《The Hero and The Assassin》03 - The Beat Goes On
Advertisement
A week after their aunt's funeral, Paxton called Goddard to the yard in order to continue their training. The courtyard was a wide open field behind the garden that was sorrounded by a high hedge. There was a shed in the back corner with tools for gardening, but it was also where Paxton hid a suprise for Goddard. Reaching underneath the shed, Paxton pulled out two training swords made from special wood.
"Alright, we'll continue from where we left off," Paxton stated as though he was an adult. Tossing one of the wooden swords to Goddard, Paxton took a stance with his sword drawn.
"Wait," Goddard shouted, "what are we doing?"
"We're training," Paxton stated, then he rushed Goddard and shouted, "and the enemy never waits!"
Swinging the sword in an exaggerated arc to the side, Paxton took a swing at his brother. All of Goddard's training from his warrior days kicked in, and he brought the wooden sword up to block Paxton's attack. When the two swords clashed, Paxton paused for a moment. He smiled, then brought the sword around in another exaggerated attempt at Goddard's other side. Once again, the swords clashed, causing both brothers to smile.
"Looks like you were practicing," Paxton said, withdrawing his wooden sword. "Those were good blocks, but your movements are too slow. You'll have to keep practicing in order to catch up to me."
"Wait," Goddard put his hands up in surrender, "what are we doing? Why are we training?"
"Because," Paxton said with a cocky smile, "we are too weak. If someone tries to kill us, I want us to be able to fight back!"
'No way,' Goddard thought in shock, 'Paxton has memories from the future, too?!'
"Keep your guard up!" Paxton shouted, launching a suprise attack on his brother. On reflex, Goddard activated a bodily guard using his warrior magic. The wooden sword hit with a light thud, probably hard enough to bruise but not break. Realizing that he had just used magic, Goddard looked at Paxton in terror. He didn't know how his brother would react, but Goddard had a feeling it wouldn't be positive.
Advertisement
Paxton's face was obviously suprised, but then he raised an eyebrow as though he had an idea. Once again swiping at Goddard when he couldn't get his sword up in time, Paxton collided with the warrior guard.
"Um, what's going on?" Goddard feigned ignorance.
"Goddard, hold still," ordered Paxton, dropping his sword and stepping forward. The older brother bent down and felt Goddard's body, noticing an invisible shield a little ways apart from his shirt.
"Goddard," Paxton cried in amazement, "I think you just found your magic!"
'What?' Goddard thought.
"This is great! You can use magic! Haha!"
"Wait, Paxton, how do you know about magic?"
"Are you kidding?" Paxton cried out, still gleeful about his brother's power. "How do you think your body stops hurting after our training sessions? I'm healing your bruises and rebuilding your body!"
Goddard was in absolute shock. His memories from childhood were very fuzzy, but he couldn't imagine that his beloved brother, Paxton, was already using his white magic at six years old. Even though he had power that appeared once out of a million people, being able to use magic at five years old was an accomplishment worthy of national fame.
As Paxton revelled in his younger brother's acheivement, Goddard had to wonder how well he really knew his brother.
"Guard up!" Paxton shouted, thrusting suddenly at Goddard's torso. The younger brother was so lost in thought, he couldn't block, recieving a strong hit to the sternum for his loss of focus. Hitting the ground, Goddard had to breathe for a few moments before he was able to stand up again.
"Alright!" Paxton shouted, swirling his training sword around like a professional, "now that you've got some magic, I'm going to stop taking it easy on you. Make sure you tell me if your magic stops, because these hits are going to really hurt if they connect!"
"Wha-" Goddard was about to question his brother, but Paxton leaped forward and brought the sword around hard. Goddard could barely get his own weapon up in time to deflect before they clashed swords. Not a second later, Paxton had used the ricochet to lead into his next attack. Goddard marveled at how good his brother was with a sword, even though he primarily became a magic user during the war.
Advertisement
The two fought for an hour, Goddard getting a good handle on his sword and even applying some magic to his body in order to stop getting hit. Whenever Paxton sensed that Goddard was good enough to match him, he somehow got faster and more skilled. It was at the point that Goddard, even in his armaments, were barely able to hold back against Paxton's onslaught.
Finally, Paxton swung a blazing combo that Goddard chiefly defended with the wooden sword until there was a loud crack. Paxton looked up to see that his wooden training sword had broken, snapped in half from the sheer power of the blows. It was a moment where Paxton honestly didn't know what to do, but he was breathing heavily through his nose while Goddard was exhausted.
"Look at that!" Paxton admired, "We broke the training sword! These things were supposed to be professional grade, and we broke it! I guess I'll ask dad to loan me a new one, or maybe we should start using metal rods?"
"God, please no," Goddard heaved, still catching his breath.
The exhaustion was most likely due to using so much magic when he wasn't used to it. A body that suddenly started using magic was like a desk jockey suddenly trying to sprint between cities. There's no foundation, no muscle memory, no proper technique built up, and any mistakes could lead to irreversable damage. It was incredibly dangerous for a child to use magic, especially if the body can't take the strain.
