A Blind Delight
Season 2: Shadows of A King
Part 11: Lord Tengu The Master
By: Major Frostwing
"NO NO NO! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING!?" Lord Tengu yelled at the top of her lungs as Trevor tried to scrub a pan with soap and water.
"Am I doing this wrong master?" Trevor asked confused as to why he was being yelled at.
"DAMN RIGHT YOU ARE!" Tengu ripped the pan out of Trevor's hands looking it over angrily. "YOU NEVER WASH A CAST IRON PAN WITH SOAP AND WATER!" She raised the pan high cracking Trevor upside the head with it. "You scour the pan with oil and salt. DO IT RIGHT!" She yelled going back to her seat watching Trevor slowly raise himself back up. He picked up the pan moving over to the counter using it to balance himself.
Trevor grabbed a thing of oil and salt getting back to work on the pan. Even though the mask covered the entirety of Trevor's face Tengu could still see the pain in his body language. He interested her never questioning her rules or orders he just did them. She let out a sigh leaning back in her chair.
Only the sound of salt scraping against cast iron echoed through the room. Trevor finished scouring the pan before setting it down on the counter. He began to work on the next cast iron pan slowly the ringing in his head subsided. The master glanced over to see Trevor remove his mask setting it beside him. She looked more closely at his face this time. He seemed young in her eyes but his eyes spoke of years of wisdom and battle.
"He looks as if he should be the one teaching me but he is just letting himself be abused for knowledge." Tengu told herself rubbing her chin thinking.
Trevor finished with the second pan going to the next one. His eyes flashed with a hint of sadness which didn't escape Tengu's eyes. She closed her own looking at Trevor's aura to see a large strip of blue surround him.
"So what's her name?" Tengu asked folding her hands behind her head.
"Who?" Trevor asked as he continued to work.
"No man willingly takes on my training without someone driving him. So what's her name?" Tengu asked again looking over at him.
Trevor sat there silent as he continued to work. "Cloudkicker. I left my home to escape this demon in me... I hurt her." Tengu perked up at that.
"How long have you know about your demon?" Tengu asked watching his aura for any sign of deceit.
"Since I arrived." Trevor continued to scour the pan as he spoke. "As you can tell I'm not exactly from this world. An accident on my 22nd birthday and poof I found myself in Equestria. Not really sure how but now I'm here."
"Really now." Tengu said opening her eyes. "So do you think you can beat the demon inside of you?"
"Right now no I have no chance of beating him. I have less than 2 years to get ready. Master may I ask a favor of you?" Trevor asked stopping his work.
"What is it?"
"If I can't beat this demon inside of me... I need you to end my life. What would come back would be that demon." Trevor didn't look over he didn't need to.
"Trust me Trevor when I'm done with you that demon will dust in the wind." Tengu said getting up from her seat. "Enough cleaning I think it is time to get down to business. You have had a master before yes?" Tengu asked to see Trevor nod standing. "Good let's see what you can do." Tengu shoved Trevor's swords into his chest.
Tengu stepped outside picking up her own weapon on the way out. Trevor strapped the swords to his person picking up his mask. He slid it on his face walking out the door.
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Trevor stood in front of Tengu. She was smiling as she moved her weapon. "Tell me Apprentice what weapon do I have in my hand. She moved it once eliciting a ring of chains.
"Either a whip sword or a sickle and chain." Trevor answered without hesitation. Trevor moved his shirt so it was off of his body dropping it down to the ground. "If I had to guess you are a distance fighter. Someone who wants to keep me away from them." Trevor slowly drew his blades keeping them at the ready.
"Very good. You are also correct the way to fight a demon is to keep them back and wear them out. A crude way of handling the situation but it is the easiest way to stay alive." Tengu dropped the sickle out of her hand just before the ground. "I use a sickle and chain since it allows me to have the greatest offense and defense." Tengu began spinning her sickle.
Trevor lowered her stance flicking the blade in his left hand backwards. "Loud Style: Fury." Trevor furrowed his brow taking a tentative step forward. Tengu closed her eyes looking at his aura stunned as his aura. It seemed to fold out showing all of his colors before the strip of red moved surrounding the entirety of his body.
"Interesting." Tengu said as she threw her sickle at Trevor in a wide arc. Trevor moved his blade smacking the edge of her sickle. Tengu let out a hiss as she yanked back her sickle just in time to see Trevor charge forward. "Not bad." Tengu spun her sickle throwing it forward straight at Trevor. Something shocked her even more. Trevor stopped taking a large jump backwards. The sickle stopped just before his face before falling to the ground.
