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A Walk Beyond Destiny – By Nicholas Bungard


Chapter 1 - Guardian


Oceaa stumbled backwards, his apprentice was really putting pressure on him and he could sense it.
''Harder boy Harder'', came the Apprentice as he pushed his shield forward into a guard like position. Oceaa was clearly tired and needed a rest, it was certain his Apprentice could see this but he payed no attention to it, instead he sustained a strong position and waited as Oceaa ran into him with his shouldar crashing fiecrely into the shield.
Oceaa belonged to the Bonedancer Tribe, a mystic tribe who learn the most valuable battle feats and also the dark magic that the demon Aanderud, used when he layed siege to Morvalt just over two hundred centuries ago. The tribe is very passionate about their way of living. They would not meet other tribes nor would they fight them - instead they just trained and trained, living in fear of a uproar throughout Morvalt. The tribe leader, Terracan was a wise man but powerless to say the least. He lived on false hope and the strength of words. He was not a leader but since he was the oldest in the tribe he was automatically refered to as the tribe leader but luckily enough for the tribe he does not make all the decisions.
The Bonedancer tribe lived in the North-West part of Morvalt, where the mountains and the desert clashed. They liked it here because it has the terrain to train on and the food to live on. They were preety much isolated from the rest of the other tribes with only the Beserker Tribe being found a couple of miles to the north. The storms that erupted there would make choosing a permanent spot to live on hard and it was rare to see the tribe lasting more than a month or so in one spot. The tribe kept themselves to themselves and so rarely had any trouble with outsiders and if a attack was made against them then they simply would move to the mountains where they would have a huge advantage against their enemies. Life was simple but peaceful. The tribe however, feared something other tribes did not, they feared of a plot that would turn the most respected tribes against the weaker tribes. It was this very reason that Oceaa was being trained up for he was suppose to be the new guardian of the town, the defender, someone to uphold the peace and to confront any enemies that dare attack. He was said to have magic powers beyond that of a normal Bonedancer but his ignorance was said to be his downfall because he had no truth in his own abilities leavin his Apprentice to do much of the work.
Oceaa himself was far different from the people that belonged to the Bonedancer tribe. He had short brown hair and deep, sorrow eyes. He was rather short with a nicely toned waist and large arms that were drvien by his training over the past few weeks. He was rather handsome to say the least and his humour was a good advantage to gettin attention, but his huge dis-like of girls was the reason he never soicalised much. He tended to think of girls as people who would expect everything handed out on a plate. They expected the men to work, hunt and defend whilst the woman sat around talking with friends and making a simple meal every night. Seeing a girl in plate armour also annoyed him thoroughly as he believed only men could be warriors, a very stubborn apporach considered by many of the females that were in the Bonedancer tribe.
As the mild air started to swell, Oceaa became weaker and weaker. He was putting everything into his attacks but he seemed to be having zero effieiency in disabling his Apprentice. It was only when Oceaa opted for a rest that his Apprentice placed his shield on the ground and started to tell Oceaa about forth-coming plans.
''Tomorrow boy, I shall be training with you no more. The time has come for you to train with people you are equally matched against. I have been delving into the Shaman Tribes training structure and they have informed me of a girl that has outmatched the trainers in the tribe. I was immensely interested about this young lady and upon seeing her myself it occured to me that she is the perfect training partner for you. She pocesses ambition, confidence and determination and will be a vital essence to your success.''
Oceaa said nothing, his pupils were black and bold and his face was screwed up in a sign of dis-belief. He knew full right not to question his Apprentice but was it so wise for him to train with a girl, someone whom he had never meet and especially someone from another tribe and background. He also hated the fact that this girl might be better them him at the arts he was so well at. However, if the Apprentice has over-judged this girl thought Oceaa, then I might be able to teach her and be her Apprentice - she would have to be loyal to me and that would make me a leader and her.... a trainee. Oceaa felt a shudder of excitement pass through him and soon enough he got up and stood straight, signifying to his Apprentice that he was ready to consume the training.
''May I ask her name'' asked Oceaa as he thrusted his sword into the Apptentices shield. His Apprentice realised the pressure on his shield and stood for a moment as if he was trying to search the back of his mind for her name, when he had remembered he raised his tone slightly in a proud and honourable manner spoke:
''Her name is Aerwyn and she is the Youngest Daughter of the Shaman Tribe Leader. Therefore one like yourself must treat her with upmost respect and dignity. Is that understood?'' Oceaa's day had took a turn for the worst, he gasped light heartedly, swalloed the saliva that itched the back of his mouth and nodded in a disapointed but understandble tone.

