Ever present disclaimer:

I hereby claim that the title Shining Force and
related peripherals do not in any way belong to me. 
Pity� 

Distant Realities

Chapter 3

Even after finishing up Adam, Max found that he had
plenty of things to do before he could leave for
Guardiana.  After filling out and sending the
application form, he went to visit several of his
instructors.  When he explained to them that he was
leaving soon to Guardiana, all of them had decided to
complete as much of the different parts of his
training as possible in the short time that they had
remaining.  

In this, Adam had accompanied his younger master at
Kokichi's advice.  "Adam needs to learn about how much
different civilization is now, as compared to four
hundred years ago.  Besides, how is he going to serve
you if he doesn't know anything about you?  This'll be
a good thing for both of you!  Since you'll be taking
him with you to Guardiana, you two need to learn how
to work together as a team."  

'That advice made sense', thought Max as he and Adam
strolled to his next lesson.  'A metal plated
companion whose body can't be harmed by conventional
weapons and who can knock out an Ogre with a blow will
be pretty handy to have around.'  Max made a wry face,
unnoticed by Adam.  'Although his sense of humor can
be a bit irritating sometimes.'

However, a thing like that wasn't enough to cause even
a little irritation for Max.  His sensei, the Master
Monk Hayai Kobushi, who had instilled within Max a
deep sense of control and calmness.  "Know the
obstacle, learn from it.  And still if you cannot
change the obstacle in front of you, then perhaps it
is you should change," was one of his oft spoken
proverbs.  The martial arts teacher had told his
student that the principles of the martial arts could
be applied to almost any given situation.  

With such an example encountered by him, in this case
Adam's sense of humor, Max now understood what Hayai
had meant.  By asking Adam about his sense of humor
yesterday, he understood now that it was in Adam's
programming.  It was an integral part of Adam's still
growing personality, which would continue to change as
long as Adam was functional.  So now, Max had learned
to ignore it when it necessary, and even to appreciate
it when the situation called for it.  

Shortly before they had been about to reveal Adam to
the townsfolk, a sudden worry had popped up in Max�s
mind.  Clearing his throat and suddenly feeling a bit
worried, he addressed his grandfather.  �Gramps
�Kichi, I just thought of something.  How are we going
to deal with the town�s inevitable reaction to Adam
here?  It�s gonna cause quite a stir, and of course we
don�t want it to get out of hand.  A mob might start
or �� During his speech, he began to get more and more
panicky.  Would all of his Gramps �Kichi�s hard work
all be for nothing when an angry and misunderstanding
crowd destroyed Adam?

Noting his grandson�s growing agitation, Kokichi laid
a gentle hand on Max�s shoulder.  �Don�t worry Max. 
Have some trust in your old man.  When I first got
Adam, I went to see the mayor and told him of what I
intended to do.  I showed him Adam and then asked him
to write me a permit allowing Adam to function within
the town�s parameters.  Since there was nothing like
Adam that was known, I recommended to the mayor that
he put Adam down as a Puppet.  A mechanical one, sure,
but that�s what Adam most closely resembles in any
case.�  

A lot of the panic left Max as he considered his
grandfather�s solution.  It would indeed lessen the
negative reaction of the townspeople if they could
identify Adam with something they were familiar with. 
A Puppet was a magical construct, or rather, a
magically animated human formed construct.  

A Puppet was not alive, it just emulated it.  Usually
created by a wizard or sorcerer of a higher level than
the average magic user, a Puppet was nothing more than
an extension of the creator�s will.  It could do
simple and mundane tasks like sweeping the floor or
carrying heavy objects.  But to do something more
complicated, for example, defend its creator against
an attacker, required more skill and effort on the
creator.  

However, even with the mayor�s permit and the
supposition that Adam was a Puppet, a decent amount of
curiosity had been shown.  Small crowds of townsfolk,
and not a few travelers, would gather around Adam (and
by default Max).  While most would jabber with each
other and ask questions of Max, a few brave souls
would venture to touch Adam.  It was all very annoying
and bothersome, until Kokichi himself pleaded to the
mayor to intervene.  

Now, with almost a month gone by after the completion
of Adam, the EMAM was free to walk around without
being bothered.  The most that would happen was just a
few curious turned curious heads, and some of the
children would shyly try and touch Adam again.  Being
that Adam ignored the glances and actually liked the
children, he tolerated it all in good humor.  

