Tecovis came rushing into the dusty courtyard of the training grounds from the east door, his newly donned lamellar clanking as he ran.
“LOWGUARD TECOVIS!”
Tecovis winced, skidded to a stop, pivoted, and stood at attention. The large, heavily armored Commander Riff Phurin walked powerfully towards him, his chipped tooth on display through his snarl.
“Lowguard Tecovis, why are you late to training!?”
“Sir, there was an incident in the town square. I had to file a report, sir!”
“And why did you have to file the report, soldier!?”
“Sir, I was the only one to respond during the incident, as I stated in my report, sir!”
“And why was it that you were the only one to respond to this incident, soldier!?”
“Sir, because the guards at the fountain station were nowhere to be seen, as I stated in my report, sir!”
At this, the commander broke his blazing gaze off of Tecovis and glared at the north of the courtyard.
“CORPORAL HEIK!”
After three seconds, a guardsman came rushing out of the door and stood before the commander.
“Yes, sir?”
“Corporal Heik, Lowguard Tecovis has just filed an incident report. I want it in my hands yesterday!”
“Yes, sir!”
The corporal ran off to get the report as the commander turned back to Tecovis.
“As for you, Lowguard Tecovis, for your tardiness, I want you to run laps around this building AT FULL SPEED AND IN FULL UNIFORM until I finish reading your report!”
“Sir, yes sir!”
“If I, or anyone I send, catches you slacking, you will be responsible for cleaning the outhouses every day for the remainder of the month!"
“Sir, yes sir!”
“Stop gawking and MOVE SOLDIER!”
“Sir, yes sir!”
Tecovis turned around and bolted out the north door, through the main foyer. As he passed the front desk, he shouted “Be quick Heik, my legs are counting on you!”
For over an hour, Tecovis ran without stopping, legs pulsing from the constant sprint, shoulders aching from the bag he was unable to drop, lungs burning from lack of air, and never once slowing from top speed. Even with all the previous endurance training, it was all he could do not to collapse when the order to stop finally came. Corporal Heik came outside, waving Tecovis down, and tossed him a fresh skin of water. “Walk some laps to cool down and meet Commander Lions at the dummies.”
“Commander Lions...? I thought... Riff was... in charge of... twelfth today?”
“Commander Phurin is going to investigate the missing town square guards himself.”
“I don't have enough... energy to feel... bad for them right now...”
“Don't worry, I'll feel bad for them on your behalf.”
“Gee, thanks... Hooo...”
Tecovis took five more laps to ease out of his harsh exercises. On the final stretch of the final lap, he passed by a furious-looking Commander Phurin and ten fully armored guards wielding spears, no doubt making their way down to the fountain.
He then made his way through the training yard and to the dummies where Commander Lions, a broad-shouldered, regal man with nearly a dozen trophy tassels to his name, stood watching recruits practicing their sword forms. His dark blond hair was center parted, his wavy locks mostly covering his graying sideburns, and his bronze-plated boots were spattered with drying mud from the obstacle course. He was armored a little more lightly than Phurin, revealing the purple gambeson of his rank ever so slightly.
Commander Lions’ piercing blue eyes made contact with Tecovis as he heard him arrive.
“Afternoon, recruit. I heard about your little escapade.”
“I imagine you did, sir, along with everyone else in the building.”
Commander Lions chuckled.
“Phurin does have the lungs for it, so it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Get stretched, recruit, I know that run wasn't easy. Brave squad has been reviewing forms with Pan for his final combat exam tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tecovis dropped his bag against one of the walls and began his pre-workout stretches. Ten minutes of stretching later, Tecovis made his way to where his three squadmates, Rox Foncree, Silnor "Slide" Cavitan, and Pan Tindale were training.
The massive, muscular form of Rox was standing in front of the teenage frame of Pan and was saying, "-to keep your guard up on the retreat, otherwise your gonna get hit. We can train you to endure a lot, but it's better to avoid the hit from someone my size than to be forced to power through pain, especially with how much weight affects impact."
Tecovis dropped his bag next to Slide, who had been observing off to the side. He looked at Tecovis with a sarcastic smirk as he rubbed his legs down.
"Late?"
"Shut up, Slide."
"Oh come on, no need to be sour about it, oh glorious, brave leader, everyone slips up once in a while."
