Both stood facing one another, the air tense as they held their blades. Kesa was silent, adopting a textbook stance: knees bent to distribute her weight evenly, her blade angled forward. She smirked. Years of training were evident as she moved in.

Xora, who had never wielded a blade before, clumsily held his weapon too tightly. With memories from the hero guiding him, he swung down towards her, uncoordinated and forceful. She sidestepped with fluid precision, her blade thrusting toward his chest.

The strike sent him reeling back in pain. The blades were dulled, obviously, but the impact was enough to make him stumble backward, clutching his chest. She snickered, resting her blade on her shoulder as she spoke, her tone dripping with condescension, like a mother scolding a bratty child.

"So much talk. I thought someone like you could handle a simple squire like me." She leaned in, her voice a whisper, "You could always just give up... and beg for forgiveness on your knees."

Xora smiled despite himself, holding his blade up and pointing it toward her. "Nah, I was just testing the waters." Adjusting his grip, he held the weapon with a newfound focus, no longer clenching it too tightly. He bent his knees slightly, distributing his weight more effectively as he mirrored her movements.

He glanced at her stats.

⌈ NAME Kesa Ferward. LEVEL: 26

CLASS: Squire. TITLES: Bratty Noble

HEALTH POINTS:460/460

STRENGTH: 33. VITALITY: 23.

AGILITY:37. DEXTERITY:38.

INTELLIGENCE:19. LUCK: 11.

MAGIC: 0. ENDURANCE: 36.

FAITH: 21. CHARISMA: 12.

'Higher level than the princess, her stats are distributed pretty evenly... I think I realised it. These people can only see their own status screen but they don't have the privilaqe to select what stats they want meaning they would train for it themselves. They gain stats slowly but are able to gain a burst of new stats when they leveled up. So they can basically get 2-3 in their strength before they level up and then suddenly gain 3-5 newer stats all around...'

'Higher level than the princess. Her stats are well-rounded... I see now. These people can only see their own status screens and can’t freely allocate stats like I can. Instead, they have to train to build them up slowly. Each level grants them bursts of new stats, but the grind before leveling is grueling. Interesting...'

His thoughts were interrupted as he instinctively dodged to the side, her blade slicing through the air where he had just stood. Kesa smirked, pulling her blade back and readying another strike.

"Don’t get distracted now," she teased.

Kesa leaned in, her blade angled toward the ground as she advanced. She swung upward, forcing Xora to dodge back, then immediately followed with a downward slash. For a millisecond, he froze, his mind flickering to a memory.

*CLANG*

The sound of birds chirping filled the air, the sky streaked with a warm orange glow. It was peaceful, tranquil...

Until the harsh clang of steel against steel shattered the moment.

"MMH!" Kaelan fell to his knees, his blade clattering to the ground as he clutched his wrist. "Can you at least go easy on me?!" His voice was shrill, sweat dripping onto the courtyard floor.

The elf approached, her armor clinking with each step, her expression playful. "Are ya gonna beg like that when you meet the Demon King? Pathetic." She kicked his blade back toward him. "Come on, try again. You haven’t even made me break a sweat."

It had only been a week since Kaelan left his family behind to pursue his destiny as the Hero. His mother was devastated, but his sister was ecstatic, bragging to her friends. As part of the arrangement, the church provided his family with a hefty sum of gold so they wouldn’t struggle in his absence.

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Now, here he was, in the Capital, being trained by the elf known as 79.

"Why do you keep blocking like that?" she asked, amused.

"Because these blades aren’t dull! You’ll cut my arm off if I don’t block!" Kaelan’s voice was filled with disbelief.

Her grin widened. "So what? The church has healers. They can reattach it, no problem."

"You’re insane!"

"Aw, flattery!" she said, placing a hand on her cheek mockingly. "Do I really look that young for you to hit on me?"

"You’re unbearable! Why am I stuck with you?!"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Beats me. The church said I was chosen to train you, squirt."

She crouched to his level, placing a hand on his head. "Listen, I’ll teach you something everyone needs to know." She brought her mouth close to his ear, her breath tickling his skin as she whispered, "Just parry, you casual."

"Parry?"

"Yep. If you can’t block, just parry it."

