Vina raced across the roofs of the City of Halos. She had activated her parkour and freerunning skills, and she almost felt like she was flying. Her blood cloak surrounded her, hiding her face. When she leapt from one roof to the other, she watched her jumping skill increase. As she ran across the spine of the roof, she watched her running skill slowly approach level 10. When freerunning ran out, she started to burn stamina and she continued to run. When her stamina burned down, her lungs and legs began to ache, but she didn’t care. Her rage was fueling her.
As soon as Hakim had sent out the invitation, Adir had returned back a rejection. Hakim had asked her to wait, to trust in the process, but Vina could not be dissuaded. Against everyone’s wishes, she immediately left. She was going to find her sister.
Quest Updated: Kill the twelve (2/11 killed) Quest reward has been reduced.
While running, Vina activated Vibrance Tracking. She didn’t have a copy of her sister’s blood, but she remembered exactly what her vibrance looked like. It had been seared into her memory. A moment later, a cloud began to form and a lighted path connected between her and something in the distance. Vina activated Sprint and raced along at twice her normal running speed. She felt Hakim’s vibrance behind her, some distance back. To her surprise, he had little trouble keeping up with her. “He better not interfere”, she thought.
Vina grabbed a chimney as she raced past it and flung herself from the top of the building to one across the street. She was honestly surprised she made the distance given the low rank of her jumping skill, but apparently her momentum was sufficient. Then a window popped up in her vision.
New Skill Learned: Charge . You can charge forward six feet. If you attack an enemy, you do 10% more damage and they will be knocked back three feet. Charge is an active skill with a ten second cool down. Quest Updated: Learn Skills 3 41/75
She gritted her teeth and continued running across roofs and jumping from building to building, avoiding the crowded streets below. There was no way she could have made it through the city down there at this speed.
Ann’s vibrance was closer now, and she began to slow down, trying to spot where she was. For the first time in a long time, Vina activated her level 8 stealth skill. She crouched beside a window frame and began to watch the crowds. Her tracking skill was telling her Ann was inside one of those buildings.
A moment later a curly redhead with a headband came out carrying some kind of food. She was laughing at the largest man Vina had ever seen. He carefully and respectfully squeezed his way out of the building. He was so large, he almost leaned on his side to get through the wide doors. He was laughing too, holding what looked to be a comically small dumpling in the biggest hands a human being could have. Ann pointed at something in the distance, and the man nodded emphatically. He picked her up and set her on his shoulders.
Vina felt Hakim’s vibrance slow down its approach to her. A moment later Vina’s rage evaporated as she tried to understand what she was seeing between Ann and the huge man. She focused on reading their vibrances. The man’s vibrance was strong. It was clearly stronger than Ebba’s and edging onto what Vina had sensed with Haco. His mood was authentic however. He was filled to the brim with joy. Ann’s vibrance was stronger than when Vina last saw her as well. Her bloodshot eyes showed the hidden aspect under her headband. The single stone embedded in her sister’s forehead caused guilt pains to stab her in the stomach.
As they walked down the street, Vina felt Hakim’s vibrance arrive right next to her. Her sister and Adir headed into another shop, and Hakim leaned against the window frame across from her.
“Are you going to stop me if I start something?” she asked.
“I have a responsibility to maintain the peace of this city. I came to help you maintain your own peace”, Hakim said calmly.
Vina sighed. “I just want to talk with her. I wasn’t going to attack Adir without provocation.”
“From what I’ve seen in your masterpiece, there seems to be a bad history between your family and The Twelve. I do not know where Adir stands in that conflict. He may not need much of a reason to eliminate you should he learn of your heritage”, Hakim said. “And yet, I still believe your sister is safe with him.”
Vina looked at him, “How could you know that? If he hates my family enough to kill me, then he’ll kill her too.”
