection with two short thrusts each. The young warrior kept in mind to draw back his blades quickly in case Faust countered, which would likely happen. Kalenel was fast with his blades, but Faust was much, much faster.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

Despite Kalenel’s limited experience as a swordsman, the Prince of Har’oloth was pleased by his protégé’s progression. His foresight was sharper than most swords, and it was a weapon that most opponents were incapable of developing a counter to. If there was one thing that the Vysstichi Prince desired for Kalenel to learn, it was that positioning and balance were imperative for victory. Sure, flamboyancy and flair had their places in the combative realm, but they could only be executed –successfully- by those with the wit and the wisdom to perform these maneuvers at the proper moments.

Kalenel’s inclination to favor control of his swords over striking his teacher proved to be intelligible for Faust’s own blades snapped upwards in a blur of motion, batting aside Kalenel’s as if they were willows being thrown by the wind. It was true that the older prince was faster than anyone Kalenel had fought before, but Kalenel was neither a fool nor a novice in sword fighting. He’d learned from one of the best.

“Those are some fine blades, my friend,” Faust kindly remarked, smiling cordially as he proceeded to circle his student. If Kalenel were to rotate to keep Faust in front of him, he would realize that the maneuver was one that the Vysstichi Lord utilized quite often. Strangely, though, the older D’Rinishad’s swords were held in a peculiar ‘X’-shape in front of him. “Judging from the way you’re holding them, I’d say that you’ve used them quite often. But have you learned anything from those encounters? Can a warrior even learn from those he or she defeats –or rather, loses to?” the dark elf’s shoulders bounced in a shrug, and it was obvious that he was merely coercing Kalenel to consider his words and not come to any definite conclusions. In any case, it was self-evident that it was Kalenel's turn to make the next move.

[Kalenel D'Rinishad]

Bringing his blades back to the ready, Kalenel positioned his body to stay in front of the circling Faust. "I have learned few things, but I dare say that I learn ten-fold that in lessons with you," he said without changing his stone visage. Allowing only a moment for the comment to rest upon the mind of Faust, Kalenel dashed foward and brought his right blade down for a horizontal slash across the chest of Faust. Within a single moment of the completion of that attack, Kalenel would attemt to snake his left blade in for a pin point thrust to the ribs of Faust.

Each attack would allow Kalenel to have his other blade at the ready, but whether that was enought would soon be found out.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

Faust grinned at Kalenel’s honesty, something that the Prince of Har’oloth appreciated the more he interacted with the younger D’Rinishad. Unlike many other aspiring warriors, Kalenel was not inhibited by pride, and he was not afraid to acknowledge that there was a great deal left for him to learn. And perhaps it was because of his willingness to learn that he’d come so far already. It was self-evident that he’d practiced fervently throughout their time apart.

He would only get better as time progressed.

Twirling Soulseeker upright, Faust parried Kalenel’s initial strike, redirecting the young dark elf’s sword to the side even as his consecutive attack poked in towards the Prince’s ribs. “Impressive!” Faust remarked, barely turning Blood Winter over and across Kalenel’s second sword in time to push it low and out of harm’s way. Because of Kalenel’s prudence in keeping his swords at the ready, the Vysstichi Lord was unable to roll his blades over Kalenel’s own to counterattack him.

Disengaging from the fray, the dark elf smiled; Kalenel would recognize it as Faust’s commendation. Without warning, the Vysstichi Prince blasted forward, delivering a double thrust at Kalenel’s chest, both of his fine long swords whistling through the air as they threatened to impale Kalenel.

[Kalenel D'Rinishad]

Kalenel's mind told him to disengage along with Faust, almost letting his guard down when his mentor stepped back. Yet instinct told him otherwise as he readied himself for a counter as the swordsman dashed towards him with amazing quickness. With both blades, the young warrior hoped to parry Faust blades away to his left. All the while he hoped this would open up Faust defenses for Kalenel's counterattack.

The counter would be a simple one, with Kalenel delivering a swift kick from his back right leg as Faust's swords presumably went in the other direction. Whatever the outcome, Kalenel knew it best to bring his blades back to the ready.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

It was fortunate that Kalenel acted as he did for there was no room for error against Har’oloth’s famed Weapons Master. Faust’s swords sailed dangerously close at Kalenel, nearly nicking the younger dark elf’s chest. Kalenel, however, had acquired a decent amount of experience over the previous months, and he would not fall prey to such a simple (yet deadly) tactic.

