Friendly Tournament

We were woken up by a loud bang on the door. Kyle sluggishly climbed down from the top bunk and opened it, the time was around four to five. Kyle was rubbing his eyes as he answered the door.

"Hey, Kyle!" Frank said, chipperly

"Hey... Frank." Kyle said

"Are you ready for the team spar?" Frank asked

"Uh?" Kyle said

"We said that we would do team sparring on Monday." Frank said

"What time is it?" Kyle asked

"Wait, when do you normally train?" Frank asked

"We get up around six, then go train til lunch." Kyle said

"Oh!" Frank said, laughing, "It's not even five!"

"Are your guys ready now?" Kyle asked

"We wake up at four, then get ready and train at six." Frank said

"We will be there at six." Kyle said

"Cool, Jack is like you. He was still sleeping as well." Frank said

"See you in an hour." Kyle said

"Yeah, I can't wait. We are going to get warmed up." Frank said

Kyle woke everyone up and we got our training gear on. We quickly went to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. As we arrived at the training grounds, Jack's squad was also arriving. Frank, Jack, Kyle, and I went to the center. I noticed Sam Bancroft awkwardly standing in the back of Frank's group.

"How was the lake?" Kyle asked

"Awesome. You should join us next weekend." Jack said

"How was Kelmarsh?" Frank asked

"Beautiful. You should join us next time." Kyle said

"So we need to talk about rules and how we should do this." Frank said

"Who is the best in your squad, Kyle?" Jack asked

"Rowan is. But Kent Brierly, he fights... strangely." Kyle said

"My best fighter in my squad is Larious Illious. He is also a first lieutenant." Jack said

"Samuel Bancroft is my best fighter. Although he is a second lieutenant." Frank said

"So how do we do this? Five on five?" Kyle asked

"Usually... but there are three teams now." Jack said

"We could do a series of one on ones." Frank suggested

"I think that would work the best." Jack said

"Then after we could do a free for all." Kyle suggested

"Yes!" Frank shouted

"I love that." Jack said

"It is settled!" Frank shouted

"Who goes first?" I asked

"Larious vs Kent?" Jack asked

"I have no objections." Kyle said

"Since my squad will not be participating, I will be the judge." Frank said

"Who is normally the judge when it is just you two?" Kyle asked

"We go until the last man standing." Frank said

"Wow." I said

"Let's begin. Swords only. Contact?" Frank asked

"They are only wooden swords." Jack said

"Sure, I guess. What about the head or neck?" Kyle asked

"No risk, no reward." Frank said

"Fair enough." Kyle said

We went back to our teams. Kyle told everyone what the plan was. The winner of this new tournament is whoever had the most individual wins. Kent walked out into the center and so did Larious Illious. Larious was buff but wasn't that tall. He had jet black hair and brown eyes. He looked incredibly strong compared to Kent.

"Hey, I'm Kent Brierly." Kent said

"I'm Larious Illious." Larious said

They bowed and then the fight was on. They started at a slow pace and circled each other. It seemed like they were waiting for the other to make the first move. Then suddenly, they both charged at each other. They collided with a loud thud. Kent fell backwards onto the ground and Larious stood tall. Kent bent over and got on his knees and one hand. Again, he hovered the blade over his back and dashed like a mad man. Larious rolled out of the way. I looked over at Frank's face and confusion was written all over it. Larious charged Kent and tried staying in close range. And that is when I realized the most important thing about Kent. He fought normally at close range, but his movements weren't as fluid as when he was far ranged. Larious was faster and stronger than Kent. But Kent was more agile. They clashed swords many times before Larious started using his off hand to punch Kent in the stomach. Kent went down and Larious swung his sword down at his neck and stopped short before he made contact.

"The winner is... Larious!" Frank shouted

Kent and Larious shook hands. Kent walked over to the grass on the side and sat down, while Larious returned to his group.

"The next fight will be... Will Skelton vs Matthew Hanns, oh my own guy. Jack will now be the judge." Frank said

Matthew Hanns was shorter and skinnier than Will. Matthew had long blonde hair with blue eyes.

They introduced themselves and before Will even moved an inch, Matthew's wooden sword was pressed against his neck. Kyle and I were shocked. Frank said Samuel was his best fighter, but Matthew had incredible speed. I wonder how Samuel is better, but then Matthew fell to his knees and was unable to stand.

"Sorry, he has almost no stamina," Frank said, "He always blitzes in one on ones."

Frank helped him up and walked him back to his group, Will walked over to where Kent was and sat down next to him.

"Next up is Rowan Niron vs Samuel Bancroft." Jack said

"Try to pump it up, man!" Frank shouted

"Sorry. Next up is Rowan Niron vs Samuel Bancroft." Jack said

"That wasn't any different." Frank pouted

I stepped forward and so did Sam.

