Legend of Ransera

One more week. No more mistakes, no more liberties. Shuai was going to do everything he was instructed to and only those things his teacher instructed him to do before they parted the week before. Nothing more, nothing less and certainly nothing else. He did not think he had in in him to continue with those boring exercises for another week so why would he give that brutal and unforgiving man any excuse to do so? While he had also instructed Shuai to do something with the axe, it was still the same weap- tool. There was nothing different to the motions he had to do. As far as the young boy could tell there was nothing different in using it from the way he had been doing it since the last season so what was that 'new thing' his master said he would be learning by doing this? When he asked his father the man could only guess the obvious punishment handed down to Shuai was to teach him some humility because the only reason Shuai would try to learn how to use a weapon by himself before he was even allowed to was because of the boy's arrogance so if his father really had to say something against it, in all honesty he did not. Whatever the reason his teacher had, Youdu thought if it could teach his son some humility it could only help him maintain his health in the future. The man had seen many a duelist beaten and sometimes killed because they were too arrogant of their own abilities.

With his father not even the least bit worried about his son's progress in his martial arts or rather, was unwilling to interfere with the other man's methods of teaching his students, there wasp nothing else for Shuai to do other than to wait for his punishment to be over. Fortunately for him his teacher was as usual prompt to his appointment so Shuai did not have to continue in his punishments for any longer than that week. Or actually... If he was only to follow the instructions to the letter, would he have to continue in his punishments if his teacher did not show up or could he stop and, if not try out his own thing because that would be disobeying instructions like in how he had gotten stuck in this arduous week in the first place, just rest and relax? Resting too was an important part of training if he remembered what he was told by his teacher. What he could not remember though was what exactly his teacher said about the punishments and how long they were to continue, if they were supposed to continue for a week or continue until his teacher's next visit to the estate. This was a tough situation and not one of those fucked either way situations because his teacher would use any excuse to get at Shuai because of the grudge the boy thought his teacher had, but because doing the wrong thing would get him punished and he did not know what the wrong thing was, he did not know how to proceed.

Though despite all which had happened between them, Shuai did not doubt the good character of his teacher despite the man's rather harsh methods and as a testament to the man's good character as well, he had come to the Chisuo estate on the promised day. This was a good thing for his young student for many reasons. One, he could finally learn something else just as he wanted. Two, he would not have to wrack his head on what his instructions were. Finally, no more punishments! Shuai greeted his teacher wholly and warmly and invited him into the house with all the respect that ought to have been afforded to the older man as his mentor in the martial arts though the teacher was not to be fooled. He asked the enthusiastic boy if he had done his punis- practices as he had been instructed. Shuai answered in the affirmative on both counts, even adding that he had followed his instructions to the letter. Nothing more nothing less. Good then they could now proceed. But as a final joke on his young pupils expense, the teacher had Shuai perform the exercises, the tests one last time. If he had really been doing it over the past week, the past season, surely it would not be difficult for him.

Was that a trick question? Or maybe it was a warning to not be as perfect like the last time he went through these tests. Shuai could not be complete sure but he was not about to be caught a second time. First the sword and Shuai quickly went through the motions. Grasp the sword firmly at the hilt, lift it high above his head, brace himself and send it down all in one quick move. Did he? "You know I did" Shuai said in reply to being questioned on whether he had practiced it or not. His teacher knew because the boy did a poor job at hiding it, that his young student had been practicing it since the last season when it was first shown to him. Then the axe just as he was instructed too. Like he did it normally, both hands gripping hard on the handle, heaving the axe high over his head, keeping it still and then throwing it down under his own strength. The only difference now was that he had it land on the blunt side of it instead of the head. He looked to his teacher waiting for the explanation he was promised but it never came. So it was all just part of some twisted punishment? That cannot be. Waiting to see if his teacher would eventually remember about it on his own, Shuai finally fed up of waiting asked the man, "why did you make me train with hitting with the blunt side of the axe for a week?"

