[p=center]The Winged Knight[/p]
[p=center]Volume 1 - Chapter 2 - The Swan Knight[/p]
"So, are you ready then?" Katherina asked with a big smile.
"Yes, let's do this." I said with an unsure smile.
After that she led me to a building next to the main one. It was actually in better condition than the main building, but looked at least as old. I first thought that was strange, but then I had a rare insight into my teacher. It looked like she'd actually repaired the stable, but not the main building. Clearly she wanted to take good care of her horse, better care than she allowed for herself. It was obvious that she must care for the horse a great deal, her earlier words calling the horse her "partner" came to mind.
When she opened the door to the stable, the inside was clean. At least as clean as a stable can be, and it was possible, maybe even probable that it was cleaner than the main building.
She started walking towards the door of the long room. It had empty boxes lined up on each side of the path, they were clearly meant to contain horses, but all of them were unoccupied. When she opened the door I realized how large the stables actually was. It was kind of hard to see from the outside since it was surrounded by trees and wild growth. It really wasn't a tall building, just very a long one.
The room we walked into was huge. It looked to be the size of half a football field. And standing alone in the middle of the room, was a small gray horse. Now, I know nothing of horses. But to me it looked like something I'd once been told was an Arabian full-blood.
She's beautiful. Even I can see that much. She's majestic, and looks fit to be the horse of an Emperor.
Still, I'd always assumed that Kat would have a huge horse fitting to both her height and attitude. Immediately upon hearing the door open, and seeing who came through it the horse came trotting towards us.
"Hey girl, I'm glad to see you too." she said while patting it affectionately. The sheer surprise of seeing Kat that warm and affectionate stopped me cold.
I mean I knew she wasn't all that bad, it's just that when it comes to training she's absolutely merciless. But knowing and seeing are two very different things. I thought amazed.
She turned around while still patting the side of the horse's head. "Marengo, meet Aurelius, my newest student. Aurelius meet Marengo, my most trusted friend and confidant." she said with a smile.
I moved forward until I was a meter in front of the horse, took of my helmet and gauntlets and gave her a gracious bow, or at least as gracious as you can be wearing this monster of an armor.
"It's nice to meet you Marengo. I hope you will take care of me, I'm a beginner in the art of riding. But with your help I hope to change that." I said with my most gracious smile.
The horse looked almost thoughtful when she heard that. I took a chance and moved forward while trying to pat her. At first she looked unsure whether to allow me or not, but I continued moving closer until my hand finally touched her soft mane.
It feels great, almost silky to the touch.
Katherina was staring at me. "What is it?" I asked curiously.
She recovered instantly and showed an almost disappointed expression.
"I didn't expect Marengo to like you this much."
She makes it sound like she wanted Marengo to bite or kick me. Or at least try to for a good show.
"How much? Isn't this normal?" I asked puzzled to which she responded with a short laugh.
"You need to learn something my little swan, all horses are different. Just like people they have different personalities. Some are kind and docile, others are wild and violent, but most are somewhere in between. I've never seen her take to someone this fast. In fact I seem to recall the first time I tried to pat her she almost took one of my fingers off." she said indignantly.
"What? I don't believe it. She's clearly a nice girl." I said while pressing my face into her mane still caressing her.
"Will you please let me ride you Marengo?" I said while removing myself from her mane and giving her my best doe-eyed look.
The horse nodded and gave me a look filled with maternal protectiveness.
Did she just answer me? Are horses this smart? Or is the game making them smarter? I wondered.
"See, there's no problem Kat. We can start practicing my horsemanship any time she's ready." I said with a huge smile on my face.
He managed to charm Marengo in just a couple of minutes... I refuse to believe it! Didn't I have to court her for weeks on end before she'd let me ride her?! Kat thought outraged.
"Alright, then let's go get a saddle for you so we can start." she said turning, her back to him and walking back where they came from, hopefully getting a saddle.
I need to cool off some, it's pretty pathetic of me to be jealous of his ease with Marengo. she thought.
I decided to stay with Marengo, and gave her my most affectionate caresses.
She's so beautiful. I mean I've seen horses on TV, but this is different. It's my first time seeing one in person.
"Please take care of me during my training." I said seriously toward her, to which she responded with a grave nod.
Is she special? Or are all horses in the game this smart?
A sound from the direction of the door brought me out of my reverie. Kat was on her way back with a saddle.
"Here's your saddle, and watch closely. This is how you saddle a horse." she said while putting the saddle over Marengo's back, then adjusting it so it wouldn't push against her shoulders and making sure it wasn't chafing her.
Kat then went over to the other side making sure the same thing hadn't happened there. She adjusted it slightly and then came back around to strap it securely on Marengo's stomach.
"This is a leather saddle. When you've got your own horse and are going into combat, you're going to want body-armor for it as well. Otherwise a knight is incredibly vulnerable. Just aim for the horse and he'll come crashing down. That's why almost all knights use armor for their horses. Knights are heavy armored and slow, therefore their horses almost has to be as well."
