Way of the Sword (Mizuko,Daemon)

The Danger room's training area, this room is a holographic room where members of Nox Animus can train against holographic enemies, run various simulations, or even simply set up a scenario for relaxation. Mizuko only had one goal in mind, to perfect his skills in the way of the sword. His sword Masamune a 6 foot long katana has saved his life on more than one occasion. Problem was he had no knowledge on how to even use it very well. Over the past few years he's tried fighting with it but all he could manage to do was swing it around like an amateur. Using the system that runs the holographic room, Mizuko setup a training simulation to which he was been practicing for the past few months least 2 to 3 hours a day. But self training has its limitations as Mizuko will soon learn.

The Holographic room lit up and various light combinations began to form until a small town surrounded him. The town looked like one of those old medieval villages. It was burning to the ground around him and thanks to the magic system of the holographic room Mizuko could feel the flames heat on his skin as if he was really there. Mizuko wasn't alone, three strangers walked into view who looked like bandits. One was sporting a heavy two-handed sword, another was wielding a two short swords while the one in the middle was holding a regular one-handed sword. Mizuko withdrew his blade and aimed it straight at them holding it with both hands up by his head. The two bandits with the heavy sword and twin swords charges forth to which Mizuko dashed to the side to avoid there charge and using his blades long reach to his advantage swung at them but the one with the heavy blade blocked it easily while the one with the twin swords charged.

His speed was great Mizuko couldn't react fast enough and managed to block one of the blades but the other went through and got him in the gut. Even though its a simulation he could feel as if his body has been stabbed and could see his own blood coming out of the wound. Was then he noticed the third creep up behind him and swung at him and cut off Mizuko's head. The simulation ended and Mizuko was back to normal. His wounds showed no sign of ever being there and the pain they caused was gone. He fell to his knees breathing heavily punching the ground in frustration. "DIMMIT! THAT WAS PATHETIC!" He cried out in anger. "RUN IT AGAIN!" He screamed at the computer to which the computer began the same simulation again. The second attempt went just as well as the first. All Mizuko could do was scream. "How am I ever going to beat him if I can't even beat three weak humans with nothing but swords?!" The computer then suggested that Mizuko could start out on a lesser difficulty level for suited for his level of skill. "SHUT UP! WHAT DO YOU KNOW!"

Daemon walked into the danger room as the simulation was about to start again. As the computer began the simulation the two swordsmen were sent into a typical edolas styled garden with several large cherry blossom tree. The three bandits from the advanced basic settings of combat training were raiding the small house near the edge of the garden.

Daemon was for the better since of the word confused as to why he was here, until he turned his head to see his friend Mizuko training with his sword masamune. In a instant of seeing the blade Daemon recalled why he was here. Mizuko wanted Daemon's help in mastering the art of the blade. Daemon had brought his father's sword muramasa while his father was the only one who draw out the blade's full power at the time being. Since he was his father's son he was trained vigorously with multiple weapons yet his specialty was the katana. "Mizuko if your going to wield a sword you need to sharpen your mind as well as your blade also it is important to pick your..." Daemon sighed as he closed his eyes and stepped to the right dodging the first bandits massive zweilhandle. Daemon turned slight and crouched back a bit and with one fluid motion he quickly pulls his sword from the blade and slashed the blade's handle right above the guard causing the poor fool to fall forward onto the ground right before Daemon stabbed right through the back of the bandit's neck. battles.The bandit let out a gargled noise as he choked on his own blood and died before vanishing . Daemon calmly flicked the blood off his blade as the twin blade wielder rushed at Daemon aiming to stab Daemon through both of his sides.

Mizuko merely grunted at Daemons words of advice. "I was doing fine..." Mizuko lied. "Against my better judgment I ask you to help me out with this so can we just get started." He snarled. Mizuko has always been protected ever sense he was young from the world and himself. He's always hated that he needed to be saved and thought by coming to this land he could hold his own by himself and prove to himself he can stand on his own two feet. It had to have been hard for him to throw away his pride and finally asked for assistance. While Mizuko was trying to mend what was left of his pride he noticed the twin blade swordsman charging after Daemon. Thinking quickly Mizuko charges forth and stepped in the way and clashed with the bandit. Using this swords power he took a safe position and phased his blade threw the bandits swords and cut off the lowlifes head. "One of these days I'll be able to fight without resorting to the blades power." He thought to himself.

