The Master of Uradan

Rohan sat on his bed. The room was a small one, with a bed against the left wall and a desk on the other side. There was no window, and the only light was coming from the crystal hanging from the ceiling.

On his side, leaning against the wooden bed frame, the saber he had stolen from the sect was there, showing off its sharp blade. Next to it, was his leather bag, which no one had bothered to search through.

Rohan couldn't help but smile, as a large number of mana cores inside would make anyone drool from desire. It was running low, but it should be enough for the next month at least. No one would believe that Rohan had such a quantity. After all, he was in the Barren Lands not long ago and on the run.

Earlier, he had visited the tower and its eleven floors following behind Alice. The number of people inside the tall building number to more than a hundred, but the large proportion of them wasn't even wizards, they were only apprentices, trying to engrave the first rune.

What was easy for Rohan wasn't for everyone. The two books his new master had given to him were posed on the small table near his bed. It must be said that they were coming perfectly in time, as he believed that he only needed a few days to finish his second rune.

In any case, the learning wouldn't be done in a couple of hours, so Rohan decided for the first time in a long time to take a break. The night had already fallen, and he had eaten a couple of hours before in the refectory, among tens of people. His status as Elynir's disciple had already made the tour of the tower, but Rohan didn't care about it.

Without wasting more time, Rohan decided to sleep without meditating, relaxing his body and mind.

The next day, he woke up early and put on his leather armor in the dark. The crystal was supposed to be easy to light, but he couldn't be bothered to try it and took out his saber.

He quickly left his room and went down the stairs, before leaving the tower. No one was really keeping the entrance, and everyone was free to come and go. Rohan even thought that he shouldn't have knocked at the door and simply entered, no one would have stopped him.

The sun was starting to rise, and a faint fog was enveloping the center area of the capital. Guards were patrolling in the distance, keeping it safe from all potential intruders.

Rohan's goal was the Lord's castle, and retracing the path he had taken the day before, he finally reached his destination.

The guards at the entrance easily let him enter, and following the instructions he had received, Rohan walked toward the large cour.

There, still covered with a disappearing fog, a tall man in full armor was standing in the center. He was facing Rohan, and the moment they saw each other, the man took out a large sword.

"You took your time. Are you that scared to be beaten up?" Hanshen playfully said as he pointed the weapons on the side. "Take a sword, I wouldn't want to break your saber. Where did you even find it? Not a lot of blacksmiths forged this kind of weapon."

"A battle loot." Rohan calmly answered as he put away his saber. He really should find a scabbard for it one of these days. He took out a random sword and came in front of Hanshen.

"Before sending you on a mission, you will have to train a bit. At least, until I find it reasonable enough." A small sadistic smile appeared on his face. "A great constitution is good, but if you are unable to use it, it's pointless."

The two fighters immediately put themselves in a battle stance. There was no need for more words, and suddenly, a terrible battle took place.

Rohan took the initiative and charged forward. He knew he had no chance to win against lord Hanshen, as his title wasn't a joke. Lord was reserved for the most powerful warrior of the territory, representing his country with the might of his sword.

His sword flashed as he put all his strength in every muscle he had. He didn't want to use any skill for now, and this decision made Hanshen pleased.

"That's right! A warrior uses his body, his strength! Before using a skill, your techniques should be perfect." He swung his large sword, deflecting the attack to the side. "And it is far from it."

Rohan didn't stop. He rushed to the right and attacked with his sword. He used everything he had learned from Makin, and all tricks he had encountered himself. Even the saber art from the Sect of Averlorn was somewhat present, concentrated on his footwork.

He was like a tempest as he tirelessly cleaved from all sides. He put all the pressure he could against the warrior in front of him. The clangs of iron against iron resonated all around, and sparks exploded here and there, painting the fog with violent orange light.

Hanshen easily deflected all attacks, but it didn't mean he wasn't impressed. After countless rounds of battle, he believed he had fully grasped the talent of the young man in front of him. Thus, he decided to change the roles.

He attacked.

His large sword flashed down with a mighty speed. Rohan's expression fell instantly as he stepped aside at the last moment.

But the attack didn't stop here. The sword brushed beside Rohan, heading toward the ground. Abruptly, it changed directly without slowing down. The blow came from a vertical slash to a horizontal one without any flaws, and Rohan was forced to use his sword to defend.

The two swords connected with a loud crash. A small crack echoed, and under so much strength that Rohan felt his whole body going numb, he was sent flying.

Before his body could violently land on the ground, he tapped it with his hand, keeping his body in the air. He slightly spun on himself and rolled down on the paved floor, minimizing all the force received he could.

He quickly stood up and looked with dread at Hanshen, who was nodding his head.

"Not bad, not bad. A warrior should learn to receive violent blows, as well as to be sent on the floor like a rag doll. Your reflexes are good, but it is only the start." Hanshen wielded his sword as he moved forward, ready to teach Rohan the art of crashing down.

A large part of the morning was focused on Rohan being violently beaten up, and as the sunlight was shining against the training field with the fog which had already fully disappeared, they came to a stop.

Rohan collapsed on the ground. He couldn't stand anymore, and the sword on his hand was already broken. It was the third one since the start of his training.

"Well I think it's all for today, you still have your wizard's duty I think, so you should go. Let's meet up tomorrow at the same time." Hanshen sheathed back his sword and turned around. He took a deep breath as he felt relaxed. Nothing was better than a good warming up!

"I...swear…I will beat you into a pulp one day.." Rohan could only glare at Hanshen as he was laughing out loud, his breath chasing the dust on the ground.