"It wouldn't make sense to have a lightly armored horse with a knight on it's back in full plate armor. All you'd have to do is aim for the weaker armor on the horse and the knight might become crushed by it, or at the very least hurt in the fall. Perhaps he'll even have an armor so heavy that he'll have a hard time getting up and then you could simply finish him off on the ground."
"For other classes however, the opposite can be true. For example horse-archers are almost always light armored, both rider and horse. Simply because they're supposed to harass with arrows. Out-riding a slower knight and showering him or his horse with arrows. If that proves ineffective they can simply run away. Since lighter armored means less weight, they're almost always faster than knights. Unless you have a truly exceptional horse that's much stronger and faster than the other ones." she continued seriously.
"But unless you manage to acquire an incredible horse, just assume you'll always be slower than light armored riders and plan accordingly. For example maybe use a javelin? Or a bow? Not very knightly but I've even seen some knights that had a chain with metal balls at the ends that they threw trying to tangle the horse's legs. Or you can know the region better, plan what routes they have to take so you can intercept them somewhere. It might be galling to admit, but a knight will almost never catch a non-knight trying to flee from them on horseback, unless he's a bad rider, or he and his horse have less stamina then you and your horse."
"Though for me it's different. I almost always catch up to whoever I'm hunting." she said proudly.
I looked at her interestingly at that. "Why?" I simply said.
"You see, Marengo here is almost royalty. She comes from an incredible line of horses that dates back for almost a thousand years, and was given to me as reward for saving a Duke's daughter." said sounding very proud of her horse.
"The little girl had gotten angry with her father, and ran away from home. She was very young and naive, and somehow managed to leave the city. After leaving the city, she was caught by a raiding party of goblins." she said darkly.
"By coincidence I was nearby answering a call for any knight to help them clean out the goblins that was harassing the countryside. The goblins had started with stealing some animals, but had recently moved onto capturing humans. Nobody knows what they did with them, if they were all dead or working as slaves for the goblins."
"I found the cave where they had their base and slaughtered all of them." she said with a savage glint in her eyes.
"Deepest down inside the cave I found the people who'd been kidnapped. They were half-starved and had ragged clothing. And just when we were about to leave the cave, we met the raiding party coming back with the girl."
"At first the goblins didn't seem to understand what had happened, so I took advantage and charged the one who was half-dragging the girl with ropes tied around her hands. I killed it before it could even react. Quickly I cut loose the ropes, and pushed her towards the crowd of people standing there in fear. I barely had time to turn back around before the first goblin was swinging his club down on me. I managed somehow to dodge and cut one of the creature's legs clean off. He went down screaming while another goblin charged me in anger. This one was easier, I was prepared now. The first thing I did was deflect his blade down onto the ground and let loose a savage slash that almost split him in half, he was dead before he hit the ground." she said with savage satisfaction.
"The rest of the goblins were suddenly unsure what to do, they were frightened. So I took advantage of that and charged before they'd time to recover. I managed to kill another and when the last two of them saw that, they tried to run."
"Remember this Aurelius. Never turn your back on the enemy, for that's the perfect chance for him to strike. Even if you need to run away for some reason, back away and when you're sure that your far enough away only then turn to run. And make sure that your back is protected by something, a shield or maybe a tree that you can use as protection from projectiles while you run." she told me seriously.
"Anyway, when the one farthest away from me tried to run, I quickly took one of the dead goblin's spear, and threw it straight into his back. The last goblin was close, so I charged him on foot and after a couple of meters I was upon him, and then he was no more." she finished with great satisfaction.
"After that I found out she was the Duke's only daughter. I brought her and the rest of them back to the city and explained to the Duke what had happened, he told me that he'd recently bought a horse fit for a King, and wanted me to have it. He said 'you have not only brought me back the most important thing in my life, but also saved the kidnapped villagers and ended the menace of the goblins. The least I could do is give you something truly fit for a knight'."
"And that's how I got Marengo. But it didn't all go smoothly from there, she can be quite willful and didn't like me the first time we met. Anyway, that's another story for another time and I've already reminisced enough." she said with a small smile.
Wow, so that's how they met. And Marengo truly is a great horse, huh. As expected, if even I can see something is special about her, she has to be great.
"Alright let's continue," she said trying to come back into her instructor role. "obviously you put your left foot in the stirrup, and then swing yourself onto her." she did it herself, showing me how to do it.
"Now, try it yourself."
"Sure." I moved to the side of Marengo, patted her gently on her side, put my left foot in the stirrup, and heaved myself up onto her back.
It didn't work. I used way too much force and promptly went over the other side for a date with the ground. A lot of pain greeted me warmly on arrival, and the air was filled with Kat's booming laughter.
God, that's probably the most embarrassing thing I've ever done. I thought through the roaring pain. And I can only imagine the research team rolling on the floor laughing in the lab.
