Well, another chapter, once again. I'm updating this faster than my others for reasons unknown so far. I don't know why, really. Anyway, reader reviews as usual.
Kiyoko-chan: Heh, thanks. I'm glad you like it so far. I sure hope it continues like this. And yeah, the mage test seems to have to do nothing with magic.
PMOHWinters: Wrong chapter, man. You're thinking of like the 5th chapter. You're way off.
Skye Mihalak: Thanks for reviewing and…Nice sig thingie.
Tom Valor: Heh, thanks for liking my version of the mage test. And yeah, the mage test is very, very boring. I don't get it whatsoever. And do you mean Thunderstorm or Thunder Bolt?
Chapter 2: Power and Courage
Niklason appeared in the center park of Alberta. He immediately rushed towards the Swordsman guild, which had situated itself near the Merchant Guild for convenience. He rushed up the stairs, praying to the gods that he wouldn't be late. His short blue hair blew in around his head and partially obscured his vision. As he made a last, frantic dash for the door, he crashed into someone and fell heavily on the cobblestone street.
"Ow! Crap!" Niklason sprang up and brushed off some dirt and dust. He turned to the person he had knocked down. "I'm really sorry and all…But watch where you're going next time!" Niklason turned and dashed into the Swordsman Guild. The woman he knocked down picked herself up and grumbled.
"No respect for the commander of the Merchant Division…I'd like to show him a thing or two. It's too bad I'm looking for something." She pulled out a list of herbs and ingredients and checked off a box. "Hm…Just a little more. I'm sure my potion will work this time!"
Niklason ran into the guild and bushed back the gates that let to the training arena. He picked up a training sword and headed for the center. When he got there, the first words her heard were, "You're late!"
Niklason flushed red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, sir!" He stood up straight, gulping nervously. The drill sergeant that trained the apprentice swordsmen was extremely tough and didn't like it at all when people showed up late. His brown eyes shone in the semi-darkness that covered the arena.
"I'm sorry, sir!" The drill sergeant walked up to Niklason and repeated the words with a mocking tone in his voice. He stood in front of Niklason and looked him over. "Sorry doesn't cut the mustard, puke! You can't go to battle late and say, 'I'm sorry!' No! Now drop and give me twenty, puke, and I want to see you sweat!"
Niklason dropped to the ground and began doing push-ups. He grunted as the sergeant placed a wooden beam on his back.
"Come on, Niklason! You have enough strength to lift that beam as well! Or are you just a little girl! A little girl that wants to run crying to his mommy!" The drill sergeant circled around Niklason, mocking him and berating him. The other recruits, or pukes, as the sergeant named them, were busy practicing with swords in a mock battle. Some of them looked sympathetically at Niklason, who was struggling with his push-ups.
Niklason trembled with rage as he heard the drill sergeant mock him. His face was reddening with anger and he completed another push-up before falling to the ground, panting. The drill sergeant kicked him in the stomach before starting with another set of insults.
"Shut…up…" Niklason pushed himself from the ground and leaned on his knees, gasping for air. He spotted the wooden beam next to him and one of his hands reached out for it.
"What's that, you say? You want to go home to your mommy?! You want to leave?! Weakling!" The sergeant continued to harass Niklason, who had grabbed the beam with his left hand. "Momma's boy! Go run home crying to your mommy!"
"Shut up about my mom!" Niklason swung the beam like a bat, aiming for the sergeant's ribs. His target shifted slightly and caught the beam with one of his hands. "No one can talk about her like that! And especially not about me! So shut up!" Niklason dropped the beam and swung his fist and the sergeant's head. He dodged and grasped Niklason's arm with his other hand.
"Ah….You've got spunk. I like that." The sergeant smiled. He held onto his student's arm for a little longer and let it drop to the ground. "You're going to need that energy and strength. Don't waste it on fools like me. Use it to defeat the monsters that are attacking us. Did I ever tell you why I became a drill sergeant?"
"No sir, you didn't." Niklason looked curiously at the sergeant, his anger fading. Their instructor rarely ever talked about his past and when he did, it was usually about hair-raising fights and ferocious battles against the monsters that lurked in Rune-Midgard.
"Heh…Well…That's a story for another time. I'll tell you when you graduate."
"Yes, sir!" Niklason picked up his training sword and brushed off more dirt that had become stuck to his clothes. "Um…Sir? Today is the day that I'm supposed to take the test, remember?"
"Of course I remember, Niklason! Now, come on! You'll soon be leaving and you're not a bad fighter! But we need to see how your other skills are. Because of this, I'll be giving you a different type of test. It will consist of four battles. The first two are you against a couple of easy monsters and then the third battle is against a tougher monster. In this, two of the trainees will be under your command. You're going to have to find a strategy for defeating it. And finally, at the last battle…I'll keep that as a surprise." The sergeant walked off, calling for two other trainees. The two that were chosen ran up, and at the sergeant's order, went to stand at the side. The rest of the aspiring swordsmen left the arena.
