"Feet wider apart, spread your balance. Present side on, you want to be as small of a target as possible."

Vargoth sweated, but even an hour into the training he was still being pushed hard. He adjusted his stance, his feet pressed into the packed earth floor.

"good, good. Now strike!"

Vargoth swung the wooden stave against the padded post in front of him. Even on his third session, his "acquired" sword was left hanging with his cloak.

"You are overbalancing again! You never want to place your life on just a single stroke. Here."

Vargoth stood back, grateful for the reprieve, as Cadogan stood up. 50 years, and having quite literally lost an arm and a leg in war, had done nothing to dent the man's mind or will.

Cadogan took a slightly awkward stance in front of the pole, having to brace his peg leg in the dirt. "I'm afraid I can't show you the proper stance, but your strikes should be more like this." Vargoth blinked as Cadogan unleashed a lighting fast series of blows against the post.

"You want to take out your opponent fast, but any competent swordsman will be able to block or deflect your first attack. You need to strike the first blow, keep them on the defensive, and injure them before they have a chance to take the initiative. A man with an injured arm or leg," Cadogan punctuated this by tapping his peg against the floor, "Will have a much harder time facing off against you."

Vargoth nodded, too exhausted to waste breath on words. He had turned to fight with knives and daggers on the streets of the Banlew, in a world where a man needed to learn to live quickly, or he wouldn't live long at all. Still, there was a certain efficiency to the Veteren's techniques that Vargoth admired, nothing like watching a cripple win a bar fight.

"Now again, from the top." Vargoth squared his shoulders to the post, positioning himself side on. "Good, good, much better. Now strike, again."

Vargoth swung rapidly against the post, trying to mimic the strike he had seen previously. "Too soft. are you trying to kill your target, or gently beat the dust out of their vest? Every strike must have the potential to kill your opponent. Any blow that doesn't, your opponent can ignore, and leaves him free to strike at you. You must simultaneously seek to kill your opponent with every strike, know where your next strike should land, and be prepared to adapt to your opponent." Cadogan gestured at the post. "Again."

Vargoth sighed, facing off against the post again. "Your stance is slipping. Widen your feet. Good, good. Now strike!"

[Spending 3 xp (1 from here and 2 from here) to increase light weapons to level 2]