A Talk of Swords

LAIS

"Huh! Haiyah! Huh!"

I swing the heavy sword with both my arms, my mind scrunched deep in concentration. I feel callouses form on my hands as I grip the metal hilt of the sword with all my might, the metal feeling cold against my skin.

Sweat is dribbling down my forehead, my muscles are aching from the brunt of the large sword and the force of swinging it around, my heart pulsing loudly in my chest.

I force myself to breathe steadily, attempting to slow down the loud pounding of my heart, chiding myself for even being bothered by it. In a real battle, even a single small distraction could cost me my life. I need to stay concentrated on my target, or else I'll end up on the wrong side of the enemy's sword. Too many times I've felt that, and it's not a good feeling.