The Iron Teeth

Written in Blood 4

Training with Vorscha was much more enjoyable than with Saeter. It was actually kind of fun and he learned quite a bit faster from her. This was most likely because he took fewer blows to the head.

"Good, keep your weight mostly on your back foot," Vorscha told him as he blocked one of her thrusts.

The tall chesty brunette was obviously not putting all of her considerable strength behind the blow. Blacknail appreciated the consideration since she probably weighed twice as much as him.

"Now attack," she told him.

The hobgoblin eagerly did as she asked. He stepped forwards and launched a horizontal slash, which Vorscha easily blocked. Not that he had been expecting to land the blow.

"No, that was all wrong. You were off balance. Stop," Vorscha said with a frown.

"I'm sorry," Blacknail replied submissively as he lowered his blade.

The large woman was clearly a much more skilled fighter than him. Blacknail mentally added her to the list of people he didn't want to challenge to a real fight.

"See, do it like this," Vorscha explained.

The large brunette's blade sliced through the air as she demonstrated the proper technique. Blacknail watched her carefully. She was startlingly graceful looking when she had a sword in hand, as she flowed between different stances and attacks her brown curls barely moved.

Blacknail tried to copy her movements but his weren't nearly as smooth. He certainly had a long way to go in order to become any good at swordsmanship. He would just have to cheat in the meantime.

"Good, now practice that by yourself for a while, while I go check on Khita," Vorscha told him as she watched him practice.

Blacknail continued repeatedly slicing the air as he practiced the move over and over again. Vorscha gave an approving nod and then headed over to Khita.

She then walked over to where the young woman was practicing, or where she was supposed to be practicing anyway. Khita had stopped practicing quite a while ago and was now just standing around.

The young woman was red faced with exhaustion, and the sword she was supposed to be swinging hung loosely from her hand with its tip resting on the ground. She scowled at Vorscha as the older woman approached.

"Why have you stopped?" Vorscha asked her in disapproval.

"Ugh, I can barely move my arms anymore. Can't I take a break?" Khita whined in response.

"Ha, and you thought you didn't need anyone's help. It hasn't even been half an hour yet. Real fighting takes a little more muscle than that back alley scuffling you're used to, doesn't it now?" Vorscha asked her.

"Maybe..." Khita muttered resentfully back.

"Well, don't worry about it. I'll have you in fighting form before too long. It will just take a few hours of practice every day," Vorscha explained with a gleeful smile.

Khita winced as is if someone had just slapped her across the face. She didn't seem to like Vorscha's plan very much.

"I don't suppose I have a choice?" she asked the other woman.

"Nope, I already got permission from Herad to make you my subordinate. You have to do what I say, or its back to the city with you," Vorscha replied with a smile as Khita groaned.

While they were talking Blacknail had grown bored of repeating the same technique so he started throwing in a few other ones. He was so engrossed in the feel and sound of the blade as it sliced through the air that he didn't notice Saeter and Red Dog arrive until one of them actually spoke.