Marengo turned towards me and gave me a gentle nuzzle on my face.
Thank you, at least someone isn't laughing at my misfortune. I thought caressing her face.
I managed to sit up, and then heave myself to my feet again. By this time Kat had finally recovered.
"That's the funniest thing I've seen for at least a couple of years." she said with a blinding smile.
Well, at least it looks like she'll be happy for another month riding this high. I thought with a small smile.
"You did everything right, except you used way too much power. Be more careful, regulate your strength." she said half seriously, it seemed like her serious instructor persona was at war with the part of her that wanted to roll around the floor and laugh again.
Yeah, I kind of realized that. Well, she is trying to be serious again so maybe I should be thankful instead.
I did the same thing again, except this time I was very careful when getting up on Marengo. And it all worked perfectly.
For the first time in my life I found myself riding a horse. And it felt great. Like nothing I'd ever experienced, it gave me a huge sense of freedom. It felt like I could do anything while on horseback. Honestly, it didn't feel like something new and alien, it felt more like coming home. As if some unseen part of me suddenly found exactly the place where it was supposed to be.
"This is amazing... I've never felt anything like what I'm feeling now." I said wonderingly.
Even with that ugly armor, he still makes a gallant figure atop her. It looks like he belongs on a horse. Kat thought, unknowingly echoing Aurelius earlier thoughts.
Suddenly something hit Aurelius, Wait is Marengo alright like this?! With this armor I have to weigh something like 150-160 kilos(352lbs)!
"Kat! Is this okay?! Can Marengo handle all this weight?" I thought panicking.
"Calm down boy, It's alright. She can handle the weight, because that saddle is actually enchanted just for this occasion. It halves the weight of the person sitting upon it. So to her you don't weigh 160kg(352lbs), you weigh 80kg(176lbs). And by the way, you shouldn't worry about your future horse either. Most horses can lift 20% of their weight easily. And Marengo weighs 600kg which means, 600x0,2=120kg." she said in a soothing tone of voice.
"Thank god for that, I was really worried." I said while affectionately stroking Marengo's neck.
Kat looked like she appreciated that. It was after all, her horse.
"I'll start by leading you around with the reins. This is simply to make you comfortable with the motion of the horse and let you know how it feels." she said, grasping them and started walking.
It was a pleasant feeling, although I had a suspicion my posterior would not be happy with me for the next period of training.
[p=center]***[/p]
After half an hour of walking around the room holding the reins, Kat, me and Marengo were incredibly bored. And finally Kat stopped and turned around to face us.
"If you're wondering why you haven't gotten the horse mastery skill yet, it's very simple. You haven't ridden by yourself, so until you do it wont create itself. And now it's time for that. I know you got bored in the end, but it's crucial for you to become used to the motions of a horse before you try riding by yourself." she said concerned.
"Be careful, and don't depend on the reins too much. Try to use your legs by applying pressure on the opposite side of where you want to go. For example if you apply pressure to the right side, Marengo will try to turn away from that pressure making her turn to the left. Use the reins in the beginning, but know that steering with your legs is the best way for combat. When in a fight it's much easier to steer with your legs while using a weapon and shield. Because then your hands are obviously pretty occupied, and even if you could grasp the reins anyway it simply over-complicates everything." she said seriously.
"So start now, I'll be staying here for a while watching until I'm sure you won't kill yourself. Also from now on we'll switch 2 hours of running to horse riding instead." she said moving towards the chair next to the door.
I leaned down to Marengo's ear and whispered: "It's just you and me now girl, let's show her what we can do."
I first tried out walking a bit while steering her myself. A very large difference from being chained down with Kat.
After a few minutes of walking around I finally had enough confidence to give her a gentle tap on the side indicating I wanted some more speed. I didn't want to press my heels into this majestic animal. Even if it didn't hurt her, it felt degrading somehow. And I quickly decided I would never kick or press my heels into any animal I ever rode.
Marengo started to pick up speed, and suddenly it felt great with the wind in my hair. I don't think I've ever experienced such joy. And quickly my heart decided I wanted more, without really consulting my brain I whispered to Marengo: "Gallop!"
And suddenly we flew. Somewhere in the back of my head I realized what I was doing was extremely dangerous, but another part of me almost screamed 'You only live once!'. And together me and Marengo galloped around the room. At some point I even decided to completely let go of my reins and steer with my legs instead, while holding my arms out on either side.
While all of this was happening, Kat had jumped out of her chair in surprise.
The boy is crazy! she thought angrily while staring at him going around the room in a full gallop, while holding out his arms on either side like an idiot.
He's an idiot, but he's got to be the best natural rider I've ever seen. And they certainly look majestic together.
At this point he had reeled his arms back in but instead of calming her down, he clearly decided to urge her on even faster. Suddenly he was coming her way. At first she couldn't understand what he was doing charging madly towards her, but quickly realized he wasn't aiming at her but the door. Before she could do anything about this however, he was already past her like a whirlwind ducking under the broad door and exploding out of the stables into the street.
