24: Coral
Growing a sword takes time. This was the first lesson we all learned – the second was that there are any number of ways to grow a sword. I was partial to plants myself, so I set about growing on of my own. My partner Jules, however, was more of a fan of the sea. Her decision to go with coral as the material for her blade, however, meant that she would have nothing usable for years – it would take nearly a decade just to get something remotely long enough. I thought it was an extremely bad choice for a sword myself – I had grown a fine blade of wood that was stronger than steel, much to my satisfaction, and it had only taken a few years to do so.
I set out to prove the suitability of my blade immediately upon its completion. It did not take me long to build a reputation on the bodies of hundreds of challengers as one of the greatest swordsmen of this age or any other. It is perhaps true that this reputation may have gone to my head a little. This could have happened to anyone, which is why it happened to me. I was the strongest, after all, so if I wanted to establish my own personal kingdom and demand tribute, that was my right.
It was a beautiful five years of blood and fighting and whatever I wanted. It was my mistake, really, to forget the second thing we learned: the longer it takes for your sword to grow, the more time you have to perfect the art. When Jules came after me, seeking to bring me to justice, I underestimated her. Which is why I promptly found myself missing my sword arm, my sword, and everything I’d built. She had brought it all down in the space of a few hours. The third thing we learned: things that take a long time to build can still be destroyed in a flash.
I don’t know why she left me alive – sentimentality, perhaps – but I have spent the last ten years growing a coral sword of my own, and learning to use my remaining arm. Vengeance, if you’ll pardon the cliché, will be mine.