Alright guys, I'm in serious short supply of reviews. I will love you
forever (1 year guarantee) if you review. It doesn't even half to be that
long...it can be just one word.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: -_- No, I don't own any of TP's stuff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke awoke to the sound of a horn blowing outside headquarters. He groaned as he rolled over, willing himself to go back to sleep.
Rhazier strode through the door looking as if he'd been up for hours. "Get up," he said sternly to Luke. "We're to keep the same hours as everybody else while we're at Darkstrike."
Luke rolled his eyes, but got out of bed to change. In five minutes, he and Rhazier were walking towards the mess hall. Rhazier lead them to a long table at the front of the room where they were greeted by the disgustingly cheerful Mac.
"Sleep well," he inquired as Luke sat down.
"Well enough," Luke replied as he glared at Rhazier. Rhazier, however, had remained standing, looking out into the sea of people. 'He's going to speak to them before we eat,' Luke realized.
The mess hall quieted down as everyone turned their attention towards Rhazier. "I won't talk too long," Rhazier began. "I know how much you'll need your breakfast." There were a few laughs and a general murmur of assent. "As you know, you are part of a plan to bring Tortall back to its people, and secure the safety of the Eastern Lands. You've been told all the dangers, the terrible stories, and the risks. There are no guarantees, no promises, but there is hope. Hope that we will succeed, hope for a better tomorrow. Work hard. Train hard. Don't falter. You are needed."
A loud cheering broke out in the hall as Rhazier sat down. "Very nice," Luke remarked to him. Rhazier gave him a small smile. "I'm not one for speeches," He admitted.
With Rhazier's words said, the trainees stood to serve themselves. Luke began to stand up too, but Rhazier put a hand on his shoulder. "The head table is always waited on," he explained.
Luke grinned as he settled back down. "I could get used to this," he said. "Maybe I should mention this to Loni."
Rhazier snorted. "If you even suggest it to her, you won't get any food for at least a week."
"Been tried before?" Luke inquired with a smirk.
"Had to live off beans, dry meat, and stale bread until she cooled off," Rhazier replied. "It took more than a week."
Luke shook his head and laughed. They were served a variety of fruit with freshly-cooked bred, ham, eggs, and bacon. Not knowing what Rhazier had in store for him, Luke wolfed down an ample helping of everything.
"He can sure put it away," Mac remarked, amused.
"You have no idea," Rhazier commented dryly. "He's not even that hungry."
After everyone had pretty much finished, Mac stood up. "Trainees Lilke, Grer, and Fui Zhur see me after the horn."
As the horn sounded, the rest of the camp departed to whatever chores or training awaited them. Luke spotted the three youths Mac had called walking toward their table. He looked them over. The first one was of medium height and stocky with tan skin and dark brown eyes that went well with his dark hair. 'Copper Islander,' thought Luke. The only girl was thin and willowy, short wavy blond hair and deep blue eyes. She walked with a fighter's grace despite her fragile appearance. The last trainee was tall for his kind, a Yamani, but was an inch shorter than the girl. His face and black eyes were emotionless as he strode forward.
"Masters Rhazier and Luke," said Mac, suddenly formal, "I'd like you to meet our top three trainees Lilke Sunja, Grer Bain, and Fui Zhur Yokoshinko."
All three of them bowed. Rhazier nodded at them. "Let's see what they can do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mac led the five of them out to the practice courts. The girl and the Islander talked quietly while the Yamani walked silently next to them.
"Here we are," Mac announced as they stopped next to the center practice court. He looked expectantly at Rhazier. Suddenly, Luke knew why he was here. "I suppose I should stretch?" he asked.
Rhazier looked slightly surprised before grinning. "Can't get much passed you can I?" He then turned to the three trainees. "You will be fighting against Luke," he explained. "This will be as much of a test for you as it is for him. I will choose the style of fight and the rules. First up, will be Trainee Lilke. This will be a tilt fight. The first person to pin the other wins. This fight will begin in twenty minutes."
Luke grinned at Lilke who grinned back in response. They walked towards opposite corners of the court in order to stretch. Luke surveyed his opponent as he stretched. 'He seems to be extremely strong,' thought Luke as he watched Lilke's muscles bulge. 'His build should limit his speed though, so he should mostly try to stick with power moves. He probably won't get tired very easily either."
Rhazier stepped forward. "Twenty minutes is up," he called out. "Prepare to fight."