Besides getting acquainted with Adam, the next couple
of weeks swiftly flew by as one by one, Max's four
instructors put their student through a series of
difficult final "tests".  

His archery and horsemanship instructor Taka Manako
drilled him mercilessly.  Max learned how to ride and 
properly take care of a horse.  He had also been
taught how to use the bow and arrow, as well as the
crossbow and bolts.  Taka told him to master riding
bareback while shooting arrows and guiding with his
knees.  The archery instructor, who had trained
archery regiments of various kingdoms, also expected
Max to be able to hit the target with every one of his
arrows while doing all that.

James Moorson, who had been a hunter and tracker
nearly all his life, put Max through an extremely
fierce test.  The two of them played hide and seek in
the nearby forest.  Moorson would vanish within the
vegetation and Max would have to locate him within
three hours.  Just to 'liven' things up, Moorson had
placed many traps, all scattered almost randomly. 
Although not lethal, they could do great injury if not
carefully avoided.  

An old friend of Kokichi, Armin Issental, was a
retired military strategist.  After meeting the young
Max and witnessing his quick mind, Armin was more than
happy to teach him what he knew.  Since they had no
actual forces to direct, he taught Max the main
factors to consider when on a battlefield.  Using
carved models, Erman showed his student how to spot
and attack an opponent's weak spot.  In addition,
Armin taught him the important factors of the forces
under his command.  These included how to maximize
their efficiency and how to minimize their weaknesses.
 He also taught Max small group tactics, attack and
defense formations, as well as flanking maneuvers,
surprise attacks, and solid attack combinations using
archers, knights, soldiers and even magic users.  
	
Finally, after almost two months of preparation, Max
considered himself almost ready to leave for the
Academy.  There was only one last test to undergo and
which was probably going to be the hardest out of all
the ones he'd finished.  

Max and Adam approached the designated training area
where Max would take the final test.  Its location was
a wide, circular clearing in a fairly open, sparsely
cluttered forest only a few yards away from the back
of the town.  The ground was ideal for what was to
come.  Evenly leveled, with no rocks nor hidden holes
that might provide a sudden stumble.  

During the test, Max and his sword instructor would
spar with practice blades.  These were real swords
that weren't sharpened but were still dangerous, due
to the fact that no armor was worn.  Kokichi's
grandson took a moment to study his opponent.

A SwordMaster was a person, male or female, who had
completely mastered the sword or any variant of same.
He or she must be extremely knowledgeable and skilled
in the theory and execution of the various techniques
of the sword.  A SwordMaster was a title of high
regard, for they were considered to be unbeatable with
their chosen weapon, and were respected greatly for
the skill they possessed.  Although not a military
officer, a SwordMaster could serve in a capacity as a
teacher of the blade, or even be hired on as a
commanding officer of an armed contingent.  

Dengry Delacan had been a SwordMaster at Guardiana for
twenty years.  He had created a rigid, thorough daily
exercise regimen for Max, which was complemented by
the other trainers.  His student had complained about
it when he first saw it, saying it was impossible to
begin even the starting steps.  However when Dengry
had told Max that it was a watered down version of the
regimen they had at the Martial Academy, Max had
instantly silenced himself and applied his efforts to
it.   

Although old, he had kept himself in very good shape. 
At fifty-five, with a little gray now overriding the
black at the temples, he still remained a formidable
fighter.  Six feet tall, with knifelike gray eyes, and
a moderately lined face, along with a hawk nose,
Dengry possessed a hard, muscled body that revealed
decades of constant training.  His muscles, reflexes
and mental strength were equal to men at least fifteen
years younger then him.  As an experienced
SwordMaster, he could use almost any bladed weapon
equally effectively.  More than that, Dengry could use
two different types of swords at the same time with
devastating results.       

He was easily Max's favorite instructor, and not just
because of the Guardiana link.  He was a tough
teacher, expecting the best that Max could give him on
a daily basis, without fail.  He demanded that his
student learn a number of different techniques of a
given weapon within three days.  Max knew that Delacan
would push him beyond his limits, and thus making him
stronger, all by erasing his weak points and
increasing his strong ones.  Delacan had often told to
Max that by the time he was done with him, Max would
be considered a complete fighter and be a force to be
reckoned with.

Adam stopped and let his Master walk on ahead.  He
knew that the two of them would require lots of room,
and that Master Max wouldn't like any major
distractions.  Max had told the EMAM that Dengry and
he only sparred once or twice a week.  That was if and
only if Max's teacher thought he saw improvement with
his student.  Max had also made a deal with the
SwordMaster. If he was victorious just once, then
Dengry Delacan would write him a letter of
recommendation to the Head Dean of the Academy.   

