53rd of Searing 4622
The Seagulls were crying in the air above Genteven. The air was warm and the district in which Hugo was positioned was, as always, smelling of salt and rotting fish. It was a day like any other for the biggest metropolis in Genteven, but Hugo was in the unfortunate position that the warehouse he had hired would be mostly empty for the day. There had been a slight delay in shipping from a Southern associate, resulting in an excess of space in the warehouse. So after less than half a day Hugo was forced to dismiss the dockworkers and was about to begin heading towards the cottage when a familiar figure arrived in the warehouse. Specifically a Valran (the sole Valran really) in the service of Hugo known by the name of Bertrand LaRue. He looked around the (mostly) empty warehouse and had an expression of disbelief. "Huh, the warehouse is not empty. Odd, normally you are so insistent that space is at a premium and that every moment space is left empty, profit is lost. But here I witness an empty warehouse."
Hugo did not roll his eyes, noblemen did not roll their eyes, but neither could he resist a slight tone of annoyance coming out of his voice. Around Bertrand, he could be a tad bit informal. Sometimes. "This is not a preferable state for the warehouse to be in, that is true, but sometimes we all have to sacrifice what we want for what we have." These words quickly solicited some laughing from Bertrand. "Oh don't see it as a sacrifice. See it as an opportunity. Here the two of us are, unwatched, and with a large open space. Really it is ideal for a lesson in the art of the blade." At these words, Hugo stiffened a little. He had not intentionally tried to prevent any additional sword fighting lessons, he had been kept busy with running a business and making sure that he and the rest of his household could help make End's Meet. But neither could he say that he regretted the absence of any sword lessons in the last week or so. The bruises and indignity that were often caused by those lessons were not pleasant. Regardless, it seemed that his absences had caught up with him and that now was the chance to make up for lost time. He also supposed that an empty warehouse might be a useful place to train indeed.
Bertrand then spoke up again, confidently walking towards Hugo. Though in a very odd way. Moving with straight lower legs and with solid footing on the ground at all times."I see that you don't have a sword with you at the moment, but luckily for you, a sword will not be necessary. At least not for the initial part of this training. " Bertrand stretched his arms and then stood straight, his legs planted on the ground. His upper legs were slightly bent whilst his lower legs were straight. "Last time we focused on having a solid posture, making sure that you have balance even if a hard force is pushed against you. But in battle you don't have the luxury of standing stationary and as strong as possible, you have to remain moving. So now we will practice how you can move forwards and backwards whilst having strong footing at all times."
This introduction was followed by Bertrand taking a step back and making a small hand movement to attract attention. "Now we will begin with a movement called 'to pass and return'. This movement or a variation thereof is most useful when you have to move a lot, or when there is a lot of space. What you do is almost like walking, but not in one continuous step but with one leg moving at a time whilst the other maintains solid footing. I will show it to you first and then you will do the same after me." Bertrand then moved just the same way as he had entered the Warehous a bit earlier. But now that Bertrand had given Hugo some instruction he knew what to watch out for. He could see how Bertrand fluidly moved forward, yet with only one leg moving at the time. Then after taking several steps forwards Bertrand would stand still, look at Hugo, and then walk backwards. Hugo could see that even as Bertrand walked backwards, the back leg could always quickly get in a straight position. It could move in such a way that it would give solid footing and absorb much of the impact of the blow.
After seeing this display, Hugo took a deep breath and quickly repeated it himself. Which was done with a decent amount of success. It was by far not as fluid as Bertrand's, but he could quickly pick up the basics. It was easy when he had the example of Bertrand, the hard part was keeping a solid sense of balance whilst in the middle of movement. Because it was at these positions that the least amount of force would be needed for him to lose his balance. However, after several attempts of going back and forth with this semi-walking position Hugo had a good feeling about his movement.
"Good, you have got the basic feeling. Now you have to do it more rapidly. You shouldn't move like you are walking, but in bursts so as to get within an enemy's reach or to rapidly escape the reach of an enemy, like this." Bertrand then gave an example. Instead of walking forwards as one would normally do the front leg would take tiny bits of movement forwards with the back leg remaining constantly at a 45-degree angle. The back leg would then give an extra bit of support so as to help increase the speed of the movement. This..... was a bit more difficult than earlier. But Hugo was pretty sure he got the hang of it. As such in one or two tries, going backwards and forwards Hugo was able to replicate the movement decently enough. At least fast enough for Bertrand to get to the next part of the training.
"Not bad. You are able to keep a decent form and are able to advance and retreat in a successful manner. But a proper movement is not only useful for defence but also for offence as well. Keep an eye on my legs and my upper body." Bertrand would then step forward and make his body upper turn to the left, then his weight would move to the back leg and he would turn his body to the right. As he moved he would continue to talk, with his hands acting as if there was a longsword in them. "What you see here is the half turn, this is a basic movement that is good for getting enough force for an attack. See how as the position of my body shifts, the movement of my body flows forward together with the sword. Remember that the momentum of your entire body should go into a sword attack. The energy from a sword attack should not only come from your arms. " After finishing his own movement/lecture Bernard turned to Hugo. "Now you try it, if you want you can shake your hands like this in order to maintain balance."
For a moment Hugo blinked, but biting back any comment that he could make Hugo did as Bernard requested. Trying to let his weight shift from his back leg to the front leg, back to front etc. After about two minutes of doing this Bernard responded. "You are getting the hang of this but you are acting too stiffly. As if this is a set of instructions that you have to follow. Think of it as similar to a dance. Even though I hate dancing and this is not dancing, you should move swiftly. Letting your body 'flow', Ulen I hate using terms like that but it is the best that I got. You have to be fluid and not stiff as a board. That way your energy can be used as effectively as possible."
Knowing that the best thing was not to discuss, but to act Hugo swiftly did as Bernard said. Trying to close his eyes for a moment, regain his bearing, and then try to flow. For a moment he thought that he was on a dance floor on a soiree. He effectively moved back and forwards, feeling his body shift and having his surroundings disappear. This fugue was swiftly removed as Bernard started softly clapping. "Good, you are doing it exactly right. Next lesson we will have you doing these movements with your actual sword in hand. Now it is probably time to bring this lesson to an end, the sun is starting to set."
This comment caused Hugo to blink and see how a soft orange glow was starting to go through the main door of the warehouse. He took a moment to regain his bearing and then he spoke up. "I do suppose dinner will be ready soon. We should probably move swiftly. Also, thanks for the lesson, that went well." Bertrand only rolled his eyes and said. "Sure, just keep up the good work." Hugo then began to close of the warehouse, checking it to see if everything was in order before finally locking it for the day. Whilst Hugo was doing this Bertrand waited outside, muttering quietly to himself. "That kid is catching on to this stuff way too fast. He almost seems to grasp it instinctively." This was followed by a deep sigh. "It's bullshit but what can I do about this? I suppose I should be happy, not jealous."
Bertrand quickly stopped his speaking as he heard the footsteps of the young Abreo approach. Clenching his hands he gave a determined nod and then went off to help his lord the best he could.