“It comes from a lifetime of experience. A most interesting contradiction exists in our city that you don’t yet understand. Adir has almost never stepped away from the war with The Darkness. Although his name is not known to the wider world, it is known by those who are fighting to save this world. The fact that he is here tells us so much”, Hakim said.
“What does it tell you?” Vina asked.
“He’s realized his own strength is no longer enough. In Adir’s mind, the only way to win our world back is through your sister. He’ll do anything to ensure her safety and most of all that she succeeds.”
Vina looked back down on the street where Adir and Annalina were talking animatedly. “You’re also saying he would eliminate anyone who might distract her from that end goal. Even if that were her family?” Vina asked.
Hakim shrugged, “He might. I don’t really know how he views the world. Adir was a farmer’s son. The Darkness took his town over one day, and it resulted in the death of his family. I imagine Adir does not want any more families to die if he can help it. You can sense emotions. What are they feeling?” Hakim asked.
Vina pointed down at the street, “She feels safe and happy. She’s stronger than when I last saw her. Even Adir is happy.”
“Yes. Her safety is the first thing we checked. Adir purchased that armor from the city as soon as she arrived. He has been taking her out of the city each day to train, and they return back here each night. They’ve requested to stay just long enough to view your masterpiece.”
Vina glared down the street, “Once she sees that, she’ll know everything the twelve have done to me. Adir will also discover that she is my sister.”
Hakim looked in the same direction as her, “She’ll know, but she may not see it the same way you do. Be prepared for that. Ann may choose a different path than you. We are prepared to intervene if your sister needs rescue from Adir. We’ll know more in the coming weeks.”
Vina took a deep breath and sighed, “You want me to not talk to her.”
Hakim took a deep sigh as well, “I want you and your sister to be safe for as long as possible. I want Adir to find a peace in his heart that he has lacked for a very long time."
Vina looked over at him, “That feels like such a non-answer. At least I know where one of my sisters is, and she’s safe for a little while.”
Hakim smiled at her, “She’s probably safer than most of us.”
Vina shook her head, “I have a hard time imagining any of The Twelve as a protector. I thought all of them were monsters.”
“It’s easy to think that way. It’s harder to keep in mind that often our intentions to do good get corrupted along the way. Those who get lost can sometimes find their way back again, with a little help.” Hakim gave her a look. “So far Adir has remained affixed to his path.”
Vina bowed her head, remembering Ebba’s final words. Could she have been saved if the box had been taken away sooner? “I need to go kill something. Work out this nervous energy”, she grumbled.
Hakim raised an eyebrow, “There’s another way. If you’d be willing to humor me.”
~~~
Hakim led her to a larger house with a wide and open entry. He removed his shoes and Vina followed his lead. A woman of later age with still black hair came out from a back room into what Vina could now see was a training hall. She was athletically built, and wore loose fitted clothing as if she had just gone for a jog. “Lord Halos! It is an honor to be visited by you.” She bowed her head, but not much more.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Hakim bowed his head just as much as she, “Swordmaster Seassa, Trina has truly blessed me to find a home as welcoming as yours.”
Seassa paused for a moment when she turned to Vina. She stared deeply into her red eyes, and Vina didn’t feel even the slightest movement from her vibrance. She was so surprised by this that it took her a moment to realize that Seassa’s eyes were different as well. Her pupils were not circles, but vertical slits. Then Seassa gave her the same head bow, “Asharaina, it is a rare blessing to be visited by one such as you.”
Vina, unsure of the correct response, mirrored the same head bow, “Swordmaster Seassa, thank you for allowing me to visit this evening.”
Hakim said, “Swordmaster, Vina is a beginner with the thrusting sword. As a personal favor, I was hoping you could start her on the path of a swordmaster, tonight.”
Seassa gave her an assessing look, then smiled and said, “For you, Lord Halos, it doesn’t even need to be a favor. For an Asharaina though, it would be my honor. Do you have a sword, Asharaina?”
