Eros

The Blackrose Legacy - 54

"Faster, faster!" Rake's yelling echoed loudly in the silence of the night. He ran on the sandy street a few steps ahead of Kaido, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "How do you plan on being a swordsman if you can't even run?"

Kaido groaned as he picked up his pace. His mouth was dry as sand, his lungs screamed for air, and the muscles of his legs burnt so bad he could swear they were on fire. He almost reached Rake, and coughed as he panted in the smoke of his cigarette.

"Don't break down now, kid." Rake took a turn out of the street, and ran on faster, showing no sign of discomfort. "We're almost there."

The flagstones turned into sand, and lifting his feet only got harder as they sunk in it. Kaido was in such agony he barely noticed the golden fields at his sides. He slowed down, and it took all his willpower to not stop running.

"Come on kid!" Rake called at him over his shoulder, exhaling smoke. "Just till the river!"

Kaido saw Sky River in the distance, and pushed his muscles back to pace. His stomach stirred, and he was glad he hadn't eaten anything, else he would have puked. The bank of the river approached, the sheen of moonlight on its dark blue surface beckoning him like paradise.

Rake stopped before it, and smoked the rest of his cigarette by the time Kaido arrived. He dropped to his knees, then to all fours, chest heaving, and sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Running's fun, eh?" Rake laughed, his breath but slightly heavy, and clapped Kaido's back. Kaido hawked up phlegm, and spat. A dangling string of spit clung to his dry lips before dropping to the sand. Real fucking fun.

He crawled to the riverbank, cupped its cold water in his palms, splashed his face, and drank thirstily.

"Drink slowly. In small sips. And don't drink a lot, we're not even done with the warm up, you don't want a gallon of water turning in your stomach."

Not even done with the warm up... Dread fell upon Kaido.

"We swim upstream."

Upstream? Kaido's jaw slacked. Rake unbuttoned and shrugged out of his shirt, tugged open his belt, and pushed down his trousers, stepping to the riverbank. "Make sure you give it your best efforts. The farther you let the river carry you, farther you have to run back."

-

Rake made him swim against the stream until his limbs could no longer resist it, and then, as he promised, run back all the way the river carried them, to where they left their clothes. He was given but a short minute to dress before they ran to Rake's house.

By the time they reached it, dawn lit the skies, and the cool water of the river on Kaido's skin was replaced by hot sweat. He collapsed to his hands and knees on the yard's cobblestones.

All the curses he learnt in his life in the streets and orphanages rewinded in his mind as he ran and swam. But now, he was so tired he lost the ability to think. So tired he couldn't fully comprehend how tired he was.

"Stand up." Rake said. "Never show your weakness. Swordplay is every bit as mental as it is physical. Look tired, and you will encourage your opponent. Look fresh as he gets tired, and you will crack his confidence."

His muscles wailed for him not to, but he found himself slowly standing up. Rake nodded, and handed him a waterskin. He squeezed it eagerly, spilling the water on his head and into the drought of his mouth and throat.

"Small sips." Rake reminded as he paced to the far end of the shelves, where swords forged of iron laid dark and solid. He crouched and glanced along the blades, then picked two by their hilts, drew them out, and looked to Kaido. "Take these."