Art of Merjutsu [Arix]

[Ayen]

Ever since being appointed at the right hand of the Queen Sazan has been busy managing the entire castle and Hallowton affairs one after the other, and of course updating Queen Lori on everything that she needed to be kept up to speed on. Needless to say the job was exhausting but the Hybrid was more than happy to assist a place she has proudly called home ever since settling in with Michael after her own world was destroyed by the Council and Legion of Abyss.

And now that she finally has some time to herself there'd be no rest for the weary as she went out into the courtyard where Arix had been training the Hallowton recruits, scythe in hand, as she had been meaning to come here sooner to train in the art of Merjutsu herself but business at the castle and one demon attack on the city got in the way. Now she planned to make up for lost time as she entered the courtyard and whistled to grab the Rockstar's attention.

[.:Amilia:.]

Amilia had come a long way he continued to try and drive himself forward through her defense but she easily blocked his basic attempts. Give them a few more months and he was sure she would catch up with his own training level. It was a thing, these natives to Hallowton easily adapted to things brutally thrown at them, their evolved nature allowed their bodies to fully harness each strike with little worry about harming themselves. However, he was still much stronger than she was and had much more experience than she.

Arix stepped forward clashing with her defensive strike causing her blade to head straight up into the air. Around this time Sazan had entered the courtyard and whistled for him. As she whistled he drove his knee in and through Amilia flooring her across the ground. The umbra sword in her possession landing five feet away from her. His sword tip caught the bottom of her chin, "Checkmate. Alright everyone, take five."

He removed his sword from Amilia's throat and helped her to her feet. Arix turned away from his recruit and walked toward Sazan, "By the grace of Yahweh, you finally showed up. Ready to learn? Or are you here to teach?"

[Ayen]

"Checkmate. Alright everyone, take five."

The Hybrid managed to catch the ending of the training session, observing Amilia the woman who the Rockstar had decided to take under his wing. She had came a long way and with time the Hybrid could see her taking Arix's place in Hallowton if he ever decided to leave or heaven forbid someone actually managed to put an end to him. Sazan wouldn't think too much into that it wasn't good to worry.

"By the grace of Yahweh, you finally showed up. Ready to learn? Or are you here to teach?"

“My apologies. I would have gotten here sooner but managing a castle is demanding. I'm here to learn, that way I'll have more to teach.”

[.:Amilia:.]

He nodded at her and looked at her weapon and smiled, "Not going to learn much swinging a large sickle around. Not much grace to a weapon, too large, not going to be fast enough at that," he made way to the sword rack and picked up one of the broad swords, his personal favorite over the katana even if the katana was superior for Merjutsu in every way.

He looked back to her and walked back in front of her a good healthy distance away, "A large scythe lacks a sheath or the drawing properties allowed for the art of sheathed warfare, it also limits the combination of weapon and body combat due to needing two hands to properly wield it."

Arix lifted the broad sword and pointed it at her, "However, this weapon is far more stable. It's straight edge disallows the speed of drawing and replaces it for the power. While a user of the broadsword would lack the speed of the katana they make up for it with more powerful strikes and a more stable defense."

[Ayen]

"Not going to learn much swinging a large sickle around. Not much grace to a weapon, too large, not going to be fast enough at that."

Sazan frowned slightly while looking at her scythe, the trademark weapon of her mother and the weapon that had became a signature weapon all her own. Truth be told she wasn't any good with a sword. She attempted to master one back at Domino City with her aunt but it never came to past. The scythe on the other hand was like second nature to her.

"A large scythe lacks a sheath or the drawing properties allowed for the art of sheathed warfare, it also limits the combination of weapon and body combat due to needing two hands to properly wield it. However, this weapon is far more stable. It's straight edge disallows the speed of drawing and replaces it for the power. While a user of the broadsword would lack the speed of the katana they make up for it with more powerful strikes and a more stable defense."

“I'm aware of the disadvantages. Now tell me what I have over the katana and the broadsword.”

[.:Amilia:.]

"Reach," he said lowering the sword to his side again, "and possibly more diversity in attacks if you were to use the ass end of the weapon as much as the nose end of it. You've more to lose than to gain using it. So if you're planning on doing this the hard way... I guess knuckle up because you've yet to be initiated into the group."

[Ayen]

"Reach and possibly more diversity in attacks if you were to use the ass end of the weapon as much as the nose end of it. You've more to lose than to gain using it. So if you're planning on doing this the hard way... I guess knuckle up because you've yet to be initiated into the group."

Sazan nodded and went into a fighting stance, slowly moving in to be mid-range of the Rockstar before swinging the scythe for a high horizontal strike aimed towards Arix.

[.:Amilia:.]

Arix took one large step in and raised his left hand catching the scythe by the shaft with his left hand and holding onto it with a good bit of his strength he looked at Sazan directly, "Flow with your weapon, don't swing it, move with it. Your weapon is an extension of yourself not a tool for battle."

He pulled down on the scythe and to the side stepping right before beginning a walk that way but still faced her with his sword in his right hand, "Flow." In one step he turned his torso right the next step his torso went left and the sword extended out in a thrust with the extended reach the step and the turn gave him which aimed itself for Sazan's center mass.

[Ayen]

"Flow with your weapon, don't swing it, move with it. Your weapon is an extension of yourself not a tool for battle. Flow."

Sazan took advantage of the material and height (six feet) of the handle to block Arix's in-coming attack and then flipped it around to strike the Rockstar of Hell straight with the butt end, putting her hips into the attack for more power behind the strike but not too much as to be able to react quickly to a counter-attack.

