Kygo stood in a small near pitch-black room. The room itself was small, round and quite plain apart from the racks of weapons hanging on the stone walls. Abraxos stood behind him steeped in shadow quietly observing him.
The boy had been instructed to pick a weapon off the racks on the wall. Abraxos was curious as what the kid would choose. Various swords, knives, daggers, maces, and even few gauntlets and whips were on display in addition to weapons that were completely foreign to Kygo. There was even a spear or two.
"Each of these are simple basic tier unenchanted weapons," the old man had explained. "When I said that if you lose you die I was not joking. These will cut, gore, maim, bleed, and kill creatures and people alike."
"Alright, I get the picture old man. Time to be serious." Kygo replied rolling his eyes. There were so many weapons. "What to choose though?" he thought.
Kygo slowly began inspecting each weapon. Every weapon looked new and would spill blood easily confirming what the elder man said. "What should I look for in a good weapon? I am totally out of my depth here, Abraxos." Kygo said, half turning back to where he believed the man to be standing.
Although Kygo couldn't see it, his comment brought a smile to the old man's face. "The kid may not have any special training but at least he is not an idiot," he thought.
"You first need to limit your choice to what you know. That should eliminate at least half the weapons here." The man's voice echoed off the cold stone. Kygo nodded. The only weapons he really had an understanding of were the short swords, knives, and daggers.
Each was beautifully crafted. Even for basic tier weapons Kygo could tell that someone had put alot of time and care into crafting these. He tried to lift a long sword off the rack. Immediately he realized it was way too heavy for him and he placed it back. The old man was right again. But how did Abraxos know so much about him and what he needed?
Abraxos felt tempted to hurry the boy up but held his tongue. If the kid was to survive then this process especially, couldn't be rushed. He took another look at the boy. His legs were well sculpted from years of running around the city and his eyes were always alert. The kid was quick with his hands and fingers. Abraxos had heard rumors of a silver haired kid stealing food and medicine and the guards were never quick enough to catch him.
"You're not exceedingly tall or strong in your upper body, but your quick and agile. Try the knives and daggers." Kygo nodded his head in thanks and began looking at various daggers. Some he put back immediately and some he placed to the side. Kygo eventually finished choosing and held two different size blades.
Both were small. Abraxos knew that the smaller blade could be thrown quite easily. Then he looked at the saxe blade.
"Your longer blade is not balanced. It would be wise to choose again."
Kygo swung the blade a couple of times and felt what Abraxos meant. Although the longer blade fit in his palm well, it was blade heavy meaning it could accidently slip out of his hand which could be disastrous during a fight.
He turned back to the other weapons, running his fingers gently over each blades handle until he saw it. It was a beautiful blade. It was in fact almost the size of a short sword. It was about 15 inches and the blade tip curved gently back towards the hilt. He picked it up slowly feeling its weight. It was perfect. Kygo looked up and nodded to Abraxos. "This is it."
"Good. Let's go. We don't have much time." He turned to leave. Kygro fell in behind him. They traveled along many corridors throughout the castle keep, twisting and clibing up and down flights of stairs. Kygo quickly got confused trying to memorize the route but continued to follow Abraxos. They continued moving in silence but as they would pass other groups in the halls and Abraxos tilted his head cordially to every adult that accompanied the other teenagers
"Who are they?" Kygo whispered. Abraxos slowed down slightly and replied.
"Instructors of the various wars schools. Each teacher prepares one student. They will be watching each fight to recruit potential new students." He said no more.
They stopped outside a plain wooden door. Abraxos faced him and held the door open. He could see a another question forming on the boy's lips. "Inside first, then question. Keep it short." Kygo walked in rolling his eyes. The old man was brusque and it annoyed him.
The room was rectangular and double the area of the weapons room.. A thick straw mat covered most of the floor and there was a striking dummy in the far corner. It had various dents and gashes in the wood where previous people trained. Abraxos closed the door behind him and stood next to Kygo. "What is it?"
The question hung in the air for a moment. Kygo didn't know anyone besides Benji and he was puzzled as to why someone would be trying to help him so much. "Why are you helping me?"
Abraxos shrugged his cloak off his shoulders. "I was asked to make sure you survive this. I told you. I have been assigned to get you ready."
"Yes but why and by whom?" Kygo started to get angry now. He didn't enjoy playing games when it was his neck on the line.
The old man just shook his head. "You'll find out eventually I hope. First thing is surviving this test. I dont have alot of time to train you but I can offer you the best chance to live. Most boys here are gonna be taller and stronger which means they are going to use bigger swords and heavier weapons. Let me see your stance."
