The Promise to Fulfill (Insaney)

His heart raced. His eyes glanced at the dark haired form of the unconscious woman and the man who had tried to defend her from the towering figure and the small girl. It was terrifying. A man smaller than the taller being, who had blades composed of bone instead of hands, began to laugh maniacally. "You'll never be able to save her," his voice echoed in Zachary's ears. His eyes widened in terror at this thought.

"Even now. Even after she's more than less likely forgotten you, boy, you still cling to your hope of saving her. You loved her once, but now she's been replaced by the gypsy. So why save her?"

"Because..." he said, biting him lip to the point of blood being drawn. "Because I promised her I'd protect her... and I failed to then. Even with Zorlo's help, I couldn't beat you freaks, but next time... I swear I'll kill you all!

"Bold words coming from a person who can't even protect himself."

Zachary stepped back, clenching his hand tightly into a fist. "I... I..."

"Exactly. Give up your hope. You can't protect anyone. Give your foolish ambitions and die like you should have then."

"I'll kill you!" Zachary said as he rushed forwards, forming Azul and Rosso in his hands. The large figure with bladed arms stepped forwards and the two warriors attacked. In a flash, the bone blade punched clean through Zachary's chest and out his back. A last cry of pain echoed from his lips as he felt himself die.

o=)----------- Rubato: Somewhere in the Desert -----------(=o

The ice mage sat up in his bed. Sweat covered him from head to toe as he looked out the window. It was the same time as before. The same nightmare that he had every so often. One of the many scars from his past that manifested itself in an inner conflict. The sun hadn't yet broken the horizon and the cool breeze into the open windows of the dry stone and mud building that Zachary and Rain were living in for now helped him feel refreshed.

The red haired warrior woke up and looked outside. Rain was nowhere to be seen, probably out to look around or possibly off to visit Cadenza. It didn't matter to Zachary which at this moment in time, since he was just happy Rain had agreed to help him. The Replicator looked outside and saw a figure standing in the sands, looking out at the soon rising sun.

The sorcerer grabbed his plate of armor and walked outside, looking at the man who stood just outside the hut. Who would come all the way out here anyway?

Monroe looked at Zachary and cast him a smile. "So you think this training you've asked for will help you? I doubt it. A person can't become stronger physically until they first become stronger mentally. For you, that is impossible," the Quincy stated as he placed down a box and slid it over to Zachary.

The ice mage bent down and opened the box, finding a trench coat and looking at it. "What's this?" he asked, trying it on to find a perfect fit.

"A gift from myself and your girlfriend to you for your training. Its enchanted and the fibers are somewhat magical, so no matter how much of a beating it takes, it'll regenerate good as new. You, however, aren't so lucky." The dark clad man turned and began to walk off.

"Monroe, wait!" the red haired warrior called out.

The archer stopped and glanced back very slightly. "I'll say it again. When it comes to fighting, Zachary Leos will die. There is only one thing you are capable of, so it is imperative that you master it. You must push everything else that's holding you back out of your mind and visualize yourself at your most powerful. Until you can do that, you'll never be able to help Cadenza or I."

Zachary looked down and smiled. "You're right... but where can I start?" he asked, hoping for some kind of answer.

"Dilly dally, shilly shally," the Quincy commented. "So long as you carry the thought that you are weak, you always will be. Until you can convince yourself that you are stronger than you were during your failures, then why are you training yourself? How can you hope to overcome Rain if you can't even overcome yourself?"

Zachary looked at Monroe and thought for a moment. "Overcome... myself?" he asked.

"Yes," Monroe said as he walked off. "I've wasted enough time trying to explain things to you. Get back to your training and hope that you don't die. Gods forbid that'd be the worst tragedy since the death of the green guy," the Quincy said as he became a black blur and vanished.

Overcome myself... what does he mean?

A person can't become stronger physically until they first become stronger mentally.

Rain had heard every word that the Quincy had said to the boy, choosing not to intervene just to see how things would play out. And that's one of the things that really stood out during all this dribble. There were a few other key points, the other most important one would be "Overcome yourself.".

The Grim Angel had a belief that was somewhat similar to the first point; although his was To train the mind, one must first train the body. True, you'd have to have a motivated mind to become stronger and Zachary seemed to already have that.

But telling him that he was going to 'die' wasn't going to work; if he was trying to encourage him.

It was a tiny while after the Quincy had left when Rain realized that Zach didn't know he was standing a little way behind him.

