They split up, each taking a section of the room to search through. Alice felt a surge of excitement as she ran her fingers over the spines of ancient texts, her eyes scanning for the specific document they needed.
Finally, it was Thompson who called out, "Found something!" He was holding a leather-bound tome, its cover embossed with the symbol of the Sword Temple.
Gathering around a large table, they carefully opened the tome.
Alice's eyes widened as she absorbed the information, her mind racing with the possibilities. "This... this is more than I hoped for," she breathed, looking up at Elias and Thompson with gratitude and renewed determination.
Elias placed a hand on her shoulder, a faint smile on his face. "Now, let's make sure this knowledge isn't lost again. And let's prepare you to wield the final sword form."
Alice grabbed the tome from his hands and opened it up. Inside the tome were lines of text detailing information about the Sword Temple as a whole. She flipped through the pages quickly until she saw the diagrams. These pages were going over the sword forms visually with some accompanying text. Elias and Alice went over the tome and took it all in.
Thompson was less interested in the tome and didn’t want to crowd so he stayed away. He walked around the room looking at the well-structured shelves of books and walls of scrolls. The shelves were marked and sorted according to the type of knowledge they held. Some were additional information on swordsmanship, the standards of duels, and how to smith the perfect blade. Others were on the history of the kingdom and each of the major cities. He skimmed the titles with interest.
Some of the information had been copied and was circling the noble’s libraries in the capital while some was more obscure. They were meant for members of the Sword Temple only. The sword forms were an example. What drew his eye was a small corner of the small library on former prophecies and documents recounting former times when the scourge of corruption had risen.
While Thompson continued to read over the old texts, Elias and Alice moved upstairs. They found an open-air courtyard to start practicing. While Elias had walked around the temple, Thompson had moved the horses to this area where they rested and watched. Elias kept the book in hand while looking it over one last time before setting it on a nearby rock.
“This will probably take a few days to perfect. Even longer to properly apply to combat,” said Elias as he drew his sword. “We don’t have an instructor to tell us when we get it wrong. I hope that in learning the final form alongside you it will be easier to learn. We will be able to point out our mistakes. Understand the truth of the move together and share our comprehension. You should be able to perform the single move perfectly before we continue. Preferably you will be able to incorporate it into the greater whole of moves that you know.”
Alice picked up the book as Elias showed off the move. “This one is known as the 'Dance of the Dragon.' It's a series of fluid, continuous movements, like a dragon soaring through the clouds."
Alice watched intently as Elias demonstrated the form. His movements were smooth and practiced as his time practicing would suggest, but the flow between the greater whole was stilted. While he kept a good pace and held his sword like the pictures displayed, something wasn’t clicking.
"That was an interesting display," Alice said "It was not a dragon, however. Maybe a hawk at best.”
Elias sheathed his sword. "Thank you, Alice. The Dance of the Dragon was not. That was not exactly as I remember seeing it and nor did it feel like the other sword forms. I think I followed the pictures to an adequate degree, but the flow was off. There is work to be done.”
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“I guess I will give it a try next and see if I can do any better on the movements.”
Alice took up the spot in the courtyard while Elias took over Alice’s seat. She drew her sword and adjusted her feet. It took a minute for her to get settled before she started. The blade spun in a calculated arc and Alice kept her focus on bringing the motion together from piece to piece. It wasn’t complete, however. Even as she brought the final part of the movements together, she knew it wasn’t done correctly.
“I’m not sure if that was much better or worse than my attempt. It seems that you know part of what you did wrong though,” said Elias.
“I know it, but I don’t know if I can fix it,” said Alice. “Maybe with Sword Breath, I can keep the sword and the rest of my body in sync.”
“It is worth a shot. Maybe adding Sword Breath will help you make the right connections. However, you should be able to follow the guide without it eventually. It shouldn’t be a crutch for you to lean on. Instead, it should be an extension of yourself and your innate abilities.”
Alice prepared to start again and focused on the Sword Breath within her. Her sword glowed softly as the power suffused her entire body. She kept the images and descriptions in mind as she made her way through the steps. The grip on her sword faltered and she stopped herself halfway through. The sword was left at her side.
“It is not right. Even as I follow the steps. Let me see the book again.”
Elias handed off the book to her. She read and then reread the passage while paying particular attention to the diagrams. “There has got to be something missing. Maybe I’m not seeing these images correctly. Or a page I skipped over explaining the flow between everything.”
Alice flipped passed the sword forms to the back pages of the book. Elias had already scanned them. They held accounts and personal understanding of the moves as a whole, told by the original sword masters and their disciples. He considered that perhaps what they were looking for was in the book.
“We can also try looking through the rest of the library. There is so much more documented that we can read through. Some of it may help deepen our understanding of the moves. Also, we should consider the time and the day we’ve had,” said Elias with a sigh. “I’m tired and you are as well. I can see it in your eyes. We will rest up and resume this tomorrow with refreshed minds and bodies.”
“I can see your point,” she said. The book closed in her hands. “Tomorrow in the morning. You will join me, and we will figure this out.” Elias nodded in response.
Alice, her muscles aching from the intense training and deciphering of the cryptic tome, struggled with the intricate movements of the final sword form. Each day, under Elias's patient guidance, she repeated the motions, her body slowly memorizing the rhythm and flow of the ancient technique. The physical exertion was only a part of her challenge; internally, Alice wrestled with self-doubt and the weight of the responsibility that came with mastering this final form.
Elias, recognizing her struggle, decided to change their routine. "Let's take a break from the physical training," he suggested one morning. "There's more to mastering the sword than just movements."
Intrigued, Alice followed him to the library where they first found the tome. Together, they poured over texts about the history of their kingdom and the legendary heroes who wielded the sword forms before her. These stories were not just tales of battles and glory but also lessons in strategy, leadership, and moral fortitude. As they read, Elias shared his insights, linking the stories to the sword forms and how each movement was developed not just for combat but as a continuing legacy of people.
In the evenings, they practiced the sword forms together, Elias no longer just instructing but also demonstrating and participating. He did it in part because he wanted to present himself as a strong mentor for Alice. Another part of him wanted to learn it because he had never gotten the chance to learn it under the tutelage of Sir Callum. It was a slow process of learning. They each had to rely on their trained intuition to perfect the moves and follow them as instructed. They no longer had a master to teach them or fix their mistakes. As they moved in unison, Alice felt a change in her approach to the form. It was no longer a series of physical movements but a dance of history, honor, and a deeper understanding of her role in the ongoing tales of their world.
At times Thompson joined them in the evenings for reading and discussed with them his interesting findings of the day. He spent some time assembling the last of his crossbow bolts but didn’t practice firing any. Instead, he continued to focus on reading and learning.