"Yeah, better safe than sorry," Paxton said, then he looked over at Goddard. "By the way, where did you learn to fight like that? I didn't show you any of those techniques. Did you find one of the knights to give you tips?"
"Paxton, does the name 'Valeria' mean anything to you?" Goddard asked, watching his brother intently.
"Is that one of mom's new flowers?" he guessed, gazing at the garden near the house.
"No, it's the name of the princess," Goddard answered, satisfied with Paxton's response. Princess Valeria had a mutual love interest with Paxton in the future. If he had the memories like Goddard, he would have reacted much more intensely.
"Alright, if we're asking questions," Paxton began, "do you know what an airplane is?"
Goddard furrowed his eyes and frowned in confusion. He tried to think about what the airplane was during the war, but nothing came to mind.
"No, what is it?"
"It's a bird made of metal," Paxton lied, also satisfied that his brother didn't have memories from a former life.
"What about you, brother?" Goddard turned the question around. "Where did you learn to fight?"
"I'm a natural," Paxton excused his peerless skill with a smirk.
There were secrets being kept, obviously, but the two brothers were satisfied that they wouldn't need to sacrifice their own secrets. Going inside, the two brothers made it very clear how mature they were when they both took off their shoes and thanked the maids for cleaning them.
There was a silent suspicion between them, but it would take a lot more friction to cause an issue between the two brothers.
Advertisement
The Caring Dungeon
NOTE: I, as an 'author' am on a(n) (indefinite?) Hiatus. Without getting into too many details, the person who convinced me to write, who was my muse and my everything, is no longer in my life. I think about writing and I get physically ill and ache in ways that transcend the physical. I want to want to write, but I cannot find the energy. Life events, combined with apparently thin-skin when it comes to personal attacks on this platform, make it impossible for me. The messages, comments, and reviews I recieve(d) were so detrimental to my mental health that I've already removed one story from this website. This one remains up only because the criticisms located in this work are about my writing, and not personal attacks.I just felt like I should put something out there for anyone who is thinking about starting this story. It is not completed. I don't know that it ever will be at this point. I have lost my muse.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Not everything in this world is natural, and it's only natural to fear the unnatural. Fortunately for Manning, he was natural. Unfortunately, he found himself to be in a very unnatural state. Manning was trapped inside of a gemstone, called a dungeon core. Luckily for Manning, he found himself capable of using his newly found unnatural power to make a nature filled forest. With the help of Cara, his unnatural roommate, and Ash, his nature spirit companion, Manning dreams of covering the continent with the most beautiful and dangerous forest it has ever seen. His only other goals are to protect himself and Cara, and if he could ever remember, recover his memories. This is my first time attempting to write anything. Updates whenever I can find the energy and desire to write.
8 240Novus Lumen
I tale that started in the begining, end and yet quite in the middle. A story about a soul that wanted a simple life, life defined by his own choices and not the whims of fate, or gods. Yet no one cared, he was sold in to slavery, mentaly abused, his mind flayed, and even killed only to come back to life as an antagonist to some 3rd rate hero seeking redeption for his sins. And finally due to a little kindness he was able to start a new with a clean slate, redy to grow just as a blade of grass should.
8 66The Pokémon Entity Force
There are some things that can't be explained. The Rangers protect the innocent from the likes of villains and criminals. But what happens when those criminals can destroy a building by just looking at it? It is up to the newly formed Entity Force to fit the bill. After Cole Fellman left on his journey, the rest of the crew denounced Team Rocket and focused on dealing with the superhumans that plague the Balktik Region! *This is a work of fiction, any views expressed within are not a representation of Niantic or Pokémon or Nintendo and their staff.**Contains foul language and violent imagery.**Not meant for children.*
8 145Scion of Shadows
For a normal girl from Armorica, studying at the prestigious Academy of Magical Arts in Ys is a big deal. But Madeleine discovers that she isn't as ordinary as she thought. And when a mysterious stranger offers to keep her secrets in exchange for loyalty, she accepts. Now it's up to her and her new friends -- noble and conceited Gaius and smart and down-to-earth Cleopatra --to figure out what to do when the fate of Ys and maybe the whole world hangs in the balance. Cover image comes from http://julijaaa.deviantart.com. Used without permission (for now).
8 103~His Hufflepuff~ Draco Malfoy
"she looked at my demons in the eye and smiled. she fell for the very thing i thought she'd fear"~the slytherin prince falls for the hufflepuff angel~{year 3 - year 4}
8 192Status : Love 2 Aces
Nara, who has struggled to feel love since school, starts dating Yuki, who is 3 years younger than her. Yuki is a volleyball athlete and he is a member of the Japan Men's National Volleyball Team. But unexpectedly, Nara meets someone from her past while watching Yuki's match. Nara's heart is still beating fast when she sees it.Then what happened to Nara? Hasn't she been able to forget her past? Is Yuki able to take over Nara's heart? Who's that guy?
8 195