Kaelan stood, picking up his blade reluctantly.

"Attack me," she instructed confidently. "Aim for my shoulder."

He raised his sword and swung downward. She tilted her blade, angling it just right to deflect his strike effortlessly.

"See? Parrying redirects force it’s not just blocking. It guides the blade away, and if you’re quick enough, you can counterattack immediately. That’s called a riposte."

She grabbed his arm, guiding him into a defensive stance. "I'll attack this time. Think of your blade as a guide, not a wall. Relax your shoulders, hold the blade lightly but firmly, and let their attack come to you. Feel the direction of their force, then respond."

"The key is angling your blade to deflect theirs. A small movement, just enough to change its path. If you overdo it, you’ll leave yourself wide open. Underdo it, and their blade will strike true," she instructed, her voice steady as she raised her blade and attacked.

Kaelan flinched, stiff and uncoordinated. He was far too late, and her strike hit cleanly. She pulled back at the last moment, leaving only a flesh wound as blood seeped through his tunic.

"Again," she demanded, her tone brooking no argument.

Again and again, they repeated the process. Each attempt left Kaelan with a fresh set of small cuts across his body from failed parries. He didn’t yet have the Hero's blessing at this stage of his life, and the training was grueling.

"Your damn movements are too stiff! Relax. Flow," she scolded, her frustration growing. "The parry isn’t about force; it’s about finesse. Use the edge, not the flat. Match my momentum, squirt." Her instructions were relentless, drilled into his mind with every mistake.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kaelan managed to do it. 79's strike came at him, and this time, his blade tilted at just the right angle. The attack slid harmlessly past him.

"There we go!" she said with a proud smile. "Now, again. This time with purpose."

She raised her blade once more.

"Make sure you hit me," she taunted.

*SCHIING!*

Kesa froze. She watched as her blade was cleanly parried, the sound of steel against steel ringing out. For the first time, she was caught off-guard. Before she could react, Xora blade thrust into her side, the force cracking one of her ribs and sending her to the ground in pain.

"Haaa... Haaa..." She forced herself to her feet, her breathing heavy as she steadied her blade. Her expression was set, her determination unshaken despite the pain. Her hand extended in front of her, the other gripping the hilt near her head, blade pointed directly at Xora.

She breathed in and out, resetting her stance.

*Thwack!*

Before Xora could process what happened, he was already on the ground, reeling in pain. Whatever technique Kesa used had been swift, decisive, and terrifyingly effective. If her blade had been sharp, he would have been dead.

The tip of her blade hovered inches from his neck. She looked down at him, her expression calm but commanding.

"Give up," she said coldly.

"Nah. Don’t wanna."

With a swift motion, he smacked her blade aside with the back of his hand as he scrambled to his feet. Gripping his weapon, he pointed it at her, his resolve unshaken.

"I'll take you on now," he declared.

The two began circling each other, their blades just inches apart. Kesa studied his movements carefully, anticipating his next move. As expected, he thrust toward her. She deftly deflected the attack and moved in for a counter.

Her blade arced toward his exposed chest, but to her shock, he caught the blade with his bare hand. It was a reckless move under normal circumstances, but with dulled blades, it worked.

BAM!

Xora dropped his blade and followed with a punch to her forehead. Kesa staggered back, clutching her head.

"You coward!" she shouted, rubbing the sensitive swelling where his fist had struck.

Xora didn’t waste the opportunity. He retrieved his blade and launched into a sweeping arc, forcing her to retreat again. Not stopping, he followed up with a thrust, catching her off balance. Kesa barely managed to block with the flat of her blade, struggling to regain her footing.

"You little—"

Thwack!

Kesa hit the ground hard. Her mind reeled as much as her body did. Her wide eyes darted around, searching for an explanation, an answer. Only one question consumed her thoughts.

"H-how?" she stammered, looking up at him.

"How what?" Xora asked, his blade now steady, his posture no longer betraying the inexperience of a novice.

"I spent months learning that move!" Her voice cracked with disbelief. She looked at her hands, scarred and calloused from years of relentless training. Her memories flashed before her, every strike, every drill, every exhausting day of practice.

"And you just learned it in a single..."

He smirked. His tone was calm, almost amused.

"Guess I’m just better."