Kindred Spirits

//Chapter 2: Can you feel the burn?//

It's about a month into your time training to be a watcher. Half the recruits have already dipped,  the rapid pace of the course being simply too much for them. You and the others so far weren't so feeble and thus went on to the second half of this training course. First month was mostly harder and more escalating versions of the obstacle courses you had gone through. Definitely a mark of the kind of environment a watcher constituted. Despite all the difficulties, you almost always appeared in the first 10 recruits to finish the course, a consistency the other recruits lacked to some degree.

The next month would be harder though. Gone was the obstacle courses and tests of agility, and in their place was combat tests against dummies and eventually, fellow recruits. It would essentially be the last filter for the remaining recruits to surpass. They have proven themselves agile and graceful like the winds that carry the cold. Now, you must all prove yourselves in tests of strength and determination to see your efforts through to the end. A tall order, to be sure, but not one insurmountable. 

They had you all practice with dummy weapons the two days prior to now, in order to familiarize yourselves with the kinds of weapons watchers uses. From quiet and discrete daggers, swords of all shapes and sizes, polearms of the finest construction, and the finest tuned bows, you certainly had many options. Today, you would all be facing one of the other recruits in a duel with no limitations on weapons. The rules were simple: First to Three hits, or knock their opponent out of the ring, wins.

You and your opponent were chosen first in the day's lineup, so it was good to make a first impression now before the people watching you work got too mentally exhausted to take in performances to an appreciable degree. Based on experiences with all the practice weapons, which you had been assured were almost identical to the real thing, you choose the katana. It trades the raw power of the normal shortsword for speed and reach, perfect for your kind of fighting style. Your opponent, a fairly slim and swift fellow, chooses the longer reaching spear. You would need to either be aggressive and break his guard for a hit, or punish him for missed attacks.

The two of you take your places at opposite ends of the ring arena. You look to the massed crowds and both sides, and see the first watcher near the front. Time to impress. With the ringing of a bell, the duel begins. You rush one another, you preparing to block while your opponent goes for a thrusting motion. You swiftly connect your blade with his and redirect it to his left. You go for an overhead strike which your opponent blocks but you want him to do this. In a swift motion, you quickly sweep the blade around and strike your opponent in the torso for hit 1. He backs up and goes for a few slashes of his own, requiring you to dodge out of the way. The last slash, forcing you to dive backwards. Seeing an opportunity, your opponent tries to go for an overhead strike as you had done. 

This would be a mistake as he had committed to the attack. While the window was brief, it was big enough for you to strike the legs and knock him down for hit 2. Rising to your feet, your opponent does the same and takes a defensive stance, probing you with small stabs and slashes. Wanting to create another opening, you go to strike one of his attempted stabs but he predictably pulls away and goes for a wide slash. It takes a lot to pull off, but you quickly whip around and parry the stab perfectly, sending the spear right out of his hands. He barely has a moment to react before you knock him down with a strike to the helmeted head for Hit 3.

The crowd cheered, and the watchers who were looking over the duel were definitely hopeful. The first duel between recruiters, and the victor goes 3-0 on hits. You humbly holster your chosen weapon and hang it up on the rack, not wanting to immerse yourself with grandiose celebrations. This was only the first of many duels to come, so you needed to save yourself the potential embarrassment that comes of premature celebration. You could've gone in with the crowd to watch other matches, but you were not one for larger groups of people in a social setting. Despite village life, that was never really your kind of thing. Not that you had a break down when around numerous people, as proven by the victory you had achieved, but you were definitely not comfortable with that sort of thing.

Later that evening, when all the duels are said and done, you were hanging around the camp entrance as the sun began to set. Lights out wouldn't be for another hour or two and you had already eaten in the dining hall, so you figure you might appreciate the beauty of nature in the meantime. It was certainly serene, if a little lonely due to the absence of animals. Seemed this place wasn't fairing much better for fauna than your village. Speaking of, you had gotten several letters from the village and its people, telling how the Cacaoin warriors brought them food, water, and other supplies. Remembering that this would only be kept up while you were still serving as a recruit and hopefully as a watcher, you vowed to not let this opportunity slip you by.

As you mused silently, a certain someone came by unnoticed. "Hey there, need a friend? I feel you, it was lonely during my time as a recruit." Caramel Arrow said, trying to connect to you. You chuckle and say "Thanks. It's quite lonely, out in the wilds where my village is, so having friends is always nice." The first watcher takes up a spot near you and informs you "You did great out there. I was definitely impressed and the second watcher was as well to a lesser extent. You definitely have a good shot at making it as a Greater Watcher." You sigh and say "Thanks for the encouragement. My people are counting on me, they won't be able to last this winter without the supplies the kingdom's giving 'em due to my presence. Speaking of, which village you from?"

"Oh! Uhhhhh... Hmmmm...." The first watcher contemplated, wondering whether to trust this humble recruit. She quickly decides, telling you "Milk Village, some ways west of the great black citadel." She sighs "Tell you the truth, I'm only half milk. The other half, we're not quite sure what it is. But I'm confident that whatever the truth is, it won't slow me down from my service to our kingdom." "Yeah. Isn't your guy's motto 'Dark Cacao Forever'? Lovely choice, I'd say. Gets the point of the watchers across in just three words. Well hey, good talk. Maybe I see you again before training is over?" You say, inquiring at the end to wonder if this new friend would be seen again. "Of course. I've not met another recruit this amiable in quite some time. Take care now, it's not going to get any easier from here." Caramel Arrow says, with you quickly taking your leave to sleep in the barracks yet again.