Rain let out an audible yawn and made a groaning noise when he stretched, so Zach would turn to look at him.

"I've never actually trained anyone before--officially trained, like this; separate from the world, living in a hut, not like that."

Rain sighed a little, "As a result, I'll try to train you in 'levels'. Right now, you're at level one--How good are you unarmed?"

The Grim Angel set himself, one hand behind his back. "I'll know when you throw your first punch. Hit me."

The ice mage turned around and looked in shock for a moment. Rain was standing behind him, talking about levels of training and stuff. The red haired warrior smiled as he crossed his arms and thought for a moment. So... we're training in levels? And level one is unarmed combat? And he'll know something after the first punch. Somehow that doesn't make much sense to me... although Zorlo and Monroe could tell how strong some people are by looking at them... or something.

The Replicator cracked his fingers as he turned his body and shifted his weight into his back foot. Something about unarmed combat felt... kinda strange to the amateur sorcerer. Throwing a punch was different from slashing a sword or stabbing any kind of weapon tipped weapon. Still, there was a good bit of training to come.

With a powerful shift in his weight and strength, a powerful punch moved through the air towards the vampire. It was time to see just how powerful the ice mage could be.

Rain saw the punch coming; it had some power behind it, but it seemingly lacked backup; and Zachary was possibly wide open for any attack that should come after. But the Grim Angel would not overestimate him by just dodging, nor would he underestimate by outright attacking at the same level he was coming at.

The Grim Angel would just side step gracefully and gently lift his leg, so that his ankle hooked Zachary's foot, making him stumble forward.

"You're open."

He stumbled, but didn't fall. The Ice Mage turned again, firing a few more punches; but this time, he seemed to be expecting something that silly again, so his footwork was not so lacking anymore. But by this time, Rain had gauged his skills already.

Swiftly, as the man punched with his right arm, Rain forcefully slapped his hand away, "You're still open," he said, lifting his leg and connecting three swift and powerful kicks to the the left side of the Ice Mage's body.

One on the side of his knee, "Here." Another at his waist, "Here," and a last at the side of his head making him tumble to the ground, "And here."

"Any opening is an invite to an enemy," Rain stood over him, "don't be so hospitable. Now get up, try again, but this time, you can use your ice for defense only."

Zachary stood up and dusted himself off. "That's all the ice I can make is good for anyway. I've lot the power to create traditional ice magic, for the most part, like ice spikes and walls and stuff like that. It was replaced by my ability to make weapons and armor and stuff. An interesting trade off bu-" the ice mage was cut off as he bent back to avoid a kick. His eyes widened for a second as he shifted his right leg slightly and kicked at Rain's leg on the ground.

The man fell onto his hand and quickly kicked his foot off the ground and began to spin himself on his hands. The man's legs moved something like a windmill as they swung around at speeds that were, to a normal person, insane. The ice mage stepped back and knocked away the strikes with each chance he had.

Then came the second wave. The shifted his weight and pushed his other hand onto the ground, now spinning himself even faster to propel his kicks. each blow that hit or was deflected stung, but the pain vanished moments after moments. The Grim Angel's hands skidded to a stop as he stopped his final kick just in front of Zach's face. The Replicator stepped back suddenly and almost fell backwards, possibly shocked at the potential attack that hadn't quite completed itself.

Zachary took up his guard again and released a deep breath as he stared at the vampire. This guy was fast and agile, aside from being an extremely skilled opponent. The amateur sorcerer smiled as he held his arms up, crossed, and readied to attack. This... this kind of training... it makes me feel... alive, Zachary thought as he rushed forwards and threw a series of punches, all aimed to at least land one blow on the vampire.

Rain observed the man's every movement; every footstep, every swing, every breath and blink. He was determined to land at least one blow. The Grim Angel quickly slapped away a fist, only to see another coming towards him. That one he ducked gracefully, but was greeted with another punch, which he deflected once more.

He began stepping back as the Ice Mage pressed onward, firing punch after punch for Rain to duck, dodge and deflect with his own hands. It was a small while after repeating the dodging and deflecting, when he chose to jump back a few feet away, out of Zach's reach.

"Timing and balance is everything," Rain told him, raising a hand, beckoning him to bring it on again with his fingers. Zach immediately took up on this and rushed forward, holding his fists up, almost like a boxer.

