Lenric slowly made his way back to his tent, clearing his mind for the coming battle. It was a common Blademaster trick for focusing during a fight, easy to learn but hard to master. With a clear mind he could block out the distractions of a pitched battle or the shouts of a crowd in the dueling arena. Lenric had mastered it to such a degree that his opponents almost seemed to slow. Allowing him to anticipate and counter even some of the most complex maneuvers by highly ranked Blademasters. Not that I will be facing anyone of that skill level on the field today, he thought. Volance had precious few skilled Blademasters and those mostly stuck to official inter-city competition duels. Despite all that, he never underestimated even the most unskilled combatant and gave them his full respect.
Once in his tent, Lenric removed his officers coat and his comfortable off duty fatigues. He changed into his standard issue liquid under armor. Most soldiers refereed to it as SILiq armor. The armor itself looked similar to his normal fatigues, however it was anything but. It consisted of two layers of nano carbon mesh which could stop a weakly thrust blade. Between these layers was a semi liquid armor which instantly hardened at the point of impact providing even greater protection. The hardened substance would then break down and more liquid would move into its place, all in the blink of an eye. An added benefit of this semi liquid form was that it didn't restrict movement in any way. However with enough damage the armor would eventually run out of liquid and no longer provide protection.
Over his SILiq armor he strapped his Captains breastplate, a mostly symbolic piece of armor with the Tavhek family crest emblazoned on the front. It was made up of a hybrid of steel and nano carbon fiber which made it incredibly tough. The back was made up of inter locking plates which resembled a spine, this allowed him additional movement. To his arms, legs and breastplate spine he attached his muscle strand exoskeleton. Only given to high ranking personnel and skilled Blademasters, it was a rough approximation of human muscles. The exoskeleton gave Lenric almost superhuman speed and strength. It was powered by a small fusion power cell attached to his belt on the left. With the exoskeleton and his skills as a Blademaster, Lenric could defeat thirty skilled soldiers without breaking a sweat.
The next component of his battle gear was a shield generator. I really don't see the point in these anymore, he thought as he strapped it on the right side of his belt. Developed at the very end of the Great Conflict, the technology was all that protected the 10 remaining mega cities from nuclear destruction. Since then it had been adapted to a man portable size which stopped any projectile faster than a thrown spear. As such the practice of ranged combat had all but become extinct in modern warfare. From that point on, the ancient ways of honorable melee combat had become the new norm. Many battles now dissolved into individual combat, in that way a smaller more skilled army could easily defeat a larger less skilled one. Honor demanded that none interfere with two combatants facing off and was seen as the most cowardly thing a soldier could do.
Lenric did one final check of his gear, he flexed his exoskeleton muscles and made sure his SILiq armor level was full. Lastly he strapped on his most cherished piece of equipment, his sword. A long, slightly curved blade with a single edge and double handed grip below a small cross guard. It was made of a similar material to his breastplate, making it extremely tough but allowing it some flexibility. The sword was light and the grip allowed him to easily switch between the finesse of one hand or the power of two. The blade was printed by a long dead Blade Designer, the exact specifications went with her to the grave. It was handed down to him by his grandfather who was also a truly formidable Blademaster.
As Lenric stepped from his tent fully kitted in battle gear, he wasn't at all surprised by the scene before him. His men were all assembled and ready for his inspection. Each man or woman had their SILiq armor on with the Vaiperth crest on their breast. In addition they all had their own standard issue shield generators. That is where the similarities stopped, each warrior was allowed their own armaments which they provided themselves. Some had sword and shield, some spears, some similar swords to Lenric. Others had more unusual weapons such as shock batons. He knew most of the men and woman under his command, their strengths and weaknesses. As always, his soldiers were ready for battle and passed his inspection.
Lenric steeled himself to give one of his speeches, "There isn't a man or woman in this army that has not heard of the prowess of this unit! Nor is there a man or woman in this army that has not heard the name Blademaster Lenric Tavhek!" He paused as rumble of agreement washed over him. "But none of them know who we truly are. There isn't a single one of you who hasn't met my beautiful wife or my newborn son." Lenric cracked a wide smile remembering the home he fought for. "And there isn't a person here who hasn't gotten blind drunk with me after a victory!" There was a wave of laughter and cheering agreement at that. "That is what truly sets us apart, we are family, we fight for one another, we live for one another!" As he jogged off toward the assembly area he shouted over his shoulder, "Now lets go kick some Volancian ass!"
Comments (0)
See all