There were not as many students as there’d been the day before; instead, it was just the newbies wearing their white outfit over their regular clothes. Even though Illuvia's outfit was significantly dirtier than the others', she was exactly the same and didn't seem to mind. Her practice sword's "hilt" protruded from her waist, where it was fastened firmly by the black outfit the dojo gave her in lieu of a real one to identify her as one of their pupils.
Upon swiftly perusing the rows of white attire, she discovered that her large, unsightly counterpart from the previous day was not present today. She saw an elder student's lips tighten into a thin line of disapproval as she caught the teacher's attention as she fell into the only opening she could find in the square-like formation of students. She supposed she's still upset over yesterday. Illuvia thought to herself, "what a fool," but her disgust did not show on her face when the teacher started the lesson for the day.
"Welcome," he said, glancing around the room with a diffident and almost deliberate lack of eye contact. “You’ve all only just begun your training. This is a reminder that you haven't accomplished anything yet, so don't get too full of yourselves.”
Some other students murmured in agreement. For a brief moment, Illuvia's gaze moved in their direction before returning to the instructor, who gave a curt nod in return. Over the excited chatter, the teacher yelled, "Okay, so every swordsman should know the basics. We’re going to start teaching you how to defend after you saw glimpses of your own reflexes yesterday, when they were in the heat of battle.”
There were more excited whispers among the students, but the teacher calmed them down with a hand. The instructor fell to one knee in the quiet, her hands flying to the practice sword's handle with catlike speed. She then drew to fend off an invisible frontal attack before slipping the weapon back into its loop with another smooth motion. She turned to the students with an authoritative demeanor and dusted her clothes, drawing awe-inspiring looks.
"Start now!"
The students instantly went to kneeling, just like their teacher had. After doing what must have been a million squats in the wee hours of the evening, Illuvia felt uncomfortable in the position, her quadriceps burning. She ignored the pain, snatching with all her might at the practice sword's hilt and pulling it out in what ought to have been a seamless defense. Rather, she mishandled the attempt due to her clothes, only managing to swung the practice sword's tip into her nose bridge. She let out a painful "OUCH!" but the sounds of both successful and failing students overpowered her voice. Her clumsiness made her angry, and she quickly re-sheathed her sword while everyone else was waiting for the teacher to signal that it was time to repeat the gesture.
"Again!" The dojo's silence was broken by the Instructor's loud voice.
This time, Illuvia placed her left hand where the sheath should have been and used her left hand to steady the "sheath" while simulating drawing her weapon with her right. The end effect was a graceful drawing, and her blade was up and prepared to block a frontal attack in an instant. She and her classmates held the pose for four counts, with her enduring the spasms in her muscles without showing any signs of strain on her face. Then, all at once, the sound of practice swords cautiously sheathing filled the hall.
Contentment seeped through Illuvia's pride's icy exterior. Even though she was a beginner who nature never intended to hold a sword, she knew she shouldn't have been happy with her success in the slightest, but it didn't take away from her sense of accomplishment. She would keep developing, and eventually her abilities would be on par with those of her teacher.
They took a break for breakfast then reconvened an hour later. The evening light soon turned the skies above the town’s a dark color. Even so, man students toiled ceaselessly for a variety of personal motivations to master a lethal art. They listened intently to their teacher’s words as he coached them through their next exercise.
The slender woman bowed down and let out a breath. Illuvia was aware that the instructor was a tough guy even though she was still unimpressed with her antics. The woman was a skilled practitioner; danger seemed to pulse through her in slow, pulsating waves even as she knelt, her hands wildly gesturing towards the hilt of her practice sword. Suddenly, she moved. Without warning, the woman leaped to her feet, practice sword in hand, and spun like a dancer, blocking an invisible adversary's attempted attack with one foot. Illuvia nodded slowly, flexing her hand around the practice sword she was holding in an attempt to imagine how her own body would react in that situation.
It had turned out that the second day was even more fascinating than the first. Taking a deep breath, the teacher smiled and told them that learning these forms was important as it would allow them to rely on muscle memory. Then, he had them break off into groups like the day before.
Illuvia thought “Group work again? Didn’t go so well last time did it?” Her concerns were not shared by anyone else, as they all divided into pairs, their eagerness causing their mouths to part into thoughtful grins. With her practice sword in hand, Illuvia stood motionless until a girlish, whiny voice asked, "I guess I'll have to settle, but I can already tell you're the kind of person that feels like she's better than everyone else," coming from behind her.
"Not really," Illuvia shot back, not caring. Why should her anger be directed toward her? “I’m new to this kind of environment. I don’t want to be rude, it’s just how I feel…” It was partly true. But she knew just being new to this activity wouldn’t excuse poor behavior forever. She knew she had to improve mentally just as much as physically if she wanted to succeed in life.
"You're right, I suppose I just find you cute." She looked at her with sincere eyes and took a step towards her. She was no little girl, despite her voice. She was a pretty woman, fully grown and there was something about her that told Illuvia that she took pleasure in making people feel uncomfortable.
Illuvia could not focus after that, and even though she tried not to, she could feel an uncomfortable heat burning in her cheeks. The sound of practice swords striking seemed to drown out the girl's laughter, but when the instructor snuck by, she became very serious and gestured for her to get on her knees so they could start the form.
Illuvia knitted her eyebrows. She had nothing to prove. The instructor would become irate if she took too long… Illuvia found herself falling to the ground in a kneeling position, ready to move. She was able to determine the girl's distance from her by listening to her steps behind her. She rose to her feet in a spin, just as she'd seen her teacher do, and ripped her practice sword out of its resting place, turning to face the girl and block her blow.
Instead of the boney cheeked girl, the teacher was the one who’d approached her, his practice sword falling with such speed that Illuvia had to quicken her movements to avoid it. She countered the sheer force of her opponent's strike by using the teacher’s momentum while her body absorbed the shock. On the surface, it was a cunning tactic, but Illuvia knew she wouldn't stand a chance against him if she’d been trying.
However, the teacher acknowledged Illuvia's work with a nod, if a little sharply, before moving on to the next group. With a menacing glance at the naive girl whistling, Illuvia's mouth turned bitter. "Thanks for the warning," she murmured. The girl gave her a charming smile and held out her hand. "It’s nice to meet you too."
Illuvia ignored the cordial greeting, glancing from the hand to her face. "Please assume the position so that we can begin."
Then, she acted. Her own attempt was more graceful than Illuvia's, but lacked the strength to repel even an attack like the one the instructor had used on her. It wasn't her responsibility to correct her, even though she was aware of this. She still gave her some feedback though, because even though she’d tried to mess with her earlier she did want to get along with people.
It was finally time to head home as the day was coming to an end. Unlike the previous day, Illuvia actually felt like she’d accomplished a lot. She felt like she was getting faster, more quick with her reflexes. She’d also actually performed well and avoided getting into any fights. It was progress.
