"One. And two. And three, Spar!" Eliwood yells. His vibrant long red hair flowing to the sound of his booming voice and extravagant jawline and facial structure. Eliwood is one of the teachers in the Training course. He's tried to teach me how to handle swords in a proper manner, but I can't get the hang of it.
He's been focusing deeply on a style called 'Lord's Stance' which is mainly focused on counters, and disarming opponents. Rito and I aren't in the same circulation schedule either, as he is in Elementary right now. I know he's already made a lot of friendships, even in my group. I am happy for him, but I miss when it was just me and him, as he hasn't had as much time with me. At least I get some alone time which is always nice, I wish I could see him just a bit more-
"Judari! Are you ready?" Eliwood yells as he towers over me.
"Yes sir sorry sir!" I shout back, as I take stance. My opponent is a Castellan by the name of Siegfried, he acts like an ass most of the time, so I'll hopefully win this to gain some up on him.
"Again, One, and two, and three, SPAR!" Eliwood yells again as I slowly creep forward on the gravel like arena, as the lanterns on the side of the tree's wooden walls light up each of our swords with a sleek glow. Siegfried's eyes light with ivor, his emerald eyes clearing the room for himself.
As if no matter what he does, he will be fine. Suddenly as I come within a two meter distance of him, he leaps at me with sword in hand. I quickly get ready to catch him in my sword, as he grates against my sword, producing a clear cut sound of metal scrapes.
He flings behind me, ready with another swing. And as he spins upwards with his blade, I completely clash against it. He slightly loosens from his hands, as he lets it fall in a reverse grip. He plunges his blade into the gravel below us, flinging dust into my eyes.
I quickly focus my legs to get away, and I finally get a chance to wipe my eyes off. Completely still for a couple of seconds, we stand in a dead-lock. I quickly break the silence, and start my sprint towards him. He readies his sword, and as I am about to slash, his blade begins a glow, without me noticing, he'd applied an element onto his blade.
And as my sword crashes towards his, it bounces off. A buzzing wisps sounds through the room, as his weapon is flashed in a thundering web of lightning. His golden hair raises slightly from the current. He again leaps towards me, but with a pierce like strike, his blade faces top first. I buck my whole body to the left, dodging his attack, but just as I get out of the way, he swings up again, I clank his blade away.
And Siegfried loses his grip, but with the recoil from his thundering blade my own grip loosens to make me lose my sword to the ground.
"And Set!" We both stop dead in our tracks, I look at the equally exhausted Siegfried. We each pick up our swords and seathe them into their holders.
"Tch, can't expect much of a Vind, can't even handle using elements." He says spitefully.
"Ey Siegfried, cut that out!" Eliwood yells out.
"Anyhow, good match you two, but I saw more fighting than testing techniques. Next time I want to see some more skill than flash, are we clear?"
"Yes sir!" We yell.
"Good, and for now we will be wrapping up, I'll see you all tomorrow!" Eliwood yells out to the class. Everyone packs their gleaming swords in their seathes, and I step of the small arena onto the tree's floor
I step outside to the barren empty hallway, and look upon the next room. 'Elementary' the sign said. I peer beyond the cloudy window frame through the door, and see a familiar blue face working alone. I crash the the door with a roar
"OI RITO!" He jumps up from his chair, nearly knocking himself over.
"What the shit Judari, I was trying to concentrate." He sits down again with his papers looking frustrated.
"Aww come on, it was just for fun. And why are you still up here, I can see you're the only one left."
"I want to be ready for a test tomorrow."
"Onnn?" I ask in an annoying tone.
"The Great Vampiric War of the Six's." He answers looking down at his papers again.
"Boring! Let's get going."
"Gods you are impatient." He writes a couple of letters, but quickly stops.
"Hm, well y'know what. I am done, I kind of wanna hurry to lunch anyway. I heard there is real meat today, instead of fish." Rito says, nearly drooling at the thought.
