ULTRAMagic Interlude BC - Chapter 26
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Vilho stroked his beard as Ekaterina finished up her story. “Well now, all of that is quite the tale, young lady. And I suppose you can’t just ignore your abilities in favor of being an artist?”
She shook her head. “Sadly it’s a bit of an instinct at this point.”
“I see. You have my sympathy. Now normally I don’t work in pity, but I could teach both of you some useful tips. Don’t mistake my courtesy, however. You two lack the discipline to become my students at the moment.”
Vlastimir slightly tilted his head. “How can you tell, Master Vilho?”
“It’s in your voices and mannerisms. You two are reluctant swordsmen, wanting a simple life. Being observant is how you tell students from fools. And I mean that in a charitable way. Of course I can’t just ignore your plights, also considering that Rose went out of her way to bring you two here.”
Rose nodded. “Another thing to consider is that a man who does not know how to wield a sword can be just as dangerous as an adversary who does.”
“Now that I think about it, I remember Gostislav saying something similar,” Vlastimir recalled.
Vilho got up with the others following suit. “Let’s not waste any more time. Come with me…” He led the three to another hall with tools, training gear, and practice weapons. Vilho snapped his fingers, causing all of the sconces in the room to light up with crackling fire. “Pardon the mess, we haven’t had students here in a long time.”
“Master, what was that you taught us about having a clean house again?” Rose cheekily asked as she moved some stuff around.
He laughed. “I know, I know. I’ve slacked off a bit in recent times. I should probably go out and look for students now that I think about it.”
Ekaterina was looking around at the decorative swords on the walls. “These are beautiful…”
“A good amount of those were made by Barna,” Vilho pointed out. “If you look closely, you’ll see imperfections in the designs. That’s because a handful of these were scrapped by him. I would go visit him for an order and see them just lying around, waiting to be melted down. I didn’t want to see the lad just throw out his work like that. They may not be ideal for fighting, but they are perfect as decorations.”
“In case you two are wondering, Barna received partial mentorship from Master Vilho,” Rose clarified.
“Fascinating,” Vlastimir noted as he looked around. Barna’s work was quite spectacular, even for scrapped designs.
Vilho cleared his throat, prompting Vlastimir and Ekaterina to pay attention. “A crucial piece of advice to start out with is that you will not know your move, you will feel it. Most teachers won’t tell you what that means, but I will. Vagueness doesn’t do anyone any favors. There’s a difference between knowing what your opponent will do and what they’ll actually do. Know the enemy, but also pay attention to how they act. Their moves will always be indicated in some way. If you can read your opponent, your responses and moves will come naturally.”
“This mentality is also good for avoiding sneak attacks and poor sportsmanship,” Rose added. “If you know your opponent is dishonorable, then it won’t be surprising when they commit misdeeds. As an aside, I can't even begin to recount the amount of galas, parties, balls, and gatherings Radovan and I have had to crash because of assassins or thieves.”
Ekaterina had a ‘been there done that’ look to her. “It kind of reminds me of my parents…”
Rose chuckled. “If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I have a little advice for the both of you. If someone is avoiding the party, they’re plotting something. If they hand you a drink, it’s probably poisoned. If they spend too much time near the food, it’s compromised. If they keep their hands behind their back, it’s a concealed weapon. If they idle near the exit, they’re planning to make a getaway.”
Vlastimir nodded, noting what he had been told. “Getting back to swords; Not to parrot him again, but Gostislav always said the most dangerous enemy is the one you can’t see.”
“And that is something I hammered into that boy’s thick skull, haha,” Vilho said with a feeling of nostalgia. “The next thing I want to discuss is originality. Do not copy other sword styles as that makes you predictable. On the other hand, don’t be so out there that your techniques become impossible to replicate. Both scenarios make you easy to read for your opponent.”
Ekaterina looked to Vlastimir. “Just like you said yesterday?”
He nodded again. “Yup, and I stand by it.”
Vilho chuckled. “I taught Gostislav the same thing. Glad to know he held true to my lessons. Now how about you two show me what you have got in regards to your skills at the moment?”
The two accepted and got ready. Vlastimir explained his dragon’s blood in brief and made short work of the training dummy presented to him. Vilho already had some thoughts, but he wanted to wait until both of them were done. Ekaterina got her chance and did her ballet-based moves. She was a bit hesitant, but this was due to being nervous rather than being afraid of hurting someone. Suffice it to say that Vilho was correct with his reluctant swordsmen assessment. Neither of them wanted to fight, but the potential was there. A part of him actually wanted to take them on as students, despite his reservations.