Luke grabbed his staff and walked towards the center. He took his fighter's stance. "On three," Rhazier said as he backed away. "One...two...THREE."
Instantly Lilke came at Luke with a powerful strike aimed at his head. As Luke blocked it, Lilke aimed another powerful blow to his side. Only Luke's quickness saved him from a broken rib. Lilke's fast-paced blows were so strong, Luke's hands, arms, and shoulders were already sore from trying to stop them. As Lilke launched another attack Luke realized a weakness. The next blow came as swift and hard as the last, but instead of fully blocking it with his staff, Luke let it glance off his staff and Lilke's momentum carried him slightly forward. This was the chance Luke had been waiting for. He feinted high and then took out Lilke's legs with a strong swing to his knees. The fallen Lilke tried to stand up, only to find the end of a staff holding him in place.
"Match set," Rhazier called out. "Winner is Luke."
Luke smiled as he offered his hand to Lilke. Lilke took it, grinning. 'He knows how to take defeat well,' thought Luke.
"Well done," remarked Rhazier as they walked over. "The next match will take place in one hour. Trainee Grer vs. Luke. It will be with knives. You will be allowed five. First to draw blood wins."
After about a half an hour, most of the group had reassembled. Everyone was there except Rhazier. When he showed up, Luke noted a speck of suppressed fury in his eyes. Nobody else seemed to notice it though as Rhazier spoke. "Grer, Luke you have ten minutes to prepare. You will start on my signal."
Luke, who was already loose, watched his opponent. Grer was not beautiful, but the way she carried herself made her seem as graceful as any lady. 'She's probably as fast as lightning. A deadly thing when it comes to knives,' thought Luke.
Grer nodded at him as he gave her a smile as they entered the center of the court. Luke could see a small crowd forming to his left. 'They must be on break,' he thought.
Rhazier spoke out over the crowd to start the match." One...Two...THREE."
Luke started circling as did Grer, looking for the other's weakness. Suddenly, Grer lunged in lightning fast. Her knife flashed dangerously as it missed Luke's arm by inches. 'That was close,' thought Luke. She quickly pivoted and slashed at Luke's chest. 'Too close.'
Luke sprung forward into an attack now. Cutting, her slashes short and forcing her to defend herself. She blocked his strike with a forearm, but barely missed his next strike to her unprotected side.
They broke apart again, circling each other. Her eyes wary, his eyes determined. Luke suddenly darted toward Grer, arm extended. She blocked his strike, but Luke twisted both of their knives out of their hands. Before she could react, he grabbed the one hidden up her sleeve, and cut her with it.
"Winner Luke," Rhazier's voice rang out as the crowd cheered loudly. Luke grinned as he handed the knife back to Grer. She smiled back, her eyes full of respect. "Well done," she said quietly. "I haven't lost a knife fight in the last five years."
Luke nodded. "You're good. But you need to learn to secure your knives so there shadows or shape don't show up on your arm."
Grer looked surprised. "So that's how you knew?"
"Yeah, I saw it when we broke apart the second time. It's especially noticeable at this time of the day," replied Luke.
"Very nice you two," Mac said as he and Rhazier came up.
"Your next fight is in two hours," Rhazier said. "I've already told Fui Zhur. He wanted to go off and meditate."
Luke nodded. "What kind of combat?"
"Hand-to-hand," Rhazier replied. "First person to be K.O. loses."
"Why don't you grab a bite to eat before the next match," suggested Mac. "You can eat at headquarters so you can have a little peace and quiet."
Back at headquarters, after he had eaten, Luke laid down on his bed. Staring up at the ceiling, he began to think about all that had happened in the last three months. 'Life's gone a little crazy,' he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, he is your son."
There were two men in the room. One was dressed in comfortable breeches and a shirt, and was standing behind a desk. His face was hidden by shadows. "How could this have happened?" he asked softly. "I must go to him now."
The other man turned to face him. It was Marek. "No. You cannot interfere just yet. The repercussions could be great."
"Damn it all Marek, I don't care," retorted the other man angrily. "He needs to see me."
"Is it he who needs to see you, or is it you that needs to see him in order to ease your guilty heart?" Marek asked coolly.
The man bowed his head in anger, but did not speak. Marek came behind him to place a hand on his shoulder. "In due time my friend, in due time."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke was startled awake by someone shaking him. "Luke," Rhazier said. "Get up; your match starts in a half an hour."
