driftfleet | Welcome to the dojo

Entry tags:

Welcome to the dojo

Who: Kogarasumaru and YOU
Broadcast: Yes
Action: At his new dojo on the Iskaulit
When: The rest of June

Broadcast

[The face of the pretty sword of the fleet comes on and he smiles pleasantly at the camera, bowing his head in a way that makes that wing-like hair sway like the flapping of wings.]

A good day to you all. After a welcome suggestion from one of the captains here, I have established a dojo aboard the Iskaulit. It is open and welcome for all but I do wish to mention that I will be offering lessons in swordsmanship here. Please feel free to come and use the space for your purposes.

[He tilts his head just a little.]

For those who have already asked for lessons, they are ready to begin. I look forward to seeing you.

[Another smile and he ends the transmission.]

Action - Dojo

[He has been rather pleased with his find here and has taken a number of days to make sure that the dojo is properly setup. Now it looks like a dojo one might find in Japan and he's even crafted some pieces of wood into practice blades which hang on the wall. Naturally there are a number of sizes since not everyone will be able to wield the same length of blade.

Today he is in a more simplistic outfit. A modified version of what his citadel attire looks like. Something he's put together after gathering some clothes from one of the systems. It will work well for teaching others to use a blade. And this is how one will find him when they walk into his dojo. Sometimes dancing as he waits, sometimes kneeling, sometimes practicing with one of the wooden swords for himself.

No matter how you find him, he will offer a smile in greeting. Welcome to the dojo...]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[If Kogarasumaru didn't mind the height difference then Ulaz wouldn't emphasize it. Such an action would be to underestimate him without seeing his fighting abilities. Besides, it was actually an advantage on the part of the sword. Ulaz had trained for opponents closer to his own height though he wasn't unable to fight shorter opponents.

He thought on those words. Simplicity weren't often things that he had the opportunity to consider often, but he could see it. He did rather enjoy his quarters on the Blameless even as simplistic as they were]

Please. I would like to know.

[The smile he gives him is one of just sheer delight. It actually makes his face look more youthful as he goes to the center of the room.]

It is always key to acknowledge the master of the dojo first. Through this you show respect to the knowledge and experience they have. This can be done with a bow. Like this.

[He demonstrates the proper bow to give to him.]

This will be done as greeting. We will then to this again before we begin to spar. This time with the sword.

[Another bow demonstration of what they will do before they fight.]

Would you care to try them?

[Well, he definitely made the sword happy with that. He can see that clearly. Ulaz doesn't follow for the moment, knowing if it is important for him to, the other will let him know. He studied the bow when it was shown to him each time. So that was a greeting and the other was... a sign of respect before sparring? He liked that idea]

Of course.

[He did demonstrate the bows back to Kogarasumaru, copying them to the best that he had been able to figure them out]

[Are the bows perfect? Not at all. However, the attempt is made and it's clear that Ulaz is trying. That is more than enough for him and he nods his approval as he looks at him.]

The latter bow will be done by the opponents at the same time. Are you ready? We can bow then begin.

[No, the bows are not perfect for someone who knew proper way to do them, but Ulaz had at least shown the proper respect for the culture in bowing to Kogarasumaru. If the sword wanted to show him the proper way when they were done sparring, he wouldn't say no to that]

Of course.

[Doing the second bow that he had been shown, Ulaz kept it deliberately timed so they both did it at the same time. Once he had righted himself, he immediately spun the blade around into his hand so he was ready]

[His own bow is done with Ulaz's. And then, he's ready to begin.

His own sword is ready and he goes still for a moment. Then he shifts his stance, holding that sword with one hand as he makes himself an even smaller target by presenting his side rather than his front.

With a simple breath, he waits a moment longer, just to see what Ulaz will do.]

[Ulaz's stance was definitely different... mainly because it didn't seem like much of a stance at first, holding the blade in hand. But his eyes were fixed on Kogarasumaru, watching what he did.

Finally though he had made his move and he was quick! For all his size made him a bigger target, he knew how to use it. It really only took him a few steps to close the distance, swinging his practice sword]

[The little sword is quick on his feet and he dips down quickly to take advantage of how tiny he is. The sword passes over his head quickly as he actually rolls past Ulaz to make a strike at his back instead.

After all, he's quite sure that this opponent will be stronger than him merely due to size differences. That means he just has to focus on being faster.]

[Ulaz's attention was completely on Kogarasumaru and when the sword ducked down more and rolls behind him to try and attack him, Ulaz turns quickly, swinging his sword up to block the motion. He used the movement to try and push Kogarasumaru's blade aside so he could make another attack]

[Not as fast as him but observant and quick to respond. Strong too. That is what he's understanding so far. This is someone who has been trained to live a life of constant battles. There's something sad about that but it's not something he dwells on as he lets his sword be swept aside so he can flip back and away from any strikes by several feet.

This is a fascinating warrior. Kogarasumaru is intrigued to say the least.]

[Speed is definitely something Kogarasumaru has on his side and Ulaz is impressed. He knew he was fast and the paladins had had trouble keeping him so the fact that the sword was moving faster than him was not something to take lightly.

And the fact that he flipped out of the way so Ulaz's next attack wouldn't have hit. Impressive. He had would have hoped a sword would have been good at fighting and would have given him a challenge. So far, he was not disappointed]

Impressive.

The foes I face are large and quick as you are. My size allows me to be faster and lighter.

