The Silent Blade

Prologue: But You're...Male!

My name is Trisius. My fellow warmongers recognize me as Trin or Tris. I am 17.5 years old.

I am the first male Peacekeeper.
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My knitted hood was down, revealing my short brown hair and light blue eyes, though shade from the tree above me hid them well enough. I was relaxing, my hands thrown behind my head and my legs crossed over one another, my eyes shut. I must've appeared as if I was sleeping, for my captain (what we call Wardens) nudged my arm, causing me to tip over some.

"Corporal! On your feet! Do not nap when there is work to be done!" He hollered, an angry look plastered on his face. "We have some new recruits. You are to train them." He announced, grabbing my arm and forcing me up to me feet with some ease. I am kind of small, but I'll be damned if I let my stature get me killed in battle. Plus, most--if not all--Peacekeepers were small. It works in our favor. We may not be strong, but we the fastest out of all the knights. Our agility is unmatched.

The other knights rely on strength and brute force, where we rely on our swift nature and strategy. Now, I'm not saying brute force in and of itself is bad, but I would rather choose to fight a Shugoki than an Orochi. I have fought both, and one nearly sat on me, had I not rolled out of the way in time.

While reminiscing, I had eventually made it to our personal training area. The new recruits were mostly Wardens (four in total out of five), and another Conquerer recruit. Wardens were rare, and now I was training four of them.

I looked at the fresh meat (what our garrison calls recruits) and smiled. They'd do alright in the field, I could already tell. But I had never trained a Conquerer before, this was an entirely new concept to me. He became my main priority. "Alright, men. Listen up. I am your Corporal, and it would appear as if you're in my battalion. I expect each and every one of you to do your part to help the clan. Consider this your first training day; I will teach you the basics of combat. As there ar--"

A loud, rambunctious noise filled the arena, cutting me off. It was a laugh, coming from one of the Wardens. The tallest one, in fact. It's always the bigger ones.

"What, you? You're quite puny, aren't you?" He announced, advancing on me. This doesn't usually happen, but there's always one with an ego so big they think they can take on anyone and win. I looked him square in the eye as he stood, looming over me. He cast a shadow over half my face, his helm blotting out the sun. "And what rank are you, then? Squire? Butler?" He poked my shoulder with the hilt of his sword. His helm protected his face, which I could not see.

"My name is Trisius Valkien. I am of the 43rd Battalion, a Corporal. The crossed daggers on my right shoulder mark me as a Peacekeeper." I announced with a calm voice.

"But you're...male!" He seemed surprised; the other four behind him also seemed surprised, though not as surprised as the rebellious youth before me.

"Out with it! Be you Peacekeeper or Nobushi, I still doubt your rank in this battalion."
"If you want proof, ask anybody of the 43rd."
"Words are as transparent as water! Steel is infallible; real."
"Then do you wish to duel with me?"

He hesitated before answering. His arrogant demeanor matched his more thoughtful nature, which I had somewhat admired. He was considering the possibility of loss. Losing this battle would mean nothing to me; to him, he would be dishonored.

"Raise your sword, 'corporal.'" The Warden mocked, raising his dulled long sword. "First to hit the other, wins."

I nodded, equipping my helmet and drawing my hood up, blocking all emotions and facial features. I assumed a fighting stance, my sword proportioned in front of my dagger. Sword first; always first. The Warden my have a long sword, but I have my wits. Brains over brawn.

The Warden charged, his long sword held in front of him. I blocked t by making an X out of my two weapons, then forced the sword up and over his head, throwing his body off balance. I charged in with the dulled sword, and the Warden spun in a successful attempt to block. I staggered to the left a little, but used the momentum to dodge an incoming overhead attack. We locked eyes, a standstill between us.

I attacked first, feinting right and then coming in for a sweep kick at his ankles; connecting it and tripping him, causing him to land on his back. The buffoon had dropped his sword after falling. I kicked it to the side, out of his reach. "Yield, Warden. You are disarmed." I commanded, my sword pointed at his neck. "Do you yield?" I wanted his confirmation.

"I yield, corporal, I yield." He announced, sighing in defeat. "Let this be a lesson to you five. Appearances can be deceiving; especially in my case, apparently. Now then...there are training dummies over to the side. Three of you can practice there. The other two will be given wooden weapons to duel with. After the duel is finished, the loser will switch out with the winner. I shall supervise you from the balcony."