[Flashback] Cade's Chronicles: Chapter One

by **Cade** on August 30th, 2011, 9:19 pm

1-10 day of Summer of 495av

"Bring your training weapon my son! This morning you will have combat training” The Svefrain women, Cade's mother ordered her young son. This was the way of the Myrian's, all were to be trained in the ways of the warrior, and today Cade was going to be taught the way of the longsword. This job would of fell upon Cade's father, but its been sometime now since his passing and its been sometime since both Cade and Ciri have laid foot in Taloba. Though distant from home and culture Ciri was going to teach him the ways of her husband's people, not because she liked the Myrians but out of love for her late husband and her fatherless child.

Cade's mother stood perfectly still and perfectly straight in the shadows of the early morning while he waited for her son outside of sunberth. Ciri was not Cade's mother this day, she was his blade instructor and the motherly bond was not needed. The tougher she was in the training of her son, the better chance he stood to survive in this wild world of many dangers.
The young boy made his way to the training field as fast as he could, training sword in hand and only a loincloth and sandals for protection against the Sylira's elements. He was a boy born to battle, his first hours of life was filled with fallen warriors an blood stained grounds. This is what the young barbarian was destined for, to be a soldier of the sword. His mother was going to train him to dispatch all those that pose a threat to him, to his people and to his family.

Cade's mother watched as her half blood son make his way into the practice area, standing in the center with anticipation of what the day will bring. The Svefra woman narrowed her eyes and took a breath. She walked over to where he stood, from behind him with out catching her son's attention tell she was face to face with him. She starred at her young son for a moment tilting her head she said mildly, "Morning son. Ready for the blade?"

“ Yes mother!” The young boy shyly replied back not knowing what to except from the women he called mother and others called master of the blade, A warrior.

Her beautiful grin soured as she went off on her babe, screaming at him from a nose length away. "ON YOUR FACE! Push up position, Cade! Begin!" Cade was not fast enough for his mother's liking and was aided in attaining the push up position by a strong kick to his rear end, helping the young boy to the ground. She waited patiently for the confused boy to breach the fifty mark before ushering him to his feet. That was just a taste of what's to come, proving to her son that even though she is mother, she can also be a tyrant of a blade instructor.

"You will learn the basics of the Long Sword my boy" She smiled as her son was righted. She drew and held up her own sword, made by her husband - his father. "This is the longsword. It is light enough to be wielded with one hand, but can but can be held with two if needed more power." She paused and circled her son, looking at him through battle warn eyes, making Cade most uncomfortable.

Holding the weapon up again his mother continued. "This is the blade, this is the cross guard, this is the hilt and this is the pommel. The Tang is the part of the blade that continues into the hilt." As she spoke she indicated the part that was being spoken of. "It is not just the blade that is usable as a weapon. The pommel is an effective instrument with which to crush your enemies skull. The cross guard is fine for smashing in a face." She paused and then continued, "The blade is to be kept sharp. Your father gave you honing supplies and it is your responsibility to keep your weapon in fighting order. I will teach you how to properly hone your blade" Ciri then took up a stone and oil from a nearby sack to demonstrated. she then wiped the blade down with a lightly oiled clothe and put it back into its sheath. Cade watched his mother with intensity, if he gave any less she would beat him.

"This, Cade, is how you hold the longsword. Not too tight, not too loose. Take the practice blade that your father gave ya and show me the proper grip.". His mother demonstrated again the proper grip and then sheathed her own sword and retrieved a practice blade while her son continued to practice and get a feel of the grip. Cade took up his practice sword, and wrapped his little hands around the hilt, gripping it not to tight and not loose as shown. He held it that he could move the blade around freely while still having a firm hold on the weapon.

His mother looked at Cades grip and nodded in approval before she continued with the teachings. "The long sword can slash and stab and is a quick weapon." She paused and gave her son a significant look.

"This is the basic starting position." She continued with demonstrating the basic starting position and then having Cade mimic her movements. Practice was all about muscle memory making the basics and the advance movements a instant reflex, a sword just being a extension of your own limb. This was what she wanted Cade to learn.