Daemon smiled as the final bandit rushed at the two of them, It's Ai was planning on decapitating them with a single swing of his blade. Daemon ducked under the bandit's blade before taking hold of his blade before lifting his blade just in front of the fools face. As the bandit continued to move forward Daemon's blade sliced through the man's skull and body. ( While this is nearly impossible but given the powerful skills of our character's the impossible is possible. we can also assume the bandit was moving as fast as he could.) Daemon stood up as the simulation slowly ended. Daemon turned and smiled at Mizu. that's a very good blade man where did you get it ?" Daemon asked while slowly flicking the blood and gore from his blade before returning the it to it's sheath. Computer run simulation number 0452." As Daemon said that phrase the computer quickly began to run Daemon's secret training program. Unlike the basic training that made the combatants face common bandits and thugs Daemon's program caused the user to face a slew of swordsmen and several large mountain lions.

As th simulation came into life the two swordsmen were now in a large forest with a slight mist flowing around the trees.

"That's a very good blade man where did you get it?" Daemon asked. Mizuko looked upon the blade remembering the moment he first laid eye on it then sheathed his sword. "That's not a story I like to tell." He sighed and decided to give Daemon the short version. "Long story short I found it at a black market auction house and decided to keep it." As the simulation came to an end and the room began to shut down. Daemon began to say  "Computer run simulation number 0452." The room began to simulate a large forest with a light mist flowing around the base of the tree's. "This is quiet a change of scenery." Mizuko held the hilt of his sword getting ready for what was about to happen.

Daemon smiled as he slowly unsheathed Muramasa and quickly slashed  through the tree closest to him on his left. two seconds later blood began to splatter from the tree until a human corpse fell to the simulated ground. "So it's invisible enemies this time." Daemon smirked and turned to face his protégé.  This is a special simulation I asked Sonya's techies to whip up, it's designed to run a randomly devised training simulation  in this case were facing invisible targets with putrid scent's. In order to complete the exercise the person who makes the second kill has to face the enemies leader to a traditional duel then face their horde of twenty troops." Daemon smiled what he didn't tell his "student " that this test trained a person to focus their senses. Demon's father taught him that in order to wield a blade one had to train the senses as well as the skill with the blade. Daemon had already completed this mission specs and felt Mizu could easily handle it with the type of scent he factored in. Sniff around for a vile sewage  smell you can't miss it." Daemon said calmly as he slowly sheathed Muramasa and  sat down calmly .

Mizuko looked around the landscape staying vigilant of his surroundings looking for any hint of an enemy presence. He took in a deep breath and let out a big sigh. "This type of fighting is so boring..." He thought to himself. He could remember the days back in his youth when he was with his demon trainer. There was a few months of a similar type of training session Mizuko had gone threw before but never perfected. His demon trainer would tie a blind fold over his eyes and tell told him never to remove it and survive for a month without taking it off. This shouldn't be to much different than that.

"Sniff around for a vile sewage  smell you can't miss it." Daemon said offering some advice. "Sniff around...? Did you forget I'm a demon slayer my senses are far greater than a normal humans. I could smell it the moment the simulation started." Mizuko began to walk forward into the forest until he noticed he was surrounded but he couldn't tell by how many enemies. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword and was ready to draw it at a moments notice. "How many are there?" Looking around he couldn't tell so he closed his eyes and tried to remember his training. He used his sense of smell and hearing he could hear about 3 of them humming a low growl and maybe another 2 walking around getting into position. Judging by the sound of there footsteps they were encircling around him and how strong there scent was they all were somewhere within 15 meters. Mizuko decided to keep his eye's closed cause they weren't going to do much good for the moment and tried to get a minds eye on his surroundings. He slowly drew his sword from his sheath "So... Who wants to die first?" he challenged.

Daemon simply leaned against a virtual tree trunk  holding a book from his father's personal collection on basic sword techniques for those with heightened senses. Chapter 10: Using one's mind's eye to detect and anticipate an enemies attack strategy. To begin a warrior must first be able to focus all of one's senses towards the battle field. While most warriors typically rely on sight and hearing in combat a true master is one whom master' both smell and sensory." Daemon continued to read his book while dodging two mountain lions  that chose to bear their virtual fangs at Daemon. At the same time of the mountain lions attacking Daemon. Mizuko was in combat against a twin blade wielder and a rouge wielding an array of knives.  The twin blade charge at Mizuko in an attempt to him preoccupied  while the Knife wielder held back and through two knives every five seconds in between the gaps of the twin blades movements.