Kygo spread his feet apart and held his hands in front keeping his elbows in close but continued glaring at the old man. This was the first thing Abraxos had taught him early in the week. Abraxos studied his stance as he circled. "Too much weight on your front leg. Shift it equal."
Kygo shifted his weight. "What happens if I win?" He imagined enough gold to buy a house and maybe some girls at his side.
"Then you'll be taken in front of the battle masters. One will have to choose to train you."
He continued to circle helping Kygo make small corrections to his posture and stance.
"What if no one picks me?"
Abraxos sighed. "If you win at least one will want you. If you lose you won't have to worry anymore."
"You are a wonderful encouraging old man." Kygo said dryly. He was beginning to like the old man but he wasn't quite sure yet.
"And you are an annoying child who is getting ready to fight to the death and you are still not focusing. Ive seen many rats like yourself come through here and most of them leave as corpses. Now pull out your blades and I'll show you how to use them." Kygo suddenly didn't feel so confident and complied.
When Abraxos deemed that his fighting stance was passable, he moved on. "Best bet is to use your speed and agility. Your blades can be versatile but you lack the range others will have. Get in close."
The next few days were a blur. Kygo had learned the basics of double knife defense. It would enable him to stop bigger enemies from killing him with massive strength in their swings. The downside was that it only worked well against other bladed weapons. Maces and axes would have to be dodged.
Kygo was currently memorizing striking points on the dummy. Sweat poured of his head as he focused his strikes into each of the areas that Abraxos has marked. Elbow, neck, back of the knees and ankles were easy spots to immobilize and kill quickly. He also learned joint manipulation just incase he was disarmed and the most basic hand to hand skills.
Kygo was feeling more confident as Friday morning came around. He showered and got dressed quickly. Abraxos met him at the door to his room. The fight would be held in a arena known only to teachers and the royals. Head teachers from each of the battle schools would be present.
"Abraxos, any other help?" Kygo asked as they made their way to a waiting room. Abraxos turned and looked at the boy. There was a sadness etched on the teachers facial features although he was trying his best to hide it. "I know you have some kind of understanding of magic. It probably wouldn't hurt to use it if you can. The others won't hold back. You cannot either."
They arrived at the waiting room and knight opened the door. Kygo walked in alone and found that the room had quite a few other kids in there already waiting.
He found a spot near the back out of the way. Most other kids were sizing up the competition. It was one fight. Win or die. Nothing else and no one else mattered.
Suddenly a dark brown haired kid stood in Kygo's face. Kygo blinked and stepped back. The kid was way too close for comfort. The boy didn't seem to notice and he wore a huge smile. "Hi! My names Rowan but you can call me Moose."
The suddenness of it suprised Kygo. "Erm ... hi Moose. You do realize half of us are going to die today right?" He stepped back again.
Moose smile faltered. "Yeah. I... just don't wann think about it ya know?" His face was still round and boyish where as most other kids had begun changing. "If we both survive, do you want to be friends? It be nice to have at least one friend after all this."
Abraxos had warned him not to make attachments. However Moose just had a face that seemed so innocent despite the gravity of what was about to occur. Kygo smiled. "Sure Moose. If we both survive, we can be friends." He stuck out his hand and Moose shook it and smiled again.
Noone was talking. Suddenly a doorway appeared in the side of the room. A thin faced man stepped in and read off a name from parchment paper. A big kid with red hair and a chain mace stood up and followed the man out. once they stepped through the door, it vanished completely.
About ten minutes later it happened again. Another name another fight. Noone ever came back. Tensions continued to rise in the room. a few kids broke outnin arguements. Kygo started stretching. "I gotta stay limber," he thought.
Soon there were only five kids left in the room. The door opened again and the man stepped in. "Rowan."
Moose locked eyes with Kygo. Kygo gave him a weak thumbs up and wished him good luck. Then Moose was gone.
There was no way for any of them to know the results of the matches or who was next on the chopping block. There were no windows so noone really had any accurate feeling of how much time passed in between fights.
After what seemed like forever the door appeared again. Kygo didn't hear his name being read but knew it had been deep in his bones. He took a deep breath. He stood and double checked the leather sheaths on him then followed the thin man through the door way.
The door dissappeared and with the wave of the man's hand the world spun away. "Huh... teleportation magic... cool," He thought. Then everything glowed purple. He closed his eyes and waited as they dissappeared.
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