His teacher thought that Shuai would already have known because his young student was just too good in taking the initiative without any guidance of his teacher. Ha. Ha. Shuai was not amused and did not even want to dignify that with a proper answer and just shook his head in the negative to confirm to the man that no, he did not know anything about why he had to use the blunt side of the axe to hammer down for a week. Good, it could be another learning experience for the young boy and hopefully the last time he would have to handle the axe for quite a while. With two large watermelons prepared, his teacher told him to to strike down both with the axe. Once with the bladed edge and once with the blunt side. Shuai got right to it. If this was the last time he would do this he may as well make it the best performance. At the start, axe raised, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA" and then a splat. Watermelon juices all over the place as it got crushed very messily. Then the second time, again the axe was raised, "AAAAAAAAAA" with a swish. Two halves of the watermelon, a neat slice without signs of the violence inflicted on the watermelon. Now did he know? Yes, it was quite obvious to see. That was good as the teacher had planned for the rest of the day's lesson to be something along the lines. "Destroying watermelons?" No, not like that at all.

Shuai was then to suffer a lecture all about the weapon he was about to learn. The sword. It was a weapon with such history and until today was still used by everyone. It could stab, it could slash, it could block a strike and do many other things. Shuai was going to learn all of these because with the versatility of the sword, mastering it would mean he will be able to get whatever he wanted from whatever fight he was in. Take a gun, an increasingly popular weapon in recent days. Take a shot at someone with a gun and they will most likely die unless they were armored, something which was out of the control of the shooter. The sword on the other hand if one were good at using it? It opened up choices. Life and death of your opponent would be your choice as is choosing to maim them cripple them or leave them with superficial wounds so they can spread the news you were not to be messed with. While the first bits of the lecture had been boring for the young boy because, who actually gave a shit about history? It was the last parts of the lecture which got him really excited. That was exactly what he was talking about ever since he first bugged his father to let him learn how to fight.

Poor Youdu. The duelist did not expect his son to end up being taught in the fashion he wanted to avoid.

But it was too late now. The gift was unwrapped and there were no returns to the store. Shuai was shown a few basic moves when using the sword for him to learn. The slash, the stab, the block, the swing and the parry. "You mean you want me to try now?" Of course Shuai was not going to say no to that chance. Clumsily he tried his best to emulate the movements his teacher demonstrated to him earlier with the man correcting him earlier. When the boy slashed, his teacher solidly folded his hands at an angle for a sharper slash. Shuai was going to want to attack fast with this attack and with the least bits of movement. Then the stab. The boy had almost stumbled over himself the first time but his teacher had him move from the leg he had in the back and slide slides slide with the front before drawing his body close and lunging forward with the hind leg again. This was easy, whoops, and Shuai's legs got entangled with one another and he fell flat on his face. Not even his teacher was fast enough to catch the boy despite being so close but he assured his young student while he practiced over and over again until he was no longer at the risk of falling over himself To him, it would be best if Shuai could learn how to perform the stab properly as it was the most important move. A move taught to break through and pernitrate the armor.

Blocking and parrying? They were one and the same and Shuai was thought both at the same time along with the slight variations which would make the difference he needed to get his intended results. Like the other moves he had learned, he was going to have to do drills everyday but as his teacher said it was going to be hard for him to actually get good at it without a sparring partner and no, his teacher had no intention of being the boy's sparring partner. No need to make that face because he would not change his mind. But maybe next time he would get his students together to have them practice against one another although he hopes Shuai would spare him the embarrassment of his student tripping over himself when he does. Then finally the swing and its brother, the sweep. Both available choices to the boy depending on how he wanted to make his attack. Far? Wide? The only thing he needed to remember was, to keep an eye on his target and his surroundings.

Oh and one more, just because he had been so diligent in the week's worth of punis- practice."Oh what is it?" Shuai asked, always eager to learn although he doubted he would get it this time around since his head was overwhelmed with all the things he had learned and how he had done them wrong in every way already. His teacher put on a gauntlet, curious, then held the blade of the sword with the gauntlet. Even more curious. Then he explained that while using the sword Shuai might not have the option for a smash or a slash under normal circumstances like the axe, with a gauntlet he could break and pierce through solid surfaces by hitting with the hilt. Another way to crack through armor. Then he demonstrated with one of the big pillars nearby and successfully put a big hole into it. That was good and Shuai was really impressed with that move but one thing his teacher did not know is "we receive guests over there, a lot of people are going to see that hole and are not going to be happy." Opps, looks like that was going to be a secret shared between the master and pupil pair.