As he corrected my stance, i stood ready as we entered into a small bout of combat. The hard part I noticed about training for me at least, was that I was essentially a super powered toddler.
I was unable to hit him because his actual skills skill and I was able to hold on because of hacks. He could predict were I was going to swing and I could sense his movements. Also though I knew just enough about swords to know not to over extend myself to often.
Also most importantly he was going easy on me or at least thats what I thought. Eventually we stopped when a blade tapped me at neck.
"Alright, Milord I can see you have quite a few abilities bridging the gap between our skills levels, and I'm not match stat wise." He stated the obvious.
"However, I still noticed quite a few errors in your from sire" he continued, and what followed was him showing some things either I wasn't doing or shouldn't be doing. Firstly when I swung my lower body was a statue, unmoving which he said massively weakened my over all attack power. Secondly, I was under utilizing a part of my weapon, the tip, as he went on to explain the specific style of sword I was using that ranged in sizes from really long knifes all the way to my claymore had the advantage of both piercing and slashing attacks.
"Slashing is useful for wearing down a heavily armoured opponent or taking out a lightly armoured opponent, piercing is good for punching through armor or breaking someone's guard" he explained while miming a sword thrust.
"Also remember, a slash might hurt like hell but in most cases it won't directly kill something rather they'll die from blood loss or infection, piercing attacks only need roughly three inches inside an organic opponent to hit something of import" he explained then he went over an exercise where I pointed out parts of my body where I thought I could take a hit without it hurting something important.
"Nope, you humanoids have an artery roughly about their if I remember correctly, blood loss from there can massively weaken you during a fight" he stated, unlike before the system bleeding from an artery would kill you pretty quick the system made more of a weak point that weakened your body's ability to heal from other injuries.
"Alright sire the last focus we are going to be doing are the basic great or long sword guard stances, their is the mole stance, you keep your front foot pointing forward with your back leg back like so, now make to bend slightly forward and keep your pommel at the top of back leg and come across your front leg." He said while settling into that stance himself. Miming him, I did as said, the end result was a blade that stood like sentinel for my torso.
"The benefits of this stance is that it allows you to step forward into a powerful thrust attack or as you've no doubt noticed my liege is that protects a large portion of your body at the rest of this stance" he explained, before miming a series of attacks, like the aforementioned thrust attack. Wherein you step forward with your back foot and thrust into the center mass of the target.
"Now, your Majesty I ask that you duel me using the mole stance as your starting technique" he asked me out of formality.
"Of course Commander Darevellum" I replied to him.
Then we squared off, with me assuming the guard stance. He assumed a stance that was foreign to me, he left his sword in front of him but with the tip pointed down leaving all most his whole body unprotected.
With a step forward I prepared for a thrust center mass on the Lithoni making sure not to over commit to the attack. Sure enough he raised his sword using the leverage from below to blow my attack off target missing him. Stepping back I resumed my mole stance as he brought his sword back down onto me. Blocking the attack I saw as he switched the direction back up for another attack.
This time I shuffled back dodging his attack before whirling my blade into a sideways slash. Stepping back he also evaded my attack, resuming his guard stance.
We went back and forth before it ended with his blade levied at my neck.
"I believe I win my liege" he stated his voice empty of gloating he said before stepping back.
"What was that stance you used" I asked him wondering if that was the counter stance to my own or something off that nature.
"It's called the fools stance, as it make the wielder look like a fool and makes the opponent into one, as you saw by lowering the point of the sword you make yourself look inexperienced and foolish, this stance works best when your enemy doesn't know it and will fail you if you're not quick enough you'll be the fool" he explained the benefits and downsides of the stance.
"Alright I understand, or at least I think I do, the fools stance is to give a false impression of your skills and to lure your opponent to strike your exposed body.
"Yes exactly, now Ill use the mole stance, and you'll use the fools stance, as deception is only one benefit and won't always against all, okay your Majesty?" he asked me assuming the mole stance, his sword standing as a bulwark.
"Okay sounds good to me" I responded lowering my sword leaving my body exposed. Darevellum stepped forward attacking with an overhead slash. As his sword came down like a lighting strike. Raising my blade above my head blocking it before letting it slide off the side of my sword. Leveraging my superior speed I stepped into an attack at his exposed side. He was forced to dodge my attack, moving back I resumed my stance as he did the same.
He moved to attack first taking a less grandiose attack, a simple thrust. Deflecting the strike I didn't press the offensive like last time. He continued into a series of attacks which I blocked and dodged when I couldn't react fast enough. Eventually I made a mistake, rasing my sword to block a faint I felt a tap on my ribcage as he ducked under my swords and thrusted with his weapon.