"This is a basic slashing move." She demonstrated a very basic slash from left to right, her feminine but athletic frame moving with unexpected grace. She then demonstrated a slash from the other direction. Nodding to her mix breed son, she said, "Your turn Cade to be a warrior"

Cade had took up the grip and the starting position and then followed through with the slashing technique, left to right and then right to left. Cade did so as close as he could to what he was shown. The young boy he felt confident in his slashing technique so far.

His mother watched him swing the blade timidly to and fro and winced in pain as she saw the blade treated in such a manner. "By the gods, son! Quit that flapping of the blade! Do you intend to caress the enemy or kill him? Like this!" She demonstrated again, though Cade didn't see much difference in the method until she explained a little more. "Use the muscles in your shoulder and back, put your whole body into the effort!" Cade demonstrated again for his mother and received a satisfactory smile in return. Ciri continued on with the instructing of her son in the ways of the blade.

Ciri's blade came slashing towards her son and Cade didn't have time to defend, he was so surprised at the suddenness of the attack that his mother caught him in the right side and the pain of the strike made him gasp for air. The young boy held back tears, his mother pained at what she had to do but proud to see how tough her son was as such a age. She only gave him a few moments to gather himself before attacking again. This time Cade was able to bring the practice blade to bear, only to have it batted aside and have another attack slide through before he was aware he was even being attacked. Cade again found himself gasping for breath and sweating. He knew that he'd have the bruises to show for this beating but, what doesn't kill him, makes him stronger---words of wisdom from his father.

After Cade was nearly falling down with exhaustion Ciri stopped and looked at him with unshown pride"Difficult? Imagine feeling like you do but having death all around while your brothers scream in agony and the enemy still advancing. When you start to feel sorry for yourself in training keep in mind what reality holds in store for you, Cade! If you can't take it here, don't even think for a second that you'll be able to stand your first meeting with an enemy focused on killing you."

She didn't give Cade a chance to reply "Take your sword in hand as if you were in battle and get out there and run two laps of the practice field! Your wind needs improvement..... stamina is a great ally"

Cade with out hesitation followed his mother's command and began his run. As he ran his laps his mother stood and glared at him from under dark brows every chance she got with a frown planted on her lips covering the pride she had in her son.

"Push up position! Cade! 50 push ups, begin!" Ciri commanded her son just as he completed his laps. Cade dropped and struggled out the exercises still out of breath from the previous run. As he reached fifty with shaking arms pushing his body up as his legs ached at him while Cade straightened up to face the warrioress that was his mother.

"Sword at the ready!" Was all she said

His mother charged at him and attacked brutally hard as Cade tried to put the lessons learned to use. He was able to block some of the attacks, his sword meeting his mother's with a clash that sent a shock up his arm. He was hit again and again and was panting and out of breath. The unfamiliar movements were taxing muscles that he was unused to using and he knew, aside from the bruises, he'd be sore in the morning.

Cade spent the whole week practicing with his mother with the blade, she was ruthless on him but that was expected when one's mother was a warrior. She knew what battle was, she knew what the killing took and what was needed for her Son to survive this hell called life and by the gods he will be ready.

The week after, The half blood myrian boy was sore as hell, but was much more comfortable with the longsword then he ever had been. Cade's mother was hell bent to train her precious boy to be a warrior, to be able to survive this world. She continued to train him in the arts of the blade as the traveled from sunberth to ravok. She took up a contract on a bandit leader that was targeting the caravan's of some very nasty folks from sunberth.

by **Cade** on August 30th, 2011, 9:20 pm

Cade poked the fire with a stick he collected from the woods while he was gathering kindling and firewood for their camp. They were two days out from Ravok and Cade new his mother was closing in on her target, for their training sessions became more intense and brutal. Seemed she was training herself more then her son as her mindset became more focused on the job. Cade did not mind, this was the life he was going to live, no point in being soft about it. He sat back drawing his Longsword, the very blade his father wielded tell his own demise, letting the flicker of the flames reflect off the blade. He was mesmerized for only moments tell he heard a branch crack in the distance of their camp. His eyes instinctively shot towards his horse with the animals ears alert to the noise and its snout pointing in the direction it came from. It was a trick he learned from his mother, always trust your horses instincts and your own. Cade slowly rose to his feet, blade already drawn as his spine shivered in fear.