[He positions himself again with a smile that shows just how he's enjoying himself. It always feels good to be in combat with talented warriors. It makes him feel alive and like he is being used for his proper purpose.]

It is what I was created to be.

[And just like that, he takes his turn to be the one to rush at Ulaz, jumping high into the air for a strike towards his head.]

I can see that. You are good at that.

[Ulaz is glad to see that Kogarasumaru is enjoying it. He is too. Rarely did he find a challenge in anyone except another senior member of the Blade of Marmora. So to find someone to able to make him work was something he'd enjoy.

As the sword rushed him, jumping to try and hit him, he dodged a few steps away, crouching and using the sword to block the downward decent of Kogarasumaru's blade. At which point, he'll push up, standing at the same time to try and push the blade from the sword's hand]

[The sword stays in his hand and he instead lets his own body fly up. Feet touch the ceiling and he uses that to bring himself back down, slipping into a graceful rolling ball.]

You are very skilled as well.

[Standing up, he points his blade at him. Ready and waiting.]

I would have been honored to be held by a warrior of your skill.

Thank you. You are skilled as well.

[Hearing that Kogarasumaru would have been honored to have been his weapon sounded strange, but also was oddly validating that sword could see his skills.

And he did pause for a long moment before he moved to make his own attack, charging again, aiming to hit Kogarasumaru with a swinging arch of an attack]

[He ducks under the swing, moving forward so he can make his own swing right at Ulaz's stomach while it's so exposed to him.]

[Ulaz caught what Kogarasumaru was doing when he ducked and in mid-movement, attempted to change directions. He was successful in that, but he was not successful in completely clearing the sword's range before the practice sword could connect. In what must have been the first time in a long time, Ulaz had been grazed by a sword - even if it was a practice sword.

He pushed back out of the way, pausing a moment with his sword still at the ready to see what Kogarasumaru would do]

[The shift of the sword in his hand tells him that he grazed him. Were these real blades the wound wouldn't be fatal but certainly enough to slow a human. However, he knows that this one isn't human and would have different limitations. It's fascinating to spar with such an opponent.

Taking a deep breath, he rushes at him and seems to come low before leaping at the last moment to strike at his head instead. Several times actually. In that amount of time he almost seems to be floating in the air. In truth he isn't but his light frame and the way his hair extends behind him certain contribute to the illusion.]

[Ulaz wouldn't have stopped even he had been more injured. Being grazed by a sword was practically nothing for him and he was trained not to focus on a trivial would anyway. It was the way the Blades operated. If you weren't going to complete the mission, death was always an option.

The hair and the lighter frame did very well give the illusion that he is hovering. Ulaz is quick to try block and try to get out from under the attacks, lowering down to put more distance between them and also give him more space to move. Once outside the range, he makes his own attack as well, swinging back at Kogarasumaru]

[One thing he's been aware of from the beginning is that Ulaz's range is greater than his own. This makes it easier for Ulaz to reach him before he can reach him in return. He has to get closer and he is realizing quickly that he'll have to be a nuisance up close or he will stay right where that blade can swing at him.

So he takes a calculated risk and actually lets his feet land on the sword Ulaz is holding, proving to him just how light he really is. Balanced perfectly like a bird on a branch, Kogarasumaru smiles then runs along the length to swipe at his head.

It's unorthodox but sometimes creativity is needed.]

[Boy... he really was light to be standing on Ulaz's sword without much disruption to how he was holding his sword. Impressive.

But that also meant he had to be quick, because Kogarasumaru was aiming to hit him on the head again. Quickly, he moved his own sword, swinging it in a loop at his side, both to take away Kogarasumaru's perch, but also attempt to block the sword swipe at his head as he moved, ducking to the side before aiming another strike at Kogarasumaru.

Boy, he hadn't had to work this hard in so long. It was oddly appreciated]

[The strike almost clips him but manages to fall just short as he arches himself to dodge the hit even as he falls. He has seen that the idea was rather successful though. Ulaz has to go on the defense if he gets too close.

So he does that again, giving fast and short strikes at him as he works to keep himself close so that the longer swings are harder to use. It's something he's learned about fighting such large opponents honestly. They have to figure out how to improvise to match the fact that this up close they can't always use their blade as they would like to.

It's been awhile since he's had a spar like this. Or even a fight. This is even better than the one with Manji. It feels good to have to be so creative.]

[Yes, Kogarasumaru had gotten inside his defenses. There wasn't much way around it at the moment. He was too close for Ulaz to do much offensively without leaving himself open. He was fast, but Kogarasumaru was fast too.

So he's using his sword more to block, waiting until he has a moment... When there was enough of an opening, he pushed off to jump backwards away from Kogarasumaru, doing a back flip to use his hands to spring himself back even further back before launching himself towards the sword, aiming to strike at him again]

[He sees already that Ulaz has seen how to get free of this but there is nothing he can do to stop it. All the crow sword can do is get out of the way. It means that he has to allow the arm without a sword to be clipped but it is a sacrifice that is necessary.

In exchange he can get himself out of the way and jump up to try to get back inside of Ulaz's defenses again.]

[It wasn't hard for Kogarasumaru to get back inside of his defenses. The sword was small and quick and Ulaz had trouble keeping him back if he got around him. This time, he's going to try hard to try and block for longer. Running was not something he could allow himself to do too often.

He had at least landed a hit of his own]

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