Life for a Lonesome Swordsman - Elb'ren Esta'clyn

[Cambo]

[SIZE=16]'Nyiriltyanam Ela' - Beginnings[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=10](Nyiriltyanam is elven for "Chapter," Ela is 'one'.. Aname 'two', so on.. for future chapters)[/SIZE]

Upon reaching Port Hempstead, Elb'ren thought about what to do first."First plan of action," he thought to himself, "Is to map out this city... orientate myself with where everything is which will save much time in the future.  So immediately, he bound himself to the nearest bindstone and set off towards the Wharf.  Mapping out the city, he eventually ended up in the halfling merchants' room purchasing his weapon of choice... a Greatsword.  Walking out of the door he almost ran into a man, a human, taller than he so Elb'ren had to look up to meet his eyes.  "Hello!  Lance Stargazer's the name, are you new here?"  Greeted the man but Elb'ren, being the rough unsociable elf he had turned into, shrugged him off and walked out.  Lance was persistent, though, and followed Elb'ren outside, insisting on showing him the city and helping him get situated.  Sighing with exasperation, Elb'ren acquiesced.  "If I don't accept this man's help, he'll never leave me alone..."
     
    After Lance was done and gone Elb'ren had a general knowledge of Hempstead.  Walking through the Municipal District of the Port City, he happened upon this woman... a rude attitude and grouchy face made Elb'ren want to leave her alone, but then she told him she needed help.  "If, Rofirein, this is what you want me to do... to help this woman... then so be it." Sighed the elf, unsheathing his sword and testing his grip on it, taking a few practice swings before his descent into what unexpected surprises awaited him below.  "Oi der, laddie!" Cried a dwarf, approaching him from the wharf with dwarven woman by his side and a flaming pick in his hand.  "Ye plannin' on goin' down der 'lone?  Tha's a mighty big s'ord ye got der, but y'ain't standin' a chance 'gainst dem tings... those walkin' froggers dey be."  Running a hand through his hair and regarding the dwarf he thought to be annoying Elb'ren shook his head and leaned his sword against the railing, crossing his arms and waiting for an explanation.  After a few minutes of listening to the dwarf ramble on, introducing himself as Harkah, and his female companion praising him every few seconds, Elb'ren grabbed his sword and began his descent into the sewers...
     
     Fwom!  His sword sprang into flames and he looked back, seeing the dwarf following behind and the woman as well, both having their respective weapons drawn, flames on them too.  Turning back around he chuckled inwardly, half-heartedly.  The first encounters with the rats of the sewers were nothing, they were only a little bigger than regular everyday rats, and were very weak.  As the three traveled deeper into the sewers, however, the number of rats increased, if only by a little bit, but the biggest difference Elb'ren noticed was the different creatures that started to appear.  They began to encounter what he took to be the 'Walking Frogs' as the dwarf had called them earlier, but with three people bashing them to the ground, a shriek would shortly follow and the "Sahuagin" would fall to the ground.  Spiders began to appear as well, trying to poison the three, but they yielded to the weight of Elb'ren's swing and the blunt side of the sword splattered their guts in all directions.
     
     "This is getting too eas-" Thought Elb'ren to himself, and his thoughts were interrupted as he spotted strangely glowing movements ahead.  It was then that he sensed the magical presence.  From out of the green fog the that pervaded the sewers stepped a Sahuagin, larger than the rest they had fought, holding a staff and wearing a vicious snarl.  "Ouuut!" It hissed, "Out of theeese sewers at once, or you will feel my wrrath!!" Feeling a hint of outrage at being challenged by this... evil creature, this... thing, Elb'ren growled lowly and charged at the approaching Sahuagin as it waved its hands casting something at Harkah.  Although it got the spell off, the sickening pop that resulting from the spell doing surprisingly little damage to the stout dwarf, the opening created by such a move was the perfect chance for Elb'ren and he leaped at it, slashing diagonally.  Seeing the elf's move, the Sahuagin grinned evilly and dove to the side, dodging most of Elb'ren's attack.  "Such speed!" The elven swordsman quickly muttered in elvish, something he would do when caught by surprise, but he almost instantaneously changed the course of his swing by altering the movement of his right arm and lopped off one of the shaman's arms.  Screaming in agony, it tried to cast a spell at Elb'ren.  He looked around for the two dwarves, looking for anyone to stop its spellcasting before he was fried to a crisp, but other sahuagin and rats had appeared keeping them occupied while Elb'ren was fought with the shaman.  Turning back to face his enemy head on with a grim expression, he was ready to take the brunt of the spell when all of a sudden the casting stopped.  Raising an eyebrow confusedly, he realized that the shaman needed both hands for the spell-casting and component throwing.  Sprinting across the gap between them with a dark chuckle and drawing back his sword he looked the shaman in the eyes, seeing the fear of death impressed upon the very core of it's gaze, and swung down with all his might...