"Yeah, you'd know a lot about slipping, wouldn't you?"
Tecovis snorted as Slide rolled his eyes and scoffed. He had a similar build to Tecovis, an athletic frame, broad shoulders, though not necessarily stocky. After a moment passed between them, Tecovis raised an eyebrow.
"Shouldn't you be the one he's practicing with?" Tecovis asked.
"Rox thought it'd be good to square him against a big opponent, help him focus his strengths as a scrawny kid."
"You only have four winters on him, kid."
"Doesn't mean he's not tiny."
Slide wasn't wrong. Pan had a very lean frame due to his youth, being only 18. He'd been a messenger boy before enlisting early in the year, so he had speed and fitness down, outpacing most in the obstacle course races, however, raw power was still lacking. They watched him dance around Rox to sneak past his guard, but he countered and swatted away the training blade before it could reach anything.
Slide jeered, "Good try, but not good enough."
Pan looked like he was about to retort, but was promptly sent tumbling onto his back by a swift kick to the chest.
"Eyes on your opponent," Tecovis said. "You can't let anything distract you in the field. Not allies. Not enemies."
From the ground, Pan wheezed, "I can't help that he's being irritating, Teco!"
Slide snickered as Rox easily picked him up from the dirt. Tecovis crossed his arms and sighed.
"Level-headedness is one of the most important factors of battle; you can never let emotion factor into it, or you risk hurting someone close."
"Or getting blindsided," chimed in Rox.
Pan grimaced as he considered their words. Rox patted his shoulder with a meaty hand, then asked Tecovis, "You want a turn, bossman?"
"Not today, Rox, I've had about all I can manage."
"Have you now?" A taunting voice came from behind Tecovis. He turned around to see the sneering face of the leader of Dauntless squad, Dionis Mench, walking towards him.
Not again... Why now?
He was a large-framed man, not unlike Rox; though while Rox towered over most men, Dionis was below the average height of the guards. Tecovis knew from experience, however, that what he lacked in tallness, he made up for in both power and simplicity.
Slide scowled and said, "What do you want, Dense? We're busy."
Dionis, as smug as ever, put his hands on his hips and looked over Tecovis's team. Slide didn't need to ask; they all knew why he was there. It was the same reason he came by every week.
"Who says I want anything? Maybe I wanted to see how your recruit is holding up."
"Oh, please, you care about as much as a rock cares for the sunlight."
"Doubt all you want, Slide, it won't change anything." His eyes rested on Tecovis. "How was your run, Brave leader?"
Here we go.
Tecovis sighed. "I'm sore enough as it is, Dense. Go bother some other-"
"You don't even know what I'm about to say, and already you're getting feisty."
Slide got into Dense's face and said, "He's not interested cheesehead, take the hint and leave."
Dense pushed Slide, who immediately grabbed him by the curiass and started to throw a punch.
"Slide!"
Slide stopped mid-swing as Tecovis called out to him.
“Banter is one thing, fighting is another.”
"Sorry, bossman," he said, glowering.
Dense continued to smirk as Slide let him go and returned to his position. Commander Lions watched them at a distance.
"Good to see your lap dogs still listen."
"What part of leave do you not get? You're going to end up hurting yourself one of these days if you keep ignoring-"
"Are you threatening me, Teacup?"
There it is. Blast it all.
Tecovis pinched the bridge of his nose.
"No, Dense, I'm not."
"Really? Because that sounded like a threat to me. I'm thinking we should take it to the dueling rings."
"Are you still not tired from eating dirt last week? Or the week before? I already said no."
Dense got louder. "No? What's the matter Teacup, you're not afraid are you? If you've got a problem, then fight me. Let's settle it."
"C'mon, Dense, can't we just skip the fight this one time? Maybe Slide will do it-"
"So you are a coward!" His voice projected across the field. Commander Lions head dropped and approached as Dense continued, "You're a coward and a weakling, too afraid that he's not strong enough to face off against me yourself!"
"I'm sure Slide would be more than happy to put you in your place."
"Are you so far above us that you send your lackeys to do what you can't!?"
The commander stopped next to the group and looked at them.
"No, Dense, I'm not dealing with you today."
"Tecovis Shavar, with the commander as my witness, I challenge you to a proving duel!"
