A TRUE MASTER ❂
----------------------------------------
The Competition
In late 1030AB Theodore invited Connor to join him at a local event held biannually within Gabriel’s Hold. As Theodore explained, it was a form of tournament. The whole thing was sponsored by the military and Theodore was invited to judge due to his knowledge and expertise. The event was called the Greylibur Trial.
Despite Connor having stayed within Gabriel’s Hold for a few years, this was the first he’d heard of it. Theodore was not always invited to judge. There were other Combat Sages or other men who would take up the role from time to time. But Theodore suspected that he was invited on this particular occasion because the military was very curious about Connor.
They knew that if Theodore was invited, then surely his newly appointed heir would accompany him at one point. Connor simply had to fit that part. Something his confidence could easily accomplish. But the event itself did not require his participation. He and Theodore were merely observers.
What Connor witnessed was a trial of combative skill and expertise. It wasn’t an event which housed a great number of games and skillsets, but a straight forward tournament of the sword. Young men from all across the country ventured to Gabriel’s Hold every two years to take part — each one eager to be deemed the best swordsman in all of Dharen’Rhylo.
The men who took part were extremely advanced and far more skilled than Connor. Just watching them made Connor feel inadequate. He began to question his own ability. To make matters worse, Theodore would sense Connor’s apprehension. He told him, “In just a few more years you too will be skilled enough for this Trial. In fact I expect it. You will take part. I’ll see to that.”
Connor was dumbfounded. There was no way he could keep up with men of that caliber. Connor could never imagine himself with that level of skill and finesse. But Theodore knew what Connor was feeling. “You know your limits. That’s very good. This news will try you and weigh upon you. You will feel it crushing in around you. But know this — it is my intent to challenge you. You will know stress, you will know adversity. But we grow in the face of that adversity. It is the great struggles of life which allow us to better ourselves.”
----------------------------------------
The Greylibur Trials
Connor’s training for the trials began with understanding. Connor first had to know why they came to exist in the first place. Theodore presented a few books on the subject, but he couldn’t resist filling in his apprentice on all the things the books failed mention.
Before the destruction of Dharen’s Light by the hand of god, there resided strong evidence that the tower held a heavenly sword called Greylibur; the very one delivered to Dharen by the angel Gabriel. This was the mythology that the books preached as fact. Theodore remained an outsider to the belief. He felt that perhaps the tower did indeed house a sword at one time, but there was no real proof that it was heaven sent.
The fact of the matter was that the sword was a symbol. For nearly a century it inspired young soldiers to train at their very best. Each one felt that one day they would be the ones to wield Greylibur and become the new Dharen. But all of that changed when Dharen’s Light was destroyed in 740AB.
In the wake of the Second Great War there was clear apathy toward becoming the very best. For starters the sword Greylibur was believed lost, destroyed, or reclaimed by god when the tower was razed. Any additional incentive was almost entirely lost due to the fact that all of Dharen’Rhylo believed they were under the protection of god.
Each generation of the Father’s Sword became increasingly inferior in skill, but that changed in 807AB. The standing War Sage at the time noticed the utter lack in enthusiasm in his men. They had grown careless and complacent, a wrong that he would soon see righted. There needed to be another incentive to sharpen ones skill. Since the threat of the Ahri was not yet upon them, there was a great need for something unique and decisive.
He proposed a tournament, but not just any tournament. He wanted one which promoted the ideals of Dharen, but not because he believed so deeply in the religious figure. The qualities of Dharen were ripe for exploitation. He needed his soldiers to be willing to lay down their worthless lives for him and his country. They needed to believe that their self-sacrifice was a holy virtue.
The War Sage knew it was a waste to give up one’s life for another, for the one who was felled would never reap the benefit. There was no profit to be found in altruism. But he needed men who would not question being fodder for the slaughter. And so Dharen became the perfect model. After all Dharen gave up his immortality for the sake of humanity, and accepted death without fear.
So the Greylibur Trials were born. Named after the very sword that once inspired soldiers abound, the Trials were a tournament of skill and excellence. And the sword was the weapon of choice. But merely fighting to be the best within the tournament wasn’t enough. There had to be some sort of reward for the effort which would tantalize even those beyond the military.
Wealth and nobility were uncommon among the ranks of the Father’s Sword. Only those who had acquired great rank were almost always from well-to-do families. Those that struggled were the vast majority. Providing them with a tangible reward was the only way to garner their attention. So there were winnings in the form of hard-pressed-pieces of silver. Gold was introduced only if enough attendees joined to increase the value of the final pot.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
For those within the military there were additional incentives. Those who took part were mostly Pure Blades, the lowest rank among the Father’s Sword. By winning the tournament they were guaranteed commendations and reputable status. This was commonly the only way to excel beyond the rank of Pure Blade for those not born of privilege.
