@vespyren
A cacophony of terrified screams, muffled shouts, and cries of agony could be heard beyond the gates. None of which, at this point, was honestly unusual given the Wind Pillar’s downright barbaric training regime - to the point where onlookers either ignored the distressed wails for salvation or tried to silently slink by in hopes of not becoming his latest victim. Occasionally, on good days, Himejima would stop by and linger outside of the gates to mumble a brief prayer for Sanemi’s newest students in this newly enforced training cycle. Today; however, was not one of those so-called good days so not even the sound of the Stone Pillar’s vaguely unsettling prayers was present to muffle the current distress of the corps’ newest recruits as they found themselves racing about on slick grass in worn-down geta in an attempt to dodge a series of blows so fast they couldn’t have even possibly hoped to see at their current level. In a matter of seconds most of them were on the ground clutching their bruised bodies or loosing the meal they regretted eating before coming to what they could only possible describe as an unusual layer of Hell.
With the exception of her, as he’s come to expect now. Nestled amongst the more boisterous and foolhardy rookies, she didn’t necessarily stand out to the untrained eye, but the moment she had stepped through those gates Sanemi could sense she was leagues above the typical rookie who had just passed their nearly worthless examine. And it had only taken a day or two for him to confirm his suspicions. When the others fainted and vomited, she remained. Obedient and willing to learn from his training unlike the res of the rabble that was seriously rubbing his already meager level of patience raw. Frankly, though, he wouldn’t have been lying if he claimed he wasn’t thrilled to have one student who showed promise - who didn’t spend every hour of his sessions on the ground weeping or trying to flee from him (which was never a good idea - he has a knack for finding even the most cunning of escape artists).
“Come on! This isn’t over yet!”
His voice manages to cut through all of the senseless sobs and nonsensical screams for help with an ease that implied he was used to shouting above their cries. And, as one would expect from him by now, there were no breaks. He never gave them a moment to collect themselves from the ground or grab the swords the sheer force of his blows had torn from their hands. They were never blessed with the chance to catch their breaths or reach for a jug of water. His training felt endless and his own stamina felt impossible when it was weighed against their own. The reality was, a demon wasn’t going to give them a break in the middle of a fight. A demon wasn’t going to hold back when they were on the brink of passing out and begging for their miserable lives. So, why should he? If they couldn’t survive his training, they were better off dead anyway.
His only act of mercy is the wooden blade his holding within his scarred hand. If he were using his real sword, they likely would have been dead by now. The training blade acted as a bit of a buffer for his attacks, unable to withstand the full extent of his power. He’s lost track of the number of wooden swords his broken today alone. And, as he slashes the blade downward, knocking most of the rookies back with a single, muffled blow, he imagines by the way it creaks that he’ll be breaking another one soon enough. At his feet, the trainers lay - hands ghosting about the ground to search for their swords or comrades to make sure they were still alive or, at least, not puking everywhere. And, once again, she was the only one still standing upright.
“Get up! You worthless bastards should learn to be more like her!”
He them proceeds to shamelessly point at Sayu with the side of his blade as he thrusts it out in front of him, the force of the motion enough to either knock down anyone who was trying to get back up or push those who were unconscious on the ground into the bushes.