Daemon sighed and continued to dodge the beasts claws un he's backed against a tree. As the feral beasts closed in Daemon refused to take his eyes off his book. As the beasts lunged Daemon jumped up before slamming his legs into the mountain lions spines without a so much as batting an eye. In the end to achieve power most warriors of heightened senses must train every day to remain in top form. Also the usage of ear plugs and blind folds help immensely and should always be carried on one's person. " Daemon smiled softly to himself as he closed the book and placed it into a satchel.

The beasts started to close in, Mizuko could smell there scent getting stronger and there foot steps getting louder. After standing there ready for minute the beasts finally made a move. One from behind leaped forth towards Mizuko. He simply dashed about a foot to the left while spinning around with his blade hanging out dodging the beasts attack at the last second and cut it down. This of course caused the rest of the remaining beasts to begin there offence coming at him from all directions. There were so many of them running around he couldn't tell how many there were but it seamed more than he anticipated but he tried to keep calm and focus. Mizuko charges in the direction of the closest one that he could tell and thrust his sword forth. His blade hit nothing but air and as a result he kept running in that direction. The beast must have saw the attack coming and dodged it cause now he can hear all of them charging from behind. After a few more feet Mizuko came face to face with a tree hitting it hard. He didn't have time to react to the pain it caused him cause the beats were right on him. Was then he started to notice a patter in the noises they were making. Whenever they were about to attack they made a loud grunt sound. He heard 2 of them make that noise as he hit the tree and jumped to the right and heard them hit the same tree head on. Taking the opportunity Mizuko thrust his sword at the beats this time he hit something and it made a loud scream of pain.

Daemon growled as he jumped backward and preformed several backflips dodging a massive array of axes ad assorted blades. As Daemon landed in a crouched position next to Mizuko. This attack style was foreign to the original design of this simulation. It seems the system had revised the original design and forced the bandit horde and mountain lions to band together and surround the duo. Well this is new." With a smirk Daemon held muramasa's sheath with his right hand and took hold of the handle as a faint demonic aura flowed around the blade. in the next ten second Daemon and Mizuko were quickly surrounded by twenty bandits, ten of which were carrying blades, fiver were carrying axes, one was holding a scythe, and the last two where holding knives; and at aleast ten snarling mountain lions . Daemon slowly began to lick his lips. This is getting fun. " With a dark voice Daemon rushed at his half of the group and quickly drew his blade channeling the demonic energy within the blade to unleash a malevolent shockwave of destruction. "Mūn kiba sutairudākukurō !" ( roughly it translates to Moon fang style: Dark claw.

Mizuko heard Daemon land next to him and almost mistook him for another enemy if it wasn't for him talking soon afterwards. "Well this is new." He said. Before Mizuko could ask what he heard more enemies approaching. He opened his eye's to see that they were quickly getting surrounded by about twenty bandits. "This is getting fun." Said Daemon. Mizuko readied his sword for combat saying "Might be tough... If one more shows up." Mizuko figured this would be a good time to test out a sword technique he's been working on but Daemon kinda beat him to the punch by yelling "Mūn kiba sutairudākukurō !" not wanting to be left out of all the fun Mizuko starts charging magical energy through his own body and his sword trying to get the feel for his weapon being an extension of his own body. "Ocean Demon Sword Art..." Mizuko dashed forward opposite of Daemon at a rapid speed and cut through 4 enemies. "Dance of the Ocean Demon!" Sad part was that non of the enemies he cut went down for long. The first for slashes of his sword worked out fine but his last attack should have had more of a kick to it than the other four and not to mention the fact that his sword should have been imputed with the element of the Ocean like he is. "Damn still needs work."

Daemon looked at Mizu's technique as he blocked against two of the bandits short swords before sighing a little and snapping his fingers. He had programed this simulation trail to end if he ever chose to snap his fingers during the idle of a specific point before the boss battle. That technique can still be stronger." Daemon said calmly as he snapped his fingers one more time the danger room quickly shifted from it's metal floor to a simple bamboo floor mat. Unlike the forest they were in before the room they were now in was to be used with two combatants . Daemon turned to mizu and slowly sheathed his katana. This is the actual test. I want to see your full power ." Daemon said as he snapped his fingers once more as a massive samurai slowly appeared with two foot long katanas.