Becoming Judgment

Prompt 2: When You Fight With Swords, You Always Play Fair

I loved this chapter. I really did. I cannot say this about many of my other stories but I really loved doing this chapter.

So, just give me some prompts if you like(and this is following cannon, so no, there will be no other interactions between Lesus and Grisia). But any other prompts for any of the tests or any inbetween time with family or friends is soooo welcome.

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!

"Listen up, kiddies!" The Vice Captain of the Judgment Knight platoon called. I believe his name was Noley, "You think you can amount to anything that is Knight Captain Judgment? Think again. It takes years upon years of training to even reach the level that is the Judgment Knight."

The man was tall and imposing. Everything I am not. I was small and skinny, though my dark complexion more than made up for my lack of cold self. I was told previously by the Judgment platoon knights that I had to be more stern and hard to my enemies and opponents. I am too soft and smiled too often, they told me. I was always so loved for my caring smile and hearing that I can no longer smile was saddening but to do what would accomplish my goal, I would do what was necessary.

"You will all partner up. Practice swords are in the tub to your right. Winners will go against fellow winners till only one remains. You will be graded on your skill, precision, focus, time, attitude, attention, form, and character." The man said this all in one breath though he seemed barely winded. I commended the man for it silently in my mind, "This will go for all of your tests over the next weeks. Keep this in mind for future trials. Begin."

I pick one of the bigger kids. I want it to at least be fair. Most of them laugh and I am sure that it is because of my stature. They underestimate me that way. Uncle said it was one of my greatest strengths, to be underestimated. But I still try to make it more even for my opponents, so I pick the smallest sword as well.

Most of the other duels have already started and I can already ascertain that many of the children here are less than law abiding citizens. They think that by doing this that they will get their big score, the protection of the church, and high class food and homing. I shake my head, unable to help it. It is a disgrace. The Judgment Knight is an honorable man and just by competing, these children stain his name and all that he lives for. And hopefully, all that I will live for.

I have already decided to become a knight under the Judgment knight if I do not become him but for that, I need a good competitor. One that is honorable. But so far, there is no one. Every last one I have seen fighting has cheated, played dirty, or kicked their opponent when they were down. It scares me to think that I will be a knight under one of these future men if I fail. So I will try harder, train harder in order to surpass them. But a Judgment Knight is fair and I cannot plow through them without considerable thought and planning.

So I take my stance across from the bigger preteen. We were in stark contrast to the other. His twisted smirk against my ever kind one, his light brown hair and eyes against my pure black hair and matching eyes. He was unkempt as I was pristine in my family crested clothes. I cannot judge him, not really. He was raised differently then I and I cannot possibly understand his story, his heritage. So I do not. I will let our blades do the communing.

He lunges first and I parry easily. The boy recovers and is on me in the next second. Though he is clumsy, he makes up for it in overbearing strength. Where he is unplanned, he makes up for it in blinding speed as most all street raised kids do. It does not take long before his frustration at my lack of action and his lack of hits before he resorts to more dirty of tricks. I am momentarily stunned as an unseen handful of sand makes its way into my eyes. It was an underhanded move, one I should have been aware of.

I put distance between us in order to recover but he was on me just as fast as all of his other attacks. I dodge though and parry haphazardly for all of his others. It does not take long before my eyes recover though the stinging and blurred vision is still an issue. But I can fight.

He applies several other trickster methods, reflective surfaces are the ones that are most often in his spare hand that blinds me for a short seconds, hard objects pelted at my sides and abdomen. I know I will have several bruises but I know that even with these under handed tricks, it will do him no good. If he could beat me than he would not have resorted to such measures.

He is not so confident now. I can see it in his face. He is getting nervous and losing ground. I felt it was time to end it. I do not like to show boat but I do not want to dwindle my opponent's chances of winning more than what he already has. With a quick slash the other boy was too slow to see, his sword is flying away from him and he is lying on his back, his eyes squinted closed in surprise.

One of the Judgment Knight Platoon members has come over and directed me to a chair to rest till the first round is over. Though it seemed long, it was not, barely more than five minutes has the fight gone on. Only four others have finished and we wait patiently for the rest to come to an end. I, and the others, could see the platoon taking notes and I wondered what was written about me but I did not dwell on it as my attention turned back to the field.

Soon though, the rest of the matches were over and the winners went to one side of the field and the losers went to the other. After a short five minute break and water to drink, we began again. There were thirty six of us in all. Eighteen on the field and eighteen off.

I fought again and, like before, my opponent played dirty. Different tricks but I did not fault him for it. Some of these kids were desperate to get away from their lives. But even then, I cannot back down. They would hardly know what's right as they themselves have lived a life of crime. Most of them would be overly cruel to the criminals. I could see it in their eyes, the way they fight, that deep seated need to hurt something for all that they've been hurt.

I ended this match quicker. This boy, I could tell, was cruel, more so than the others. I could see the hidden blades under his shirt. He reached for one and I knew then that I couldn't let this go on. I smacked his hand with the wooden sword then hit his other hand and the sword fell to the ground and so did he. I didn't really want to know what he did to the last person he fought so I quickly left the field to the chairs and waited for the remaining nine to finish.

