Chapter 4 Training

A sword was flying in the air with the point tilted up. The blade glistened as the sun's rays struck it. Daffid caught it right before it hit the ground.

"I have to test your skills. Five moves, young man."

Burris unsheathed his claymore from his scabbard and assumed a guarded stance.

Not used to handling long blades, Daffid experimented with his hands until he got a comfortable grip on the sword. Truthfully, he had no idea what to do so he attacked just for the heck of it. Daffid ran with a speed faster than a normal thief. A yard away from Burris, he raised his arms above his head.

Burris took notice of Daffid's speed. He raised his claymore perpendicular to Daffid's over-head strike. Burris raised his leg and dealt a powerful kick to Daffid's exposed stomach.

Daffid flew backwards with his arms and legs lagging behind.

"One."

Winded, Daffid stood up. He was still gripping the sword in his hand. He looked at the giant who had on a mocking smile that infuriated him.

"I thought this was going to be a fight of the blades?"

"Did I say so?"

Daffid irritably swung his sword for an upward strike. Burris easily deflected it.

"Two."

Taking another swing for Burris' neck, the giant raised the hilt of his claymore to his throat to block it. Both his arms were holding the weapon.

Using his free hand, Daffid balled it into a fist and aimed it at the giant's abdomen.

Clank!

Daffid's mouth gape wide open. His eyes grew bigger until all the whites showed around his irises. His arms sprang back to his side. He gripped his bruised and swollen hand and nursed it between his thighs.

Burris hiked up his cotton shirt. He testily knocked at the armor he was wearing.

"A hundred percent pure metal," Burris remarked cheekily.

"You probably cracked some bones!" Daffid declared hoarsely.

"Uh-uh." Burris nodded to him pointedly. "You did."

Daffid's face burned with anger. He picked up his sword and made for another swing.

"Three."

"Four."

"Five."

Every strike was blocked but Daffid still persevered. Unexpectedly, Daffid crooked his knee and raised a fatal blow at the giant's groin.

"YEEEOOOOWWW!!!"

Daffid hopped on one foot, moving backwards. Both his hands were covering his now injured knee.

"Bwahahahahaha…" Burris laughed out loud with his hands on his hips.

Daffid tripped on a stone and fell back. He was still in pain when he lay sprawled on the cobblestone walk.

A claymore felt itself on his throat.

"You did good boy. But I said five moves. You made seventeen. Not counting that last foul move."

"Foul!" Daffid raucously yelled. "But you did not even get hurt!"

"Bwahahahaha… always prepare for any battle, young man. And dare not yell again at your teacher!"

Burris hefted Daffid and carried him dangling on his shoulders.

"Where are you taking me?" He flung out his arms and legs in different directions.

Burris opened a large door and threw Daffid inside. He landed on a bale of hay. He heard the click of a lock. He stood up and ran for the door.

"Hey!" He banged on what he now identified as a stable door. "Let me out!"

"Not until you have cooled off, young man."

He heard the giant walk away while laughing heartily.

He sighed. He turned. He sniffed. What greeted his nose was the unpleasant aroma of peco peco poop.

Daffid slid down to the hay-covered floor. With his back to the stable door, he took a strand of hay and rolled it between his fingers.

Damn that giant! And damn his armor!

He sighed again. If an old man could pull a trick to him like that, then he was no match for the other knights.

            Hours passed, the giant had still not returned. He now wished he could go outside for some fresh, salty air of Izlude and not the air that he was breathing now. With nothing to do, Daffid slowly drifted to slumber.

            Daffid stood at the center of a windowless, circular room. The room was dimly lit by fired torches hung with equal distances between them. A closed, wooden door stood in front of him. The chain mail felt heavy around him. A weird-looking blade dangling on his right arm weighed a ton. The room felt cold, or was it him that was cold? He visibly shuddered. He tried to take a step, but his feet were rooted to the ground. Not one part of his body moved.

            He had the nagging feeling of being watched. He tried to move his head, but of course he couldn't. His breathing became labored. He felt that he was being watched by a thousand pair of eyes, but there was none. He moved his eyes right and left, trying to see if there was something in the room, but there was none.

            The closed, wooden door suddenly opened, crashing to the wall. Beyond the door, more lit torches with equal distances between them hung on the long marbled corridor. The corridor was so long, the end seemed to start from a black abyss.

           

He heard an eerie swish of a fabric. A strange being covered in black cape suddenly appeared, a sword floating in front of it. The being was floating fast towards him. It was gaining speed. Faster… Faster…until it raised its sword in front of it and stopped a foot from Daffid. He tried to look inside the hood of the caped being, but he was staring at nothing. A ghostly screech came from somewhere beyond the being, scaring the life out of him. The being swung the sword down to Daffid's immovable body.

Daffid sat up with a jolt. He gasped. Cold sweat ran down at the deep indentation of his spine. He brought a hand to his sweat-stained face.

Not again.

And then he felt it…That nagging feeling of being watched by a thousand pair of eyes. He stood up and faced the stable door. He backed away, breathing heavily.

The space between the door and the ground was filled with light, but not anymore. A shadow loomed between it, blocking the light.

The click of the lock echoed inside his mind. The stable door opened. Daffid made a run towards the open door and crashed into whatever was outside.

He didn't feel the cold, stabbing feel of a sword against him, but softness. Surprised, he stared at what he had crashed to. It was not a what, but a who!

"Madeline!" He heaved himself up, taking both Madeline's hands to lift her up. "Are you hurt?"

She summoned a pained smile. "Yes, but I'm alright. Gosh, I didn't know you were that excited to see me!" She answered mischievously while brushing the dust that had stuck to her when they fell to the ground.

"I'm really sorry. I thought you were something else!"

"Something? Oh, well. My father gave me the key and he said I was to let you out." She lifted her eyebrows. "I was surprised to hear he locked you up here. Imagine that! I bet you want to breathe clean air now," she said with a smile. "May I offer you a walk to the port?"

Daffid returned her smile and answered a yes.