Peel, Blake Arthur - Arc of RadianceFall of Radiance 03 - War Echoes by Peel Blake Arthur

Author:Peel, Blake Arthur [Peel, Blake Arthur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blake Arthur Peel
Published: 2018-09-14T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Owyn

Talon thrusts out with his quarterstaff, attempting to strike me in square in the stomach.

Dodging to the side, I quickly bring up my own staff and try to hit the other apprentice on the shoulder. He manages to block my attack, the sound of hardened lengths of wood smacking together resounding in the sparring circle, reverberating off the cavernous walls around us.

Panting, the two of us break away from one another, backing up to the edge of the wide circle and eying each other warily.

"You've gotten better," I remark, watching as Talon twirls the staff around in a showy display of skill.

"I've been practicing," he replies off-handedly, shrugging as he rests the staff against his shoulder. "Experience has taught me that there isn't always going to be short swords laying around, and if I'm going to be spending time with you, I'd better be ready to fight with anything."

I grin at him, feeling alive for the first time in weeks. Something about sparring, the struggle between two skilled opponents, makes me forget about my own personal troubles. The feeling of the wood grain on my fingers, the soreness of my muscles, and the sweat trickling down my face fills me with satisfaction, helping me to remember why I became a ranger in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, I move back to the center of the ring, adopting a defensive stance with my hands shoulder-width across on the staff. Several Nightingale soldiers watch as we square off once again, their snickering voices carrying over the sand of the pit. I pay them little heed.

My entire focus is on the fight at hand.

Talon approaches warily, his stance also defensive as he closes the gap between us in a few measured steps. For a moment, time seems to stand still, as if the thrill of the fight is holding its breath.

Then... movement.

Talon launches forward in a flurry of attacks, striking first with the butt of his quarterstaff, then with the forward haft. I block both times, absorbing the shock of the blows as I back up, surprised by the ferocity of his push. Crack, crack, crack! The blows continue to come, both of our wooden staves waving back and forth in a blur of motion.

Backing up to the edge of the ring, I pivot my foot and use my momentum to dive into a counter-attack, striking at his neck and then his chest in short, successive strikes. He manages to block those as well, weaving deftly as I push him back toward the center of the ring.

Light, he really has gotten good, I think as I search for an opening. Is this what he had been up to those times when he had been alone? Practicing with the staff?

While unconventional weapons by ranger standards, skill with the quarterstaff could easily translate into skill with the spear, which is a weapon commonly used in the Tarsynium military. The edicts surrounding the Ranger's Oath dictate that rangers should be well-versed in all manner

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.