"Woaw, so me wanting you to stop studying wasn't enough, but the thought of meat was? That's low Rito." I smile.
"Hey it's a combo of both. I've also been priming my mind to some charges in my off time, I didn't wanna show you since it was supposed to be a big surprise. But I guess now wouldn't be too bad." Rito says as he unsheathed his dull blade, tons of small dents and chips have damaged the blade, not to mention the amount of Sigil inscriptions on his sword doesn't help. Not much better than a butter knife.
"Okay watch, I've been really good at focusing on Ice, but I'm still working on Flame and Thunder, I don't know why I have such an easier time imagining cold and stuff, then the two others." Rito blabbers on, as he finally takes a stance, his blade pointing to the ceiling.
A frost mist starts forming from the bottom and up, slowly turning into solid ice chunks across the weapon.
"I got it! Alright let me swing it." He readies a swing, and as soon as he lunges it across. It snaps in half with a loud crack.
"Oh shit." The top half of the sword flings off and hits the ground.
"This is what happens if you don't take care of your sword Rito, you may scold me for not keeping good track of myself, but look at your poor sword!" Rito stands in silence at the death of his sword.
"Well, I guess there is nothing to do other than take it to the blacksmith." Rito states, staring at the now melting ice leaking from the broken top of his sword.
"And where is that?"
"Just below, it will be quick and then we can go eat." Rito hides his frown with a large smile, his confidence shattered by his own shattered sword. And after Rito had sulked for a bit, we finally got to moving downstairs. Walking through the empty halls of the tree yet again, as we come to a section we like to call the 'shopping' area.
Many boutiques and shops were set around inside the walls of the tree, acting as stalls, but unlike the massive Sentinel, this was much more cozy, and safe. Near to this area was the smithing room, where aspiring blacksmiths could train their craft for free, of course while mass producing swords for The Order.
Long dark-gray chains connect from the ceiling, along the many black and metal workshops. Long strands of flowing lava run from long condense rock conveyors, into massive smoking forges scattered across the room with anvils beside in toe.
There was only one person inside the smithing room, a large man with dark brown hair and muted amber skin, his black goggles and strong face lit up by his constant hammering of the craft beneath him.
Rito knocks on the side of the wall, drawing the attention of the smith. He lifts his goggles up revealing a more vibrant skin tone not covered by ash and dust.
"What's up, you need something?" He had stopped hammering for a second to look at Rito.
"I'm uh, I'm here to get my sword fixed, it snapped in half." Rito pauses.
"If you aren't busy of course!" He says flustered.
"I'm not, just practicin' ya know! Could I see the sword?" The smith asks, Rito walks over to the towering man.
"What's your name by the way?" Rito asks as he places the sword parts onto a near workbench.
"Kaladin, but let me take a look at your blade first." He slightly glances over the broken sword pieces, not even lifting them.
"Hmpf, this sword doesn't need repairing my friend, it needs a full replacement."
"That's too bad, how much silver would that cost?"
"Well that depends if you want a basic sword like your old one."
"Is there a second option?"
"Well I can always forge a stronger custom." Kaladin says chucking the broken sword into a basket filled to the brim with all sorts of metals and steels.
"And how much will that cost?" Rito asks.
"Hmm, since it's your first time down here, how about for free?"
"You would do that just for me?" Rito says in a half sarcastic tone.
"Course, I need some practice with more robust swords anyway, do you wanna watch me make it?" Rito stands for a second.
"Why not." He says as he takes close watch of how Kaladin does his job, at this point why am I even needed here. I'll meet up with Rito later I suppose, and lunch wouldn't hurt.
The cafeteria reeks and I can't figure of what. The smell has this wetness to it, like a mixture of all rotten foods together with all the freshness, neither overpowering each other, but coexisting, even needing each other to some extent.
I don't know if I like this smell, it's become sort of a reminder of comfort, and as I haven't been home in so long, it's nice to be reminded of a place you can just let go. But do I not miss those long hallways of sandstone to death, even if the sanctuary was closed off to the world.