"Choosing to block or strike at the wrong second could be your downfall." Rain swiftly slapped a fist away and ducked another. "Balance your offense and defense, switch between them at a moment's notice."

At that point, Rain slapped another fist away, but didn't dodge the other one. Instead, he deflected that one too, and brought about his other hand to connect a powerful punch to the man's chest. The blow lifted him off of his feet and sent him backward, rolling through the sand.

Rain walked over to him as the man spat sand out of his mouth, beginning to push himself up from the ground.

"Striking an enemy during his relentless attacks will break the chain and upset his balance, leaving him wide open."

The Grim Angel looked down at him for a few seconds before taking a few steps away.

"Again."

The force of that punch felt like a blow from the fiercest and strongest beasts that Zachary had ever fought. A punch something like that of what Zorlo had once used against him, back when the two were still enemies. Still, years and years of beatings made it hard to stay down after one blow. Then again, sometimes, one blow was all you had before you died.

Zachary had never been the kind of person to take a blow sitting down... standing, but never sitting down. After all, a real knight took blows in stride and continued to fight. A real knight could lose a limb and keep fighting. A real knight... well, this was the point where the ice mage stopped thinking. If he were a knight, he wouldn't be getting pounded into the sand right now.

The Replicator turned his foot and the sand beneath him shifted slightly as he rushed forwards. The amateur sorcerer kept his body low to the ground as he moved forwards. If he had been carrying blades, they would have been cutting the sands with each stride. For now, he had no weapons, but instead, a bit of an idea.

The magical warrior leapt into the air and spun quickly, throwing a powerful roundhouse kick towards the vampire. The man easily dodged the attack and countered with an uppercut. Had his timing been a little bit slower, Zachary would have taken that blow to his chin and been thrown through the air onto the sand. As it stood, the punch narrowly missed as the ice mage leaned back and placed his hands on the ground.

The red haired warrior vaulted off his hands and narrowly dodged a straight kick towards the ice mage's face. The Replicator's boots ripped into the sands as he slid backwards against the sands and blocked a straight punch that came from the Grim Angel's fist. Sand exploded behind Zachary as his feet were pushed back by the intense force of trying to stop himself from moving back. The sorcerer stepped back slightly and shifted a quick punch towards Rain. This was, likely, his best chance.

That quick punch was met by a swath of sand let loose from Rain's fingers. In all of Zachary's kicking and blocking--which were well placed and planned, he had to admit. The wave of sand slapped the Ice Mage's face, and his attack went off by a lot, only hitting Rain's shoulder after a sheer amount of force was cut from it.

Zachary yelped, coughing up sand and brushing the grains away from his face, trying desperately to rub the grinding grains out of his eyes.

"Use the environment to your advantage; sand can blind." The Ice Mage was doused with half a pail of water, washing most of the sand away, "Water can drown." Rain lead the coughing man to the makeshift hut, under the makeshift awning. He placed the pail of water before him and told him to wash his face and try to get the sand out of his eyes.

"Vines can strangle, shadows and forests can provide cover. Even open areas are usefull, allowing you to move to your full extent; remember this goes for your opponent as well."

"When you're done," Rain continued, "pick up that stick leaning up next to you."

There were two sticks, roughly the length of swords, but lighter, leaning up against the wall. Rain had already taken up one and began to walk a little way off.

He stopped for a moment.

"You hit me," he smiled, "it wasn't much, but I don't think anyone other than myself would have been able to pick up that sand between your attacks. We're ready to move on, now."

Fists, and now sticks. This was getting more and more insane by the moment. Practicing with weapons that, for lack of a better thought, were mostly unused to the ice mage seemed a bit off. Still, this stick was at least an extension. Something that could be used to extend a strike and land easier attacks... or in some cases, actually made it harder to hit the target. This was the duality of weapons.

The ice mage grabbed the stick and removed his jacket. As of right now, it was no longer a game of thinking, but a game of striking while thinking. The amateur sorcerer stepped outside and spun the stick in one hand before placing it in both. This had been how the ice mage had traditionally wielded a sword in the past.

The Replicator gripped the stick tightly between his hands, closing his eyes and focusing his mind on what he had to do. Quickly, the red haired warrior stepped forwards and slashed his stick diagonally at the vampire, who simply stepped to the side and smacked the red haired warrior in the back of the head with his stick. "Too slow."

