mages are bad swordsmen

[crouching_sin]

Characters: Naoya and open
Setting: Floor 25
Format: Whichever.
Summary: Naoya got a sword, and is trying to remember how to use it properly. Unfortunately, physical skills are not so easily remembered.
Warnings: Naoya is probably only a danger to himself in this log, really. At least he has a healing spell.


[Naoya - or rather, Cain - had used swords before. It wasn't an uncommon weapon through the years, and it wasn't always that he'd had relatively weak physical strength. In some lives, he'd been extremely physically strong.]

[However, this life - Naoya - is… less so. He's still strong, but when he lifts the arming sword he struggles slightly with the weight. He needs to practice, and the meadow has enough space to wave a sharp object around with a minimal risk of hurting someone other than himself.]

[Which is how he's come to be in the meadow, going through old drills. His movements are a mixture of various styles, but he's rusty with them. His movements, while quick, lack power. The weight of the blade is significant enough that he occasionally has to set it down and rub his wrists, which is a good time for anyone who's been watching to speak or be noticed.]

Comments

[alephbet]

...A little out of practice?

[Sorry, Naoya. Aleph calls them like he sees them.]

[crouching_sin]

Somewhat.

[He doesn't really mind.]

Carrying swords is illegal in Tokyo according to current laws, so it's been a while since I've used one.

[alephbet]

It's still a little strange to me that you live in a place so peaceful that weapons are banned.

[crouching_sin]

Well... not so peaceful anymore. But guns tend to be the preferred weapon of illegal activities. They're smaller and easier to carry in general.

[He holds the sword up again.]

Something like this isn't common to see outside of 'historical' events that never come close to being accurate. This is a European-style sword anyway, an arming sword. It's also known as a knightly sword, or a shortsword, characterized by the single-handed cruciform hilt and straight, double-edged blade. It was commonly used with a shield or a buckler, and wasn't used much after about the Italian Renaissance.

[Probably more information than Aleph wanted, but oh well.]

It's deadly enough if used correctly, but physical skills don't translate as well across my lives. The muscle memory simply isn't there.

[alephbet]

That's about what I'd expect. Swordplay isn't all mental, even though a lot of it is.

Do you need a sparring partner?

[crouching_sin]

I'd appreciate one, yes.

[He picks his sword up again, trying to keep himself from stiffening up at the joints. He needs to be able to move, and more than that he needs to remember to compensate for his physical limitations.]

[alephbet]

[Aleph draws his sword. He hasn't fallen out of practice since his days at home - how could he - so he's confident he'll put up a good fight.]

[crouching_sin]

[Naoya watches Aleph, trying to spot any weak points. His style is more open than defensive, but when he moves forward to strike it's nimble rather than powerful.]

[alephbet]

[Aleph has the benefits of being both fast and strong, and blocks the blade with his own. If there are weak points in his style, it's that he relies a little too heavily on his armor to protect what he can't block. On the other hand, it is good armor.]

[crouching_sin]

[Naoya jumps back, eying Aleph's defense carefully. There's not a lot of holes in it, but maybe if he strikes - there! He dashes forward, trying to strike where his range of motion is likely more difficult, attempting to tap his armor.]

[alephbet]

[He does tap the armor, though it's no more than a light tap before Aleph knocks his sword away.]

Not bad.