Chapter 120: Weapon Practice (2/2)
”So that would mean the heavier the better,” Rakna nodded approvingly. ”Any preference? Long swords? Zweihänder? Nodachi? Or perhaps axes would be better?”
Flavia scratched her cheek with a wry smile. ”I… don't really know the difference between most of those. And I think I still prefer swords for more range.”
”Hm, if weight isn't a problem, you could always use those types that can barely be considered as anything other than a lump of metal but… I think maneuverability will still be important to you so… Trii, give me a two-handed machete. A large one.”
|| Machetes are one-handed weapons. Are you demanding a custom one? ||
”Yes. Make it about a meter long and correct the dimensions of the handle to match it. Also, I want a small five-degree curve from the halfway point. Can you do that?”
|| Affirmative. || The AI said without hesitation and a weapon matching his demands appeared in front of him without delay. The overall look was the one of a regular machete with a curved blade and handle.
Rakna gripped the weapon and gave it a few testing swings. He only used one hand and it appeared as if he was waving a branch around. This time, he sensibly decided against throwing it and walked to Flavia. He flipped the sword over, grabbing it from the flat side of the blade, and extended the hilt forward as if he was handling a simple knife.
Flavia looked at the blade handle for a few seconds before reaching for it. When she had her hand firmly wrapped around the hilt, Rakna let go and she yelped as the weight of the weapon became too much for her and crashed on the floor of the room.
Rakna snorted in amusement and she threw him a pout before covering the weapon with a purple glow. She breathed in and lifted it. This time, she seemed to have no problem and she even waved it with even more ease than Rakna had done.
”The reason I'm suggesting you a machete, if you can still call it that, is not really because it has potential as a super sword of doom,” Rakna uttered and the two girls sweatdropped. ”But because it's a weapon that goes straight to the point; hack and cleave.”
”Machetes are one of the best in that regard. The reason for that is because the blade gets larger and heavier at the tip. Sometimes, they even have an inward curve in the middle to create as much momentum as possible when swinging it. In a way, they are axes turned swords.”
Flavia attentively listened and took another look at the hulking weapon she was holding. ”So… is there something specific I should know about how to use it?”
”Hm,” Rakna rubbed his chin. ”Well, not really. There isn't any style that relies on that weapon. At least, as far as I know. I don't know everything, after all. You know what? I'll teach you first. Evelyn, in the meantime, you can ask Trii for a shooting range and practice with the bow. I'll teach you the spear afterward. However, I want you to use a bow other than Sonata. I don't think energy arrows are the best setup to improve your archery.”
”I understand,” the Cambion nodded and went to one side of the room where she asked a longbow from the interface, a stock of arrows, and a bunch of targets.
”Now then,” Rakna continued. ”Trii, materialize a wooden log to my right. I want it to be about half a meter wide and one meter tall.”
|| Acknowledged. ||
Rakna glanced at where the block of wood appeared and pointed at it with his thumb. ”Your first assignment will be to cleave through this.”
Flavia slowly nodded. ”It shouldn't be-”
”Vertically, in one swing, without telekinesis, and no increase of the weight past its normal one.”
”EH?!” She almost tripped and gazed at her former student in the eyes, trying to find a trace of his usual teasing but there was none of it. ”You're… being serious.”
”I am. Though, before you do that, I'll have to give you a basic stance and make you go through a few practice swings. Once again, there is nothing specifically oriented toward machetes but the gist is the same for most weapons. Correct me if I'm wrong but you're right-handed, right?”
She nodded.
”Then, right foot back. Left foot forward. Keep your feet parallel to each other. Put your right hand at the highest point of the hilt and your left hand at the lowest,” he instructed and she gradually grew into the stance. ”Position the blade in front of you pointing to the sky forward. Straighten your back. Raise your shoulders. Bend your arms a bit more.”
As Rakna continued to correct her stance, Flavia became more and more amazed at how many details she had to pay attention to. After a few minutes, she finally got to a satisfying posture and he continued with the next instructions.
”Keep all of your body as is. What I want you to do is raise the sword and put it above your shoulder and maintain it until you're comfortable. Once again, keep the blade straight. After that, comes the swing. You will lean forward and bend your left knee a bit.”
”As you bring the weapon down, your left hand will not move and your right will be leading the motion. When the swing is halfway from hitting, disengage your gravity magic and let your right hand slide around the handle until it meets your left. During that moment, all you have to do is hold tight and let the momentum do the rest. Don't forget to breathe. Do it whenever you want.”
Flavia nodded and exhaled through her mouth. Then, as she inhaled, she hacked the weapon down as hard as she could. She turned her magic off like he told her to and the result ended up in a large indent on the floor along with a small whiplash of air.
”Good enough,” Rakna said. ”Lift it again and this time, hold it as if you wanted to make a horizontal slash. The basic stance stays the same. However, when you swing, your waist will have to follow the movement. Your right hand will once again lead the force but you will also 'pull' with your left hand to complement it. This time, don't dispel your magic. Again; whenever you want.”
Flavia followed his directives and slashed with the large weapon before returning to her original stance with the blade leaning forward.
”Good. Now, you will repeat all of those at least twenty times. Forward, over your shoulder, chop, horizontal, swing, and forward again. The only difference is when you hack down; stop the blade before it touches the floor. Got it?”
”Yes.”
”I ultimately want you to be able to wield it without gravity magic even if you have to spend a point or two into strength. Now, the initiative is yours,” he declared and quietly watched her go through the stances, something that marked the hours-long training that he had in store for her and Evelyn.