[Cambo]

The head of the shaman fell to the ground, the slash so swift and strong that the body still stood until it toppled over its own weight.  Wiping his bloodied sword on its lifeless body, Elb'ren turned to help out the two dwarves.  Only.. they needed no help, they had taken care of their share of the fight as well.  "For the first time in ages... someone worthy of being counted on..." Elb'ren remarked to himself, watching the dwarf pulling the tip of his pick out of the three impaled rats on the end.  For a moment, while the other two weren't looking, his mind flashed back to that event... so long ago... so vividly, his father burning away before him in a fiery inferno.  His father, his idol, his mentor, the one he trusted in as a child.  Gone.

     Blinking back into the current and now, he realized the dwarves were now ready to go, so they trekked a little farther into the deepest and dank part of the sewers, finding the pipe that the lady wanted unclogged.  And there it was, a small, cowardly, sahuagin with a clog... clogging the pipe.  Sighing, Elb'ren drew his sword and the little runt shrieked and ran.  Shocked and surprised yet again... this time because he had never seen one of those things run from battle before, he watched in amazement as it sped away to its escape.  That is, until Harkah roared and gave chase, waking Elb'ren from his odd state.  Spreading out so that the three formed a triangle of sorts they charged in, gaining on the squeaking Sahuagin.  Once, twice, three time the two dwarves would seem to corner him into a narrow space while Elb'ren took a slash at him, but he always seemed to move in a way to take minimal damage from the blow and keep on trucking to his escape.  Finally, after many attempts to trap him, he was cornered into someplace unescapable.  Interrogating him were Harkah and Elb'ren, each taking turns asking questions and intimidating the sniveling creature.  Snatching the pipe clogger from the amphibious little squirt's outstretched hands, it pleading mercy, Harkah tossed it to Elb'ren.  "Ye be needin' dat, Aye, elf?" Looking down at the object he shook his head.  "Such a small thing causing such a large fuss... I have to admit, though, this venture was rather exciting..."

     Knowing it would in Rofirein's will to let go such a pitiful creature, and knowing that it wouldn't be able to harm anything down here, Elb'ren let it go.  Harkah and his lass agreed to such an action as well.  Making their way out of the sewers, all was done and all was good, or so Elb'ren thought... until he saw the first wave of rats.  "Tch..." Raising his lips in a snarl, Elb'ren swung his sword out in a low horizontal arc, catching a few of the first rats to enter his swing radius in a powerful slash.  Harkah, the little ball of muscle and fury, swung his pick madly and kicked out, punched out; and Elb'ren raised an eyebrow in the middle of combat as he saw Harkah bite a rat... and rip its head off.  There seemed to be no end to the furry sea of disease bringing rodents but Elb'ren pushed on without losing stride, kicking out from in front of him a few rats ready to bite and stepping into the empty gap...  Fast Wind Cuts Water, the rats in his field of vision from his feet to six feet out all squeaked their last, sickly brownish red lifeblood spilling onto the sewer floors.  Looking around, he noticed the ones on his flanks and behind him were taken care of, Harkah and the miss holding bloodied weapons and panting from effort.  "Well... that's done..." Elb'ren sighed breathlessly, "We're heading out"  Turning in the pipe clogger he found to the woman, she roughly gave him his reward and abruptly dismissed him.  With the two dwarves giving their goodbye to him, he nodded to them both and walked off towards the Scamp.    Setting his worn gear down in a room at the inn, he sits down at a table in the common room and mulls over some of the inn's soup.  "What next, I wonder... what more does this city have to offer.  I'm beginning to find this part of the world something to keep my mind off the past.  What else is out there?  Tomorrow brings a new day, so I'd better get some rest."  Walking up the stairs and unlocking his door he chewed on his lower lip thinking about what happened, what was happening, and what will be to come.  The life of a lone swordsman.