Aurelius quickly decided that this place was too confined for him, and steered Marengo towards the door out of the stables. He had a millisecond to see the shocked face on his teacher which made him grin hugely. Together they exploded out on the street, avoiding crashing into people left and right. Storming down the cobbled street with the wind in my hair, I felt free.
We came to a crossroads, I turned left and realized we were almost at the square. When I arrived there, it was even more packed than it was when I arrived some two weeks ago. I quickly realized that there simply was no place for us and we needed to slow down, before I could even begin to tell Marengo however, someone that looked drunk stumbled out of an alley a few meters in front of us.
"Get down!" I screamed, the drunk man looked up, and had one second to realize what was happening.
Thankfully for Aurelius he was clearly sober enough to see mortal danger was almost upon him, and threw himself onto the cobbled street. He was still in the air when we came upon him, and I screamed in Marengo's ear "Jump!" And jump she did.
For one second I thought we were really flying. Then we landed and I managed to get back enough of my wits to pull the reins and tell her to stop. People in the way were quickly moving to the sides and we glided for a couple of meters before finally coming to a stop almost exactly in front of the fountain.
That was the most fun I've had in my entire life. Still, I'm lucky I didn't kill anybody. I thought relieved, and more than a little exultation raged inside me.
I jumped down from Marengo while the huge crowd simply stood there staring at me, too shocked to speak. We were both panting heavily, and I put a hand on her side and told her: "Please drink some, you certainly deserve it girl."
By now the crowd had started to recover and people were starting to speak with each other.
"He's got a horse, aren't they incredibly expensive? And what's with that huge armor?"
"He's gotta be high level to have a horse as fast as that right?"
"Seriously, what's with the armor? It looks like it's completely made of iron, it's gotta weigh a ton!"
People were chatting excitedly everywhere.
I turned towards them and gave them my most gracious bow, and when I got straightened up again said:
"My humble apologies my good lords and ladies. I simply got too absorbed in the moment." I told them with an incredibly boyish grin. Which seemed to freeze them in place. And then someone gave a short laugh and most of the audience followed.
I saw a familiar face moving towards me angrily, when he finally came close enough to recognize me he froze. He managed to recover and moved towards me again, his purposeful stride combined with the fact that he's a guardsman seemed to silence the audience.
"Boy! Have you gone mad from Katherina's training? Stealing her horse and running away are you?" his face seemed to alternate between anger and pity. As if he couldn't decide whether he was angry at the spectacle and theft of the horse, or to feel pity at him for having to flee her training.
"I actually wasn't running away. Like I told them" I gestured to the audience now standing there watching and listening.
"I simply got too lost in the moment, you see that was the first time I ever rode a horse and the sheer joy of it overwhelmed me." I told him with a huge smile on my face, not being able to forget the wind in my hair while riding.
The guard had a strange reaction, he became even angrier and shouted at me:
"Now I know you're lying boy! There is no way that was your first time riding a horse." he told me accusingly.
Surprisingly, the audience seemed to agree with that. He heard someone close to him say:
"Yeah, the guard's right. He's clearly lying. That was definitely not his first time riding. I guess he really did run away from Katherina, not that I can blame him. You know how many players have tried her training and done just that."
Now I was starting to get upset with everybody calling me a liar, and was just about to tell them so when I heard a familiar voice. Oh, she got here fast.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" she screamed angrily.
Coming out of the audience was of course, Kat. They were parting like the red sea before her, and she was clearly panting from the run here. With her flushed cheeks and red hair she looked even more beautiful than normal.
I wonder what punishment this will merit. I thought, still in that afterglow that made it seem like nothing could be bad.
"Well, to be completely honest with you Kat. I really wasn't thinking at all. I simply let go and enjoyed the moment." I said with a blissful smile. She stopped cold at that, and then to everyone's surprise except me, she started laughing.
She recovered after a little while, walked up to me and gave me a hard fist to the top of my head.
Ow! Her strength is as abnormal as ever. I thought stroking the place she just hit.
"Ah, I could expect nothing less than that from you my swan. I'm still mad at you, and for this I'll add an extra hour each for sparring and running for a week. But damn it boy if you aren't an incredible rider! I've never heard of anyone being able to do things like that on their first ride!" she said with a huge grin that matched mine.
"I don't really know what happened either, I kind of lost myself and just did what felt right." I said with a smile.
"Anyway, can we go back to continue the training? I really want to ride some more and Marengo looks like she's all rested up."
Marengo looked up at the mention of her name, and walked over to me and Kat so we could pat her. Which, we immediately did. But the guard had finally recovered enough and shouted at Kat:
"Katherina, you can't seriously be saying that was his first time riding!" the whole thing seemed impossible for him to comprehend. She turned towards him and gave him an ice-cold look.
"Are you calling me and my student a liar Sergeant?" she said in an icy voice.
