The Soul of a Warrior

By: Tellemicus Sundance

Chapter 3--It Begins…

He stood in the center of the village's square. In front of him were a line of twenty or so old men who were watching him with the kind of scrutiny a scientist would at a slide of cells under a microscope.

Ulrich was once again dressed in his own clothing. His clothes were starting to smell like bad body odor because of the surprising humidity he was in. He found himself sweating while he just stood there. His body just wasn't use to the humidity here. The morning sun also burned light streaks into his eyes as he tried to look at the old men.

The men were dressed in the same outfits as everyone else he'd seen in the small village: a too-large robe pulled tightly around the waist by a sash and wooden sandals on their feet. The men's hair was long and pulled into braided ponytails behind their heads. Ulrich didn't need to be told that these men were the leaders of the village, they had smug air of self-confidence that all who held political power share.

Standing in front of the Ulrich and the men was the girl Ulrich had seen from the previous night. Facing Ulrich with a stoic expression, she opened her mouth and spoke in a thick Japanese accent.

"What is your name?"

Ulrich could only stare back. He particularly didn't want to tell them anything about himself. But then again, I never do, he thought bitterly as a string of memories rushed through his mind.

They waited patiently for Ulrich to answer. But when they realized that he wouldn't, one of the men at the end of the line rose. Speaking sharply at Ulrich, he moved forward. The girl bowed to the man as he passed. The very tone of the man's voice told him that he'd probably insulted him by not answering. But Ulrich didn't care.

Standing in front of him, the man, even as old and hunched over as he was, towered over him. Ulrich stared dully up at the man. He just wanted to go home, and he knew somehow that they wouldn't let him go.

Glaring at Ulrich's disrespect, the man made to turn away. Then, with surprising speed for a man of his advanced years, he turned back with an unsheathed dagger pressing threateningly against Ulrich's throat.

The cold touch of steel on his neck brought only a flash of fear through him. Though he didn't show it, Ulrich was scared for his life.

After a moment's time, a loud and insistent command was barked from one of the other men. Pulling away from the insolent boy, the man sheathed his dagger and stalked back to his former position.

Talking quietly to the girl, a gray haired man watched Ulrich carefully. Turning back to Ulrich after she bowed her respects, the girl said, "My master Riyo wishes to know why you choose not to answer."

"I don't talk to strangers," Ulrich growled quietly. "or kidnappers."

The girl relayed Ulrich's statement to the men. There was the barest of smiles on most of their faces as they listened. Riyo smiled openly and rose. Walking forward, the man stopped in front of him.

"You have not been kidnapped," he said with a surprisingly clear voice. "You have been chosen to be instructed in the ways of our ancestors… This is the greatest honor. Why do you choose not to honor us with your name?"

Ulrich looked angrily into the man's gray eyes. He hated these men and everything about them. "I have no interest to be taught," he said. "Only taken home."

"You shall be returned home," the man said easily. "But only after you have finished your training… That is our law."

Ulrich looked up at him with an emotionless external. However, inside, he felt his world caving in quickly. He was trapped in the mountains with these strange people who claimed to want to train him in some form of martial arts. He had probably been missing for several days and his friends were probably either worried or, he feared, mad at him.

Tears tried to come out but he held them in. He would not cry in front of these people—not now, not until he was home. He tried to unobtrusively blink them away. Ulrich had always tried to train himself to be strong. Only now did he realize how horribly he'd failed at trying to control his emotions.

He had to show these people that he wasn't afraid. He had to.

The man watched him with an expert eye. This boy was an anomaly, a variation of the normal boys of his age. Where another boy would probably have tried to run or started crying at this moment, this boy stood his ground and looked blankly up at him.

"What is your name?" Riyo asked again.

He waited for a few moments. Behind him, the other elders of the village talked quietly amongst themselves. Riyo, as the village leader, was the only one who could choose the fate of this strange, yet insolent boy.

"I know you wish not to tell us anything of yourself," Riyo said with a tiny smile. "Neither would I in your position. But here, among my people, it is considered very rude to not introduce yourself… Your name is the least I'm asking you to tell us."

Looking up at Riyo, Ulrich matched his stare for a moment. Then, looking away, he said, "Ulrich Stern."

"We are honored to meet you, Ulrich Stern," Riyo said, bowing slightly. With a quiet command, Riyo summoned the girl to him. Facing Ulrich, he said, "This is my granddaughter, Taki. She will be your guide and translator during the extension of your stay."

The sun was at its zenith in the mountains and the village was starting to warm up from the cool of the night. Ulrich stood on a high rock ledge overlooking the entire village. It had no more than fifty homes, a large and elegantly made temple of some kind, and a five-story tall tower with an iron bell at the top. It had peacefulness about it that Ulrich had never known existed.

Taki stood beside him. Though she had seen this sight many times in her life, the look on Ulrich's astonished face was enough to bring a small smile to her face. Then, wiping the smile away, she tapped his shoulder and walked away.

Following, Ulrich had only enough time to wonder where she was taking him before they entered a thin tree line. Faintly, the sounds of steel clashing on steel and wood breaking could be heard but grew in volume the closer they approached.

Stopping at the edge of the tree line, the pair waited just long enough for Ulrich to scan the new area. They stood at the edge of field in the center of the woods. The grasses were all trampled to the ground and there was little to no wind.

Spaced evenly throughout the field were nearly two-dozen warriors. Many of them were either teenagers or adults. They all sparred one another with various weapons or just their fists. Of the younger kids that were there, they were being instructed in swordsmanship with wooden swords.

