Awakening the blood (Closed, me and Seigfried)

It was the weekend, the time when most students had some rest and relaxation. To take a break and perhaps do some light homework in order to supplement their farther learning. Not.... Not Johan though. Johan had always felt that, relaxing and resting was a very exhausting task. After his stamina was recovered he could hardly force himself to not be doing anything productive with his time. Why he still fond;y remembered the times his teacher droned on and on about a subject he already knew about. So he got caught sharpening and tending to his knives and equipment under his desk without even thinking.

He felt good today, like he was on the verge of doing something great. He had been working to unlock the Pendragon art of Reinforcement. He had read a number of scrolls and studied heavily on the topic. But anything not involving the most minor applications of the Jutsu had eluded him. For Johan, learning was physical. He was on the top of his game whenever he was physically drained and exhausted because he loved the feeling. It always helped the eight year old boy think.

Currently he was within the walls of the purple dragon's estate. Here he trained, lived, studied and mastered the art of Chivalry. The knightly code of conduct. He stood atop a five meter high post. One of six that extended from the ground and varying heights next to a training dummy suspended via rope from a much taller tree. He held in his right hand a wooden practice sword, typical of what students in particular trained with before they were granted a proper sword as their own.

Alone in the tranquil grounds during the early hours of the morning. The sun had just risen and the dew had yet to rise from the sparkling grass. He began his day's work. Swiftly he jumped from one beam to another, whacking the training dummy hard and fast before he landed on one leg where he was aiming. The ninja in training brought his hands up to catch his balance, just for a moment. It looked like was was going to go over the brink and fall. Before he grit his teeth and caught himself. The first step for this exercise was always hardest because one had to get their balance before they could continue.

But now he was ready. Johan gripped his wooden sword in two hands and leapt for the highest beam, just above the level of the back. He swiped his dull sword, not as a blunt tool but as a cutting weapon. Causing the dummy to spin from it's rope. Landing on his left foot on the side of the very top of the beam he kicked back. Sure to take another chop at the dummy as he did so. He landed on the second to highest beam, he had already broken a sweat. The boy smiled as he took his sword in a reverse hold and continued.

He jumped up at a steep angle, he kept up his momentum by taking two swift steps up a beam. But the ninja had yet to master the Jutsu to hold his feet to the wall so instead he jumped to the side. Planting his feet on the top of a post together before he jumped again. Performing a long back flip he was just in the right position to strike his target. He jumped forward once more and swung is weapon, held opposite with his left hand facing the guard and his right to pummel. He performed a quarter spin and a thwak could be heard as he impacted the target.

Dang it! The boy mouthed, for he had made the awful mistake of spinning in order to attack. Spinning as his master had taught him, was one of the fastest ways to get a blade sunk into your spine. It was time to stop making mistakes and being fancy. He took his sword in the normal two handed grip, the blade filled with notches and carved all his own. And he proceeded to destroy the training dummy. The sounds of his footfalls could be heard all through the training grounds along with every few of these was a grunt of effort.

After several minutes of striking his target from all angles he finally let it have it. The junior Pendragon pushed his Chakra into his weapon. Attempting his best to balance out any possible imperfections and actually give it an edge. The blade showed signs of the fire like energy surrounding it he lunged, with his blade's guard up for the kill.

That's when Johan succeeded at a lot of different things. He succeeded in almost cutting the entire dummy filled with sand in half with a sword that was almost as sharp as a Kunai. He succeeded in sticking the landing, he then also succeeded when, in his excitement. He pushed so much chakra into his weapon that is burst into wooden splinters. "AHH!" He cried out, raising his hands as the shock of it made him fall. He landed with a squat on the same pole he had started on. 

In order to check to make sure he was not hurt. The Pendragon removed the blindfold he had on for the exercise. He was fine, but he also spotted someone else. His elder, a man name Siegfried was also in the grounds. He could only stare at him. You see Johan was put in a pretty bad spot. It was against the rules for a Pendragon to train without a master there in order to teach him. Besides push ups and running if he practiced any techniques he might only just succeed in making his errors worse without guidance. So he was not suppose to be in the grounds, the only reason he was to clear his head for his studies.

Second, in a clan where you where the bone of your sword. Where your weapon no matter how temporary is akin to your own soul. He just blew up his in the presence of the man who would one day make his real sword. The man who would almost certainly know what a sword meant more than any other Pendragon. So such a man have every right to show him the error of his ways with harsh discipline if he saw fit. A bit like a deer in the headlights he could only look at the man. And I was so close to a breakthrough... He thought to himself, thinking that whatever happened next would set him back. In addition to this, his sword. HIS sword was gone, it was like he blew up a piece of himself. Still, he tried not to let his despair get the better of himself. Especially in front of Siegfried. He respected him too much to do that.

