Tag Archives: Tales of Glory

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #19

They spread out around him blocking any chance of escape.  Dangerous ruffians, all six of them had a practiced look of gruff.  They were probably sent from one of the organized crime lords in this area.  They started toying with their weapons, hitting their hands lightly.  Were they trying to intimidate him?

Manna was already near the wall but he didn’t back up.  He felt no need to hide or run from these creeps.  He had put on his gloves while he waited for them to enter the alley.  He wore them now; red gloves, the exact color of rust.  If the confrontation went the way he thought it would, he would need them.

“We have a message from Bluegill,” the one in the front said.

“Bluegill,” Manna asked, “I paid him off; long time ago.”

The goon shook his head.  “This message is for your friend, Guy,” he said smiling.  The other goons started grinning.  Some of them chuckled a bit and stepped forward when Guy’s name was mentioned.

“I don’t expect to see him for a while,” Manna said scanning their faces.  It looked as though they were trying to threaten him.  He hoped things would escalate.  It would be nice to cut lose after all this time.  Of course, to keep his disguise, he would have to wait for them.  He would also have to look worried, he succeeded.  “I’ll give him the message when I see him though.”

“Tell him ‘Bluegill wants his money,'” the goon continued as he stepped forward.

This was entertaining.  Manna’s disguise fooled all kinds of people.  With his white robe and peaceful gestures, he tried his best to look and behave as a Green Child.  This act usually brought out the best in others.  Occasionally, people tried to take advantage of him.

Green Children abhor violence of any kind.  They don’t even partake in the fruits of violence.  This influenced what he ate, what he wore, and even the job he chose.  In the event of violence, a Green Child would rather be hurt or run than cause harm to others.

But of course, it was just a disguise.

These goons obviously didn’t know anything real about Manna.  If they did, they would have much more respect.  They all stepped forward while toying with their weapons still.

Manna was already near the wall.  With the wind blowing, none of the goons saw the slight movements under Manna’s cloak.  The movements continued up his sleeves without their knowledge.

“We want to make sure you remember to give him the message,” he said stepping forward.

The three goons to Manna’s right took this as an invitation to start.  They rushed in on Manna preparing to strike with their clubs.

#1 – Lost and Found #18

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #5

Isabeau and Metcalf continued to discuss and comment on random parts of each other’s history as they walked to the shooting range.  Isabeau admired the thought of Metcalf becoming a stealthy warrior.  She had heard of a few missions that required skills in being unseen and untraceable.  There were classes designed specifically to teach those skills in the Field Quarter, once Metcalf had the time.

Metcalf on the other hand had second thoughts about accepting the challenge so hastily.  She was unfazed by the presumed skill the regular participants groomed themselves with.  However, Isabeau did not need to be there at all.  She in the top eighty percent, almost an Aspirant!  One does not reach that point without authentic skill.  Metcalf was going to have to step up her game to even have a chance at winning.

Walking through the doorway, the commotion of the melee training area was nearly shut out behind the closing door.  Isabeau and Metcalf took numbers onto their handhelds and walked to the back of the enormous seating area to prepare their weapons.  The near silence revealed a completely different culture than that of the melee training area.

The ranged training area held a different type of madness.  There were no grunts, clanging metal, or cheers of encouragement to the challengers.  Instead, there was a deep silence held as all spectators watched; studying everything about the challengers.  Most of the students were there for pure observation.  They would record what they saw to practice the techniques later.

Two combatants stood on opposite sides of the testing platform on colored pillars indicating their team color.  One student had a long wooden staff, taller than he was.  It had to be about six centimeters.  He swung it to launch discs at his targets.  It had some kind of pump action reloading system.  The exact operations of the staff escaped her from so far away.

From his motions, the other student seemed to have a tiny blow gun.  It was invisible to her.  She only saw brief glints of the darts in the light.  His targets were definitely falling though.  No doubt the two combatants used their energy skills to aid their aiming.  They hardly missed and reloaded almost instantly.