Oceaa woke early the next day ready to meet his new training partner. He seemed less aggravated now but the whole idea of training with a girl still bounced back and forth in his mind. Moving to the centre of the camp he noticed a fluster of people crowded together in eager anticipation. As Oceaa made his way towards them, he started to realise that they were all huddled around his new training partner Aerwyn. He made his way through the crowd until he found himself within a couple of metres distance with Aerwyn. He was shocked. She certainly looked like a warrior but at the same time she expressed beauty and confidence. He said nothing, instead he just stared at her with his deep eyes and waited for the crowd to back away. They did so - eventually, and then Oceaa began to take in the full appearance of Aerwyn:
She wore gold plate over her body that seemed flexible and strong. It covered her from her ankles to your shouldar blades where a strong coif would take over to cover preety much the neck and the back of the head. On her back lay a long blade with ancient carvings etched onto the side. Although she seemed strong, her body pocessed a lady like feel and her hips and breasts were shapped perfectly minus all the plate she was wearing. Looking away from her body, Oceaa looked her deep in the eye whilst at the same time catching a glimpse of her straight, black hair as it ran down her back. Her mouth was long and appealing and it fitted in with her cheeky look that blazed from her eyes right down to her chin.
Aerywn held our her hand infront of Oceaa and smiled, bringing a natural curve to her lips. Oceaa seemed reluctant at first but he eased himself into a natural stance and shook Aerywns hand, trying his best to keep eye contact. Her hand was soft and small but she had a sturdy grip. The two moved away from each other and soom after, Oceaa's Apprentice came out of his hut to greet Aerywn.
''Ahhh'', he spoke, ''Aerywn has arrived. It is a great honour to be in your presence and I would like to offer you some tea and possibly a meal before you start your training?'' Aerywn stood there for a moment, gazing into the dark, cloudy sky before answering.
''No thank you, If it is allowed I would like to start my training with the lad named Oceaa.'' The Apprentice seemed shocked at her decision but never the less he respected what she choose and beckoned her to follow him to the training ground with Oceaa lagging slightly behind.
''So, where is the boy?'' questioned Aerywn, a slight hint of temptation in her voice. The Apprentice stopped, turned around and motioned Oceaa to come meet Aerywn.
''I'm not sure if you two have already met but I shall still introduce both of you. Aerywn this is Oceaa, he is your training partner and is the tribes' long awaited Guardian.'' Aerwyn recognised Oceaa from their meeting in the camp but she still gave a look of shock before smiling to Oceaa and turning her head slightly. Oceaa was getting rather annoyed at Aerywn, for she kept flirting with him and it was as though she was playing with him but he remained cool giving a forced smile and expression before walking next to the Apprentice.
Half an hour or so later the trio arrived at the training camp where the area had been set up in advance. A huge tiled arena had been created with swords,shields and armour carefully laid down behind the arena. Aerywn seemed impressed and Oceaa stood staring at the arena with a slight hint of awe running through his mind. The Apprentice left them be and both Aerywn and Oceaa entered the arena. They began to warm up, stretching muscles and jogging on the spot. Oceaa would occasionally glance over at Aerywn to see how long it'd be before she was worn out. But she remained strong shaping her body in a variety of exercises. Soon, Oceaa found himself daydreaming and snapped out of it as the gulls above flapped their wings and moaned heavily.
The more intense training came later on in the afternoon where Aerywn and Oceaa were both in armour and weilding Broad Swords. They weren't hitting each other but instead moving about as if practising their footwork. Aerywn seemed very on the beat dodging many attempts was less flexible but more strong and steady. He wouldn't move about a lot but would move to the side slightly just missing the blows but having enough time to bring a attack upon Aerywn. Both seemed evenly matched and neither seemed to be trying very hard.
Throughout his first day of training, Oceaa's view of females had changed dramatically. This one girl has changed his idea of a girl from a lazy type of character to that which Oceaa was trying to infiltrate her armour. She was very flexible moving her self into a near spilts position at one point. Oceaa however, e type of person that tried her best to be as good as a male. However, this didn't mean he suddenly enjoyed being around girls as he didn't but it did make him think a bit more and remember to not judge a book by its cover.
As the sun lowered its posture in the sky, Oceaa and Aerywn decided to take it easy and head back to camp. Both were very tired and worn out and Oceaa could feel his muscles aching from all the hard work. Before he started training with Aerywn life was very easy because he had little or no competition. But now he had someone to compete against and to prove to them how much of a warrior he is. As they arrived at camp everyone was asleep and only the owls could be heard singing as they stood against the branches that swayed in the light breeze. Oceaa and Aerywn said nothing to each other but instead they disapeared into their huts where they would sleep for the night. Oceaa had trouble sleeping that night. He couldn't stop thinking about Aerywn and how her appearance had shocked him totally. She seemed so beautiful and she was the type of person he would assosiate with being a true female. However, even with this in mind his dislike of females seemed to grow ever more and he wad dreading tomorrow where he and she would have to train together, again...