"Better Sir, you recognized that the fools stance is block stance there's a reason why these are called guard stances, now the next stance I'm about to teach you is called the Roof Stance this is a primarily offensive stance" He explained, then he taught me the way to stand right and raise my sword to garner the most power. The Roof Stance consisted of a 'good offense make a great defense' approach. As you raise your sword above your head and bring it down using force and gravity to empower your attack.
"Okay looks like you got it down for now, I'll be using something called the Bear stance which I'll teach you next My Liege" he stated raising his sword, the tip slanted downward with the pommel resting at eye level. His statue like body bent slightly like a crescent moon.
Bringing my sword down he simply weaved around the attack forcing me quickly recover and putting me into a defensive position. He resumed his stance like a river his attacks flowing from trained stance to the next and lashing into and around my space. Raising my sword I took a risk leaving several parts of my body vulnerable, my strategy was to force him on the defensive. My attacks were not beautiful well trained salvos like Darevellum's were, no where close.
No my attack where brutal and neverending, my plan worked as he was pushed on the defensive unable to utilize the weak spots in my defense. He tried to break out of the barrage of attacks, unfortunately for him my stats were bridging the massive skill gap.
As I had him firmly on the back foot, going for another downwards slash he leaned to the side and brought his sword down lightly at my neck. A single mistake of overextending a slash had cost me the bout.
"Good, you're improving Sire, the stance I will teach you today is the Bear Stance it is named after the Cave Bear that inspired it, its a hybrid stance designed for a mix of defensive and offense capabilities" he taught me the fine details I hadn't picked up of the stance.
Then like before we battled he used the mole stance again. The way the blade angled downward offered protection whilst the position of the arms allowed for a powerful strike like a scorpions stinger.
Darevellum stayed defensive for majority of the bout only seizing the opportunity to strike when I made a mistake or committed to much to an attack.
The bout ended when I lightly tapped his stone head and I felt at the same a pole in the stomach.
"Alright one last spar before I have to return to overseeing training, unless you have any objections Your Majesty?" He asked out of politeness and to not make seem like he wielded authority over me which I didn't really have a problem with however it could cause issues with others. Ugh politics, or I guess it less so politics and moreso about being a leader over a faction.
"No its alright you have your duties" I said raising my sword above my head and into a 'roof' stance. My expertise was in attacking, in actual life or death combat where magic and system skills where used, being on the offensive and defensive changed rapidly.
I was already forming a strategy using what I learned to day for later and more costly fights.
My opponent assumed the Bear stance in response. With that the final bout, for now at least,. commenced. Around us I became aware of the Guards and a few others watching the spar.
Bringing my sword down into a smiteful blow to which like a cloud of smoke he evaded. The scared riddled commander response with a short series of thrusts that forced me back away from.
With a block to a sideways slash, I forced him back. Like a flick of switch the flow of combat switched as I went back on the offensive, pushing him around the area.
His movements made him like a leaf blown by the wind. I couldn't predict which direction we would dodge to, using unpredictable movements to bridge the gap between my agility and his.
He changed up the tempo of the fight by stepping into my guard after evading another one of my thrusts. At the proximity of us made far to close for him to make a full attack if still forced me to take steps back. Assuming the mole stance as he pressed the offensive. Moving back with sure strong steps making sure not unbalance myself when I blocked his attacks.
Remembered the last bout before this wherein he used this stance to pepper me with attacks and feints. I watched waiting but he was no novice in the art of swordplay leaving minute gaps that were useless to me.
Taking a chance I used a block to push him back making sure to bear down on him. He didn't have the strength to push me back nor could he afford to slide out and counterattack. Then in my peripheral I saw his front foot shift and like eel he slipped out of my sword lock.
Scrambling forward I felt swoosh of air pressed against my attack as Barely missed his retaliatory attack. Spinning back I faced him again, switching to the Fools stance.
The face of Darevellum never moved just the same impassive face. Rasing his sword into the Bear stance he readied himself. I awaited him to strike first, as the fool's stance excelled at defense and parring.
He advanced slowly, locking eyes with the cold marble eyes of the Guard Commander. Wait was his title guard commander, or was he just a training Sargent? eh, I would have to add it to the list.
Like a whip, he snapped into motion thrusting downwards. Responding by rasing the sword from the fools stance rest I blocked shifting my body before allowing the blade to slip off my blade bringing my blade down as He recovered thrusting upwards.