As the first rays of sunrise shone through the narrow window, Elizabeth woke up, just before everybody else would be awoken. She was still sore from long hours of yesterdays training, but it was nothing new to her. At least it wasn’t as bad as when she first joined the Academy.
The Military Academy of Sköder. The place that produced the Order’s proffessional soldiers, officers and was the most reliable way to eventually reach Lordship. It was one of the very of its kind in the world. Getting to study there was the dream of many in Hallmarch. But it wasn’t Elisabeth’s.
As a former serf she wouldn’t even be allowed to join in the first place, despite the Academy’s very lax entry requirements. But when she was around twelve, she started displaying magical abilities. Now she had a very simple choice: join into the formal structure of the Order or be executed by the Inquisition upon reaching adulthood. The Academy and eventually knighthood was the best choice.
But that was 4 years ago. She has been an Initiate for 2 years now and it was much better then being a serf. She realised that as she possessed the blessing of magic, it was her holy duty to serve the Order to the best of her ability. And take advantage of the privileges that came with it.
As she headed to the morning fencing practice, she noticed some weird things. Guards were more tense and serious then usual, all the instructors seemed to be in a hurry and she even spotted a few knights.
At the training arena except for the instructor, there was another man watching over the grouped Initiates. He wore expensive clothing from dark purple silk with silver embroidery, unquestionably of foreign design and had a rapier at his belt. Definitely a Lord.
Elizabeth knew this was her chance. If she managed to gain attention of a Lord, it would guarantee her rapid ascension through the ranks. She stretched to shake of the last remains of the morning soreness and prepared to do her best.
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It was going to be a regular training session. The instructor set up the competition table and reminded everybody about the rules. No magic, no killing… The usual. Except the stakes were now much higher than getting clout among your peers.
Elizabeth waited for her turn, watching three battles before it was her turn. Then the instructor shouted her name and the name of her opponent.
She was going to face Brad in her first fight. He was a gigantic wall of muscle and his usual weapon of choice was a greatsword. He was also much faster than most would assume based on his physique. But Elizabeth fought against him and other people with a similar fighting style. Most new recruits were getting smashed by him, but she had learned from her mistakes. All she had to do was dodge his strikes and wait for an opening.
She drew her rapier and performed a ceremonial salute. After their weapons touched tips, the duel has officially begun. She spent the first five minutes of the duel dancing around him, avoiding his attacks. She never tried to use any blocks or defensive swordplay, as it would do nothing to stop a greatsword and put her in a vulnerable position.
Brad’s next swing almost got her. It went so close she could actually feel the wind from the blow. How did he manage to not kill people with this? The swing was so strong the sword flew all the way to the ground, hitting it with a loud ring. This caused him to lose balance and bend forward.
Elizabeth knew she only had a couple second window and failure meant exposing herself, but she did not hesitate. She already missed two openings due to doubts and she narrowly avoided getting hit after her failures. She wasn’t going to miss an opportunity like this again. She launched forward, with her blade pointing strait at him.
The rapier stabbed into Brad’s abdomen and a red tint started to grow on his shirt. Elizabeth quickly pulled it out and raised it in her triumph, while her opponent was being taken to the healer. She sat down with the other winners and started to clean her weapon.
Next fights were going to progressively get much harder, but she was going to win. The opportunity was too big to pass up.
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