The Sand Circle, Age: 384

A graduation ceremony was held at hilight, when Tullus, the third moon, was at its peak in the sky over Korone. It shone bright yellow, casting an almost sinister light on the fifteen students in Boro's graduating class.

  He remembered when he had first started at the academy, his class had numbered in the mid-fifties. Over the course of the last four years that number had slowly dwindled down. Students left when the training became too intense. On a few occasions students had been severely injured, twice students had been killed. Both times had been declared accidents but Boro still wondered about the truth to the rumors.

  He glanced out of the corner of his eyes seeing Mika standing there looking smug. One of those deaths had been at his hands. One of the people killed had their neck broken with a wooden practice sword. The other had been a good friend of Boros, and Mika ran him through the throat with a wooden spear during a sanctioned duel.

  Boro hated the slimy bastard. He was the son of a rich Lord, while Boro was the son of a disgraced Sword Master; Mika never let him forget that fact either. While Boro had to work hard and train every day, Mika was out carousing and having fun. His father had paid for Mika to graduate. While Mika may have been a better swordsman than most normal people, Boro considered his skills to be the worst of the graduating class. Their teachers had never pitted Boro and Mika against one another in a duel, probably for fear that Boro would disgrace him and bring the wrath of Mika's Lord father upon The Academy.

  After another hour of pomp and ceremony, Master Korvas pinned a solid gold emblem in the shape of a lightning bolt on each of their coat collars. This was the first pin needed to become a master swordsman, or swordswoman, in Nila's case. She was the only woman to have made it to the graduation this time around, but she was by far the best of them all. She beamed with happiness and satisfaction. Her, too wide, smile showing off her shining white teeth. She had fair skin and bright green eyes, a rarity amongst the people of Galaos. She worked even harder than Boro to get where she was. Boro's was pretty sure that he loved her, and he knew certainly that he would die for her.

  The last part of the graduation ceremony was the duels. Each of the fifteen students would pick a number randomly and face off against whoever had matched numbers with them. Since the number was uneven this year, the Masters had brought in a student from last year's graduating class. Fur, the student they had chosen, was a bulky man, thick in the middle with broad shoulders and huge hands, he was not the type that normally made it far as a swordsman. But if the rumors were true, he was the best swordsman the masters had trained in nearly twenty years. Boro would not envy anyone who had to face off against him; he secretly hoped Mika would get paired to face off against him.

  Boro volunteered to be the first to reach into the old sack where the numbers were held and pick. He picked up a few papers and gradually dropped them until he had only one in his hand. He held out the paper in his open palm for the Masters to see. It held the written form of the number five. That was good, he would be one of the first to fight. He was eager to prove himself... And to be done with this ceremony.

  The picking went on, Mika was second to pull from the sack and picked out the number twelve. Nila drew one, and she would fight in the first match. Boro was paired with Jun, a swordsman of middling skill. On and on like this the drawing went till finally Fur went, there was only one open slot left for him and Boro's heart dropped when he realized that it was not Mika who would face him but Nila. To her credit, she gave no outward sign that she was afraid or nervous to face him.

  The difference in size and strength was made obvious, as if it wasn't already, when Fur joined Nila in the sand circle where their duel would take place. Where Fur was broad and muscular, Nila was slight and lean. She would almost definitely have the advantage of speed and maneuverability, while Fur would have the edge in brute strength.

  The rules were simple and straightforward, to win you had to simply knock your opponent out of the circle or get them to surrender. Killing wasn't prohibited, duelists would fight with actual sharpened blades to test skill and control, sometimes people would be killed in these final duels but it was still frowned upon and considered disgraceful.

  They stood across from one another in the circle both bowing to the other and taking the ready stance. The master officiating the match called for it to begin.

  Immediately Nila sprung from a ready stance into Sparrow Through The Brush, she flitted back and forth stabbing with her thin rapier. Fur blocked each stab with Falcon On The Wind, a form normally used for fighting an opponent using a sword with a single edge. He struck back with Tiger Jumps Its Prey, a huge over hand blow that Nila side-stepped. That move would have sheared her and her thin blade completely in half. Nila was wide eyed now, she was completely out classed and she knew it. The fear left her eyes again, replaced by resolve and anger. Boro's fear only increased.

  Nila slid into Furs' guard, striking furiously with Cobra Hunting. she managed to push Fur back to the edge of the circle, lightly puncturing him in his right shoulder. He grunted and swung wildly, jumping from form to form, Hyenas on The Heel, Hawk dives The Mouse, Horse Runs The Field. On his last form, Fur struck Nila's sword hand on the wrist with the flat of his blade. She yelped and dropped her sword and dropped to the sand and rolled around the large man. She got behind him, jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his throat and her legs around his own. She held him in a full choke hold, sweat beading up on her forehead from the effort to hold the choke in place. Fur scrambled to get her off, dropping his huge broadsword in the process. His face began to turn a dark plum purple. He dropped to one knee, eyes wild. Then he elbowed her full on in the rib. There was a low crack and Nila dropped her locked arms and legs. She grunted holding her broken rib. Boro looked to the Masters, but they looked content to let the duel go on.

  Fur coughed and held his throat.

"You're good, but you're just a woman, you have no chance against a man like myself" Fur had a surprisingly high pitched voice for a man his size.