He had been up all night within the forges of the Black Dragons, his eyes stained with the black rings as he continued pounding into the metal as his concentration never waned. He had taken up a certain job for the family of the Purple Dragon to create blades in which could be used for training, the reasoning why was unknown to him though if he had to think about it maybe it had been for a certain new member to their family. Toned muscles continued to assault the blade in a song of creation as he finally finished the last one and sat it into the barrel to cool, his body resorting to sitting on the nearby stool his work completed. Though he had been working until the sun peaked around the horizon, his body fell asleep in an upright position at least until the sun was high in the sky.

After sleeping to just about the time he was supposed to meet at the household, he would strap on his light armor and roll each of the weapons up into a bundle in which its strap would be fastened onto his shoulders, his way set as he walked. As he traversed the sands to reach the abode of the Purple Dragon, he wondered why this request had suddenly been given to him. Usually he had been given requests for reforgings or new weapons, but the task of creating training weapons in such a specific quantity made him curious. As he finally arrived to the doors of the home, he was met by one of the knights who had met him with a wave," Good morrow Siegfried, have you brought the items?," looking over his shoulder he smiled as he nodded and patted the female on the shoulder.," Worry not for I have what you have requested. As always they are expertly made with precision and time," this had pleased her a bit in which she would have shown him to the training area.

As he walked he looked about seeing many a training knights working on their swordsmanship, many of them stopping to wave at the Black Dragon in which he had waved back with a smile. Finally he had came to his destination as his guide left, the only indication of this being his destination as he watched the many trained. It brought a smile to his face seeing the younger generation of the Pendragon training in order to become stronger for their family. His mind however swept back to the call to go to Haven following the march that Arthur had given. Though it was a hasty decision, it was their time to honor the call of their last homeland and Siegfried would be there soon.

The sound of a yelp caught the males attention as he turned to it, seeing one young knight in particular. Watching the sword break did indeed create a bad taste in his mouth, but that was one of a blacksmiths pride, though the sword itself was old in its own right. Walking over towards the male, he reached for the hilt of the blade and examined it in silence before looking towards Johan and back to the hilt with a smile," Sometimes its better to just let a blade rest...but you have been training in our secrets have you not? One such as I can tell this, but you will need a better weapon in order to continue your training," as he said this he would pull the package from his back and set it onto the ground.

Opening it he would pull out two of the blades, sticking them into the ground and putting the rest away as he stood up and grabbed the other two throwing one to the male," Why don't you try this on for size? What is your name young knight?," assuming the male already knew who the Black Dragon was he would then continue," I'll be your training partner for today, feeling up to it?," it had been a while since he had last trained, his time being spent in the forge making weapons for his venture to Haven.

Johan watched as the man approached him. He looked upset, which did nothing to ease the boy's stress. He held with him a great number of weapons. He visibly relaxed once he heard Siegfried speak to him.  "Yes, I have been practicing and honing in on this for... Well a few years. I almost had it, I could just about taste it. But I lost control again to...." He looked at the only thing left of the blade. The hilt. "Terrible effect...." His eye brows raised when he saw the black dragon take out a couple of training blades! Real steel! Dull, sure. But to him, a boy who had been eagerly awaiting to earn one for years. It was like getting a new bike on Christmas day. If you had not expected it at all, but wanted it very badly.

He grabbed the sword by the hilt. Shifting his old one into his pocket. Oh it was magnificent! Almost on the size level of a great sword but scaled back ever so slightly. He examined all of it's shiny curves, god it was like the handle melded onto his hand it felt so natural! Clearly, the man who he was looking at had poured a bit of his heart into it. What he liked the most about the blade was how light weight it was. He was nice and strong from all of his physical training. Despite his size he knew he would learn to wield it very effectively. I am just going to be the s*** walking up to school with this on my hip Particularly, he could appreciate the straight edge. It was a more western style, like that of his people. Not curved like many other swords of the land. It made him feel like a proper knight holding this thing!

He performed a flip hang to lower himself down from the pole, before he dropped down and landed in a crouch. He was directly back up standing as soon as he could however. "I would love to train with you sir knight!" He said raising his blade. He knew how to use weapons such as this one somewhat however he lacked the experience or mastery to learn the best techniques. He immediately swore to himself he would never break this blade. "Thank you for the blade, I will make it my own! My name is Johan."


ooc: So first 2k will be for the jutsu and if you are up for it perhaps we could do a bit more work to get him this nice sword. Perhaps 50 sharpness and 50 health will do? About four thousand words, but at the rate we are going it will be a snap!

It had been good to see enthusiasm within the eyes of the youth, the fact that this one had been so into training made a bright smile appear on the face of the knight as he swung the training sword absentmindedly as he spoke ," It is good to see the youth so interested to train and further themselves and better themselves for the clan and their brethren. So tell me young Johan, what is your goal...your aspirations?," sitting the sword into the ground for a moment he leaned onto the hilt just for a moment as he listened to the boys words.