"No of course not!" he answered incredibly fast in a panicky voice.
"It's just that can't be his first time riding, I've never seen anyone ride like that in my entire life much less on his first try." he'd calmed down some now.
She regarded him with a slightly less icy look and simply told him:
"You have now. And for your information, he didn't run away. I knew he would never do that. In fact, I know he'll finish my training and I have to tell you he's the best student I've ever had." she said with a proud, possessive smile.
It made me blush when she spoke about me like that. Giving compliments and receiving them are really two different things, huh. I thought embarrassed.
The Sergeant simply stood there, apparently too shocked to speak. It seemed like he couldn't fathom that any new knight could endure her training, much less that she'd actually like a student.
To be fair, it's not that the Sergeant couldn't imagine anyone completing it, but those would be hardened soldiers. For new adventurers that came to the city to become knights, that training was hell. For that to probably be the first real training they'd ever experienced it was far too harsh.
The crowd seemed the same, her words caused quite an uproar from players who had friends that'd tried the training, with them explaining to the rest of the crowd what it entailed and why as far as anyone knows no player had ever completed it.
I took the opportunity to get up on Marengo again, and held out my hand towards Kat.
"Would my lady care to accept a helping hand in getting up?" I said with a gracious smile.
She gave me an icy look that seemed to say 'Don't push the limit too much boy, or it'll break.' that made my smile falter for a second before righting itself out.
Even though she gave me that look, she decided to accept my offer and took my hand and i helped her up behind me, still on the saddle so now it halved our combined weights. Otherwise it would surely have strained Marengo heavily.
I leaned forward and whispered to Marengo: "Girl, trot please." To which she responded and started to move again.
We exited the square with everyone staring at us, some seemed too shocked to believe anyone was on his way to complete the training. Others were discussing heatedly if it could really be that hard if he was doing it.
When we were about halfway back Kat decided to speak.
"Have you checked your messages? Surely you got the horse horse mastery skill now?" she asked interested.
I checked the messages and lo and behold, there it was:
Skill: You have learned Horse Mastery
Also, I checked my other messages and it seemed like I'd gotten several increases in charisma as well.
"Skill info: Horse Mastery."
Horse Mastery: Beginner Level 4 (75%)
[p=left]Makes it easier to ride and tame horses. The higher the skill the less tired you become from riding.[/p]
"Whoa! Kat, it's already at Beginner level 4 75%. How the heck did it go up that fast?" I said in an amazed voice.
"I suppose it's because while the skill levels slowly but surely every time you ride, what you did was a lot more advanced than what you're supposed to do as a beginner." she said in an amused voice.
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That kind of makes sense, you aren't really supposed to gallop with a horse as fast as Marengo at Beginner level 1. I thought with a smile.
"That makes sense. Anyway, what now?"
"Well, we're going to eat and then sleep. Tomorrow we'll continue the training and when you have high enough horse mastery we'll start with the spear, since it needs to be taught on horseback and ground side."
While she talked we'd arrived at the guild. We both jumped down from Marengo, Kat told me to take her into the stable and remember to close all the doors after myself while she started on some porridge.
I led Marengo back into the stable, and before I left I walked up to her and put my face into her mane.
"Thank you for a wonderful day, I had a lot of fun." I said while hugging her. I pulled back from her mane and gave her a kiss on the forehead before turning to leave. She looked a little sad at our separation, and she wasn't the only one.
"Don't worry, we'll have fun again tomorrow." I smiled at her warmly and left the stables.
After the delicious porridge I dragged myself to the bed barely making it there and out of the armor before collapsing into it.
Before Kat went to bed, she went to check on Aurelius. His blanket was on the floor, so she silently walked into his room and put the blanket fully over him. When she did, she heard him mutter "Marengo faster, we can go faster..." which made her smile affectionately before leaving for her own bed.
[p=center]***[/p]
Today was the last day of the training, since my first ride with Marengo we had been training with the spear on horseback and in spars, alternating between spear and sword and shield. I was still as exhausted as ever, but it had gotten a lot better from when I first started. I was currently in my final spar with Kat.
"No! I told you, keep centered more. You have to be ready to instantaneously attack or dodge from any direction. That's hard, which is why you got to keep centered and light on your feet. Always ready to move or attack in any direction." she said in a scolding tone of voice which made me smile.
It sounds crazy, maybe even perverse, but I think I'm going to miss her scolding.
She misinterpreted my smile, and gave me a sharp strike with her lead-cored wooden sword on the thigh. It hurt immensely.
"That's what you get for mocking my teachings." she said angrily.
"No no, you're misunderstanding Kat. I wasn't smiling at your teachings, I was smiling at you. But not in a ridiculing way, I simply realized that I'll miss your scolding voice." I said with a smile, trying to massage my thigh through my armor. Which, not all that surprisingly didn't work at all.
"Oh." she let out a voice in surprise. "Well let's keep going then." she said brusquely trying to hide her embarrassment.