"Hey, Sam!" I said

"H-Hello..." Sam said

"Fight." Jack said

I pulled my sword out front and Sam did the same. He wasn't looking at me, but rather my sword. His eyes followed its every movement. I slowly approached him, watching his body's movements. I saw the muscles flexing with each movement. Sam was much bigger than me. I took my time and watched Sam's movements. Then I noticed something. He was holding his weapon in a strange way. His grip was too loose, I felt like if I hit it, it would fall right out of his hands. I took the first swing. Our swords missed and he dodged the hit perfectly. He didn't have a countermeasure, but there was this strange pressure when I got close to him. Instead of looking at where I am going he was looking only at the sword. I used this against him by using my off hand. I swung at his head, knowing he would dodge it. He took a step back and moved out of the way of my sword, but then I punched him in the chest and swung down at his back. Sam's movements were incredible. He spun around and swung his sword at my legs, I raised my right leg and kicked his sword. I was right, his sword went flying across the field. I quickly got ready for the finishing blow, as I swung he got in a defensive stance. But his reaction speed wasn't fast enough. I stopped short before making contact.

"Rowan wins." Jack said

"More enthusiasm!" Frank shouted

"Next up is Toby Rainsford vs Marco Howl. Frank will now be the judge." Jack said, walking to his group.

"Finally!" Frank said

Marco Howl had a sad look on his face. He had many freckles and short brown hair with brown eyes. He had a similar build to Toby. Their fight was very standard. No one had any special moves or tricks. They just danced around each other trading blows. The fight lasted a while. Both of them were visibly stressed and tired. Marco seemed to be faster than Toby, but not by much. Marco was able to get the upper hand, but Toby was still fighting back. They clashed swords many times over, until Marco , in one swift swing, cut through and broke Toby's wooden sword. Marco placed his sword on Toby's neck and was declared the winner. Toby sat with Kent and Will.

"Next up is.... Dave Skelton vs Nariel Raisor." Frank announced.

Nariel was a calm person. Jack talked about him and praised him. He had longer blonde hair and blue eyes and was more muscular than Dave. They introduced themselves and then the fight was on. Nariel was much faster. His attack speed was incredible. He could take your breath away with just one move. I found myself amazed at how good his swordplay was. Nariel was also able to block any attacks that Dave came at him with. As the match continued, we all realized that Nariel was the better of the two. He was faster, stronger, and was more precise. Dave was trying his hardest, but he couldn't do anything against Nariel. The match was over before we knew it.

"Nariel Raisor wins!" Frank shouted

Dave sadly walked over to the small grass hill and sat down with his squad. I was the only one left in my squad. Kyle had a faint smile on his face, which made me smile.

"Now, Rowan vs Aaron Stelle. Jack will now be the judge." Frank said with a sigh.

"Hey, Aaron." I said

"Hey." Aaron said

Aaron looked expressionless. His face didn't show any emotions. He had long black hair and blue eyes. And was smaller than me, both in height and muscle. Before I raised my wooden sword, Aaron tried to blitz me. I quickly dodged and rolled on the floor. Right when I stood up, he was already attacking. I blocked his attacks and pushed him back. I swung down at him. Our swords clashed and I heard wood cracking. For some reason it felt like Aaron was stronger and faster. I stayed close and increased my attacking speed. He could easily keep up. But he became sluggish, I was bringing him closer to his limit. Well, I thought I was, until he jumped up and mightily swung down at my head. I rolled out of the way and hit him in the side. He placed his hand where I hit him. I swung at him again and knocked his sword out of his hand. Aaron just stood there, he looked up at the clouds.

"Rowan won." Jack said

In Kyle's squad I was the only one left. In Frank's squad there were three left. Jack still had all five. Either Jack's team was really good, or they have just been lucky.

Now near the end of the tournament, I was still the only one left on Kyle's team. Jack had Nariel left. And Frank had Matthew. Since each team had one fighter left, they decided to do a 1v1v1. I had a feeling Matthew would be defeated first, and Nariel was the biggest threat.

The three of us walked to the center and bowed before fighting. Nariel blitzed Matthew before he was about to blitz me. Matthew walked off and I heard Frank shout something loudly, he is a very competitive person. Nariel walked closer to me. I got in a defensive stance and waited for his attack. His speed and strength were incredible. I had trouble keeping up with him. I tried keeping some distance, but Nariel always closed the gap immediately. I finally gave up and attacked him. His defense was too strong and he was always able to counterattack. I landed a few hits, but he never lost his cool. He was calm and composed. We did this several times over and I was getting tired. I looked up at Nariel. I changed tactics and feinted an attack. This worked well as Nariel's concentration wavered. I was able to land a major hit on him. He stumbled back and smiled. He wasted no time though. Before I knew it his sword was inching closer to my neck. I dodged it and ran toward him. I swung at him, hoping to catch him by surprise. He easily blocked it and followed up with a series of strikes. I was stunned by his speed and power. I dodged and blocked all of them. After a moment, I realized that I was fighting with no plan. I was just reacting to what he was doing. I needed to think of an idea. I quickly thought of an idea and started planning my next move. I aimed for his legs and made him stumble out of his stance and then I saw the opening. I swung fast and stopped short of his neck.

