"True, but you have to realize I have many years of experience under my belt. It is like comparing a cub to a fully grown lion. If I had as much experience as you or close to it, you would have beaten me with your youth, energy and stamina,” said Luray.
"I understand that experience is a great advantage,” said Alexander. “However, you outclassed me in everything except youth. You are faster and much stronger despite being older.”
“True, but I keep up my training,” said Luray. “Many fighters let their skills diminish after reaching a plateau or they get complacent from their victories rather than keeping their skills sharp.”
“Despite our short time training, you are progressing much faster than your father,” the Master praised. “You’ve been practicing a lot even without me and that takes true dedication and focus.”
“Thank you, Master,” said Alexander. He dodged a pebble to the right before catching another with his left hand. He hissed audibly as a large pebble smacked him in the left hand, expelling the pebble he still held.
“Don’t get distracted. It will cost you,” said Luray. “All it takes is one second of losing your concentration to cost you your life in battle.”
“That's enough for today, Alexander. You may go and rest up for tomorrow’s lesson. Since it's the start of summer vacation, meet me here at six in the morning and come prepared for a summer-long survival trip,” said Luray before he started to gather up the training equipment.
“Yes, Master,” said Alexander rubbing the swollen red spot on his hand.
The next day, Alexander carried a large backpack with survival equipment as he headed to Luray’s cottage. He packed everything from the list the Master had provided and whatever else he felt he needed, he bought it with some of the money that was left to him. The Master walked out of his cottage, his own backpack across his shoulders.
“Good. You are here early. Now you're going to learn how to survive in the wilderness, I want you to be prepared for the worst. We will walk there, but it is a three-hundred-mile journey. We will have to survive along the way by hunting and foraging for food; you will learn how to make a shelter and find good sources of water,” the Master instructed.
Alexander nodded. “Understood, Master.”
The two turned and began their long trek north.
“I will be telling you about every poisonous fruit and plant that you will come across,” Luray said as the two companions stopped near a bush, abundant with tiny red fruit hanging from its small branches. "This fruit is called the bittersweet nightshade, it’s fatal if ingested.” He warned. They continued walking alongside each other in almost complete silence, with Master Luray stopping from time to time to point out various plants. The tall trees blocked out most of the summer sun, but the heat was proving harsh. After an exhausting day of walking, they stopped for the night.
“To survive, you'll first need to find a source of water, preferably while looking for shelter nearby,” he instructed Alexander as they began scouting around for a suitable place for the campsite.
Alexander saw a clear river running to the west, with a small cave in the hillside and thought, This may work. He rushed back, shouting to his master. “Master Luray! I think I found a perfect place to spend the night!"
“Show me where it is,” the aged master replied, following Alexander to the river. Master Luray looked around. “You’ve picked a nice location, Alexander, with a water source and a cave that can be used to protect us from the elements.” They searched the cave and were happy to find that it was not inhabited. “Well done. Let us set up camp and continue your practice.”
Later that night Alexander went to his Master’s tent. “You need something my student?” asked the Master as he put down a book.
“I saw a photo in your cottage of you and a young woman,” said Alexander. “I was wondering if you can tell me who that was.”
“That was my wife of twenty years. Her name was Elisa. She was beautiful and strong both mentally and physically."
He got a wistful look as he spoke of his wife. “We met at a local tournament as adversaries. We fought in the finals and I defeated her. I offered to treat her to some dinner and she accepted. We had a lot in common and a year later we married. We were happy for about fifteen years until she was diagnosed with brain cancer,” the Master said as his emotions took over and a single tear ran down his face..
“I am sorry for asking, Master.”
“It’s alright,” said Luray. “It will take the burden off my chest.”
“By the time we discovered her condition, there was little we could do. She was told she only had five months to live, but being physically active helped her live another four years before she started to deteriorate. It was horrible watching her suffer and I did my best to provide for her. She died a year later after it became too much for her, and I never married again.”
“Please forgive me for bringing up such bad memories,” said Alexander.
“It’s not a problem. Please, leave me to gather my thoughts, Alexander; I will wake you early tomorrow.”
“Are you alright, Master?” asked Alexander the next morning as Master Luray got ready to head out.
“Yes, thank you for your concern and please remember showing sadness isn’t shameful. Showing emotion, it is part of what makes us human.”
“Yes, Master, I will cherish that advice,” said Alexander.
“Now, we shall continue where we left off.” The two began their intense spar which persisted into the night, only stopping for a meal , Luray always dominating the fight and giving advice to his pupil. The next morning, they trekked up north into another part of the forest while Luray tested Alexander’s endurance and survival skills. At night, they continued their martial arts lessons.
After two and a half days, they finally got to their destination. Trondheim. Master and student made their makeshift tent, protecting themselves from the elements with leaves and branches woven into a bivouac. They sat down to eat the food they had collected along the way, which consisted mostly of berries and nuts, but also some rabbit they had trapped on their trek. “We made it, Alexander, and you have learned much in such a short time,” praised the master.