Zachary dragged his stick along the ground and made a quick horizontal slash at the vampire who simply took a step back to avoid any damage. "Not quite there yet." Finally, the amateur sorcerer leapt into the air and swung his stick down with as much force as he could muster. The Grim Angel leapt back slightly as the stick struck the ground and caused the sand to erupt into the air.

The Replicator stood up as he gripped his stick tightly, smiling as he looked around. He had, inadvertently caused a large cloud of sand. Still, from behind the veil of sand came a stick that stopped an inch from the ice mage's head. Slight movements to evade attacks... and also knowing how strong someone's attack is before it is completely made... I can't say I understand how he's doing it, but I can say I'm interested in continuing. This is getting fun, Zachary thought as he spun his stick in his hands and took it into his sword stance. "I'm not done yet!"

Not done, huh? Rain grinned at the Mage as he rushed forward again, with that same recklessness as when he was unarmed. The Grim Angel held his stick very much like a fencer would, holding it straight out and constantly pointing at his target. Zachary brought his weapon down on Rain, only for it to be blocked and deflected, pushed aside as the Grim Angel stepped back to compensate for the Mage's insistence on pushing forward.

He brought down his sword, diagonally this time, and Rain easily dodged it, stepping gracefully to one side, and blocking the rest of strikes by simply lifting his stick and shielding. The Grim Angel slid his stick off, and took the offensive, but Zachary read the attempts well and shielded himself against the weapon.

Rain pressed him, pushing forward while attacking, forcing the man to continue to step back. Rain rose his weapon high, and Zachary lifted his to block, but he didn't notice the kick coming towards his side. It connected hard and his body seemed to hang on Rain's leg before catapulting off, rolling onto the sand.

"Just because your enemy has a weapon out, doesn't necessarily mean he'll strike with it."

Before he knew it, Zach was coming at him again. The Grim Angel easily blocked his attack and spun around him, striking him in the back of the head again, swiftly moving the stick down to smack the side of his knee, making him kneel.

As a final insult, he slammed the stick into the side of Zachary's neck, making him yell in pain and tumble to the ground, his hand grasping his neck.

"You're still too slow." Rain gently tossed the stick he was holding closer to the hut. "The stronger swordsman does not necessarily win. It is speed."

Rain stood over him, bending over and grasping his clothes, pulling him to his feet. "Speed of hand, speed of mind!"

He left the man there and moved over to the hut, taking out another pail of water and hanging it high up on the wall.

"I have a task for you. To do until you accomplish it, or until you fall asleep, whichever comes first." he said, filling the bucket above with water. As soon as water hit the bottom, droplets found their way through a hole and dripped down into an empty pail below. There were hardly enough time or space between the drops, but it was as perfect as it could be.

"Speed of hand, first." Rain swiftly passed his hand between the droplets as they fell, and not a spot of water touched his skin. His movement was swift, yes, but he moved as fast as Zachary should be able to move.

"Pass your hand between the drops as they fall... without getting it wet." Rain turned, beginning to walk off, "If you're thirsty, the water's clean."

Zachary sat down and looked at the dripping water. The ice mage had seen two other people do that. One of them had been, no surprise, Zorlo, who had seemed to do similar things with fire and a candle, and one odd thing with a table and a table cloth. Aside from those things, this was one of those things he would have to spend time doing. Time focusing. Time... Oh God this would be tedious.

The ice mage sat down and looked at the water droplets. Quickly, he thrust his hand in and pulled it backwards. His hand was wet from the drop that had hit him, but he wasn't deterred. In fact, this would be challenging. The Replicator tried again. And again. And again. Still, try after try, he hadn't managed to get any closer to his goal. In fact, he didn't feel his responses growing faster.

o=)------------ A few hours later ------------(=o

Zachary watched the drops of water, feeling his eyelids becoming heavier and heavier. I can't call it quits... I can't give up... No matter how difficult this may seem... its all a game of the mind. If I can think about doing it right, I can do it right... or some such. The ice mage watched the drop fall and splash as he watched carefully. Each drop fell at the same rate, were about the same size, and some of them were still on the ice mage's hand.

Zachary took a deep breath and crossed his legs indian style and held his hand out. "I must move quickly like the striking of a cobra. I must withdraw like the spiders that hide beneath the ground and strike their pray from a hidden spot. Until I can do this, I don't think I'll ever be able to fully gain a concept of this," the ice mage said as he closed his eyes to try to imagine it.

o=)------------ Zach's Subconscious ------------(=o

The sorcerer opened his eyes and looked around. He wasn't in the hut any longer. Instead, he was in a location that he hadn't seen in a very long time. A scene that had long haunted his dreams and still remained there once in a while. The battle scared, burned town that scattered bodies across its landscape reminded Zach of this battlefield all too well.

