The Shadow and the Sword

A short story from my OC Maru Aborshate. A character I have grown over the space of several years since I first started writing. I hope you enjoy it! This was one of my first attempts at writing!

Maru stood tall within the pit. His gaze cold and heartless, the wind whispers through the air around him; kicking up dust at his feet. His red samurai armour caked with dirt and grime, already damaged since his visit on the isle. His scarred face shows the ordeals he has lived through, a missing left ear from killing the traitor Serge, his face scratched from fighting the goblins that threatened his home. He shuts his eyes as he enters a state of simplicity, banishing all thoughts and emotions from his mind. His heartbeat becomes slower, his breath softer as he calms his body.

Before him stands the tribune Gaius, the one responsible for his brother's death, the one who tried to frame him and Takeshi for an apparent plot to kill the king, William Longstride. The tribune's guard is tight, his armour finely polished his weapon sharp and deadly. He holds a wicked smirk upon his face as he stares at Maru, willing him to make the first move. The tribune continues to taunt him, trying to coax him out of this mental state. The Samurai and Tribunes have fought before...
now they will do so again.

An unlikely ally stands in the crowd, a ninja. His eyes cold and emotionless as he watches with seemingly little interest, he runs the possibilities through his mind. He lets a hand slide down to his weapon a cruel and menacing blade. He continues to think of plan whilst he toys with his weapon, seemingly an odd figure in a crowd of peasants and warriors of the modern. But as always, only the samurai sees him as the threat he is truly is, and the danger he poses to anyone he deems fit to die.

Finally Gaius makes the first move, swinging his gladius towards Maru's upper forearm. The blade gleams through the air, the sun reflecting off of it and into the eyes of a bystander causing him to curse. Upon hearing the curse Maru ducks and rolls to the left only narrowly missing the perfectly aimed slash. Maru draws his No-Dachi, aiming for the Gaius's stomach as he does so, hoping that the blade will connect and cut as he draws it and then holds it into an offensive stance, but alas Gaius predicted this move stepping back using his knowledge on the Samurai's fighting techniques to his advantage.

Gaius then drops to one knee in a rhythmic motion, lashing out with arm trying to cut the unprotected area below Maru's knee. The tempered blade pierces the flesh causing a gash as Maru curses loudly in pain, but his face shows no emotion of his pain. Using the momentum of falling onto one knee Maru attempts to slice at the Tribune's arm aiming for the elbow. The blade slashes into the armour, tearing some off and slashing into the skin. Gaius howls at Maru as the both glare at each other, both on one knee. Maru finally says "Only one of us is leaving the pit... and its not going to be you..."

Gaius howls standing up and letting his rage takeover as he steps and plunges the dagger into Maru's arm slicing through the skin and rendering it almost useless, forced to rely on one hand, Maru can only now send attacks from above and the left. Maru snarls in pain his face twisted with various emotions as he pulls the mask down of his helmet, making it impossible for anyone to see the pain and misery on his face. HIs grip tightens around the hilt of his weapon as he remembers the last words his brother told him: "You might as well stand and fight because if you run, you will only die tired" With renewed strength Maru steps and twirls, his blade slicing out from his hands and attacking from the right, Gaius had not predicted this and the blade slices neatly across his chest, sending armour flying from the tribune

They fight for what seems for hours on end, Landing only scratches on the other. The two seasoned fighters seem to know perfectly what they are doing as Maru steps and turns fluently always on the offensive, Gaius on the other hand is always on the defensive, blocking almost every blow and then counterattacking missing by a hair's length each time. Night falls upon the arena and only Takeshi remains as the only bystander, standing behind Gaius.

Finally both exhausted Gaius lands a hit on Maru, sending him sprawling across the arena as the butt of his sword connects with Maru's protected face. It leaves a small neat dent, the combined force and sheer strength of the tribune has caused the mask to bend. The cold metal pressed against Maru's forehead, angry at himself for not noticing the simple counter Maru stands up, and continues to try and catch the tribune of balance aiming this way and that. His blows more ferocious but less controlled as his rage takes over.

After a few minutes of constant sparing Maru lands a slice on the tribune's thigh, slashing away at the armour and most of the skin leaving a brutal gash that pulses with blood. Gaius's scream pierces the night air, as vapour leaves his mouth. As if responding to Gaius's scream of agony....

Snow begins to gently fall on the arena, making the cold and hard, frozen and slippery, dangerous as well as advantageous for the two fighters. Standing up with a loud grunt Gaius collects himself, both men stand there cold and exhausted their weapons tight in their grips as neither man will back down. Their honour and stubbornness refusing to let them leave.

Gaius lunges again, slicing at Maru's left thigh, Maru yells in pain as he drops to one knee... the pain overpowering his body as he stares at the cold hard ground. Last thoughts... emotions running through his mind...
all that he will lose..
all the friends he will let down..
and most of all....
the shame of never being able to avenge his brother enters his mind as he stares at the snow covered ground of the pit..
"What are you waiting for scum? finish me...."
Upon hearing this Gaius raises his sword positioning it above Maru's head ready to drive it into your skull, but before he does so he says: "When I was at your brother's beheading... I made sure he was tortured first.. made sure he almost died before reaching the block... now its your turn to join him..."
The blade comes down, piercing skull, skin and brain alike, severing the nerves and causing blood to flow and spurt from the wound, it covers the sword as the almost dead man reaches up and touches the blade, a look of pain and shock on his face, he whispers one last thing as he drops, hitting the ground face down.. his head buried in the snow as the wound and blood stain it crimson....

Steel flicks through the air, once again... as another piercing of the air occurs, the air sings as it is sliced.
Another thump...
Another falls..
as Giaus opens his eyes wide, he stumbles forward feeing for the back of his head. A soft and final gasp escapes his mouth before he too falls to the ground, immobile and bleeding profoundly.
The shadow stands behind the fallen body, nothing more than a silhouette. The ghost then kicks giaus's body "Cheaters never win, you didn't bend the rules..." He sneers viciously, his voice soaking with venom and spite for the fallen tribune.

He then turns his gaze to the fallen samurai "And you stop getting into bloody fights!" He sighs before dragging Maru off

A red trail stains the snow...

The blood of two enemies has been shed again...

Gaius lays dead on the ground, a neat wound in the back of his skull. .

Author's Note

Ignore the strange colouring and background! For some reason where I originally posted this refuses to allow me to copy and paste it without a strange colored background, Ah well, ENJOY!