Luke slowly got up. He had just had the strangest dream. Marek had been talking to another man about his son. 'I've never had the ability to See,' thought Luke. 'Why would I start now?'
The crowd beside the practice court for this match seemed to have doubled. Luke noticed Fui Zhur standing calmly against the fence, his arms crossed and eyes closed.
"Not much disturbs him, huh?" Luke remarked to Rhazier.
"He's their best," Rhazier said simply.
Luke began to stretch. After a short time, Rhazier signaled for both of them to get ready. "One...two...THREE."
Immediately, the two began circling each other. 'Fui Zhur probably has the speed of Grer and the strength of Lilke,' thought Luke. 'This isn't going to be easy.'
It was Luke that first went on the attack. His assumptions were correct. Fui Zhur blocked every one of his blows with lightning precision and ease. Luke's foot went out and in, catching Fui Zhur in the stomach. Fui Zhur caught it, and twisted, trying to make Luke lose his footing. Luke used his other foot to kick open Fui Zhur's grip as he back flipped away from him. Fui Zhur quickly counterattacked, catching Luke in the shoulder with a quick jab.
Luke was now on the defensive, with Fui Zhur concentrating on his left shoulder. He hit it again, and it blossomed with pain. 'Damn,' thought Luke, 'I've got to distract him.'
Luke waited until Fui Zhur was about to attack his shoulder again. Seeing that his momentum was all behind his punch, Luke quickly unfurled his leg with rapid motion, landing a blow on Fui Zhur's lower rib cage. He felt a rib crack under his foot. Fui Zhur fell back gasping and holding his side.
'Well at least now I have the upper hand,' thought Luke grimly. Fui Zhur was breathing heavily as he began to circle him. Luke wasn't feeling so great himself. The other matches were beginning to take there toll on his body. This fight would end soon.
Luke feinted for Fui Zhur's injured side, which was where he expected him to attack. Instead, Luke slammed his knee into Fui Zhur's stomach, knocking the air out of him. With a quick sweep of his leg, Fui Zhur was on the ground. One quick hit his temple knocked him unconscious.
Rhazier's eyes sparkled with pride as he announced to the cheering crowd, "Winner...LUKE."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who was the mysterious man? When will Igor strike? What made Rhazier so mad? Questions that will be answered soon!
PLEASE R/R!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: -_- No, I don't own any of TP's stuff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke awoke to the sound of a horn blowing outside headquarters. He groaned as he rolled over, willing himself to go back to sleep.
Rhazier strode through the door looking as if he'd been up for hours. "Get up," he said sternly to Luke. "We're to keep the same hours as everybody else while we're at Darkstrike."
Luke rolled his eyes, but got out of bed to change. In five minutes, he and Rhazier were walking towards the mess hall. Rhazier lead them to a long table at the front of the room where they were greeted by the disgustingly cheerful Mac.
"Sleep well," he inquired as Luke sat down.
"Well enough," Luke replied as he glared at Rhazier. Rhazier, however, had remained standing, looking out into the sea of people. 'He's going to speak to them before we eat,' Luke realized.
The mess hall quieted down as everyone turned their attention towards Rhazier. "I won't talk too long," Rhazier began. "I know how much you'll need your breakfast." There were a few laughs and a general murmur of assent. "As you know, you are part of a plan to bring Tortall back to its people, and secure the safety of the Eastern Lands. You've been told all the dangers, the terrible stories, and the risks. There are no guarantees, no promises, but there is hope. Hope that we will succeed, hope for a better tomorrow. Work hard. Train hard. Don't falter. You are needed."
A loud cheering broke out in the hall as Rhazier sat down. "Very nice," Luke remarked to him. Rhazier gave him a small smile. "I'm not one for speeches," He admitted.
With Rhazier's words said, the trainees stood to serve themselves. Luke began to stand up too, but Rhazier put a hand on his shoulder. "The head table is always waited on," he explained.
Luke grinned as he settled back down. "I could get used to this," he said. "Maybe I should mention this to Loni."
Rhazier snorted. "If you even suggest it to her, you won't get any food for at least a week."
"Been tried before?" Luke inquired with a smirk.
"Had to live off beans, dry meat, and stale bread until she cooled off," Rhazier replied. "It took more than a week."
Luke shook his head and laughed. They were served a variety of fruit with freshly-cooked bred, ham, eggs, and bacon. Not knowing what Rhazier had in store for him, Luke wolfed down an ample helping of everything.