"This is where..." he paused, looking back to see the man who stood roughly five feet, three inches tall carrying the sword which stood almost as tall as the man. "I met you, Vaskalen, the Hellfire Sword."

"Too right, mortal," the blade spoke as the man that stood it stepped forwards. "It's been too long since we last met."

"I don't have time to fight you, even if you are a dream. I need to get back to training! I need to grow strong... so I can keep my promises," the ice mage said as he formed Azul and Rosso in his hands.

The two figures moved forwards and blades flashed as the short swords blocked the Hellfire sword. Zachary and Galan stared each other down as they pressed their blades against each other. "What in the world are you back for? You were defeated!"

"I was defeated by that man... the one with green hair who saved your life. You were so pathetic and weak then, I could have killed you in one strike," the sword spoke again. Malice seethed from the weapon's voice as its owner seemed to just be an emotionless doll now. "You think you're any different? You still seem like that weak boy I defeated not so long ago."

"I am different!" Zachary said as he pushed the sword and its owner back. A flash of energy erupted from him as he did so. "I've learned so much... but I won't ever need anyone like Zorlo to protect me again! I'm not weak! I don't need to be protected by people who feel bad for me!" the ice mage said as Azul pierced into Galan's chest.

"If you're so great, then why is it you understand nothing?" the sword asked with an evil laugh. "After all, you seem to understand your own strength enough to think you can defeat the likes of me. If that is true, then why do you need to get stronger? If you're so powerful you can defeat the Hellfire sword, why can't you complete a simple task?" the sword asked as fire built up at the tip and erupted, consuming Zachary.

o=)------------ Back at the Hut ------------(=o

Zachary's eyes rocketed open as the thrust his hand. His hand moved swiftly forward and back. The ice mage looked at his hand and noticed that no water had hit him this time. "I did it?" he asked, looking at the water. "No... its a fluke," he said as he closed his eyes again and thrust his hand again. Again, great speed, he moved in and away from the water without disturbing the drops.

After a few more tests to make sure, the ice innate looked at the dripping water for a moment and crossed his arms. "I can do it... Is it because I believe I can do it... or is because I wanted to do it enough I found a way?" the Replicator asked himself as he smiled. "It doesn't matter, this is only the first test... I have much more to do. If I stop now, I'll never be strong enough to help anyone... I'll only die the death of a would be hero, just like Zorlo," he commented, looking at the door. "I won't be you, Z. I won't die and leave everyone I care about!"

"Looks like you were able."

Zachary caught the stick that was flung towards him as soon as he had finished shouting to the sky. Rain had heard everything, and that was enough. It was time to resume training, for now. He had seemingly handled the speed of hand part, now it was time to have him think on his feet more, and faster.

Immediately, Rain pressed forward, on full offensive. Zach could do nothing but block with his own weapon. The Grim Angel made a powerful vertical strike downward, and Zach seemed to read its power, so he made the decision to dodge it. The Ice Made watched in awe as a massive wave of sand rose up from the blow, in a straight line in front of the stick as soon as it hit the ground. The wave cut through the sand; as if something were above, pulling the sand away.

Zach noticed that Rain's stick was broken now, and he grinned, rushing forward to attack.

The Grim Angel swiftly dropped his broken weapon and stopped Zach's attack by catching his strike in mid swing. The Grim Angel tightened his grip, causing the stick to snap between his fingers.

This caught the man entirely off guard.

A powerful kick slammed into his stomach and lifted him up into the air. Rain flipped over almost immediately, connecting a kick to his back, slamming him back into the sand. He stepped to the side and looked down at the man who was now bleeding through his mouth, but still quite alive, and quite conscious.

"All war is based on deception; think your enemy has a weakness and it becomes his strength."

"If you don't get off the ground in the next ten seconds, you're through for today."

It hurt. It hurt so much just to even keep his eyes open any longer. Still, despite the blood that dripped from his mouth, Zachary couldn't help but laugh as he began to rise up from where he lay on the ground. Digging his hands fiercely into the ground, he pushed and pushed, seeking to rise up from where his body had fallen.

