Chapters Caliber walked on the path, aged thirty-six. He had been traveling for some time, now. the trail in front of him looked like it went on forever, yet he didn't see any trees ahead. He walked closer, and realized the trail ended abruptly. He had arrived at the edge of the world.
Thinking he has deserved a break, he sat down, and ruffled through his bag. Out came various things, bits, gems, even an artifact or two. But what he was looking for laid at the bottom. His adventure log. He pulled it out, and rubbed his hoof over the cover. He hasn't had to make an entry for some time now, for nothing of significance has happened of late. Opening the book to the first page, he looked at the first entry he made, all those years ago.
January 1st, 756.
I met a rather unique person today. I was taking a shortcut through a forest, minding my own business, when a zebra took my sword! Then he started sprouting nonsense about how i wasn't 'worthy' of having my sword! ARGH! I'll update when I get my sword back.
Caliber was already chuckling. Ah, he remembered Ruk, the zebra who he had to thank for his strong-as-an-earth pony frame. He remembered it like it was yesterday...
Twenty-four years earlier...
Caliber was walking on the path, looking at his map he had purchased the day before. "Now, if I keep along this path, I should be at Manehatten in around two days," he looked at the forest beside him. "Or I could cut through there, and be there in one day!" Tucking his map into his bag, he walked into the forest, keeping to the rough path inside it. "Heh, I'll be there in no time!" He chuckled to himself, "This was an easy decision!"
Still walking along the path, he came across a sign that read 'DANGER! STRONG WARRIORS ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT!' He looked at it for a second, before laughing and walking past it. "I'm a strong warrior!" He said to no-one in particular, "I've even got a sword to prove it!" He pulled out his sword, and it made a bell-like sound. He didn't know why it did that, but he didn't care. He was walking along the path, daydreaming about how he could fight an army, single-hooved, when he heard a growl. Turning around slowly, he saw a chimera. "Oh..." He said.
"'Oh' is right, little pony. What was that you were talking about? How you're a warrior, how you even have a sword to prove it?" The chimera sneered. "Luckily, you have a rather unique sword. It made that sound, and I followed it all the way to you." It smiled.
Caliber decided to bluff his way through. "Yeah...That's right!" He unsheathed his sword, and again, it made that bell-like sound. He pointed it at the chimera. "I may not look like it, but I have faced countless creatures before you! Each one stronger than you are!"
The chimera scoffed. Then it knocked the sword away. "You can't honestly believe I would just run, would you?" It looked down upon him, baring it's teeth. "And now, you're gonna be my supper."
Then a rustle in the bushes. Then Caliber saw a shadow move across the trees. The chimera had noticed it, too. "What is this...?" It asked, getting closer to the rustling bushes. "Do I have dessert...?"
The bushes exploded, revealing a rather large cloaked pony, and he dashed past the chimera, dragging his sword across it's side. The wound began to bleed, and the chimera backed off. "You...You're the Shadow of the Forest, aren't you?" It asked, keeping one paw over it's side. "I've heard rumors...but I didn't think you were real!" It tried to swipe at his head, but he side-stepped, and stuck his sword into it's foot, and twisted it. The chimera yowled in pain, and ran off.
Caliber let out a laugh. "Yeah, you better run!" He looked at his savior, and saw he had Caliber's sword. "Hey, ya found it!" Caliber said, as he reached out to get it.
The pony smacked Caliber's hoof with the flat of his sword. "Ow! Why'd you do that?!" Caliber asked, annoyed, "I want my sword!" He reached again, and again, got smacked.
"You aren't worthy," the pony said, with a deep voice. "I can't allow you to have this."
"What?!"
The pony threw off his hood, and he was revealed to be a zebra. "I'll say it once more," he put empathizes on it, "you. Are. Not. Worthy." He turned to leave, when he heard Caliber say something peculiar.
"Then make me worthy!"
The zebra stopped. "Hm?"
"Make me worthy! I want my sword back!"
The zebra smiled. "Do you even know what it's made of?"
"Titanium?"
"Wrong! It's mithril. That makes it a fine sword already, but this particular one's been tempered with dragon fire. And enchanted to be even more durable on top of that," he looked at it. "It's a fine sword, few are like it."
Caliber puffed himself up. "And it's mine!"
"Not until you're worthy."
"Then make me worthy!"
The zebra's eyes narrowed. There he goes again with the 'make me worthy'. "Fine. But first, we need to get to my house, it's getting dark." He turned, and disappeared into the woods.
"Argh, what choice do I have?" Caliber muttered to himself, before running after him.
Caliber ran after him, not sure where he was going. For one terrifying moment, he lost sight of the zebra, but quickly realized where he was. When they finally arrived at the zebra's house, the zebra disappeared inside for a moment, and came out beckoning Caliber to come in.
Caliber walked in, and was surprised, to say the least. The room was rather clean, and various masks decorated the wall. "So," Caliber asked, "whats you're name?"
