"Leo, how would you like to duel?"
"I thought you'd never ask!"
"…Is a death wish actually something you have, Rin?!" Asher threw up his arms in bewilderment — his voice inflection that of a concerned parent.
I turned to him, slightly nudging his side. "Like you said, I need to put myself in a crack-splitting situation and see what happens."
He lowered his head, flustered, "Damn my eye-openin', truly astonishin' and aspirin' suggestions." He sniffed a fake tear, "I'm… too good for this world." Fully turning his body towards me, he put a hand on my shoulder. "Just promise you won't die on me, ma boy."
Slapping his hand off my shoulder, I walked away with Leo. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
Not waiting for Asher to catch up, Leo and I walked at a speedy pace down the hall. Reaching the stairs, we climbed down, leaving Asher trailing far behind.
Halfway down our descent, the front doors opened. The nearby servants began shuffling quickly to the center of the hall.
When the door fully opened, they all bowed in unison. Welcoming the arrivals in a show of appreciation.
"We welcome your return, My Lord." The servants called out.
Walking in were Lord Elgin and Sir Chiron, as well as their coachman.
When Lord Elgin gestured for them all to stand, they rushed to the carriage to bring in all his belongings.
Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, Leo and I made our way to Lord Elgin and Sir Chiron.
"Welcome back, Father, Sir Chiron." Leo said, calling out to them from across the foyer.
"Leo, Rin," Lord Elgin said simply, "What are you tw—three doing?" Spotting Asher. "Brother, it's good you could make it so soon." He finished, speaking loud enough for Asher to hear him on the stairs..
Leo and I stopped in front of Sir Chiron, quietly greeting him.
"Good, great, who gives a damn." Asher said, tossing away Lord Elgin's words. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he continued, "Yu're late, brother. Do you not care about yur own Sub?"
"I.. am right on time." Ignoring Asher, he looked back at Leo and me. "I ask again, what are you three doing?"
"We were just about to duel," Leo said for us, "A serious one!" He clenched his fists in preparation.
Lord Elgin and Sir Chiron looked between us, then at each other.
His voice in a tired exhale, Lord Elgin spoke, "Sir Chiron, it has been a long week. While it would be nice to watch this massacre, I'm afraid I'm tired of dealing with foolish ideas." His tone lightened a bit, "If you could please supervise this quick spar, I'll give you the rest of the day off. In fact, why not join me for a drink afterward?"
Massacre? Right, he must be scared about what I'll do to Leo!
"Of course, my Lord." Sir Chiron complied with a bow.
With that greeting, and farewell, Lord Elgin left just as quickly as he came. "Rin, your training will continue early tomorrow." He said before leaving.
Walking up the stairs and down the Upper South Wing Hall, I assume he went to greet Lady Phia. Leaving the four of us to ourselves.
Leo, Asher, Sir Chiron, and I made our way down to the training floor, through the elevator.
On the way down, Sir Chiron started the conversation, "Rin, how are you faring? Is this duel related to the letter?" His elegant voice was soft.
Staring at the wall door of the elevator, not bothering to look at him, I answered, "It is."
"Hmm, three weeks is not nearly enough time. But, with adequate training, we hope to have you ready to present something."
"What's with the sugar coatin'? The boy's screwed, the house's screwed, everythin's screwed." Asher spoke up dramatically.
"But is a duel the only option?"
"Of course it is," Leo spoke up through gritted teeth. "The quickest way to learn is always through a duel."
"But, what could the boy learn, if he's scarcely been taught?" Sir Chiron queried.
I've been taught enough for this.
But, no one spoke up.
Through the corner of my eye, I could see Sir Chiron glancing at each of us. Observing all of our subtle demeanors. After some time, he spoke again, "You three seem to be antsy, just how deep into this are you?"
The elevator doors silently opened to reveal the Training Studio. As well as the stand, we forgot to close earlier.
"I… see…" Sir Chiron let out slowly.
…
Positioned in the center of the Sparing Studio, Leo stood in a relaxed posture, five meters away. His hands raised behind his head, supporting it. We were both looking towards the viewing cage.
Closer to the reality of the duel, my heart beat harder against my chest.
Inside the viewing cage were Asher and Sir Chiron. Sir Chiron's voice, resonating from every direction and echoing throughout the chamber, came over the speaker, "Sparring rules are Ad-Standard. No weapons, full use of the Will is permitted. First to three points, or until Critical Win. Please restrain your Aura. I'd rather not spend the rest of the day with another headache." He finished wearily, with a tired exhale.
When his voice stopped ringing over the speaker, ending in a click, Leo and I readied ourselves in a fighting stance.
My heart beat louder.
Arms raised and ridged, in proper form. Settling into the defensive stance I was taught before Lord Elgin left for his meeting. Ready to take on any blow. Stood on the balls of my feet, legs shoulder-width apart, non-dominant foot farther back than the other. My legs slightly bent in preparation to move at a moment's notice. This form, as explained, was meant for evading blows, or if necessary, blocking them. While responding with a powerful kick when the opponent is recovering from a failed punch or reeling while off balance.
Of course, this stance is only used against human opponents. Trying this against a Beast would most definitely end with me being smooshed. Come to think of it, they haven't been taught how to fight a Beast, yet.
But, in this situation, against this opponent, the stance brought a form of comfort. Slowing my heart.
Standing across from me, with a mischievous grin, was Leo. More relaxed than combat-ready. Yet, the strength and confidence emanating from him was disheartening.
He stood in a different stance. One I was taught, but was advised against using at my current skill level.
'Stable as a stone, powerful as a boulder.' This is the motto taught to every Grimwald Soldier.
While the soldiers are taught the defensive stance and trained to only fight in defence when subduing an adversary, that is not the case for Grimwald assassins.
'Accuracy is truth, speed is death.' The true Grimwald motto is much more… forthcoming, and their fighting style reflects that.
While soldiers are trained in defence, assassins are trained in offence. Or, at least, something of the sort.
Standing on the balls of his feet, his legs slightly more than shoulder width apart. His upper body was adjusted in a way where his side was turned to me, making his head-on form as small as possible. With a hunched body, making it even smaller. His arms were low at his sides, a mix of preparation to take blows and give them. By the way he was standing, it was clear a large amount of essence was trained in his legs. Allowing for quick, sporadic movements. Which was the heart of the form and technique.
When trying it out for myself, my biggest drawback was not being adjusted to essence, so my body couldn't handle the strain. But Leo had no such drawbacks. He will come with the full force of the technique.
The method of the fighting style is to keep a perfectly calculated distance from your adversary. Making their blows hard to land, but allowing you to be fast enough to follow up on their errors. You either block a hit, throwing them off balance enough to counterattack. Or, you dodge, allowing their continuous momentum to carry them off balance. Allowing you to follow up with an attack on their weak spots, somewhere they can't defend. The form is very precise. The smallest gap or misjudged distance could mean defeat. As your defence is only in preparation to throw them off balance, not completely deflect a blow.
While the basic technique only works in fights without Will usage, when proficient, its adaptability makes it ideal for any situation. All that needs to be adjusted is forethought and distance. Along with the use of your Will. For a fight against a Beast, it's practically useless. But for the fighting style of an assassin, it's perfect.
They call it 'Grimshaw'.
Focusing on Leo's stance and my lack of deterrence against it, I faltered.
But I must still trust my defensive ability.
I may not know how to perform the technique, but I understand its essence. I understand how it works. All I need to do is use that.
"Ready?" Sir Chiron's voice came over the speaker again.
Before I had the chance to confirm, he rang over the speaker, clearly excited for the duel to start. "Begin!"