“Hey Emma!” Gilbert shouts as he runs out of the guild to catch up to Emma walking back to Johnathan.

“What’s going on Gilbert?” Emma replies while stopping for Gilbert to catch up to her.

“I heard you were going to Summerport with Johnathan; I have a task for you. I just need you to deliver this to the adventurer’s guild in Summerport and they will pay for it on arrival.” Gilbert says while handing her a sealed envelope.

“Sure, that won’t be a problem.”

“Thank you, Emma.” Gilbert says while walking back to his position slightly out of breath from running.

Emma heads to the edge of town where both Maya and Johnathan are waiting with a cart full of supplies and horses to carry them. “Sorry Emma, with all the supplies we are taking there is no room in the cart so we will all be walking to the city.” Johnathan says as she is walking up.

“That’s alright, I figured we would be walking anyways.”

“Is everything alright Emma? I saw Gilbert run out to you on your way here.” Maya asked.

“Yeah, just have something to deliver when we get to town.”

“Well, now that everything is settled, lets head out.” Johnathan chimes in.

The three of them begin to head out of town following the dirt path between the trees that head to Summerport. Along the path, trees line both sides covering most of the sky giving lots of shade keeping everyone cool. “Hey Emma, I haven’t brought this up yet but remember the day you saved me from wolves?”

“Yeah of course.”

“I remember seeing a flash of light, like fire pass by me before I passed out. Was that magic?”

“Oh, I guess I haven’t told you. I’m what’s called a spell swordsman.”

“What does that mean?”

“To put it simply, I can retain magic but without a special crafted weapon or object I am unable to release magic. This sword acts as a catalyst allowing the magic to be pulled from me and pushed out.”

“So, you yourself cannot cast magic but your sword can, and you are kind of like its charge?”

“Pretty much.”

“Emma is actually the only one in the town that can.” Johnathan interrupts, “That’s why most of the time Gilbert asks her to help clear out any dangerous animals that wander to close. And yours truly helped teach her how to fight with a sword.”

Emma beings to laugh, “Yeah, but dear ol’ Johnathan here is only good with an axe, so I still had to learn quite a bit from actually fighting animals.”

Johnathan smirks back at Emma.

“So how does that work then? Sounds like your sword is pretty expensive.” Maya asks.

“Well, I’m not sure on the price since mine was given to me. As for how it works, it’s not an overly hard process. Just about anyone who knows smithing could make one as long as they know how to write runes into a sword. There are also a lot of magically gifted people that can apply them after a sword has been forged as well.”

“So, the runes allow the transfer of magic from a person to pass through the sword. Does that mean you could do several types of magic from the sword?”

“The runes placed on the sword dictates what actions a spell swordsman’s weapon can do. Mine for instance says that I can either coat the sword in magic or release magic from the sword like an arrow. Mine only allows for the elements of fire and lighting which is extremely common for a sword.”

“Your sword is able to shoot fire and lightning and could be coated along the blade as well?”

“Correct. Most swords are imbued with fire and lightning attributes because they belong to the destructive magic category. On the other hand, individuals wielding spears or polearms often prefer wind and water magic for enhanced speed and fluidity in their movements. Claymores and other two-handed weapons predominantly harness earth magic, which not only increases their durability but also allows for instant weight manipulation. Lastly, bows and crossbows commonly incorporate wind magic to achieve greater range. Some archers opt for illusion-based enchantments, like adding light to illuminate surroundings or casting shadows for stealthy shots, especially in low-light conditions."

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“Are spell swordsmen that common?”

“Within the adventurer’s community they can feel common depending on where you are at. Probably more people out there that have magic stored within them without knowing though. Without access to something that would allow you to test that ability you could go your entire life without knowing.”

“Wow, to think there could be so many people out there never knowing their full potential.”

“Yep, if it wasn’t for this sword, I wouldn’t have known either.”

“Well, when you first tried you nearly caught the town on fire.” Johnathan chuckles.

“How was I supposed to know that I could shoot fire out and catch the tree on fire!” Emma snarkly mutters back.

