A Measure of Timber

Stiffness broke. Joints held firm. I shifted my weight, feeling the dry, level grain of the wide wooden floor beneath my bare left foot and armored right boot. A hollow clink echoed as my yellow blade tapped the planks. I turned slowly toward the dark metallic post standing like a sheer rampart nearby. Lowering my hand, I set the tip of my sword gently against the wood, testing the ground's integrity. It was solid. The perimeter is stable.