Kesac 14 : Moving onward...
Locale : Jidoor
OOC: This is the beginning of the gathering of the MWs...
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Kesac sat upright after a night of sleep. He was a true master
of the sword. Now, he had to find people to help him destroy
this evil. Kesac grasped his sword and walked out into the mist
toward Jidoor...
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Kesac strolled into Jidoor. A small crowd had gathered a short
distance in front of him. "What's going on?" "There's a swordsman
showing off his skill. He's pretty good." Kesac sighed. Most
swordsmen claimed to be good, however most of the time, it was an
illusion.
Kesac pushed through the crowd and watched. The swordsman was
fighting someone who obviously just took up the challenge. The
swords looked to be simple wooden practice swords, used by just
about every master for practice fighting. The swordsman looked
similar to Kesac, yet his style was different. He did look
skilled, and didn't take many chances. *A good defense, perhaps
not that good on the attack, but patience is a virtue in
swordfighting, waiting for the correct opening* Suddenly the
swordsman struck. The man he was fighting clutched his side where
he was hit. The swordsman helped him up to his feet. "Good fight."
The man merely nodded. "Does anyone else wish to challenge me?"
Something within Kesac told him to go ahead and fight. The
swordsman tossed a wooden sword to Kesac...
...and the fight was on. Kesac started with a high slash, only
to be ducked under. The swordsman took advantage of Kesac's blade
being high and slashed at Kesac's stomach, but Kesac jumped back
before the blow could land. *Hmm, a bit more skilled than I
thought. I must be prepared* Kesac pulled back into a defensive
stance. *Let him be on the attack.* The swordsman watched
Kesac's guard carefully, as if looking for an opening. Kesac knew
that this was an invitation to attack, so he held back. The
swordsman watched carefully, then came in with a low slash.
Kesac jumped the slash and struck back with a blow to the side.
The swordsman tried to step to the side...but too late. Kesac
struck with a hard blow to the side. The swordsman fell. Kesac
extended his hand to him. The swordsman grasped his hand and
Kesac helped pull him up. "You're not that bad." "Neither are
you."
The swordsman walked over to the side. "My name is Ryan. And
yours?"
"Kesac."
Ryan sat down. "So, where did you learn the art of swordfighting?"
"My father taught me until..."
"Until what?"
"Until the empire destroyed our home. I then fled to the forests
around Jidoor. There I practiced with the sword for twenty years."
Ryan looked at the ground. "The empire destroyed my home also, when
they invaded Tzen. Since then, I have wandered the world. Say,
you might want travel with me for a while."
Kesac shook his head. "No, I am searching for someone..."
Ryan nodded. "At least through Tzen. You may find who you are
looking for there."
Kesac nodded. "At least through Tzen. Who knows...even if I don't
find who I'm looking for, I may find more answers there."
Ryan merely nodded. "We need to find a ship heading for Tzen. The
trip won't be easy -- I've heard reports that more ships than usual
have been disappearing lately. We can take a risk that whatever is
the cause of this won't affect us, or we could try and find an
airship..."
Kesac laughed. "Where are we going to find an airship? Almost every
airship in the world went down in that battle with the empire. It
looks like a ship is the only way. We'll just have to take that
chance."
Ryan simply nodded. "It's about two days to Tzen. I have a ship to
take us there. Let's just hope that our voyage is safe."
Kesac and Ryan walked off to the ship in the Jidoor port, unaware of
what lies ahead...
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OOC: Well...the search begins.
Kesac the Swordmaster
(
geocities.com/the_real_kesac)