Now the SwordMaster nodded at Max, then threw a naked
practice blade at him.  Without breaking stride or
even without flinching, Max caught it in mid air.  He
walked three more steps forward then stopped, being
only four feet away from Delacon.  He immediately held
it with both hands, lowering the point almost to the
ground and letting his left leg lead, leaving his
right leg back as a base.  He was ready and nodded
curtly at his teacher.

Dengry nodded silently back then assumed a similar
position.  He barked out to his student, "First touch
equals instant death."  Then suddenly without any
warning, he lunged and lifted his blade into a quick
thrust.  

Were it not for his quick reflexes and thinking, the
test would have been over right then.  With a single
twist of his wrists, and at the same time stepping to
the side, he sent his sword swinging up to meet the
flat of Dengry's blade with the edge of his own. His
quick parry knocked Dengry's blade away from him but
he knew that the fight had just begun.

"I have some good advice Master Max!  Do not fall
asleep when a man is waving a sword at you!"  advised
Adam suddenly, though he was ignored.

The experienced SwordMaster used the force from the
parry and also by quickly shifting his feet to spin an
incredibly rapid full circle, coming in low to slice
at Max's shins.  But expecting that attack, Dengry's
student had quickly hopped away backwards to gain
space immediately after his initial parry.  With the
merest hint of approval in his eyes, Dengry rose from
his lowered position and attacked again, with a series
of chest slashes.

"Remember to attack!  A battle is not won by defense
alone!"  shouted the EMAM helpfully.  "No kidding!" 
replied Dengry's student sarcastically.
		
Max felt satisfaction at seeing the approval, but
quickly pushed it away, focusing on the here and now. 
Overconfidence would lead to defeat, it had happened
multiple times in the past.  But especially now, he
was determined to try and defeat his teacher today.  

If it would happen, it would be the first time ever
since he started training with Dengry.  He would get
that recommendation!     

Responding with the proper parries, Max's sense of
determination grew.  He would do it.  He would not be
defeated today!  Perhaps in the past he was beaten,
but not today.  He gazed alertly at his opponent,
watching for any betraying twitch of muscle, scanning
any sign in the eyes, trying to read the SwordMaster's
intent.  Everything else faded into the background;
only his opponent was there, the focus of his
attention.  

With his concentration at its peak, Max came in hard
and fast, never using the same attack twice in row and
came in at every angle possible.  His dull edged blade
was a flashing blur as he fell into an intricate
routine he had created himself.  Quickly covering any
holes in his defense by attacking aggressively, Max
brought the fight to his opponent.    

"Remember to defend!  A battle is not won by offense
alone!"  Adam rephrased.  Max didn�t even hear it,
caught up in his assault.  

But for all of it, no matter how well thought out, how
skillfully executed, his master stopped all of them
cold.  When Max�s momentum played out, it was Dengry's
turn to advance.  The Weapons Master fired off several
deceptive, sweeping cuts and slices, with a few feints
thrown.  He kept his attacks at a constant, steady
rate, then suddenly quickened the pace, keeping his
opponent on his toes.

"Oh no!  My Master is certainly dead, I cannot watch!"
wailed Adam as he covered his optical sensors with his
fingers.  

"Oh ye of little faith," growled said Master under his
breath, as he concentrated on defending against the
assault.  

However, despite his words, Max nearly panicked.  He
kept backing up and it took all of his self control
and every ounce of skill just to attempt and defend
against every strike.  His teacher was executing some
new techniques he had never shown to Max, let alone
teach.  Dengry's attacks were so swift, Max was
frantically blocking and tapping them aside
frantically.

Seeing Dengry setting up for a thrust, Max instantly
set his to beat it aside and counterattack.  But it
was merely a feint, and the SwordMaster's real attack
came up as a upward cut.  Max nearly screamed in
surprise as he reflexively twisted his body to the
side and barely dodged it.  When his opponent's blade
came back down as a slanted vertical slash, Max's
reflexes saved him yet again.  He dropped to his
knees, just dodging the slash by the barest of
margins.  But the SwordMaster took full advantage of
Max's position and kicked his student in the face.

"That is not a legal move!"  complained a certain
observer.

