Okay, so I just finished my first practice adventure. Not sure if there's supposed to be a formal introduction, but eh. Here it goes:
Advance. Lunge. Parry. Riposte. I readied myself for another attack from my colleague, not that he frightened me. The opposite, really. Aaron, one of the two people I had grown to consider a "friend", was not as skilled with a blade as I. Magic was his strong suit, but physical combat was a requirement, so, on occasion, I aided him and his sister, Ida, in their mandatory training.
He lunged at me, but in vain. Blade on blade, clashing and dancing through the air with an accompanying cacophony of blunt contact, I easily weaved my way through his attacks, but never losing awareness of my second opponent, Ida, who was quietly readying herself behind me. She thrust her blade at me and I parried it with a simple flick of my wrist. The Twins now stood on either side of me, weapons extended and feet firmly planted.
I eyed them with amusement, confidence at a high and competitive blood flowing. In one swift movement, I swung my blade at Aaron's and then knocked him back with a half hearted kick to his chest. Taking his sword in my hand, I snatched the weapon from his hand with ease, his stunned body not acting quick enough to resist.
Ida took this chance to attack, her blade barely missing my face. Still holding Aaron's weapon by the blade, I smirked and hooked the hilt onto her sword, pulling with extreme force before the wooden weapon turned into a projectile, flying through the air and landing in an opposite wall with a solid THUD.
Some people turned to observe the rogue blade, but soon turned to another direction when a loud THUMP, THUMP, THUMP of a staff hitting the wooden floor resonated throughout the training hall.
"You may all leave. Excellent job, today." The voice of Swordsmaster Gorden boomed. He eyed the sword protruding from the wall and walked over to it, calmly pulling it out and placing it back on one of the many racks set up around the room.
I grabbed my bags and bottle of water that had been placed off to the side, making small talk with Aaron and Ida all the while. We were just about to leave when Swordsmaster Gorden placed a firm hand on my shoulder and pulled me to the side. Ida gave an apologetic look and stepped out of the room, whereas Aaron just pointed at me, dragged a thumb along his throat and snickered before following his sister out.
I scowled at the empty doorway and then glanced up at the Swordsmaster, keeping my head low, but gaze upwards.
"What was that, Juniper?" He raised an eyebrow and his lips formed into a straight line.
I cleared my throat. "What was what, sir?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Don't play ignorant with me," He snapped. "All of those fancy moves and unnecessary additions, grabbing onto a blade for god's sake! In a real fight, with a REAL sword, you would've sliced your palm right open. Still seem like a good move, hm?"
"At the time, yes sir. I was just trying to better Aaron and Ida, give them a challenge, you know?" I gave a small smile and hoped the excuse would pass.
"Better them? All you did was show them up! A good trainer doesn't humiliate her trainees."
"Humiliate? I did not humiliate them, sir. If anything, I let them get off easy! I could have ended the fight so much quicker than..." My voice faltered as I noticed his extremely disapproving expression. I sighed and looked down begrudgingly. "My apologies, sir. I'll make sure not to let it happen again."
He huffed in approval. "Good. Now, go on. Get some rest before I think of another way to punish you. Maybe scrubbing the training hall's floors..." He placed a finger on his stubbled chin in mock thought.
I smiled and scooped up my items before jogging out of the hall. "G'night, sir!" I called over my shoulder as I made my way back to my room.
Part 2 will be up soon.