Metal and Flesh (The Rohvim, Book 1)

15.1 Duel

"The first shall be second and the second shall be first. The conquering enemy and the friend shall become the deliveror and the the tyrant. But the two enemies shall reconcile, though but for a moment." -Burdens of Galen, 2:11

  

THE TRAVELERS set out late that evening, after the sun had fallen. The company passed out of the town under a blanket of darkness and fog, which rolled in from the sea. They climbed the hill above the town and re-entered the forest to the north, angling now to the northeast, toward Volda, the nearest of the northern kingdoms. They marched through the forest for hours, at times unsure of their direction. They gradually sank lower, until they came to the edge of a precipice that looked out over a broad, wooded valley, faintly illuminated by the pale light of pre-dawn. Near a stream, they stopped, and decided to rest for the night, laying out their bedding under the trees for cover from the fog.

   Aeden and Priam ate some of their provisions, and decided to blow off some steam. They distanced themselves a bit from the group, taking their swords and armor with them. They dueled, as they once did as children and as they had done just weeks before the nightmare. Aeden smiled at last, for the first time in days, as Priam lunged at him, only to miss as the more talented boy dodged and delivered his counterstrike. Priam swore, to Aeden's delight.

   "Getting a little rusty, are we?" he jeered. Priam struck again, even sloppier, as the sleepless night of marching began to show. Aeden laughed, and as his friend missed he grabbed his wrist with his left hand and elbowed him in the stomach with his right elbow. Priam dropped the sword and doubled over as Aeden released him and stepped back a few paces, still chuckling.

   When Priam recovered his breath, he remarked bitterly, "The heavens always did seem to favor you, friend." He wheezed.

   Aeden bowed, "Heir of the sixth duke, at your service."

   Priam grimaced, and Aeden bent down to help raise his friend up. They heard a voice behind them.

   "Bravo!" Swordmaster Arturo approached, clapping slowly. He stood before them, holding his sword. "May I join you?"

   Aeden and Priam nodded, with Aeden adding, "I daresay you may teach us a few things, sir."

   Arturo inclined his head toward them. "More than a few, I think." He said, giving a sly wink. "Your technique is excellent, worthy almost of the royal guard." He said to both of them. "But you fight as regular men, and not as the rohvim you are. Come, enter my mind for a moment. I have something to show you."

   The boys looked at each other and shrugged. They sheathed their swords and placed a hand each on the man's head. Once inside, they found themselves in a fighting practice room, yet one such that the king himself would envy. Targets and wooden people and bales of hay and many styles of swords and daggers and armors lay about.

   Arturo gestured them over to his mind's wall. Come, look here. Near the body section you see some controls that govern some of our rohva powers. He waved his arm over some knobs and indicators just past the mind section that Aeden remembered the master healer showing him yesterday. This second set here controls what has colloquially come to be known as the soul shock-that is what the young woman used against you last week-yes I was watching. To use it, you need to be partially in the real world, and partially here, at the controls. It takes some practice, splitting your attention like that, but soon you will do it without hardly thinking.

   This first dial controls the intensity. This second one controls the repetition rate-it can be set to steady, or it can be set as high as ... well, far faster than you could keep track of. We find that different repetition rates can create vastly varying effects. For now, until you learn more, keep this one at the lowest setting. The third control you see is a button that initiates the release of ... soul, so to speak, or lightning.

   None of us really believe that it is our soul itself striking an opponent, but to the common observer, that is what they would think. The same effect is observed when you chop off a person's head, for example, which is how this power got its name. That needle you see above this section shows you how much strength you have left. You can only use this and other powers so much until your strength becomes lessened, and believe me, you will feel it. You'll become weak, you might shake, and you'll feel like eating an entire steer-in fact if you get too low, you'll very well have to eat an entire steer to recover your strength. The boys nodded. Ready to try it?

   Priam responded, Let's do this. They left Arturo's mind, and drew their swords.