"He can sure put it away," Mac remarked, amused.
"You have no idea," Rhazier commented dryly. "He's not even that hungry."
After everyone had pretty much finished, Mac stood up. "Trainees Lilke, Grer, and Fui Zhur see me after the horn."
As the horn sounded, the rest of the camp departed to whatever chores or training awaited them. Luke spotted the three youths Mac had called walking toward their table. He looked them over. The first one was of medium height and stocky with tan skin and dark brown eyes that went well with his dark hair. 'Copper Islander,' thought Luke. The only girl was thin and willowy, short wavy blond hair and deep blue eyes. She walked with a fighter's grace despite her fragile appearance. The last trainee was tall for his kind, a Yamani, but was an inch shorter than the girl. His face and black eyes were emotionless as he strode forward.
"Masters Rhazier and Luke," said Mac, suddenly formal, "I'd like you to meet our top three trainees Lilke Sunja, Grer Bain, and Fui Zhur Yokoshinko."
All three of them bowed. Rhazier nodded at them. "Let's see what they can do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mac led the five of them out to the practice courts. The girl and the Islander talked quietly while the Yamani walked silently next to them.
"Here we are," Mac announced as they stopped next to the center practice court. He looked expectantly at Rhazier. Suddenly, Luke knew why he was here. "I suppose I should stretch?" he asked.
Rhazier looked slightly surprised before grinning. "Can't get much passed you can I?" He then turned to the three trainees. "You will be fighting against Luke," he explained. "This will be as much of a test for you as it is for him. I will choose the style of fight and the rules. First up, will be Trainee Lilke. This will be a tilt fight. The first person to pin the other wins. This fight will begin in twenty minutes."
Luke grinned at Lilke who grinned back in response. They walked towards opposite corners of the court in order to stretch. Luke surveyed his opponent as he stretched. 'He seems to be extremely strong,' thought Luke as he watched Lilke's muscles bulge. 'His build should limit his speed though, so he should mostly try to stick with power moves. He probably won't get tired very easily either."
Rhazier stepped forward. "Twenty minutes is up," he called out. "Prepare to fight."
Luke grabbed his staff and walked towards the center. He took his fighter's stance. "On three," Rhazier said as he backed away. "One...two...THREE."
Instantly Lilke came at Luke with a powerful strike aimed at his head. As Luke blocked it, Lilke aimed another powerful blow to his side. Only Luke's quickness saved him from a broken rib. Lilke's fast-paced blows were so strong, Luke's hands, arms, and shoulders were already sore from trying to stop them. As Lilke launched another attack Luke realized a weakness. The next blow came as swift and hard as the last, but instead of fully blocking it with his staff, Luke let it glance off his staff and Lilke's momentum carried him slightly forward. This was the chance Luke had been waiting for. He feinted high and then took out Lilke's legs with a strong swing to his knees. The fallen Lilke tried to stand up, only to find the end of a staff holding him in place.
"Match set," Rhazier called out. "Winner is Luke."
Luke smiled as he offered his hand to Lilke. Lilke took it, grinning. 'He knows how to take defeat well,' thought Luke.
"Well done," remarked Rhazier as they walked over. "The next match will take place in one hour. Trainee Grer vs. Luke. It will be with knives. You will be allowed five. First to draw blood wins."
After about a half an hour, most of the group had reassembled. Everyone was there except Rhazier. When he showed up, Luke noted a speck of suppressed fury in his eyes. Nobody else seemed to notice it though as Rhazier spoke. "Grer, Luke you have ten minutes to prepare. You will start on my signal."
Luke, who was already loose, watched his opponent. Grer was not beautiful, but the way she carried herself made her seem as graceful as any lady. 'She's probably as fast as lightning. A deadly thing when it comes to knives,' thought Luke.
Grer nodded at him as he gave her a smile as they entered the center of the court. Luke could see a small crowd forming to his left. 'They must be on break,' he thought.
Rhazier spoke out over the crowd to start the match." One...Two...THREE."
Luke started circling as did Grer, looking for the other's weakness. Suddenly, Grer lunged in lightning fast. Her knife flashed dangerously as it missed Luke's arm by inches. 'That was close,' thought Luke. She quickly pivoted and slashed at Luke's chest. 'Too close.'
Luke sprung forward into an attack now. Cutting, her slashes short and forcing her to defend herself. She blocked his strike with a forearm, but barely missed his next strike to her unprotected side.