"Good job, Rowan." Nariel said

"Thank you. You are incredible." I said

"Rowan wins." Jack said, yawning.

Frank just stared at Jack with a blank face.

"Hey Kyle, how about you and I go at it?" Frank asked

"Oh sure." Kyle said

I handed Kyle my wooden sword and he walked over to Frank. Frank picked up two wooden swords and had a massive smile on his face. I couldn't tell if he was mad because he lost or if he was happy to try and get revenge. We all took a few steps back.

"Now don't embarrass yourself, Kyle." Frank said

"I was just about to say that to you." Kyle said

They both got into their defensive stances. Frank's arms were shaking while Kyle stood dead still. Frank charged Kyle with a quick attack from both swords. Kyle easily dodged and countered with his own attack. Frank was able to dodge it but barely. Kyle swung his sword downward and ended up blocking Frank's attack. He turned and swung hard at Frank's chest. Again Frank blocked it and followed up with a swing of his own. It almost landed on Kyle's shoulder. Frank would block with one sword and attack with the other. Kyle was on his A game, but when is he not. He was reading Frank's movements like a book for a child. I could tell that Kyle wasn't even trying yet. Frank continued to attack and swing, but hasn't landed a hit. Sweat dripped down his face as he unsuccessfully fought against Kyle. The smile faded quickly from Frank's face but one remained on Kyle's. Frank's attacks became sluggish. Kyle now has landed many blows with his swift and fluid motions. Sometimes I can't even read his attacks. His father taught him extremely well. His forms were flawless, it was like he was somewhere else when fighting, he was in total control.

"Just beat him already." Jack said

"No! He will not!" Frank said

"Oh?" Jack said in surprise.

"I haven't even done my ultimate technique!" Frank shouted, "Deadly tornado!"

"Seriously." Jack said

"Shut up!" Frank shouted

He began to twirl in place and spin his arms randomly. Kyle just stood there and watched Frank lose balance and fall to the floor. He quickly got up, but by the time he could even stand, Kyle's wooden blade was next to his throat.

"Yeah... It's still a work in progress." Frank said

"Good fight though." Kyle said

"No it wasn't." Frank said

"For me it was." Kyle said while laughing.

Sam walked over to Frank and patted him on the back.

"Thank you, Sam." Frank said

"Sure. You lost to someone who is a lower rank than you. It must be tough." Sam said

"Get your hand off me." Frank said

"Yep." Sam said, backing up.

"Rank is not just about how well you do in a fight, Sam." Kyle said

"Yeah. There's... uh... other things too." Frank said

I walked up to Kyle and he gave me the wooden sword back.

"I want to see you fight Athena." Frank said

"Yeah, that would be an interesting fight. You two would make quite the duo." Jack said

"Who's Athena?" Kyle asked

"Athena Burns. The first woman knight. She is a first lieutenant and she is the best fighter here, besides the colonel. She was allowed to be here because she won a one on six against the king's personal guard. She's only seventeen, too." Frank explained

"What does she fight with?" I asked

"Just a normal sword, like you and Kyle. And most knights. Only the people who never experienced real combat chose unique weapons." Frank said

"Or the people that have experienced too much combat." Jack added

"I learned the Colonel's name, it is Nathan Pole. The rumors about him say that he is quiet and the best fighter in all of Remus. He supposedly also has the highest IQ and battle IQ. He has never lost a fight." Frank said

"Why is he here?" Kyle asked

"Reasonable question. He doesn't have a legion so I don't know why. Sometimes Colonels are tossed around forts and towns for safety." Frank said

"I heard it was because of the war and we are on the border." Jack said

"That could be it." Frank said

"Oh wait, he's been here for a while now. Nevermind." Jack said

"Oh yeah. Forgot about that. He's barely around, even for meals." Frank said

"Have you seen him train or fight?" I asked

"No, there isn't anyone who could give him a proper fight. Maybe Kyle or Athena." Frank said

"He's so young too." Jack added

"He probably feels like an outcast." Kyle said

"Yeah, maybe. No one talks to him because of his rank. It's a fear thing mixed with a respect thing." Frank said

"You said earlier that he isn't around much?" I asked

"He's here, but he has his own barracks." Frank said

"What's the difference between a general and a colonel?" I asked

"General controls regions. Colonels control multiple legions." Frank said

"Who runs this fort?" I asked

"Commander Prakul. Although he would have to listen to Colonel Pole in a time of crisis." Frank said

After we talked for a while we each went back to the barracks and Kyle and I walked around the fort after leading our group back. It was late in the evening when we found Athena in the training yard alone. She was holding her sword and practicing her techniques and forms. We tried to approach her and introduce ourselves, but before we could Colonel Pole unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her.