“So what are your thoughts, master?” Rose inquired.
Vilho nodded a few times, appearing to finalize his thoughts. “Vlastimir? Stop laughing when you fight. It’s not that funny and you announce your attacks by doing so. Other than that, you’ve got a good grasp on your blade, or blood as it were. Maybe consider picking up a real blade when you get the chance, just in case something ever happens to your blood.”
“Will do, Master Vilho.”
“Very good. Now Ekaterina, you have potential. There are two problems, however. One is that you need to be more confident. If you don’t strike, your opponent will. A sword fight is like a dance where the consequences are dire if you fail. And speaking of dancing, the next thing is that you’ve got something with those ballet-inspired moves. Work on making them more original and you’ll have something truly great on your hands. Furthermore, I recommend also drawing inspiration from other types of dance given the unique nature of your ribbons.”
“Thank you, Master Vilho. I’ll do my best,” she replied.
The third thing Vilho wanted to discuss was tempo. He explained this as keeping the opponent on edge, pursuing victory, and not letting up until that victory was achieved. It did not have to be a nonstop series of strikes, it just had to be a consistent series of strikes that moved the fight forwards. Vlastimir had this down owing to him considering himself an artist. Ekaterina on the other hand was already familiar with the concept… annoyingly it was because her parents had a similar mentality towards their careers.
Finishing up the session consisted of Vilho sparring with Vlastimir and Ekaterina. It was quite fun, motivating the old swordmaster to get his hall up and running again. In fact, Vilho began cleaning up upon the three leaving. With everyone back home, he felt it was time to start a new chapter in his life. Someone Vilho definitely wanted to get a hold of was Blood-Wraith. He had heard that the boy had taken up a sword staff. It was of keen interest to Vilho, especially since Blood-Wraith had become friends with Leif.
The next day saw Vlastimir and Ekaterina back at the colosseum, more enthusiastic than they were before. “Ha, there you go, Eka! Keep it up” Vlastimir cheered on as he blocked her attacks.
After a few more strikes, she stopped and blushed a little. “Jeez, it feels like I’m performing now…”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No…”
“Then keep at it. Dazzle them and knock’em dead I say.”
Ekaterina took a sip from her water bottle. “Yeah… hey, you realize your parents will be here soon, right?”
“Uh… oh yeah, heh. Forgot about that. Funny how time flies when you’re having fun.”
The two got back to practicing just as a pair approached them. “Eka, there you are!”
“Oh, Drago, Desislav. Hey, how are you doing?”
“Great,” Dragoslava replied. “We just got back from a little excursion to the Valley of Eons. Wanted to show Desislav some more Descendant history. And what about you? What were those moves you just pulled off?”
“We were taken to see Master Vilho yesterday,” Vlastimir answered. “He gave us some pointers.”
Dragoslava was surprised. “Wow… I bet my mom had something to do with that, didn’t she?”
He nodded. “Yup. She came to us the other day and asked if we wanted to go see him.”
“That’s what I figured…” She tapped Desislav on the arm. “I can guarantee she did that to get the old man off of his seat.”
“Most likely,” Desislav said as he looked at the gashes in Vlastimir’s armor. “In case you two haven’t been told yet, Vilho and his fellow masters stayed here during The Great Hunt. Obviously they were right to do so, but it wouldn't hurt for them to be active again.”
Ekaterina thought about that for a second. “Interesting… and by interesting I mean what were Milosh and The Lich even thinking? Vilho was effortlessly blocking and deflecting our attacks.”
Dragoslava laughed. “Agreed. I mean The Lich would’ve still been a problem if he succeeded, but Milosh would’ve crumpled like paper against Vilho, Sander, Torsten, and-or Tallak…”
“Hold up, who are these masters exactly?” a voice asked.
“Oh hey, Blood. Where did you come from?”
“I had to run a letter to Englehart. I can’t say what’s going on, but let’s just say things got a lot more interesting over in Shadowland…” He sighed, with the inability to tell his friends what was going on driving him crazy. “As for right now, I was told Vlastimir and Eka were here, so I figured I’d swing by.”
“Ah, I see… you can’t tell us what it said, can you?” Blood-Wraith shook his head and Dragoslava accepted that. She knew how complicated things could get between The Iron City and Shadowland. “Right. Well to answer your question; Vilho, Sander, Torsten, and Tallak are four swordmasters that live in the northern Iron City.”
“Northern Iron City?”
