Fiore dei Liberi

393 AC – OK, I admit it, he's got style. Although I'm not totally convinced by his get-up… even though I'm somewhat responsible for his look. Yes, I may have read too many books about the Musketeers during my leave on the Ouroboros. A big hat topped with a white feather, an elegant blue doublet, remarkably polished high boots, and an exquisitely made rapier… Yep, that's clearly my doing. Atsadi didn't catch me, but that's only because he's blind as a bat. An impeccable smile framed by a thin goatee, the complete opposite of humble… Whereas Atsadi is reserved and harbors a silent rage, Fiore dei Liberi is extroverted, chatty and boastful. A bit like me, in fact. It's a bit like a haiku versus an epic poem. If Waru had been here, he would have said something like: "Purity of movement and orthodoxy of posture in contrast to nonchalance and demonstration of style; a fight in alexandrine verse that creates rhymes of iron."

I try my hardest to understand everything they're doing, just by watching. To learn, you must start by observing. That's what everyone says, right? And in that regard, I feel like I'm way behind everyone else, almost like an imposter. It's not like I went through the typical Bravos training program. I was only there because I was flexing my skills and I came across Boo by chance, basically. A clash of steel brings me back to the present. Come on, take it all in, analyze what they're doing. Atsadi is in a defensive stance, as if he's waiting for the right moment to strike. As for Fiore, he's full of life and talks just like he fights: a diatribe of iron and verse, actions and verbiage. In fencing as in debating, he's constantly composing, a bit like an artist. For a fraction of a second, I wonder whether his style suits me better, after all. I shake my head. No, I'll be Atsadi's Squire!

Fiore dei Liberi was born in Premariacco circa 1350 and is the earliest known Italian master of swordsmanship. He was the author of a full martial arts training manual: "Flower of Battle". It teaches how to fight with bare hands, armed with different weapons, with or without armor protection, and on horseback or on foot. He had to fight five other masters in duels to defend his honor… with sharp longswords and without armor (except for gloves and a gambeson). He emerged victorious and uninjured each time.

KOJO