"It's all in the rhythm," Glitch said.
"Why?" DG asked. "Are you teaching me to fence? And not the Fencing Master?"
"I'll have you know I am a Fencing Master. As to why…in all honesty I'm just better," Ambrose preened.
The former headcase was decked out in formal fencing wear; black suede slacks and a padded jacket with gold buttons.
DG pulled on her own jacket and snorted at her friend snooty tone.
"I am! I really am better. I beat him out in like six different competitions," Glitch had taken her snort for disbelief and was suitably indignant.
"I believe you," DG laughed. "So, what's what?" A long thin table with a rose tablecloth held three different pairs of swords."
He pointed at a thin bladed weapon, "This is a foil." It didn't look like it could do any damage. Then a heavier looking blade, "Next is the Épée. And last is the saber."
DG contemplated the swords.
"Pick your weapon," Ambrose gave her an encouraging little push towards the blades.
Hesitantly, she selected an Épée. It felt strange in her hand and she gingery held it with the point as far away from her body as she could get it.
"Do you know anything about swords?" Ambrose said as he practiced a few swishes.
DG wagged the blade halfheartedly, "You stick the pointy end in the bad guy?" She made a stabbing motion.
"Ah," Ambrose blinked. "That's bladed combat, sweetie. We'll get to that later when you've got this down."
Glitch raised his blade with a salute.
DG followed suit.
She copied him and fell into the classic En Garde stance.
"Fencing," Ambrose began. "Is like life give and take, parry and riposte. You got to keep to your toes."
Fencing in the O.Z. didn't have as many rules as it did back on Earth. There were not crossed blades then a withdrawal. If anything, DG thought, it was like in the movies a continuous instantly choreographed flow. And Glitch left Errol Flynn in the dust.
Ambrose slipped forward and swung the weapon, DG's own weapon went up to block it. A few moments of this and Glitch became more aggressive.
DG was having fun, even if she suspected she was having her ass thoroughly kicked up and down the room.
"Bonetti's Defense, you want to use it if you ever face an opponent on rocky ground. Follow that up with a froissement." A froissement being an attack that displaces the opponent's blade by a strong grazing action; Ambrose had actually given her a vocabulary test the day before.
He demonstrated and DG watched in dismay as her sword went clang a few feet away from her.
This happened a lot much to her disgust. Being taught by Glitch was a trip. One moment he'd go from taskmaster to bouncing puppy. Apparently, physical activity made his bi-polar tendencies even crazier. Frankly, she was starting to get dizzy.
From a Flèche (an attack in which the aggressor leaps off his leading foot, attempts to make the hit, and then passes the opponent at a run) into the Capa Ferro from the
Capa Ferro to the Thibault which was best countered with the Agrippa.
DG knew she was very, very outclassed. She felt a little privileged to be beat up by such a pro…just a little. If only the Ambrose part of his brain didn't feel the need to be so smug about it.
DG had reluctantly taken a class in world economics. She'd gotten a B and afterwards she had thought, 'I'm not going to ever use this in real life.' Boy, was she ever wrong. DG had desperately wished she'd paid more attention and that she would have taken the rest of the sequence the very first time she'd ever sat in on a meeting on the currant state of the O.Z. economic situation. She'd say this for the witch…she'd forced the best accountants in the land into her service.
And so, DG would not make the mistake of wondering whether she'd ever need this in the future. Given that she'd gotten taken captive the first time she stepped in the O.Z. knowing how to fence would probably turn out to be damn useful.
"And this is a Balestra," Glitch made a forward hop followed by an attack such as a lunge.
Again DG's blade clinked to the floor.
DG frowned.
"Oh, I know that look," Ambrose smiled. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"
DG glared at his smug countenance and shifted into a stance made famous by Luke Skywalker and swung at Glitch's blade.
DG grinned in satisfaction as for once Ambrose lost his sword.
He just sort of gaped at his fallen sword. He looked up at her and a proud grin appeared on his lips. "That was so cool! What was that?"
"It just sort of came to me," DG said modestly.
"Inspired really; however, you really shouldn't try and improvise until you've got the basics down." Glitch used his foot to pitch his sword in the air; he reached out and plucked it out of the air. "Also, you should pace yourself. We've got another hour for you learn the basics.
DG could only moan.
Bonetti's Defense/Capa Ferro/Thibault/Agrippa are all fictional fencing moves from the Princess Bride.
I don't really know that much about fencing…I just looked it up on the net. Someday, I'd like to really learn how.
