Day 1:

"Now that you have gotten a proper feeling on swinging your sword, we'll spend this week focusing on offense."

Eric lays out the schedule, his hands resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Works for me."

I lift my own sword and throw it on my shoulder.

A foolish mistake on my part as the sharp blade digs into my skin.

"Ah!"

The sudden pain forces me to drop the sword on the ground and i put my hand on the place it hit.

Thankfully i didn't put too much force into it but i can feel the warm blood on my hand.

"...Yeah, you shouldn't do that unless you have some armor over your shoulder. Swords are sharp, especially yours. I'll get Anna to heal it."

He takes a few steps before i stop him.

"No, It's fine. Let's continue."

There's already been too many interruptions today and i don't want to face Anna right now.

Eric opens his mouth, most likely to ask if i'm sure but decides against it.

"Hm, alright then. Today's and tomorrows topic will be sword forms and techniques. Stand next to me and after me."

I do as he says and stand next to him.

He assumes a stance and holds his sword in front of him and i do too.

"First, two downward diagonal strikes."

He slashes the air twice and i follow suit.

"Make sure the transition from the first strike to the second is fast and precise. You're vulnerable during the interval and a skilled opponent can use that moment to counter-attack, understand?"

"Yes!"

"Next, horizontal strikes!"

"Yes!"

I move a bit further away from him and widen my stance, then begin swinging from left to right and back to left.

"Keep your hands firmly on the handle or it will slide off!"

I tighten my grip on the handle, turning knuckles white.

"It's all in the wrist! Watch how i turn my wrist to change direction!"

I make a mental note and adjust accordingly.

"Upward strikes! Smooth swings! Come on, move your whole body!"

The constant swings are making my hands feel numb, and the wrist movements are hard to get used to.

"Now use everything you've learned and execute!"

He begins to strike from all directions at incredible speed.

Combinations, huh?

"Haa!"

I strike with everything i have, 'Offensive Stance' was all about power and speed, right!?

"Faster! Swing like your life depended on it!"

My teeth grind against each other and my arms feel like they're about to fall of.

"Now finish with a downward strike!"

I swing my sword behind me as far as it can go, preparing to strike down with all my might, but suddenly a memory flashes before my eyes.

Surrounded by white light, a black heavy bag in front of me.

Next to me stands Coach, watching me.

Yes, it's the day when Coach took me to his gym for the first time and taught me how to throw proper punch.

The power i felt when my fist connected with the heavy bag, i will never forget it.

And with this final strike, even if it's against air, i can feel it again.

"RAAH!"

Together with Eric, we strike down with extreme force, the tip of our swords almost touching the ground.

Mine was slightly faster than Eric's, but i could see a small patch of grass bend from the pressure, just before it was overwhelmed by Eric's more powerful strike.

"Huff, huff!"

We both drop our swords and pant heavily with sweat staining our shirts.

My hands are shaking and i can feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, it's been a long time since i felt this kind of excitement.

"That. Was. Awesome!"

I look at Eric with wide eyes and a toothy grin, my fists balled up.

His face visibly changes to that of a genuine surprise.

"He... he's smiling? A little creepy, but at least i got to see his smile for the first time."

I see his reaction and immediately cross my arms and look away.

"I-I mean this was a good lesson. I learned a lot."

He smiles a little.

"Glad to hear that, Alex. Come on, pick up your sword, the lesson isn't over yet."

Day 3:

"Faster! Move your legs!"

Eric commands loudly, his arms crossed.

"Hnng, haa!"

Strike slash!

Today i'm learning about striking while moving.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Right! Now left!"

I run forward, then turn right and left.

It's proving to be quite difficult and there's a few rules.

Firstly, it's hard to run while holding on to something, even if my sword is unnaturally light.

I also have to be extra careful about not letting the sharp blade hit me, i don't want a repeat of yesterday's incident.

The rules are that while I'm running forward, I'm only allowed to turn when Eric says so.

He's already made me almost crash into the shed or the big tree a few times.

Another rule is that i can't use the same move twice in a row.

Nothing i can't overcome.

"Stop! Three strikes!"

My foot slides across the grass and i swing three times.

"Keep moving! Now strike!"

"Raah!"