Furthermore, the champion of the Tournament could return to ensure their title was secured. Additional victories only meant greater reputation and the potential for even higher rank. This ensured the competition would provide an extreme challenge. Only the best of the best could and would take part. They decided to hold the tournament biannually to ensure there were enough willing combatants.
At first the Combat Sages welcomed the idea, but once they learned of the War Sage’s reasoning for theming it after Dharen, they quickly began to condone the whole affair. The only reason why Theodore and other Combat Sages took the time to judge the event was to keep a keen eye on the progress of the soldiers.
----------------------------------------
In Preparation
So why was Connor destined to enter the event if he was apprentice to a Combat Sage? Theodore saw Connor as someone beyond the ideals of the military. He was not reared with blind loyalty and devotion to god, country, and self-centered leadership. In many ways Connor was the embodiment of everything that Dharen’Rhylo wasn’t, and he was to succeed in defeating Dharen’Rhylo’s best — then perhaps there was some hope for humanity after all.
Theodore chose not to lay the entirety of that belief upon Connor; the stress and strain of having to train for such an event would be difficult enough. The knowledge of being symbolic pawn in Theodore’s personal game would have been too much to endure.
But Connor’s training would prove to be radically different than anything Theodore had ever exacted. He chose to work with Connor’s strengths, or at least push them to their very limit. Theodore chose to venture beyond the city to a place of seclusion in an effort to inspire the young man,. The idea came to him as he thought back upon Connor’s experience with the Wolf Tribe.
The young man had the capability to survive in the wild, to hunt on his own, and to bring down prey without the aid of bolters or traps. Theodore felt it would benefit Connor to exploit such strengths amidst his rigorous training regiments. They traveled north into the Highlands where distant relatives of House of Ranfield resided.
From 1031AB to early 1033AB Connor and Theodore made the Highlands their home. Now and then they would spare time to visit Gabriel’s Hold for official business, but even those visits were brief. In the wild Connor felt much more at home. He reconnected with his past and put to practice skills that had begun to wane.
As Theodore predicted the effect on Connor was tremendous. He could see first-hand the skills that had failed to impress Connor’s father and even learned a great deal from his pupil. Being far away from the rigors of the Church allowed Connor to focus and excel. He quickly began to improve with the sword and showed the promise that his master had come to expect.
----------------------------------------
An Impassible Obstacle
The next Greylibur Trial was to come in 1034AB. In the year leading up to that there would be numerous trails of inclusion. There were always hopefuls who thought too highly of their own ability. In order to take part in the tournament some criteria had to be met. First and foremost was the entry fee. It wasn’t first come first serve.
Hosting the tournament was an expensive affair. The military did not wish to devote too much funding toward hosting it and the church would have to accommodate the crowd. This meant that the money which went toward funding the whole affair was provided by the entrants themselves. Ideally there was to be a total of fifty confirmed entrants once the tournament began.
Each of the fifty had to submit a total of 5,000 Danes or roughly 45 hard-pressed-pieces of silver. This was a monumental sum of money for the average goer of the military. In order to meet this steep requirement they had to seek sponsorship from a well ranked soldier, house, or wealthy business. This often meant that the wealthy had a far easier time taking part and reaping the benefits of the tournament.
The largest portion of the entry fee went directly to military coffers. Only a small portion of the military chunk was set aside to pay for judges and other elements. The next portion went toward funding the tournament itself; such as the décor, flags, and various other fixtures. Another portion went toward the church. The final portion was reserved for the winnings.
Once that sum could be reached, then the entrants would try to qualify. They achieved this through numerous smaller tournaments held bimonthly during the twelve months leading up to the tournament. By the time the tournaments came to an end the fifty entrants would be chosen, with suitable replacements in standby in the case of any unfortunate circumstances occurred prior to the tournament.
Connor was prepared for the first of the tournaments and performed exceptionally. But during the matches his eye was caught by a particular individual. Another man of similar make, age, and build was excellent with the sword. He proved to be downright ruthless and cunning, outperforming his competitors as though they had never wielded a sword in their lives.
This man was pupil to renowned swordsman from the military academy in Alexandretta. Connor did not know the man personally, but he heard his name spoken on occasion by Theodore. Apparently his master was known to have either taught or have been taught by the War Sage Xander Mordo VII; however, the rumors weren’t exactly clear.
Nevertheless the man was good, very good. He was called Ages, which was short for Aegeus. The name doubled as his nickname that referred to the Wall of Ages, which was otherwise known as an impassible obstacle. His full name was Aegeus Dem’Ostur of House Morrison.
Connor did not face him in any of his entrance battles, but it was clear that he would inevitably have to — that is if no one else disqualified either of them from the tournament. But as for the entrance exams Aegeus went undefeated. No one stood a chance against him.
By the conclusion of the first series of tournaments, Connor had assured his position. He insisted that he pay using his own coin and did so. All that remained was to continue to practice and train until the Trials which were held in the middle of the following year.