“You know that part of the city with all the towers and spires?” Dragoslava asked.
“Yeah…”
“That’s what she’s talking about,” Vlastimir added. “It is a very breathtaking place I might add.”
Blood-Wraith considered what he was told for a second. “It all looked quite unbelievable…”
Vlastimir nodded. “Impossible by my homeworld’s standards.”
“Jeez, just how did me and Aureolus expect to repair the entire city?” The others laughed.
“Well hey, it’s the thought that counts, Blood,” Desislav pointed out.
“Yeah… in hindsight, that may have been foreshadowing for the guild.”
Vlastimir tilted his head. “Isn’t that an unfavorable comparison, Blood? I’m pretty sure running a guild is easier than trying to fix every impossible-looking building Eka and I saw.”
Blood-Wraith huffed. “Well I guess so…”
“Exactly!” Vlastimir exclaimed. “One man can’t clean an entire city, but he can lead a group of people to clean said city.”
Desislav nodded, liking the sound of that. “That’s pretty insightful, Vlastimir. Well said.”
“Thank you.”
Blood-Wraith sighed, followed by giving Vlastimir a fist bump. “Fair enough, you’ve got a good point.”
“Just remember, Blood; you’re not alone,” Desislav replied with a pat on the back. “We’ve all been through hardships in one form or another.”
That gave Ekaterina a warm feeling on the inside, with her hoping it also cheered Blood-Wraith up. “So, would you three like to watch us practice some more?”
“Absolutely” Desislav answered. “Drago?”
“Well of course I would. Show us what you got, Eka.”
Blood-Wraith took out a folding chair and sat in it, resting his leg on his lap. “Vex’s teachings and books are getting a little monotonous, so I could go for a little break.” Dragoslava and Desislav joined him.
Watching the couple practice was a nice change of pace for Blood-Wraith. Being visited by Andelin was a bit jarring, but this eased his nerves. Ekaterina’s developing, dance-like moves were quite the sight and it was fantastic to see her actively refining them. From what they could tell, she had come a long way from when they had first met her in the Dark Grand Desert. Blood-Wraith was still worried (as always in recent times), but this was one amongst many things that were giving him hope for the future. Ekaterina was proving that things could change and improve no matter what the circumstances were. It could not completely shake his nagging anxiety, however.
Next: Chapter 27
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Vilho stroked his beard as Ekaterina finished up her story. “Well now, all of that is quite the tale, young lady. And I suppose you can’t just ignore your abilities in favor of being an artist?”
She shook her head. “Sadly it’s a bit of an instinct at this point.”
“I see. You have my sympathy. Now normally I don’t work in pity, but I could teach both of you some useful tips. Don’t mistake my courtesy, however. You two lack the discipline to become my students at the moment.”
Vlastimir slightly tilted his head. “How can you tell, Master Vilho?”
“It’s in your voices and mannerisms. You two are reluctant swordsmen, wanting a simple life. Being observant is how you tell students from fools. And I mean that in a charitable way. Of course I can’t just ignore your plights, also considering that Rose went out of her way to bring you two here.”
Rose nodded. “Another thing to consider is that a man who does not know how to wield a sword can be just as dangerous as an adversary who does.”
“Now that I think about it, I remember Gostislav saying something similar,” Vlastimir recalled.
Vilho got up with the others following suit. “Let’s not waste any more time. Come with me…” He led the three to another hall with tools, training gear, and practice weapons. Vilho snapped his fingers, causing all of the sconces in the room to light up with crackling fire. “Pardon the mess, we haven’t had students here in a long time.”
“Master, what was that you taught us about having a clean house again?” Rose cheekily asked as she moved some stuff around.
He laughed. “I know, I know. I’ve slacked off a bit in recent times. I should probably go out and look for students now that I think about it.”
Ekaterina was looking around at the decorative swords on the walls. “These are beautiful…”
“A good amount of those were made by Barna,” Vilho pointed out. “If you look closely, you’ll see imperfections in the designs. That’s because a handful of these were scrapped by him. I would go visit him for an order and see them just lying around, waiting to be melted down. I didn’t want to see the lad just throw out his work like that. They may not be ideal for fighting, but they are perfect as decorations.”
“In case you two are wondering, Barna received partial mentorship from Master Vilho,” Rose clarified.
“Fascinating,” Vlastimir noted as he looked around. Barna’s work was quite spectacular, even for scrapped designs.
