"Hehe, yeah, that's the spot..." Captain Oblitus mumbled, his face full of delight as a pair of hands gave him a head massage. One of his wooden dwarves sat on his shoulders, green fingers wriggling through the old man's shriveled white hair.
"Another beautiful day for me and me baby!" Oblitus chuckled, tapping the ship's helm. As he joyfully enjoyed the special treatment beneath the cool kiss of the sun, his eyes twitched, catching the sound of commotion brewing below.
"Not during my happy hour!" the old man barked, throwing the poor wooden dwarf off him and quickly dashing to lean on the wooden rails in front to watch the incoming show.
On the deck, the Inquisitors were all training, casting secretive glances at a certain pair standing face to face. These were, of course, Spes and Crystal. It was the Omega Squad's Captain's turn to train the young Spes.
"I've spoken with Decus about how we're to train you..." Crystal spoke first, her usual cold gaze fixed on Spes.
"My vice captain will be responsible for body conditioning and endurance training. Mine will be to hone your combat skills."
"Since you're so keen on going through the Knighthood path, your training will reflect that." Crystal's eyes turned serious as her left hand grabbed her sword by the sheath, the other moving toward the handle. With a cold grunt, she extended her arm and, for the very first time, drew the blade from its sheath, pointing its sharp edge toward Spes.
"A knight without a sword is like a lion without its teeth."
Spes gulped, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead, and shivered slightly from the cold aura emanating from Crystal's sword.
"Decus!" Crystal called out, her voice rising slightly while both her sword and eyes remained fixed on Spes.
Upon being summoned, the handsome Decus walked out of a cabin, a sheathed sword in hand.
"Good luck, lad." He smiled at Spes, tossing the sword to the young man before going to train his men in a corner.
Spes caught the sword successfully, his eyes glowing with fascination as this was the first time a sword had ever rested in his hands. He was so engrossed in the new item that he didn't even notice Crystal approaching until she stood right next to him.
"Unsheathe the sword."
The young man jumped, startled by the cold beauty beside him.
"Y-yes!" Spes replied clumsily, drawing the sword and leaving the sheath on the ground.
"I'll be teaching you swordsmanship. So listen well and do as I do." Crystal immediately took a wide stance, both hands clutching her sword's handle.
"There are many styles and schools when wielding the sword. But the Inquisition prefers the most straightforward and efficient one: basic swordsmanship, with only four strikes."
Crystal took a deep breath, raising her sword above her head. Upon exhaling, she stepped forward, the wind whistling as she sent the blade down.
"Uppercut..." she mumbled, shifting her weight back while pulling her sword behind her, the blade parallel to her legs, its tip pointed to the ground.
"Undercut..." Taking another deep breath, she stepped forward again, simultaneously bringing the blade upward as she grunted.
"Middle slash..." Her long silver hair fluttered as she slashed horizontally, first from the left, then adding another slash from the right.
For the final strike, like a bowstring released, her hands retracted and then sent one powerful straight jab forward.
"Thrust..." she said, exhaling one last time.
"Your turn. Start by opening your stance. Your legs must be wide apart to give you both balance and flexibility." Crystal returned to her original stance, waiting for Spes to imitate her.
Smiling nervously, Spes tried to copy her, taking a stance with his sword pointed forward.
"Good, uppercut..." she said, sending her sword downwards before turning back toward Spes.
Spes pretended to cough, avoiding those cold silver eyes. Calming himself, he imitated her strike, sending his sword down.
"..." Crystal said nothing this time, looking at him strangely for a moment before moving on to the second strike.
Once she finished, Spes followed, slashing his blade upward.
"..." This time, a frown appeared on Crystal's face. She coldly sneered, immediately sending the last two strikes in succession, then turned back to Spes, waiting for him to do the same.
Spes coughed again, wondering if he would ever get used to the captain's stares as he readied his sword. Taking a deep breath, he went on and successfully imitated her two strikes, making Crystal's eyes widen in surprise.
"You! This is not your first time wielding a sword. Do not make a fool out of me!" she grumbled, glaring hatefully at Spes.
"T-this is my first time..." Spes smiled wryly, avoiding her gaze.
The young man was telling the truth. It was the first time he had ever laid hands on a sword. What Crystal didn't know was that he had secret assistance during her demonstrations.
[[ACTION: Capturing movement data...]]
[[STATUS: Movement data captured.]]
[[ACTION: Analyzing strike patterns...]]
[[STATUS: Strike patterns analyzed.]]
[[TRANSFER: Sending combat mastery data to recipient.]]
The Seed's emotionless voice had spoken to him earlier after Liber proposed utilizing one of the Seed's new features. It turned out to work so well that it raised suspicion in Crystal.
"No need to look at him like that, Captain. He's a natural!" Decus smiled widely in a corner, traces of surprise still present in his eyes.
The Captain coldly glared at the handsome Decus, who raised his hands and slowly retreated back to his men.
"Since you've mastered the strikes so fast, it's time to test them in a real combat situation." Crystal then turned toward Spes, a cold smile forming on her face.