Just like the last times, only sand was visible all around them. Dune after dune, the expedition party advanced through the desert. It had been two days now since they had left Tarrov behind and had begun their travel to their next destination, Corlina. Rogar had told them it would take about a month for them to reach the city, and that they had to stay vigilant in case they were attacked by some wild creature again. Therefore, no one dared to be negligent and some members of the expedition party had their eyes open at all times, staying ready to warn their comrades if anything dangerous should approach.
Luckily, neither Corwyn nor Hanaan were on surveillance shift at the moment, so Hanaan used this time to teach Corwyn in the dual blades style. Although they couldn't do any mock battles while moving, it was completely possible to practice sword techniques. Corwyn executed a strike, and Hanaan would tell him what he was doing wrong and give him feedback on how he could improve.
Currently, Corwyn wanted to practice follow-up attacks, meaning the art of chaining one strike into the other. First, he tried to execute a horizontal slash with his right sword, then following up with a vertical one from the left, and ending the attack with an uppercut using both swords at the same time, slashing at his opponent from below while pushing his sword back at the same time with the weight of two swords, resulting with a large opening for him to use. At least, that was the theory behind the combo attack.
However, it was much harder to do than Corwyn had originally imagined. There had to be no pause in between the attacks, and if his movements were slightly off, the follow-up attack would be much harder to execute. He had done the same motion over a hundred times by now, but Hanaan still found some mistakes.
"Don't swing in such a wide arc. It takes unnecessary time and gives your opponent more time to react! Also, put more weight into your strikes! If you do them lightly, blocking them will become way too simple and your opponent will counter-attack in the small window between your attacks!"
Corwyn tried to adjust to Hanaan's instructions, but he still didn't quite get it right. Hanaan sighed.
"You get the basic idea right, but your execution is still lacking. Listen, you have to find the proper balance between light, consecutive strikes, and heavy strikes leaving openings. If you swing your swords too lightly, your opponent will block them without being pushed back, resulting in giving him the option for a counterattack if you mess up the follow-up. Swing too heavily, and you gain too much momentum, rendering you unable to continue the combo."
Corwyn groaned while being lectured. He got it already, but doing it was easier said than done. He had practiced together with Teo every now and then back in Quorin, and Hanaan had beaten him black and blue during their long travel every day. But apart from that, he had no year-long training in the way of the sword, and it wasn't like he had any real combat experience either. That was a fundamental problem that couldn't be solved within a few days.
"Okay, I'll think about what you said for a while before I resume my training. Thank you very much for your time, Hanaan!"
"You're always welcome! I hope you will figure it out sooner or later."
And so, Hanaan went back to Dalios' position in the squad and Corwyn headed back to his place next to Teo. His best friend didn't beat around the bush and immediately asked:
"And? Finally a success?"
"Not yet..."
Corwyn grumbled. Teo patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, it will come by itself if you give it enough time."
"My problem is that I don't have that time. In less than two months, we will enter the jungle which is unexplored territory. If I don't figure out how to fight correctly until then, my life could be in danger."
"You're exaggerating! It's not like you don't know how to fight. Even if you can't properly use the dual blades, you still know how to fight with one-handed swords, spears, axes, and many other weapons. You should be able to hold your own against an opponent who isn't an elite."
Corwyn shook his head in disbelief at Teo's reply.
"Exactly that is the problem. You're right, I would probably be able to fight another swordsman on my level. But I never know who my opponent is or how good he is until I encounter him. And if I discover that he is better than me, what should I do then in your opinion? Run away? He won't let me do something like that in the middle of a fight. Ignore the difference in skill and try to win? It might work if I'm lucky, but if I'm not, I'm dead, and that's that. There won't be any chance to try again!"
That's right, Corwyn was afraid. He was afraid that if he had to defend his life, he wouldn't be up to the task, and either die or bring his friends into danger by making them worry about himself. Corwyn wanted neither of these things to happen. So he had to train as much as he could, in order to figure out the dual blades until they reached the jungle.
Teo meanwhile remained silent, having apparently fallen into deep thought. He too must have realized what Corwyn was trying to say. In a real battle, you don't get to choose your opponent. You either win, or you die. This fact was undeniable. However, Teo seemed to have thought of something to say, since he ended his previous posture and faced Corwyn again.
"It's true that you can't choose who you fight. But no one ever said you can't choose how you fight them. I know how you fight, Corwyn, and I know that when push comes to shove, you'll always find a way to handle the situation. Just like that time when you used a surprise attack against me."