"Okay, Niklason! First monster is…A Spore!" The sergeant pulled on a cable and one of the iron doors that ringed the arena opened. Out hopped a Spore, one of the monsters that a traveler encountered in the route between Payon and Alberta. The mushroom-type creature hopped to the middle of the arena and looked around.
"Die!" Niklason rushed up with his sword, cutting downward. The sword caught the Spore on its cap, and bounced off without much effect. The Spore noticed this new danger and released a bunch of seeds at Niklason.
The seeds flew into his face and exploded, leaving behind a couple of different colored clouds of dust. Niklason covered his mouth and coughed, trying to walk out of the smoke cloud. The spore jumped and rammed him in the stomach, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground, the sword jarred out of his grip. He rolled to where his sword was and grasped the hilt. As the spore continued to hop towards him, Niklason swung to sword at the body, managing to slice into the mushroom being. The spore squeaked in pain and swung more seeds at Niklason.
"Once, maybe, but never twice!" He dodged the seeds and swung the sword horizontally, slicing through the monster at the bottom of its cap. The spore crumpled to the ground, various seeds falling out of its body. Niklason leaned against his sword, panting from the fight.
"Good work, puke! Next monster, ready!" The sergeant pulled on another cord and another pair of doors opened. This time, a pair of willows appeared. Niklason grimaced. Willows weren't the strongest of monsters, but their wooden bodies withstood slashes from swords extremely well. They approached Niklason, their wooden feet scratching against the sandy floor of the arena.
"Just great…" Niklason stood and swung his sword at the closest willow. The blade scraped against the wood, leaving a scar, but nothing else. The willow swung a fist at Niklason, who jumped to the right. Just as he landed, the other willow hit him in the side, sending him sprawling. Niklason grunted in pain and staggered up. His sword was still too short to be able to get in close and dodge back out. He spotted a spear leaning against the edge of the arena and ran for it.
"This should do." Niklason dropped his sword and reached for the spear. He grasped the cool, wooden handle in his hand and turned to face the willows again. Using the spear's superior reach, he stabbed at the first willow and pierced it, causing it to explode. Wood chips flew everywhere and some of them cut his face and arms. The second willow took one of the vines that was hanging on its body and began using it as a whip. The willow swung it at Niklason's face and caught him in the chin.
He staggered back, tasting blood from a cut across his cheek. He swung the lance like a bat and smacked the willow, causing little damage but luckily knocking the willow backwards. Niklason went on the offensive, stabbing again and again with his lance, catching the willow on the hand, leg, chest, and face. Standing over the willow, Niklason prepared to end its life.
"No one can defeat me! Maybe if I didn't have to kill you, this would be different, but its not! With this, I'll show that I'm not a weakling!" Niklason plunged the lance into the willow's chest again, and when it exploded, Niklason spotted a small glowing faerie floating out of the remains. It circled around Niklason once and then settled into his pouch that hung around his belt.
The sergeant nodded in approval. "Great use of using the surroundings for help! Now, Ranithan! Yunthik! Go to the center and help Niklason like you would help your commanding officer! This is your team battle, and I don't want to see anyone faltering!" The sergeant pulled on another cord and a third door opened. The two trainees stood by Niklason, who was trying to figure out what was hidden behind the door.
Out from the door hopped a little poring, trying to look as fierce as possible. Niklason pointed his lance at the floor and looked incredulously at the sergeant. "A poring?! Are you insulting me?!"
However, the sergeant looked just as confused as Niklason did. "A poring? How'd that get there?"
The poring hopped forward a little bit more, but then it disappeared as it was swallowed up by a giant bird. The bird's beak bit into the poring and shattered it. It let out a loud squawk and charged at Niklason. Its red eyes gleamed fiercely as it swung his beak at the unprepared trainees, who jumped to the side.
"A PecoPeco!" Niklason kept a firm hold on his lance, glaring at the giant bird. The two trainees were shaking, clearly unused to fighting a monster of this toughness before. The sergeant noticed this and grinned.
"Come on! You guys wouldn't last you first battle! You'd piss in your pants first! Show me that you're ready for this!"
Niklason hefted his spear again and spoke instructions while still watching the giant bird. "Okay, Ranithan? You go to the bird's left. Yunthik, you go to the right. I'll attack from the front. When you hear me say, 'Go!', I want you to start attacking it. Don't sweat it. We'll do fine." The two trainees behind Niklason nodded fearfully and moved to their locations. Niklason faced the peco peco, which was busy tearing the ground with its sharp beak. Niklason walked forward, slowing breaking into a run. The peco peco raised its head when Niklason swung his lance at it.
"Go!" Niklason plunged his lance into the peco peco's chest, hoping that his allies had heard him. He was gratified to hear the two novices yelling hoarsely and slashing at the peco peco in the sides. The bird shuddered, extremely angry that he was getting attacked. It tried to move, but Niklason was keeping it from moving with his lance. He had gained a foothold in the ground and he didn't want to budge. The two novices continued to swing their swords at the bird, both of them still terrified and swinging with pure adrenaline.