  He went back to where his sword lay half buried in the sand. While his back was turned to her, Nila had jumped back to her feet and had half hobbled, half ran to where her rapier lay on the sand. Once it was back in her hands she immediately went back after Fur. He had just grabbed up his sword when she pounced on him in the Weasel Eats Cobra. Her blade flashed quicker than he'd ever seen before. Even with her broken rib her form was impeccable and nearly perfect. When Fur had blocked an offhand attempt at Dog Chases The Fox, Nila had dropped down to the sandy ground and threw both her feet at Furs exposed stomach launching him into the air and completely out of the circle.

  Both the students and the masters were completely silent. Apparently both had thought she stood no chance. Boro let out a sigh of relief. Fur was busy getting back to his feet, anger and surprise bright on his face.

  Nila still held her broken rib but looked up at Fur, her face serious, "You're good, but you're just a man, you had no chance against a woman like myself" She said it loudly for all to hear.

  Boro let out a loud laugh, as did a few more of the less serious students, even a few of the masters smiled. Fur himself looked down at her furiously, and then broke out into a fit of laughter.

  "You are one of the best swordsman, swordswoman, I should say, I have faced in many a years" Nila positively beamed at this and nodded her head in thanks. "Sorry about your rib by the way, I really didn't want to lose."

  Nila and Fur stepped to the side to allow the next two combatants. The fight was not as interesting and didn't last long but it was entertaining nonetheless. In the end a short boy named Arturo won the bout by ring out.

  After them was Boro and Jun. The battle ended quickly, Boro won by KO in five moves, hitting Jun with the flat of his blade using a form of Boro's own creation, one that he called Sword Saints Dull Edge; it was a move to hurt, not kill.

  Mika won his duel too by the barest of margins. Boro suspected that Mika had paid off most of the students who he thought would be willing to throw the fight but it was just his guess. But watching his fight gave Boro an uneasy feeling, Mika had shown some skill Boro had never seen before.

  The combat went on, Nila won her next match against Arturo, as did Boro against his own, meaning that they'd face each other in the semi-final match. To Boro's displeasure, Mika also won his second match. That meant that whoever won between Nila and Boro would end up facing Mika, if he won his third match of course.

  Boro took his place in the circle across from Nila. They bowed to one another and then, before the master gave them the okay, they flew at one another. They fought without thought, each flowing from one form to the next in perfect sync. He dodged past her Feather on The Wind, and she blocked his Wind Kisses The Trees. Her thin rapier slid across the flat of his single-edged blade. His father had used a sword of the same fashion while he lived. He twirled his blade around hers trying to knock it from her hand. She fought carefully, but still moved a bit awkwardly in order to avoid exposing her broken rib to him. Boro would never have hit her in that rib, but he did faint attacks that way. He felt bad watching the pained expression on her face when she blocked her injured side, but this was still a competition and Boro wanted to win.

  With that in mind he launched into Waves Hit The Beach, striking at her legs. She jumped back and blocked his next form with Lark Nests. The move not only blocked the sword strike but also threw Boro off balance. She capitalized on his fumble and threw herself into Hedgehog Runs The Plain. Jabbing at Boro's face with three quick strikes. Boro jumped back, rolled and spun around to Nila's rear, he came up and blocked and used another of his own self made forms, he called this one Pinning The Tail, and slapped her butt with the flat side of his blade. Nila yelped and jumped back turning red but having no time to recover as Boro smiled and jumped into another of his own firms called Soft Sighs of The Lady's Maid, he kicked her feet out from under her and stood over her with his sword to her throat.

  He still smiled down at her as she looked up at him in fury and embarrassment.

  "How rude to strike a lady on her backside without her express permission" She said this seriously but then cracked a smile.

  "I surrender, you are the better blade master… Today" She said finally, putting heavy emphasis on the last word.

  Boro stuck his hand out and offered it to her. She took it and let him help her up. "That was a well thought out move, how did you know it would work?" she asked, dusting sand out of her brown, tightly spun, bun.

  Boro let out a soft, good natured chuckle, " I didn't to be completely honest. It could have worked completely in your favor." He smiled as he said it." I half expected that move to fill you with such a rage and blood lust that you completely sheared off my head, but as they say, all is fair in love and war."

  "I nearly did, I still might" She said it seriously but cracked at the end and showed him her beautiful smile.

  "Well my lady, until we duel again" He said smugly, bowing low to her in a grandiose way.

  She punched him in the shoulder and trotted off to the side with the rest of their classmates.

  Boro walked slowly after her, rubbing the shoulder she had just punched. Yeah, he was definitely in love with her. What he would do about it was a matter of some contention for himself.

  He was in deep thought about his current situation while the matches went on, till Mika and his opponent fought their duel. While they ran around the circle trading sloppily timed blows, Boro fought a tougher battle, one where his heart waged war against his mind.

  It wasn't long before the duel ended, it was much longer till the one in Boro's mind finally did. As the rounds passed, Boro succeeded in securing a spot in the finals. In the end Mika won his duels, much to Boro's surprise and displeasure. Watching his duels Boro grudgingly had to admit that his skill's had improved. How he could have gotten so good when he never practiced stumped Boro. Had he been training in secret? It would not be as easy as he had originally thought but it was a fight he could take pride in winning now.