Walking slightly in front of Ulrich, Taki walked down the center of the field. Not wanting to attract any attention to himself, he kept as close to her as he felt comfortable. Stopping next to a small circle of kids that were younger then them, Taki held up her hand to him.

She approached the young man in the center who was busy parrying a young boy's vicious swings. Standing to the side of the duelists, Taki said, "I brought you your newest pupil, Tadashi."

Looking at his younger sister, Tadashi made a good show of blocking and parrying without evidently paying attention. "Really? Who do I have to pummel now?"

He caught sight of Ulrich before Taki could respond. Turning back to his partner, Tadashi sidestepped a jab and knocked the wooden sword from the boy's hand. Holding his sword under the boy's chin, he grinned slightly. Pulling away from each other, they bowed.

"You've gotten better, Nozomi," he said. "Keep up the good work."

Picking up the discarded sword, Taki walked back to Ulrich. Eyeing the wooden weapon with distaste, he glanced at her with a sinking feeling in his gut. "What is that for?"

"My brother, Tadashi," Taki said indicating the seventeen-year-old standing impatiently behind her. "wants to fight you. He has to know how experienced you are in swordsmanship."

Shifting his gaze to the young man, he watched as the teen smirked confidently. Looking back at Taki, he had almost a pleading look in his eye. He really didn't want to do this. But seeing that she wasn't going to help him, he grasped the sword and walked toward Tadashi.

Holding his sword ready, Ulrich watched Tadashi carefully. If he had to, Ulrich would show him how skilled he was. As he studied his opponent, everything else around him suddenly went strangely quiet; his surroundings grew hazy and distorted.

Tadashi meanwhile was studying his form. He had a good posture and it appeared as though he had some experience with a sword before. The boy's careful gaze at his own posture also gave off the notion that he was hoping Tadashi would make the first move.

He obliged him.

Swinging his sword in a fast arc toward the boy's knee, Tadashi was almost surprised to find his attack blocked. Bringing his sword back to him quickly, he stepped back slightly to avoid the boy's slash to his wrists. Then, with the flick of his wrist, Tadashi disarmed the boy.

The sword bounced off the ground a few feet away. Ulrich looked at it in surprise, there back at Tadashi who wore a smug grin on his face. Quickly recovering the weapon, Ulrich dropped into his stance again and waited.

As Tadashi was about to attack, Ulrich did. The fast slash at Tadashi's chest was blocked. Sliding his sword down through the gap in Ulrich's defense, his weapon jabbed him roughly in the chest. Recovering fast, Ulrich attacked in a fast series of thrusts and slashes. He wouldn't give this boy the pleasure of beating him so easily. However, each one of his attacks was blocked with ease.

Despite his annoyance at the boy's determination, he had to admire his apparent skill. The boy, though he couldn't see it, was actually making him sweat slightly. That alone was rarely for him fighting a boy of this age.

Then, Ulrich made a vital mistake. Swinging too hard, his thrust overextended his reach. Dodging around the shaft, Tadashi brought his sword down on Ulrich's wrists, knocking the sword from his hands yet again. Then, before Ulrich could move, Tadashi slammed his elbow into his face.

Grasping his face, Ulrich dropped ungracefully to the ground. His growls of pain were so mixed with his labored breathing that no one could tell which hurt him more. Backing away from his downed opponent, Tadashi turned and started to walk away.

Taki stood in front of him, glaring. "You didn't have to do that," she growled.

"What do you care?" he asked good-naturedly. With male intuition and wisdom from his years of dealing with females Tadashi could see something that Taki was trying to hide. He could tell from her expression that she was mad because she seemed to be attracted to this boy.

Taki glared at him for a moment longer before hurrying to Ulrich's side. Tadashi started whistling proudly as he walked away. However, as he left he saw his grandfather Riyo watching, he had seen everything that had transpired.

He saw everything: from Ulrich's stubborn refusal of losing to Tadashi having difficulty. Riyo watched with a stoic face as his granddaughter tended to Ulrich's injuries. He had been in doubt of the boy's abilities when he spoke to him. But now he could understand why Maki and his son, Nozomi, believed that he had potential. The boy's skill with the katana may not have been very impressive, but it was considerably greater than any other child his age certainly.

This boy, this Ulrich Stern, had potential, a lot of potential. Riyo knew that he had to bring it out; this boy could be a great warrior one day.

(A/N)At long last, I have posted again. I hope you love this chapter. This chapter shows the extent of Ulrich's skills when he was still normal. Quite a drastic improvement from what you've seen in The Weak Link.

On a side note, this story is going to be much shorter than The Weak Link.

So, you have now been introduced to Ulrich's new surroundings. The major people that will influence his growth as a warrior you have just met: Tadashi, his sparring partner; Riyo, the village leader and Ulrich's master; and Taki, Ulrich's guide and translator. While story will be shorter, I hope to introduce a few conflicts that I'm sure many of you can relate to or have an opinion on.

For those of you who are confused, this story is mostly a flashback. It takes place after The Weak Link (read the first few paragraphs) but we're seeing it from both Ulrich's memories and how it really happened.

Nikana Olos, I would love it if you came to my house to yell at me. Though it wouldn't do much good; I'd be too busy enjoying it to hear what you had to say. :D

I leave you now with just one request: review, review, REVIEW! And one more thing… REVIEW!

Sayonara!