Despite its illegality, Corym Bloom was using his time off to learn to fight.
Holn was a city that held pride in its soldiers. It’s human soldiers.
It didn't take him long to find the soldiers guild in the Institute - the sister to Holn University where city guards were once trained. Since the war, a new training area had been built, and the abandoned was taken over by those who knew of the fighters guild - nonhumans who practiced combat arts away from the gaze of city guards.
His kind - both the drow and changeling halves - were all but illegal in the Great City. The wonderful, glorious, all-too-disgusting Regis decreed it so. If anything, Corym was lucky - he was gracefully allowed to survive.
That day was particularly difficult - the sun was high in the sky, and Corym was repeating stances and moves, over and over, sweat dripping down his brow. His hangover didn’t help. It was just a few days before his exam to move up a rank, and he needed to get it right.
Corym swung his sword in the empty arena. It was easier every time. Sword fighting was like dancing to him - every part of himself had to balance, to be strong, it was a performance, a show, something he loved…
Surely?
Only this was a dance with a pointy end.
He arrived at the end of the stances, knowing full well the last stance was a little awkward. He missed a step and dropped his sword, wincing as it fell to the floor.
He sighed, wiped his brow and picked it up.
Corym liked to call the rapier "Ray" even though it's name was Dawnedge. The charcoal gray blade was slightly curved, and had the delicate outline of a five-petaled flower carved out near the tip. The silver cross guard was a series of interlocking arches and tiny silver spheres. The grip was covered in a worn black leather, and the pommel was an elegant hook-like curve made of silver strands.
It may have been an heirloom from his fathers’ family, but it was elegant and modern nonetheless.
Corym slid Dawnedge into its scabbard and stepped back into his first stance.
It was all just a dangerous dance with a partner hellbent on taking your life.
And so he danced in circles with the invisible stranger before him, performing the story of a perfectly-choreographed duel.
Comments (19)
See all