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The letter arrived as he said, so we gathered our belongings and set out into the Kepari Desert towards the training grounds. For hours we walked in the blazing heat and viscous winds of the desert. Finally, we saw the banner of the Templars. As we entered the camp, it seemed empty, but we knew we were being watched by them. As we walked towards the center of the camp, The Emperor greeted us. He said in that same booming voice, “So, you actually came? I must admit, I did not expect you to actually come this far. You surprise me at every turn.” After the greeting he showed us around the camp. It was far more complex that we had imagined, this was a keep the Templars had captured during the Dark Crusades. He showed us the barracks where we would stay, the mess hall, all of the combat facilities, and so many more countless things. After we finished the tour, he told us to rest our bodies, for our training will begin tomorrow.
Later that night, there was a knock at my door, apparently the Emperor wanted to see me about something. I threw on my cloak and wandered to his quarters. When I arrived he offered me some wine, which I gratefully accepted. “When I found you that day, I noticed something strange about your combat style. You could have easily killed my soldiers, yet you took her out without even unsheathing your blade. Why?” I responded, “I do not use lethal force unless I absolutely must. Also, my blade spills blood, I begin to lose control of myself, and I do not wish to repeat such an incident.” Still puzzled by my response, he said in a low voice “What if I could teach you a new way to fight, a way to deliver lethal blows with only your fists?” This had sparked my interest “What type of technique do you speak of? I am interested to learn of this style.” Slowly, a smirk grew across his face, and he said in a sly voice, “Very well, meet me here at midnight tomorrow and I will show you.”
The next morning I awoke and brought Ryuka and Avalon to the sparring grounds as I was instructed. There we met with our trainer Talon. He was a battle hardened ex-rogue who surpassed all of the trainers in the Royal Guard and was sent to the Templars. “Today we will begin with the basics, I want you three to spar against each other in a free for all match. We were all shocked by this idea. “Well, get to it. Fight!” Ryuka did not even pause for a second before rushing at me with her daggers. I knew I would not be able to fight this match unarmed so I drew my blade and parried her attacks. She had both her daggers pressed against my blade, quickly, I swung my blade upwards, knocking the daggers from her hands and into the air. I put my hand on her neck, swept her off her feet, and pushed her out of the ring. Now it was just me and Avalon. He hesitantly drew his blade and brought it in front of him, “Give me all you’ve got my friend” I told him. Hearing that must have jump started him because before I knew what happened, I was floored by what felt like a kick from a horse. He brought his sword down to stab me, but I rolled away, and delivered a rising spin kick to the base of his back. This forced him to his knees, and launched me to my feet. I grabbed him by the side of his head, threw him to the ground and delivered a strong kick to his ribs. I may have put too much force into it, as he coughed up blood. I sheathed my sword and knelt down to him. I whispered “I win, my friend.” Talon announced me the winner and sent us all to the mess hall. Avalon was sent to the med station but Ryuka walked with me. “Why did you go so hard on him? You didn’t need to put so much force into it.” she said in a disappointed tone. “I did not mean to, when I saw him bringing his sword down on me, I fought like my life was on the line. I really did not mean to injure him so much.”
Talon met us in the mess hall and explained that we fought that battle to prove we would be able to fight our loved ones if need be. We had our dinner and retired to our separate quarters. At the stroke of midnight I left my room to meet the Emperor as he told me to. When we met, he began speaking of the power of the soul. He said that a true warrior relies not on blades or weapons, but on himself and his abilities. After the lecture he showed me a small fragment of this power. He called a guard over to us, and moved so fast that all I saw was a blur, moved behind the guard and had broken his legs and arms in less than a second. He delivered a jab to the mans back and sent him sliding across the sand into a wall. “That is the power of The True Warrior!” he told me. I could not believe what I had seen, but I had no choice. He told me to return to my quarters and focus on my being, all that I am and all that I want to be. I did as he said, and for the next 6 hours I focused and meditated until I could begin channeling the energy from my soul to my body. I was ready for the next test, and for so much more.
-Xhaos Incarnate- · Thu Feb 22, 2007 @ 04:11am · 0 Comments |
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