CHAPTER 9: MASTER FUJIN
1533 Words
Their next class is about sword fighting technique. They are now at the training open field with their instructor Master Fujin, he is from Czarina and Yin's village, Vatra. This is the second time they saw him in person.
"Wear your headgear to protect yourself." He pointed to the huge wooden rack with wooden swords hanging on it. "Pick your sword, then we will start with basic sword technique."
"Have you two learned the basic sword technique?" Kev asked Czarina and Yin while picking his own wooden sword.
"I did. My mother taught me since I was a kid. Yin just swings his sword using instinct, and he's pretty good with it sometimes." She grinned.
Yin scratched his head. "You always ditch me whenever you have the opportunity."
"It's a compliment," she said while laughing. She looked at Kev. "Don't you think you're too advanced for the basic sword fighting lesson?"
"We're just the same." He winked. "We can try to blend in, anyway."
"Please line up, five per line, and have enough distance with each other. Measure it using your arm length and sword," Master Fujin instructed.
They followed his instructions. They formed a line. Kev, Yin and Czarina stayed at the back line.
"Excuse me," the voice of a girl caught Czarina's attention. She looked at the girl next to her. It was the girl in green, Maple, the controller or Earth Element. "How to use this?" She smiled awkwardly.
"You haven't tried practicing sword fighting?" she asked.
Maple shook her head. "I don't use swords. I use rose whip and vines." She stomped her foot and a vine appeared from the ground, it rose up and danced like a snake.
"That's so cool!" Czarina laughed at the dancing vine.
"I haven't tried using this." Maple stomped her foot again, the vine went back to ground like nothing happened.
"Don't worry, Master Fujin will teach us the basics. You will learn soon," she assured her.
"I hope I can really learn and won't fail this class." She sighed.
"Czarina," Kev called her. "Introduce me to her."
Her mouth opened, shocked to hear a prince asking to be introduced to a girl. "Ah, Maple," she called the girl's attention. "This is Kev, Kev she's Maple."
"H-hello, you're the prince, right?" she said nervously.
"Just drop the prince. Call me Kev." He sweetly smiled at her.
"Kids, let's focus on the training," Master Fujin called their attention. "Remember, you pull out your sword to protect yourself against your enemy, and the main objective is to cut down the enemy."
Some of the students shivered upon hearing the world cut down the enemy.
"Are we practicing this to kill people?" Maple whispered to Czarina.
"Not to kill, but to defend yourself and protect your loved ones from dangerous people and wild beasts," Czarina explained.
"The world outside is ruthless. We also don't know if the war in the past will happen again, so learning the basic technique is essential for you to stay alive. Remember, kill the enemy in front of you, or the enemy will kill you. It's your choice." Master Fujin walked slowly, waiting for any reaction from his student. "One more thing, I am sure some of you, if not all, are planning to become a Spirit Beast Master and be part of the Royal Masters. Some could be a knight, a soldier, a guru, or a protector of the kingdom. Having an exceptional sword fighting skill is a must to achieve your dreams, and to be useful in our society. Am I right?"
The students nodded. "Yes, Sir," everyone agreed.
"Now, there are things that a swordsman should remember. One, you should always exercise for physical conditioning, practice on working out on the areas of your back, abdomen and your wrist. Two, you should always stay calm and aware of the surroundings. Three, a fair fight is impossible if you are facing evil people. Deception is normal, don't get fooled. Always watch your back."
Kev nodded. He learned that from his Master. Always watch your back.
"Four, confidence. Don't hesitate if you are knowledgeable. Trust your skills. Five, Rhythm. There's a rhythm in every movement and attack. Failing to detect the predictable pattern will be your end." Master Fujin took the last wooden sword from the rack.
Yin gulped. He has never practiced sword fighting properly. Czarina was right, he just swung his sword using his instinct and never learned the basics, that is why he always loses to her.
"Six, don't let your opponent intimidate you. Intimidate them. Take control of the situation. Seven, you should know when to strike. Timing and distance from your opponent is a must." He stood straight and aimed at an invisible opponent, and slashed the sword with force. They heard the loud swoosh with a strong, sharp wind released from his sword. The tree nearby was cut down in half.
"Whoa!" everyone said in amazement.
"The most important part is, be cautious. Don't just swing your sword left and right. Observe, then analyze the movement of your enemy, and think quickly for your next move."
Yin gulped again. He felt Master Fujin was referring to him. He saw him once in the village practicing sword fighting with a tree and told him the same thing. "I have so many things to take note of and learn."
"There are eight basic attacks and lines of defense with a sword. One, cutting-straight down. You raise your sword above your head in front, holding the grip with both hands, and s***h the opponent downward with full force. Try it. Raise your sword above your head." He also showed them the position for them to follow him.
The students copied his posture, and slashed the sword downward.
He walked around and assisted each student on how to properly cut down an opponent. "You're doing great," he said to Kev.
"Thank you." he continued practicing the cutting straight down move.
He moved next to Yin. "Always angle your elbow correctly to avoid injury, and don't just cut down randomly. Wait for the proper timing," he said to Yin.
"O-okay," Yin said. He raised his sword again and tried it several times. Master Fujin just shook his head and moved on to Czarina.
"You're also good, I know your mother." He smiled at her. "She taught you well." He walked towards Maple and helped her.
Czarina wondered how Master Fujin knew her mother. He only visited their village once since he left their home town a long time ago. She just shrugged her shoulders and continued practicing.
- Writer