"We are the bringers of peace and the destroyers of the same. We destroy those who oppose us, but bring pain to those who care for us. We entitle ourselves to pain beyond knowledge, yet we cannot hold our lives together. Zorlo... I learned everything I know from you I guess," the ice mage said, becoming slightly delirious.

The words were all spoken with a certain level of hatred, but still, some respect. The Replicator's eyes became mildly empty as he stumbled forwards and shifted from side to side as he walked forwards. "I'm not about to give up... I will not shirk on this training, as I have so much else. I cannot let myself down... I cannot."

Despite all of his inward held self hatred. Despite all of the suffering he knew he was causing the people that cared for him. Despite all of his adversity to being like Zorlo, here the amateur sorcerer stood. Training so that he could save lives and so he could preserve his own. It took a few moments for the ice mage to embrace the irony of his actions, even as his consciousness continued to fade, and smile.

"Still," he whispered as he rushed forwards, his body barely staying upright as he hunched over for his charge, "I understand better now why you were the way you were. Still, I'll surpass you!" the ice mage stated as he leapt up and threw a quick roundhouse that Rain easily ducked. Still, this wasn't going to be the same as last time. Let your weakness become a strength. Good motto, he muttered as he pulled his right leg up and drove his foot into the man's chest.

The ice mage threw a fierce left jab that Rain easily guarded. Still, the following kick from the mage's right leg did catch the man a little shocked as he blocked that move with his other hand. Zachary smiled as he pushed his body off the ground and brought his left leg down in an overhead strike. The vampire smiled as he vanished for a second as Zachary's leg struck the sand, causing it to plume.

When the sand finally vanished, the Replicator stood up, but all consciousness had faded from his eyes. The sorcerer had given it his all, but there even he knew that his limit was made. Or, at least his body did.

He watched as the man's body tumbled to the ground after that last failed attack. At that moment, a gust of wind picked up, making their clothes flutter wildly as the sand whipped around them. Rain lifted his hand over his eyes, but that didn't stop the grains from scratching at his skin each time a blast of wind picked up.

As the wind passed, Rain turned to watch a cloud of sand moving away with it in the distance.

The wind is free, his eyes turned away from the sand to the sun setting on the desert horizon, signaling the end of the day, but the sand goes where it is blown...

He began moving over to Zachary, who lay unconscious in the sand, and covered in it. Gently, he held the man's clothes and pulled him up, hoisting him over his shoulder as he made his way toward the makeshift hut.

That's where he dumped the boy, What is one grain of sand in the desert? One grain of sand in the storm? Rain looked down at him and smiled to himself.

Yes, a good start.

The sun slowly rose slightly from the horizon and flashed into the ice mage's eyes as he slowly began to roll over. His body rolled off of what had been his makeshift bed and onto the ground. The red haired warrior looked around as he sat up and realized that he had fallen asleep. Slowly, the Replicator stood up and walked to the window to see the setting sun.

He didn't know how, but the sorcerer could feel and odd change in the wind. I feel... something different. I can't say what it is, but it feels like something familiar to this land. The amateur sorcerer took a few steps towards the exit of the hut and headed outside. His eyes scanned around with a careful glance. Now then, where was Rain?

He was leaning right outside the door when Zachary walked outside, scanning the land with his eyes. He seemed to be looking for Rain, but the sun had barely peeked over the horizon; was he that eager to train already? It was so early, he still seemed to have sleep lingering in his eye.

The Grim Angel snuck up behind the man, and kicked him behind the knee, forcing him to kneel. With a grunt, Zachary's knees hit the sand, but he didn't move after that, feeling the coldness of one of the Prism Sword pressed into the side of his neck.

"Your first lesson for the day," Rain lowered the blade as it dissipated, turning into Silverlights, which in turn vanished into thin air. "Strike first and fast if you can; a little recklessness with your powers might do some good. However, cautiousness should not be overlooked. Gauge and opponent's strength to the best of your observation abilities before attacking."

Rain's leg slammed into the side of his neck, sending the boy tumbling through the sand; hopefully, that would be enough to knock any remaining sleepiness out of his mind.

"Overestimation is better. Do not always save your best for last; if you're up against someone strong, you may not get a chance to use your last resort."

"Let's begin day number two. Pick up a sword, any sword, and come at me."

It hadn't taken an order to get Zachary on the move. He moved forwards, sand being displace as he did so, and quickly created Azul and Rosso. Quickly, the red haired warrior slashed his blades horizontally, narrowly missing his target as the Grim Angel leapt over him. Any bit of tiredness that the ice mage hadn't shaken off was dispelled with the first swing of his sword.

