The sword fighting culture

Maris is still sitting in the library. Rafferty is really getting annoyed.
He almost fell asleep already, but now he's walking around again, looking at the banners of all these books.
He can't read, but at least some of them have nice pictures on them.

Maris is reading a book about the sword fighting culture of this town.
It turns out they have been fending off intruders for a very long time already.

One particular ancestor stood out among the others for his unmatched skill with the blade.

Kairos was said to possess abilities that surpassed any other fighter in town.
He could fend off attackers with ease, using his swords in ways that seemed almost magical.
Some believed that he had somehow integrated real magic into his fighting style without even realizing it.

He lived in a time where many intruders tried to rob the town.
They knew how wealthy this town was, not realizing it was their culture that was responsible for their prosperity, not a treasure which could be stolen.

Nevertheless, he had to fend them off.
He found himself in countless battles against skilled adversaries.
Despite his incredible skill, he never intended to harm his opponents. Often he didn't even touch thir bodies with his swords.

Yet, in one tragic encounter, he accidentally took the life of an attacker who had underestimated his abilities.
It was a long battle and he just didn't give up. He knew he wouldn't kill him. Nobody has been killed by him yet.
But he thought, he would at least hurt him.

From that day forward, Kairos vowed to never use his sword fighting talents to harm others again.
He would continue to protect the Island Town and its people by teaching young fighters how to fight his way.

And so, his legacy lived on, inspiring future generations to hone their skills and carry on the proud tradition of sword fighting in the Island Town.

As Maris is really invested in the story, a young girl around her age, who is also reading something at a nearby table, notices her.

She gets up and moves toward Maris.

Hi, I'm Zenna.
I see you're interested in our culture.
If you want to know more about these islands, I can help you.
I've been living in the Island Town for my whole life.
And I've been reading a lot about the culture and history of my hometown since I was young.

Maris is really excited when Zenna sits down next to her.

Nice to meet you!
That would really be great!
I'm Maris, by the way, and this is Rafferty.

Rafferty is suddenly standing next to them.
Intrigued by the conversation, he just came back and now joins the two girls at the table.

So, what's so special about this island?

Rafferty sounds a little bored.

Zenna smiles, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Well, there's a lot to talk about.
But as you might know already, the thing which stands out most is our sword fighting culture.
Almost every boy learns it from a very young age.

That's fascinating.
Maybe you could show us around the islands and tell us more about it?

Zenna grins.

Absolutely!
That's what I was waiting for!

Zenna reminds Maris of herself.
When she was younger, she would have been glad to show strangers around her own island as well.

So Maris, Rafferty, and Zenna leave the library together, excited to explore more of the Island Town.

Finally outside again!

Zenna leads them through the lively streets, weaving through the crowds of people going about their daily lives.

This is the market square.
You can find anything you need here, from fresh meals to handmade crafts.

Didn't we want to just reach our goal?

Don't be rude. She's showing us around.
And this time, we'll try some of the food. I promise.

As Maris and Rafferty look at the colorful array of goods on display, they can't resist and try some of the local delicacies.
Zenna shares stories about the different stalls and their unique specialties, and the three of them laugh and enjoy the lively atmosphere.

Rafferty can't resist the temptation to pickpocket a few coins lying around at the counter of some vendor.
Maris notices.

Don't ever do this again! Some other people must have seen it, too.
It's not even worth much.
That's probably the only reason why nobody said anything...

Sorry, I just couldn't resist this money, lying there without anybody watching.

Maris thinks they should rather leave the marketplace already.

As they continue their journey, Zenna takes them to a special small island, where the sword fighting culture is most evident.
A lot of skilled warriors are practicing in the streets.
Their movements are so fluid and graceful.
Maris and Rafferty are both captivated by the beauty and power of the sword fighters. Watching them is very inspiring.

The architecture in this place is rather simple.
But well crafted statues are standing around everywhere.
One of these statues immediately stands out.
It's larger and represents an especially muscular guy holding two swords in each hand.

I like this place. It feels so calm.
These sword fighter are training.
And these statues also look amazing.

You like these statues?
They represent historical figures.

Yeah, what about this one?
He looks amazingly strong.
I'd be surprised if this wasn't Kairos.

This is Kraven the Berserk.
He really looked like this. That's why the statue is so huge.
When he went on rampage, he just killed everybody in his way.
So when enemies came, he always had to be the first to attack. If he didn't go first, it wouldn't have ended well for our own people.
I don't like him.

Oh, so who is Kairos then?
I thought he was one of the strongest warriors of this place.

Yeah, that's true.
You already know a lot about our history.
Follow me! Here he is!

Maris follows Zenna a few meters until a rather boring statue enters her view.

You're not talking about this one, are you?
Wasn't he older?

Of course he got older.
But this was him in his prime.
Nobody knows how he got so strong.

Now it's clear to me why people thought he was using magic.

Maris is a little disappointed.
She already imagined him to be a powerful fighter, more like the Kraven statue.

We can be proud of him.
Without Kairos, sword fighting probably wouldn't be that popular here.

Maris reminds herself of her actual goal and slowly approaches a group of sword fighters.

Zenna quickly follows her, when she notices.
She's a little concerned now.

We really need one of them in our crew.
Could you introduce us to them?

Uhm...
We shouldn't distract them during their special training.
Maybe we should wait for now.

Maris stops, but seems a little annoyed.

Your crew?
So you're real adventurers?

Yeah, but I still need a real crew.
This one guy doesn't seem that helpful yet.

Hey!

He sounds a little upset.
Maris just laughs.

I have a good friend here.
I will introduce you to him later.
I'm sure he would be helpful to you.

Zenna always wanted to know more about other cultures as well.
But she doesn't dare to ask them to join herself. They're looking for a fighter. How would she be helpful to them?
But maybe she can at least help the guy who got her there in the first place.

So how long do we have to wait?

They usually train until it gets dark.

Maris really doesn't want to wait for so long. Even if it's already in the afternoon, it might still take some hours until it gets dark.
And they probably want to relax after such a day and not be bothered by her that late...

But if you want, I can tell you more about our history of sword fighting.

Maris agrees. And Rafferty also seems excited already. These sword fighters are more interesting than expected.

So they walk around at this place and Zenna shares some tales of other legendary swordsmen who had defended the islands throughout history, as Maris and Rafferty listen intently.

While Zenna is talking, they leave the sword fighter island again and walk through the town.
After some time they even reach one of the grass islands.
They stop talking and just enjoy the sea breeze.

These empty islands must be like parks to the people who live there, so they can spend time in nature without actually leaving the town.

As the sun begins to set after a while, the three of them find themselves standing at a cliff at the edge of the island, overlooking the vast ocean surrounding the town.

This is my favorite place.
From here, you can see the entire town.
I always have to think about the strength and resilience of our people here.

Maris and Rafferty agree. It's really a great view.
But now they should probably go now.
They want to get to know the sword fighters.
And they also have find another place to stay over night.
Or go back to their ship, which is far away from this grass island.

I guess we have to go now.

Oh yeah, it's time...
The training should be over already.
At least Kael should still be awake.
I'm sure he would be happy to get to know you.

Maris is already getting excited.
Maybe she'll actually meet a strong sword fighter today.