"Have you already forgotten how that battle ended? You warded off the attack, and won. And that was a battle where I knew how you would fight. Against a new opponent, I have no information to build a strategy on, so I can't make such moves in the middle of a life-and-death battle."
"You're right, but doesn't the same apply to your enemies as well? They too have no knowledge about how you fight, so you can use that against them. I have faith in you, Corwyn. You will find a way."
"Haaahh, I would like to have your confidence. But I guess it really won't help me if I worry about those things without end. I should rather use that time to train. Thank you for the conversation, Teo! It truly helped!"
"If I can't manage to cheer you up, who else can?"
"Hanaan?"
"Trust me, he is better at laughing over his own jokes than bringing others to laugh!"
Both of them fell into laughter. They might go through difficult times in the future, or even sad times. But one thing wouldn't change: Teo would always be there to cheer Corwyn up, and Corwyn would do anything to see his friend smile as well. Like they were brothers, they would face everything together, no matter what may come.
Feeling so within his heart, Corwyn waved at Teo and got some distance from the rest of the squad as he began to resume his training.
Hanaan was watching him out of the corner of his eyes, smiling.
"You think he can do it?"
Dalios posed a question as he saw the stupid grin on the red-haired man's face. Hanaan turned his head back to the tall man covered in scars, still smiling.
"Oh, I'm absolutely sure he can do it. I wasn't entirely convinced back when he asked me to teach him, but now, I believe in him. I think he has potential sleeping within him that could surpass even mine if given enough time. No one else is aware of it, but I truly believe there is something special about this young man. And I want to see what he can accomplish in the future. Don't you think this might be very interesting as well?"
Dalios didn't even need a moment to think about Hanaan's question. He just snorted and shook his shoulders.
"Beats me. If you think he can do it, then he will probably be able to."
"Wow, I'm amazed. It has been a long time since you have said that much, even to me!"
The tall man snorted again, but didn't say anything else. Hanaan laughed for a short while at Dalios' face, then focused his attention back on Corwyn. While the two of them had chatted, the young blacksmith had done multiple sword swings. He still wasn't quite there, but Hanaan sensed that he was progressing at an unbelievable rate. Him mastering the dual blades in two months wasn't something Hanaan would deem impossible anymore.
The expedition party progressed smoothly like this for a long time, until something appeared before them, lying between them and the route they wanted to follow. It was an abandoned village. Even though it stood within reach of an Arcor vein and appeared to have been pretty large for a village, that didn't hinder the inhabitants to emigrate to the bigger cities, where safety was guaranteed up to a certain extent.
The village was obviously in poor condition, with run-down houses and dust everywhere one looked. It seemed interesting enough, and Corwyn's curiosity kicked in, moving him forward. However, Jarrok quickly grabbed him by the arm and stopped him in his tracks.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't go anywhere near there! Abandoned villages and ruins are the favorite hiding places of thieves and bandits. Do you want to run right into an ambush?"
"Oh, so it's like that..."
Corwyn was embarrassed that he didn't think of such a possibility. He immediately took a step back and eyed the village close to a mile away with suspicion. There was no movement or smoke to be seen. But that didn't necessarily mean it was a safe place.
"We will circle around the village and then continue our previous route. Let's not risk anything and go!"
Rogar gave the order, and every expedition member followed it without question.
They started to change directions when suddenly a strange sound reached their ears from behind them. It almost sounded like a ... warhorn?
Just as his Corwyn's brain was beginning to progress what was going on, multiple silhouettes became visible in the distance. They were camel riders, and their number was quite imposing. As more and more of them came into view, Corwyn was sure the number of riders had to at least amount to a few dozens. Every single one of them held weapons in their hands, reflecting the dazzling sunlight. It was obvious that they weren't riding towards them in order to chat.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! Go into formation, quick!"
Rogar, as well as Jarrok, the master-at-arms, were giving out orders to the adventurers. Soldiers moved into the front. The mages fled into the back, hiding behind the soldiers and preparing to support. Wagons were being moved into a defensive line-up. A formation was quickly assembled, and everyone drew their weapons. They were ready to intercept the attackers at any price.
But once again, fate seemed to hold more surprises for them. The moment the preparations were finished, another horn rang out from the direction of the city, and more armed men were storming towards them.
They were trying to pincer them!