The Tide of Total War

Training

"What are you training me? How to block well, how to correctly control a kingdom? an army?" Questioned Marcus, as they entered Gottfried's home in the city.

"No, no. Its time for you to understand magic." Replied the former king Gottfried.

"What, there's no way i'll be able to understand what that at all!" Stated Marcus, as he sat down on a wooden chair.

"Nonsense. Anyone can do magic... As long as they are willing to put in the time. Just like everything else." Responded Gottfried.

"Uhh. Don't you think I should learn something a little more important like command or strategy, because I need some help on that." Asked Marcus.

"What on this planet would be more important than magic?! You can make weapons, make gold, destroy armies in a single sentence, if your good enough." Retorted Gottfried.

"Well.... OK, lets start then." Stated Marcus, as he stood back up ready for some training.

Gottfried, walked up to an alter like table and lit candles. 

"Now, I know you won't get this first try, or second try, or even your 30th try. But all I want you to do is close your eyes, draw a star with your dominant hand and think of the most descriptive sword you could think of. Think of exactly where it is, how its placed, when it was made, all of the details you can make." Told Gottfried.

"I'll try" Responded Marcus.

He closed his eyes, put his left hand behind his back, stood straight up, and started drawing the best star he could do without seeing it while also thinking of exactly of what the sword will look like. He thought of his sword, with red crimson handles, a straight silver sword, double edged.....

He opened his eyes to see nothing there.

"aah. OK, I got this." Said Marcus as he lifted his hands up to do it again.

He closed his eyes. He thought of a finely made sword made by the smiths that built the city walls. A sword 4 people made just to get the form done. A sword laying on a table facing away from me.

"Still nothing Marcus.." Stated Gottfried.

After several hours of the same tedious work with no avail, Marcus finally had enough.

"AAH!! I've had enough!! Teach me something that will actually be helpful to me!" Cried Marcus.

"Your'e almost getting it. You just have to think like a smith. Think of making it yourself but in your mind." Said Gottfried

"Fine, one more go and then i'm done!" Marcus Replied as the final minutes of the sun died out and the darkness like from his capitol reigned in.

Marcus thought of the sweat he would put in to a sword like this one, Steel from the mines next to the capitol, leather from the cattle of the farms. The red handle with gold lining all the way up until the cross guard. The guard made of gold spiraling up at the ends in a french crest. The sword's steel 6 feet tall, perfectly balanced for his arm, duel edged, with the sharpest and strongest point he has seen.
He felt a rough drag against his hand. He opened up his eyes quickly to see a purple mist in his face, he held firm to the rough sliding in his hand, he waited to see what was waiting for him in the dark purple sea. This was easily exiting to Marcus.

"HAHAHAHA!!!" Bellowed Gottfried after the cloud disappeared, "That's quite a fine sword you got there friend!!"

Marcus couldn't wait to see this amazing object that would appear in his hands....

What he found, killed his amazement. What laid before him was a notched up, rusty, barely put together, sword.

"WHAT!! What I thought was way better than this garbage!" Yelled out Marcus

"Don't worry, I had just the same thing happen to me. It takes time to work in what you really wanted to be worked in. The more times you do conjuration. The better it becomes."

The both of them put everything back in place, ate some well cooked food by Gottfried's maids, and went to bed. Oh, and they also threw the stick of a sword in the city dump.