End of Chapter One

[Cambo]

'Nyiriltyanam Aname' - Companions

Walking out out of the door to the merchant's room Elb'ren paused for a moment, readjusting the half-plated armor he'd just purchased.  Laying it down on the bench outside he looked it over trying to find the best way he could adjust the look of it.  Shaking his head he muttered to himself, "They really butchered the fine design of the crafted metal... Ah well, I can work a little with this."  Hearing a shuffle from behind he slightly turned his body, his passive-looking gaze turning left examining the area with his peripheral vision.  Seeing nothing but knowing something was there, Elb'ren continued his examination keeping a wary eye out for anything that could happen; "After all," He thought to himself, "I can't do anything about it, minds well wait for it to reveal itself..."
   
Taking out the greatsword he embedded into the grass beside him and sheathing it back, he shouldered his armor, not willing to wear the unsightly suit of metal.  "Hi there!"  Spinning around Elb'ren found himself face-to-air... until he looked down.  About stomach/lower chest high was the most pitiful looking halfling he'd seen in his travels.  With scruffed up clothes, a dirty face, and a forlorn look in his eyes it was a wonder the ...man?... could be up and about like this.  Nodding slightly and paying no heed to the scamp in front of him, Elb'ren began striding to the Wharf.  Click Clack Click went his boots, but there was something added... Mmf mmf mff went the shuffled shoes near him.  Glancing back quickly he noticed the same man from earlier, though he could hardly be called a man.  Following the elf around like a lost puppy or a child to its mother, the halfling just beamed and kept up pace.  Frowning inwardly, Elb'ren decided to take a turn down to the Municipal district of town... to those sewers from before... surely this small annoying urchin would forsake his trailing then.  Alas, Elb'ren armed himself for enemies and stepped down in to the sewers hoping to shake his 'stalker' but to no avail.  The little man just followed him down there as well, drawing a small axe... the kind a butcher would use.

"Ay vey.." Elb'ren muttered to himself...

Unlodging his greatsword from the Sahuagin's chest, the elven swordsman turned around to face the halfling.  He traversed the whole sewers down to the very bottom to shake this annoying pest, yet he still followed!  He... even... helped take out various enemies by slinging darts past
lb'ren's head which, although it helped, was pushing him to turning around and 'accidentally' cut down this whelp.  "Rofirein would forever forsake you then... slashing down an innocent, heh..." His inner voice told him, although he knew that action was out of the picture from the start.  As he turned around and started for the exit to the sewers, the little man ran to catch up with him.  "The name's Rylon, by the way, but you can call me Roach... that's what my friends call me!" The halfling chuckled nervously, "Glad to help in any way I can!" Rylon exclaimed with a cheerful bounce, "What's your name?  Man you're so strong, swinging around that big huge sword with grace!"  Sighing irritably and knowing there was no way to get rid of him, Elb'ren spoke, "Fine, Rylon.  Follow me however much you want.  Don't expect me to put my life on the line for you when the going get tough."  Emerging from the ever-present stench of the sewers, Elb'ren walked to the Scamp for a small but much needed nap and a bath.  Thankfully, Rylon didn't follow him to his room.. but just as pleasant as that was, the little tramp rented a room right next to his... how unpleasant.

Waking himself from a nightmare of the past, he shuddered to himself while sat up on his bed.  Dressing quickly, his armor was whisked out the door as he grabbed it and exited the room in a timely manner.  Passing the door to the 'Roachs' room, he chuckled to himself as he thought of that nickname, he didn't even bother to wake up the log head thinking to himself, "He won't follow me if he's asleep... maybe he'll lose me in this big city and I won't have to see him again."  Hurrying to the Crafter's Building, Elb'ren opened the door to the building and walked in to hammer his armor into a better look...

Opening the door to the Crafter's Building, he stepped outside with a mild yawn and walked over to the Town Square, sitting down on the bench with his newly modified half-plated armor.  Finishing the message on his parchment, he held it out to proofread it.

[INDENT]There's been a request.  
Some... hostile... creatures need to be taken care of.  
I'll need help on this one, if you're willing to come.
Meet me at the gates to Hempstead in one hour if possible.  If not, then come as soon as possible.

