The both of them started accelerating at the same time. Corwyn held his sword in front of him, the blade being positioned diagonally to his chest, the tip of the blade on the level of his left shoulder. He was seemingly preparing a strike from above.
Teo on the other hand held is sword vertical in front of him with both hands, the blade pointing straight forward. It was a pretty standard pose, but also an effective one. Holding the sword in this stance allowed him to react to any kind of attack thrown at him, and using both hands made his defense more steady, as well as giving his attacks more power.
The two of them began to close in on each other. Corwyn bent his sword arm tightly to the left, then initiated a slash from above. Having bent his arm to a high level, his strike gained momentum and power from the tension in his arm being released all at once. His sword flew at his opponent at high speed, ready to clash. Teo of course knew what was coming. He intended to block with an uppercut and take Corwyn's sword head on. Since he was using both hands instead of one, even with the momentum of Corwyn's strike, he should be able to block without being pushed back. His opponent's sword would then be knocked back from the force of the clash, creating an opening for Teo to counterattack.
But right before the weapons clashed, Corwyn suddenly leaned forward, adding his weight on the force of the strike. Teo was surprised at that. It was normal to add one's weight on the sword in a deadlock in order to push back the opponent, but leaning in on your opponent during the strike was awfully risky. If your opponent blocked your attack successfully and sidestepped you, the probability of stumbling after the attack was high, and you would have no way to defend your flank.
Therefore, Teo didn't see the need to block this strike head-on. He would just block it lightly while stepping to the right, letting the trajectory of Corwyn's attack pull him downward, and then strike at his left flank.
Having decided so, Teo abruptly made a step to the right and changed the path of his sword. Instead of meeting Corwyn's sword head on, he pulled his blade further to the right, letting only the upper part of his sword clash with Corwyn's. As expected, the force of Corwyn's strike pushed the tip of Teo's sword downward, with only slight resistance. Teo's uppercut brought his blade into a high stance, while his body successfully dodged the attack. He then spun his wrists around, slashing Corwyn's side from above. After putting all his weight into his attack, Corwyn should have no option to regain his footing in time and block Teo's follow-up attack.
Except, he didn't lose his footing, nor did he stumble in the slightest. As if he had anticipated Teo's action, Corwyn continued his strike while spinning around, changing the trajectory of his attack into a sudden upward slash. Like a whirlwind, he not only blocked Teo's counter, he also knocked back his sword.
Teo opened his eyes in shock. He didn't expect an attack of that level from Corwyn at all. It obviously wasn't impossible to make a turnaround and block his attack, but the conditions required for it to work were quite difficult to reach. Not only did you have to spin around at a high speed, you had to be incredibly precise as well. One slight error in shifting your weight could cause you to tumble, and the attack would miss, making you vulnerable from all sides.
Corwyn grinned at Teo's shocked expression. Truly, he had made a big gamble with this attack, since the slightest mistake would spell his defeat, but Corwyn determined that it was worth the risk. He already knew that with normal swordsmanship, there was no way he could beat Teo, who was not only a soldier, but also an incredible genius in swordplay. So, he tried a creative move, and it seemed to have paid off. Teo was now wide open, his sword raised high in the air. Corwyn initiated a simple thrust at Teo's chest, and with that, he would have won.
But just when Corwyn thought he had victory in his pocket, reality betrayed his expectations. Somehow, Teo must have predicted where his sword would strike, and he spun his blade to the point he held it completely vertical, sword tip pointing to the ground, blocking Corwyn's thrust.
(Damn it!)
He cursed inwardly. Not in his dreams would he have expected a so accurate block like that. He thought with a surprise attack, he could break Teo's technique, but it seemed like he had underestimated his friend. Still, you could not blame him. Being thrown into a disadvantageous situation, but still able to block Corwyn's thrust was a feat not many people could accomplish.
The following battle after the initial tense clash was disappointingly one-sided. In a normal contest of skill with the sword, Teo quickly suppressed Corwyn, who was now entirely on the defensive. After a series of clashes, he finally messed up and Teo's blade stopped in front of his chest.
Out of breath, Corwyn collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. Teo looked at him from above, also breathing heavily, and showed a cheeky grin.
"That was not a bad idea, that trick you did in the beginning. It caught me completely off guard! Would you mind if I try to copy it?"
"Do what you want! It's not like I gained something by using it. In the end, you blocked it anyway."
Teo smiled bitterly and shook his head at Corwyn's dispirited reply.
"You were too hasty with your thrust attack. I could only block it because you targeted a very obvious spot, and your intent showed in your eyes."
Corwyn had nothing to refute that. He swept the sweat off his face, then slowly stood up. Teo smacked him on the shoulder and asked:
"Want to go for another round?"
Corwyn considered it for a moment, but then slowly shook his head.
"Nah, I'll pass. Another match would just mean me being beaten into the ground again. I would rather train with the other weapons against the dummies a bit. Besides, I have already achieved my goal in battling you!"
"Oh? What goal?"
He picked up his sword and handed it over to Teo.
"You see this sword? Do you notice anything unusual about it?"
