A New Star Chapter 22

The next day dawned bright and clear, with a bit of a crisp breeze blowing, though I only felt that after I was washed and readied by my maids. They fussed and futzed over me extra this morning until I kicked them out, shaking my head at their overzealous worry. After dismissing them, I made my way to the kitchens, where I ate a typical breakfast before heading out to the training yard. I had replaced my swords a little while ago; I still didn't have anything really impressive, but I was now using standard arming swords and had a set of matching training blades. I wore the regular swords most of the time and used them to practice in the yard, but I had brought the training blades today as well, carrying them wrapped in their belt in my left hand.  

The yard was essentially empty still, despite it being a good hour to train and my challenge matches being slated for slightly later that day. Shrugging a bit, I put the training blades down and limbered up before starting to run around the yard. I ran until I was warm before moving to a training lane and starting to slowly work through my routine. I watched out of the corner of my eye as the soldiers filled the yard, the sergeants and lieutenants cracking down on them much more today than normal. There were also more captains than normal in attendance, as it was the time for guard change outs and quite a lot of people were at the estate currently.  

I ignored it all and continued to work my routine, unconcerned with the challenges coming up in an hour. I caught quite a few nervous glances from some of the soldiers, though I could tell at least one of them was far more nervous than the little bit of anxiety the rest had. Likely they had told him already that he would be fighting a duel today, and maybe even who against, considering he was glancing at me with that jittery look. I took note of all of it from the corner of my eye, but I focused on my routine until I was called upon.  

My parents had come out to spectate, along with two of my sisters, the oldest and the youngest, as well as a much older man that I did not recognize. The strange man was quite tall, with tufts of white hair sticking up above his ears and a thick, long, white beard. I gave him a quick glance to see all the details, noting the can he was leaning against but didn't seem to need. The way the cane was built also belied its strength; I suspected it either had a heavy metal core or had a blade hidden within. I looked away after a quick glance, seeing that the lord commander was standing to the side of a training stage, a large square made of thick pavers that were reinforced with mana. This stage also had a very simple barrier that could be used to contain small stray attacks; it would work for simple training fights, but it wasn't set up for more serious duels.  

"Are you ready, young lady?" asked the commander with a large smile. 

"Let's get this over with," I grunted, waving at her idly. 

"Your first match is weapons only," the commander said to me before signaling, ironically enough, to the nervous shifter from earlier.  

The man, rather young, hopped up the short distance onto the training arena and walked over to stand across from me. He was wearing the standard chainmail shirt and heavy leather pants and boots over his regular clothes, which was standard for the guards. He also had the standard arming sword and large wooden shield with iron banding that was the default equipment for the guards. Some of the sergeants and lieutenants used different weapons, and so did the captains, for that matter, by the guards were all trained on a fairly 'regular' sword and shield first before any other weapons. We were both using training blades, but they could still cause injury if we weren't careful, though I was far more worried about one of my opponents flailing about and hurting themselves than injuring me.  

"Ready?" the commander asked, raising her hand as she looked between us. I suppose she was officiating for this, not that that was necessary. 

I drew my blades and held them down and to the side, not a great ready position, but it would hardly matter. After we had both nodded at the commander, she gestured at each of us before yelling out the start and leaping back, clearing the center of the stage. The soldier, who wasn't a new recruit but a soldier that had recently finished all their training and time under watch, drew his blade and cautiously took a step forward, shrinking himself behind his shield as much as he could. I stood ready and relaxed, waiting for his approach, which made the young man all the more nervous, as I could see his shield shaking a bit.  

The man got within sword's reach of me and stopped, just looking at me, waiting for me to attack. I didn't react, just staring at him and raising an eyebrow, which eventually got him to move. He started with a very standard, very generic attack, though he executed it quite well, taking a single step forward and thrusting his blade while keeping his shield firmly centered on me. I leaned forward towards the thrust, stepping forward and to the right at the same time, his blade just gliding by my shirt on my left side. As I moved, I swung my left blade upward, smacking his sword up and to the side, surprising him with the strike from the unexpected angle. I swung with my right sword just an instant later, smashing the poor boy's left knee and sending him stumbling. I was a bit merciless, but I knew he couldn't match my strength, so as he staggered, I kicked his shield, which he had let slip to the side.  

The poor kid went ass-over-teakettle from the kick, his shield flopping to the side and smacking the stones underfoot, likely doing his arm some damage in the process. Before he could recover, I was there, boot planted in his ribs to flip him up and over before stepping on his chest, slamming him into the ground and ending with the tip of my right blade against his throat. He let go of his own blade and slowly raised his open hands, groaning from the pain of his wounds. The commander called us to break, stopping the fight and moving to check the young man. Glancing over, I saw both the NCOs and several of the officers shaking their heads, while the man standing with my parents stroked his thick beard and eyed my curiously.  

"That's one for you," the commander said after getting the fresh soldier off the stage.  

"I'm glad you're so skilled at counting, commander," I said calmly, resuming my place and flicking my swords as I waited for my next opponent. 

The next person to hop up onto the stage was a young woman a little older and likely a bit more experienced than the young man I had just trounced. She was armed with a sword and shield the same as the first opponent, and I gave the commander a single glance with a quirked brow before refocusing on the woman. The commander again asked for our readiness before double-checking and then commanding us to fight. The commander had dashed back, and the young woman dashed forward at the same time, clearly more experienced, and more solid, than the first opponent.  

