Eclipse

Eclipse: Chapter 9

 Eclipse: Chapter 9

By

Dracanoth Dereal and Spottedleaf9

(Dracanoth)

We packed our things and left immediately so that we might get back as soon as possible to continue our work. Michael traveled into Solitude with a few gold pieces I had given him to hire a carriage, and a horse. Once he got the man with the carriage we would travel to Whiterun. In the meantime, I sat in waiting upon a rock outside with my blade in my hand, sharpening it with a coarse stone. Before long I would move up to finer grades of stone as I slowly worked the nicks out of my blade. The battle scene flashed back before my eyes recalling every moment, every dodge, parry and, counterattack. None of them were necessary, he was skilled with a large blade in the ways of smashing attacks, but he was slow and cumbersome. I only allowed the man to live for so long to show the complete and utter hopelessness of the situation. Although I admit, after cutting a major artery in his left arm I had expected him to realize that it was hopeless and give up to try to preserve his last minutes in life, or at least to pinch off the vein and stop the bleeding. He might have lost his arm in that very action, but I had assumed it was a better option than death for the man, to simply walk away with one arm left than to fight till the death. When I looked deep into the man's eyes I saw one of the very things that I could not understand. What was behind that man's eyes? What could possibly give a man so much strength as to do something like that with such dedication? Where was the black eternal abyss in that man's soul, why does it not exist? I opened my eyes in realization that I had closed them. The after-image in the back of my eyelids of the man's piercing gaze would not leave me. I pushed the matter from my mind, why try to understand something that I could not. The man had fought far past his limits whenever he would have died even if he had killed me, thus serving his organization true just as any warrior should. Less they become heaps of worthless potential that could have been something but gave it up for someone of the opposite sex. Such situations perplexed me. There are so many things that I don't understand in this world, and I doubt I ever will. A spark flew off the sharp of my blade in response of me pressing the stone down much harder than before.

A creature that I had come to know as a bird from my studies of this land called in the distance, its grating voice pierced through the woods. The bird would be a raven unless the books were mistaken, rarely were they in lands this cold but occasionally when they could find a warm place down on flat land near the lowest points of the land where mountains did not taint it, the ravens would build their nests in the warm terrain. It seemed strange to me that the raven was in such a place, the area around Solitude was not cold but it was an area full of human activity scaring off any animals, I found it strange that such a scavenging creature would linger in an area where there was very few scraps to be had.

A spark flew off of the sharp of my blade. I had finally gotten the nicks off of my blade, forever banishing the damage I had let that brute inflict. If you're going to break a blade it's best to do it in the right timing, to catch the opponent off guard so that they aren't able to salvage the life of their steel. Simply slamming the sword down at your foe when they most expect it isn't going to get one with a two-handed blade anywhere. Fortunately, I could now move on to a less course stone and refine the edge of my blade. The blacksmith had created the blade, but did a poor job at refining it, so I suppose that a sharpening stone needed to be taken to it anyway. A sharp blade to achieve a clean cut so ones blade does not stick was key to fighting, should it get stuck in a shield or a limb it would present a vast opening to the opponents, should they be fast enough that is. All my years of experience with the blade had taught me that taking care of it every day, making sure it had not dulled from removal and placement in its scabbard, paid off in the heat of battle. The sharpness of your blade added with the weight was also key in breaking a blade if that was truly your intention to win a battle. The technique is not about how strong the user is, but how the user uses the force he inflicts to break the blade. If done correctly, breaking an opponent's blade would require much less force and thus inflict much less damage to your own blade. The art of fighting with a blade is a delicate one, not about how strong the user is but about the dance of death. The main goal should not be to break a blade at any rate, what should be the main goal is to cut, slash and kill. Nothing else matters, the top priority is kill, keeping from being wounded yourself is optimal but the kill matters more. Foolish man, if only he had learned to parry and counter properly he would be able to put that blade to good use. Another spark flew off of the edge of my blade as I used more and more force to sharpen it.