MINDAZA

15. TO UNKNOWN VILLAGE

Mindaza looked at her mother, she suddenly took out her sword and placed it on the right side, as if she was waiting for the enemy to approach.
"Fighting a war comes with a penalty. If you don't die, you will carry the pain of losing a loved one for the rest of your life."
Mindaza crouched, feinted left and winched as she tensed her muscles and thrust forward, only for Sulaya to step aside. As she overbalanced, Sulaya swung the flat of his sword against her shoulders, knocking her on her face.
"Come on Mindaza, you can do better than that!" Ganadara urged Mindaza.
"Yes, come on, Mindaza!" Sulaya said, to encourage her daughter.
"If I were Northman, you would be dead."
Mindaza tried again, feinting to the right and left before trying a slash at Sulaya's legs. But Sulaya leapt over the sword, delivered a stinging whack with the flat of her blade to Mindaza's backside and laughed when she yelped.
"Bring all your strength and let your skill do it, if you don't want to see me dead"
Mindaza rubbed her head, glowering at Sulaya and said, 'That was so cruel, that will not happen."
"Keep going, Don't be too kind on her," Ganadara reminded Mindaza.
"The quicker you learn, the better you have a chance of survival," Ganadara continued.
Mindaza sighed and crouched down again, with Sulaya grinning at her. It was going to be a long session.
"Don't let your enemy find your weakness, keep going!" Sulaya ordered, as Mindaza gasped at yet another swipe of Sulaya's blade.
From that night, Mindaza started to practice every night and study her own techniques, while other spiral hunters took it in turns to teach her their particular skills. As time passed, she felt herself growing faster, more lithe, more daring with each lesson, although she never once got the better of Sulaya.
Until one time, when the last night of the muscle-tearing session ended, Mindaza slept the sleep of the exhausted. Sulaya wakes her up by pushing her with an unsympathetic foot an hour before dawn on the eighth day. And said, "Get up, we will start moving."
More finger-wide paths where they might look down on spiraling eagles were revealed that day. There were other sharp-edged granite ridges where the rain fell in a horizontal pattern, making them slick, and where the wind threatened to lift and throw the stones down.
There was a camp of men standing in the middle of the rocky place. Someone is grilling, cooking food and their fellow guards are circling around. There are also horses in the area that are watched by others while they graze on the grass.
"Mother, who are they?" Mindaza asked.
"Igatu," Sulaya answered.
The "IGATU" are known as barbarians who like to live in rocky places, like rivers and mountains. These people believe that there is a living spirit within the water, glittering cold and still beneath leaden skies. There were more halts at tall waterfalls that descended the side of green-mossed cliffs or roared through narrow defiles, where trees overhung tempting pools, trout waited for subtle hands, and the water was as cold and clear.
"Do we still have a far to travel, mother?"
"As far as the road takes us, Mindaza."
They stopped on a hill's northern slope where dun-colored sheep had cropped so closely, and Mindaza pointed out that in the eastern sky, a bright star may be seen where a conical hill rises in pyramidal shapes.
Mindaza saw that the hill was surrounded
On other hills, it appeared to stand out,
Having a distinct shape or smooth-green paradise in summer.
"We are about to enter the sacred place. If you want to talk, lower your voice," Sulaya told her. As the other spiral hunters continued on their way with them.
"Why is it sacred?" Mindaza asked.
"It is the main area of Mindanao called, "KATAWHAN" means the People of Peace."
Sulaya said, and stepped forward.
"Are they dangerous?" Mindaza asked.
"It is best to avoid them," Sulaya said.
Mindaza silently observes the place, as she did not have all the new knowledge of people living on this land. Her right hand motioned toward the hilt of her sword but did not touch it. If Sulaya had said that steel would not protect them against the People of Peace, then she would not have tried her sword.
Mindaza smiled as she saw the oak tree and a sword lifting a crown. Mindaza may be a child of the mist, but she was certainly not afraid to announce her presence in this place, she thought.
Mindaza had never seen anything like this place. Stretching for miles upon miles, the foggy, sodden land was crisscrossed by a river that meandered through its center in an unpredictable pattern that would bewilder, particularly every seasoned visitor.
In a distance, there was mist, rising from the stagnant pools and drifting along the coils of the river, hovering over the fords and hazing every sight, so Mindaza was unsure in which direction they faced. She could only follow her mother's instructions.
"Are there any monsters here too?" Mindaza asked Ganadara, who smiled and said, "Yes, if it's hungry it will come and eat us."
Mindaza sighed. Ganadara turned to Sulaya and said, "It's time for my task, we need additional food and clothes."
"I know, take Mindaza with you, I will stay here for security. We will stay around this area. Give us any signal for anything bad that happens"
Ganadara nod at her.
Ganadara and Mindaza on the other hand, traveled around looking at various houses with yards until they discovered one that was serene and quiet, which they loved. Although the setting was rather isolated and out of the way, the serene tranquility drew them in, and the surrounding countryside was quite pleasant.
The two of them went out at the same time to get some daily essentials, and they moved in straight immediately.
Mindaza went on to the house with closed doors after briefly describing it to Ganadara. She carefully opened the door that had not opened a single time in three days.
While Ganadara stood vigil in the yard for an hour, she was holding a sword in her left hand. She was endowed with an extraordinary gift, as well as explosive force. She had progressed from being absolutely ungainly at first to now exhibiting some adequacy, but not as proficient as using it with her right hand.

Mindaza found no food inside the house, but she found some clothing that could be used. Immediately upon opening the door, she saw Ganadara practicing with her sword in the yard. Seeing that she was still rather stiff wielding the sword with her left hand, not entirely nimble with it as yet, her heart cringed slightly, and she called out, "Big Sister."
"Mindaza, you're finally out? You found something." Ganadara smiled as she looked at her.
"Why are you practicing with your sword like no tomorrow?" Mindaza asked.
Ganadara kept her sword and walked towards her, saying with a serious face, "Mindaza, our skill is not a one-time thing. It is impossible to yearn for results in a short period. You have to take it step by step."
Hearing those words, Mindaza could not help but smile and reply, "I understand."
Although Mindaza had reached the early levels of being a warrior, she suppressed her skills to learn it. The average person would not be able to see what kind of skills and power she had really attained.
Being able to achieve such speed in her advancement within such a short period of time was natural because of her rare mystical power from the sword. Moreover, the channels of her powerful sword had been opened and enlarged by her, where the channels were originally just a tiny, thin stream, they were now like a wide, torrential, and raging river, which made the speed of her progressive skills completely different from the other spiral hunters.
"Oh right, Mindaza. I need to go find some food and water. Accompany me, will you?"
"Sure" Mindaza splashed some water on her face to clean it quickly before slinging her sword behind her back, and she immediately followed Ganadara.
Until the second half of the hour, when the pale moon barely peeked out from behind the dark clouds like a shy maiden, to throw its pale light to shine upon the land brightly...
Four black figures holding long swords approached quickly as they ran, chilling murder emanating from them. They came speedily to the door outside the yard. Just as they were landing inside the yard, they were shocked to hear a voice.
"I have been waiting here for an hour for all of you."