The brownies surrounding her were only sparsely equipped. Their weapons consisted of simple bone spears and stone knives, crudely made and inspired by nature. Some of them wore pouches at their hips, tied to vines.

The pouches, made from an animal's stomach, seemed to be filled with poison. A deadly weapon that suggested a certain intelligence. Even though the enemies themselves hardly appeared threatening. But Aria knew that even a single hit could incapacitate her.

More arrows whizzed through the air. Aria felt the breeze as one narrowly missed her cheek. She gripped the sword tighter with both hands, ready to deflect the next attack.

A bone spear flew toward her, but with a swift strike, she deflected it to the side. Without hesitation, she threw herself into the midst of the enemys, right into the chaos, where the arrows were less precise in targeting her.

A knife shot toward her. She deftly ducked under it. Her following swing decapitated two of the attackers. For a moment, they pulled back, hissing and uncertain. Aria smiled arrogantly. "Not so fast, stay right there," she called after them, her voice firm and resolute.

With a powerful leap, she shot into the air and let the sword slash down from above. The attacker unlucky enough to stand in front of her was cleaved in two. Green blood splattered in all directions.

It covered her clothes and face. Such trivialities didn’t concern her. The adrenaline rush pushed her onward. A spear flew toward her back. She spun around. A whistle. The attack missed. Fueled by the rush, she raised her sword and filleted the poor fool.

Her sword whipped through the air, finding two more victims. They fell like flies. Blood. All of it was green. Arrows whizzed past her, but none found their mark. She leaped, spun, cleaved. One opponent after another kissed the ground. She became more brutal, losing all inhibitions, immersed in the smoke of murder. The last five enemies managed to disarm her.

She threw herself forward. Grabbed two opponents. With all her strength, she slammed their skulls together. A satisfying crunch sweetened her day.

The next enemy instantly lost any hope of reproduction after a kick. He certainly wouldn’t need to worry about that anymore. Aria mercifully twisted his neck.

With the last two, she created a true masterpiece. She dodged a spear in such a way that it impaled one of her own. The final opponent, armed only with a knife, jumped forward.

She grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder to the ground. He groaned in pain. With her knee, she quickly broke his arm. Finally, she took hold of his hand with the knife. He resisted with all his might. He lost. The knife pierced his eye.

Finally, she disposed of the archers in the trees.

At last, she stood, panting, covered in the green blood of her enemies. Her breath came heavy, each inhale pressing against her ribs. Her knees trembled before she finally sank to the ground.

"Master," she gasped, her voice tired but also satisfied. "They're all dead."

Vrael, who had been lounging calmly on his root, slowly stood up. "About time," he said with a careless sigh. He strolled over to her, surveying the corpses around her before speaking with a more serious expression. "Now, let's move on to your scolding."

"What, why? I killed them all..." Aria protested, though her voice was uncertain.

"Do you know how many times I threw rocks at your enemies attacs?" Vrael looked at her with a sharp gaze. "Your focus is too narrow. You always need to keep an eye on what's behind you. You neglected your flank as well. You need to think in a circle. Attacks can come from anywhere."

Aria lowered her gaze, troubled. She hadn’t even noticed the danger from behind. The realization hit her like a blow to the face, and the pride she’d felt in the battle vanished in a moment of self-doubt.

"Second point: Didn't we talk about parrying? You either dodged or struck. Hand me your sword. I'll show you."

Confused, she extended her sword to him. Vrael took the blood-soaked blade from her and wiped it on her upper arm as though it were the most natural thing to do.

"Hey!" she squealed indignantly, staring at him with wide eyes.

"You already look like a brownie," he replied with a shrug.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

A sudden crack in the underbrush made her stop and listen. "What’s coming now is their leader. Once these fools have eaten enough, they evolve into Greybeards. They're nothing like their smaller kin."

A tense shiver ran down Aria's spine as she listened to the sounds creeping through the forest. Her heartbeat quickened, her breath coming in shallow bursts.

The opponent stepped out from the shadow of a tree. He was as large as a broad man. His bone armor giving him a terrifying appearance. His head strongly resembled that of a goat, with a grey beard. In his hand, he held a rusted longsword that gleamed threateningly in the dim light of the forest.

"Looks like he’s got himself a poor soul," Vrael murmured, his gaze fixed firmly on the attacker. "Well, watch closely. I'll show you exactly how it’s done."

As soon as the Greybeard spotted them, he charged at them with terrifying speed. His eyes burned with hatred, and his sword came crashing down from above with brutal force.