~Elb'ren[/INDENT]

A short, to-the-point message, one of the things he was adept at.  Lowering the parchment, he almost jumped off the bench.  Standing in front of him with a wide grin and hands in pockets was the Rylon from earlier, having quietly stepped up and behind the upheld parchment Elb'ren was examining.  Recovering quickly and putting on a placid face, the elf just nodded and sent the message away on a bird, the destination to different associates he had met here in Hempstead.  Standing up, Elb'ren donned his armor and strapped his scabbard to his back.  Cracking his knuckles, he prepared himself mentally for this difficult upcoming hunt.  Glancing down at the halfling beside him he felt a pang of pity, he was now responsible for this wasn't he?  Aren't I, Rofirein?  Sighing, he walked silently to the gates of the city, now preparing himself mentally not only for his own protection but for that of his 'companion's' protection as well....[/FONT]

End of Chapter Two

[Cambo]

'Nyiriltyanam Anirmaa' - Reptilian Midgets

There they were, those that answered the call for assistance.  Leaning against the stone masonry that held the gates to the city, Elb'ren examined the assembly.  Starting from the left there was Rylon.. Of course he heard inside his head the annoying halfling that never leaves my side... another halfling, though this one more well-mannered than Rylon, called Toni Silverspoon, a dwarf that went by Jacrum and Lance Stargazer.  Remembering Lance Stargazer from when he first entered the city, Elb'ren sufficed a nod in his direction and began a short debriefing on what they were to do.

[INDENT]"Captain of the Silverguard has requested of me to find the stick these local kobolds wield.  Look for the leader and take him out, sources indicate that he has magical powers so beware.  As for the others... have fun with them.  We meet outside the gates in half an hour.  Do what you will during that time."[/INDENT]

Shouldering his greatsword singlehandedly, Elb'ren walked outside, embedding his blade into the ground and sitting down to rest his back against the cold steel.  Thirty minutes later, all were gathered.  Looking around he nodded curtly, but satisfied, and sprang to his feet, drawing his sword out from the ground.  Leading the troupe out and to the rough hilly terrain where the kobolds were located he abruptly stopped his pace, Rylon running into his leg and putting on an innocent smile as Elb'ren looked down at him with disdain.  Signaling with his hand for all to get into position, the elf with the greatsword rested his weapon on a nearby rock jutting high out of the ground.  Unhooking the sling from his hip, he loaded a metal bullet and began a steady swing.  As the speed of the leather strap-and-pouch reached its maximum, Elb'ren locked his aim onto the chest of a kobold scout going about his business unawares of what was happening nearby.  Svwoo! Thunk!  The bullet took a few seconds to fall to the ground as its victim looked down in horror at the large crater that appeared in its chest.  Looking up, the scout spotted Elb'ren, just before it toppled over falling a short distance to the ground, and sounded the horn strapped to its neck.  The first battle was on, and Elb'ren felt the rush of anticipation flood his mind...

[Cambo]

Slamming into the first kobold full-force, the weight of his body blasted the little thing to the ground.  As it lay on the ground he took a step forward, a foot on the kobold's chest, and swung at its brethren keeping them at bay.  In charged the reinforcements, Lance on his right, Toni on his left, and Jacrum yelling in delight as all four tore into the kobold ranks.  Turning his head just in time to see a warlock begin casting a spell, Elb'ren grunted as he stumbled over a corpse trying to stop the dangerous spell.  Amidst the clang of battle he heard a silent whish and watched a dart sink into the kobold caster's throat, glancing to look at Rylon who stood there snickering with three more darts in his tiny little hands.  Rylon, distracted by his little victory, never heard the footpad that sneaked up behind him.  Sprinting to Rylon's location as fast as he could, Elb'ren bowled over the little halfling and rammed his sword into the creature's chest that was behind him.  Swinging his sword right, the momentum carried the already lifeless kobold off of his blade and it flew into the pile of corpses that others in the group contributed to.  Turning his head to scowl down at his ward, the little Rylon just looked up and grinned innocently.

"How troublesome..." Elb'ren muttered audibly as he strode to the group, congratulating each other in their victory.  "We still have the stick to retrieve, so rejoice once we've finished." The disgruntled elf stated roughly, and they all marched in silence to the next ambush point.

