Path of the Weaponmaster

The path of the weaponmaster

The blue haired troll spat blood, dazed by the crushing blow he took from the older troll’s ash staff.

- Focus whelp. You should be able to predict there the staff is going to hit you and you should also know how to react accordingly.

- I know that! But how am I supposed to parry your attack if I’m blindfolded?! The dazed troll pointed angrily at the blindfold covering his eyes.

Bru’far grinned with mischief in his dark eyes. - Don’t use that tone with me pup. You do want to become a strong warrior do you not? Then you have have to do what I tell you to, when I tell you to and without asking questions!

Juk’lar bowed his head swallowing the curses that threatened to explode from his mouth. - Yes I know that, weaponmaster Bru’far.

The senior troll shook his head, taking advantage of the novice’s current blindness. “He may not be the smartest but at least he has determination.” Bru’far thought.

He lifted his wooden staff back into an attack position. Surprisingly Juk’lar did the same, as if he knew he was about to be attacked.

“Not so smart, but he has sharp ears.” The weaponmaster grinned.

With a sharp cry he charged the youngling, first stabbing forward then bringing the butt of his weapon around arching towards his opponents sweat covered face. The younger trolls parried both blows and even managed to launch a clumsy attack of his own: a sweeping blow to his master’s legs.

Bru’far simply hopped over the predictable attack and smashed his pupil right between the shoulders blades with a devastating blow.

Juk’lar sprawled to the ground groaning in pain, his tusks deeply rooted in the orange earth of Durotar.

- What did we learn today youngling? The other said as he was standing over his fallen apprentice. - The earth tastes bad and that I shouldn’t try a stupid attack. - Hey! Not bad! It seems that last blow may have rattled your brain enough for you to get a bit smarter!. Bru’far chuckled. - Come Juk’lar, enough skull cracking for one day, tomorrow we start your training. - Start?! Juk’lar pushed his face off the ground, both tusks covered in red dirt, and taking off his blindfold “I tought this was training!” - Oh no my young troll. This was only a test. Training is way more painful.

The blue troll groaned. - Will I have to keep this stupid blindfold on? The wizened troll grinned again. - How do you expect to fight to your full capacity with a blindfold on? - But… - It works every time. You younglings should know better than to trust an old troll he laughed. Bru’far turned around heading towards the small village of Sen’Jin, laughing.

Part 2
Months had passed.

Juk'lar was getting slightly better at combat. His sharp reflexes and guile were his allies. His major flaw was the complete lack of finesse. He was more used to charge in battle howling madly than to actually stop and THINK of a better plan.

One day my foolish apprentice almost payed dearly for his lack of patience...

Bru'far Spearcrafter

The young troll was clutching his bloody arm waiting for his regenerative abilities to kick in. -Whew that was fun! he tought. Laying right by him was a centaur, his head almost cleanly chopped off his pig-like body.

He had been asked by Bru'far to go explore the lands around Sen'jin and he quickly picked up the trail of a lone centaur scout. After a very quick skirmish he dispatched the beast but not before the fel blasted thing had lodged acrude spear in the meaty exposed part of his left arm.

Smiling, Juk'lar kept on retracing the scouts obvious tracks back to a seemingly abandoned camp. The firepit was build smack dead in the middle of crag and a few primitive tents could be seen around it.

Stupidly Juk'lar walked towards the middle of the camp, forgetting what his instructor had taught him. His curiosity had always been one of his flaws.

Before he even got halfway to a tent the young troll felt the ground vanish under him, his fall stopped by a coarse net. He was captured.

-Idiot! he tought. Bru'far was right all along, I am as stupid as an ogre.

The blue haired troll heard loud hooting and cheering as the tents bursted forth with centaurs, at least a dozen of them.

They looked like hungry centaurs.

Juk'lar coudn't make out what they were saying in their brutish language but it seemed pretty obvious they were arguing on who would get the nicest bits for dinner.

His weapon, a crude sword, was impossible to draw in the tight quarters he was stuck into.

While he was considering making a desperate plea for the Great Spirits, a loud thunderclap was hear and one of the centaurs fell dead on the spot. The centaurs stared stupidly at the smoking corpse.

A peircing cry echoed in the crag as a young female troll charged in lightning arcing over her body, a small stone mace clutched in her right hand and a wooden shield in the other.

She was a whirldwind of lighting and death as the centaurs soon discovered. She flicked her hand at Juk'lar and the netting was set ablaze.

Yelping in terror Juk'lar wiggled this way and that trying not to get burned. The net soon ripped appart and the warrior fell flat on his back with a «oomph»

Getting up as fast as he could he charged in, his sword held high at the back of a centaur who was busy trying to eviscerate the now very much gore covered female troll.

His blade nearly severed the beast's spine as it dropped to the ground, dead or soon to be.

Quickly the fighting got out of hands as other centaurs joined the fray.

-Run! said the stranger. She motioned in the air ad a wooden totem appeared out of nothing. The centaurs started moving slower.. and slower, mystically bound by the troll's magic.

The warrior didn,t wait for explainations and started running as fast as he could back towards the village looking over his shoulder a few times to make sure the grinning troll was still folowing him. After a few minutes they got to the outskirts of the village, sweating and gasping for air.

-Who... in the name of... the spirits... are you?! He asked.

Grinning she simply replied -For someone who owes me his life... you are pretty ungrateful.

-Don't get me wrong, I am pretty grateful that... you saved me... I just tought I knew.. everyone in this village.

-I just got here from Grom'gol, she winked. My name's Zundiya. Glad I just saved your skinny ass.

Juk'lar laughed heartly -Skinny? Well thats a new one! Im Juk'lar of the Spiritchaser clan. Well met.

-Same here. Now how about we get to the village and tell the elders about that camp?

-I.. didn't think about that. He blushed.

-Haha! come on kodo brains lets go before the whole place gets razed in the night she said playfully.

They headed to the village, Juk'lar confused as if he should feel insulted or not.

To be continued (eventually)

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