what i show you is reality. what you remember...

[thirteen_blades]

Who: Espedon, anybody
Where: Apartment Rooftop
When: May 3rd
What: Meditation interrupted?

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[thirteen_blades]

After a while, time enough for Link to complete a few sets of his Hylian kata, the obsidian-lined blade disappeared, leaving a wisp of distortion in its wake. Then, in no particular order, the other blades followed its lead, popping out of existence with a trace of their particular element. All but the gold-hilted greatsword, the centerpiece of the set.

Espedon's eyes narrowed in focus, as though he were grasping for some thought that was escaping him. Then insight came, and he relaxed. His body gravitated upward, with legs still crossed. The greatsword hovered into his hand, and his feet unfurled below him- and he was standing.

There was an expression of satisfaction on his face. Before his fight with Sikanda's wielder, before Nesreca, the Seventh had done all the fighting for him. Most of the things he'd been able to do while channeling the blade were mind-boggling; levitation, short-range flight to clear terrain, had all been done instinctively. Now he had done it on his own, his will focused and guided by his memory of how the Seventh had, itself, controlled it.

Leaping tall buildings in a single bound was pretty far out of reach, but any gravity-defying was, at this point, an improvement.

Propping the Seventh up on his shoulder, Espedon looked to the other side of the roof at the green figure swinging his own blade around. After a moment's deliberation, he sauntered across the rooftop. It'd been a while... maybe this kid could use a live target.

[thirteen_blades]

Now given a better view, Espedon looked the Hylian over from head to toe. He knew the youth either didn't or wouldn't speak, so... body language it was, then.

The blade hunter twisted the hilt in his hand, making it twirl. He looked at Link's sword, then looked at his own weapon- about twice as big and much shinier. Espedon then grinned widely, dropping the tip of the blade to the floor in front of him and sinking into an aggressive stance.

Let's play.

[thirteen_blades]

The first attack Espedon would make was a wide, arching slash, forming a full circle around his body as he raised the blade, brandished it, and swung out toward Link. It was a polite maneuver; the attack was well-telegraphed (a complete novice could have deflected or avoided it) and not made with much speed.

Naturally, Link would either move out of the way or block the attack. Espedon would then snap his wrist to the opposing side, whipping the greatsword around his head as though it were a mere fencing foil- still not at maximum speed, and also well-telegraphed. He was clearly feeling the boy out, gauging his ability.

This pace would continue, every blow being delivered with an expert grace, skilled footwork keeping him well outside of the range of Link's short blade- Espedon was quite familiar with using the extra length of the Seventh to his advantage. As each strike came, the one the followed grew in speed, ferocity, and accuracy- until Link either broke the chain or the Seventh struck him.

In the meanwhile, every so often, Espedon would cast a glance off to the side, noting the arrival of the youth clad in white. There was a pull he couldn't deny, nor quite place, coming from the observer, but he fought to keep his focus on Link. He got the feeling the pointy-eared boy was more experienced than he appeared.

[thirteen_blades]

That hurt.

All it had taken was another moment of distraction, and Link was on his inside- and he moved quicker than Espedon had given him credit for. The literal slap on the wrist served to bring him back into the fight, and while it wasn't strong enough to disarm him, it would swell up later on, for certain.

It was fortunate that Espedon maintained his acrobatic training, as it was the only thing, at that point, between being gut-checked by the Hylian's shield. Espedon released his grip on the Seventh and it blinked out of sight. He braced down, and as Link charged in, he leapt up, grabbing a hold of the top of the shield to act as a guide. Deftly, he performed a sort of side-roll over Link's head, and upon landing, called the Seventh back into his hand.

Link's open side was exposed, although the lack of preparation time Espedon had been given him made his landing a bit wobbly. A counterattack was out of the question, but it gave him time to get his footing again.

He grinned at the young swordsman, apparently pleased. This was more fun than he'd had since his arrival.

The trick now would be maintaining his focus. But the pull...

[thirteen_blades]

The Hylian was nimble- this was growing more and more apparent with each of his movements. Unless he was going to go for a kill, the Seventh wasn't going to be of much help; he was going to have to resort to something more agile than a greatsword.

Rather than finding purchase on Espedon's shoulder, Link's hand would be repelled by a sudden force, almost as if an anti-Link magnet had gotten between him and his quarry. Interposed in mid-air between the youth and the blade-hunter was Curtana, the squat, shield-hilted blade. The air, in the shape of a rudimentary wall, distorted around it, protecting Espedon's exposed back.

In his other hand, his left, Youlong- the Dragon Sword- materialized in a flash of steel. Espedon pivoted on the ball of his foot, snatching Curtana from the air (causing the wall to dissipate) and lunging toward Link. He drove the point of Youlong toward him with a well-trained thrust as he did, being sure not to move at full speed- the tip was sharp, and skewering the boy wasn't a part of the plan.

While he no longer had the reach advantage, the short, stubby Curtana and the standard-sized Youlong gave him the maneuverability he'd need to keep from catching a shield in the face.