The Boy in the City of the Dead by Kanata Yanagino

Author:Kanata Yanagino [Yanagino, Kanata]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Published: 2017-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

A gust of icy wind rushed across the temple hill, adding an unpleasant bite to the brisk winter air. The ruined houses by the lake stood stock-still, doing their best to endure the cold air rushing through. Thin clouds covered the sky, not letting much sunlight through, even though it was noon. Even when I looked up at the sky, I felt no warmth from it.

Months had passed, and the day of my showdown with Blood was finally here. Tomorrow, I would become an adult. And in spring, I would probably leave this temple, and travel on my own.

I did some thorough stretches and practice swings with my training sword, which weighed twice as much as my usual weapon. Diagonal slash down the shoulder. Across. Close in and thrust. The sound of the blade tip slicing the air echoed.

I heard Gus’s words in the back of my mind. I put extra effort into focusing and erased them. My body started warming up, and gradually transitioned to a state where I could unleash my full potential.

“Okay.” After I finished my warm-up, I set my practice sword aside, and checked my equipment.

I had my longsword and a circular shield: a wooden board in a metal frame, covered with leather. I had a dagger for use in close combat on my belt. I’d be wearing soft leather armor on top of thick under armor, and for the vulnerable areas of my body, I had metal: a throat plate, a breastplate, gauntlets, and greaves. And to finish up, I had a simple curved helmet. That was the complete list of equipment I’d be using today. I always ended up looking like a heavily armored knight after putting all of this on.

“Will, let me help you with that,” Mary said. This kind of heavy equipment was an incredible pain to equip and check on your own. Mary tied up the strings and fastened the clasps on the armor with practiced hands.

Today would probably be the last time I wore this much armor. In spring, I’d be going on my travels. I couldn’t walk around towns and mountains constantly wearing a full set of armor like a video game character. And since I had no idea how long I was going to be on the road, being well-prepared and well-supplied was going to be a higher priority than wearing too much armor.

But none of that mattered today. I was going to be facing Blood at his most serious. I had Mary’s benediction, but it wouldn’t be any help if one of Blood’s blows killed me instantly.

If I wanted the kind of protection that would save me from immediate death even if Blood hit me dead-on with his most powerful blow, I’d need to search out the most masterfully crafted dwarven items from the city, and face him with an absolutely flawless defense. But this was a contest. A test of skills. Not a fight to the death.

“Hey, Will. You ready?” Blood asked. As a handicap to help me, he wasn’t wearing any armor.

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