"Blast it all, Dense, I've already beaten you a hundred times, do you ever quit?"
It was a rhetorical question. Tecovis knew as well as everyone present that the guardsmen of Thruf were all trained to be tenacious, and Dense had internalized that to a fault. The commander looked at Tecovis and said, "A challenge has been issued. Do you accept?"
"No, sir, I don't." He turned around to Pan and started to direct him and Rox to training positions.
The Commander said to Dense, "Dionis Mench, He has denied your challenge. Go bother someone else."
Dense grumble just loud enough for Tecovis to hear, "Your mother and father should be ashamed of you."
Smoke...
Tecovis stopped in place. The scar on his left side began to itch. Every muscle in his body tensed. Rox saw his change in demeanor, and he tried to say, "Teco, no, it's-"
"You know what, Commander? I rescind my denial. I will fight him."
"It's not worth it, bossman, don't-"
"Rox, I know what I'm doing."
He turned back around to face Dense, who stood with a victorious grin on his face.
"What kind of example are you setting for Pan by letting him get under your skin?"
"He can spit on me and my honor all he likes, but he crossed the line."
Rox shook his head, "I know he did, but-"
"No buts. I'm fighting him and that's final."
He looked at the Commander, his expression neutral. "Sword and shield. Full armor."
The Commander nodded and said to Dense, "Dionis Mench, your challenge has been accepted under the conditions that you fight in a complete suit of lamellar, and with blade and board as the weapons of choice. Do you accept his conditions?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then meet at the dueling rings. Lowguard Rox, go gather the weapons. Lowguard Silnor, get Corporal Kitt, she'll officiate this week."
"What about me?" Pan asked.
"You can follow Tecovis and help him prepare."
Pan nodded. The group disbanded and attended to their orders as Tecovis and Dense made their way to the dueling rings. At the rings, Tecovis sat on a stool and massaged his legs while Pan inspected his armor. Slide was the next to arrive with Corporal Kitt in tow. The corporal had a ruddy complexion and pointed chin. Just as everyone else in the building, she also wore a full suit of lamellar, but she had forgone the helmet like most who weren't actively on patrol or training. The bits of gambeson that could still be seen had the symbols of her rank sewn into it, and two trophy tassels hung around the side of her belt as marks for her service. She went straight to the commander as she arrived and began to discuss the upcoming duel. Rox arrived last, carrying two swords, two shields, and two padded bronze helmets. He handed Tecovis his set first, then handed Dense his.
"Maker's breath, I hate him. Why does he always do this to you, bossman?"
"Why do you think Slide?"
Slide didn't answer. When he didn't, Tecovis looked at Pan and asked again, "What about you? Why do you think he challenges me so often?"
"I don't know, sir."
"Think about it a bit. You need to be able to assess threats, so use this as practice."
"Well..."
Pan looked at Dense for a bit.
"... He doesn't like you very much."
"Why not?"
"Maybe because you're mountainborn? You and Commander Lions are both foreigners to Thruf, and the commander has talked a lot about how hard it was for him to get his platoon to trust him when he first joined, however many years ago it was."
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do, I've been training with you since I got here."
"Do you think I'll win?"
Pan looked surprised at the question. "Of course, you're the best in the twelfth."
Slide didn't look so convinced. They'd worked together almost every day since he finished training, and he knew what it looked like when Tecovis was at his limit. Slide didn't voice his opinion however.
The corporal walked to the edge of the ring and shouted, "Alright, listen up. This proving duel will be best three out of five, excluding draws. To win the round, you must strike your opponent with the blade or force your opponent out of the ring. The guardsmen of Thruf do not submit, you will fight until either I call it or the victory conditions of the round are met, at which point you will reset to the starting positions and wait for me to begin the next round. Do you understand the rules?"
Both Dense and Tecovis agreed.
"Good. Dionis, Tecovis, to your starting positions."
Tecovis stood up, and his thighs immediately began to vibrate under his armor. He winced and massaged it some more before stepping into position.
“Battle stances.”
Dense and Tecovis drew their swords and raised their shields. Tecovis, warmed by the sunlight, could feel the sweat under his padded gambeson. A twinge in his thigh caused him to sway.
Stay still, blast it.