His mother alert and attuned to what was happened slowly moved out from the tent, crossbow at the ready. " Cade............." Was all she got off before a arrow ripped through the night sky embedding itself into her chest and driving her back into the tent. The young boy panicked and instead of standing his ground and rushed into the tent with only getting glimpses of the shadows emerging from the forest.

"Mother!.........Mother!" Cade whispered in slight sobs as he crashed to her side. She was still alive, but the arrow was deep into her chest and Cade knew she did not have much longer to live.

Ciri raised her hand and placed it upon her sons face, blood was seeping from her wound and mouth but she managed enough strength to pull him in for a kiss and a final word " Run!" Was all she could say before her life expired, leaving Cade all alone on this world. His eyes flooded with tears as his body trembled in fear and loss.

" You see that Ric, I got the bitch good. There is no way she lived through that" A excited voice from outside the tent knocked Cade out from his mourning and back to reality.

" I agree Thray.... Teaches the whore for coming after me" Snarled a gruff voice even closer to the tent " Best to make sure though, maybe her body is still warm enough for the ploughing."

" The boy is mine" Chuckled the previous

Cade's adrenline spiked, his eyes were blazed with a inferno rage as his body lusted for revenge. Cade lifted his mother's crossbow and aimed it at the tent's entrance while in a kneeling position, longsword laying to his side for easy grasp. Ric, the obvious leader and his mother's target entered the tent with his warhammer ready for the killing. His eyes grew wide as his sights fell upon the boy with the crossbow pointed at him and before he could react, the child pulled the trigger. At that range the bolt ripped through Ric's chest through and through with such force that he thrusted him out the tent's entrance and onto his back.

With out hesitation the half blood myrian boy rushed out from the tent roaring like a savage beast of anger charging the last man standing. The boy manoplized on the initiative as he thrusted his blade deep into the man's stomack before he realized what was happening. Thray fell back, his guts exposed to the elements as his bowls released making the air pungent with defecation.

Cade stood there as victor, but unsatisfied.......... his blood still boiled for more as reality had not sunk in yet. He heard his first victim sputter, then began to laugh. " What fucking luck........" the man with the hole in his chest chuckled as he sat up, bracing himself against the pile of firewood " Bested by boy" he continued shaking his head and still laughing at himself.

Cade's lust will be satisfied after all, as the child slowly approached Ric. The boy picked up the man's hammer and rose it above his head with murder in his eyes.

" Come boy, finish it, you little bastard" He spat out, still chuckling at the situation.

Cade ended his chuckling as he brought the warhammer down upon his head, in caving Ric's skull and splattering blood and brain matter upon himself. He was not done yet, he brought the hammer down again, and again and again. He kept going tell he man was nothing more then pulp.

The morning sun broke through the forest as a small band of mercenaries made their way from Ravok to Sunberth. That morning brought upon a sight that they had never seen before as they approached a camp. A boy covered in blood, delirious to his surroundings and still smashing at a corpse with a hammer.

"BOY!!!" Arturus Breuner, the leader of this group yelled out to catch the attention of the crazed child. Cade stood up, body head to toe covered in blood, his body visibly vibrating in a beserker's rage. He took two steps towards the group and passed out from pure exhaustion.

Instantly Shelia, Breuner's wife, jumped from her horse back and rushed to the child's aid. " What are you doing Shelia?" Art growled " Leave him".

She ignored him as she propped Cade's head back checking for life. " He is still alive, Art........john is still alive" She yelled back with beyound relief.

Arturus face rested into his hands, knowing full well that his wife was still suffering from the loss of their son, a boy no older then the one laying in her arms. She was delusional but there was nothing Arturus could do. He loved her, and if this boy could some how fill that empty void then that is what he will allow.

" Alright, see to the boy and make sure he lives" Art ordered......... his men did not move.

" Sir! this is a bad omen to take such a child" Jarah informed but Arturus's glare silenced him from further speach.

" If this makes Shelia happy, you will damn well make sure that boy lives"

With that the men did as ordered then plucked the camp clean performing one act of decency. They cremated Cade's mother, placing her ashes in a sealed leather skin pouch. Cade was still comatose and placed in a wagon where Shelia could properly care for him.

To be continued........

by **Archelon** on August 31st, 2011, 2:02 am

Thread Award

"Arggh Bite back at those Bandits I say. Bite Back!!!!"

And the Results!!!!:

Cade :

Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? :