I showed my companion the place where I held the wood and said, “We should start by cutting here.”
She went to my belt and took my knife and sat on the bed and held blade between her legs with the sharp edge down. She said, “The wood is very hard, but your knife is exceedingly sharp. The Warlord has given you a great gift. This is very old, and very valuable. But more useful than valuable. Don’t ever part with it. Here, see the point? Place the pole… Mark, this is hard… no, I mean, this is… oh by the spirits of ancestors! ‘shaft, pole, hard,’ it all makes me think about love now! You beast! OK, ignore my innuendo. Put the point to cut against the top of the blade where the tip is sharpest and rotate it in your hands against the point.”
I sat at Aeyli-ah’s feet, distracted by the beauty of the perfect pussy between her legs, but forced myself to focus on the work as much as possible. I lay the pole across her knees and she pressed the point into the wood at the point we wanted to cut. I rotated the post down against the point and we were rewarded by a fine shaving of wood and a small groove cut cleanly into the surface. Using this primitive, improvised lathe we cut by degrees and sooner than I would have expected, we had cut the pole into two pieces. I double checked the lengths and found them suitable. I held the staff at my side, letting it touch the ground just in front of my toes on my right foot and marked the point where my thumb and finger grasped the handle with a very shallow groove all the way around. I did the same to get the length of the matching one that Aeyli-ah would carry.
I said, “Now we need to trim the sides all the way down from the handle to the end on both sides.”
I expected that this would be a tedious process of whittling the shaft by degrees, but Aeyli-ah took the first shaft from me and braced one end against the top step of the bed platform. She took the knife and pulled it 3 inches out of its sheath, leaving the protective cover over the tip and lined up the blade with the line that I had indicated as the width I desired. She handed it all to me and said, “Push.”
I stood at the top of the pole, placed one hand on the handle of the knife and the other palm against the sheath and pushed downward… and the knife cut cleanly in a perfectly straight line! I had to push hard, and the lower gravity prevented me from staying on my feet, but by sitting on the bed and hooking my legs against the step and drawing the knife toward me, I was able to shave off the entire side in one long pull. I turned the shaft and cut the opposing face in the same way. Aeyli-ah’s hands were a little smaller than mine and after cutting the side of her bokken to the correct width, I made a third cut along the top to size the handle for her.
After that, I sliced the wood in the same manner from where the handle met the blade to taper it to a surface about a half an inch wide. I didn’t want a sharp blade, I wanted a strong one. It wasn’t meant to cut like a metal blade would. It was meant to focus the power of its impact to a half inch area that would transfer a hard blow to its target. I took two cuts on the opposing side, the back of the blade to give it a more rounded shape. I did the same to Aeyli-ah’s blade. The entire process so far had only taken a little less than an hour; I would have expected at least eight hours if I had done the same on earth, but the characteristics of the wood and the exceptional properties of the knife allowed me to rough cut the shapes in fairly short order.
When the rough cutting was done, I explained the shape I wanted, a smooth rounded handle and blade with a sloping rounded tip at the end, and I took the girl’s knife and I handed her mine and we sat side by side and carved away the straight lines and flat surfaces. Even with my much greater strength, Aeyli-ah finished her sword before I did. First, she was using the sharper knife, but perhaps more importantly, she was much more practiced and much more skilled than I was. When her blade and handle were smooth, exceptionally smooth, she shaped the tip as I directed, and then took my partially finished weapon and completed it as well.
The results were better than I would have imagined possible. The swords were solid, very smooth, fit well in our hands, and based on the custom sizing were even surprisingly balanced. When held in two hands, and using proper technique, the blow delivered would be devastating to both muscle and bone. I carefully examined our work and was very pleased.
This was good. Of the tasks that Carter’s message had set for me, I had learned to walk and run, I had found a beautiful Martian girl who hadn’t killed me and had taught me the language, we had found water and a safe shelter, and we now had weapons that would help us in any circumstance short of a gun fight.
Aeyli-ah was pleased as well. She said, “Mark, the shapes are very good, but I don’t quite understand the purpose. These won’t cut. They won’t draw blood, and they aren’t designed for piercing. The handle is too long, at least compared to swords that I have seen. You have been very deliberate and it’s clear that you know exactly the purpose that you have for these, but I don’t know what it is.”
I said, “Here, let me show you. I hope that I haven’t wasted our time. See how I grip the handle in my right hand here at this point?” She imitated my grip and I said, “Now, lift the sword and hold it in front of you. Take your other hand and place it under the handle, resting it on your little finger, like this. Leave a fist length of the handle open between your hands. Straighten your arms like this.”
I went on to teach her proper stance and cutting and thrusting techniques. She was a fast learner and it was rare that I needed to repeat any instruction.
I said, “Now, we have five primary targets. First is the head. Either straight from above, or like this, at a downward angle into the temple and ear. Both sides. Second, across the chest area, down onto the collar bones, or directly against the shoulder. The blow to the head, striking with the forces that I’ve shown you will crush a skull or at least knock your opponent unconscious.”
She practiced the second move and said, “And this will destroy the arm and shoulder! I see. This is no primitive club. Mark, this has a very good feel to it. Show me more.”
I continued, “The same blow can be directed at an elbow or ribs. Attack major joints: head, neck, shoulder, elbow. The third technique is targeted at the wrist and hand. If your attacker holds out his hand to you, take away his ability to hold a weapon or to strike you with it. The fourth move is against the thigh and knee. Crush his hip or knee and he won’t pursue you.”
She repeated, “One: Head and neck. A killing blow. Two: Shoulder and elbow. The loss of an arm. Three: Wrist and hand. The ability to hold a weapon or strike with the hand. Four: Hip and knee. He cannot walk or give chase. Not only is the weapon good, but the technique is direct and effective. So, there’s no parry and thrust and feint? No endless exchange of sword play? Just target, opportunity, disabling stroke. Mark, this is brilliant swordsmanship. You must have been a fierce warrior on your world.”
I laughed, “No, there was little opportunity for real combat on my world. Wars were fought from long distances by powerful guns and airships. But this type of practice was used for tournaments and exercise… but not by many. I was a teacher. But my students were businessmen, children, and women.”
She said, “Perhaps, but here it will be a great protection. And, these are wood. Even if we faced a steel sword, it wouldn’t cut through our weapon, and even though we might bleed, our attacker will be crushed or dead. Show me more.”
We practiced for a while longer. Attacks and movement. Advances and retreats. I stressed the supreme importance of timing and watching for a clear opportunity before attacking. I taught her my motto of ‘once shot, one kill, no exceptions’. Eventually, I began to teach her defensive moves against blows from all directions.