They broke apart again, circling each other. Her eyes wary, his eyes determined. Luke suddenly darted toward Grer, arm extended. She blocked his strike, but Luke twisted both of their knives out of their hands. Before she could react, he grabbed the one hidden up her sleeve, and cut her with it.
"Winner Luke," Rhazier's voice rang out as the crowd cheered loudly. Luke grinned as he handed the knife back to Grer. She smiled back, her eyes full of respect. "Well done," she said quietly. "I haven't lost a knife fight in the last five years."
Luke nodded. "You're good. But you need to learn to secure your knives so there shadows or shape don't show up on your arm."
Grer looked surprised. "So that's how you knew?"
"Yeah, I saw it when we broke apart the second time. It's especially noticeable at this time of the day," replied Luke.
"Very nice you two," Mac said as he and Rhazier came up.
"Your next fight is in two hours," Rhazier said. "I've already told Fui Zhur. He wanted to go off and meditate."
Luke nodded. "What kind of combat?"
"Hand-to-hand," Rhazier replied. "First person to be K.O. loses."
"Why don't you grab a bite to eat before the next match," suggested Mac. "You can eat at headquarters so you can have a little peace and quiet."
Back at headquarters, after he had eaten, Luke laid down on his bed. Staring up at the ceiling, he began to think about all that had happened in the last three months. 'Life's gone a little crazy,' he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, he is your son."
There were two men in the room. One was dressed in comfortable breeches and a shirt, and was standing behind a desk. His face was hidden by shadows. "How could this have happened?" he asked softly. "I must go to him now."
The other man turned to face him. It was Marek. "No. You cannot interfere just yet. The repercussions could be great."
"Damn it all Marek, I don't care," retorted the other man angrily. "He needs to see me."
"Is it he who needs to see you, or is it you that needs to see him in order to ease your guilty heart?" Marek asked coolly.
The man bowed his head in anger, but did not speak. Marek came behind him to place a hand on his shoulder. "In due time my friend, in due time."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke was startled awake by someone shaking him. "Luke," Rhazier said. "Get up; your match starts in a half an hour."
Luke slowly got up. He had just had the strangest dream. Marek had been talking to another man about his son. 'I've never had the ability to See,' thought Luke. 'Why would I start now?'
The crowd beside the practice court for this match seemed to have doubled. Luke noticed Fui Zhur standing calmly against the fence, his arms crossed and eyes closed.
"Not much disturbs him, huh?" Luke remarked to Rhazier.
"He's their best," Rhazier said simply.
Luke began to stretch. After a short time, Rhazier signaled for both of them to get ready. "One...two...THREE."
Immediately, the two began circling each other. 'Fui Zhur probably has the speed of Grer and the strength of Lilke,' thought Luke. 'This isn't going to be easy.'
It was Luke that first went on the attack. His assumptions were correct. Fui Zhur blocked every one of his blows with lightning precision and ease. Luke's foot went out and in, catching Fui Zhur in the stomach. Fui Zhur caught it, and twisted, trying to make Luke lose his footing. Luke used his other foot to kick open Fui Zhur's grip as he back flipped away from him. Fui Zhur quickly counterattacked, catching Luke in the shoulder with a quick jab.
Luke was now on the defensive, with Fui Zhur concentrating on his left shoulder. He hit it again, and it blossomed with pain. 'Damn,' thought Luke, 'I've got to distract him.'
Luke waited until Fui Zhur was about to attack his shoulder again. Seeing that his momentum was all behind his punch, Luke quickly unfurled his leg with rapid motion, landing a blow on Fui Zhur's lower rib cage. He felt a rib crack under his foot. Fui Zhur fell back gasping and holding his side.
'Well at least now I have the upper hand,' thought Luke grimly. Fui Zhur was breathing heavily as he began to circle him. Luke wasn't feeling so great himself. The other matches were beginning to take there toll on his body. This fight would end soon.
Luke feinted for Fui Zhur's injured side, which was where he expected him to attack. Instead, Luke slammed his knee into Fui Zhur's stomach, knocking the air out of him. With a quick sweep of his leg, Fui Zhur was on the ground. One quick hit his temple knocked him unconscious.
Rhazier's eyes sparkled with pride as he announced to the cheering crowd, "Winner...LUKE."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who was the mysterious man? When will Igor strike? What made Rhazier so mad? Questions that will be answered soon!
PLEASE R/R!!!!!!!!!!