"Catch."
In a moment's notice, a long, sharp piece of metal was lunged at Astryd. Out of instinct, she dodged it by side stepping out of its path and pulling her arms close to her chest.
Kincade, the one who threw the sword at her, lightly chuckled and shook his head.
"You need to work on those reflexes to start."
They were standing on the main deck in an area that was clear of any objects or crewman. A layer of clouds covered the sun today, and there was a light breeze, which Astryd was very thankful for.
With a small pout, Astryd marched over to where the sword landed and picked it up by its hilt. She found it to be surprisingly light. It felt like a thin stick in her small hands. The blade of the sword was only two finger's wide.
"Spadroons are good practice swords. They're also good for close combat in small spaces. But because they are so light, they do little damage. One hard blow by a cutlass to one of these and your spadroon can be cut in half. Once you get your bearings with these, I'll move you up to a cutlass. Now," Kincade moved into a fighting stance, "try to hit me. I know you want to."
"Fine by me." Astryd took two long strides across the deck and raised her sword high before swiftly bringing it down onto Kincade. If only he hadn't blocked the attempt, that is.
Kincade raised his sword to meet with Astryd's, and where she expected her ears to sting with a loud clanging of metal, there was a light clink.
Is that it? she thought.
She tried again, this time swinging her sword low. Kincade blocked the move, and the impact of Kincade's block caused her blade to bend and wobble. She side stepped around Kincade and spun her blade around with all her might, trying to hit him in the back. He blocked that strike too, and it only made Astryd's blade tremble even more.
Astryd tried one last time, charging with the tip of her sword aimed at Kincade. With one swift movement, he used the wide end of his blade to force Astryd's sword off course.
She stepped back, lightly panting and glaring at Kincade's smug grin.
"How do you expect me to fight with this? It's like swinging around a feather!"
"Really? Judging by how much you were struggling, I assumed the blade was too heavy for you," Kincade replied in a mocking tone.
"Morgan!" Astryd yelled over her shoulder. The tall, dark skinned man turned around with eyebrows raised. "Get me a cutlass," Astryd ordered. Morgan nodded, turned around, and walked away.
"I see you're making good use of your new rank," Kincade joked.
Morgan returned with two cutlasses and handed one to each opponent. This time, Astryd took a fighting stance with one foot in front of the other and her weight evenly balanced. She took a moment to feel the weight of the new sword in her hand. After only a few moments of holding it, her arm was already getting tired.
"Too heavy for you? Because it's not too late to change back to your feather sword," Kincade mocked, still standing in a casual position.
With a battle cry, Astryd charged at Kincade with even more force and power. By the glimpse Astryd got of Kincade's expression, he seemed slightly caught of guard as he faced out the wide end of his blade to block the blow. Their swords met with a loud clang.
Now Kincade took the offensive position and made a move to swing low. Astryd caught it in time by swinging her sword around to meet his. While Kincade's position was compromised, Astryd swung her leg out to knock Kincade off his feet, but Kincade caught her foot in his hand.
YOU ARE READING
New Horizons (A Pirate Story)
Adventure"How dare you bring me aboard this ship without so much as telling me what you are?" She yelled. Kincade let out a smug grin, one that infuriated Astryd even more. She took a few more steps toward him so that they were mere feet apart. He looked dow...
