Slayer: I Kill All Dragons For Power

The wind blows throughout the fields as we quietly stand there for a moment.

The excitement still lingering on Ash’s face as she prepares to show me how to properly stand against her.

"Place your foot here and the other one there," Ash instructs as she points to where to point them.

I position my feet how she wants me to.

"Like this, right?" I question.

"Yes. That should do. Now raise your sword like I do," Ash responds while lifting her sword up.

I do my very best to mimic how she’s holding her sword, but at the end of the day it isn’t the same. This is her style which she has perfected over time.

In the corner of my eye I also notice that Raven is watching closely. She seems to be quite interested in this style.

Swing!!!

Immediately I move to block against her attack.

Whack!!!

The sword slams into my shoulder but this time around I don’t let the pain stop me from doing something. I swing my sword back towards her.

My wooden sword bashes against hers as she blocks it without any hesitation.

"That would be the right move in a real situation, well done. But you haven’t learned anything about the stance yet," Ash says with a serious tone.

"Or slayers," Raven chimes in.

"Yes, that is also true. It is going to be quite an educational day," Ash responds with a calm tone as she lifts her sword again.

Ash slowly steps back after saying that and gestures for me to raise the sword again.

I keep my feet where she placed them and try to focus on everything at once.

My grip, my breathing, the angle of the blade, and even the distance between Ash and I.

There are a lot more things to think about than I originally expected.

"Before we continue, you need to understand what a stance actually is," Ash says with a serious expression.

"I figured it was just a different way to stand," I respond honestly.

Raven lets out a small laugh from the side.

"That is usually what beginners think," Raven says.

Ash glances toward her.

"Would you like to explain it then?" Ash questions.

"I’d rather watch you do it," Raven answers with a smile.

Ash lets out a quiet sigh before returning her attention to me.

"A stance is more than the position of your feet," Ash explains. "It changes how you move, how you defend, and what kind of attacks you can use."

"So every Slayer has a stance?" I ask.

"Most experienced ones do," Raven answers before Ash can.

Ash gives a small nod.

"Some inherit one from a teacher. Others create their own after years of fighting," Ash continues.

Creating my own stance sounds a lot better than copying someone else’s forever. It would just be better that way regardless.

Not that I have anything against Ash’s way of fighting, but I want something that belongs to me. Something made around the way I fight and the power I gain from killing dragons.

"You’re already thinking about making one, aren’t you?" Ash asks.

I look towards her.

"How did you know?" I question.

"Because you have that look on your face," Ash replies.

Raven crosses her arms.

"You haven’t even learned one yet and you’re already thinking ahead," Raven says with amusement.

"I’m not saying I’ll make it right now," I respond. "I just think it would be useful eventually."

Ash smiles slightly.

"That kind of eagerness isn’t a bad thing. Just don’t rush the process," Ash says.

I tighten my grip around the wooden sword.

"Then show me what yours does," I say with confidence.

Her expression changes immediately.

The excitement from earlier returns to her eyes.

"I was hoping you’d ask," Ash replies.

She walks several steps away from me before lowering her sword toward the ground.

Her right foot slides backward while her left remains forward.

The way she holds the sword looks strange at first because the tip is lowered instead of raised toward an opponent.

It almost looks like she is leaving herself completely open.

Raven’s attention becomes more serious as she watches.

Something about this feels a lot different from earlier... Even though it is the same stance, she’s not doing the same move.

Ash looks toward me without moving from her position.

"The Phoenix Stance is something I’ll show you a bit more of," Ash announces.

The wind around us suddenly feels warmer.

I don’t know if it is part of the stance or if I’m simply imagining it, but the grass near her feet begins to shift even though the wind is blowing in the opposite direction.

She takes a slow breath.

Then she moves.

FWOOSH!!!!

Ash disappears from where she was standing and appears several feet ahead.

The wooden sword cuts through the air so quickly that I barely see the movement itself.

A warm gust of wind follows the swing and brushes against my face.

Well that is definitely not something I think I want to get hit with at all...

"What the hell was that?" I ask.

Ash slowly lowers the sword.

"The beginning of the Phoenix Stance," She answers calmly.

"That was only the beginning?" I question.

"It has several forms," Ash explains. "That was the first movement. It focuses on closing the distance before the opponent can react."

Raven looks impressed as well.

"I’ve heard about it before but never actually saw it," Raven says.

Ash glances toward her.

"My father probably mentioned it," Ash replies coldly.

Raven appears to notice the change in her tone and doesn’t ask anything else.

I don’t fully understand what happened between Ash and Jun, but it clearly isn’t something she enjoys discussing.