Vina nodded and pulled her sword from her backpack. Ever since she could materialize daggers from her blood, she hadn’t strapped it to her hip. She held it out for Seassa to look at.
Item: Quick Thrusting Sword of Blood Rare Damage: 4-10 Durability: 30/30 Required Attributes: Strength 10, Dexterity 16, Agility 14 Bonus: Attacks made with this weapon are 5% faster. Bonus: Wounds received from this weapon cause 5% additional bleeding damage. This is a sword designed for thrusting attacks. The sword is longer and thinner than the average sword, but just as heavy. This sword is adequate at making slicing attacks.
“It is well-made. I’m guessing it was forged in the territory of The Twelve. Am I correct?” Seassa asked.
Vina nodded.
“Very well. Asharaina, can you place your sword on the rack over there, and take one of the wooden ones? We’ll be starting with that. Lord Halos, if you have other business to attend to, you don’t need to remain. I’ll be keeping The Asharaina overnight if she doesn’t have any more pressing responsibilities.”
“She doesn’t”, Hakim answered quickly before Vina could say anything. He gave her a look before leaving.
Vina soon stood with a wooden sword in her hand and wore the same outfit as Seassa.
Seassa stood in front of her and they remained just in front of the wide open doors of the home. “Have you ever done a mentoring agreement?”
“No. I’ve done some dueling but never mentoring”, Vina answered.
“That’s okay. I am going to offer you a mentoring agreement. If you accept, it will allow me to see your agility and dexterity attributes as well as your current thrusting sword skill. I will also be able to see any skills or abilities that you activate during our training sessions. In return, you will be able to follow my movements and learn proper technique while gaining skill and experience. A mentoring agreement has conditions. I’m going to be asking you to return here three times a week for training for the next month. If you don’t return, the agreement will be considered threatened. During that time, you will slowly begin to lose whatever you have learned with me. If you never return, you will lose all knowledge, skill, and experience you gained while training with me”, Seassa said.
Vina blinked in surprise, “Can people lose attributes or levels they have gained from experience through skill ups if they don’t return?”
Seassa smiled, “It has been known to happen. Please, don’t miss any of our sessions. I think three visits a week is fairly forgiving.”
“I agree. I am just surprised that the system could take away attributes.”
Seassa looked at her for a moment, and then Vina had a window appear in her vision.
Swordmaster Seassa is offering to mentor you in the use of Thrusting Swords. Seassa has a skill of 156 in Thrusting Swords. This agreement is for three mentoring sessions each week for one month. At the end of the mentoring agreement, Seassa will receive experience commiserate to the progress you make. If you do not follow through with your agreement, you will lose all progress you have gained. Do you accept? Yes? No?
Vina accepted, and Seassa began the session. “We’ll be starting with basic stances. You’ll need to be able to identify and counter basic attack lines first.” Seassa raised her sword above her head, and Vina saw an identical outline in her vision. “Face toward the doors and copy what you see”, Seassa said.
“My dominant hand is my left, but I am able to use my right somewhat well. Which should I use?” Vina asked.
“The outline will adjust to your handedness. The choice is yours”, Seassa said.
Vina raised her sword with her left hand and a number appeared as she tried to line it up to Seassa’s outline.
Attack Line #1 - 56% accuracy
She angled the tip of her blade down ever so slightly and saw the number jump to 92%.
“Rotate your wrist to the right”, Seassa said
Vina adjusted and the number shot up to 99%.
Seassa changed positions. “Now we move to attack line 2.”
Seassa and Vina worked hard into the night as she memorized attack line after attack line. She could feel her mastery attribute was working overtime. It would constantly whisper hints on where she was being deficient and she soon started hitting 100% accuracy on her stances. Seassa seemed to be enjoying herself as well. “You’ve seen the twelve basic attack lines, the proper way to hold your sword to defend against them, as well as the proper transitions. I’m going to test you now by attacking those lines. If you get it wrong, it’s going to hurt. Are you ready?”