After the conclusion of the males affirmation of his goals, the sword had been plucked from the earth and gently caressed in his embrace as he smiled," Hold fast your ideals for they will take you far. Do not worry about that sword, though it is a training sword it was made to be durable. So no harm will come to it unless you...well do something that I did not foresee in which i might just...look at you oddly. For now keep it as your training blade until the day it is time for you to come to me for your own blade," with that he paused and swung the sword from side to side before pointing it at the male," Well shall we have a fair training bout?," of course Sieg had needed to train as well.

If the male had agreed, then Sieg would retreat ten meters from the boy, lining his body up as he held the blade close to his side whereas his left hand would be perfectly parallel to his blade. His feet were perfectly spaced to an even 5 inches apart as he looked to the male. With his stance firmed and ready, he waited for the male to make the first move, allowing the trainee to make the first move.

"So tell me young Johan, what is your goal....your aspirations?" The black dragon asked him. Johan had to think of how he wanted to word it before he spoke again. What was important to him? Why was he alive? Did he just want to grow up and do his job for the royal house or did he have his own ambitions in mind? At last the young boy spoke. "...... I want to be the best!"

"Number one, if you can get it. The greatest ninja who has ever lived. I desire renown, not fame I would say. I just want to be undisputedly the top dog. I would not be a monarch or a dictator. But I would be the leader of this village. That is my dream! To be the greatest warrior ever known! To have the kind of power to change the world for the better! To be able to protect those close to me and never have to back down from anyone! I aspire to do that, everyday!" The only way Johan dreamed, was big. There was never any reason to sell yourself short of what you could be, in his eyes he had an even better chance of getting to his goal because he was trying to do it. To attempt to surpass the level of Kage for a ninja was quite a task, but he knew that if he played his cards right, worked his but off every day of his life, then he might have a shot of doing it.

Johan listened to the man respond, he supported him. Hey, everyone had to have a dream right? A reason to be alive, cause if you did not it was about the same as being dead. But now it was time for a sparring match! Even though the man in front of him was many years his senior, with techniques he had yet to even start mastering. The Pendragon thought to himself. I am going to give absolutely everything I can muster in order to beat him.... Because that is why I am alive!   "Here I go!" Said the boy as he dashed to his instructor.

Swordplay lesson kid's, frontal attack's were stupid. Johan had been taught that the enemy had their greatest guard in the front, for when combined with armor and a weapon they could parry even a much more skilled opponents sword swipes all day long. No, the secret to success with your attacks was too flank flank flanketty flank flank. Get behind your opponent, above your opponent. Under them if your in a pinch. The boy jumped forward like he had done so to the training dummy. He spun in the air, (making certain he was out of the range of a simple step forward and cleave) and brought his sword up too attack.

But it was a trick! By using the fact that his master had seen him screw up earlier he had used an identical mistake in order too throw him off of the nature of his attack. In the end he held his blade close to himself, his entire body had been used as a feint. Holding his sword to the side he hit the ground and slid at full tilt. He would end up right next to the man. "I'll show you!" Johan swung his sword, he was standing at his opponents left side and from his own perspective he swung it right to left in order to maximize the amount of movement he would need to do in order to block his attack. The boy's stance was excellent, a life time of training with weapons instead of Jutsu had left him naturally with his leg's shoulder length apart, his body was low, but not too low. The way he stood was absolutely solid, it would allow him to use every bit of his strength. This was just what he needed, because Johan's speed and Stamina was to be expected for his age. His Chakra was almost non existent. But for direct swordplay he had tough skin that was hard for anyone to spot, along with strength that as trained to be way above what those his age could normally perform. It was why he could wield the weapon he held in both of his hand's so effectively. His physical power, his only trump card would have to be the thing he used to win this fight!

"Why!" So he jumped into the air gathering his strength and keeping his leg's close to his body. This is because if his opponent were to swing and he had them low then they would get a free hit on him, it also allowed his jump to be as high as possible. He swung his sword with all his strength, looking to loosen his foe's grip on his weapon. To keep him perhaps just a piece of a step behind him at all times. Johan twisted his body so that when he landed he still faced his opponent. He shifted over the grip of his sword until he had it in his left hand, holding it one handed. In a very particular fashion, the ninja was half swording. Holding by the blade. This was normally only used on armored opponents when you were in a dire need of a club. But the ninja in training was crafty, he knew that if you wanted a sword away from you then having the guard at the end of your weapon could trap your opponents sword, at least for a couple seconds. He swung the blade, it was just a bit slower. This was because he was holding it in only one hand, not because he was not using his dominant hand as the boy had trained to be ambidextrous as his body could be pushed. But this was also intentional. He knew his opponent would turn around, see the big sword and block another strike.

