THE LIGHT OF A'LEST

CHAPTER 2

     The sun's waning light peaked through the clouds, bringing with it an end to the soft rain that turned the usually gritty sand beneath Keko's feet into a clumpy mess. Rolling his left shoulder and whirling his blade around in a wide-arcing circle, he sluggishly approached the starting position. As his blade hissed through the air, streaks of pain shot up his right arm and climbed to the base of his neck. Bouncing slightly on one leg, then the other, he tried in vain to shake the day's labor from his muscles. Master Su stood just outside the sparring circle. The sword master had his arms crossed and his hands hidden beneath a deep green robe. His sultry voice took on a demanding tone as it boomed over the soft murmurs of the small crowd that gathered to watch the display. 

     "Stop prancing about and make ready!" 

     Keko smirked. He'd grown used to his sword master's insults. Encouraging his form one second and berating him at even the slightest deviation the next. Master Su demanded perfection, and Keko, the ever-studious pupil, was keen on delivering it.

    His final opponent looked like Sal, though it was hard to tell for sure. It didn't really matter. Not right now, at least. Refocusing his mind and letting the question of the man's identity slip away, another one of Master Su's lessons percolated to the forefront of his mind. Something about how distractions feed on the focused mind. Be very clear or get very dead. Blah, blah, blah. He couldn't quite remember the rest. Either way, he reset his form like he'd done every day at dawn for the last six years, released a long breath of air, and shrugged as he stared into his opponent's dark, beady eyes. A twinge touched the side of his face as he winked and angled his blade to the ground.

     Leaving his entire body open to attack was ill-advised at best. At worst, an insult no warrior worth his salt would take lightly. He could almost feel Master Su raise a curious eyebrow as he cleared his throat, but to his credit, the old man held his tongue. On cue, the black- helmed fighter assumed a high guard. His whole-body trembling with anticipation as he raised his sword tip towards the sky. 

"Allez!"

     In a flash of movement, the black-helmed fighter rushed forward, abandoning all caution and covering half the distance between them in three heartbeats. Keko only took one step forward and braced himself to intercept the blade as it came crashing down towards his head. He had to be certain his foe had committed fully for his next move to work. Luckily for him, he did, and just before their blades were scheduled to meet, he twisted his wide in a ceding parry. In the time it took him to draw a single breath, his entire body spun. Sliding across the sand on one knee, he emerged behind his befuddled opponent. From there, he launched his actual attack. A hard strike into the fighter's side. As his cloth-wrapped blade slapped hard against the light armor of his opponent's cuirass, he released a satisfying whoop. A fatal blow. A death stroke. One as fine as any he had ever dealt. The black-helmed fighter's sword continued forward, smashing into the sand, sending a spray of earth high into the air.

     "Halt!" Master Su's thunderous voice shook both combatants from their bloodlust. Keko's opponent snarled and kicked the sand in protest, muttering to himself, as he made his way across the arena. Keko took a deep breath and steadied himself, lowering his sword hand slightly and keeping one eye on his opponent until he left the sparring arena altogether. As he loosened his grip on his sword, the built-up tension in his muscles began to throb, then slowly ease. The match was over.

     Keko rolled his shoulders once more and loosened and retightened his grip before sliding the weapon into its sheath. As the blood slowly began flowing back into his fingertips, he suppressed a hard-earned yawn and began walking over to the arena's edge, where the rest of his sparring equipment lay in a heap. Bending over with a slight groan and grabbing his waterskin, he uncorked it and began guzzling its contents. He'd just finished pouring some on his head and the glorious coolness it brought had just begun to fade when Master Su approached him.