Max saw the kick coming and rolled with it, thus
reducing the damage done by more than half.  However
the damage was done. Half of Max's face went numb;
luckily though his eye had escaped the impact but it
seemed like church bells were ringing in his head.  On
automatic instinct, the SwordMaster's student rolled
backward and unsteadily got to his feet.  

Dengry took yet again full advantage of the situation
and charged Max, alternating between straight and
reverse strokes.  It seemed that the match was soon to
end.  

"Eye on the sword!  Keep your eye on the sword, Master
Max!"  the robot instructed helpfully.

But Max, being Dengry's best student ever, rose to the
challenge.  Knowing that he had to gain time in order
to recover, he launched a fully defensive routine. 
Since he was still a bit stunned, he easily gave up
ground to the SwordMaster and constantly changed the
direction of his footwork.  Using a focusing technique
he learned from Koshuba, he managed to block away the
disorientation and concentrated only on Dengry's
blade.  

Keeping his feet in balance while defending, and as
the aftereffects subsided, he eventually grew more
calm and measured.  As Dengry renewed his flurry, Max
skillfully discouraged each attack and struck at his
teacher's weakest defenses.  The clanging of steel on
steel filled the air, and now both men began to
perspire freely.  

Good things, thought Max, come to those who wait. 
When he and his teacher broke apart after a swift
exchange, he immediately wiped the sweat from his
brow.  Bringing up his sword over and across his right
shoulder, the young man lunged forward and slashed
high, at Dengray's neck.  

His instructor hurriedly ducked, barely enough as
Max's sword brushed the hair on the top of his head. 
Dengray retaliated with an upward jab, which Max on
his return slash, left to right, knocked it away.     
 

After parrying an overhead chop, Max sensed a slight
weakening of the guard near his teacher's leg thigh. 
Grunting from the recent exertions, he sent a thrust
of his own, as quick as he could.  But he was
disappointed when Dengry deflected it aside handily. 
Max used his wrist strength once again to reverse the
deflection and swung a slash to his opponent's right
side.  

"Cannot my Master execute any technique successfully?"
 complained the robot in a disappointed tone. 

The SwordMaster's blade met it there and the two
practice blades met hilt to hilt, bringing the two
men's bodies close together.  With the faintest sheen
of sweat on his forehead, the SwordMaster complimented
his student, the best he had ever had.  "Indeed you
have improved significantly since the last time we
sparred.  But this is merely just the warm-up, show me
your true skill, Max Wellian!"  

With a roar and a surge of strength, the older man
shoved Max's sword away and lifted his own.  Then he
brought it down in a vicious cross body slash,
thinking that Max had no defense left, as his blade
was off to the wrong side.

But suddenly the downward motion of his attack was
halted!  Max had let his weapon fly away with Dengry's
break, and caught the other man's wrists with his
hands, thus nullifying the downward slash

'Good things have come!' flashed through Max's head.  

Without wasting a second, Max leaned to the right and,
balancing himself on his right leg, quickly sent his
left knee towards his teacher's abdomen.  With the
impact, Dengry let out a strangled groan and hunched
over slightly, though he kept his grip on his sword. 
Because his teacher's stomach was extremely well
conditioned, Max knew that he would recover soon.  So
with that, he repeated his knee strike again, and
quickly released his teacher's wrists.  Although free,
Dengry didn't have a chance to do anything about it
because he was hit by a strong sidekick, right into
the solar plexus.  

"Good one Master Max!"  cheered Adam, blatantly
ignoring the fact that he had condemned Dengry earlier
for use of his legs.   

The kick threw him to the ground, stunned and with the
air knocked out of him.  Before he could rise, before
he could even regain his equilibrium, he felt the
touch of cold, unsharpened steel on his throat. 
Instantly relaxing the grip on his weapon, he lay back
in submission.  "I yield." 

Match over.  First touch to Max.   
        
The sound of an extremely happy and relieved young man
shouting in sheer joy filled the air.  

Adam's optical sensors flashed twice (though it was
hard to tell in the sunlight) and he pumped both of
his arms in the air.  Then a victory fanfare tune
sounded forth from an undisclosed speaker in
celebration. 

Grimacing a bit at the pain in his midsection, Dengry
was nevertheless very proud of his student.  For his
part, Max still couldn't believe that he'd managed to
squarely beat his teacher in combat.  Sure it was
sparring yet it had all the potential fierceness in a
real fight.  It seemed that Dengry had trained Max
well.  The SwordMaster had not been holding back much,
if anything. 