Niklason shoved harder on the lance and the bird finally collapsed, dead. It had numerous wounds and cuts across its body. The two novices stared blankly at the peco peco and when they finally realized that it was dead, they flung away their swords and hugged each other, sobbing with joy. Niklason smiled, glad that this battle was over. But then he remembered he had one last battle to fight and straightened.
The sergeant clapped as he walked up to them. "Good work! A good, simple strategy that worked. Flanking the monster on both sides was a nice stroke of genius. And being able to halt the bird when it wanted to attack the novices sure proved your strength. Well, Ranithan, Yunthik, take a break." The two novices bowed and clapped Niklason on the back before leaving the arena.
"What is the last battle, sir?" Niklason looked at the sergeant, feeling almost ready to drop. His muscles screamed for rest and it was only courage and excitement that kept him standing on his feet.
The sergeant pulled out a falchion that hung from his waist. "Your last battle….Is with me! If you can disarm me before I disarm you, you graduate! I can disarm you twice. Once with the lance and once with the sword. Good luck, puke, and show me your power!" He charged at Niklason, swinging his sword at Niklason's waist. Niklason blocked it with his lance and felt the impact through his arms. Niklason shuddered, his blue hair now drenched with sweat. He pulled his lance out and swung it at the sergeant's arm. The sergeant blocked his blow again and chopped the lance stave in two.
"Come on, Niklason! I thought you were stronger than this! Pick up your sword and fight like a man!" The sergeant pointed at the sword, which was still lying on the floor. Niklason hurried over there and picked it up, feeling his arms begin to ache again. He swung his sword at the sergeant again and felt his blow be countered by the sergeant. Niklason tried again, raining blow after blow at his opponent, who blocked them all.
"You call yourself a swordsman?! My grandma can hit harder than you! And she's dead!" The sergeant continued to insult Niklason as he blocked every one of his blows.
Niklason trembled, flames of rage burning in his eyes. "Grr….That's it! It's on, now! I'm going to defeat you if that the last thing I do! Prepare to lose!" Niklason swung his sword at the sergeant again and again, not caring about strategy. Unbeknownst to him, however, the little faerie that hid in his pouch earlier was floating above his arm. Some sparkles flew from her hand into Niklason and then she fled back inside the pouch. He felt some more strength returning to him and he swung his sword with all his might. The sergeant, who was already tired from blocking all of the blows, felt the falchion fly out of his hands at Niklason's last blow.
He smiled. "Good work, Niklason. You've finally become a swordsman." Niklason dropped his sword, watching the sergeant's falchion hit the ground. He smiled and the sergeant, who clapped him on the back, nearly knocking him to the floor.
"Good work, son! I knew you could do it. You just needed a little extra push."
Realization downed in Niklason's eyes. "Wait…You insulted me so I would work harder?"
The sergeant nodded as he led Niklason out of the arena. "Of course! If I know anything, anger can sometimes be a powerful motivator. Since you graduated, I think it's time I tell you of what happened." The sergeant paused as he searched for an old memory. "I used to be part of Prontera's army, you know. Well…one day, my scouting force was attacked by a large group of monsters. Well, the people in my group weren't the smartest knights around. They were too over-confident, and soon, they were cut down because they took the battle too casually. I don't know how they got into the army, but as I saw them die, I felt a new force overtaking me. My vision was dimmed by a red haze. I remember striking down every monster that cut down my friends. I returned a hero, coming back alive after that ferocious attack, but I resigned my commission soon after that and decided to become an instructor so the new members of the army won't let their guard down." The sergeant clapped Niklason on the back again. "I'm glad you take battle seriously, son…It's too dangerous a time to think war is a game. Well, now that you've graduated, I'd like you to take your pick of the weapons."
Nearby, on a rack, lay weapons of different types. There were steel-tipped lances, javelins, some katanas, a mace or two, and a wide variety of swords and daggers. Niklason looked them over and reached for katana. He felt the sword to make sure it was sharp and took a few practice swings. He was satisfied and turned to the sergeant. "I'll choose this."
"Good choice. I hope you have luck in surviving, and when this war is over, I hope you come here and tell me everything that happened." The sergeant walked away, entering a smaller training room. Niklason grinned as he heard the sergeant bark at the novices again.
"You say you're done?! Well, you're not done until I say you're done and you won't be done until I'm in my grave! Now, continue training! You can sleep when you're dead!"
Niklason shook his head and left the Swordsman guild, his new katana strapped to his waist. The little faerie floated out of his pouch and settled in his hair. Niklason didn't notice the faerie, however, and continued walking. He pulled out his new katana and looked over the blade again, wondering where he would go now. He had an idea of his next destination, but first he wanted to ask Radella. He smiled as he remembered the sergeant and silently wished him good luck in the hazardous times ahead.
How was that? Sure hope it was good. And yes, I changed the swordsman test too. Oh, and what happened to the sergeant happened a long time before the war of the immortals began.