The room is dark with the only light being a candle. The wooden slats on the ground reflect a small amount of light given from the candle. The soft thumping of the rain can be barely hear in the wooden shack I built in the heavily wooded forests of Shalin. I am sitting in front of the candle in lotus position, it always helps me clear my head. I am wearing a white kata with a simple blue rope wrapped around me with a elegant black sheathed swords on my right side, the only thing of value I own. I wasn't always living in this wooden shack, I was once the finest bladesman in the world.
5 years earlier….
"Are you sure you want to fight in the dueling arena?" The dueling manager said, he was a older man, about 50 I would say. He wore expensive clothes with lots of gold embroidery, "This is master Lon and his family you will face." "I know" I said. "Well it's 20 qiu to enter the dueling arena." I pull out the golden coins from my black pouch on my black belt and hand them to the manager. I am wearing a black silk uniform with a red and black chainmail on top of it. I had a black belt and on my belt were 3 black leather pouches with interesting weapons in each. The manager probably didn't think I was ready to fight Lon who was the ruling bladesman of his family's house because I was only 23. "Very well, enter into the arena" He said as he stepped aside from the golden door and pocketed the qiu. The golden door was filled with lots of fine depictions of the masters tales. I pushed the door open with a black gloved hand and strode into the long hallway with red tiles alternated with golden tiles. There were 8 black pillars on each side of the hall each had a depiction of the different types of dragons in the land. Between each pillar was a torch casting is light across the 90 foot long hall. At the end of the hall was master Lon sitting facing me wearing orange robes and a yellow belt. He had his blade on his lap unsheathed. He appeared to be about 80, but his looks were deceiving. He was easily as fast as me. "I wondered how long it would be before you came Winter, you sure have grown since your house and family were destroyed in the terrible incident when you were 12." Lon spoke as he stood up and started his slow walk to the center of the hall. "I'm looking for who the assassin was, any idea?" I asked. "You will need to beat me before I tell you what I know, because if you can't beat me your quest would be in vain, because you couldn't beat Him." "I thought as much." I pulled my blade out of my black sheath. "Oh, when did you obtain your own blade?" "I obtained mine from the distant lands across the black mountains in my travels." I said. Blades are legendary blades made by blacksmiths from long ago who perfected the art of making swords. Each was individual and would never break or wear away. We both stood in the center of the hall where the tiles formed a circle were the symbol for bravery was painted. My blade was 4 feet long and was red and slightly curved with the back slightly jagged and black imitating the breath of the flame dragons. Lon's blade was 5 feet long and the edge was wavy like a raging river. I took up a flame dragon stance, Lon took up a wind dragon stance. I dashed to the right to the pillar put a foot on the side and pushed myself up and above Lon upside down making a strike that would have cleaved him in half. Lon brought his sword in front of him and my sword hit his sword sliding him back 2 feet. I landed in front of him and did a spinning arc slashing at him diagonally aiming towards his neck. Lon ducked to the right and struck out with a front kick. I stuck my sword into the ground and pushed off the floor dodging the kick and returning a kick down towards his head. Lon slid back making my kick miss him and he made a strike forward with his sword. I landed and pulled my sword out of the ground and spun bringing our swords together with a resounding clash that echoed in the empty hallway. Lon pushed with his sword forcing me backwards and he followed through with a torrent of strikes I bearly parried. I jumped backwards and from one of my back pouches I threw a handful of knives at him while throwing a explosive to the right attached to a string I held so the tension would make it curve around a pillar and hit him from the side. He threw a hand full of small shards that deflected the knives then threw a knife and cut the string making the explosive spin off and crash into the wall and explode. Lon then threw a long straight knife at me as I caught myself on the side of a pillar. I caught the knife and threw it back and jumped bringing my sword above my head and made a downward strike at him. He ducked forward and rolled behind me and made a lunging strike at my back. I ducked and spun with one foot in front of me swiping his feet from under him. His momentum brought him over me and he caught himself on one hand and spun and kicked me in the chest knocking me backwards. I slid on my back 6 feet then caught my hands on the ground and flipped myself up onto my feet and dashed forward and we locked blades again, I pulled my sword back and to the left and ducked to the right letting his sword go over my head and I brought the hilt of my sword up striking him in the chest knocking him up into the air and I jumped and kicked him into the ground. I put my sword on his neck and said, "what do you know about the assassin?" I asked. I pulled my blade back and put in back into its sheath. Lon stood up sheathed his blade and said "well played. The name he uses is the Black Tiger, he is not the owner of a blade, but has specialized in the war hammer