Alexander bowed. “Thank you, Master.”
***
In the temple on the mountain, Kira was trembling, her shirt shredded. “You failed me, Kira and you lost three of my acolytes. Those scars will remind you not to fail me again,” boomed the voice.
She remained on her hands and knees, feeling every one of the burns across her body and the cuts on her exposed back. “Forgive me, Master, but a Guardian intervened,” she grunted in pain.
“I want results, Kira, not excuses! Get out of my sight!” bellowed the voice with anger as lightning struck the ground in front of her.
She got up, still quivering from the pain and fear. “Of course, my Lord,” she said meekly as she limped away, blood dripping from the newest gash on her leg. The punishment for failure ever high.
“Nicolson! Come here now!” commanded the voice.
“Yes, my Lord?” answered a young man of roughly thirty years with wild black hair. Bedecked in black scale armor, a huge sword strung across his back. Walking out of the shadow of the temple wall with confidence and arrogance, he bowed to his Lord and master.
“Nicolson, as one of my personal generals, you have great skill. I have a mission for you,” said the voice.
The young man bowed to the statue. “What is your command, my Lord?”
***
Deep in the forest, the master and his student were sparring hard, the bruises on both of their bodies proof of Alexander’s rising skill. It had been a month since they had arrived in Trondheim. Sparring had for a while been accompanied by lessons in woodwork as they felled trees in preparation for a shelter. The end result was a well-formed log cabin, small but meeting their needs for shelter.
In a nearby town, Master Luray had arranged for his student to do odd jobs to learn
work ethics. Whether it was delivering newspapers while running to increase speed and reaction time or construction work to increase his strength, Alexander never complained and did his work completely and without complaint.
Later that evening, Alexander watched from behind a tree as Luray put salve on his shoulder, tending to a sore area repeatedly struck during training. This proved to Alexander that he had come a long way in his training. Alexander could not begin to imagine how much he had improved. Still he knew, there was still much more learning to be done.
Master Luray also taught him to meditate so he could gain more focus. He taught him to strike a tree or boulder to increase his pain tolerance. By the end of each day, Alexander’s fists were bloody and sore just in time for another sparring session with his Master.
As part of his education Alexander was also shown how to play Chess and Japanese pastime Shogi, utilizing how to use them in a fight with the aim of positioning his opponent in a more favorable position for him to attack. Alexander often got less than five hours of sleep, due to his rough training, but never complained.
One day Luray decided it was to be the day Alexander was made aware of what he held and its significance. “Alexander, it's time to tell you what you hold and how important it is,” said Luray frowning, which was very rare on the usually kind and smiling Master. Alexander immediately stopped the stance he was practicing. Seeing he had his student’s attention Master Luray continued. “The key you have in your possession holds the power to release a great evil."
“Who or what is it?” asked the student.
“We don’t know his identity, but he is labeled as a demon with no morals. He is the one known as the Lord of Shadows, a violent and evil monster who has tossed away his humanity for dark power,” said Luray.
“Why tell me?” asked Alexander. “Why was my family involved?”
“You are his target, Alexander, because of my mistake,” said Luray.
“What do you mean, Master?” asked Alexander
“I gave your father the key to keep it hidden away from the Lord of Shadows,” said Luray. “Don’t worry, I will fight to the death to protect you, my student.”
Alexander balled up his fist and spoke with a fire in his eyes. "Master, I hope it never comes to that, but if it does, we'll fight together.”
"No! You will run when I tell you to, without question! The key should never fall to the Lord of Shadows. Your duty is to protect it at all cost,” a stern solid tone in the Master’s voice could be heard. “I failed your family already, you will not throw your life away for my mistake.”
“But…” started Alexander until he saw his Master frown with a disapproving look. “Understood, Master.”
***
Summer came and went, as Alexander turned seventeen. His birthday for ever held dear by his Master presenting him a medallion containing five crystals, colored brown, blue, red, green, and yellow. Each in turn symbolizing the elements, each element separated by thin lines of silver. Each shone brilliantly and Alexander had never seen anything like it before. All Luray said in presenting Alexander with his gift was a short, “Happy birthday.”
***
That night Alexander was sleeping when he started to toss and turn, before screaming. Luray heard his student and rushed over. “Alexander what happened? Wake up!” shouted the Master.
Alexander woke up with a jolt. “Master? Why are you in here?”
“I rushed to see what was wrong,” said Luray. “You had a nightmare?”
“It seems so,” said Alexander, sweat running down his face.
“You want to talk about it?” asked Luray.
“I just saw my parents being murdered by a shadow then it went after my friend Samuel and killed him and his family as I watched. I was next to die.”
“We should increase your training,” said Luray
“Thank you, Master,” said Alexander.
***
He returned home from Trondheim with his Master by foot in just two days. In the month since they had returned back, Alexander soaked up his lessons like a sponge, proving him to be a quick learner as he mastered the last tier of both fighting styles. As a gift for his accomplishments, Master Luray gave Alexander a scroll containing the last of the five animal fighting stances: Dragon, Tiger, and Leopard. Alexander was to master these styles with no tutelage.
