CoH CoS (Chapter 20)

The lightsabers flashed and danced. A deadly waltz one might say. Damien watched from the outer part of the training floor. Athena and Honey watched each other warily before attacking and defending a few moves, then moving back again. Damien shouted out instructions every now and then on each girl’s technique. The light blade of the practice sabers wasn’t harmful, but would cause a numbing sensation wherever it hit. Being hit with a practice saber wasn’t fatal, but definitely a lasting memory. Honey had started her training just recently, but had learned quickly. Athena had taken a renewed and more serious interest in her own training after Damien’s first battle with the Randon. Honey had come to Damien with the request of becoming his apprentice not long after his sparring match with Artemis. Athena had been learning off and on with Damien’s best friend and second in command, Chip. She had also come to Damien with the request of becoming his apprentice not too long after his match with Artemis. Some of the other Knights had been surprised when Damien took both of them on as apprentices. He had not taken an apprentice since Anita had left. With Honey and Athena’s separate, but strong connection to him, both had been working very hard to live up to his expectations. This drive had brought some strong competition between the two, but since it had not turned into anything bad Damien refrained from saying anything. Damien watched the two sparring. They were coming into their Gift quickly. Their movements were getting faster. They would soon begin moving at Elysian speed. As each of them tried to get the advantage and failed, their strikes became stronger and more violent.

‘They strike any harder and the sabers are going to shut down on them’, Damien thought to himself.

The practice sabers had an auto cut off once strikes got to a certain level consecutively. The main reason being that it was possibly harmful to the attacker instead of the attacked to be striking at that level at a continuous rate. As Damien predicted, they struck each other’s saber at the same time and the sabers cut off. The both looked surprised, so entranced into the heat of battle had they been.

“You both have made one of the gravest mistakes in battle. Do you know what that is?”

They both looked at him for a few moments before shaking their heads.

“To let anger into a battle. Calm, peace, tranquility. Those are the ways to bring about victory in battle. Consider this during your meditation. You’re both dismissed from practice.”

They bowed to him and walked off together. Damien looked at them for a few moments and then brought one of the practice sabers into his hand with a wave of his Gift. Damien felt a presence behind him and smiled softly. The other practice saber flew off behind him and he heard a voice.

“How about a little practice?”…

-Damien