Tilted Axis

Chapter:8

Killua POV

   "Actually! Before you go Killua I have something else to say." Feitan shouts to me from the door way. "You are supposed to meet up with Phinks and Nobunaga at the training grounds."

   I nod quickly. "Yes sir!"

   Satisfied he disappeared again into the room. I could hear him muttering faintly in Japanese. I ignore it as I leave the dungeons and return to the house upstairs. I quickly make my way to the bathrooms to try and wash off the blood that was quickly drying.

On the way I spot Milluki making his way down the hall. "Milluki! Can I ask you a favor?" I ask hiding my hands behind my back. He groans annoyed. "What is it kil? I've got things to do."

"I just wanted to ask you to have somebody go down to the dungeons with medical supplies. Feitan needs them." He rolls his eyes. "Fine. Whatever." He says waving his hand dismissively. He continues his way down the hall without another word.

I watch him leave before rushing into the bathroom and start scrubbing my hands vigorously. I start to think again about what I did to the man. The sound of his skin ripping. His bones popping. It causes my stomach to turn but less so than before.

However, I can feel a lightness in my chest. Pride? Joy maybe? Why did I enjoy any of it? Torturing a man shouldn't be a enjoyable experience. Yet..

I'm driven from my thoughts when I hear a knock on the door. "Master Killua? Are you alright in there?" It's Gotoh. "Yeah I'm fine Gotoh!" I check my hands they are still red but no amount of scrubbing seems to help. I quickly dry my hands and open the door.

"How did you know it was me in there?" I ask him curiously. "Milluki sir. He came to tell me that Master Feitan needed medical supplies. Milluki seemed to think you needed them as well, as you were rushing to the bathroom." He gestures to a small platter on the cart that held a cup of hot tea.

"Ginger tea. To help settle ones stomach." He explains. I smile a little. I take the cup and quickly down the tea. "Thank you Gotoh. I did need some."

   "My pleasure sir." He bows to me. He starts to walk off with the cart before stopping. "And good luck with the rest of your training!" He says giving me a small smile before going on his way.

   "Ah Gotoh. You never cease to brighten my mood." I think to myself as I head to the rear door of the house.

Upon exiting I see Phinks and Nobunaga chatting at the sparring grounds. They have a table next to them covered in various close quarters weapons. I pick up the pace so I don't make them wait longer. As I draw near they stop chatting and without hesitation Phinks throws a quick jab to my face.

I come sliding to a stop on the dirt and block the first blow, but he had another coming aimed for my side I wasn't ready for.

His fist slams into my side knocking the wind out of me. It feels harder than a rock and takes me a moment to catch my breath. "Rule one of hand to hand, expect everything. You never know when you could be attacked." Phinks says to me.

"You didn't expect me to come after you immediately. Being caught off guard can be a deadly mistake. Remember that." He finishes. I stand straight and nod. "Yes sir!" I gasp out best I can.

"Now. You will be with Nobunaga first. He's gonna cover every possible melee weapon you may get your hands on or have to use." Phinks explains before walking away without another word.

"Ok kid. What do you have experience with? Anything at all?" Nobunaga asks me. His hand is resting on the katana by his side. "I have some with basic knives one would be carrying. Used for either stealth or face to face."

He nods. "Then we will skip those for now. We can try one of these." He picks up a sheathed Katana from the table and hands it to me.

"Strap it onto the side that is opposite your dominant hand." He instructs. I inspect the straps on the blade cover before strapping it to my left side. "The Katana, has been used in Japan ever since around the year 1185. While blade length can vary, yours is 73 centimeters long. As well as the type of Katana. The ones we are using are Shinogi-Zukuri." He begins with a lesson of the Katana.

"The blade is strong and sturdy, however the back of the blade is flexible. This allows for easier parrying when in combat." He unsheathes his Katana and shows me what he means. The long curved blade of the Katana glistens in the sunlight. The back of it is round and the difference between the two is like night and day.

"Now go over to that dummy." He says pointing to the basic straw combat dummy. "Show me what you can do."

   I raise an eyebrow to him. "Can you at least give me an idea of how to hold the blade? Kinda going in blind." I ask

   "Sure. Don't hold it from the sharp end. Now go." He says sarcastically. I groan under my breath but don't argue. I step up to the dummy with a wide stance.

    I shift my right foot back slimming myself out and drawing the sword with my right hand. I hold it defensively the blade in front ready to block. I hold the sword up with both hands, my right over my left. I step forward at the training dummy and slash down across its chest right to left.

    I flip the blade around and bring it back horizontally fast and strong. Before I'm able to continue the dummy falls apart in the middle. My horizontal swipe cut through the main support.

   "Jeez. That's brutally sharp.." I say to myself. Nobunaga steps over to me. "That's what happens when you maintain your blade properly. With the right training you can cut an opponent apart before they so much as blink."

   I sheathe the katana away and stand straight. "Your stance is good. You want to stay as slim as possible. Less area they can attack the better for you. I can guess you figured that from hand to hand combat right?" He asks.

   I nod quickly. "However. Your first slash across the torso was slow. That first strike is what matters most. I can tell you aren't comfortable with both hands in a position like that." He looks down to the dummy.

   "We are going to need more sturdy dummies for you to practice with real blades. But for now," he picks up a katana that holds a wooden blade instead of metal. "We will spar with these to make up for it. It's gonna hurt like a bitch." He says grinning for the first time. He tosses it over to me.

   "It's not proper training if I'm not hurting at least a little right?" I say shrugging. He chuckles at this. "I think me and you will get along great. Now prepare yourself." He says widening his stance. "I won't be holding back."

He lunges at me ready to bring his wooden blade down on my right shoulder. My first instinct causes me to shift my right foot back and deflect with my own. "Ok so you can block a basic attack. But can you block a stabbing strike?" He says to me before backing away.

He lunged again going for a stab at my middle. I quickly side step and bring my blade down aiming for his wrist. I'm stopped in my attacks by a hard impact to my side and across my stomach. He went from a stab to a swipe in one swift move.

"Your reflexes are quick, but they are useless if you leave yourself open. Get back in position." He says instructing me. I start to prepare myself as he instructed. When I look back up at him I his wooden blade about to strike me again. "Oh fuck me." Are my last thoughts before taking the sword to the jaw and fading to black.

(Authors note. Sorry for the delay in posts lately! I'm making the most of the quarantine and doing a lot of writing since I'm unable to work. Got chapters for Tilted Axis and Drawn by Fate ready and hopefully out soon. I've also been working on a secret project I can't wait for y'all to see. That's all from me! As usual leave your comments on what you thought on the chapter. I hope you're still enjoying!