Vrael held his sword loosely with one hand. He positioned it diagonally above his head, and the attacker’s blade slid harmlessly off. "Though he's stronger than you, you could block him just the same. Focus on the angle."

The beast swung again, aiming for Vrael's midsection. "Use the momentum from above," Vrael called out, striking downward with both hands. The longsword was driven forcefully to the ground.

"This is simple physics," Vrael explained, rolling to the side in a fluid motion. The goat-headed creature kicked at him, but Vrael responded with a precise elbow strike that shoved the massive body of the opponent back. "A straight thrust can always be deflected with little effort. You just need to time it right."

The tension in the air was palpable as Aria watched Vrael effortlessly counter the creature's powerful attack. Her heart raced, and she felt the urge to intervene. Vrael's teaching words echoed in her mind: Focus on the angle. Stay calm.

Aria was taken aback. Her master was toying with the beast. His explanations were perfectly clear. Her respect for him grew even further.

"When you get close to an opponent with a two-handed weapon, they can't strike," he called out. A knee strike sent the opponent staggering back.

"Remember, use your whole body. Your sword can also be held one-handed. That means you can deliver strikes too."

He charged at the opponent, parrying with both hands. He closed the distance, then suddenly struck with his right hand.

"Enough playing. It’s your turn. The bastard is already weakened," he called after a few minutes.

"But so am I," she protested, the weight of her sword feeling heavier than before.

"Don't worry, I'm here," Vrael replied with a reassuring smile.

Instantly, her nervousness began to fade. "Right, what’s there to fear?" she thought, standing up with determination. With a firm grip, she grabbed her master’s sword and mentally prepared herself for the fight.

Foam dripped from the mouth of the poor fool who had dared challenge her master. His broken arm hung limply by his side. Vrael had demonstrated an excellent way to break an opponent’s arm using the creature as an example.

Aria felt a surge of excitement. Finally, a strong opponent. She could try out what she’d learned on him. Practical experience, after all, was the most valuable.

She almost felt sorry for the Greybeard. He was the strongest of the opponents, but her master was turning him into nothing more than a mannequin for his demonstrations. The beast towered over her by two heads. His muscular body radiated threatening power.

With an angry grunt, he staggered toward her and swung down from above. Aria raised her sword at an angle. It worked. Unfortunately, not perfectly. Her arms trembled under the force.

"You need to hold your sword at a sharper angle!"

A horizontal strike came dangerously close to her knee. In a moment of desperation, Aria gambled everything. With all her strength, she swung her sword downward. The longsword slammed into the ground with a booming sound, the shockwave seeming to vibrate beneath her feet.

Immediately, she seized the opportunity. She closed the distance and struck hard beneath his chin. He staggered slightly.

"Oh no." A fist hit her in the stomach. She crashed against a tree. She saw him charging at her. She ducked. She deflected the attack with her elbow. A kick to the back of his knee made him stumble. A quick jump later, her index finger was in his right eye.

"Good choice! You're too weak, so aim for the weak points. A kick between the legs is probably the most effective. It works pretty well on men," Vrael winked, his face lighting up with a mischievous grin.

Arias's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Look at you, you're embarrassed," Vrael noted, eyeing her with an amused gaze. "I just saw the poor little brownie before."

Aria opened her mouth to retort, but was suddenly distracted by a thrust from the front. Instinctively, she held her sword forward, ready to defend. As the longsword came close, she quickly jerked it to the right. Then she kicked the poor guy between the legs. A pathetic grunt escaped his lips, and she couldn't help but smile for a moment.

"You're cruel. He won't be having kids anymore," Vrael commented, a mix of astonishment and amusement in his voice.

"Shut up," she retorted sharply, lifting her sword to deliver the finishing blow. His eyes began to gleam manically. He stepped forcefully onto her foot. A scream cut off abruptly. He struck her in the stomach.

His arm shot forward again. Hit. He had grabbed her wrist. Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath her feet.

He wanted to slam her to the ground. She let go of her sword. Her legs immediately wrapped around his arm. Using the momentum, his arm spun in a circular motion. Bones splintered.

"Phew, that was close."

Then she drove her head into his stomach. Once again, she was forced to make herself comfortable on the ground.

He kicked at her. She had to roll through the dust. "Every bone hurts," she whined. "Just die already."

She tried to reach for her sword. Unfortunately, he stood in her way.

"Then I’ll crush you," she growled wildly.

He growled back. Then he charged. Just before they collided, he leaped, his head aiming like an arrow at her. She spun around and landed a kick.

She was pleased to notice his broken nose.