Dense adjusted his grip on his sword.
"You're mine this week, Teacup."
"Not a chance fatso."
Dense glowered.
"Best three of five! Round one, begin!"
Dense ran straight towards him with his shield raised.
Too easy.
With a simple sidestep, Dense tumbles oit of the ring.
"Point Tecovis!"
Tecovis grinned and said, "Predictable as always."
From the sidelines, he heard Slide howling with laughter, and when he looked, he saw Pan and Rox also struggling to stiffle theirs.
Dense stood up, his face red with either rage or embarrassment, Tecovis couldn't tell.
"Positions!"
He gave them a wave and sauntered back to his spot in the ring, his leg twinging again as he crouched into position
"Battle stances!"
They readied themselves.
"Round two, One to Zero, Tecovis! Begin!
Dense was the first to move, slowly creeping to one side, and Tecovis answered with a quick jab that was easily blocked. High strike. Jab. Wide swing-
Clank!
“Point Tecovis!”
Dense stumbled and fell on his back, stunned from the impact of a pommel against his skull.
Satisfaction tugged at Tecovis's cheers. He then moved his sword to his off hand and adjusted his shield straps as he said to his downed opponent, "Give up yet?"
Pan whispered behind him, “Maker, I hope I don't have to face off against anyone like him in the field.”
Rox replied, “That's why we keep training. The criminals out there need to say that about us.”
Dense spat in the dirt and growled.
Corporal Kitt yelled, “Positions!”
Tecovis and Dense returned to their spots in the ring. When he stepped back into place, he used his free hand to massage the muscles under the gambeson as they spasmed once more. Once it stopped, he swapped his sword back to his main hand and nodded to Corporal Kitt.
“Battle stances!”
Dense and Tecovis took their stances. Eyes locked. Filled with grit.
“Two to zero, Tecovis. Round three. Begin!”
Tecovis wasted no time and charged at Dense, shield raised.
Dense was taken aback by the different start and dodged to his left, swinging towards Tecovis's open side. Though he was even more surprised to find that Tecovis had thrust his own blade forward to catch it, deflecting with ease.
Tecovis twists around and smashes his shield against his opponent. Dense earned his name, however, blocking the shield bash with his own, sliding his blade down Tecovis's sword and maneuvering under the crossed blades into the open ring.
Blast it!
Dense and Tecovis regained their respective balances.
“This isn't a dance, you two, quit showing off.”
Dense raises his shield between the two of them, Tecovis takes a slightly more relaxed stance, then steps around the edge of the ring towards Dense's shield side.
Dense's feet shifts in place.
Tecovis continues to stalk closer to Dense. He lifts his sword.
Dense's weight shifts. Tecovis launches another lunge toward him, the tip of the sword embedding into the wood of his shield.
Dense spins his shield. Tecovis loosens his grip, letting the handle spin before retightening at the end of it's arc and yanking the sword free.
Dense quickly readied his defense as Tecovis spun the blade in his hand to a more comfortable position. His leg finally stopped vibrating again.
Tecovis flinches. Dense guards.
Who's scared now you- Tecovis's thoughts were cut off as a blade whirled just past the bridge of his helm's nose guard. Retaliate. Dense counters, knocking his blade off line again.
Maintaining momentum, Dense went low and knocked Tecovis's legs out from under him.
Tecovis tucked his shield close and swings back.
“Point Dionis!"
Through a raspy breath, Tecovis said, “...ow…” Dense had evaded his attack, and his opponent's blade was in his abdomen, saved only by sturdy gear.
Tecovis rolled onto his back to catch his breath, the lamellar crunching lightly as dirt was crushed in the spaces between the plates. Dense looked like he was ready to gloat, but before he could, Corporal Kitt said, “Are you done dawdling down there?”
Tecovis wheezed a “Yes, Ma'am,” and lurched to his feet.
Corporal Kitt yelled, “Positions!”
Both combatants returned to their spots.
"Battle stances!"
Tecovis took his stance, though he didn't crouch as low as normal.
"Two to one, Tecovis. Begin!"
Both combatants immediately ran to the center of the ring, attacking with a flurry of blows.
Tecovis and Dense ended up in the bind, both trying to maneuver their blade into the other but neither succeeding. Grunting, Dense shield shoved Tecovis back two paces and quickly closed the gap as his blade slipped by harmlessly.