This was the reality for Sword Mint Academy Students.  They must strive for perfection.  Guns and blasters were greatly frowned upon by the Grand Master.  He considered them solely for Commoners.  However, the ranged weapons available to them had to be just as effective.  A missed shot or a slow shot would be very costly on the field.  All the students needed to use the most effective techniques for any shot.  Body stance, target choice, and reload strategy influenced each other and were key to hitting a mark.

The combatants towered over a maze of boxes and short walls.  They launched projectiles from their nearly silent weapons at training robots pretending to be melee forces from either team.  The training bots impersonated students as they fought each other to reach the opposing team’s pillar.  The challengers tried to defend their pillar while assisting their bots.

Metcalf and Isabeau’s weapons were nothing like those of the challengers’.  They had little interest in the battle and quickly made their way to the back of the seating to prepare for the contest.

#1 – Lost and Found #4 – Lost and Found #6

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #4

No harm in accepting a small challenge to get in the mood to compete on stage.  A drill like this was just what she needed.  As good as she was, even she lost the occasional challenge.  Losing the wrong one would be costly.  A fast paced target drill would get her into the grove quickly.

Walking with the elder student, she weaved through the bystanders towards the firing range.  It was a bit of a walk to the far side of the training center.  She went past the gloating Naoh and the now defeated and shamed opponent.  That familiar victory stance that Naoh used seemed just as obnoxious now as it did six years ago; her jeweled basket hilt swords flashed in the light as she pumped her fists.

In this arena, Naoh viewed opponents as Academy Point holders.  Her wit and skill took as many points as she could, often more than she needed.  Her opponent walked down the stairs from the platform completely distraught.  Tearing off his helmet in frustration, it was apparent he had no hope of escaping The Red.  Though nearly a grown man, he walked quickly towards the exit holding back tears.  Whatever hopes and dreams he had when he was accepted to the school were all but completely out of reach.

After the Final Exam, he had two choices.  He could return home in shame or to take a lowly job as a pitiful guard.  He could pass.  However, the final exam was specifically designed for the older and lingering students to fail.  He would have to train like mad in all the correct areas; areas that are personalized towards the weaknesses for each student.

“Poor guy,” said the elder student as they passed him.  “Better him than us I guess.”  It seemed as though she had come to the same conclusion as Metcalf about his situation.

“I guess,” Metcalf hesitated to say.

Koh, in has white and red armor, was at the wall near his sister’s platform.  They usually worked as a team.  Sometimes Metcalf worked with them.  It seemed they had their usual “king of the hill” type of match going.  The winning team stayed while the challengers waited in line for the next fight.

However, this session was over.  After seeing how Naoh mercilessly and utterly beat her opponent in every way, no one wanted to be next.  One by one they left the queue to look for other challenges.  Koh was trying so hard to hold back a laugh.  He cared less about the other students than his sister.  They were scandalous but at least they looked out for each other.

“I’m Isabeau,” the elder student spoke again.

Metcalf shook herself from the scene and looked at the elder student again, “Metcalf.”

The ice broken, they made small talk as they meandered around the challenge platforms.  The short yellow skinned beauty, Isabeau Bo, was from the Field Quarter.  She was a long time student at the academy but found that her training was a bit stagnant.  Master Lu, head of the Field Quarter, thought it best that she train with students that had something to lose.

Though she had no chance to fall into the Red Zone, Isabeau found that this training was well worth the time.  Each drill had rules, but those rules could be stretched where details were lacking.  Desperate students exploited every advantage they could find.  This forced her to do the same and made the competition quite invigorating.  With any luck, this training would prepare her for the life of a Protector.  Their opponents played with no rules.

Hearing her story, Metcalf thought in awe.  This is how training is supposed to work.  This was the training she hoped to receive when she was safely out of the Red Zone.

They continued to chat.  The conversation was exciting enough that they reached the shooting range before Metcalf expected.

#1 – Lost and Found #3 – Lost and Found #5