Vilho cleared his throat, prompting Vlastimir and Ekaterina to pay attention. “A crucial piece of advice to start out with is that you will not know your move, you will feel it. Most teachers won’t tell you what that means, but I will. Vagueness doesn’t do anyone any favors. There’s a difference between knowing what your opponent will do and what they’ll actually do. Know the enemy, but also pay attention to how they act. Their moves will always be indicated in some way. If you can read your opponent, your responses and moves will come naturally.”
“This mentality is also good for avoiding sneak attacks and poor sportsmanship,” Rose added. “If you know your opponent is dishonorable, then it won’t be surprising when they commit misdeeds. As an aside, I can't even begin to recount the amount of galas, parties, balls, and gatherings Radovan and I have had to crash because of assassins or thieves.”
Ekaterina had a ‘been there done that’ look to her. “It kind of reminds me of my parents…”
Rose chuckled. “If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I have a little advice for the both of you. If someone is avoiding the party, they’re plotting something. If they hand you a drink, it’s probably poisoned. If they spend too much time near the food, it’s compromised. If they keep their hands behind their back, it’s a concealed weapon. If they idle near the exit, they’re planning to make a getaway.”
Vlastimir nodded, noting what he had been told. “Getting back to swords; Not to parrot him again, but Gostislav always said the most dangerous enemy is the one you can’t see.”
“And that is something I hammered into that boy’s thick skull, haha,” Vilho said with a feeling of nostalgia. “The next thing I want to discuss is originality. Do not copy other sword styles as that makes you predictable. On the other hand, don’t be so out there that your techniques become impossible to replicate. Both scenarios make you easy to read for your opponent.”
Ekaterina looked to Vlastimir. “Just like you said yesterday?”
He nodded again. “Yup, and I stand by it.”
Vilho chuckled. “I taught Gostislav the same thing. Glad to know he held true to my lessons. Now how about you two show me what you have got in regards to your skills at the moment?”
The two accepted and got ready. Vlastimir explained his dragon’s blood in brief and made short work of the training dummy presented to him. Vilho already had some thoughts, but he wanted to wait until both of them were done. Ekaterina got her chance and did her ballet-based moves. She was a bit hesitant, but this was due to being nervous rather than being afraid of hurting someone. Suffice it to say that Vilho was correct with his reluctant swordsmen assessment. Neither of them wanted to fight, but the potential was there. A part of him actually wanted to take them on as students, despite his reservations.
“So what are your thoughts, master?” Rose inquired.
Vilho nodded a few times, appearing to finalize his thoughts. “Vlastimir? Stop laughing when you fight. It’s not that funny and you announce your attacks by doing so. Other than that, you’ve got a good grasp on your blade, or blood as it were. Maybe consider picking up a real blade when you get the chance, just in case something ever happens to your blood.”
“Will do, Master Vilho.”
“Very good. Now Ekaterina, you have potential. There are two problems, however. One is that you need to be more confident. If you don’t strike, your opponent will. A sword fight is like a dance where the consequences are dire if you fail. And speaking of dancing, the next thing is that you’ve got something with those ballet-inspired moves. Work on making them more original and you’ll have something truly great on your hands. Furthermore, I recommend also drawing inspiration from other types of dance given the unique nature of your ribbons.”
“Thank you, Master Vilho. I’ll do my best,” she replied.
The third thing Vilho wanted to discuss was tempo. He explained this as keeping the opponent on edge, pursuing victory, and not letting up until that victory was achieved. It did not have to be a nonstop series of strikes, it just had to be a consistent series of strikes that moved the fight forwards. Vlastimir had this down owing to him considering himself an artist. Ekaterina on the other hand was already familiar with the concept… annoyingly it was because her parents had a similar mentality towards their careers.
Finishing up the session consisted of Vilho sparring with Vlastimir and Ekaterina. It was quite fun, motivating the old swordmaster to get his hall up and running again. In fact, Vilho began cleaning up upon the three leaving. With everyone back home, he felt it was time to start a new chapter in his life. Someone Vilho definitely wanted to get a hold of was Blood-Wraith. He had heard that the boy had taken up a sword staff. It was of keen interest to Vilho, especially since Blood-Wraith had become friends with Leif.
The next day saw Vlastimir and Ekaterina back at the colosseum, more enthusiastic than they were before. “Ha, there you go, Eka! Keep it up” Vlastimir cheered on as he blocked her attacks.
After a few more strikes, she stopped and blushed a little. “Jeez, it feels like I’m performing now…”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No…”
“Then keep at it. Dazzle them and knock’em dead I say.”
Ekaterina took a sip from her water bottle. “Yeah… hey, you realize your parents will be here soon, right?”