I stop again and swing to the side.

"Imagine your opponent in front of you! Any hesitation in your movement is an opportunity for him to to strike you!"

This is very similar to shadow-boxing, fighting against an imaginary opponent, something i've done a lot.

I stop again and close my eyes while holding my sword in front of me.

"What're you doing? Keep moving, Alex!"

Eric ponders and rubs the back of his head.

Steady breaths, an empty void around me, acting as a canvas.

Using my mind, i can draw the image of an opponent, but what can i use?

"Is he using a sword?"

I ask Eric, my eyes still closed.

"What're you talking about?"

"My opponent! Is he using a sword?"

"Y-Yes! Your opponent is using a sword!"

That leaves no options then, i'll have to use Eric as my opponent, but it would be preferable to use someone on my skill level, but i don't know anyone.

Starting from the bottom, i visualize Eric as a white silhouette in my mind, a rough sketch.

I don't have much information to work with other than his fight with Grem and yesterday's training, but it'll do for now.

I slowly open my eyes and still see his image in front of me.

It assumes his stance, so i spring towards it, ready to strike it with my sword.

"Left!"

Eric shouts and the image moves left, dodging my strike, but i continue rushing towards it.

"Right!"

Again it dodges, avoiding another strike effortlessly.

"Left, right, left!"

I perform a multi-strike combo, but i still can't get a hit in, the limitations of my small body evident.

But i won't let it discourage me.

Instead, i'm going to try harder.

One hit, i just want to hit the image once.

"Retreat! Imagine your opponent striking back!"

I step back, creating distance between me and the image.

This way i have more time to deduce it's next attack!

The image raises it's sword up high, then strikes for my head.

Hear it comes!

I duck under the blade, its side now wide open.

WAIT, SHI-!

The image already strikes again, slicing through my midsection.

"Tsk!"

The image doesn't relent, continuing to attack me without mercy.

Hand, leg, torso, no matter how much i try to dodge, the image's speed is too much for me, even if i manage to dodge one strike, another one immediately slices me.

Eric watches me, confused and a little impressed.

"It's as if he's actually fighting someone."

At this point he stops giving commands and observes me.

He sees my eyes focusing to a non-existent entity, which i on the other hand see clearly.

I duck under the image's sword again and try to use my position to strike its legs but it steps out of the way.

It stabs the sword towards the ground but i barely manage to roll away.

Just one hit, i have to find an opening!

I take a deep breath and dash towards it, closing the distance and it prepares to strike.

I spin on my foot, attempting to strike from the left.

The image answers with a one-handed downward strike, but just as it's about to connect, i change my direction.

It was a feint.

I spin again, using the momentum to strike from the right.

The image is already committed to its own attack, so it tries to step away.

As a last ditch effort, i jump towards it and swing my sword, managing to hit the image's left hand.

After the sword connects, the image fades away and i land on my stomach, exhausted.

The image wasn't a perfect depiction of Eric, but i feel triumphant.

Eric crosses his arms and smiles, satisfied with the productive lesson.

Day 6:

"In today's lesson, we'll be using this practice dummy."

Eric has set up a simple practice dummy made out of scrap wood in the backyard.

"It's not perfect but it'll do."

I'm sitting on the ground and he points at the dummy with a stick.

"When fighting an enemy with a sword, you should aim for these weak points for optimal damage. Starting with the major weak points: the neck, shoulders, midsection and the hips. Managing to strike or sever any of these locations will surely result in your opponent's incapacitation, or death."

I nod in understanding.

Attacking the weak points is also important in martial arts, information i know already.

"Next are the minor weak points, which are the elbows and knees. Hitting these areas will cause a lot of damage, but won't necessarily defeat your opponent completely. Finally, after these are the lesser weak points of the hands and feet. Not as much damage but still effective. Any questions?"

"Hmm, not really. I think i understood quite well, but does it really matter where i strike them, since It'll cause damage anyway?"

"It does actually. Sure, you can damage the flesh, but what do you think you're going to hit after that?"

"Bone?"

"Exactly. In order to Cut flesh, which is soft, requires a sharp blade, and should that sharp blade hit something hard like bone, it could chip and break the blade. Swords are meant for cutting, not breaking. That type of damage is meant for blunt weapons. Attacking the joints allows you to sever your opponent's limbs, as they contain tough, but much softer tissue."