At Corwyn's words, Teo furrowed his brows and began examining the sword carefully. After a few seconds, he said:
"This seems to be quite well done. Did you forge it?"
"You could say I did it, but you could also say I didn't..."
Teo shot him a questioning look at that vague reply. Corwyn grinned at him and began explaining.
" Well, basically, I did make it, but I didn't forge it. You remember me trying to create usable weapons with my ability?"
As his close friend, Teo certainly knew of Corwyn's ability to create metal with Arcor. Ever since his father disappeared from his life, it was Teo and his family who looked after him, so they were quite close.
"Of course I remember. You have been trying for more than a year now, and got closer and closer to a satisfying result, but until now, every sword you made broke after a few hits..."
It finally dawned upon him, and Teo's eyes grew wide.
"Wait, you're telling me that this sword here..."
"...is also one I made with Arcor. I created it just today, and it passed my durability test. But I also wanted to see if it could survive actual combat."
Corwyn finished Teo's sentence with a proud look. Teo couldn't help but give the sword in his hand an examining glance again. The blade was still sharp, there were no cracks or holes in the metal, and he couldn't spot any other shortcomings as well. He then returned his gaze back to Corwyn and begun to shout excitingly.
"Wait wait wait, doesn't that mean you could now create weapons solely with Arcor, without the costly materials and tiring labor? Wouldn't that be a huge improvement to your business?"
Corwyn grinned at the sight of his overly excited friend, but couldn't help grimacing shortly after.
"Unfortunately, I still can't guarantee that every creation will be successful. That one is my one and only success thus far, so I still have a long way to go. Additionally, even creating one weapon is mentally exhausting, going into mass-production would be utterly impossible. At best, I could create 4-5 in a day."
Hearing that, Teo's excitement slowly vanished, but after he had calmed down, he gave Corwyn a warm smile and said:
"Well, even if it is impossible right now, it doesn't mean it's impossible in the future as well. If you continue to practice hard and improve, maybe you can do it one day!"
Hearing his friend's encouragement, Corwyn couldn't help but smile as well. That's right, as long as he continued to work hard, everything could be done.
"You'd better be my first customer once I reach that stage! Okay, I guess we have chatted long enough now, shall we go back to training?"
"Sure!"
The two young men ended their conversation, and each of them began focusing on their own training. Corwyn practiced with one of the dummies, not just with the one-handed sword, but also with two-handed swords, spears, axes, lances and so on. As a smith, he forged a large variety of weapons, so he wanted to be proficient with all of them at least up to a certain extent.
The afternoon went by quickly, and dusk began to show on the horizon. Ending their tiring training, Corwyn and Teo said goodbye to each other, and they both took their leave. Although he was tired and worn out, Corwyn felt a deep satisfaction within his heart. Truly, having a friend like Teo made life so much easier and comfortable. Interacting with him was always fun, and he would cheer Corwyn up whenever he felt lonely. It felt just like he was his elder brother.
As his thoughts went down that route, he couldn't help but miss his father. Corwyn was an only child, and his mother died shortly after his birth. His father was the only family he had, and their bond ran deep, very deep. From how to cook a meal to how to use the forge, he had taught Corwyn everything and was always there when he needed him. That was, until his father vanished from his life five years ago.
Back then, the whole city was in an uproar. An expedition party had found clues about an ancient ruin of the Tehr in the south, and came to Quorin to recruit additional men, from cooks over soldiers to blacksmiths. Their business was going far from well at the time, and in order to earn money for the survival of their smithy, Corwyn's father volunteered to join the expedition. When Corwyn cried back then because he didn't want his father to leave, his father smiled and gave him a horseshoe on a chain, then held a similar one to his chest and said:
"Through these two amulets, we are connected. As long as you carry it with you, I will know that you're safe, and the same applies to me too. So please, carry it with you so I know at all times that you're doing well."
Those were the last words he ever heard from his father. Even though those words were probably only a convenient excuse to soothe a sad child, Corwyn always carried the amulet with him around his neck, in hope that his father would return one day.
Reminiscing about the past, Corwyn exited the military district and walked over the main plaza again. The mages were still immersed in their work, producing water all day, while most of the people were on the return trip from work to their home. When Corwyn reached the trader's district, all the shop buildings and market stands were in the process of closing their shop for the day, and the streets gradually became quiet.
Upon returning to his house, Corwyn let out a satisfied sigh. Each day was busy and challenging, but he ought to appreciate that he could live a peaceful life like this. The money his father had earned through joining the expedition had saved the smithy from imminent crisis, and after two years of working hard, the business made a turn for the better. Corwyn now had many regulars, and the support of Teo and his family had kept him from feeling lonely. Without the sacrifice of his father back then, this would have never been possible.
(So you have to return one day, father! And when you return, I will show you what you have protected back then, and what I managed to make out of it because of that!)
These thoughts went through Corwyn's head as he went to bed. He had to do his best tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and every other day as well, so that he could still live this peaceful life when his father came back one day.
He had yet to know that his life would soon thoroughly change, and nothing would be as it was before.