Tecovis's shield jerked into him, causing him to misstep when a searing cramp rippled through his leg, followed by a bruising clang against his chest which knocked Tecovis to the floor.
"Point Dionis!"
"Teco!" Shouted Rox, and his team appeared at his side. It took all his will not to swear as the spasm pulsed.
Dense mocked the grounded warrior. "Aww, what's the matter, baby Teacup. Does he need to suckle his mommy?"
Coco...
Tecovis lurched past the pain, though Rox's firm palm to his chest kept him grounded.
"What's going on here?" The voice of Commander Lions approaching sent all of Brave squad to attention, minus Tecovis. Pan explained his perspective on the situation while Corporal Kitt stood by, brow furrowed.
"Does this mean I win?"
"No Dionis," said the Commander, "Not if he can still stand on his own. So tell me, soldier, can you pick yourself up?"
"Of course he can't. He's a weak-willed coward, can't even handle an itty-bitty charley horse. Pathetic."
A warmth of anger bloomed in his chest, gripping his heart, dulling his pain. He sat up, slowly worked to his knees and carefully stood back to his full hight.
The Commander grinned.
"Good."
He motioned to the rest of Brave squad and they left the ring, Rox patting Tecovis's shoulder as he did so. The Commander stepped close to him and whispered, "Show him what you can endure," before nodding to the Corporal and walking back to where he had been previously watching.
Tecovis limped over to his side of the ring, all three of his squadmates looking at him in various states of concern. He gave them a thumbs up and shook out his leg before turning around to face his fuming opponent.
"Positions!"
Dense grit his teeth, returned to his place, and readied himself.
"Two to two! Begin!
Dense rushed towards Tecovis yet again, wearing an aggressive snarl on his face, andwent for a strike. Tecovis sliped under it, wincing as he moved.
I've been through worse than this.
Clang!
I will endure.
Thwunk!
I must endure.
Finally, after almost a solid minute, swords struck armor.
"Draw!"
Both Tecovis and Dense withdrew, recoiling from the other's blows.
"You little- AAGH!" Dense shouted, slashing wildly at the air.
"Hey! None of that, Dionis, you're a grown man! To your positions!"
Tecovis and Dense went to their spots and readied themselves. Tecovis closed his eyes and drew in his breath. His heartrate slowed. The heat dissipated. Muscles invigorated. He opened his eyes again and the world clarified, each of Dense's subtle movements as obvious to him as a child swinging a stick.
This is for you, Mama.
"Two and two! Begin!
Dense and Tecovis circled the ring, neither willing to advance into the other's reach for the opening seconds.
From the other's starting position, Tecovis lunged.
Dense sidestepped and swung for the head.
Tecovis struck the sword with his shield's rim.
Flash from below.
Tecovis deflects.
His blade jerks to the side
Tecovis backs away, out of the bind.
Dense evades a counterstrike.
Tecovis spies the edge of the ring.
Slash.
Press him back.
Duck right.
Fient.
Clash.
He tries tripping Dense, but he's too slow.
Parry for parry. Shield bash for shield bash. swing for swing. Neither gaining an advantage over the other. Tecovis's legs screamed at him, begging him to stop and take a break.
Bronze rings as they enter the bind, guard to guard.
With a savage wrench, Tecovis's blade gets thrown to the other side of the ring near the edge.
Uh oh.
He's operating on instinct, weaving and flowing around Dense's flurry of attacks like the smoke of a candle, the fever-heat of battle giving him the edge in speed.
Dense thrusts.
Inspired by the earlier rounds, Tecovis catches the blade in his shield and twists with his shoulder, ripping it out of Dense's grip. The added weight pulls him further than he expected, but he plucks Dense's sword from his shield. He swings it hilt-first towards his torso, pommel whistling as it nearly clips a single plate, then flung the sword around and caught it by the hilt.
Downward strike.
Dense dives past, rolling, grabbing Tecovis's blade, attempting to stand-
The sound of cleats on plates rung in the air.
"Victory Tecovis!"
Dense clutched his stomach, his teeth bared as he stumbled backwards out of the ring.
"Gnh!"
"Lowguard?"
