Foreshadow - chapter 17

Principle # 2 - Foundation: Use the weapon to protect the innocent, find truth, and punish evil.

Gunter read over the principle again. Wondering how many different interpretations he had missed along the way.that thought had lead him back to reviewing the principles again, searching for one more shred of the knowledge the Cherubim could teach the Knights. Each one seemed to blossom into the situation at hand.. being just vague enough to be applied with wisdom to almost any situation. It required a great amount of faith in his own judgement to interpret the principles and decide what the Cherubim stood for through those interpretations, something that was not easy to do with other peoples lives at stake. He laughed at that as he thought it.. it seemed so far away. The battlefield had been replaced with paper and policy, the tactical decisions replaced with domestic disputes to be resolved. Very important, yet somehow.. he missed the adrenaline, missed the sting of a fresh wound.. and began to wonder how his life had become so boring...

Gunter decided to go to the practice yard, perhaps some interesting things were happening there, he thought. As he arrived, the conditioning had already ended and the Temple Guardians had broken up into pairs and were practicing various techniques. He searched for Rade and found him chatting with a young recruit named Arline, she was fetching, and Rade had managed to corner her in a conversation, she didnt seem to mind. Gunter picked up the longest broadsword he could find from the stone bench of swords and tested the balance. It was a dark ironwood piece that had been hand crafted into perfect balance, and strong enough to take a blow from the finest steel. Satisfied, he walked to the center of the yard, the other Temple Guardians coming to attention as he stepped onto the courtyard grass. He waved the dismissal and motioned for them to continue practicing as he made his way to the very center of the field. He took up the challenge stance and waited.. the way the stance was positioned it could be interpreted that he was challenging the entire courtyard. Some seemed to be intimidated by that and quickly stepped off the grass. Other more experienced members saw the stance and recognized it as an open challenge to all comers.

The first to arrive with a sword was Xanthos, he was a strong warrior, his muscles already coated with a sheen of sweat from the conditioning, but certainly not wore out.. most would have called it warmed up. He acknowledged Gunter and moved to his dead angle.. Gunter stayed frozen like a statue, unmoving and simply nodded his acknowledgement. Xanthos took the opportunity to strike. He was one of the faster Temple Guardians and had battle experience, but Gunter had also seen his techniques, and was prepared for them.. he knew he attacked with his sword moving in an arc.. one that wasted just a few split seconds before it struck, but generated extra power in the attack as it arrived. Power that was deadly but would never touch him from there, Gunter slid left allowing the attack to whiff close, but out of range. The added force of the attack meant that he could not redirect it in mid swing, leaving Gunter an opportunity to riposte. He did with a viper stirike that was almost a lunge. Slicing below Xanthos's left arm. It was a killing blow with steel swords, the wood simply left a red welt and sore ribs. Xanthos retired to the dinner table that awaited him, giving thanks for the "lesson" as he bowed out.

Gunter smelled the attack more than saw it.. he ducked covering his exposed back with his blade. The man in black's coat swirled into the wind and was gone. "Finally someone who is worthy of my teaching!" he spoke aloud grandly flourishing a bow to the crowd that had gathered to watch Gunter. He did not stop, flowing the flourish into a low strike at the legs that was only barely stopped by Gunters sword tip. Gunter felt the frustration, the stress, and the anger well up in him.. This arrogant pretentious monster had finally gone too far. He dared attack the Temple Lord here on the Cherubim Knights practice ground, with a sneak attack no less!?
Gunter flowed from the block into an attack of his own, it required a defense that would lead to a forced position, one that gunter would strike with a move he had practiced especially for an opponent such as this.. but the Man in black did not defend.. instead he intentionally absorbed the blow with the armor he wore, allowing him to initiate another attack at Gunter's legs, this one Gunter saw as a feint even before the feint had finished moving toward the false target. Gunter used the wasted time to his advantage. Gunter peeled right exposing his leg to the feint that was attacking, but too late for the man in black, he had already started to recoil and redirect his attack.. which now he would have to redirect his redirect into a defensive position, or he would be fatally struck from Gunter's riposte, the timing had been perfect, and the Man in black had no time to make it to the defense position, Gunter was going to score. The man in blacks hands seemed to blur for a moment and they appeared in the defence position as if they had been teleported there. Blocking the blow.. but Gunter had so much force into the swing, that the blow pushed him and the man in black forward onto the ground.

The man rolled to his feet, as did gunter and as he did he pulled something from his pocket and pointed it at Gunter. He saw it for what it was.. a magical wand. "Death by lightning" Gunter thought to himself as the man aimed to strike.. time seemed to slow down.. and the man in black released his burst of green light. A circle of blue surrounded Gunter for a split second as the green light approached him, disapating the strike into the blue field surrounding him. "What is this?! the man in black screamed.." Before him an Angel appeared in full glory and spoke. "Begone ye trespasser, leave my Knights to do their work, and prepare for the coming storm.." The light grew bright then.. blinding all that looked upon it.

When the light had faded, the man in black was gone. A voice spoke in Gunter's head as the light faded away..

"His intentions are good, but his methods and his arrogance are not of the Cherubim way. He is expelled for now.. but beware there may be others, and the storm is coming.. soon."