*TING
Charisma has increased by 1
We continued with our spar, and I was still hopelessly outclassed. But there's a big difference in my swordsmanship since I started. I still have much to learn, and I've only begun to really understand the Flowing Water Style. It was hard, but also very fun. I really liked the way it adapted to any opponent. Kat often simulated that by sometimes attacking with heavy, but slow strikes. Or other times going completely for speed and making me wait for my chance while dodging her attacks.
Suddenly, right after I managed to dodge a particularly vicious set of slashes a message popped up:
*TING
Skill: The Flowing Water Style has reached Beginner Level 10.
[p=center]The Flowing Water Style has been converted into Intermediate Level 1.[/p]
Bonus for reaching Intermediate Level:
The style becomes even smoother, you can now dodge with the minimum movement required. This greatly decreases your stamina usage for dodging.
The smoothness of your style now makes it possible for the momentum of a previous big dodge to be used for a faster counter-attack.
The style can now be used on horseback. This will greatly help you dodge incoming weapons and projectiles while in the saddle.
Warning: Your horseback style will not be as good as the one on foot.
That's great! I finally reached intermediate. I was almost bouncing with excitement.
"Skill info: The Flowing Water Style." I said signaling Kat to stop.
The Flowing Water Style: Intermediate Level 1 (0%)
[p=left]A combat style heavily focused on an ever-changing pattern of attack and defense. Making it very hard for the enemy to know what will happen next.
After reaching intermediate stage can now also be used while on horseback.[/p]
"Kat, my Flowing Water Style just reached intermediate!" I told her excitedly.
She looked surprised at that, but also pleased. "That's great. That's what I was aiming for, but honestly? I wasn't really sure whether you could make it. As you now know, it's not easy to increase and I'm fairly sure this is the fastest intermediate has ever been achieved." she looked proud that it was her student who had succeeded.
After some more sparring another message popped up:
*TING
Skill: Sword Mastery has reached Beginner Level 10.
[p=center]Sword Mastery has been converted into Intermediate Level 1.[/p]
Bonus for reaching Intermediate Level:
Swords are easier to wield, they will now naturally feel like an extended limb instead of something you're just holding.
All sword skills that use either stamina or mana have had their cost reduced by 50%
I was surprised and again signaled Kat to stop and said: "Skill info: Sword Mastery."
Sword Mastery: Intermediate Level 1 (0%)
[p=left]Increases Attack Power with a sword by 100%.(+100% ATK).
Increases Attack Speed with a sword by 30%. (+30% ATK SPD)[/p]
"My sword mastery just reached intermediate." I said wonderingly.
"That's great boy!" she said with a big smile.
"Yes, it's all thanks to you Kat." I said sincerely.
She just gave me a pleased smile and waved it away.
"What's your spear mastery at now?"
"Let me see, Skill info: Spear Mastery."
Spear Mastery: Beginner Level 6 (59%)
[p=left]Increases Attack Power with a spear by 60%.(+60% ATK).
Increases Armor Penetration with a spear by 18%. (+18% ARM PEN)[/p]
"It's at beginner level 6." I said satisfied.
"Yes, that's very good. You've really made a lot of progress here. I'm proud of you." she said so seriously it made me blush.
"T-thank you Kat, it's been my... well not pleasure exactly, since I've been hurt a lot. But it's been fun, and I'm truly grateful." I said with a thankful smile.
"And I promise to come visit anytime I'm back here in Jinari."
"You'll always be welcome here, and there will always be a bed you can use as well." she told me with a smile.
"Your bed?" I asked teasingly with a seductive smile.
She blushed and just shook her head with a smile and motioned me to follow her into the guild.
*TING
Charisma has increased by 1
I followed her with a smile, and we walked to the dining room, where she told me to wait.
I wonder what's going on? She going to get me some farewell porridge? Well I can't say I'm dissatisfied with that. I still love it after all.
She returned fifteen minutes later and, to my astonishment she was not alone. With her came several waiters with plates of food that smelled absolutely delicious.
"I thought we should finish with a feast to celebrate you completing my training." she said with a small smile.
The waiters put down the food on the table, and there were loads of it! It looked like we were about to have company, since the amount could easily feed a family of five.
"Is someone else coming?" I asked curiously, but inwardly a little sad.
I wanted to celebrate with her alone though... Well I guess it must be someone interesting if it's someone she invited.
She gave me a smile as the waiters were leaving and said:
"No my swan, today we eat like kings. Eat as much as you want."
That made my mood soar like nothing else, the big table was now filled with food. There was a whole grilled chicken, roasted potatoes and a half-dozen different meats.
She didn't need to tell me twice, I started shoving food into my mouth. This was after all, the last day of training. Which had made her make it extra hard sparring, running and riding. Which had exhausted me.
After we finished our meal, which took a considerable amount of time. I was so full I wasn't sure if I'd be able to move if she asked me, well the test came quicker than I thought as she asked me to follow her.