After Dengry's student had calmed down, he rushed over
to where his teacher was lying, sudden worry lining
his face.  "Master Delacan, are you all right?"  

Despite the lingering pain, his teacher smirked with
some effort.  "Never mind that my student.  It is
nothing, besides, I did ask to see the whole of your
skill.  Master Kobusha would have been proud of you." 
He took a deep breath, then said wryly, "I guess I
have to thank you for not kneeing me in the privates."
 He let out a slightly strained chuckle at seeing
Max's face turn red.  

"Well, ah, it was only a spar, and -"  

Dengry cut him off.  "Yes, this time.  But do promise
your old teacher that when the time comes, you will do
whatever is necessary to win a fight in real combat?" 


Max's sharp blue eyes met Dengry's hard, gray orbs. 
After a few seconds of silence, Max simply nodded in
affirmation.  "Yes, Master Delacan, I will."  He
stated with absolute seriousness and understanding.  

Grunting in satisfaction, the old SwordsMaster pulled
himself to a sitting position, wincing a bit at the
strain of his abdomen muscles.  He held a hand out to
his student, who grabbed it and helped pull him up.  

They were about to leave the clearing when Dengry
abruptly snapped his fingers.  "Oh that's right, I
nearly forgot.  Max, hold on a second."  

The younger man turned questioningly to his teacher. 
With a faint smile, Dengry reached in his tunic.  He
pulled out a thin white envelope, embossed with the
SwordMaster's personal seal, and his signature. 
Grinning again, he handed it out to Max.  "As I
promised," he said, "and you have well earned it. 
Well done, Max.  My recommendation."

Max's smile threatened to take in his face. 
Reverently, he carefully reached out and took it.  Too
happy for words, he could barely contain his joy.  His
long awaited dream was just over the horizon, and Max
couldn't wait.  

"Guardiana Martial Academy, here I come!"  exclaimed
Max happily. 

******************************************************

There were a few things Max had to resolve first
before he could leave for the Academy.  It was the day
after Dengry�s test, and at the moment, he and Adam
were in his room, going over Max's agenda.  The young
fighter had wanted to tie up any loose ends today
before leaving for Alterone tomorrow.  

"Clothes packed, food supplies gathered and packed,
healing herbs packed.  Adam, briefly review our
travelling plans, will you?"  

The EMAM nodded in compliance.  "We shall travel on
foot towards the city of Alterone, which is attainable
within a days' worth of walking.  The odds of
encountering peril along the way are minimal, due to
regular Alterone's army patrols that extend a fair
distance from the city itself.  Between Master Max's
skill with his weapons and my self defense mechanism,
we should be able to handle any ill-mannered being
that we encounter."

Max nodded in agreement, then asked, "Wait, what 'self
defense mechanism?'  You never mentioned that before. 
Can you show me?"  The last part of the question was
asked with a bit of excitement and interest.

Adam turned toward his young Master and remarked in a
sarcastic tone of voice, "It wouldn't be a
self-defense mechanism if I could activate it at will,
wouldn't it?"  Max blushed in embarrassment and a bit
of anger at the robot's tone, then glared at Adam.  

"How do I know that your 'self defense mechanism' is
reliable enough to help in a fight and how come you
never informed me or Gramps about it?"  Max asked
irritatedly.  

If a robot would have smirked, Adam sure would have. 
"Master Max, just suffice it to say that I have the
ability to generate electricity and utilize it as a
sort of energy projectile that can electrocute an
organic being into unconsciousness.  And as for your
second question, you did not inquire about my
self-defense mechanism."  

Max began to fume at the robot's smug reply but then
he was stopped short by the mention of an unfamiliar
term.  "Electocute?  What does that mean?"  

Adam let out a sigh.  Truly this culture and it's
technology level was quite primitive compared to his
own.  "If we have the unfortunate timing to encounter
a hostile, then I shall willingly exhibit my self
defense mechanisms' abilities." 

Already tired of the current topic, Max just waved his
hand at Adam and told him to continue where he had
left off.  As if he had never been off track, Adam
began reciting again.

�From Alterone, we shall endeavor to find a larger
group of travelers, preferably a caravan, to journey
with on the way to Guardiana.  The distance between
Alterone and Guardiana will approximately require 6.5
days to complete.  There shall be considerably more
dangers and hostiles, therefore it shall be less
hazardous with more traveling companions along for
increased security and safety.  Once at Guardiana,
Master Max shall attempt to register his enrollment at
a convenient time.�

The robot paused, waiting to see if Max wanted to add
something.  When he didn�t, Adam addressed his young
Master.