Instead of focusing on that, I look back toward the spot where Ash started.

"Can I try it?" I ask.

"No," Ash answers immediately.

"Why not?" I question.

"Because you would probably tear something in your leg or fall flat on your face," Ash responds.

Raven covers her mouth while trying not to laugh.

"I’m being serious," Ash adds.

"I survived several serious attacks by a dragon," I say.

"And that somehow makes injuring yourself during training a good idea?" Ash questions.

I remain silent.

She has a point, even if I don’t like it. I don’t really want to argue anyway since they are teaching me things.

Ash returns to the stance again.

"The Phoenix Stance uses sudden bursts of movement. The power begins in your legs, travels through your waist, and finally reaches the sword," Ash explains.

"So the sword isn’t the most important part?" I ask.

"The sword is only where the power ends," Ash answers.

Mostly that makes sense to me, just not what I’m used to yet.

But Ash told me before that my stance and the positioning of my feet mattered. I assumed it was only to keep my balance, but now it looks like the lower half of the body creates most of the movement.

She points her wooden sword toward me.

"Try the position again," Ash instructs.

I move my feet until they resemble hers.

My rear foot rests farther back while the front one points toward the open field.

"Lower your sword," Ash says.

I slowly lower the tip.

It feels completely wrong.

Leaving the sword down gives Ash plenty of room to attack my chest or head before I can raise it. Then again, she does know what she’s talking about so I’ll trust her.

"This feels like a terrible way to defend myself," I say honestly.

"It would be if you stayed still," Ash responds.

She walks over and lightly taps the side of my rear leg with her sword.

"Bend this more."

I adjust my leg.

She then taps my shoulder.

"Relax."

I let out a slow breath and loosen my upper body.

"Now push forward," Ash instructs.

I put strength into my rear leg and try to launch myself forward.

Dash!

I move a few feet before nearly losing my balance.

My sword swings through the air but the movement is nothing like Ash’s.

So I stumble forward and just barely stop myself from falling.

Raven finally laughs.

"I was waiting for that," Raven says.

I look back at her.

"You could’ve warned me," I reply.

"I thought Ash already did," Raven answers.

Ash walks toward me with a small smile.

"You focused too much on speed," Ash explains.

"Wasn’t speed the whole purpose?" I question.

"Speed comes after control," She answers. "If you can’t stop yourself, then a dragon only needs to move aside and let you run past."

I feel like speed would be the best thing to work on going forward since it would leave me far less exposed. Sigh.

I return to the starting point and take the stance again.

"Try using less strength," Ash says.

I push forward once more.

Dash!

This attempt is slower, but I manage to keep my balance.

I take a short swing before stopping exactly where I intended... And this time around it is definitely a bit better.

"That was an improvement," Ash says.

"I barely moved," I reply.

"You moved correctly," She responds.

Raven steps away from the tree she had been standing beside.

"The stance itself won’t be enough against every dragon," Raven says as she approaches us.

"I thought that was the purpose of learning it," I respond.

"It gives you another tool," Raven explains. "But every dragon is different. Some are fast enough to follow that movement. Some cover their surroundings in flames. Others might attack the ground instead of aiming for you."

Ash nods.

"That is why a Slayer needs more than a stance," Ash continues. "You need to understand the dragon before deciding how to fight it."

I think back to my first hunt.

The dragon stayed in its human form for most of the fight.

It relied heavily on its strength and speed.

If it had transformed earlier, I probably would’ve died without getting another chance to attack.

"How do Slayers know what kind of dragon they’re hunting?" I ask.

"Reports, witnesses, and the condition of the area," Raven answers.

She points toward the forest in the distance.

"Claw marks tell us its size. Burned land can reveal its element. The bodies it leaves behind tell us how it likes to kill."

That sounds similar to what I tried to do during the hunt, except I didn’t know what any of the signs meant.

I was only following destruction and hoping it led me to the right target.

"So the hunt begins before we see the dragon," I say.

"Exactly," Raven replies.

Ash lifts her wooden sword once again.

"And the fight begins before you ever swing."

The system suddenly speaks inside my head.

~Advice recorded. Observation increases survival probability.

I ignore the voice for now, but I don’t disagree with it.

Honestly this has given me a lot of perspective on what being a slayer truly is. Originally I thought strength, speed, and even some skill could be enough... But it’s not.

There’s a lot of stuff to keep in mind when hunting them as well... That tells me I got very lucky against the first dragon.

~Correct.

I take the Phoenix Stance again and lower my sword as I ignore the voice.

"Show me the movement one more time," I say.

Ash’s smile grows wider.

"Gladly," She responds.

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