[.:Amilia:.]

Arix of course pulled his weight stepping forward and throwing his left hand up putting all his force back into the butt of the scythe which with the difference in his velocity and sheer strength compared to hers was probably enough to shove her down or have her stumbling backwards. Either way, he didn't move from his spot or attack her, just simply watched and waited.

[Ayen]

It knocked her on her ass.

The Hybrid was quick to roll on the ground and get back up to her feet, going into a defensive stance with the scythe. This time wanting the Rockstar to make the next move. She could already tell she was at a disadvantage because she didn't understand what he meant. Flow with the weapon, it was an extension of you. How?

[.:Amilia:.]

"A weapon is not something you just hold and beat someone with," Arix said lowering the sword to his side, he saw the questions in her gaze as she was trying to still grasp the concept he had thrown at her, "A weapon is an extension of your arm. It is an extension of your body and soul. Even with the weapon having no physical properties to it aside from being steel and zeal, it is the most important part of any body if faced against another weapon."

Arix nodded at her and drove forward hard with a yorn press that sped up his slash which was taken from his left hip and being driven toward her right arm.

[Ayen]

"A weapon is not something you just hold and beat someone with. A weapon is an extension of your arm. It is an extension of your body and soul. Even with the weapon having no physical properties to it aside from being steel and zeal, it is the most important part of any body if faced against another weapon."

The Hybrid didn't have much time to chew over what she was being fed before the Rockstar came at her again. This time there was no thinking involved as Sazan acted on instinct to avoid the slash to her right arm, spinning around it and coming back with a Backhand swing to keep Arix at a distance.

[.:Amilia:.]

"Good!"

Arix said ducking and rolling to the side with her swing. He pressed the tip of his sword against the navel of her stomach very lightly but enough for her to know he was still there and wasn't about to move from his offense so long as he saw a kill. Arix knew at this moment it could of been checkmate against most foes but this wasn't about killing one another this was about learning. He removed his sword from its spot and stood up patting her on the shoulder.

"There are five stances to Merjutsu, each one is deadly at one thing. There are two positioning methods for rising and falling and one position that uses both in standing. The first stance if for protecting yourself which is not deadly at all but protection is the first step to countering."

"The second stance is attacking which can be used directly off any of the five stances and any of the positioning tactics. The third stance is dodging, the most important because dodging and countering are two of the same in the opinion of those who created the art of the sword. The fourth stance is called Seeking which doesn't sound deadly at all until you truly master seeking. A master of Merjutsu will use this stance the most in their every day life. For instance, today when everyone came in I knew exactly where everyone was at every moment of time and I knew exactly what I needed to do to kill every single one of you if I needed to for any reason."

"Finally. The most deadly of the stances is called Destroy. Destroy is the final stance because it may be your final move, in the last couple months I gave examples of this stance against the demon who attacked the castle and the massive demon who appeared in the middle of the city. In both instances I wasted no time to place myself between my foe and the thing I must do, kill the foe. One mess up while in this stance and there's no way dodging or protecting will save you from dying. This stance is only used when it's all or nothing, or if you're an asshole and have perfected your style and wish to make your foe feel useless when your Queen orders you to kill it," several of the recruits chuckled, "Sazan, do you think you can somehow develop your way with these stances with that weapon? Using that weapon will dwarf your capabilities with the style but may also cause you to develop something unique in the art of war."

"The choice is yours."

[Ayen]

"Good!"

Sazan watched Arix duck and roll to the side, and before she could do anything else she felt his weapon on the naval of her stomach and closed her eyes in silent frustration. The Hybrid knew if this was a real fight she'd be dead right now. Feeling Arix pat her shoulder next she opened her eyes and listened closely when he began to speak.

"There are five stances to Merjutsu, each one is deadly at one thing. There are two positioning methods for rising and falling and one position that uses both in standing. The first stance is for protecting yourself which is not deadly at all but protection is the first step to countering."

Already the Hybrid was making mental notes of what he was saying for later, holding the scythe like a staff with her hand a couple of feet underneath where the blade stood at the tip.

"The second stance is attacking which can be used directly off any of the five stances and any of the positioning tactics. The third stance is dodging, the most important because dodging and countering are two of the same in the opinion of those who created the art of the sword. The fourth stance is called Seeking which doesn't sound deadly at all until you truly master seeking. A master of Merjutsu will use this stance the most in their every day life. For instance, today when everyone came in I knew exactly where everyone was at every moment of time and I knew exactly what I needed to do to kill every single one of you if I needed to for any reason."

Sazan was starting to see why so many people found Arix so terrifying, and why people from her home world shuddered whenever the word “Merjutsu” was uttered.

"Finally. The most deadly of the stances is called Destroy. Destroy is the final stance because it may be your final move, in the last couple months I gave examples of this stance against the demon who attacked the castle and the massive demon who appeared in the middle of the city. In both instances I wasted no time to place myself between my foe and the thing I must do, kill the foe. One mess up while in this stance and there's no way dodging or protecting will save you from dying. This stance is only used when it's all or nothing, or if you're an asshole and have perfected your style and wish to make your foe feel useless when your Queen orders you to kill it."

So modest too...

"Sazan, do you think you can somehow develop your way with these stances with that weapon? Using that weapon will dwarf your capabilities with the style but may also cause you to develop something unique in the art of war. The choice is yours."

“I'm sure.”