"How did he know?" Tengu asked herself seeing Trevor charge forward again using both of his blades to swing down on her. She raised her chain high catching both of the blades but barely holding Trevor's attack back. "And this strength where did he get it?" Tengu smiled as she moved her chains so they were wrapped around her knuckles. She moved both of her arms so they were at an angle throwing off Trevor's attack. She lashed out with a straight kick knocking him back.
"Impressive." Trevor said adjusting his blades so they were both backwards. "We only have 5 more forms to go through." Trevor crouched low smiling under his mask. "Loud Style: Fear." Tengu closed her eyes seeing the same weird phenomenon happen again except a yellow aura coiled around his body.
"I see now. Someone trained you to split yourself. You turned your emotions into the perfect weapon." Tengu smiled yanking back her sickle with a florish. "Let's see you handle this." Tengu lifted her chain end spinning it with a smile.
"I can handle anything you throw at me. Now can you handle me?" Trevor asked jumping forward Tengu threw out her chain end hitting Trevor in the right should making her take a step back to hold his shoulder he felt a hot liquid stain his hand.
"I don't think you can handle severe amounts of pain." Trevor took hold of his mask throwing it to the ground.
"Fine if you want pain tolerance." Trevor flipped his left sword forward a smile on his face. "Loud Style: Joy." Trevor smiled innocently which startled Tengu. She wound up another strike throwing her weight forward slamming Trevor in the left shoulder. He took a step back before moving forward. She threw the weight again slamming Trevor in the chest with the weight. He stopped for a second before moving forward.
"Come on master I just want to play a game." Trevor said picking up his pace toward her. Tengu took a step back throwing the sickle forward. Trevor raised his blade letting the sickle catch his sword He yanked on the chain making it taunt. "I caught it yay." Trevor said with glee.
"I see you indeed have some skill." Tengu smiled wrapping her hand around the chain yanking on it pulling Trevor's blade out of his hand. He looked a little annoyed about losing a blade. "Sadly I am done with letting you have your fun." Tengu caught Trevor's blade unwrapping her sickle. She slammed Trevor's blade into the ground She raised her sickle throwing it forward only to see Trevor rush forward she smiled as he swung at her. She sidestepped the attack wrapping her chain around Trevor's neck. Trevor swung only for his attack to be stopped by a chain. She wrapped Trevor up completely in the chain before slamming him down to the ground.
Trevor tried to get out of his bonds when he felt a blade to be placed under his chin. "Nice try Trevor but when you lose one of your weapons you can't maintain a definite style." Trevor struggled violently in his bonds. "Calm down Trevor I'll let you out." Tengu stood unwrapping Trevor watching him get to his feet. "You have a lot of skill Trevor but you are reckless." Tengu explained keeping a close eye on Trevor.
"Sorry Master." Trevor said picking up his second blade so he could sheath them both. "I lose myself in the heat of battle."
"This wasn't a battle Trevor only a spar. You proved you know how to fight but sadly you need a lot of work to get better. Starting tomorrow you will begin training with the sickle and chain." Tengu walked back towards her home thinking about how to train Trevor with his disability but shook her head.
"No I will train him like any other demon hunter he will have to adapt." Tengu told her self as she glanced back at Trevor seeing him running his hand over his mask. "He will do just fine."
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Trevor was sitting in the cabin his back against a wall. Tengu was faking sleep as she watched Trevor closely. He seemed to be running his fingers over his mask a look of concentration on his face. "It won't take long Cloudkicker." Trevor whispered as he continued to run his fingers over his mask.
"I wonder what he did to hurt her." Tengu thought as she closed her eyes rolling over to try and go to sleep.
"I can tell you are still awake master." Trevor said with a smile as he continued to move his fingers. "Do you know why I wear the mask Master?" Trevor asked sliding it against his face.
"Is this going anywhere?" Tengu asked annoyed.
"No Master just a simple question. You don't have to answer me if you don't want." Trevor closed his eyes listening to the noises around him as he tried to go to sleep.
"Embrace your destiny." The old fox's voice echoed in his head. "Embrace your wisdom." Trevor nodded his head slowly thinking back on his fight with his master.
"I will become stronger. I will embrace my destiny. I will not die." Trevor lowered his head. He remembered his vow to himself.