The rounds were longer but the rounds were barely over ten minutes. The other kids were untrained, going only off street fights. No doubt most were more used to fighting in groups than alone. It wasn't uncommon for me to run into groups of older and younger teens on my journeys through the city.

Other teens meet up with me soon after. But there is on in particular that catches my eye. His hair is almost as dark as mine, with brown eyes that were furrowed in determination. I look away then, a smile on my face. This was to be my would-be Judgment Knight. I'm sure of it. If I don't make it then I'm sure he will. He has the same look in his eyes as mine did the day I first came to the Judgment Knight complex with my knife and ultimatum.

I look over again. He's tall, maybe a few inches taller than me, but not lanky. He holds his wooden sword as if there was no difference between wood and steel. I commend him for it. He's not rich by the looks of his clothes but he holds himself like a true warrior, a true knight. Yes, this was my rival.

He looks over at me, feeling my gaze. His eyes narrow and I smile. He does not return it as he turns his head. It is then that the rounds end. He stands and goes for a water jug. I stay seated though and wait till the next rounds start. For the five minutes in between I sit, assessing the others, picking out my next opponent. All of them are skilled, I know this and with training they could be great. It is not hard to pick out the ones who have honed their skills the best and so it takes me no time to choose. I have decided not to fight my rival until the very end. I know I can't face him unless I am absolutely sure it only comes down to the two of use. He is now my rival and Uncle always made sure I showed respect to those with honor even if they are enemies.

I move once the next rounds are called, always keeping an eye out for my rival. He has already chosen his next opponent and so have I. This one though waits for me to attack first and I waste no time. I give him no time to parry my attacks as I move in, evading his wide swing and taking advantage of his open chest as my sword connects with his chest, knocking the wind from his lungs. His is down within the first few seconds and I stand over him, my sparring sword to his chest.

"I give!" The boy cries in between ragged pants for air.

I nod, moving aside, holding my hand for the boy to take. His breath is still uneven, coming out in fast puffs and he looks nervous at my offer but eventually takes it after some moments. I help him over to the table with the water jugs. I leave when I he finally gets water and head back to the seats.

My rival is already seated. I take a seat closer to his but still with some chairs between us. He notices though from the way his body stiffens but he says nothing, neither does he look at me. I smile again and I am sure he notices but again says nothing, a frown replacing his already stoic face.

After the last match finishes, the Vice Captain comes over, "Alright, kids. There's five of you left. Which means free for all. As being a Knight Captain, you will be facing more than one opponent. Most often, lower strength dark creatures attack in groups. I want all of you to the middle of the field. Once I call to start, you all have at it. Once you are nocked to the floor, you're out and will leave the field, alright? Good."

We do as he said and move to the middle of the training ground. One of the knights instruct us into a circle, all with our swords at the ready. I am mildly disappointed at not being able to face my rival one on one but I understand the training exercise and its benefits as a hole. The Vice Captain calls a start. I am glad my rival doesn't go straight for me as I do not go straight for him. We both pick different opponents.

I take out the first one easily as his attention is directed at another boy. I hit him hard in the side. The other boy lets out a shriek of what I can only guess to be shock. And I am surprised at his quick reflexes as he blocks my first hit but as I pull away and attack again he is not so lucky. He hits the ground hard then as my sword connects to his head.

I turn to the other two to only realize only one was there, waiting for me to finally finish with the other two. He waited for me to finish and this shocks me as I'm sure my face shows. Then I smile as I knew I chose the right one to be my rival. He truly held the honor of a knight. His sword is raised, waiting for me to take a stance. I do quickly and no sooner does he attack. I block his attack. It is strong and precise. And before I can counter, he is already backing away and preparing another attack. I dodge, spinning under his arch. As I straighten behind him, my sword jabs out, intent on connecting with the back of his leg but he moves as wood locks with wood. Our fight continues on, both of us blocking, dodging and occasionally hitting our mark. But finally, as he comes in again, I interlock our swords, giving a swift jerk and twist, his sword comes free from his grip and it flies away. I swing my sword, hitting the back of his legs, sweeping them from under him and he falls to the ground.

The knights around us begin to clap, shocking me out of my fighting daze. He look down to my rival. I smile to him and hold out a hand for him to take. He swats it away, standing on his own.

"Congratulations, you two." The Vice Captain says as he comes up to us, "At the end of the month, you will be given your accumulative scores through all of the tests so you won't find out until then who scored higher but I can tell you that you both show much promise." He turns to the other kids then, "Alright, you all. I want you rested for the next trial in two days."

I turn away from the Vice Captain then and back to my rival, intent on asking his name but he was not there. I look around but I don't see him anywhere. A frown creases my face as I fail to find him. I leave then as well to meet up with Uncle as he should already be waiting for me. I am determined now more than ever to fight to become the Judgment Knight now that I truly have someone who I can put my worth against.

END