"Not yet," the Replicator said as he threw Rosso at the vampire, who simply leaned back to dodge the spinning blade as it cut past him. "Not yet," the amateur sorcerer commented again as he swung Azul down towards the ground, not as an attack, but for a rather different purpose.

Rosso quickly began to move like a boomerang, drawn towards Azul, as Zachary had intended the swords to do. The angel watched for a moment as he quickly vanished as the sword nearly struck him. He's fast, the ice mage mused to himself as he caught Rosso and began to look around. He's fast, so I should expect an attack from anywhere... the Replicator told himself as he leapt into the air as sand sprayed into the air.

The crazy bastard had just attempted to tackle the sorcerer to the ground. Still, the fact that the man was coming at him unarmed was even more striking then the attack itself. He's clearly not insane, but still, he must be confident then.

A chill ran down Zachary's back as he turned quickly and slashed his sword at the figure of the Grim Angel. Rain simply leaned back and kicked the youth in the face, tossing the red haired warrior back. "A good lesson about fighting in the air: know that you can move better than your foe," the vampire said as he landed and shot up towards the air.

With a high speed spin kick, the Replicator shot towards the ground. Sand scattered where his body hit, and again the ice mage stood up. "You're right... dick move on my part," Zachary commented as he spun his weapons in his hands. "Lesson learned."

"Attacks in the air aren't really your specialty."

Rain stood a good way off as the youth spun both his swords in his hands. The red-head rushed forward suddenly, swinging his swords at the Grim Angel. Rain easily dodged them, gracefully sidestepping out of the way. He realized that he hadn't told Zachary the goal of this exercise, only to "pick up a sword and come at me."

He ducked a horizontal swipe and sidestepped a vertical one right after.

"Your attacks are stuttering when you try chaining them together," he commented, "They're lacking crucial grace and fluidity; that is to be expected, but by the time I'm done with you, you won't need to think between actions. Everything should come as naturally as breathing."

During his little speech, Zach brought his Azul down on him. Rain swiftly brought his hand up, and took the sharp edge of the blade in his palms as his fingers pressed against the broader side, stopping the attack mid-swing. Shiraha Dori--the Catch of the White Feather.

"And you're still relying too much on your swords." A powerful kick to the stomach made the man fall to his knees, while another hooked his head and dragged him a little way through the sand.

"What do you think a sword is, Zachary?"

That was a question that the ice mage had never thought of. What was a sword to him? He had never thought of what a sword actually meant to him, or the reason he used one. To this day, it had been his method of combat. Zachary had needed his swords before his new powers to do just about anything. They were the true strength behind his powers.

"Before I gained my power to Replicate and Create, my sword was the source of my true power. Without my sword, whether it be Magnarune or Mobius, I was almost a powerless human. Now that I don't need external mediums for power... a sword is..."

His thought drifted off as the ice mage rushed forwards and slashed his sword quickly. Three strokes, all diagonal, very quickly, two from Azul and one from Rosso. Rain leapt over the attack and simply landed on the ground. The Replicator quickly turned and slashed Azul at the Grim Angel, who simply stepped back and drove the back of his hand into the back of the sorcerer's head.

The Replicator fell into the sand and slowly stood up again. "A sword... is an extension of myself. No longer is it myself, but it is an extension of me. It is the extension of my hand. Its an edge that makes combat easier!" the sorcerer said as he leapt up and brought both of his weapon down towards Rain.

Rain smiled.

The sword is an extension of oneself. Rain easily sidestepped the oncoming attack and leapt a little way back, only to see Zach rushing in again to attack relentlessly. "You're right," he said, dodging another slash, backflipping out of the way. But Zach was persistent, and he rushed in again, baring both swords down on the Grim Angel.

"But a sword does not always make combat easier." With that, he swiftly grasped one of Zach's wrists and freed one of the swords, Rosso. He grabbed it tightly with his fingers and pointing the tip at Zach's forehead. "A sword is only as strong as the person holding it."

He handed the youth his sword.

"Today, you're going to work on your combos, and the flow between them. You'll need something to practice against, so..." Rain's eyes turned purple, and his pupils morphed into slits. In his hand he held the golden-bladed sword, Night; while Gale and the sheath were tossed over to the hut.

"I'll defend and not attack; but that doesn't mean I won't counter."