The zebra looked at him for a moment before replying, "Ruk."
"Ruk?"
Ruk looked at him. "Yes, Ruk."
Caliber wandered around his house. "So, what do I have to do before I'm worthy?" He asked.
Ruk smiled before saying "Beat me in a duel."
Caliber's ears dropped. He saw how nimble Ruk was, and how he took care of that chimera without any problems. "Well, how am I supposed to do that?" He asked, clearly annoyed.
Ruk cocked his head. "Why, knock me to the ground, of course. Is that not how one wins a spar in this land?"
Caliber glared at him. "No, that's not what I meant. I meant that you're so much faster, bigger, and stringer than me. Not to mention experienced," he explained, "and I only just started my journey about a week ago."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah! I mean, I'd be dead if you hadn't shown up! Argh, I don't know what I was thinking!"
"But at least you learned something."
Caliber looked at him. "Oh, yeah? What?"
"If a sign says 'strong warriors only' and you aren't a strong warrior, then you should probably take the long way." Ruk stated.
"Yeah, yeah!" Caliber said, before sniffing at the pot over the fire. "Whattaya cooking?"
Ruk glared at him before telling him. "Diced vegetables, with some meat squares thrown in," he said, "with some apples as a side."
Caliber licked his lips. "Sounds delicious! I cant wait!"
Ruk sighed. 'I guess I have to give him some.' He thought. He went over to his cupboard, and picked up the smallest bowl in there. He filled it with some stew, and gave it to Caliber. Then he walked outside, picked a couple of apples, and threw on at Caliber. He went back in, and started to eat out of the pot. "Bon appétit"
Caliber looked at his small bowl. He looked at Ruk, eating the whole stew out of the pot. Then sighed, and started sipping his own, with an occasional bit from his apple. He saw Ruk rise up suddenly, and go into another part of his house. A couple minutes later, snores can be heard. Caliber peered into the pot, and saw it was empty. He finished his small meal, and scribbled an entry into his adventure log. Then, he went to sleep on Ruk's couch.
Caliber woke up to grunting noises coming from outside. He got up, stretched, and wandered out to find what the noise was. He saw Ruk in the middle of working out. What was remarkable, however, was the fact that Ruk was doing one-armed, hand-stand push-ups.
"48...49...50...51...52..." Ruk muttered for every one he did.
Caliber sneaked up behind him, and said rather loudly, "Wow! How strong are you?!"
Ruk lost his balance, and tumbled down. He sat back up, glared at Caliber, and said "good, you're awake." He went over to his pool. "You may challenge me whenever you feel like it. Furthermore, we will use sticks. Not swords. Understood?" He took a long drink. "Understood?" He repeated.
"Er...Yeah," Caliber replied. "But what if I don't wanna challenge you right away?"
The zebra looked at him. "I never said you have to challenge me," he said. "But you'll have to if you want your sword back. You may stay here, and do whatever you like. I will feed you. But," he looked sternly at Caliber. "If I see your not doing anything to get you closer to your goal of beating me, I will kick you out. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Good." He went back to his training, leaving Caliber to is own devices.
Caliber didn't know what to do, so he just started trying to work out alongside Ruk. He could only do standard push-ups, of course, and not a lot of those at that. Ruk finished his work-out, and watched Caliber trying to continue. "Out of shape, are we?" He commented.
"Yeah, well, unicorns aren't known for their strength," Caliber retorted.
"That'd be earth ponies, correct?"
Caliber groaned.
And that's just about what happened. Caliber would spend days on end working on increasing his strength and stamina. Ruk would occasionally point out better ways to do a particular exercise, and would sometimes encourage him to do a little more. Eventually, Caliber could even do one or two one-armed push-ups. Then came that fateful day when Caliber felt he was ready to challenge Ruk. It went something like this:
"Ruk! I challenge you!" Caliber declared bravely.
Ruk looked up from his cup of apple cider. "Oh?"
"You heard me!"
Ruk got up, and walked outside. "Then come."
Caliber followed, and saw Ruk preparing an arena of sorts. He was dragging a stick in the ground, making a large circle. He then threw a stick at Caliber, who caught it. "The second you step into this arena, I will try to knock you out of it, or make you surrender. Same thing vice-versa. Caliber raised his stick, and charged at Ruk, trying for a downwards strike. Ruk side-stepped the first strike, and hit Caliber in the back of the head.
"Ow!" Caliber rubbed the back of his head. Ruk sweeped the stick under Caliber, knocking him to the ground. "Hey!" Ruk then pointed the end of his stick at Caliber's throat.
"I win." He said bluntly. He then walked out of the arena, going about his daily business.
"Owowowow..." Caliber rubbed his hooves that took the sweep blow. Then he rubbed the back of his head. Then he rubbed the spot on his throat where Ruk had pressed the stick.