“Do you think you could teach me some basics of swordsmanship on the road? That way I could actually protect myself if some wolves were to show up on our way to Summerport.” Maya askes Emma.

“Sure, we could go over some basics with a sword. Hey, Johnathan, do you keep your spare weapons on the cart?” Emma turns to Jonathan to ask.

“I always have some spare weapons in the cart. Right side tucked up right against the cart wall.” Johnathan now walking backwards and pointing to the spot on the cart before turning back around.

Emma reaches in and pulls out a worn sword from the side of the cart. Handing it over to Maya, “First you need to get used to holding a sword. For the next hour you will just be holding the sword while we walk. You can practice swinging and changing hands so you can get use to the weight. Then we will practice with some actual techniques.” Emma says with a gleam in her eyes.

Maya grabs the sword and immediately feels the sword pull her arms down from the weight. “You weren’t kidding when you said I need to get use to the weight. I figured it would have been lighter with as easy as you swing yours around.” Maya says while toying with the sword between her two hands.

“Well, mine is lighter because of the metal it’s made out of, but you should get use to that weight because that is the normal for sword weight when looking at basic swords.”

As they continued down the dirt path, Maya experimented with the sword, gracefully swinging it away from the group in an attempt to acclimate herself to its weight. It wasn't that the sword was challenging to wield; rather, the difficulty lay in arresting its momentum mid-swing or holding it steadily. On several occasions, Maya inadvertently pitched herself forward, as though the sword was playfully tugging her along for a ride.

~ Just so you know, witches typically don't use weapons. However, we can turn this to your advantage. We could portray you as a spell swordsman; you wouldn't need to rely on a wand to cast spells, even though it's usually easier due to the magical properties of the special wood it's made from. In this case, by inscribing different runes on the sword, it would enable you to cast spells through the weapon without risking its destruction in the process ~

“Hmm, may have to look at some suitable weapons then.” Maya tries to say softly back to Enit.

“Did you say something Maya?” Emma asks.

“Oh, I was saying that if I do well with a sword maybe I should look at getting myself a weapon to keep myself safe.”

“Well, we can always look around the market in Summerport, but we can always get something made in Wolfcrest when we get back too.” Emma replies.

Maya continues to swing the sword around until her arms get tired. Still holding the sword in hand, the weight seemed to get heavier as time went on, she kept switching between her left and right hands to allow the opposing arm to rest. Time continues to pass as they walk between the trees on the road when finally, Emma says, “Alright I think enough time has passed, let’s get some basics out of the way.”

Emma guides Maya through the basics of sword fighting, emphasizing proper posture, hand placement, and foot positioning. They stop along the road, jog to catch up with their initial position along the cart, and then stop again to repeat the drills. As the training session progresses, Emma decides to test Maya's reflexes and combat readiness. Without any warning, she launches a sudden swing at Maya. Caught off guard and struggling with the weight of the sword, Maya manages to lift it just in time to block Emma's swift attack. Breathing heavily and with adrenaline coursing through her veins, Maya shouts in a mix of surprise and caution, "Hey, watch out you almost hit me!"

“That’s the point!” As Emma comes around with another swing.

Maya follows up with another block. This time Emma knocks the sword straight out of her hand. “My arms are too tired for this. I can barely hold the sword.”

“And again, that’s the point, go grab the sword and prepare to block again.”

Maya's reflexes kick in just in the nick of time as Emma launches another attack, her sword clashing against Maya's. With a quick jump backward, Maya narrowly avoids Emma's strike. But Emma isn't finished yet; she follows up with a low, sweeping swing. Maya manages to block it, although she struggles to maintain the sword's position. Concentrating on her footing and technique, Maya doesn't notice that Emma has vanished from her line of sight. Suddenly, a powerful force shoves her from behind, sending her sprawling forward. It was Emma who had expertly circled around and knocked Maya off balance. Standing triumphantly over Maya, Emma imparts a valuable lesson, "Remember, it's not just about your stance and hand placement; you need to be aware of your surroundings at all times." She extends her hand to help Maya up. "For now, that's enough. Put the sword back in the cart, and we can resume later after your arms have had a chance to rest."

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