"Uh huh, hadn't thought about that."

Eric squats down and picks up two wooden swords.

"I got these practice swords from a neighbor before he moved away due to the war. We'll use these on the dummy instead of real swords. Here, take this one."

He hands me one of the practice swords.

It's smaller than the other one, almost the same size as my own sword.

"I'll demonstrate by doing a simple, three hit combination on the major weak points."

Eric moves to stand in front of the dummy and takes a stance.

He takes a deep breath and raises his wooden sword up high, then swings it down on the dummy's right shoulder.

Then he changes his grip and swings upwards, striking the dummy's left armpit.

The wooden sword turns and swiftly strikes the dummy's neck.

"Hmm, impressive."

It looked rather cool, but i'm not going to show or tell him that.

"Eh, that was nothing. It's hard to perform a combination like that if you're opponent is somewhat competent. Now you try."

He steps aside and i move to stand in front of the dummy.

"Strike the weak points in any order you like. Just make sure your moves flow into each other smoothly. Any hiccups in your movement are opportunities for your opponent to attack."

I take a stance and look at all the weak spots.

This shouldn't be too different than striking with bare-hands.

A single strike aimed at both knees and finisher on the neck for starters so i can get a feel for this.

I take a deep breath and charge in, striking the dummy's knees from the right, then twist the wooden sword for a follow-up attack on the neck.

"How's that?"

"Hmm, could be better. Your strike hit too high on the second knee and your sword hit the dummy's shoulder before the neck. Try another one."

"Then, how about this?"

I slash across the dummy's midsection and then downwards on its right shoulder.

Eric crosses his arms.

"If that dummy was a real person, you would've hit it in the ribs, causing damage to your blade. Try again."

A triple slash across the dummy's left arm.

"You missed the elbow joint. Again."

Midsection to both knees and a finisher on the neck.

"You hesitated on the last strike. Again."

Both shoulders then the knees.

"Your flow wasn't smooth. Again."

I stop to frown at him briefly before continuing.

Right elbow to left wrist to midsection.

"Again."

I know i won't master the sword in a month, but he's starting to get on my nerves.

Has he even mastered swordsmanship himself?

He's suddenly so strict despite having been so concerned about me earlier.

Heh, he's starting to remind me of Coach, that old man kept scolding me no matter how strong i got, refused to be intimidated by me unlike so many others.

Left wrist to left hip joint.

"Again."

Both elbows to midsection.

"Again."

"Huff, huff..."

"Again."

It's dark, around midnight.

I'm still hitting the dummy.

Eric sits one the bench, his words ringing in my head.

He hasn't said anything other than "again", not even telling me if i did a strike correctly or what mistakes i did.

I'm about to hit my limit too.

This kind of intense training isn't new to me, in fact, most of the things he's taught me up to this point isn't new to me.

There are lots of similarities between bare-handed fighting and swordsmanship when it comes to the fundamentals, the only difference is that you're using a weapon in the latter.

"How much longer do i have to do this?"

I ask and swipe the sweat off my forehead.

"'till you get it right."

"Ugh..."

Neck to right elbow.

"Again."

Okay, that's it.

I don't want to hear him say that anymore, so i'm going to keep hitting the dummy until it breaks or i pass out.

I inhale deep, filling my lungs with air and exhale sharply, then unleash rapid strikes against the dummy.

"HAA!"

Slash, strike, cut, sever, i just keep attacking.

The wooden arms and legs strain and splinter under the onslaught, the sound of wood hitting against wood loud in the night.

The dummy's right arm and left leg break off and i bring both my foot and the wooden sword far behind me.

With a final, powerful strike, i strike at the dummy's neck, breaking it and sending the head flying up high.

It falls and lands on the ground at the same time as i do.

That last strike took everything i had and now i'm laying on the grass passed out.

Eric walks over to me and looks at the dummy.

"The objective wasn't about performing perfect strikes, but to ingrain the weak points of the body into your mind. As long as you know that, you'll master the sword."

He picks me up and takes me inside, bringing me to the quest bedroom where my mattress is and lays me down.