Elijah’s movements were somewhat unlike those of his master. Every knight of the Order of the Shades developed their own unique style of combat. Honed through decades of experience. However, most Shades knew the basics of each other’s techniques. Dín Zal? held his sword with a reverse grip and performed quick and shallow half-turns that either slashed or stabbed his opponent, depending on the direction of the turn. This technique became known as the Way of the Gale. It was highly aggressive, and few could defend against it. Though, if one could, the Way of the Gale had very few defensive maneuvers. Luckily for Dín Zal?, he had yet to meet such an opponent. Duncan Caine, on the other hand, relied mostly on his stature and strength. He wielded a hefty broadsword two-handed and fought using powerful, full-bodied strikes that could cleave stone. This technique was called the Way of the Thunder and was named in honor of the cracking sound that Caine’s strikes produced upon impact.

  Elijah’s style, however, resembled more of a dance. His attacks were fluid as he swept his blade lightly through the air in a figure-eight-like pattern. His attacks were accompanied by a similar set of movements, consisting of meticulously practiced footwork, as he continuously circled his opponent. He called this technique the Way of the Water, and it was equally reliable on offense and defense. Elijah fluidly spun around his opponent, striking quickly from multiple angles. Very few had lasted long against him in combat. And, if the situation did not require much effort, all Shades could also revert to the basic Way of the Shade that all new apprentices learned. This technique combined all of the common attacks and defenses and laid a sound foundation for future development.[1]

  There was also one last mysterious technique Elijah could use, though he rarely had to resort to it, and only in fighting against his master had he ever come close to fully harnessing the technique’s full potential. Elijah knew he was the only being on Terra who could harness this power. He also knew that this power was why Dín Zal? searched for him all those years ago. But Elijah had yet to figure out what the purpose of his having such power was.

  ***

  The We’tí’ka screeched in frustration. None of its attacks had yet landed. Elijah was masterfully deflecting its sharp talons, but it was also able to defend against all of Elijah’s attacks so far. The creature and Elijah both stood in the creek at the bottom of the ravine. They were facing each other, and each was pacing, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The creature suddenly leaped forward and swiped its long and sharp talons at Elijah’s face. Elijah expertly deflected the blow and spun around to strike the creature. However, the We’tí’ka proved too agile and jumped away from Elijah’s blow. Elijah cursed under his breath in frustration and spat on the ground. This fight had been going on for too long, and he began to feel himself tiring. I’ve got to land a blow, he thought. Then maybe that will slow this monster down.

  Elijah knew that he had to switch tactics. He inhaled deeply and squinted his eyes at the creature. He contorted his face into a look that his horse Shadow was very familiar with and then spun his sword around in his hand so that now he was holding it in a reverse grip, just like his old master. Elijah let out a yell and rushed towards the We’tí’ka. The creature responded and lunged toward Elijah. Less than a second before the creature was in range to claw at Elijah, the knight swiftly turned his body ninety degrees so that now he was facing the left wall of the ravine. He nimbly swung his sword as he spun. He heard a wet squelching noise and felt a warm liquid spray his hand. He then repeated the turn so that he was facing the We’tí’ka again. This time, Elijah spun with the tip of the sword pointing towards the creature. Elijah’s sword pierced the creature in the middle of its ribcage. The creature let out a dying gasp of air, and Elijah roughly yanked his sword out of the monster’s torso. When the We’tí’ka’s corpse hit the ground, it split in two as Elijah’s first blow and almost entirely severed it at the waist.

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  Elijah looked down at the creature, slung the majority of the viscera off of his sword, washed the rest of the blood off in the creek, and dried the sword by rubbing it on a patch of grass. I’m sure glad Dín wasn’t around to see that, he thought. He would never stop gloating over how his technique is superior to mine. Elijah grinned at the thought of his master and then put his sword back in its sheath.

  ***

  Upon climbing out of the ravine and walking towards the road, Elijah heard a familiar set of hoofs trotting towards him. He turned around to find his dependable stead Shadow, standing before him, in perfect health.

  “It’s very much like you to show up the moment a battle is through,” Elijah said sarcastically. He walked over and began petting the horse. “I’m glad you’re okay, buddy.”

  Shadow neighed happily as Elijah, and he made their way back to the road. Once they got to the road, Elijah climbed onto Shadow.

  “No more detours for a while, what do you say?” Elijah asked, patting his horse on the neck. Shadow shook his head in agreement, and Elijah chuckled. “Yeah, I thought you’d agree. Now to find those Ruffians.”

  As Shadow trotted down the road, Elijah began to drift off into sleep. The fight against the We’tí’ka had taken a lot of his stamina. Every now and then, a rough part of the trail would jolt him awake, but for the most part, he slept well.

  ***

  The Ruffian band led by Commander Kagé arrived in Green Bank, a small village on the banks of the Green River in The Midlands, nearly two days prior.[2] It did not take long before they had ransacked the town and made the local tavern – The Tamed Cock – their base of operations. The mayor of Green Bank, James O’Dell, stayed locked inside of his manor with the rest of the townsfolk he considered important. Commander Kagé had ordered his men to pillage the town and its nearby lands until they were bored. Once the boredom set in, then the Ruffians would break into the manor and conclude their murdering and stealing. At least in this area.

  One of the members of Kagé’s band stumbled out of the tavern to relieve himself in some nearby bushes. The Ruffians had been drinking heavily since they arrived. The man who was reliving himself had a particularly ugly face that could be attributed to his crooked nose that appeared to have broken, and poorly reset, no less than six times. Upon concluding his business, the man heard what he thought sounded like a canary, which was beyond common in these parts. He turned around and was immediately met with a mop handle across his face, which rebroke his already disfigured nose. The man lay on the ground, riving in pain until a knife slid across his throat, silencing him.

  Above the particularly ugly, previously stinking drunk, and now stone-dead man was a young girl with dark red hair and emerald-green eyes. She could not have been older than eleven. Her name was Lily. She was a local orphan girl and someone the mayor did not think was important enough to keep protected in his manor.

  

  
1. For more information about the many different fighting styles across Terra see Appendix J. ↑


  
2. For more information about the important people and places of Terra see Appendices C and G. ↑