Tecovis pressed the pommel of sword into the muscles and said, "I'm fine, Corporal. It's mild."
Corporal Kitt nodded.
From behind him, Dense crowed, "Hey! He cheated, that kick shouldn't count as a point!"
"How many times do I have to tell you, Dionis, failure to completely assess the situation and rushing to attack will let your enemy take advantage of you. If this ring had been a roof, you would have gone straight to street level, and then what? You'd be out of commission if it was high, and your opponent would still have plenty of time to escape if it wasn't and you were alone."
Dense seemed like he was about to boil over into a fit, but before he reached the point of screaming, he simply released his breath in a long, drawn-out sigh, muttering, "Yes, Corporal."
Tecovis took his sword back and walked back to his stool.
"How?" Dense asked, storming after him.
"How what?"
"How the pit are you so much better than me?"
Tecovis glared at him for a moment before answering. "Lieutenant Zebulon mentored me in swordsmanship for almost two years before I signed to join the guard."
"What!? How did you get him to-"
"Dense, I live with him!"
He stood still, mouth agape, while he processed what he'd heard.
"I... I didn't know that."
"There's a lot you don't know about me, and I don't care to share. Now are we done here?"
Dense looked between him and his squadmates before finally walking away.
After he was gone, Corporal Kitt said to Tecovis, "See you next week soldier."
He acknowledged her as she too left, leaving Brave squad to themselves in the ring.
"I swear," Slide said shaking his head, "That man has scrambled his brains. It's like he's forgotten how to do anything but fight, how did he even make it this far?"
"Beats me," Rox replied.
"Well, since we got the ring... Pan, do you want to get some more practice in before the monthly race?"
"Sure, Slide... but... bossman, can I ask you a question?"
Tecovis raised his brow.
"It's, uh... Well, I figure it's a sensitive subject but..."
Pan chewed on his cheek a little before finally managing to ask, "Did... did something happen to your family? You get so upset when they get brought up."
Rox began to interject, "Pan-"
"Sorry, I just... It reminds me of the way my dad acts when my grandparents are mentioned. People say it helps to talk about it."
Rox opened his mouth, but Tecovis interrupted with a raised of his hand
"It's fine Rox, he doesn't know."
He took a deep breath as they all looked at him. Eventually Slide asked, "Do you want us to tell him?"
Tecovis briefly considered it, but he knew listening to it wasn't any easier than saying it.
"No... no I can handle it."
Tecovis leaned back as he thought to the day his old life ended.
"Have you ever heard of Erith," He asked wistfully.
Pan looked confused and said, "No sir."
"It was a village in the crescent mountains between Krundíl and northern Stogh. A mining town responsible for the majority of copper in both countries, if you can believe it. It was also my home... When I was fourteen, the village was raided by a massive group of bandits, and for six months they forced us to work for them and only them. They took our food, our stock, our lively hood... turned us into slaves in our own homes... for six months they oppressed us, until one day my mother..."
Mama...!
"... Got tired of it. She tried to sneak into the town hall where they were staying to kill their leader, maybe trying to break up the group... she got caught... and as punishment, they forced the entire village to watch as they-" his voice cracked as the memory ran through his mind, though he managed to stay otherwise composed. He continued, "... They forced us to watch their leader put a sword straight through her heart."
"Oh..."
He glanced over to Pan and saw the pity in his eyes.
"After that there was a massive fire... and since everyone had been gathered... there were no survivors..."
Smoke...
"I barely managed to escape to a nearby river and I followed it here. Zeb found me washed up on the riverbed during a patrol one evening. Been with him ever since."
Pan nodded slowly. "Is that why you became a guard?"
"It is. It took me a bit to figure it out, but I decided nobody should have to go through the circumstances that made me what I am. Nobody should have that forced on them. And I intend to make sure that doesn't happen here."
Tecovis wiped his eye and groaned to his feet.
"And today, that means putting you to work. Slide, you're up. I want to watch his form some more."
A snarky smile crept into his face. "Suuure, cause my word about it doesn't mean anything to you, does it?"
"Slide."
"Oh, lighten up, it's a joke."
"Seriously? If I were any lighter, I'd be a luminite."
Slide chuckled and inspected the sword Tecovis had used before stepping into the ring, with Pan following after, his own gear still in good condition from before.
