You know, when one thinks of sword training, the elegance of iaido or the rough art of the barbarians would spring to mind. Not the battle between a human and kijin, a fight that seems to cause the earth great pain as we began to gouge out pieces of it in large quantities. It has been two days since I started training and I could now barely since his presence after becoming aware of fighting spirit.
When I mentioned it to Hakuro, he laughed as he said "You finally discovered it!" he shouted as I began to learn the basics. It involved essentially using ones aura to cause effects like flying slashes, and if you mix in magical energy, swords which ignite in flame, the dream of every fantasy reader everywhere, even if impractical.
"Your getting the hang of it" said Hakuro as I was reflecting his attacks a milisecond faster than normal. "I thank you for the praise" I said in return as I struck, mixing in my fighting spirit as Hakuro done the same. It was quite exilirating to fight someone like Hakuro, getting my blood pumping and flowing to my muscles causing immense power and damage. My muscles were like spring-loaded weapos that were coiled and shot continously, a nice and full tension on my muscles being felt.
My sword began to channel my fighting spirit, the edge becoming full and inundated by its enormity. My grip tightened on the blade as I struck forth, and a shimmering glare was sent forth, causing holes in the earth and it seemed to make the very air vibrate with a soft and shimmering hum. Hakuro was seemingly unfazed as he brought out his blade and dispersed my glare as he sent forth a slash using the dull side of the blade.
I felt the impact hit my side as I was sent flying. Of course the damage wasn't too severe as I concentrated most of my aura on that spot, lessening the outlook of a grim future. Of course, I could have activated the vaults absolute defense system, but would that really be training if I did. Plus, I might increase my senses if I keep it off.
"You know, I didn't think I would enjoy seeing you get up" giggled Selena as I shot her a glare, which apparently caused me some weird looks. "You know, I wonder whose side your on sometimes" I said to her as she immediately answered back with "Your side". I shook my head as I already knew that, even if her attitude made me doubt it.
"You ready for another round?" asked Hakuro as I readied my sword and we went at it again.
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"You know Shuna, I wanna explore the village" I said to my magic teacher as I was learning barrier formation and illusion. Shuna looked at me as she nodded and began to lead me along. "Well, what do you wanna see?" asked Shuna as she strode along in her Miko outfit. "Well, do you have any religious structures, any buildings with cultural signifigance?" I asked her as she took a sharp turn and we were in front of a shrine. Not as big as the Ise grand shrine, but it was decent in size.
In the center was a shrine sitting upon a pedestal surrounded by shimenawa rope and talismans and offerings are hung at the altar surrounding it. "Who is it?" I asked her as she uttered the name "Enki". "This is a shrine to our primal ancestors, the gods of the ogre race who is said to descend from fairies" said Shuna.
The statue wasn't bad to look at, of course the carving made the Enki look more divine than like a traditional oni. The group wore robes and armor that seemed befitting a traditional japanese aesthetic. Of course, there was one who stood taller than the rest, a man who seemed to be cloacked in ceremonial wear that would almost denote shinto priest hood besides a few modifications.
"We perform rituals here for harvest and what not, and offer food and stuff during festivals to honour our ancestors" said Shuna as she led me away to a part of the village that seemed dedicated to the crafts. "This here is where most of our crafting takes place. Of course, the most notable being the craftsman known as Enji" said Shuna as the person named waved at us.
"Then there's the chiefs house, where me and my brother lives as prince and princess" said Shuna. "Seems small" I said to her as she looked at me. "Well, our people surely aren't that big to need a city, especially as we mainly are self-sufficient" said Shuna. "Fair enough, what do you do for fun?" I asked her as she looked at me with a questioning look. "Like for a hobby?" asked Shuna as I nodded in her direction.
"Well, I do enjoy weaving, and I do like music" said Shuna as she led me back to our training area, seemingly bringing our tour to the end. "So, is that all?" I asked her as she looked confused about it. "I guess, I don't know what else to show you" said Shuna as she was showing me how to form a barrier. It was a constant step we always did, teaching me new variations like the barrier which seems to nullify magical phenomenon.
"Well, there has to be more to do than just weaving or dancing, no?" I asked her as her barrier shuddered and broke. "I...don't know" she said with a bit of a nervous stammer. Her cheeks were somewhat red, as if she was embarrassed at herself for her lack of activity. "Well, would you want to hang out sometime, I always have time to do something" I said to her in invetation.
She seemed to be mulling it over as Hakuro came over. "Oh, hope your doing good in barrier techniques" said Hakuro as he beared a smile. His grin was seemingly true and genuine and the gleam of silver that could be made out on his sword was aptly appropiate for him. "Yeah, better than I usually do" I said to him as he laughed.
"Well, we might as well put it too use" said Hakuro as he headed over to our usual spot. I looked over at Shuna who seemed enthralled at something as I was about to leave as she grabbed my arm with a delicate hand. It was soft but it was surprisingly full of strength beneath it. "I...wouldn't mind hanging out with you" she whispered as I smiled at her as I left for training.
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"You know, I wonder something" said Selena as I headed home. "What is it?" I asked her as I heard what seemed to be her equivalent of a sigh. "Shuna, her responses seemed to indicate something deeper" said Selena. I looked at her as she materialized into the bar. "You think she is infatuated with me?" I asked her as she nodded.
"Yeah, I mean look at how she acted around you. You can't seriously be blind to stuff like that" said Selena as I rolled my eyes. "Even if I noticed, there is no reason to assume the feelings are for me. What if she was thinking of someone else?" I asked her as she looked at me like I was something stupid. "Idiot, your the only male she interacts with besides her family, who else would she have feelings for?" she asked me in a manner that seemed it rhetorical.
"Well, even then one shouldn't assume, though with your spot-on analytical capability, there is no way it wasn't me she was thinking of" I said as I began to head up towards my living quarters. I opened the door and made my way towards the sprawling complex that seemed to be my house.
I of course began a ritual that seemed to become daily habit. Put the refining liquid into the pools, but this time add in some special herbs like the herb of immortality. This will help refine my strength and body, increasing my longevity. I soaked for an hour, the water hot and steamy and I got dressed in pajamas that were made from light velvet fabric that seemed so soft to the touch it could cause jealousy.
I sat sprawled in my room in the complex, wondering where I would be able to take her out to hang out, or a date if what Selena said was right about her feelings. As I began to mull it over, I had decided to put it in Selenas hands to chose for us a world where we could go out and enjoy ourselves in our full splendor.
"I wonder, will it blossom into something more" I muttered as I was reading a book I picked up out of the vault, a book which was fantasy called Wheel of Time. "Interesting" I thought as I began to turn the page.
[A/N: I wonder where this will lead? I mean, I kinda have an idea but I don't know how to handle it. Anyhow, I took a break for a little to not burn out and posted another work called Infinity Hotel, which you should read. Anyhow, enjoy]