After a few more battles much like the first, Elb'ren spotted the leader a quarter of a mile or so up ahead and motioned to those with him to hide behind a rock a few hundred meters up.  This is it... he thought to himself, The battle for this trivial stick... and the job is done.  Turning away from the others and closing his eyes to prepare himself for whatever was to come, he searched his pack for a particular bottle.  His finger touched the familiar lid, and he pulled it out to open it.  Brown stuff... it tasted like beef broth but it gave the drinker a great increase in physical strength for a short duration.  He shuddered as the new strength coursed throughout his body, his muscles growing slightly bigger and his great sword becoming infinitely lighter in his hands. Taking a few practice swings, he had to compensate for swinging to hard and being caught off balance.  After he was ready, he caught the attention of the one leading the first group, Lance, and motioned for him to start his charge in with Jacrum.  A shout and a charge and into the last battle they were thrust, a legion of kobolds coming out from the bushes to greet them...

...And Elb'ren, Toni, and Rylon flanked the unsuspecting prey.  Cutting into the ranks with his newfound ferocity in a bottle, Elb'ren began severing legs from bodies or heads from necks.  Toni fought in a blur, his flaming kukri swinging madly while he deflected attacks with his shield.  Rylon ran around and finished the fallen kobolds.  When he was done with that he hid behind Toni and would strike out at kobolds from behind the shielded man as they lowered their guard.  The kobolds realized the flanking maneuver too late as more than half of their ranks were put down by the three, and Lance with Jacrum effectively took care of their wizard and his bodyguards.  Wiping the excess of dripping blood on his blade onto the grass blades near the leader's corpse, Elb'ren picked up the stick and studied the pitiful looking thing with a dissatisfied expression.

What a big fuss over such a small thing... His inner voice remarked, Now where have I said that before? He thought to himself as he remembered the expedition into the sewers.  "Let's go.  Mission accomplished, split the loot between each other when we get back to Hempstead." Turning his back to the battle scene, he kicked a lifeless body out of the way and began striding back home.  Holding up the wooden stick they fought for he shook his head in disdain and muttered under his breath.  "Rofirein gives me the strangest of jobs..."

End of Chapter Three

[Cambo]

'Nyiriltyanam Oeym' - Death

It had been days after Elb'ren's encounter with the Kobolds.  He'd given the stick to the Captain and received some sort of magical bag as a gift, but gifts were trivial.  Another request done, another task completed.  "As long as Rofirein smiles down upon me..." muttered Elb'ren as he slowly walked the trail, leading his newly bought ox behind him.  He was told earlier about copper and tin veins lying in wait guarded by kobolds in the Silkwood Cave, and he was headed there.  He would destroy those kobolds, by himself.  Elb'ren strode on in silence, scanning the area every few seconds for imminent danger, any sort of threat that would need to be put down. As he walked on, he thought back to the past... the pleasant past...

[INDENT]The small child watched his father hammer the hard blocks of adamantium ingots into a beautiful creation of half-plated armor.  It was a beautiful design, intricate elven writings he chiseled into it across the chestplate and it was even decorated with a few small emeralds.  Little Elb'ren gaped at the marvelous creation, looking up to his father and canting his head to the side in a question.  "Why are you so good... father?  I thought only dwarves were the master craftsmen of them all!"  Chuckling, the father put a hand on his son's shoulder and smiled down warmly, "'Tis nothing, this is just what I do in my spare time.  Selling these also keeps the family fed and pays for various things we need."  ...Okay.. promise me you'll make another one though."  Elb'ren requested his dad, looking up with those innocent eyes of a child, "Promise me you'll make one juust for me!"  His father laughed and picked up Elb'ren, placing him on his shoulders, "I promise Elb'ren, I promise I will make you the best armor you've ever seen.."[/INDENT]

"Tch... how troublesome..." Letting out a breath of frustration he ran a hand through his hair and led the ox on at a faster pace. "He never made me the armor.  He died..." Elb'ren muttered angrily under his breath.  His anger was shortlived, however, as he came upon a sight... spider webs in every tree, spider silk laying around in cocoons.  He had come to the right place, he had come to the Silkwood.  Shoving the memories out of his mind, both unpleasant and pleasant, he donned his newly purchased full plate armor.  Drawing his greatsword, he let out a deep controlled breath, a breath of anticipation.  Feeling the memories creeping back it took all of his discipline and concentration to hold them at bay, in the crevices of his mind.  

~There is no room for error on the battlefield, no room for distractions.  One's mind must be clear before entering the fray... else that one will perish.

The words of a great swordsman, the words of Elb'ren's father.