Timing his double parry precisely, Kalenel’s swords knocked Faust’s to the side, momentarily diverting the Prince’s equilibrium and throwing him off balance –or at least, that appeared to be the case. And Kalenel’s ploy proved effective, too, for there was no way for Faust to maneuver from his student’s hastily approaching kick.

Bracing his leg, the Vysstichi Prince instinctively turned his knee to meet Kalenel’s foot head on, a decision that allowed him to absorb a great deal of Kalenel’s kick. “Good!” the dark elf complimented, his flashing grin indicating that he was proud of Kalenel’s resourcefulness. Twisting his swords upright, Faust launched a low cut at Kalanel’s knees, shortly followed by a forward thrust that would surely impale the young dark elf if he did not act quickly.

OOC:Yikes, next time prod me if i take this long to post! lol sorry!

[Kalenel D'Rinishad]

Seeing the counter attack coming swiftly at him, Kalenel quickly found his correct footing again as he moved to parry. He would attempt to bat away the blades of Faust with his own, and then send his own attack at his mentor. A swift thrust with both swords, Kalenel thought, would work well.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

Kalenel’s swords screeched against Faust’s, churning forth a spray of sparks that sizzled into the air around the two swordsmen. Kalenel was growing faster by the minute, and with every swing, he grew stronger. Of course his mentor was duly aware of this throughout the session, but he withheld any conclusions just yet. Unbeknownst to Kalenel, their training had already begun. This was no mere spar; it was a gauge to determine how much and what specifically to teach Kalenel.

Forcing Faust’s blades to the side, Kalenel’s opening was clear: drive both of his swords at his opponent’s unprotected torso.

The double-thrust was an excellent offensive tool, not only because it could end a fight immediately, but also because there were few ways to avoid contending with it directly. One could evade, of course, but other than that, there were a limited number of parries. Arguably the best of these, however, was the cross parry.

Faust’s swords formed an ‘X’ in front of him, catching Kalenel’s swords on the upper half and driving them upwards until their hilts connected; they were in a stalemate, it seemed.

“A fine attempt, but what will you do now?” the dark elf seriously asked. His tone was neither mocking nor condemning, only meant to lead Kalenel in the right direction.

[Kalenel D'Rinishad]

Deciding to answer in action rather than words, Kalenel quickly hopped away from the stalemate with his swords on the guard. Faust was stronger than Kalenel, and the young warrior thought it best not to test his strength against his mentor.

Narrowing his eyes in focus, Kalenel prepared himself for the next exhange. Stepping in with his right leg, Kalenel would attempt to snake in his front right sword in with a quick thrust as his left sword cut in with a wide slash.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

Kalenel’s decision to retreat, although unexpected, was prudent. Faust had intended to elicit a lesson on balance from the stalemate, but the younger D’Rinishad had wisely disengaged before that lesson could manifest itself. Adopting an equivocal grin, the Vysstichi Lord nodded faintly to his pupil. “Too many people in this world view retreat as cowardly. You and I, however, know better, don’t we Kalenel?” Faust asked. He lowered his blades in front of him. “As I have said countless times before, every jab, every thrust, everything…must have a purpose. If your decision does not lead to two steps ahead of the present moment, then do what you have done now and return to a neutral position. It is always better to retreat and to plot for another minute than to worry about not having that minute any longer.”

Chain-fighting, as it was called, was an invaluable tool. Vysstichi tended to excel at it, too, for their minds were not inhibited by short life-spans. Whereas humans and other short-lived creatures valued living in the moment, elves were blessed with greater foresight. A single slash, for example, could pave the way for a judiciously aligned crossbow shot to an opponent’s eye. Sometimes such a devious tactic only required a single feint. Kalenel would learn the value of chain-fighting in time.

The young D’Rinishad’s reinitiated charge was met head on. Faust twisted to Kalenel’s right, keeping Kalenel’s right-hand sword at bay and as an impediment to his crossing left blade. “Good! Keep going!” Faust urged the young swordsman on. Meanwhile, the older D’Rinishad slapped Kalenel’s right sword from below, sending its tip veering upwards while his other sword, Blood Winter stabbed downwards at Kalenel’s exposed right thigh.