I wonder how my dad is doing, still sitting disheveled in his room I'm guessing. I want to make him proud, but what I still don't get about him.
He was always so upbeat and focused on being a Sigil, he'd always talk so vividly about his missions with mom, what beasts they slayed and how many people they arrested, but as soon as he retired, it's as if he despises The Order, he told me not to go, but I can only imagine it's because I was leaving, right? I hope so. Where are people? The cafeteria is completely empty. Must've been stuck in my own head for a while.
The whole tree seems so empty when staring out into the forest through this massive window embedded into the wall. Looking out across Palelink, the lit up shore city, fletching across the borders to the ocean. With the large mountains and titanical trees serving as a backdrop, with small slits of moonlight flood from the splits and creases across the sky covering canopies.
The small pin points of shining light in the sky. The stars speak to me in some way, calling for me. What is out there I wonder, the possibility of an endless black sea like our ocean seems all but impossible. Maybe there isn't much down here, but up along the stars, that's where I want to go, maybe one day. It's getting late, I should get back to the room, I can just hope Rito isn't praying to the god of rules again.
I crank the handle on flimsy door into my room, and as I step in the smell of burnt shrapnel enters my nose, during our stay Rito has been carving and sharpening his sword continuously, making our room smell of metal, I don't mind too much but it's getting on my nerves, and speaking of Rito.
"Hey, you up to anything?" I ask Rito, who is laying on his bed with his face turned into his pillow. Slight sounds pass through the fabric.
"Did that Kaladin fellow get you a new sword made?" Rito slowly raises his face from the weirdly wet pillow. He straightens up towards the back wall.
"So?..."
"Judari, could you sit." Rito asks, wiping across his eyes.
"Of course, what's wrong?." Rito sighs deeply.
"I've been thinking about this for a long time now, but you know that day I came to the sanctuary?"
"Yes of course, how could I forget."
"Well, I used to live in Alana with my parents, but that day. It was attacked." He looks to the ground, his eyes hollow.
"Attacked, by who?"
"... Wraith Knights, all it took was five of them to completely overwhelm the place, I've never seen so much blood and ash, there were so many bodies I-, I can't even," Rito pauses.
"But your parents and a small patrol of Sigils came. It was absolute mayhem, large ice spikes and blasts of black flames flew all over the place, multiple people fleeing from the place, I even remember some person who looked just like me run away, but in the midst of all the chaos, a Wraith Knight found me.
I begged and screamed for help, and just before the beast swung through me, Vari. Your mom saved me…"
"My mom saved you, I'm so glad-"
"But, in return. She had turned her back to another of the Wraiths. All I remember from there is just a large cleave of a sword sticking through her. She saved me, Judari. But died because of me, I killed your mom Judari. I killed her." Rito puts his head between his knees. As I sit like a fool, staring out into nothing while my best friend is bawling his eyes out.
"I…" I sit for a second, not knowing fully how to react.
"I don't. I don't blame you, okay. She knew her duty, and if anything. I'm proud she went out like a hero, saving you." Small droplets had even formed in my eyes now. Honestly, I don't blame Rito, but I can't help but feel awful sitting next to him now, he is the reason my mom is no longer here.
"I really hope you can forgive me. After your dad had carried me all the way back to the sanctuary, he told me to never bring it up. But I just couldn't hold it in any longer. Kaladin convinced me to tell you after a talk we had." He says, wiping long streaks of tears off his blue cheek. So he told Kaladin first, I can't say I'm completely surprised.
"It's fine." I hoist myself up from the sleepless bed and over to my own.
"I'll just sleep on it, but thanks for telling me." I can barely say thanks for this, how can I lie.
"Okay Judari, goodnight." Rito mutters as I lay my head. And again, my head wont stop spinning around, a whirlwind of thoughts, all screaming at me so loud begging me to listen to each one. I can try to listen to one single, but it gets flooded over by the barrage of constant nagging and noise.