[Cambo]

It was time for the descent into those vermin-infested caves.  There was trouble on the way, however.  Spiders.  As big as he was.  Descending down on their silvery silky webs, he could see their mandibles working furiously and the saliva dripping from their mouths.  This was rare after all, food intentionally wandering into their lair like this.  "Heh" He whispered, "My meat would be too tough for you to eat anyways..." And that's when they started slinging webs.  Sticky webbed balls coming in from every direction, Elb'ren immediately recognized imminent threat and let out a deep concentrated breath. Holding his sword hilt by his face he let his blade extend out in front of him, a tactic he picked up travelling in the East.  Bending his knees, he assumed a wide stance with his feet and lowered his head closing his eyes.  There.  He spun gracefully and slashed a web in two coming from the left.  Without losing momentum, he let the weight of the sword carry him into his next swing.  Behind.  Pivoting his feet he swung his blade in a downwards arc, cutting the next ball diagonally across and catching a horrified spider in the face as it tried to sneak up behind him while his back was turned.  Two more.  Opening his eyes, he spotted two webs coming in at angles that made it impossible to slash both at once.  Repressing the urge to try and do it, to 'prove' himself, he did what was best for his survival.  He dove forward.  And a web caught his foot... "Shoot, a split second too late."  Watching the spiders hiss in their own laughter, he studied them as they bumbled closer on their eight legs.  This is my chance...  He recognized the inner advice, had learned to accept it long ago, and quickly strategized a plan.  There they were, there he was, with the time it would take the second one to get to him the first one would be lying on the ground.  Dead.  I have three seconds until the first comes in contact.  Two and a half seconds to kill it and face the oncoming next one.  From there it's nothing.  Little did Elb'ren realize the spider he slashed on the face wasn't dead yet...

Grunting with effort to go from no momentum in his swing to enough power to slice off the spider's head, he used both hands and roughly lopped it off, spider blood spraying the surrouding area.  Readying himself for the next foe, he felt a small scratch on the back of his knee... right where the armor didn't cover.  Turning his gaze for a split second, it was his turn to watch in horror as the injured spider sank its venomed teeth into his flesh.  Screaming out in agony as the poison immediately began its work throughout his body, he bashed the arachnid's brains in with his sword pommel and stabbed in front of him into the spider he took his attention from.  Twisting his great blade in the gut of the terror-frozen spider, his face twisted into one of great pain and nausea.  The hairy eight-legged menace in front of him multiplied into two.  Four.  Eight.  Gasping confusedly, Elb'ren shook his head free of these poison-induced hallucinations and ripped his sword out of its stomach, gore flying left as the blade exited the body.  Chopping the web away at his feet, he stumbled over to the nearest tree safe from any spiders. Turning his face to the left, he vomited over his shoulder and held his head in his hands.  "It's getting worse..."  As the world spun about his head, the red-haired elf used all his might and willpower to keep himself up.

And it was over.  His surroundings went dark, he felt as if he were suspended in time.  This is what death feels like. Cold. Timeless. Blackness.  He drifted around, wandering in the Black Void for what seemed like... eternity.

[Cambo]

"Layfnyiriltyanam" - Power
(Elven for "Subchapter")

Floating through the timeless void, blacker than midnight, Elb'ren reflected on his thoughts.  They all came racing at once, but supressing them each one by one he concentrated on them a single at a time.  What happened? "I died... the spiders."  Why did it happen?  "I... wasn't... strong enough.."  What will you do?  "Stronger, I need to become stronger."  Elb'ren's resolve began to firm, his body becoming a bit less ethereal.  Opening his eyes, his feet hit the firm stony ground of Hempstead.  He examined his hands, his arms, his legs.. all ghostly.  Feeling an anguish permeating throughout his body he closed his eyes and quietly mourned what loss he couldn't comprehend.  You need to return to your site of death... how will you become stronger?

"How..."  Elb'ren's lips tightened until they were white, his eyes almost glowing with fiery determination.  Shoving aside his depression and embarrassment he stalked out of Hempstead, unsheathing his sword.  Pausing a moment to get off the road, he held it out in front of him.  "I swear... this will become my sole weapon, it will become me.  I will vanquish my enemies with this extension of my body.  I.  Will.  Become.  Stronger.  This I swear."  Spitting out the statement with an angry resolve for perfection, he let out a breath to calm himself.  Feelings clouded judgement, leading to irrational decisions.  Even the strongest of warriors would fall to that.  

First he would need more discipline.  More speed, stronger swings, more intellect.  It was time for some harsh training.

End of Subchapter.

End of Prologue