Bloodline

Duel - part 15

Waking up leaning on his knee, Zircon looks around, seeing his friends tents and the environment. He gets up, realizing he fell asleep during his guard shift, and shakes his head, recalling the previous days events. He sided with those scum in the east, and took a job as a hired assassin to kill Damian for coin, he thought taking out the mask from his cloak, examining it closely. Zircon then pokes at it with his dagger, realizing it's made out of wood, and begins to carve into the slot where the opal once stayed. His carving is interrupted by a noise off to his right, which he stands still and listens carefully, the sound of someone stepping on grass being clear. He slowly turns, then jumps forward to face whatever was coming towards their camp. "Woah, chill out man." Lutol says as he comes into view, walking to a stump next to Zircon. Zircon sighs, and looks up at the big tower known as Lutol, and sits in front of him. "You know, I never understand how you stay so calm whenever we're fighting someone, is there some sort of secret you have to it?" Zircon asks as Lutol begins sharpening his axe, looking at him for a second. "Well, I'd think there are a few reasons as to why I can stay calm, and maybe even find happiness in combat, but I don't think they will work as well in your case." Lutol says, Zircon listening closely. "Please, after the encounter with Opal yesterday, I could use anything to make sure I dont make the same mistake and go into a blind rage again." Lutol looks at him, and sets his axe aside, standing and looking into the horizon. "One thing I can say is that I've been born and forged by fighting, my mother once told me at an early age I would pick fights with just about every child I came across. Growing up, I learned how to use many weapons, double sided axes sticking with me the best with how I use it, and once my village fought in a war with a rival town nearby, my family decided to teach me the ways of war-born, and enrolled me into the army of my homeland. We fought many battles, each warborn using their way and weapons to cut down any foe. You could call us Vikings with the way we fought, though we never pillaged or murdered the innocent. I was of the best in my town, no fighter could stop me, but after experiencing a battle that made me loose my best friend, I flew into a rage, and cut down any that got in my way." Zircon looks at him, and thinks aloud, "Did you stop once the enemies were defeated?"

Lutol shakes his head, looking at his axe. "As I said, I cut down anyone, for the rage that overflowed through me caused me to be blind in those I saw as friend or foe, and I killed any who got remotely close to me. After this happened, I relaxed a little, the rage flowing out of me, but that's when I realized what I had done. Many of the families of my village called for my execution, but I was ultimately exiled from my village and hometown for my act, also forced to give up any weapons that were given to me. It sucked, after all, there are fates worse than death." Surprised, Zircon stays silent, waiting for him to continue. "I took to my days then traveling wherever, not really taking in the view except when I entered towns, and sized up any who dared challenge me. I've entered many fight clubs, beat many street thugs, and definitely got into a few bar and tavern fights, but all I came out victorious. It wasnt until I came upon our kingdom that I then felt home again." Zircon pipes up, "Is this when you met Damian? And did he give you the axe you use now?" Lutol laughs, and sits, looking at him. "Actually, I met Tess first. I encountered her after a few nights in and I got into a fight club, I was short on coin so I joined in despite fight clubs being illegal in our kingdom." "I was about to say that actually, when you met her, what happened? Wasn't she a part of a secret police force tasked with finding and stopping illegal acts in the kingdom?" Lutol pats the small Zircon, and smiles. "Right again, due to my size and strength, I beat my opponent with minimal struggle, and just when the money was being distributed amongst the people betting, Tesath came in and shut us all down, her force bringing everyone in to the castle to await trial. When it was my turn, they knew I was a foreigner, and gave me quite the warning for my future actions. Once I left there, I rented a room to a tavern, and that's when Tess came in again, this time to apologize. When I asked her why, she said she knew of my struggle once she looked at me, and wanted to help. I just stood there, confused, and following a long period of weeks, I was eventually recruited into the army, and by order of Tesath and Osred, as he was a commander in my unit, the blacksmiths crafted this very axe I use now, equal weight with balanced swinging, and intense power to all I wish to cut down." Zircon scratches his head, "But with this, how do you stay calm in combat? I dont know what your story has to do with this..." "That's because I was just about to get there. My first assignment was a tough one for others, but not for me. Assisting a caravan of supplies to a allied kingdom, we spent a few months transporting many things to them, and every day was a risk of getting attacked by raiders."

"It wasnt until one day, a clever and cunning raider leader had ambushed us at our weakest, and cut down many of our troops, as he was cutting through a lowly grunt, he saw me, and we engaged in a duel, his weapon of choice also being an axe built like mine." Zircon looks up at him in amazement, Lutol sitting back down on the stump, returning to sharpening his axe. "It was a tough battle, his strength matched my own, and not only did he have great strength, he also had an intelligence, so his taunts weren't just the normal ones about them being better. His whole ordeal was to get me angry and make a mistake trying to shut him up, but after realizing this, I learned to ignore and stay calm when the enemy tries to get you to mess up. With this, we cut him and his raider gang apart, and delivered the supplies safely, albeit with lesser numbers." Nodding, Zircon thinks out loud again. "So your secret is to simply ignore and think ahead, keeping your calm as you battle and not letting their taunting get to you." Lutol nods, looking at his axe. "Its not a simple process, but once you try putting it into practice, you're able to withstand anything thrown your way, verbal or physical alike." Zircon laughs as he gets up, moving towards the campsite. "I'm pretty sure those are two very different things, but I'll try at least to ignore the things the enemy says better before I swing first." He goes to a rock, and sits down, continuing his work on the mask while everyone else wakes up later in the day.