Master Luray had never personally mastered the three contained within, but had located the scroll for it. Alexander looked at the scroll, and in doing so saw the different exercises for them and a method of training.
As he bowed to his Master, a black shadowy movement in the forest caught Master Luray’s eye. Springing into a guard position, he motioned Alexander to move in behind him with a jerk of his head.
Moving swiftly to his left, Luray caught rocks thrown at him from the tree line with a deft movement of his hand. “You’d better come out!” He yelled out as he prepared himself for an attack.
A tall figure strode from the trees, a short sword strapped to his back. “I have come to kill you and take the key you possess, old man.”
“Who are you?” asked Luray, biding time to further assess his opponent.
“You can call me Nicolson and I am your death,” replied the stranger as he drew out his short sword and advanced.
Master Luray glared at his challenger, “I will not make it easy,” he warned, as he drew out a jagged sword, which had remained sheathed so long that even Alexander was oblivious to its containment on Luray’s person.
“Your toy won’t help you now,” said Nicolson. “I have killed stronger opponents than you.”
“Alexander, leave now,” Master Luray commanded as he charged towards his attacker, his jagged sword held firmly in his hand.
Alexander stood there frozen as his Master fought with the assassin. Watching as Master Luray went for a stab, his assailant narrowly avoiding being caught. Nicolson then slashed down but Luray blocked, quickly he disengaged and parried a diagonal slash that was thrown back by Luray.
Master Luray growled, “What are you doing here?" looking across to his student he again implored, "Alexander! Leave! You are no match for this opponent!” Focusing again, just in time to blocked another forceful strike.
“Master,” whispered Alexander as he closed his eyes and ran into the forest.
Luray turned to his opponent, his blade turning purple as he spoke. “This blade is now poisoned, one cut will kill you within just a few short minutes.”
The general smirked, no emotion portrayed across his face. “You are truly a master of the Snake Assassin style, old man. Using poison just like a cobra. I have heard of you from my master. They may refer to you as The Cobra of the Order, however, you're now well past your prime and have gotten weak in your old age," exclaimed the dark general as he attacked again.
Master Luray keen to again get the upper hand, started to attempt to push the general back with rapid thrusts of his blade.
The general simultaneously charged forward, disarming Luray by parrying his attack, and slamming the pommel of his sword onto the Master’s hand. Nicolson keen to press home his advantage went in for another strike, but the shorter Master grabbed Nicolson’s sword hand and threw him to the side with just a seemingly effortless flick of his wrist, forcing Nicolson to release the grip on his own sword. The general tried to rise only to be sent back down with a sweeping kick.
“You are getting annoying, old man,” said the general, kicking out at the master while on the ground, making him also fall towards the ground. Luray recovered himself before he reached the ground, flipping himself back to get some distance, regaining his balance he got into a strong stance. “If you were younger and in your prime you might have stood a chance. Too bad for you.”
Luray rolled up his pant legs, unveiling several ankle weights wrapped around his ankles. A smirk crossed his lips as he came back with, “You think I was trying my hardest?” As he released the weights from his hands, letting them drop and impri
nting the soil below. “Now let’s see you keep up with me, youngster.” He launched himself forward, moving at much faster speeds, landing a strong punch on Nicolson’s chest, sending him back against the trunk of a tree.
“So you’re a little faster, old man, you will still die.” Nicolson wiped the blood from his lip with his hand. “I'm still faster, stronger.”
“That you may be, but I have more experience and that is what it will take, I will end you here and now,” replied Luray.
The general smiled back. “Did you actually believe I would come alone?” the general asked as thirty more soldiers came out of the trees, each fully dressed in leather armor and armed with various weapons ranging from swords to bows and arrows to staffs. “The weak old man with his stupid sense of honor.”
“You've got no honor. I have always known this day would come and I'm prepared, as all warriors should be, to live by the blade and die by the blade.” The thirty soldiers charged at the lone master. He eyed each warrior with no fear and in turn met their attacks, striking the first soldier in the chest. One by one, he slashed and cut his opponents. Luray saw movement behind him but was unable to defend against the cowardly attack as a sword pierced his back. With the little strength that remained Luray managed to kick out, sending Nicolson into a tree, making the general cough up blood.
“You will die painfully, old man, from the slow-acting toxin on my blade. There is no antidote that can help you now,” gloated the general as he got up from the last attack, still unsteady on his feet. The field was littered with the bodies of twenty-nine soldiers, the one remaining alive was struggling to breathe through his wounds, only to be silenced by the general after he regained his composure.
His work complete Nicholson hands gestured through the air, seemingly forming some kind of intricate message. A black portal appeared, and Nicolson walked through, leaving the carnage behind.
Alexander had stopped in a clearing a short way away to think about his next move. Hoping he was not too late he turned and ran back to the fight. Greeted with a scene of utter devastation he knelt down beside his master, carefully turning him over.
The Lord of Shadows Rises Page 3