Disclaimer: I don't own Noir. Please don't send Noir after me. And sending lawyers after me would be even worse. If the owners of Noir would like to erase this work then contact the author or FanFiction.net to have it removed.
Warning to readers: This is a prequel that contains major spoilers. Watch the anime first! The author's notes will be located in the final chapter.
Noir: A Perfect Blade
Chapter 3: Tempered Steel
Chloe and Altena stood in a clearing not far from the Manor. The girl pointed a gun at a practice target and pulled the trigger.
*BANG!*
The artificial thunder echoed off of the mountain walls. The sound was foreign in this place untouched by the corruption of man. It was the same type of gun given to Kirika. Although it felt alright in Chloe's hands she couldn't bear to fire it again. She frowned and looked at Altena. The priestess gave her an encouraging smile. "I see that this does not suit you. Oh, do not worry dear child. There are other ways to govern death. For if there is one thing that humanity has proven to be exceptional at, it is in the invention of new ways to kill."
Altena lead Chloe to a room full of weapons, both old and new. "Since the first Neanderthal picked up a branch and wielded it as a club, mankind has crafted new and ever more ingenious ways of bringing death to others. Feel free to try them all until you find one that suits you."
Chloe tried to lift a two-handed sword. The weapon wobbled clumsily in the young girl's hands. "Perhaps this would be better for you." The girl looked to Altena, who had unsheathed a dagger. The priestess demonstrated some combat maneuvers using the small weapon. She ended by tossing it at a wooden training dummy at the far side of the room. The dagger buried itself deep into the target's neck.
"That was beautiful." Chloe was in awe of what she'd seen. Something about the dagger appealed to her. She took it from the dummy's neck and slashed it through the air. "It's perfect."
"Oh my. Well, I'm glad that you're happy with it. I suppose raising you here has endeared you to the more traditional methods of doing things. In ancient times the dagger was the preferred weapon of choice for assassins. It was simple to wield but was useful in a variety of situations."
As Chloe practiced with the dagger, Altena felt satisfied at having had the various weapons shipped to the Manor. It was a marvelous collection which supported a great variety of fighting styles. The priestess observed Chloe's thrusts and slashes with the dagger and she thought about the similarities between the weapon and it's wielder. A dagger started as shapeless metal. After being bathed in flame and pounded into shape it would be tempered then sharpened.
Chloe was the same as the dagger she carried. As she trained with the weapon she became an expert at wielding it. While she would eventually be able to wield the other weapons well, none would suit her better than those daggers. Soon it became difficult to separate wielder from weapon as the two merged to form a single existence formed for the purpose of killing.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
As the months passed, Altena spent less time training Chloe and more time writing letters to other members of the Soldats. Chloe had a reached a point where she no longer needed Altena's assistance. In addition to the harsh regimen assigned by Altena, Chloe found other ways to improve her skills.
She spent a fair amount of time hunting the small animals which lived in the fields. The girl had grown used to tracking and killing them. She learned to accept killing as a normal part of everyday life. Dinnertime typically featured what she'd caught that day.
The training hardened her physically. She had a lean, wiry, body. But she didn't feel that she'd been hardened spiritually. Living out her days in the peaceful valley of the Manor instilled a calm certainty in her soul. She looked forward to the time when she would stand by Kirika's side as the true Noir.
*To be continued*
Warning to readers: This is a prequel that contains major spoilers. Watch the anime first! The author's notes will be located in the final chapter.
Noir: A Perfect Blade
Chapter 3: Tempered Steel
Chloe and Altena stood in a clearing not far from the Manor. The girl pointed a gun at a practice target and pulled the trigger.
*BANG!*
The artificial thunder echoed off of the mountain walls. The sound was foreign in this place untouched by the corruption of man. It was the same type of gun given to Kirika. Although it felt alright in Chloe's hands she couldn't bear to fire it again. She frowned and looked at Altena. The priestess gave her an encouraging smile. "I see that this does not suit you. Oh, do not worry dear child. There are other ways to govern death. For if there is one thing that humanity has proven to be exceptional at, it is in the invention of new ways to kill."
Altena lead Chloe to a room full of weapons, both old and new. "Since the first Neanderthal picked up a branch and wielded it as a club, mankind has crafted new and ever more ingenious ways of bringing death to others. Feel free to try them all until you find one that suits you."
Chloe tried to lift a two-handed sword. The weapon wobbled clumsily in the young girl's hands. "Perhaps this would be better for you." The girl looked to Altena, who had unsheathed a dagger. The priestess demonstrated some combat maneuvers using the small weapon. She ended by tossing it at a wooden training dummy at the far side of the room. The dagger buried itself deep into the target's neck.
"That was beautiful." Chloe was in awe of what she'd seen. Something about the dagger appealed to her. She took it from the dummy's neck and slashed it through the air. "It's perfect."
"Oh my. Well, I'm glad that you're happy with it. I suppose raising you here has endeared you to the more traditional methods of doing things. In ancient times the dagger was the preferred weapon of choice for assassins. It was simple to wield but was useful in a variety of situations."
As Chloe practiced with the dagger, Altena felt satisfied at having had the various weapons shipped to the Manor. It was a marvelous collection which supported a great variety of fighting styles. The priestess observed Chloe's thrusts and slashes with the dagger and she thought about the similarities between the weapon and it's wielder. A dagger started as shapeless metal. After being bathed in flame and pounded into shape it would be tempered then sharpened.
Chloe was the same as the dagger she carried. As she trained with the weapon she became an expert at wielding it. While she would eventually be able to wield the other weapons well, none would suit her better than those daggers. Soon it became difficult to separate wielder from weapon as the two merged to form a single existence formed for the purpose of killing.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
As the months passed, Altena spent less time training Chloe and more time writing letters to other members of the Soldats. Chloe had a reached a point where she no longer needed Altena's assistance. In addition to the harsh regimen assigned by Altena, Chloe found other ways to improve her skills.
She spent a fair amount of time hunting the small animals which lived in the fields. The girl had grown used to tracking and killing them. She learned to accept killing as a normal part of everyday life. Dinnertime typically featured what she'd caught that day.
The training hardened her physically. She had a lean, wiry, body. But she didn't feel that she'd been hardened spiritually. Living out her days in the peaceful valley of the Manor instilled a calm certainty in her soul. She looked forward to the time when she would stand by Kirika's side as the true Noir.
*To be continued*