"Oh, don't be such a filly," Ruk commented, "I didn't hit you that hard."
"But it hurts so much!" Caliber complained.
Ruk rounded onto him. "That's because you haven't done any skin-toughening training!"
"Whats that?"
"It's a type of training that makes you resistant to pain," Ruk explained. "But be warned, its very painful to go through."
Caliber grinned. "Lay it on me!"
Ruk smiled, too. "Aren't you scared of the pain?"
"Pain doesn't last forever, why should I be scared?" Caliber replied.
Ruk looked at him. "I like that." In the following month, Ruk would train Caliber. Making sure Caliber would eat foods packed with nutrients, he would encourage him to do work-outs, while wearing weights. He would try to do the nerve-deadening training with Caliber, but it proved to be way too much for the kid to handle, who cried 'STOP!' after a measly two seconds. But, for a kid, two seconds was promising.
Then, a full month later, Caliber challenged Ruk, again.
Ruk looked up at him. "Oh?"
"That's right, I challenge you!" Caliber said, confident.
Ruk looked at him, and finished his drink. "Very well," he said. He walked out side, Caliber following behind him, and drew a large circle in the ground. "You remember the rules, right?" Ruk asked. "How sparring works?"
Caliber nodded. "Yup, and to be crystal clear, if I win I get my sword back?"
This time, it was Ruk's time to nod. "Correct."
Caliber grinned. Then he stepped inside the circle. "Come at me," he said. "I wanna see just how strong I've gotten."
Ruk smiled, and dashed inside the circle, sprinting at Caliber with the sparring stick raised. "Lets go!" He yelled.
Caliber blocked his strike, and tried to sweep him of his feet. Ruk jumped, however, and did a spin kick to the side of Caliber's head. He didn't hit him hard, though. Caliber backed away, holding his head. He looked up at Ruk, and grinned. "So, your not gonna give me the match, huh?"
Ruk smiled. "You don't have time to talk, during a spar!" He said, as he again tried a sword strike. Caliber once again tried to block, but right before their sticks connected, Ruk's suddenly changed direction. Caliber stiffened, seeing the stick swinging fast towards his lower leg. His own stick too far away to help, he decided to try that spin-kick for himself. But when he jumped into the air, Ruk immediately charged into him, knocking him away. Caliber landed on his back-hooves, luckily. But he barely had enough time to get ready before Ruk was upon him, unleashing a flurry of blows, left and right. Caliber was doing his best to guard, but Ruk was too experienced. The blows started landing, and Caliber was slipping up.
"Yield!" Ruk yelled.
"Never!" Caliber growled, as he began striking back. Caliber was trying to force Ruk over the edge, and Ruk knew that. So, Ruk played along, allowing himself to be pushed closer, and closer to the edge. When they got to the edge, Caliber tried for a stab, and Ruk side-stepped. He rounded behind Caliber, and shoved hard. But, Caliber had did the same thing at the last second, rounding behind him as a way to dodge. Ruk shoved hard at nothing, and lost his balance. Teetering over the edge, Caliber threw his stick like a spear, and it hit Ruk square in the back. And that was it. Ruk lost his balance completely, and fell on the outside of the arena. Caliber was so surprised that it worked, he stared dumbfounded.
Ruk slowly got up, and brushed himself off. Then, he walked inside, and came out with Caliber's sword. "Here ya go," he said as he threw the sword at Caliber, who caught it. "Enjoy."
Caliber looked at him curiously. "That's it? No 'congratulations', no 'where will you go?', no nothing?" He asked, underwhelmed. "That's anti-climatic."
Ruk stared at him before adding "Congratulations," and then he smiled. "You have proven yourself worthy of possessing that sword."
Caliber gave a wide grin. "Okay, that's better!" Then his voice got softer. "So, I guess I'll be leaving then, huh?" He looked up at Ruk.
Ruk looked at him before shrugging. "That's up to you, Caliber. Whether you stay, or not, is completely your choice," he said, before turning around, and walking inside his house.
Caliber looked inside, and saw Ruk was stirring at the pot over the fire, which was filled with food for two. Caliber walked beside him. "I guess I could stay for one more day," he said, grinning. "I'll leave tomorrow."
Ruk looked at him. "Its decided, then. Tomorrow," he said, smiling.
THE NEXT DAY...
Caliber finished his breakfast, and looked over at Ruk, who had also finished his. "Welp, I guess this is good-bye," he said. "I just wanna say, thanks."
Ruk waved away his words. "Yeah, yeah...Be sure to visit, okay? In case you ever wanna try the nerve training again." He said, as he went outside and started his training.
Caliber grinned. "I plan to." Caliber packed up his small collection of things into his travel-pack, and left the way he came, seven months ago.
As Caliber left, Ruk watched him. Then Ruk thought to himself. 'I wonder if that kid'll ever know that sword once belonged to Zenru...And If he'll ever realize that I threw the match...'
