Burning Embers Part I: Origins [Arc 1-5]

Arc 4 Chapter 2

13 years ago...

Now. He rolled sideways, easily avoiding the blow, and was on his feet to parry the next. His opponent was not ready to stop his onslaught however, swiftly taking a swipe at the boy's shins, but Findaris showed incredible athleticism in leaping over the move, doing a backflip mid-air to turn around and land behind his opponent. Patience. He did not go for a flurry of strikes, instead taking a couple of safe pokes, depleting the barrier. Ducking to avoid a high kick, he responded by poking the opponent's barrier again, immediately swivelling to block another blow at his head.

"Not bad, boy!" His master Albert commended him, grinning fiercely.

Findaris didn't respond, keeping his poker face and breaking the blade-lock by backing off, doing a quick analysis of the situation. 

His barrier will break if I strike it with full power twice, but that would leave me vulnerable. My own shield is in better condition. With that, he concluded that he would continue to fight defensively and patiently.

The little boy had grown; he was quite tall and well-built for an 11-year old, and could already hold his own against the seasoned Templar warriors he sparred with. Of course, since their enemies had no access to their 'barrier pendants' they practised both with and without them, and this instance happened to be one of the former. He blocked a quick flurry of strikes from his master, parrying the last one to get another swift hit off onto his opponent's barrier. Almost.

In response the teacher only widened his smile, changing his stance and coming at Findaris with a completely different set of moves. This was of no surprise to the boy however, who had seen all of this before; he had been doing this for half a dozen years. Bending his front knee, he widened his stance, lowering his centre-of-gravity to improve his balance. This was because he knew his master was about to trade speed with strength, but it would also give him a greater opening if he was able to parry.

"Haa!" The big man swung down at him; a heavy, two-handed blow.

Dodge. Findaris didn't even attempt to block, sidestepping at the last second. But his mentor was all-the-wiser to it, altering his swing to follow the boy's head. No choice. He blocked, his feet pushed back slightly as the blow sent a shockwave all over his body. Still, he was standing, and he knew what the follow-up would be. Indeed, taking advantage of his apprentice's numbness, Albert turned his arm inside-out, looking to ram his shoulder into Findaris.

He allowed this; he had no choice. Letting the barrier take the blow, the young swordsman immediately dashed back to put distance between them, knowing his invisible shield would not survive another such blow. Patience. Look for an opening. Bait-and-punish. He repeated the mantra taught to him in his head. It wasn't the only way he had been taught to fight, but the one he had chosen.

"Done already, boy?" Albert simply walked over to him, bringing the sword over his head in the exact same way he had before. 

Faced with a difficult choice, Findaris had about a second to decide. He could try what he did before, but if it went the same way, his barrier would break and he would lose. Parrying was an option, but his master's physical strength far outmatched his, and while this wasn't a very risky option (even an imperfect parry would at least allow Findaris to retreat and escape a follow-up), the chances of him getting anything out of it was low due to the difference in strength.

As such, there was a third, riskier option. The blow was slow, and Findaris was already faster than his teacher. If he could get inside the line of it, there was a chance he would be able to break Albert's shield before his own gave by landing two blows in quick succession, as he was sure that his shield would be able to hold for a second after contact. That option would end the duel one way or the other, as failure would lead to a crushing and embarrassing end to it for the boy.