�Master Max, what are your plans for today?�  

Thinking a bit, Max replied, �Well, I have some
unfinished business with Rict Baln. After that, I
gotta stop at Master Delacan�s place.  He wanted to
give me a gift or something.  After that, I�m pretty
much done after that.�  

�Very well, I shall await your return.�  

�See you in a bit Adam.�  Max called as he sauntered
out the door, whistling contentedly. 

******************************************************

�GONE?!  Where did he go!?�  exclaimed Kokichi�s
grandson in surprise.  

Rict�s mother Helena looked at the young man with some
of her own surprise.  �Why, I don�t know myself,� she
admitted, �but around two weeks ago, one morning he
didn�t come for breakfast.  When I went up to get him,
all I found was a note which said that he was sorry
for leaving so suddenly, but he had to go find his own
way in life.  He apologized for not telling me in
person, but a kind of wanderlust had been building up
within him for some time.  Just like his father.� 
Helena sighed as past memories surfaced in her
thoughts.  

�Um, okay, I see.  Well, Mrs. Baln, I guess I�ll be
leaving now.  Take care.�  As silently as he could,
Max left the older woman standing in the doorway of
her house, lost in her memories.  He mumbled under his
breath, �Thank god Rict doesn�t tell her the details
of his fights, otherwise she would�ve killed me right
there.  Shrugging uneasily yet gratefully at the same
time, Max walked along the path that led to Dengry
Delacan�s home.

Some five minutes later, he stood in front of his
teacher�s door and knocked.  A voice, his master�s,
yelled from within, �Come in! It�s open!�

Max opened the door and entered his teacher�s house. 
He reflected that it was one of the very few times
that he�d ever done so.  Master Delacan�s house was
actually pretty small, consisting of only one bedroom,
the kitchen, and the living room.  Everything was
neat, clean, and in proper order.  There wasn�t a
speck of dust to be found.  Mostly all of his material
possessions could be found in the living room, which
were mainly some books on war, strategy, politics, and
history, as well as some different types of swords and
pieces of armor.  

Dengry stood there in the middle of the living room,
holding a sheathed sword with both of his hands.  He
nodded at Max as his student entered the house, then
suddenly tossed the sword at him.  Without blinking an
eye, due to his usual reaction speed, Max quickly
grabbed the weapon in both hands, one smoothly
grasping the hilt and the other getting a hold of the
scabbard.  Max�s eyes widened in surprise as he
glanced at the sword, then at his teacher.  He
suddenly had a hard time speaking.

�Is�.is this your gift to me, Master Delacan?�  Max
squeaked, a little confused.  

His teacher replied evenly, �Take it out.  Inspect
it.�  

Silently complying, the younger man did so.  His eyes
widened yet again, this time in total surprise.
Although not a fancy looking weapon, it had a simple,
yet elegant appearance.  At almost three and a half
feet in length and four inches wide, the blade was
shined to mirror-like quality.  The hilt was crafted
with finely cut, dried leather bands wrapped firmly
and tightly around a well polished steel base. 
Hefting the sword experimentally, Max could feel that
it weighed somewhat less than what he expected of a
blade this size.  He put it into a series of shortened
cuts and thrusts, marveling at the feel of a real
sword, his first real sword in his hand.

Smiling faintly, with a look of satisfaction in his
eyes, Dengry spoke, �It looks good on you.  Carry it
well, Max.  I expect that you will make me proud.�

Max held the blade before his eyes, taking in its
shiny length.  �Without a doubt,� he whispered, in awe
and disbelief.

�Without a doubt.�

 
End Chapter 3

Rough Draft completed:  October 12, 2004
Preliminary Editing:  October 12, 2004


Sorry about taking so long for this chapter, final
exams hit the author with the force of a freight
train.  Damn beastly things, truly beastly.  But
anyways thank god they�re all done, and so another
chapter is finished!  Yay!

About the sword fighting scenes.  I had some
inspiration from R.A. Salvatore�s Drizzt (Forgotten
Realms) books.  Not knowing how to sword fight myself,
it took me a while to try and visualize the combat
flow.  I also researched on the Internet about some
sword stances, both offensive and defensive, and other
things I needed to know.  

Let me know how this chapter turned out.  Please
review if you have the chance!

Darksoar




		
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