Before he saw the man even move, the training sword - a stave really - three feet of polished hard wood - was coming up at Elrik in an easy underhand swing.

Elrik had heard the whispers around the watch house.

Lord Lieutenant Alecis Akela - second son of Duke Carlyle Akela. One of the youngest School-trained blades in the Imperium. The youngest officer of the watch's new Vigiles division. Exiled here to Kalaghutta, to the ass end of the Imperium. Brash, arrogant and lethal.

Elrik wanted to see for himself - how good was a school-trained blade really?

Elrik knocked the sword aside and stepped back, ready.

Even as he knocked it aside, the stave snapped back in a whiplashing backhanded slash at his head, forcing Elrik to back away, again.

Fast! Akela was good. Very good

[Warning: opponent combat style unknown]

[Warning: opponent combat ability unknown]

Elrik ignored the thought and readied his sword

[Dropping dampeners. Power and speed at 100%]

[Allocating all resources to swordsmanship. Reflexware updating]

A hint of ice raced down Elrik's spine

Now this was a man who knew how to use a sword.

Akela's training sword swung, testing him, coming from the left. Elrik parried - and suddenly Akela was stepping in - his sword twisting into a sharp thrust at Elrik's face.

[Thrust - to the head - dodge]

Without a pause, Elrik moved his head an inch, avoiding the stave.

Then he was inside the young lord's reach and his own training sword twisted into a slash from the side striking the Vigiles officer hard in the side.

"Gah!", The lordling stepped back with a grimace, clutching at his bruised rib.

The entire exchange had taken, perhaps three seconds.. In Elrik's experience it was how long combat usually lasted.

There was a hushed silence from the audience of raw recruits in the corner of the stable. Elrik shot a glance old Sergeant Kru. The man looked nervous.

"Again?", the liutenant's grimace was replaced by a leonine smile.

"Careful, I'll be a bit faster this time"

Elrik nodded and held up his sword in a defensive two handed stance.

This time, the lieutenant didn't walk. With a snarl, the young lord rushed him, the training sword coming up in a powerful slash.

[Hard slash to the right - block]

Elrik moved up, bringing his sword to the right - but as he did, suddenly - Akela seemed to blur forward, barreling into his chest before Elrik's arm could even move.

[ERROR: Opponent speed is ERROR]

The strike caught Elrik in the chest, knocking him back. He blinked, trying to recover, but already Akela was on him, stepping faster than Elrik could back away.

[Thrust - right ar-]

[Strike - left si-]

[Thrust - head - DOD-!]

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The hits pummeled Elrik, faster than he could see them, let alone block or parry. Akela was a blur of motion, spitting in the face of physics. At the last second, Elrik twisted his head, turning the strike to his head to a graze when-

[Strike - midri-]

The last hit was square to his solar plexus and it hit him hard. Elrik doubled over, coughing, clutching his midriff, falling to the floor.

That exchange had taken all of two seconds.

Ow

His vision was starting to darken at the edges, so he only saw the lieutenant's feet as he sauntered over to Elrik.

"You alright?", The young lord sounded almost apologetic. He leaned over Elrik, checking his injuries.

Elrik was in a private world of pain, so it took him a moment to register that the young Vigiles officer was speaking to him, in a quiet voice.

"You, my friend, have the most unorthodox fighting style I've ever witnessed. And I’ve seen quite a few. Utterly graceless, but very effective", Akela patted Elrik on the shoulder, "I am impressed, very impressed. You're not too badly hurt are you?"

Elrik felt himself over, as he sat up, "No, my lord, I think I'll be alright" eventually

Elrik looked around. The training stable was empty.

Akela noticed his glance, "Ah, the trainees are gone. I asked Sergeant Kru to clear the room, so we could have a moment"

Lieutenant Akela squatted down to match Elrik, who was still barely sitting up. "So, worry not, your impressive reputation remains", he gave a cheerful smile to Elrik

Through the blossoming pain of his many bruises, Elrik tried to feel grateful, but failed.