We arrived in a room I had never seen before. It was a large study, clearly the kind a Guild Master should have. I realized I'd forgotten that Katherina was one.
"Take a seat." she said pointing at one of the chairs in front of the desk while she walked around to sit behind the desk. I did as told and sat down.
"You have now formally completed your training." she said in a serious voice.
*TING
You have completed the quest: Katherina's Knight Training
You have leveled up
You have leveled up
You have leveled up
You have leveled up
You have leveled up
Five levels? This must really have been a high difficulty quest.
"And now, to your reward." she said standing up and walking over to a large cabinet. She opened it and took out a sword, unsheathed it and walked over and placed it in my hands.
It was a steel sword, was the first thing I noticed. It was beautiful and looked like a classic knight's sword, except for the cross-guard. Instead of a normal one, this one was two wings. One wing on either side of the blade, it looked beautiful.
Are those... swan wings? I thought wonderingly and looked up at Kat.
She smiled at me and then a message window appeared.
*TING
Hidden class discovered!
[p=center]You have been offered the class of a Swan Knight.[/p]
The Swan Knight is a class much like a normal knight, except it requires an exceptionally attractive appearance.
In addition to normal knight skills you also gain bonuses from the Charisma stat. People who see you fight will think of a graceful swan. This will heighten ally morale and distract enemies into watching your graceful form even as you cut down their comrades. Effectiveness will be decided by how high your Charisma is.
[p=center]Do you accept?[/p]
Yes
No
A hidden class?! And Swan Knight? A knight that also depends on charisma? Could I have asked for anything better? I thought excitedly.
"Yes!" I shouted and was enveloped in a bright white light.
[quart=Character name,Alignment]Aurelius,Neutral[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]6,Swan Knight[/quart]
Status Window
Title
None
Fame
50
[quart=Health,Mana]1290,100[/quart]
[quart=Strength,Agility]50+25,50+5[/quart]
[quart=Vitality,Charisma]50+25,34+30[/quart]
[quart=Endurance,Fighting Spirit]95+15,80[/quart]
[quart=Wisdom,Intellect]10,10[/quart]
[quart=Luck,Leadership]5,0[/quart]
Attack
15
Defense
0
Magic Resistance
None
[p=left]+30 Charisma
+25 Strength
+25 Vitality
+15 Endurance
+5 Agility
+ The Swan Knight class focuses on Charisma instead of Honor, this makes it much easier to raise the Charisma stat but makes it impossible for the Honor stat to be generated.
+ The Swan Knight regenerates a little stamina every time he makes a graceful move/dodge/attack.
+ Being a Knight class, all your weapon mastery skills level up faster.
+ Riding is easier and faster to master as a Knight.
+ Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class.[/p]
"Why are my stats this good?" I without thinking said out loud.
"Well, first of all my training counts as Basic Training like I told you when you arrived. So you get all the stats that you would have gotten from that. Also, since my training is hard with a lot of sparring and running, your endurance is probably very high because you've been taking hit after hit. And you've probably created a stat called Fighting Spirit?" she asked seriously.
"Yes I have, what is it?" I asked curiously.
"It's basically the will to fight. It can sometimes give you superhuman strength temporarily, but that's really rare. Much more useful is if you've got higher Fighting Spirit than a monster, it will fear you. And some might even move away from you because they don't want to fight you. Also, this stat is raised by fighting long battles, and fighting stronger opponents and monsters." she said with a smile.
This is the first time I've checked my status window since I started, and I knew I've been getting a lot of stat messages. Fighting Spirit? That's great, and I certainly have been fighting a stronger opponent. And that about my endurance, it's proof of how many hits I've taken during her training. I thought shuddering in remembrance.
While I was thinking Katherina gestured toward the sword and started talking:
"I've had this sword for a long time, and was thinking of granting it to the first person that deserved the Swan Knight class. You've earned the class and the sword." she said with a smile.
"The sword is already identified, so take a look. Also, I'm going to be giving you a basic iron spear and shield as well." she continued smiling at me.
I took up the sword and held it in front of me and said: "Item info."
[p=center]Knight's Steel Swan Sword[/p]
Durability: 65/65
Damage: 19-25
Awarded to the first person that manages to finish Katherina's training and become the hidden class of Swan Knight.
This is a fine steel sword that was custom-made by a blacksmith for Katherina's needs. She anticipated what stats the person who finished her training and got the class would have, therefore she could make it perfectly fit his/her stats.
Class: Swan Knight.
Restriction: Strength 75, Vitality 75, Charisma 40.
Equip: Raises Strength by 15, Raises Charisma by 10.
This sword is amazing! And just like it says, it looks like it's custom-made for me. I can equip it right now.
I stood up from the chair, gently put the sword back in the scabbard that was on her desk then laid it down there. I turned back around to Kat who was still smiling at me, took a huge step forward and enveloped her in a crushing hug.