Vina hesitated, “What about the Aspect of Retribution?”
Seassa chuckled, “A good question, but not something to be concerned about. We are training, so the aspect will not retaliate unless our intent changes.”
Vina nodded as she held her sword up. A big number appeared in her vision that read 8. She moved her sword into the correct position just in time to deflect an attack by Seassa. Another number appeared and Vina responded appropriately. Seassa smiled and the numbers came faster and faster. Each time she defended the attack with her sword, Seassa seemed to increase the speed.
Vina didn’t mind. She was living for this. She felt alive as a basic and highly structured dance happened between them. After dozens of successful defensive movements, Vina made a mistake. The attack was slow enough that Vina’s avoidance skill kicked in, allowing her to avoid the strike entirely. Seassa immediately punished the movement with a hit to her leg too fast for her to respond. Vina did a sharp intake of air as she rubbed her thigh.
“We aren’t moving right now. We’re only standing and defending. You are doing very well, but you still have a very slow transition from attack line 6 to attack line 11 as well as attack line 2 to attack line 7. Could you tell?” Seassa said.
Vina rubbed her thigh again, “No. I was just reacting to the numbers. Are you testing every possible combination of attack lines?”
Seassa nodded, “Yes. Most of the time you’ll see people who just do downward swings or cross swings. Those attack lines are attack lines 3 and 8 respectively. However, truly skilled swordsmen will attack from various combinations. Creatures can also have unexpected attack line patterns. I’m pushing you to be better than all of them. Let’s go again.”
This time around Vina paid attention not just to the numbers in her vision, but also to the movement of her own arms. She saw the number six appear and prepared for it to be followed by eleven. She defended the strike and transitioned to eleven before the number appeared. She did notice that her arms resisted that movement far more than other transitions. While Seassa continued her barrage of attacks, she focused on how to improve her own handling and movement of her body. When she focused on the movement, she felt her body respond better to her intent. Mastery whispered in her ear the next time that combination came around and the transition was slightly easier. “More dexterity”, she thought to herself between two different movements.
By the end Vina was breathing hard while sitting on the ground. Seassa brought her a refreshment and allowed her to recover her stamina. “Asharaina, we’re going to do it again, but I’m going to remove the numbers. This will present a different challenge. You’ll need to gain information on what attack I am going to do from just my body movements. We have a term for this in Halos. We call it Gazing at the Mountain. When you watch me, you need to take in the entirety of my being to determine what I am going to do.”
As Vina stood to prepare for this next part of training, she saw Parin and twenty guards arrive outside of Seassa’s home. Parin was clearly out of breath but managed to give her a disapproving look. Vina gave him an apologetic head bow. Seassa saw it all. “Hmm…” is all she said before greeting the guards outside and settling them inside with refreshments as well.
“That gave you some time to consider an approach. I hope you’re ready. We will start very slowly at first. I can tell you have not been neglecting your mastery attribute, so I think you’ll pick this up quickly. Here we go”, Seassa said.
Vina brought her wooden sword up and defended against attack line one. Then she defended against attack line two. “She’s counting up each attack line”, Vina realized. She tried to watch Seassa’s movements, to see her entire body, but her eyes kept jumping toward the parts that moved. Vina watched her wrists and then her shoulders and the sword. When Seassa finished the twelfth attack line, she changed the pattern and Vina faltered. After she was hit three times with bruising consequences, Vina activated her Observe skill, hoping to better track her movements. Seassa immediately stopped.
“What I am trying to teach you runs completely counter to the Observe skill. The Observe skill shows you everything that moves, but it doesn’t show you what doesn’t move. Please, stand there and watch. I will not hurt you.”
Seassa moved and every part of her body highlighted in her vision. Vina watched in fascination at her speed. At the next moment the dull wooden blade was at her throat and Seassa was standing next to her. At no point in time did her skill tell her that the blade had moved. “You need to see the entire mountain, not just the wind and the trees. Let’s go again.”