The next morning Boro had breakfast with Nila and afterwards sent orders for his army to broke camp and began marching towards Kurten, a fortress city further to the north nestled right in the Gladous Mountains. It was a slow process. Boro's army had around four thousand foot, archers and cavalry and a thousand or more, army followers including woman too big with child, elderly who tended to the cooking, cleaning and washing, and children, so many children, left orphaned or homeless because of the ongoing conflict. Several of his officers had been petitioning him daily to take the orphans on as soldiers and train them for war but Boro refused them every time. He would not raise an army of child soldiers, but he did offer service to any youth of age to be taught the sword and spear. Those too young but insistent on joining he took on as squires, pages and message runners, anything he could think of to keep them busy and out of trouble. The journey itself would normally last two spans o
Several days passed before Boro and Lady Jesa's forces began to move again. During the day Boro did his best to stay as far from Lady Jesa as possible, but he frequently found the task near impossible, she attended every meeting. Be it a meeting for the leaders or just a small counsel meeting to resolve minor disputes in camp, she was there. She never made comment about their night in her tent but Boro often felt, and saw, her eyes on him and although she did not speak of it, she also did not shy away from being close to him. She would wait for the rest of the officers to leave to try catching him alone, and despite him doing his best to make excuses to leave, she had successfully caught him alone several times. She continued to court him when she caught him alone, offering to sit with him for meals, or attend him while they were on the move, once she even asked for a private audience in his own tent... In front of several of his own officers. Before long she will be waking up early
Bora took a cautious step forward. He moved slowly and with purpose, his movements calculated. He held a slender sword out in front of himself. It's single edge glinted menacingly with the faint light of the fire behind him. Across from him stood a foe who was equally, if not more so, confident in their own sword skills. His opponent held his blade hilt with both hands. Bora saw a flash of amusement in their eyes from behind their helmet. They circled one another like two feral alley cats. Each waiting for the other to lapse in their attention. Seconds stretched out in to what seemed like an eternity, till finally a faint scream from the depths of the burning city called out. It was then that the helmeted opponent lunged forward with the grace of a life long swordsman. Their blades met, sending sparks flying outw
A graduation ceremony was held at hilight, when Tullus, the third moon, was at its peak in the sky over Korone. It shone bright yellow, casting an almost sinister light on the fifteen students in Boro's graduating class. He remembered when he had first started at the academy, his class had numbered in the mid-fifties. Over the course of the last four years that number had slowly dwindled down. Students left when the training became too intense. On a few occasions students had been severely injured, twice students had been killed. Both times had been declared accidents but Boro still wondered about the truth to the rumors. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes seeing Mika standing there looking smug. One of those deaths had been at his hands. One of the people killed had their neck broken with a wooden practice sword. The other had b
Boro and Mika stood in the sand circle as the two finalists. The animosity between the two was so thick in the air it was almost palpable. Boro stood in the ready form, Crane In The Water, standing perfectly balanced on one leg, his sword held out before him. Mika stood in a form that Boro didn't recognize. Boro prided himself on knowing all the forms of classical, and modern, sword art, the fact he didn't recognize this one was puzzling.This must be a form of his own making, He thought with both surprise, and unwillingly, respect. The form had Mika crouched low to the ground, his own hand and a half sword held upwards in front of him.When the call to begin was shouted, Boro took a cautious step forward and was immediately on defense as Mika struck at him with nearly blinding speed.&
Three days later found Boro, with his travel pack, saying farewell to his few friends at the Academy. With his letter of apprenticeship and gold emblem, he had no more need to stay at the Academy. His goal, to be the greatest swordsman of all time, would not be accomplished by staying any longer. So he found himself waving farewell to Nila at the end of the town surrounding the Academy. In his heart he yearned to stay and build a life with her. She wanted to take more time to study and hone her own sword skills, but Boro suspected that she was also looking to receive a letter of apprenticeship as well. This sheet of vellum was worth more to an aspiring sword master than an entire sack of gold royals. Most master swordsmen were employed by a Lord and as such made plenty of money. With the title of Sword Master, one could be a personal b
Before Boro left the town he asked around for anyone selling a horse and was pointed to a stable just outside of town on the west road. What good luck I have, he thought to himself smiling and chuckling lightly to himself. So Boro left the small town, continuing on his way westward along the thin dirt road. He felt refreshed after the night spent in a real bed and fresh rumors of Tutija Pale Sword. He even went as far as whistling happily as he walked the road. He still had more several hundred leagues left to go but hopefully the stable man would have a good horse to help cut down the time to travel the daunting distance. The sun had not yet reached its peak from behind the forest trees when Boro saw the trail of smoke and the fresh scents of manure and hay in the air. He picked up his pace a bit, excited and hopeful. He saw the brightly painted red stable and two boys wheeling out the freshl
Boro launched himself up onto his feet, his sword whipping around to catch two of the bandits' throats. They fell to the ground, one letting out a choaking sound, the other grabbing his sliced throat as if trying to hold it together with just his hands. They would both be dead in seconds. A quick assessment told Boro that there were still five men surrounding him with drawn swords. They began to react now, each moving in to try and kill him. They were many, but they were uncoordinated, and Boro was able to slip past two of their guards and get out of their ring of death. Boro spun himself around their backs using Wind Kisses The Valley, and sliced two of their ankles cutting through flesh and bone. One fell to the ground at once, clutching his wound and howling in pain and terror. The other tried to turn and found his injured leg unable to hold his weight up, he followed his wounded ally to the ground, hi