“Uh… oh yeah, heh. Forgot about that. Funny how time flies when you’re having fun.”
The two got back to practicing just as a pair approached them. “Eka, there you are!”
“Oh, Drago, Desislav. Hey, how are you doing?”
“Great,” Dragoslava replied. “We just got back from a little excursion to the Valley of Eons. Wanted to show Desislav some more Descendant history. And what about you? What were those moves you just pulled off?”
“We were taken to see Master Vilho yesterday,” Vlastimir answered. “He gave us some pointers.”
Dragoslava was surprised. “Wow… I bet my mom had something to do with that, didn’t she?”
He nodded. “Yup. She came to us the other day and asked if we wanted to go see him.”
“That’s what I figured…” She tapped Desislav on the arm. “I can guarantee she did that to get the old man off of his seat.”
“Most likely,” Desislav said as he looked at the gashes in Vlastimir’s armor. “In case you two haven’t been told yet, Vilho and his fellow masters stayed here during The Great Hunt. Obviously they were right to do so, but it wouldn't hurt for them to be active again.”
Ekaterina thought about that for a second. “Interesting… and by interesting I mean what were Milosh and The Lich even thinking? Vilho was effortlessly blocking and deflecting our attacks.”
Dragoslava laughed. “Agreed. I mean The Lich would’ve still been a problem if he succeeded, but Milosh would’ve crumpled like paper against Vilho, Sander, Torsten, and-or Tallak…”
“Hold up, who are these masters exactly?” a voice asked.
“Oh hey, Blood. Where did you come from?”
“I had to run a letter to Englehart. I can’t say what’s going on, but let’s just say things got a lot more interesting over in Shadowland…” He sighed, with the inability to tell his friends what was going on driving him crazy. “As for right now, I was told Vlastimir and Eka were here, so I figured I’d swing by.”
“Ah, I see… you can’t tell us what it said, can you?” Blood-Wraith shook his head and Dragoslava accepted that. She knew how complicated things could get between The Iron City and Shadowland. “Right. Well to answer your question; Vilho, Sander, Torsten, and Tallak are four swordmasters that live in the northern Iron City.”
“Northern Iron City?”
“You know that part of the city with all the towers and spires?” Dragoslava asked.
“Yeah…”
“That’s what she’s talking about,” Vlastimir added. “It is a very breathtaking place I might add.”
Blood-Wraith considered what he was told for a second. “It all looked quite unbelievable…”
Vlastimir nodded. “Impossible by my homeworld’s standards.”
“Jeez, just how did me and Aureolus expect to repair the entire city?” The others laughed.
“Well hey, it’s the thought that counts, Blood,” Desislav pointed out.
“Yeah… in hindsight, that may have been foreshadowing for the guild.”
Vlastimir tilted his head. “Isn’t that an unfavorable comparison, Blood? I’m pretty sure running a guild is easier than trying to fix every impossible-looking building Eka and I saw.”
Blood-Wraith huffed. “Well I guess so…”
“Exactly!” Vlastimir exclaimed. “One man can’t clean an entire city, but he can lead a group of people to clean said city.”
Desislav nodded, liking the sound of that. “That’s pretty insightful, Vlastimir. Well said.”
“Thank you.”
Blood-Wraith sighed, followed by giving Vlastimir a fist bump. “Fair enough, you’ve got a good point.”
“Just remember, Blood; you’re not alone,” Desislav replied with a pat on the back. “We’ve all been through hardships in one form or another.”
That gave Ekaterina a warm feeling on the inside, with her hoping it also cheered Blood-Wraith up. “So, would you three like to watch us practice some more?”
“Absolutely” Desislav answered. “Drago?”
“Well of course I would. Show us what you got, Eka.”
Blood-Wraith took out a folding chair and sat in it, resting his leg on his lap. “Vex’s teachings and books are getting a little monotonous, so I could go for a little break.” Dragoslava and Desislav joined him.
Watching the couple practice was a nice change of pace for Blood-Wraith. Being visited by Andelin was a bit jarring, but this eased his nerves. Ekaterina’s developing, dance-like moves were quite the sight and it was fantastic to see her actively refining them. From what they could tell, she had come a long way from when they had first met her in the Dark Grand Desert. Blood-Wraith was still worried (as always in recent times), but this was one amongst many things that were giving him hope for the future. Ekaterina was proving that things could change and improve no matter what the circumstances were. It could not completely shake his nagging anxiety, however.
Next: Chapter 27
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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