"Thank you so much! This is so much more than I ever even hoped for! I don't know how to thank you." I said while tightly hugging her to me, but because she was taller my head ended up below hers.
I couldn't see her expression but for one second I was convinced she was going to throw me away. But she didn't, when she overcame her shock she hugged me back. Though I could barely feel it since I was still wearing the huge iron armor.
*TING
Charisma has increased by 1
"A-alright it's okay. You can stop hugging me now." when she said that we'd basically been standing there hugging for a couple of minutes. I reluctantly moved back and when I could finally see her face she looked red and more than a little embarrassed.
"By the way Kat," I said trying to defuse the awkward mood. "does this mean I can finally take off this armor?" I said hopefully.
She looked relieved at the change of subject, and answered with a smile: "Yes. You can remove it now."
I quickly started to remove the armor. And when it was done it felt like I was floating, like I weighed nothing. I had taken it off previously, but only to go to bed. And by that point I was so exhausted that I didn't really think about it. I just crashed into my bed and instantly fell asleep.
This time I could savor the feeling of loosing the 60kg(132lbs) armor. I had some normal clothes under, but I realized I felt naked.
It sounds ridiculous, but after wearing that thing for so long I feel naked without it. So vulnerable. I thought uncomfortable.
Kat seemed to sense what I was feeling and started laughing. I too, realized the absurdity of it and laughed.
"It feels strange doesn't it?" she asked me and I nodded.
"Yes, it felt the same way to me. Not like for you, but before I settled down here I used to travel around the world and I always wore my armor then. I only ever took it off when I could sleep inside an inn. Remember this Aurelius, you never know who'll come when you're in a forest or on the road. Sleep with your armor on so you can always be prepared for whatever happens. It will be uncomfortable, but that's surely better than death." she told me seriously.
"I promise to remember it Kat." I replied seriously but with a small smile.
She's trying to throw in just a little extra advice. I thought fondly.
After that we went to a sort of storage room, and she gave me a decent iron spear and shield. And then walked out to the stables to say goodbye to Marengo.
We entered the room Marengo was in, and immediately when she heard us came trotting over. I walked up to her and put my face in her mane. She seemed to realize something was wrong since I wasn't in my usual armor.
"It's time for me to leave." I whispered to her. She seemed to understand what I was saying and pulled away from me so she could look me in the eyes instead.
"I'm sorry girl, I'm done with Kat's training now and it's time for me to go." I said with a sad smile.
I never realized how hard it would be to leave. It's one thing with Kat, I'll miss her a lot. But I wasn't expecting how much I was going to miss Marengo, which was pretty stupid of me.
Marengo just looked at me for a moment, then she walked up to me again and licked my face. It really startled me and I almost fell down. As expected, Kat started laughing while Marengo walked up to me again but this time pushed her head towards mine so our foreheads touched.
It was a really touching moment for me, and my vision was going kind of blurry at the prospect of leaving them both. I waved Kat to me and she came, though a little puzzled. And when she was in my reach I used all the speed I could muster and pulled her into a group-hug with me and Marengo. I succeeded, barely. First it looked like with her automatic reflex she would just throw me away, but she seemed to realize what I was doing and stopped it. We ended up in an emotional group-hug with me and Kat hugging Marengo.
After a few minutes we finally finished, and it was time to leave. We all walked out of the stables together through the front-yard of the guild and to the street.
I hugged each of them once more and then left with blurry eyes walking down the moonlit street, and I suddenly felt so lonely again.
I walked for a couple of minutes until I reached the square, before I logged out I decided to use my stat points on +20 Strength and +5 Charisma. And then, for the first time I logged out.
[p=center]***[/p]
What Aurelius didn't know was that after his spectacle with Marengo in the square, he had become kind of famous. People had been visiting the knight's guild all the time after that, but had been met by a sign on the door which said:
'I will not take any new students until this one has run away or finished.' From that they had assumed he was still in there training.
And so when someone finally saw that the sign wasn't there anymore, they quickly entered the guild and asked what had happened to him. The response they got was 'The Swan just finished, ah I'll miss him...' she said in a sad voice none had ever heard from her.
After that the news spread like wildfire. "Someone finally completed Katherina's training!" was put online and people everywhere heard about it. Most, who had never been in the capital Jinari of The Dale Kingdom had no idea who Katherina was, or what her training entailed. Some users who'd tried it started explaining what it consisted of and why it was so incredibly hard.
The news were small, many who read it simply forgot about it quickly. But almost everyone who had started in Dale remembered it. They knew how tough it was, and some had even seen him in the square. And so, unbeknownst to Aurelius he had become quite famous in The Kingdom of Dale.
It later became known that if you wanted to talk to Katherina about something not involving her training, you should start speaking about 'The Swan' because that would really get her to open up. Some people thought it was a quest, like a sort of 'Find My Lost Student' but as no quest ever came, and a large amount of people had actually seen him in the square, it was correctly assumed he was a player.
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