called thunder. I would like to help you more but that is all I know. He is very dangerous, I have lost many relatives who have gone off to face him." Lon said, "And for beating me your reward is in the chest in the room at the end of this hallway along withy our next challenge. It's too bad your father couldn't see you now, he would be very proud." "Thank you Lon." I said. We both bowed and Lon walked to the entrance and I walked to the end of the hall and through the door into the back room. Inside the next room it was a square room about 10 feet long. It was heavily carpeted and the color was a deep red, always red when it came to dueling arenas. There is a table with two chairs and behind the table is a gold chest with Lon's families sign on it. On the table was a tray with two cups on it and a tea pot. At one of the chairs is a lady named Sasha. When I approached the table she looked up and said "Winter! How good to see you again, I'm not surprised you beat my dad, don't tell him but he is getting old, how long has it been? 6 years?" "8 years, so your my next duel?" I asked as I walked over to the table, my footsteps making barely a sound on the soft carpet. "Yes, and you will face me hand to hand without your blade or other weapons. But first have some tea and open your chest for winning against Lon." Sasha said. Sasha was a slender woman with long black hair that she had tied in a bun. She wore a shiny green dress that went down to her knees with the front and back slit down from upper thigh height to allow full movement, and she had brown leggings underneath and she didn't wear shoes like me. I she was 26, slightly older than me. She had blue eyes, an uncommon trait in women in this land. My eyes were silver, something my parents had always said was a sign that I was destined for something great. I sat down at the table and she poured both of us some tea, it was mint tea. "So what have you been doing since I last saw you before I started my journey?" I asked, "clearly you have followed your father's footsteps and became a fighter." "Yes, I did follow my father's footsteps, but I also have been doing other more feminine arts such as learning to use the harp and drawing. Aside from that not much." "Have you gotten married yet?" "No, I haven't felt like getting cooped up in some mansion. I prefer to travel like you when I am not doing duels." Sasha replied as stood up and refilled our cups. "Not all guys would coop you up in a mansion." "Maybe, but I still don't feel like getting married." I stood up and walked over to the chest and opened it up. Inside was a scroll and a purple gem the size of my fist. I opened the scroll, it was a fire spell one of the rarer ones. I put the scroll and gem in my pouches, then I turned around and walked back to the table and I put my pouches and my blade on the table. "Ready?" Sasha asked. "Yes" I replied. We walked through the next door which opened into a wide room about 50 wide with lots of windows. It was about noon so lots of light was coming in. The floor was a dark wood and there were wooden beams holding the ceiling. In the center of the room was a circle and the symbol painted meant graceful. We walked to the circle and she stood on one side and I stood on the other. I took up a common stance where I bring one foot back and I bring both my fist up for the fun of it. Sasha took a more elegant stance where she lowered herself slightly to the ground and lengthened her slide, she also made two knife hands and had one facing up, the other down. She struck first with a spinning hook kick for my head. I lowered myself to the ground and spun a sweeping kick to knock her feet from under her. She jumped with the foot on the ground and pulled in her other foot and tried to smash her foot into my head. I knelt on one foot and had the other braced and I brought my arms up above my head and blocked her kick. I then using the foot I had braced stood up and threw her backwards. She did a flip in the air and landed smoothly on her feet with a hand on the ground. I dashed forward and jumped doing a back kick in the air. She slid to the side dodging me and did a right kick for my chest which I landed, turned, and blocked with my left hand while I grabbed her foot with my right hand. Kicked her other foot out from under her and I turned throwing her across the floor. She turned on the ground and so her feet and hands were on the floor slowing herself. She then stood up and ran at me and did a flying punch and kick at the same time. I raise a knee to block her kick and I brought my hands up and blocked her punch on my forearms. She then with her other foot she kicked me in the side then tried to back kicked me in the chest which I blocked but knocked me backwards. She followed up with a jumping roundhouse kick with her right foot that I caught with my left hand then kicked her in the chest knocking the wind out of her and making her fall to the floor. I go over to her to make sure she is okay, and she pushes herself up with her hands and a foot and kicks me in the face knocking me to the side. I do a roll and end up on my feet. Sasha throws a punch at my chest that I block, then she jumps and tries to lock her legs around my neck and I duck and move to the right and I grab her neck and slam her into the ground finishing the match. She gets up on one elbow and takes a couple breaths and says winded "I wasn't expecting that, well I'm beat. In the next room is my brother and your prize." She stood up and started walking to the door and she says "it's been nice fighting you, hope you win against my brother." And she walked through the door.