I waited again for her calmly, which unnerved her far less than the first person, though I could still detect a tiny bit of hesitation in her stance as she moved. I waited until she was in front of me, but didn't wait for the attack, instead leaping at her as she was just finishing closing the gap. This caught her off guard, moreso than it should have, and she made a slightly hasty thrust as a surprise counter to my action. It was a bad move, as it was far too predictable, and she was far too inexperienced to use it as a feint or to transform it into another strike as she missed. I hit her shield with a probing attack, but my physical strength was immense, certainly in comparison to hers, and that strike was enough to force her a step back. 

I followed with a chain of attacks, high, high, low, high, and then from both sides. The woman did an admirable job of trying to keep up, blocking everything I threw at her. She had a determined look of focus on her face, but it didn't really matter how focused she was; she wouldn't be able to keep up. My attacks had forced her guard, and attention, high, and now I took brutal advantage of that, hitting her with three rapid strikes high while stepping forward, the woman forced to use her shield and sword to hold off the onslaught. While she was so focused high, I kicked her knee, causing her to stagger and stumble, which was the end of the fight. My sword swings never stopped, and I further knocked her off balance before blasting her shield away with a double-armed strike. My return movement slapped her sword away with my left blade while chopping my right into her neck. She made a gagging sound and dropped her weapons, falling to her knees as the commander and one of the barracks’ healers rushed over. 

After taking a moment to check her, the commander stood and said, "She'll be fine after the healer finishes treatment. Alexendra has won the second." 

"Is there need for the third, commander? Or can we end this farce early?" I asked coldly. 

"You'll fight the third. Unless you want to concede?" she asked me, though her grin was far less wicked triumph and far more grimace. 

"Very well, commander. Call your third fighter," I said simply. 

The man that stepped into the ring was clearly far more experienced than the first two and I could see my parents getting ready to protest, but I waved them off. The man had a thick beard and wore a helm with a nose guard and a thick lower rim above his coif. He also didn't carry a shield, but had a slightly wider, much longer sword than the new soldiers had used. Despite the commander likely thinking she had pulled a fast one, I knew this man was a sergeant with the guard units, and one rather skilled as a swordsman, though not nearly at my level. The commander signaled us in again and, like the last opponent, the sergeant attempted to rush me down. I had asked during the ready check, and the commander had stated that we were not restricted to just weapons this match, and I took that seriously. 

As the sergeant came close, I created a patch of ice right in front of him just as his foot was landing for a step, making it thick enough that he didn't just shatter it with his weight and strength. While the man was surprised, he corrected admirably, using wind to push himself from behind and to the side, staying upright and stable as he continued closing the distance. He took a swing at me, coming in from high and to my right, and I lazily parried his blade away, using a small movement of each of my swords to entirely deflect his attack. He took a second swing as he followed through, not letting his blade be pushed too far, showing decent control as he cut at me again. I parried a second time with just as little effort, waiting for the third swing, which came just as predictably as the second, hacking back down from above.  

I slid his blade aside again, but this time coursed lightning through my second sword as I deflected, transferring a shock to him that caused muscles to seize and him to take a staggering step backwards…right onto another thick patch of ice. He attempted to save himself using his control of wind and what felt like telekinetic force, a direct force applied merely at his thought, but it wasn't enough. I slightly accelerated myself with Time, not using the affinity's full potential, slashing down three rapid attacks as I did so. At the same time, I created spikes of pure darkness that shot out of the man's shadow and struck him in the back and legs.  

He was unable to keep up with the fast and precise onslaught, the commander calling us to break as the sergeant was overwhelmed. I moved back two steps as the same healer rushed in to tend to the admittedly not-so-minor injuries on the man, eventually getting him back on his feet and off the arena. I could see many of the troops looking shocked, while the captains and my parents looked a bit surprised. The old man with my parents looked merely intrigued, stroking his beard again and eyeing my quizzically. My sisters were both staring open-mouthed, though I shouldn't think that they had likely ever dreamed of a six-year-old doing anything like they just saw. 

"Are we satisfied, commander?" I asked the siren-blooded woman then. 

"Not fully, but I won't argue against you," she replied with a sigh.  

"All I could ask," I said mildly, trying not to do anything to antagonize her. The commander was certainly someone I couldn't currently beat, and she was strong enough that monitoring or restricting me wouldn't be too much of a pain for her. Yet. 

"An interesting case," the old man said, having just suddenly appeared two steps in front of me. 

"I do not appreciate being called a 'case,' you addled codger," I replied sharply, giving him my best glare. Whether it was my glare or my phrasing, it did get a slight start out of him, though he grinned a bit right after. 

"I see someone has already made use of the library," he said, stroking his beard again. 

"Reading breaks the shackles," I replied simply, getting a greatly raised eyebrow in response. 

"Well, I had thought you might also be a hopeless case, considering I have not been particularly impressed with any of your siblings. Still, I owe your parents a favor, and this might be interesting," he said, continuing to stroke his thick beard. "However, I'll have to see how you'll do." 

With no more warning than that, he attacked, thrusting his cane at my torso with a swift movement of one hand. I noted that, while he was old and thin, he was all steel and iron, the muscles of his arms like braided steel cables. The strike was fast and, more than that, beautiful, a perfect arc to bring the cane to position, thrusting at just the right time to make use of that building momentum and continue it forward. 

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