Eh.. Maybe.. maybe he's not so bad

Elrik grimaced, "I don't think I ever had much hope of matching a School trained blade my lord"

The young lord frowned, "I disagree, you fought excellently. And call me Alecis, or lieutenant if you must. Lord Akela is my father.. and my elder brother. Listen, do you mind if I check something?"

Elrik looked in alarm at the lieutenant suddenly holding his shoulder "Uh.. What do you mean, my l- lieutenant?"

Lieutenant Akela gave a disarming smile, gripped Elrik hard on the shoulder and then did something.

Elrik suddenly felt an unpleasant sensation wash through him. It felt like how it felt when he'd had water go up his nose in the swimming pool once, as a child. Water going where it wasn’t meant to go. Except this sensation he felt deep in his bones. At the same time an explosion of discordant noise chirped in his brain.

[ERROR! ERR teri ma ki mayire scheisse nein 0181 R! ERROR!]

Elrik reflexively jerked his arm away from the young lord's grip, but almost as fast it came, the feeling was gone.

[ERROR: anomaly detected. recovering]

The young lord scowled, "Rats. That.. is unfortunate"

Elrik stared evenly at Lieutenant Akela, "What.. what was that lieutenant?"

The young lord sighed, "That.. was a test. And you failed. I knew it wasn't very likely, but I was hoping, just hoping you might just have some little ability to channel.."

Elrik furrowed his brows, as if he didn't understand, "A.. A Channel lieutenant? I... I don't understand. What is that?",

Lieutenant Akela shook his head ruefully, "I can't tell you exactly.. The School doesn't like us talking about this kind of thing.. Hmm.. Alright - let's say, if you wished to borrow the strength of the earth or the speed of the wind. Just say you could - to do that you would need a kind of.. pathway. A channel.

Or at least that's what they call it at the School of Hani"

"Ah", Elrik quirked an eyebrow, "Is that how you move so fast Lieutenant Akela? You.. channeled the wind? I don't know much about school trained blades", he lied

The lieutenant shrugged uncomfortably, "In a way, yes. I can't really talk about it"

"And", Elrik tilted his head, "And I don't have a.. what did you call it - a channel?"

"I'm afraid not", the lieutenant shook his head regretfully and started to get up, "There's perhaps one person in a thousand who has any ability to channel. Fewer still who can do anything useful with it. So perhaps it was a rather unlikely hope.."

Lieutenant Alecis Akela grinned down at Elrik, "..But I had to test and see for myself. With a talent like you have for the sword, if you had the barest ability to channel, you'd be a most formidable graduate of the School. I would have paid your way myself. Ah, well.."

Despite himself Elrik was starting to like the young lord. Not all bad reputations were well earned it seemed.

The young lord held out a hand to Elrik, "Still, I am creating a new team in the Vigiles and if you'd like, I'd have you on it. Channel or not. I could use a man like you."

Elrik took the hand, and pulled himself up, "I'll think on it my lo- lieutenant"

“Do”, Lieutenant Akela nodded to him and left, sauntering away, as easily as he had come.

...

Elrik stood alone in the training stable. It was almost evening by now, and most of the day shift for the Morpok lane watch house had left. It left Elrik to clean out for the day, which suited him just fine. He had a lot of thoughts to sort through.

In his head, a long running process was finally done.

[Combat analysis complete]

[Opponent combat style: school-trained wind-blade class UKNOWN]

[Opponent combat power: ERROR]

[Opponent combat speed: ERROR]

[Combat strategy recommended: surprise]

[Combat win probability: 1.7%]

[Combat likely outcome: death]

[Computing alternative solutions]

Well.. that was unsurprising, but disappointing. School trained blades really were something..

Another thought - another voice - surfaced in his mind.

[There's a problem.]

[Come to the apartment. We need to talk. ]