Hero Scout 112 Chapter 40 - Swordsmaster, draw your blade!

"Come on Swan, give me everything you have!" heaved Kenji, nearly out of energy as he rose Honour again to meet Arwen's wicked fast blade. Again Kenji was defeated, Honour slipped from his hands, Kenji growled with black anger in his heart.

"I've been battling every damn hour of every day, literally haven't slept at all, and you still throw me around like a drunk kindergardener" Kenji muttered and raised his hand to summon Honour flying back into his grip. The hilt hummed in pleasure, the will of the blade silky smooth against his own. So why was it taking so damn long to get better?

"You're strong, "Arwen muttered, and cracked her neck, "but you've clearly not been training for long. I was on the front lines of war at your age, not fighting goblins, but men. You can't overcome that so quickly, Grand Guildmaster."

Kenji could move faster than her if he used [Overdrive], but with the possibility of fighting the enemy like a distant thundercloud, Kenji couldn't risk damaging this body without the time to repair it. So he had to just grit his teeth, and raise Honour again.

Honour hummed, the magical steel too thirsting for victory over that flaunting mithril sabre.

"We can get you a better sword you know, something made of finer stuff than common steel," Arwen said and pulled up her visor just far enough to reveal a broad grin. Pulling it up completely her blue eyes ringed with silver became visible, and the disappointment swelling within them all too clear.

"Pathetic," she muttered and threw the helmet aside as if Kenji posed no threat. Her hair was golden and short, short enough it didn't get in her eyes, so short that the scars along her brow and ear were like white lightning down her face.

"I'll show you Pathetic- damn it - you get what I mean!" Kenji shouted, and threw himself forward. The thing was he was only pretending to be annoyed, letting her underestimate his wild attack, and at the last moment, he swivelled and launched a sudden blow past her guard-

Kenji's blade flew through the air with a single sweeping movement, the masterstroke of the swordswoman's response having utterly annihilated Kenji's assault. It was one-sided, total defeat, and yet...

"Again," Kenji muttered, Honour zooming back into his grip.

"No," Arwen sighed, and returned her sabre to its sheath. "Fight someone your own level, this is just a waste of time for both of us."

"I need to get stronger," Kenji insisted, "and I will. You'll see, when we bout next I'll beat you three ways to Christmas!"

Amused, Arwen put her helmet back on and strolled to the door, "I'll look forward to that. But if I win you owe me a 100 gold coins...and an explanation of what 'Christmas' is. Until then I have an appointment with the Lord of this city. Hopefully, I can find these gangsters you're looking for."

"Why do you care?" Kenji sighed, "No offence meant, but why are you here? Your father cannot care about me as much as this."

Arwen looked to Kenji's blade, then back to him.

"You are a man who gets things done. But I didn't come for you, but this," Raising a little white crystal that flared with wind magic, she then returned it to a pouch filled with the things. "Wind crystals are rare, but the Fae have them by the careful. Problem is they never traded with humans before now, and despite your 'tariffs' the chance to buy them was not one to be lost. Then there is the ability to get weapons enchanted, and then there's what you did to Honour..."

"You know my blade's name?"

"I tend to remember the names of weapons much more often than their owners...uh, remind me what yours is?" Arwen inclined her head to one side, Kenji feeling rather worthless as he opened his mouth to respond.

"Actually, don't worry about it," she said with a raised hand. "Until your someone worth sparing with, I don't see the point. Not a deal we can make, because while trading with the Fae has been fruitful, and an inspection of Oldeth overdue, to stay in your company requires you to give something in return."

"What...your a mercenary now?"

"You could call it that. But you would like my help, right? My sway with the elite here could prove useful to you, I could gather information, I could even help you free the friend of yours you speak of so often. At the very least I can tell you for a fact I would be the single most powerful entity on your side."

Kenji hated the fact she knew exactly what he wanted, without even knowing his name. It made him feel much smaller than he had for some time.

"What do you want," he muttered. Prepared to give anything really, gold, land and favours. No expense would be spared to get Tenko and her pack back safely, no trial would be left accomplished, no ounce of effort unspent.

"Whatever you did to make Honour like that, I want the information and all the help you can give to replicate the results," Arwen said it casually, almost off-handedly. But Kenji knew he had her balls in a vice now.

"It's terribly difficult, and as far as I know I could be the only one in the whole world who has found out just how. That information is worth more than you, I could go to the King for instance," Kenji peered at his nails, and indulged the swordmaster in her own game. Her left foot stiffened as if ready to fight, her right hand opened and closed as if searching for the missing blade.

"I'm worth it. You can't understand how strong I am yet, but I am. Stronger than my father, stronger than anyone," there was something slightly desperate in that tone. "I will help you free your companion in return for the information...that and, I could become your ally."

"In perpetuity and in all things?" Kenji said immediately and walked towards her with an open palm and a smile. Thrown off she stepped back and looked at his outstretched hand with far more concern that she had his naked blade.

"An ally, yes, although that may change depending on your own aims."

"Then what if I swear to help you walk further down your path whenever possible? Would you swear to aid me permanently then, in all things?" Kenji pressed her hard, believing that from a noble order of knights that her word would prove as binding as a Fae's.

"For as long as you can help my progress, I will be your ally in all things. But should you prove lacking, or another path more fruitful, I will take my leave. Is that understood?"

Kenji offered his hand, and as if holding a wet snake, Arwen seized it with her own and near shattered Kenji's wrist. Barely holding off screaming for the duration of the shake, Kenji retracting his outrageously hurt hand and allowed her to leave.

"I've never met a man so brazen, a shame you are weak as a dry leaf...Kenji."

The instant she was gone Kenji transformed into the Sun Elf Queen to let Arthur's body heal, and patted down the sweat from his forehead. Honour reformed to become longer and lithe, the grip just as comfortable in his new hand, Kenji swinging the blade in lazy arcs as he thought.

Arwen was a monster at fighting, no human he had ever met was that strong. But all reports indicated she was as loyal as a true knight, and if Kenji could hold up on his end of the bargain, outstrip it and go above her expectations even. Anything to form another powerful ally, and it was clear that the Silver Swordsmaster was certainly powerful.

Kenji eyed a trio of swordsmen approaching from the corner of the room, each a master of their field, each able to trash Kenji across the floor. But at least against them Kenji was improving, against them he was rapidly closing the distance. With Arwen it felt like a foot race against a rocketship.

"Grand Master, we have news!" an adventurer said, pushing past the trio of veterans.

"Well, what is it?" Kenji said.

"We found a pair of the thugs, we seized them as you said. They threw spiders in the air for some reason, then attacked with an insane lack of self-preservation. Their dead now, but we have the corpses for you."

Kenji grinned.

"Lead the way. I was just done with training, so let's see where these bastards have been hiding my friends," cracking his knuckles, Kenji followed the adventurer out of the room. Fired up, Kenji was looking forward to fighting something that wasn't as ludicrous as the Silver Swordmaster.

Something that finally got him closer to his objective.

"Just you wait for Tenko, I'm here. Kenji's here," he whispered to himself.

Realising the adventurer was a priest, Kenji stepped behind a pedestal and rapidly shifted to the Boy Knight.

"Before we get there, mind healing a sprained wrist?"

Chapter end