"I'm going to be!" The ninja would use all of his strength in order to pin the blade away from him. He reached into his pocket and jumped forward. Did his hand's wrap around a Kunai knife? A bomb? A shuriken?

"THE BEST!" No! It was the pummel of the wooden blade that he had destroyed, sometimes it was best to let a blade rest, but he had one last task for this one. No longer holding his new weapon of steel, he took the pummel in both hands and allowed his Chakra to flow through it. Making the sword's wooden pummel flawless. He had just used the Reinforcement Jutsu! Almost with his will to win alone! He brought it down, aiming right for the bridge of his instructors nose. The weakest place on his head that he could attack.

ooc: So that's about a 30 powered attack, after all the build up. xD

His aspirations were to become the best? It was such a vague and confusing role for him to see the young pendragon as, but what was he do to but question it? With the males stance and plot of attack confirmed, Siegfried made his movements just and precise. At the point in which the young Johan would jump, his body shifted to the left, his speed trumping the young males allowed him to move a full three meters to the left which at the end of Johan's jump and slide, put him out of range to complete his attack. At this moment however once the young male slide, Sieg stepped two meters forward in order to put himself into an optimal attacking distance. The length of Sieg's current sword had been four meters, though given his strength and speed it would make fighting him a little...awkward.

So to mitigate the excuse of him beating the male, he would do this. As the males first attack came into view, Sieg had moved two steps back and one step over, dodging the original blade. With his eyes he could see the movements of the male clearly so once he lunged with the broken sword he made his move. Moving to the right this time he dodged the hit mere moments before the other male could connect, causing his arm to overextend quite a bit. If the male had been using two hands he would have had greater movement and mobility, a mistake most novices made.

As his arm missed, Sieg stepped into the male shoulder checking him, his momentum catching the males as he would have still been in the motions of swinging as Sieg made his own move, causing his opponent (Johan) to be pushed back a few meters. Without dropping his stance he smiled and pointed the blade at the male who would now be three meters from him," Your dream sounds like that of a small pup Johan, To a knight their aspirations make them. Our dreams are melded into our actions...from what you ask of yourself you want more than you can aspire, but to be the best one must throw all others aside...Will you do this?," he waited for the male to speak, his form waiting for the slightest of movements for an attack.

Wow! Siegfried was fast! Nothing less than he would expect from someone many year's his elder in experience and training. "The reason I want to be the best Sieg, is so I can protect other people! There would be no point otherwise now would there!" Said the boy. He was breathing at a fairly rapid pace and his heart was thudding right along strongly in his chest. He was back in his combat stance. After he shifted his blade back he put away his glorified cudgel into his pocket again. He reasoned that now was not the time to be furious, now was the time to fight smart. So he shifted his stance a bit and went back into the fray. Trying to use his swords distance for all it was worth and not leave himself open to a counter attack with a sloppy misstep. He made to close the distance with a short dash. Where h prodded forward with his sword two times quick before hopping back if his opponent did not dodge or hopping forward if his opponent at moved. He then followed up regardless with a number of strikes from differing angles and positions. Johan was attempting to get the older man caught in a pattern of dodging that he could possibly exploit.

"Besides, the only real greatness in this world comes from your heart." He said.

"That is where you are wrong youngling," the knight spoke as he rolled his shoulders as he spoke to the boy," You do not have to be the best to protect those close to you. To be strong is not to be the best, but to use your strengths and your weaknesses to help those around you. I do not expect you to understand this now as you are, but as time goes on you will see this truth in all things," of course he had learned these ideals through the actions of his father, someone who taught him to find his own light in the hearth.

As the boy tried to throw another series of attacks at the male, he watched them with an interpretive eye before dodging and parrying them before hitting the last strike of the male upwards, causing his body to lurch backwards and off balance. With one stroke he pointed his sword towards the males neck," The only real greatness comes not just from the heart, but from the bonds you forge of friend and family alike. No one person can achieve greatness without those beside them. A single sword within a hill does not stop an army, it takes a rally of weapons that become one in cause to stop an army," pulling his sword from the boy he sighed and stepped back as he continued," One should not only rely on himself to become greater. We, the Pendragon, rely on our bonds and our oaths in order to become better, a path we each walk forth together. Alone a Pendragon is strong, but together we are an immovable force. Do you understand young Johan," his eyes cast a soft glance upon the boy as he waited for him to stand from the earth.

His eyes sat on the young male that had not made a single move since Siegfried had attacked and spoken which had felt off to him. There was no point in fighting an opponent who did not make any movements. Putting the training sword into the ground he would pick the child up taking him into the stronghold of the Purple Dragon and alerting someone that the child was unresponsive. Of course he would alert the one that he had delivered the items in which they needed, pointing them into the direction of which he had left them. With that business concluded he left in order to return to the forge to forgo his next project.

[Exit, 9 stats]

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